The day of the lantern festival had finally arrived, the rugged streets of Daegu swept and decorated in flowers and ribbons of various colours and sizes. The entire town had gathered in the heart of the town for the annual celebration of the first full moon in the lunar year.

In one corner of the streets, competitive, hot-blooded athletes engaged in an intense archery competition, while children gleefully chased each other around the forest, playing tag. The elders of the community had gathered around a fire and reminisced about their lives, telling stories to their attentive children. Couples strolled hand-in-hand in front of the river, wearing the best and brightest clothing they could find. A few musicians had even set up some harps and drums on the side of the road, taking it upon themselves to provide background music for the festivities.

And all throughout, people exchanged gifts to their loved ones, wishing each other the absolute best in life.

This was Taehyung’s favourite holiday, and it was by sheer luck that he was able to spend it in the place he loved most this year. He gazed around with a content smile, soaking in this moment in which everyone appeared genuinely happy and carefree, the pain of the past and worries of the future far from their thoughts.

The celebrations weren’t fancy by any means. All the cleaning and decorations in the world could never mask the cracks in the road, the broken-down houses, and unkempt forest. But, the sense of community and love was what prevailed amidst this bruised and tortured town, giving it an invaluable, priceless beauty.

As Taehyung continued to observe his surroundings, his gaze became transfixed on where a certain lady sat obediently on a patch of grass while several children braided her dark hair, weaving a colourful array of flowers through it. A natural smile lit his face upon seeing the way she played rock-paper-scissors with one little boy as several others lined up behind him, waiting for their turn. Her expressions were obviously exaggerated – grief when she would lose, joy when she won a round, betrayed when she would catch one of them cheating. And laughing, always laughing in between.

It was a beautiful sight to behold – how well she fit in to a community from which she could not be more different.

When the little girls had finished braiding her hair, they had somehow managed to entangle her into their game of tag. So, she was forced to run around with them, lifting the hem of the baby-pink hanbok Taehyung’s mother had given her as she dodged her way through the crowd.

He purposefully came up behind her when she finally came to a halt. When she spotted a child running straight towards her, she whirled around so fast that she crashed straight into Taehyung’s chest.

She probably would have tripped from the impact, but Taehyung s two arms around her small waist and pulled her close to steady her. Chaeyoung placed both hands lightly on his chest to regain her balance and then looked up through her full, dark lashes

“Watch where you’re going,” Taehyung muttered, gazing down at her with a hint of a smile.

“Get out of my way,” she said at the same time, causing him to chuckle quietly.

He tightened his hold on her without even meaning to, “you’re the one that bumped into me.”

“But you’re the one keeping me here,” she retorted, trying to wriggle out of his arms.

He lowered his head to whisper in her ear, “can I keep you here forever?”

“Taehyung, I have things to do,” she untangled herself from his arms and tried to avoid his gaze, but not before he caught a glimpse of the sadness that had filled her eyes, “I have to help the girls pass out the lanterns.”

She stepped to the side and was about to walk away, but he wrapped a hand around her hip and effortlessly pulled her right back to where she was.

“Taehyung,” she groaned, “seriously – “

“You look beautiful,” he murmured, brushing away a loose, curly strand of hair that had escaped her long, floral braid, “just in case you were not aware of that glaringly obvious fact.”

She blinked up at him, caught off guard by the sudden compliment, as her cheeks flushed the predictable shade of rose that was so characteristic of her.

He brushed his thumb along the flushed skin over her cheekbone and grinned, “it can’t possibly be healthy to blush this much.”

She narrowed her eyes at him before pushing him away, “it’s your fault.”

With that, she marched away to the booth Jisoo and Lisa had set up with paper lanterns, as Taehyung chuckled to himself. Something told him this was going to be an eventful night.

“Careful, Taetae,” his mother’s voice snapped him out of his thoughts as she looped an arm through his and smiled up at him with a pained look in her eyes, “she’s not someone you can have.”

“I don’t know what you mean,” he replied nonchalantly, but avoided eye contact by kissing her forehead.

She looked up at him with an unimpressed, motherly expression that told him she saw straight through his facade, “I may be old, honey, but I’m not blind. I see the way you look at her … and the way she looks back at you. I could sense it from the moment you returned, the difference in your smiles, the softness of your eyes, the love – “

“Mother,” Taehyung sighed, not quite ready to acknowledge the truth that so many others had already noticed.

“Just let me finish,” she said softly, taking his hand and glancing up at him with teary eyes, “you have done nothing wrong by falling in love, but we both know that nothing can come out of it. She is destined to be queen, and unless you wish to become her king, you will not end up with her.”

“I do not wish to be King,” he replied firmly. A life of politics and governance, trapped within an overly expensive and groomed palace was the exact opposite of the kind of life he had always envisioned for himself.

“I know,” his mother replied quietly, “which is why you need to let go, before things progress any further. You are two waves travelling in opposite directions. You were never meant for each other, my dear Taehyung. The two of you will only hurt more the longer this goes on. It breaks my heart to say that, especially because I can see how deeply you care for one another, but as your mother, it is my duty to protect you.”

He closed his eyes briefly to dampen the stinging behind them as he silently listened to her words, a part of him knowing she was right while another part adamantly refused to believe it.

His heart had become so well-acquainted with hers, that even the thought of letting her go filled him with an unbearable emptiness. He knew what he had to do, but he was not sure his heart would forgive him for it.

~{❀}~

“Girl, you missed quite an eventful morning,” Jisoo smirked as she handed Lisa a pale-yellow, paper lantern to place on their wooden table.

Lisa glanced over her shoulder at the older lady with wide eyes, “why, what happened?”

“Well, for starters, Yoongi almost got robbed by a gang of es.”

“What!” she exclaimed, startli