"Okay so tell me the truth," was the first thing Jen said to them when they were seated for lunch.

"What do you mean?"

"You spend every spare second with that geek, I saw you two walking into that lecture together, so, spill."

"Don't call him that," Tori winced.

"What?"

"A geek, don't call him that."

"But he is, he's a nerd, Tori have you forgotten?"

"Jen, please, just because he's smart, those nick names are a bit too much."

"Wow, Tori," she gasped, shuffling her chair back a bit.

"What?"

"I can't believe it."

"What? That I'm treating a human, like a human?"

"Okay! Sorry! I guess I get a bit wrapped up in this whole class and status thing," she looked down and pulled her chair back to the table.

"What's his name again?"

Tori sighed and looked to the ceiling, "Kim Taehyung."

"Right, so Kim Taehyung, what's he like?"

"Now, that's a question I'd like to answer," Tori suddenly grinned, leaning forward on the palm of her hand and looked up in thought. "Jen, I've never seen anyone with such a mesmerising smile as he has."

"Tori..."

"And when he talks about science, he doesn't just spit out words from the textbook, he has this passion, Jen, which I've never seen in anyone before meeting him. He loves learning, and he loves science, it's just so..."

"Tori, do you like this ne- guy," she deadpanned, totally sick of what she was saying.

"No, why would I like the guy? You just asked me what he was like."

"Tori, you like him."

"I don't."

"You do."

"Jen!"

"Tori!"

Tori's phone on the table vibrated and before Jen could peek a look at it, Tori snatched it away.

"I have to go," she said, reading the text.

"You going to meet the nerd?"

"Jen, I told you-"

"Sorry, Kim Taehyung, you going to meet the Kim Taehyung?"

Tori just shook her head at her friend and put her muffin onto her tray. "You can have it, I'm full."

"Gee, thanks."

▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬

"Hey!" Tori skipped her way to Taehyung when she spotted him across the courtyard.

"Hey Victoria," he looked up and put his phone in his pocket, "Have you had lunch? Was wondering if you wanted to grab something to eat before we get to work."

Tori blinked.

Crap I just had my lunch.

"Or we could just head straight to the library, I'm no-"

"No! I'm really hungry, haven't eaten since breakfast," Tori rubbed her stomach, "Where do you want to eat?"

"Are you sure?" Taehyung raised an eyebrow at her and she nodded.

Look at his face. I bet he hasn't eaten, I can't just say no.

"Yeah! I'm starving."

"I'm not that hu-" he stopped talking when they both heard his stomach rumbling, causing Tori to laugh.

"See! We're both hungry, where do you wanna eat?" she asked, looking around.

Taehyung couldn't help but smile, watching her as she searched the street.

"How about that noodle restaurant?" Tori pointed to the right.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, I'm fine with anything," he replied and she nodded.

"Let's eat there then."

"Okay," they walked side by side to the shop.

They both ordered the same thing and while Taehyung was slowly eating the food, Tori was just staring at it, her stomach had no space for any more food but she couldn't seem like a jerk so she had to shove it down somehow.

"Don't like the food?" Taehyung bit his lip, trying to hide his smile.

"No!" she gave an awkward laugh, "I was just smelling it, it smells so nice, you know?"

"Right," he nodded, "You sh-"

Taehyung's phone rang and he stopped talking immediately, his eyes widening at the ringtone.

"Hello?" he asked, pulling the phone to his ear.

The next parts of his conversation were a few rushed, "Okay", "Thank you", "Really?", and finally he said, "Can I please speak to her?"

Tori looked at him curiously, she had never seen him this desperate before and it made her worry.

"Hi mom," he breathed, smiling, "How are you?"

He nodded, closing his eyes, "That's good, I'm glad," he suddenly looked up at Tori before speaking back into the phone, "Today?"

Tori mouthed 'What?' to him but he just shook his head.

"Okay, yes, of course, I'll be there," he nodded again, "Okay mom, I love you!"

With that, he hung up and put the phone down onto the table.

"You alright?" Tori asked, noticing the sudden change in his demeanour.

"Oh, u-uh, yeah, sorry a-about that," he stuttered, and she saw the way he was shaking.

"You sure?"

"Uhm, Victoria?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you mind if I see my mom before we get working again tonight?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah, of course, that's fine," she grabbed the chopsticks and poked her food before finally putting some in .

I wonder what that was about. Would he need more time with his mother? Should I go back home and wait?

"My mom," Taehyung started eating, "Has Atherosclerosis."

"What?" Tori's eyes widened, "Tae, I'm so-"

"It's okay," he gave her a weak smile, "She's in the hospital right now, and I hardly ever talk to her. The nurses don't let me speak to her or see her that often."

"Why not?"

"In case I have it too," he looked up at her, and she saw his eyes turning glassy, "You remember? It can be passed down to offspring."

Tori nodded, "Oh yeah."

"And they know she'll be able to sense if I do get it, and they don't want her emotions fluctuating so there are only certain occasions I can see her."

"Tae I didn't know, I'm so sorry," Tori suddenly felt the urge to hold his hand that was just there, in front of her eyes on the table, but she refrained.

"That's okay," he smiled at her again, but she could tell he was forcing it, "How were you meant to know?"

"Can I meet her too?"

"Huh?"

"You know, how you're going to see her, can I come, too?"

"Oh... I guess so, yeah," he looked down at his noodles again and Tori called his name.

"So hurry up and finish that bowl, your mom needs to see a happy, healthy son."

He laughed, "Okay, ma'am."

▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬

"Is this too much?" Tori asked, nervously as they stood in the elevator, making Taehyung snort.

"I've been saying it's way too much since we entered that flower shop."

Tori looked down and in her hands was the personalised bouquet she got made by the florist. With a combination of 20 different types of colourful flowers, totalling 60 individual flowers.

"Geez, you just hate the colours, don't you?"

"No, that's not why."

"Hmm, yeah right," she smiled at the flowers.

"I hope she likes them. I hope they make her smile," Taehyung muttered, taking Tori by surprise.

You'll make her smile.

He turned to look at her, expressionless.

"Don't worry," Tori gave him a reassuring smile, "She'll love them."

▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬

"Mom!" Taehyung exclaimed when the door opened and the lady on the bed jumped, turning to the door.

A huge smile formed on her face when she saw her son and she opened her arms out wide.

"Taehyung!"

"Mom," his voice was muffled in her shoulder as he nuzzled in deeper, "Mom."

"I missed you, baby," she whispered and he nodded.

"I missed you too," they tore apart and luckily Tori realised that she was spilling tears by watching the two of them before they looked to her so she could wipe them away.

"Who's this?" she smiled at her and Tori bowed.

"Hello Mrs Kim, I'm Victoria, Taehyung's friend."

"Really?" she seemed almost ecstatic, "This is the first time I'm meeting one of Taehyung's friends."

Tori froze.

Crap. How am I meant to respond to that?

"Mom, don't lie," Taehyung laughed and motioned to Tori to give her the flowers.

"Oh, right," she shuffled forward, "These are for you."

"That's so nice of you," she took them and smelt them, "Wow they smell amazing, I'm guessing you picked them, young lady? Because this boy has the worst taste in flowers, and colours."

"Mom!"

"Come sit," she pointed at the chair next to the bed, and Tori followed, "So do you go to the same Uni as this one?"

"Oh, yeah, I do," Tori said, looking over at Taehyung, "We're in the same Bio-Sci class."

"I don't know anything about that stuff to be honest," she beamed at Taehyung, "And yet this boy made that his career choice."

"You raised your son very well," Tori told her.

"I'm pretty sure he was the one raising me, that boy did everything on his own."

"Mom."

"What? I'm not saying anything wrong, am I? Ever since your father left, you've done everything around the house, looked after your nieces and nephews and studied, and looked after me."

"Mom stop," Taehyung commanded and looked to Tori, "We have an assignment to do so we should probably leave, I'll see you soon, mom."

Taehyung leaned down to give her a hug and she kissed him on the cheek. "See you, my beautiful son."

"Love you mom," he whispered and she whispered the same thing back before they tore up.

"And you, Victoria, so nice meeting you! I'm glad Taehyung's making nice friends like you."

"Nice meeting you too, Mrs Kim, I'll see you again!"

"Bye hun," they finally left the room and Tori turned to him.

"Why did you rush us out? We could have stayed longer."

"They're gonna need to do some testing on her soon. If we were still there she wouldn't let them do it, trust me, it's happened before."

"Oh, okay," she put her hands in her pockets and they started walking to the elevator.

"By the way, Taehyung, I'm actually really impressed with what your mother said back there."

"What did she say?"

"About how you looked after her and your family when your father left, that takes some courage."

"It was nothing," he pressed the button and the elevator doors opened, and they stepped in.

Once the doors closed, she turned to him and turned him to face her.

"Tae, you deserve so much more credit than you give yourself, you've done so much, worked so hard, you need to be proud of what you've done. It's truly extraordinary, I know I wouldn't have been able to handle half as much as what you've done. Heck, I couldn't even get a solid pass in most of my subjects for half a year."

He couldn't make eye contact with her and she just sighed, "Never forget how awesome you are, and if you ever do, just hit me up and I'll spend hours on the phone with you telling you how amazing you are."

He slowly lifted his eyes to meet hers and she realised that he might take what she said the wrong way so she had to add something to the end.

"Because that's what friends do, right?"

"R-Right," he stuttered and looked back down to the floor.

▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬

"Okay so the library is our next stop?" Tori asked when they got in Taehyung's car.

"It's probably closed," he told her before turning the ignition on, "You wanna do it at my place again?"

Yes.

"Are you sure?" Taehyung looked over at Tori questioningly when she asked.

"Yeah, I'm sure."

"Okay, sure," she said and he nodded.

"Your mom is so sweet."

"She is," Taehyung agreed.

"Next time you go to visit her, can I come again?"

He looked surprised when she asked this but she didn't seem fazed, "Really?"

"Yeah, she's such a sweetheart."

"Okay, yeah, I'll let you know when I go to see her."

"So is your mother the reason..."

"Yeah, she's the reason I wanted to do this project, is that... okay?"

Tori laughed, "It's fine! I just wanted to know is all."

"We're here," Taehyung looked up once he parked and Tori took her bag before getting out.

I like it here. This feels more like home than my own.

"What about you?" Taehyung asked as they walked to the doors.

"What about me?"

"What's your family like?"

"Well, my dad's just your average engineer, and my mom's a teacher," Tori told him and she turned to face the front again, "But I haven't spoken to them since I moved out, in the beginning of the year."

"Do they live out of town?"

Wow. I've never told anyone this. How is it just so easy telling him?

"You don't have to tell me, if you don-" he added quickly but Tori ignored him.

"Yeah, my parents are in Jeju Island, that's my hometown."

"I've never been there, but