[ Four ]

Throughout the rest of November, I visited loads of different places with TaeHyung and my life fell into a comfortable pattern.

I’d spend my afternoons either with my aunt watching Korean dramas, which she’d introduced me too, or with TaeHyung, exploring the different attractions of Seoul while in the evening I’d work at the café. Weekends had become a mix of singular exploration or more fun adventures with TaeHyung.

“You’re dating him aren’t you?” Shin-Hye accused one freezing December evening.

“We’re just friends.”

“No you’re not! Me and Minhyuk, we’re just friends and you don’t see us spending the amount of time together you spend with TaeHyung!”

“We aren’t dating. He’s just showing me around the city.”

“That’s utter rubbish and we both no it.”

Ignoring her comment, I went to clear a table that had just been vacated. Though it was true my time was monopolised by TaeHyung, we really were just friends. Other than Minhyuk and Shin-Hye, who I only saw at work and the occasional after work hang outs, he was my only friend in Seoul. But despite how close we’d become, he was still odd, always wearing his cap and that face-mask. Though he’d taken me to see some amazing places, they were all quiet or out of the way, most of them being little hidden gems he’d discovered. Quiet, not well known places.

He was clearly a private person and I respected that, which was why I made a point not to speak about him in front of Minhyuk or Shin-Hye. The latter, however, had begun overthinking things after she’d spotted us a few times arriving back from our adventures just in time for my shifts.

But while Shin-Hye was suspicious, Minhyuk seemed pleased by our friendship.

“He’s a great guy.” He’d told me one afternoon before Shin-Hye had arrived. “He deserves to have some normal friends.”

“Normal? Why, did he hang around with a circus before me?”

“Some might call it that.” He’d laughed.

I realised though, that despite spending most of my time with him, I didn’t know much about Kim TaeHyung other than he was a student on a scholarship and his parents owned a farm. He was very secretive, something I never pushed since I had secrets on my own. It was like we both were keeping each other at an arms distance, which in some ways suited me just fine.

That way there was no chance of getting to be anything other than friends… Not that I suspected he liked me or anything. Not like that.

The truth was, TaeHyung seemed somewhat immune to beauty. I’d made a joke about him staring at a girl who was wearing the skimpiest dress despite it being 0 degrees out, but he hadn’t even noticed her until I pointed her out. He did, however, see beauty in other things, like the sunset, or the way frost clung to a spiders web we’d spotted walking along the Han River. He’d get excited and take photographs. We’d taken numerous selfies together, at least one in each new place we visited, but he never posted his on his Instagram.

So I didn’t either.

It was our private thing we didn’t share with others. Both of our Instagram accounts were filled with photos of things we’d seen on our adventures, but while mine was public and current at 490 followers, his was a private account with just 30. I wasn’t sure why he was so reluctant to share his work outside of his friend circle though. He really was a good photographer.

“And look who it is, surprise surprise.” Shin-Hye muttered later that night when TaeHyung entered the café.

Minhyuk gave her a stern look and ushered her into the staff room. Preparing TaeHyung’s hot coco, I gave him a sympathetic look as I delivered it to his table, where he had his work laid out.

“Exams.” He explained sadly.

I left him to study, since I could see he was a little stressed. Shin-Hye and Minhyuk emerged not long after and I watched as Shin-Hye left, stony faced and without saying goodbye.

“Have I done something to offend her?” I asked Minhyuk with confusion.

“No… She’s just stressed with a lot going on at the moment. She’s preparing for her exams and her little brothers been taken to hospital, so she’s worried about paying his medical bills.” He explained. “But please don’t tell her I told you that. The only reason I did is because you deserve a reason as to why she’s a bit moody lately.”

I felt a pang of guilt, realising I’d been so caught up in my adventures with TaeHyung that I hadn’t been spending enough time catching up with Shin-Hye.

“Is her brother going to be ok?”

“He should be fine, but like I said, his medical bills aren’t cheap and her family don’t have a lot of spare cash as it is. She’s been considering packing in her course to take on another job–”

“She can’t! She’s worked so hard…”

“I know, I keep telling her that. But family comes first, right? I know I’d give this place up in a heartbeat to help my family.”

Family comes first… It was such a nice saying, but one that had never applied to my family. My fathers face had appeared on the cover of The Times which did segment on the worlds most influential families, and curiosity had made me but it. There was no mention of me in it. Not even a paragraph to state my father even had a child and that spoke volumes. In his eyes I was no longer his child.

It was coming up the middle of December and I was sat with TaeHyung in a cute little restaurant eating ramen, discussing our plans for Christmas.

“I’ve invited my mum and dad up next weekend. I’m taking my mum to see the lights at the Garden of the Morning Calm.”

“I’m jealous.” I sighed, really meaning it. “I asked my aunt if she wanted to go but she’s busy up until January in China on some art tour.”

“Wait, you’re spending Christmas alone?” He frowned.

“I guess so.”

But it was no big deal. I’d actually spent every Christmas alone since I was twelve when my dad had fired my Nanny, believing she was making me ‘too soft’. The only Christmas I hadn’t been alone was when me and the girls had decided to hit the Alps one year. But even then we hadn’t celebrated Christmas in the traditional sense, instead using it as an opportunity to rub elbows with other elite.

“You should come with us.” He blurted suddenly.

“What?”

“The light show at the Garden of the Morning Calm, you should come with.”

“No, that’s for you to spend time with your mum–”

“I’m serious, JooHyun, I’m sure she’d love it if you came too. If she ever found out you’re spending Christmas alone and I didn’t invite you she’d kill me.”

“I get what you’re saying, but–”

“Nope! I’m not accepting no for an answer.” He protested.

We were paying the bill and getting ready to leave, still arguing about it as we walked to the hire car.

“I’m serious TaeHyung, I am not third-wheeling with you and your mother!”

“Then I’ll drag my dad along too.”

I rolled my eyes and tugged at a loose thread on my well-worn gloves. The gloves. I had no idea why I loved them so much, not when I had at least three pairs stashed away back at the studio that were ten times better quality. But for some reason I was attached to these.

“That’s even worse! I don’t mind spending Christmas alone, it’s not like I haven’t spent en-”

My words were cut off as TaeHyung grabbed my arm and suddenly took off at a sprint towards the car. It was like déjà vu of the time he’d bumped into me, both of us running like the hounds of Hell were fresh on our heels. As we reached the car he practically shoved me in before getting behind the wheel, taking off at speed while I looked around trying to find the source of his episode. All I could see was one woman stood watching us, her phone raised. Was she recording us because we’d acted so weirdly? Probably.

I hoped I didn’t even up going viral because of TaeHyung.

“Idiot, idiot TaeHyung.” He muttered to himself, so lowly I could barely hear. “Too open… Never let your guard down, idiot, idiot…”

“What the Hell was that?” I asked him once he’d calmed down.

“Sorry… I just thought I saw…”

He looked troubled, which I guessed could only mean one thing.

“Your ex? Is she stalking you?”

“It’s complicated.”

His tone made it clear he didn’t want to discuss it, but it was too weird that I couldn’t let the topic drop.

“I get you guys must have broken up on bad terms or something, but are you going to run every time you see her? That’s no way to live.”

“I said it’s complicated, JooHyun, end of discussion.”

“Why? Are you embarrassed? Wait… She wasn’t the girl taking pictures of us was she? Jesus that’s creepy. You should sue her because it’s not right to just take a picture of someone without permission.”

He slammed on the breaks and I jerked forward as we came to a stop. He turned to look at me and I realised he wasn’t wearing his mask, as he must have forgot to put it back on after we’d eaten. But more strangely, it wasn’t anger I saw in his expression, but desperation.

“I said drop it, please. I don’t want to talk about it.”

I nodded, since I could see the topic was really getting to him. It was also clear now that girl had been his ex, the one who held her phone up to us. Was she stalking him? He’d been running from her that other time too. TaeHyung started the engine and we drove in silence, our earlier banter gone and replaced by a tense atmosphere that I didn’t have the nerve to disturb. I was too busy mulling over the fact that TaeHyung clearly wasn’t over his ex, considering the strong reaction he had to her.

When we arrived home I was about to flee out of the car when TaeHyung stopped me, his hand resting on my shoulder lightly.

“Look, I’m sorry about what happened today. Just… Please don’t be weird about it. As you saw today, I’m weird enough for the both of us. Can we just pretend this never happened and keep having fun?”

I wanted to walk away, but he wasn’t wrong. I did have fun with him, and now I was desperate to know more about him. Because though I wanted to keep distance between us, things just weren't adding up with TaeHyung's situation and I didn't like to see him suffer like this.