“You would risk being caught just because you’re hungry?” Taehyung crossed his arms while leaning against the wall of the small room. The runaway, whom he -according to her- saved, was nodding her head like a woodpecker would on a tree. Her lips were starting to form a pout, rubbing her belly to prove that she was really hungry. He learnt that her name was Go Areum, which in his opinion suited her perfectly. But now, all he wanted to do was just kick her out of the room and pretended that saving the ‘damsel in distress’ act never happened. “We just had lunch, for crying out loud!”

“That was 3 hours ago! And the portion wasn’t enough. Would you risk your life because of hunger?” Areum started to bat her eyelashes, hoping that her charm would cause the man to falter. But Taehyung stood stone-faced, and it seemed like he was using all his will not to punch her in the face. “Are you sure that your hyung -that Min Yoongi- wants us to live? The portions he gave seemed like he would rather see us die slowly.”

“That’s because the portion is for one person, which is-“ he stared at her, “ME. But then you decided to show up.”

“Well, you could’ve not let me inside the room. You’re the one who allowed me to enter, or did you forget?” she shrugged.

“That’s because you were begging for me to save you!”

It’s like they were having a staring contest, with Taehyung leaning against the wall and Areum perching on the edge of the bed. He had no choice but to let her stay in the room, because apparently according to Yoongi, ‘he doesn’t operate a motel’. Taehyung had asked for Yoongi’s help, but giving food and basic necessities was all he could do. Another extra room was apparently not on the list. With that decided, Taehyung had made it clear that they needed to be at a safe distance from each other. He would sleep on the floor, 2 metres away from her while she could claim the bed. Areum was more than happy to oblige, but he drove her mad when she kept asking for food.

“No is a no. I told you that I almost got caught when I went out to hunt for food that day. One wrong step, and the both of us could end up being sold, jailed, or killed. Do you understand?”

“Well, maybe that’s because you weren’t being cautious. I promise I’ll be extra careful. I’ll go grab something and run here as fast as I can!” She clasped both of her hands together, and she was a step away from kneeling in front of her ‘knight’.

“You’re going to steal again, aren’t you?” He looked into her orbs, but she pretended to be studying the cobwebs hanging at the corner of the ceiling. “Go Areum, our situation is as bad as it is. Let’s not make it worse.” He slid down, letting himself fall and was now sitting on the floor, back against the wall.

“Fine, I won’t steal. But I really need to eat,” she stood up, straightening her shirt as much as she could. “I’ll go out alone, and figure something out. You can just stay here,” she went towards the window, unlatching it and pushing it up.

“Go Areum, are you really-“

One of her foot was already outside.

“Are you serious right now?”

She was crouching on the windowsill, ready to brace her fall as she’s going to jump.

“Wait a minute!” Taehyung quickly ran towards her, grabbing her wrist.

“2 metres away,” she reminded him.

“Right, sorry.” He released his grip, but he was still stopping her from closing the window. He took a deep breath, not believing what he’s going to say next. “At least go out through the door. And… I’ll follow you. It’s dangerous if you go out alone.”

“Yeah, so you can protect me?” She rolled her eyes. “That’s coming from a guy who got dragged into the bushes and thought it was the end. Did you even think to fight back?”

“Just be quiet.” He felt his face started turning red, so he spun around and went straight to the door. He twisted the doorknob, letting the door open, enough for them to go through. Areum hopped off the windowsill and almost twisted her ankle when she couldn’t land properly on the floor. He was waiting for her, holding the door. She adjusted her posture before striding towards the door, displaying the biggest smile she could. He looked away, trying not to waver because of her smile.

They made their way safely to the front part of the building without getting caught. They ran into an old grandmother holding a cane while walking up the stairs, but she didn’t seem to mind the two youths trying to be as natural as they could be. They stumbled their way through the dark alleyway behind the building; Areum almost screamed when a rat passed in front of her while Taehyung managed to put a hand over in an attempt to make her stay quiet. She nodded while putting up an ‘OK’ sign, claiming that she wouldn’t let out any sound and he lowered down his hand.

The mar