Part 3: I Like It
Word Count: 3,114

Hoseok had been driving you to an unknown destination for the past two hours, and still refused to hint you about where you were heading. He explained that it was a surprise, and that it would be better for you to find out for herself. However, you weren't a big fan of surprises if they were so badly hidden like this one. You were suddenly afraid Hoseok was going to drive you up to the middle of nowhere after realizing he didn't know the way to the restaurant.

"Are we almost there?" you whined, your hand combing the hair that had become tangled during the two hour drive.

"Yes, actually," Hoseok replied without taking his eyes off the road, "Just sit still for another two or three minutes."

You let out a sigh of relief. Your stomach had been grumbling for the last hour, and you had spent every minute hoping you were almost at the restaurant Hoseok was speaking so highly of. Since the drive had been so long, the restaurant was definitely out of the city, like Hoseok promised. You regularly ate out at nice restaurants with either Yumi or Yugyeom, but you had never been driven so far away from home for something as casual as a dinner with a friend.

After five minutes, Hoseok finally pulled up on the side of the road, pulling up close to a fancy restaurant that you had never seen your in life before. You glanced in Hoseok's direction, wondering if you had arrived at the right place since this no longer seemed like an ordinary dinner between two friends. If this was where you were eating tonight, the two of you were sure to spend a fortune just on the entrée.

"Is this the right--"

"Yes, this is the right place, Y/N," he chuckled, shaking his head at how worried you looked for a moment.

"But it looks so beautiful and I'm wearing something so-- Jung Hoseok, if we were going to eat somewhere this nice, you should've at least let me get changed into something better."

Reaching to the back of the car, Hoseok handed you a large box, placing it on your lap. You looked up at him with both confusion and desperation for an explanation. Nothing so far seemed to add up.

"Go and quickly change into it. Don't worry, I won't look. I'll just wait for you outside, okay? Come out when you're done changing."

Hoseok left almost too quickly, shutting the door behind him gently. You spent a moment staring down at the red box sitting on your lap, still mused about how Hoseok even bought you something to change into. But opening the lid of the box only gave you a thousand more questions to think about. You, for one, were never Hoseok's type of girl. But what other reason would he be doing all of this for? Out of pure kindness? No one in the world, not even Jung Hoseok, would have the kindness to put all of this together just for a casual dinner out of nowhere on an ordinary night.

The dress was absolutely beautiful. Inside the red box was a perfectly folded wine gown. You drew it out of its box, shaking it gently as you eyed every single detail of the dress. The last time you had worn anything so beautiful had been at a friend's party a couple of months earlier, but its beauty was an absolute zero to the dress Hoseok presented you with tonight. You mentally noted that you owed him one, wondering how much money he had spent on this dress. You remembered meeting his older sister one time, who may be the source of this gown. Perhaps it had been a dress she no longer wanted, but still, nothing added up. Even if it was a hand-me-down from Jung Dawon, what was it doing in the back of his car? And why was he offering it to you on this particular night?

Quickly undressing yourself and slipping on the wine gown, you were careful not to tear anything in the process of zipping it up. Sliding on the more comfortable yet magnificent heels, you were in luck when you felt no pain or pressure against your toes or heels. Glancing at your own reflection in the mirror for a moment, you stepped out of the car to find Hoseok standing at a fair distance away from the car.

"Oh hey, you're finally--" he paused for a minute, astonished to see how you had changed from your plain office uniform into such an exquisite dress, "Wow, Y/N... You look amazing... Namjoon was right about--" Just when he was about to continue his sentence, he caught himself.

"Namjoon was right about what?" you tilted your head slightly, wondering what the leader had to do with anything.

"Ah, nothing important," he finally said, "He just said the color would suit you nicely. And it does. So, come quickly, we're a little behind on time."

Nodding your head, you caught up to Hoseok and walked alongside him towards the entrance of the beautiful restaurant. Perhaps the dress wasn't a hand-me-down from Dawon. The architecture of the entire building was impressive, the stunning marble floors reflecting the lights of the chandelier in the lobby. Such a marvelous restaurant like this one would usually have countless staff members in the lobby, so you were quite shocked to see none at all. Not even the doorman or receptionists in sight. Tired of asking so many questions all night, you settled on the thought that the working staff would meet and greet their guests upstairs in the actual restaurant itself.

You had no clue about which direction would lead the two of you to the dining area, so you let Hoseok lead the way. When you turned into one of the corners of the hallway that was meant to direct you to one of the elevators, you were startled to meet with a couple of familiar faces.

"Namjoon? Jungkook? What are you two doing here?" you were far more confused now than ever. The eldest and youngest were standing side by side in the elevator, grinning from ear to ear upon your entrance into the elevator. The fact that their tuxedos matched with Hoseok's suddenly became a concern. No one's birthday was in November, so what was the occassion? Was it their debut anniversery? Definitely not. You turned to Hoseok, an impatient expression growing on your face, "Is there something you're not telling me, Hoseok?"

"If you just wait for another five minutes, Y/N, all your questions will be answered," Namjoon answered in Hoseok's place, his warm smile sending you some kind of reassurance. Jungkook nodded from beside him, his bunny-smile widening for a reason you were completely unaware of.

Shrugging every thought away, you decided you'd find some kind of patience within yourself to endure the next while. When the elevator doors opened, Namjoon and Jungkook stepped out first, waiting for you to follow after. It took you three good seconds until you noticed yet another boy dressed in a tux, standing by a glass door at the end of the hallway. Park Jimin.

He greeted your arrival with his famous crescent smile, waving at his three friends as they joined his side.

"Y/N, long time no see, right?" he chuckled, not entirely waiting for your response, "Come inside, everyone's waiting."

"Everyone?" you mumbled under your breath, not sure whether you were meant to be nervous or excited. You thought about what Hoseok said earlier about waiting another five minutes until everything made sense, so you decided to trust his words. Just another five minutes.

Slowly following after Jimin and Namjoon who led the way, you studied your surroundings carefully, searching for answers of your own. The room was incredibly breathtaking. There were fairylights decorating the ceiling, dangling low like an arch of stars in the night sky. There were candles lit everywhere, flowers in the centre of every table surrounding them. As much as you wanted to point out the beautiful room they had designed together, not a single word could escape from your lips. . 

On the left of the large dining hall was what seemed to be the kitchen. Namjoon jogged over to the pass, whispering something to Seokjin who only responded with the rolling of his eyes. He shifted his attention from the leader to you, giving you a quick wave with his spatula before returning to prepare the dinner you were dying to devour any minute from now. The fact that Seokjin was wearing a chef's hat and holding a spatula left your mind disoriented, but that was the least of your worries. The boys must've rented out this place for the night for whatever reason they had-- something you were bound to know after the five minutes Hoseok promised.

Suddenly, the sweet melody of a piano begun playing, causing you to turn your attention to the other end of the room immediately. Sitting at a white grand piano of elegance was Min Yoongi, playing a soft tune to which Jungkook's honeyed voice accompanied. He was, indeed, the main vocalist of BTS for a damn good reason. You felt the ends of your lips curling upwards, the melody relaxing your baffled state of mind. But then, you felt your stomach drop to the realization: if Namjoon, Seokjin, Yoongi, Hoseok, Jimin and Jungkook were here, then that also meant that he was here. And god, how right you were-- there he was.

Your eyes flickered from the piano to the centre of the room, and there he was, standing from his chair with a glint of uncertainty in his eyes as he offered you a sincere smile. How could you be so stupid? Of course, this had been all set up from the start-- how could you have missed it entirely? Every single thing about tonight seemed too well thought out to be a casual dinner for two friends. You should've sensed it from the start when Hoseok promised you a good dinner and when he refused to answer any of your questions. The moment he pulled out the red box from the backseat of the car was the moment you should've realized.

"I don't believe you," you gritted your teeth, glaring in the direction of both Hoseok and Jimin who had been standing behind you, "How could you do this to me?"

Clenching onto the fabric of your dress, you felt the tears forming in your eyes. It was all coming back. All the sadness, the heartbreak, the tears... You had spent months forgetting about him, and the moment he showedn up in front of you, it all suddenly came back. It just wasn't fair that way.

"Y/N, wait--"

You quickly pushed away Jimin's hand before turning to Hoseok, "Just take me back home, please. There's no way I could ever--"

"Y/N."

As much as you wanted to remain composed and strong in front of your friends, you knew you couldn't. Not if it was as unexpected like this. Without a second thought, you ran towards the exit, unsure of where you were actually heading. All you really knew was that you wanted to get as far away from him as possible.

Desperately pressing the elevator button multiple times, the tears wouldn't stop streaming down your cheeks. You didn't want to cry. You didn't want to show him that after all this time, you were still huring. You wanted to make him believe that you were over everything, and you had finally moved on from the past. You just simply wanted to hide the truth from Taehyung, the same way you hid from the truth on the day you left your apartment.

"Y/N."

You turned your head to see that Taehyung had caught up to you. With no choice, you headed towards the other direction of the hallway, looking for any way out.

"Y/N, please," he called out, breathlessly, "Please, at least listen to me."

With nowhere else to go, you finally gave in, still refusing to meet with his eyes completely.

"What is it that you want?" you snapped at him, "You haven't called or texted in months, Taehyung. Now you want to talk?"'

He was quiet for a while, looking down in defeat.

"You sure have a lot of nerve to pull something as ridiculous as this, Kim Taehyung. A lot of nerve."

His eyes were watering, clenching a tight fist as his heart ached at the bitterness of your tone. So many things have changed. So many things.

"I know I made a lot of mistakes in the past. I know I was an idiot for missing out on our anniversaries and dinners and especially your birthday that I promised to be there for," he started, his voice starting to get shaky from the lump in his throat, "But in the past few months without you, I realized something, Y/N... I realized a lot of things... I realized that I needed you, and the last thing I'd ever want to lose was you. I know it's probably too late, but I needed to try. I needed to try, even just once, before I lose you forever."

You couldn't utter a single word. He had said everything so quickly that you needed a moment to let it sink in. Taehyung was never a bad person. He was actually probably the sweetest person you ever knew. He was Kim Taehyung. He was kind, funny, playful, loyal, everything you had ever wanted. But he was only human; he couldn't be perfect. He was insecure about himself many times, and sometimes doubted your love for him. It was his mistake to push you away when he felt this way, but it was also yours for giving up on him when he needed you to stay.

When the two of you had fought that night, his heart had broken with yours. The only difference was that his heart never even started to heal.

Suddenly, he started to cry. He didn't even try to hide it from you or hold it back. There were times when Taehyung had cried in front of you for many different reasons, but it was never like this. He looked so broken, so desperate for the response he wanted to hear from you. But all you did was look away from him, your eyes unable to share any contact with his.

"None of this is fair, Kim Taehyung," you started in such a brittle tone, as if you were on the verge of breaking into tears, "You were the one who didn't stop me from walking away the night I left the apartment. And now you're sorry? Why didn't you stop me then?"

"I wanted you to be happy, Y/N. I thought that if we never saw each other again, at least you'd be happy. And now I know how wrong it was for me to let you go."

You were speechless. The world was just never on your side. None of this was fair.

"Y/N, I love you. I'm still so in love with you. Letting you go was the biggest mistake I had ever made in my entire life."

"Taehyung, I--"

"Just tell me, Y/N. Do you still love me?"

The fact that the tears wouldn't stop flowing from your eyes started to terrify Taehyung. It was never so hard to say before.

"Taehyung, it's too late."

"No, it's not," he gave you an encouraging smile between his tears, "We could start again. From wherever you want. As long as we still love each other, I know we can do it. I promise I'll spend more time with you and we could start from there. Y/N, we can start from wherever you want."

"N-No, you don't understand..."

"Y/N, we've been through too much together to just give up so easily," Taehyung continued, "I know we haven't had an argument as big as this one before, but I know we'll be okay."

You buried your face in your hands, sobbing as Taehyung stood there in confusion. He suddenly wondered if it was something he said to make you uncomfortable, or if everything was happening way too fast for you.

"Y/N, what's wrong?"

"Taehyung, seven months ago, I would've died hearing these words from you. I was so in love with you, Taehyung, you had no idea..."

Taehyung quirked a brow, his heartbeat slowing at your choice of words. You were in love with him?

"Don't get me wrong," you let out a soft chuckle, wiping the tears from your eyes, "I still love you, just not in the way you want me to. Not anymore."

Taehyung was silent. Honestly, he didn't see this coming at all. He had hoped with everything in his heart that you had been longing for him as much as he had been longing for you, but it was not to be. Suddenly, he felt numb, his throat running dry. But what was he to do? He gave it his all, he tried his best to win you back, but it just wasn't enough. You had moved on.

He wasn't exactly too shocked upon the news, though it broke his heart even more than it already was. There was just a single fragment of hope left inside of him, hoping that you had enough patience and love for him to give him another chance.

"There's someone else," you said quietly, wiping away your last tear with the palm of your hand.

"Is it Yugyeom?" he asked, his voice void of any bitterness it would've had months ago. He learned to accept that Yugyeom wasn't as bad as he thought. If there was anyone who could take good care of you, it would be him.

"Yeah."

"I see."

Silence hung over the two of you before Taehyung finally spoke up, "Thanks for coming tonight, by the way. You must be exhausted from work."

You smiled up at him, shaking you head, grabbing onto his hand before he walked away from you. Even if things weren't going to be the same as before, you weren't going to let him go so easily. Just because he wasn't your boyfriend anymore, it didn't mean you couldn't be friends. Besides, after all you've been through together, it was the least you could become.

"Hey, while we're here... Why don't we have some dinner? I'm quite hungry, actually."

Taehyung ran his hand through his hair, chuckling at your sudden suggestion. He nodded his head slowly, gesturing towards the dining room, "Let's hope Jin's food didn't get too cold, then."