Tori gave Taehyung a worried look when she saw the expression on his face; one of complete shock.

“I’m sorry, what did you say?”

“Taehyung,” his croaky voice started to smoothen out like honey, “It’s me.”

“I-I don’t know wh-”

“Your mother gave me your number, she said that if she didn’t call me, to contact you.”

He blinked, feeling his eyes water, “Sorry?”

“Your mother-”

“You talked to my mother?”

“Yeah, didn’t she tell you?”

“Mom’s… she’s not here anymore,” he stuttered, and upon hearing this, Tori spun around, her face filled with concern.

Taehyung looked up at her and she noticed his glassy eyes, mouthing ‘Who is it?’

He shook his head, “Who are you?”

“I said it already, Taehyung, it’s your father.”

“I’m sorry, I think you have the wrong number, my father left over ten years ago,” he managed to let out before hanging up.

Tori’s parents turned around, finally realising his state and their eyes grew in alarm.

But Tori stopped them from running to him, giving them their luggage and asking them to put it in the car.

“Taehyung, who was that?” she asked softly once her parents had left them.

He shook his head, “I don’t know, he claimed to be my father?”

She furrowed her eyebrows, “What?”

“I don’t know,” he sniffed, his hands flying to his face.

She stopped him, however, not letting him cry into them. “It was probably a prank call,” she told him, wiping the single tear that escaped his eye.

“Right?” he asked, looking up at her.

She nodded, “Right.”

“I’ve been living just fine without him in the picture, and just when his name is mentioned-” he choked on his tears.

“Tae,” she murmured, enveloping him, “Just forget that phone call even happened, it was probably some idiot playing some sick prank, don’t let it get to you.”

Leaning back, she looked into his eyes, drowning in the light brown pools which had splashes of red here and there. Wiping the last of his tears, she brushed his hair out of his eyes, and prompted him to take deep breaths by doing it herself.

“Let’s go,” she whispered and linked their arms, walking to their car.

“Tori’s told us so much about you!” her mom turned back to look at Taehyung and he smiled at her.

“Not all bad, I hope,” he said politely and Tori couldn’t help herself but watch his every movement, his every expression, he just looked so shy once again.

“We just couldn’t believe that such a smart boy like you would see anything in our daughter,” she gushed, and this made Tori’s face of admiration turn stormy, and Taehyung noticed from the corner of his eyes.

“Victoria’s actually such a lovely person,” he told her, and Tori felt like she was sitting in a parent-teacher interview in high school again, “I don’t know what she sees in me, honestly.”

Tori’s eyes widened and she slapped his stomach, “Do you want me to list the reasons I like you?” she hissed and her mother snorted.

“You two must have been together for a while, Tori has never introduced me to her boyfriends before.”

That’s because they were never proper relationships ever.

“Dad!” Tori interrupted, wanting to change the conversation, “How’s work?”

“Same old, same old,” he sighed, “But at least it’s not horrible anymore.”

“That’s a good sign, isn’t it?”

They spent the rest of the car ride telling Taehyung of the places on Jeju Island as they passed them all. Once they got to Tori’s house, they took their small luggage bags and put them into their respective rooms while her parents prepared a small dinner for them.

“Thank you so much for coming with me, Tae,” Tori said lowly, walking into her older brother’s room. He was to be staying with him, and she was still very uneasy about that.

“It’s fine, when else would I be able to visit this beautiful place, anyway?” he smiled at her, opening his bag and pulling out a hoodie. “And your parents aren’t half as bad as what you made them out to be.”

“Just you wait,” she sighed, “Until my siblings come home, and the house gets messier and louder than this, you won’t be saying the same thing.”

Shaking his head at her, he put the bag down.

“Tae?”

“Yeah?”

“Can you turn around for me?”

“Huh?”

“Like a full circle,” she twirled her finger in the air, “I need to check your outfit before you see my family.”

“Oh? Okay,” he slowly turned around and when she was done she nodded.

“You look great.”

Is it just me or is his looking especially good today?

Taehyung turned away, his face flushing a bright red. He felt the heat going to his ears, and he didn’t even have the chance to open his mouth to let out the deep breath he had taken in.

She lunged forward and took the hoodie out of his hand before he had the chance to wear it.

He looked at her, confused.

“Let me wear this,” she said cheekily and winked before leaving the room.

He sighed, shaking his head at her before pulling out another hoodie, one she had bought for him, it had the word ‘Loyal’ written but crossed out and underneath it said ‘Royal’.

She had given it to him saying that he should live like her King, although stay loyal to her too.

Going downstairs, he saw that the table was now filled with some unfamiliar faces, and he took a deep breath, getting ready to say some introductions.

When he got there, Tori jumped up and stood next to him, tapping the table for everyone’s attention, and soon enough there were five pairs of eyes trained on him.

She felt him start to shake and so she slipped her hand in his.

“Taehyung, this is my older brother, Luther, and my two younger siblings, Taylor and Ben.”

“Guys, this is Taehyung, my…” she looked at him, and observed his terrified expression with a smile, “boyfriend.”

“You’re dating that loser?” someone asked and it took Taehyung a while to realise that Tori’s brother was talking to him, and calling her the loser, instead of the other way around.

“Yah!” she snapped, running around the table and curling her arm around her younger brother, causing him to fall into a fit of giggles in her embrace.

He internally smiled at their antics before her mother tapped the seat next to Luther, “Sit Taehyung.”

“Okay, but really, what do you see in my sister? My mom keeps telling me how she’s head over heels for you but I wouldn’t understand why anyone would feel the same way about her,” Luther leaned over and asked.

“Uh,” his eyes flickered between Tori (who was playing with her little brother and completely oblivious to their conversation) and her brother who was waiting for his answer.

“Uh…” he didn’t like having to answer questions like this, he hated being the centre of attention, for anything really, and he didn’t even know how to word the feelings he had for Tori.

“Victoria’s funny, smart, charming,” and before he knew it, he was gushing and letting out every single one of her strengths.

“Okay now I don’t know who likes who more,” he leaned forward to whisper into his ear, “But I hope you know, if you hurt my baby sister, you won’t be able to use your arms or legs again.”

He gulped, blinking at him with wide eyes.

No surprises where Tori got her overpowering aura from.

--

Tori closed her eyes as she breathed in the scent from Taehyung’s hoodie. She was now sitting on the wharf, overlooking the ocean as it crashed against the shore. Her favourite place (second to their lake, obviously).

The air was still, and apart from the soft water rippling onto the sand, there was no sound to be heard. She pulled up the neck of her hoodie, wanting to savour every bit of the smell.

Someone came and sat next to her, dropping their legs over the edge like she was and swinging them from side to side.

Tori turned to see Taehyung looking out into the sea, his eyes full of misery and longing, and she wanted to find out what it was that was bothering him so she could see his stress free face again.

“Do you think that one day it will all stop?” he asked, turning to look at her in the eyes.

She furrowed her eyebrows, “What will stop?”

“The struggle, the despair, the hard stuff.”

“Nope,” she turned and looked out to sea again, feeling her eyes we