As expected, Taehyung’s mother covered the door that led to the garden.

“It’s letting in a terrible draft. Do you even know how much heating bills cost these days?” She said as she taped up the openings and locked the door.

Taehyung sighed. The garden made this apartment special. Now it was just an ordinary apartment.

What a waste.

-----

Taehyung would start attending the public high school in three days. His mother thought that he would need some time to get used to living in the big city.

Three days were more than enough for Taehyung. He printed a map of Seoul online and grabbed his mp3 player before heading out. He needed to find the bus station, the grocery store, and of course the school.

The bus station and grocery store took him only 15 minutes to find. The store was right around the corner from the apartment building, and the bus station was located conveniently in front of it.

The school, on the other hand, made Taehyung go insane. He had ridden a bus only three times in his life—two of those times he had been sleeping on his father’s lap. The short stops confused him, and he had almost gotten off at the wrong stop five times. Finally, Taehyung got off at the right stop… Only to see it was already nighttime. He sighed and got on the bus again, smiling awkwardly at the puzzled bus driver as he slid his bus pass into the slot.

-----

The dark made it even harder for Taehyung to find his way back home. After thinking he had gotten off at the wrong stop, he began to panic and almost started crying. He felt like an idiot when he realized the grocery store was right in front of him. Suddenly, his stomach started yelling for help. Hearing the loud growl made him realize that he hadn’t eaten anything since breakfast. After finding money in his back pockets, he entered the store and bought a box of Pepero and banana milk for the little ones.

-----

“Hello.” The man at the desk said softly as Taehyung entered the apartment building. Taehyung smiled and bowed, walking towards the elevator. This was now his third time on it; he didn’t think it was that bad after all. He put his headphones in while waiting for the metal box to reach the first floor. When the sign above the elevator turned bright red, the door opened and Taehyung stepped into it comfortably. He began humming and rocking back and forth on his heels and toes.

Just as they reached the second floor, the elevator stopped and the lights dimmed.

His eyes widened.

“AHHHHHHHHHHH!”

Taehyung thought he was going to have a heart attack. He quickly pulled his headphones