Warning****

Hello readers! This chapter has lots of drama and anger issues! This is a warning to those who can’t take any words spelled out of anger!! Holding on and pushing away has become the way of this chapter! Just thought I should warn you before reading this!

Counting down the hours left before Taehyung arrives at her home, her eyes fell on the empty ceiling as she laid down on her back in the bed. Just the thoughts about meeting him after a long time and the rehearsal of their encounter in her mind made her heart beat hard against her rib cage. Like a leaf on the river, she struggled hard to reach the banks of the reality. Like the night before her audition, her breathing went abnormal. Like sitting with an empty answer sheet, her mind went blank with the ‘what if’ questions. This nervousness had knocked out even the thrill of stealing a glance at her crush.

She tossed and turned over the bed, to position herself comfortably, but mind never felt at peace with her thoughts and so is her body.

“Sohyun-ah… sleep”, Yeri spoke who was sharing Sohyun’s bed.

“I called you here to be my moral support and here you’re complaining about your sleep…”, Sohyun whined.

“It’s 2 AM…”

“But what do I do with this adrenaline rush?”, Sohyun turned Yeri around to face her.

“What?”, Yeri said in her half sleep sounding too tired.

Sohyun continued in whispers, “It feels like my whole body is wired, but I’m filled with fear… I can sense that I am happy… But it’s as if I’m gonna have my first contact with the enemy… Can you understand what am I trying to say? I know I’m not making any sense… but, do you get it?”, she said contradicting herself.

Yeri nodded with her half eyes closed.

“I don’t know which drew me near him or which brought me closer to him? Did I just get lost? After meeting him… my shyness has taken a change… My elegance has gone up a notch… My glances are new, and my talks are new… Can’t you see it? This is a new kind of experience that explodes in a jiffy and constantly consumes my life…”, Sohyun suddenly abandoned her monologue on seeing Yeri sitting up straight.

“Can I be honest?”, her laser words which never expected an answer from Sohyun said, “You’ve gone crazy thinking such thoughts… Sleep and let me sleep… Do you want to see me turning into hulk for losing my sleep?”

“Sorry…”, Sohyun said guiltily and got the duvet over her head.

She lost her sleep in the night but, the day demanded her sleep dragging her away from the alarm that is set to pick him up from the bus stop.

Yeri took her revenge by not disturbing her sleep until it was just half an hour away from the scheduled time of pick-up.

“Just 30 minutes more… “, Sohyun cried on checking the table clock by her bed.

“Thank me later…”, Yeri said and ran away from to avoid the consequences.

Sohyun got up and tried to reach him through phone while trying her best to look decent with the uncombed hair and the wrinkled shirt and shorts that was ironed using her hands. Not having enough time to change into a dress, she ran out covering her clothes with trench coat on top.

“Mom! Mom?”, she called again not receiving any response.

“Mom, Uncle and Dongyeon went to the market”, Yeri’s voice emerged from her hideout.

Not bothering Yeri’s revenge for now, she aligned her phone between her ear and shoulder and took the bicycle. Giving up on the call, she rode her bicycle to the bus stop. As she sped up through the narrow empty streets painted by green farm fields on the either sides, she felt the cold breeze against her face which completely wiped out any trace of sleep with its stinging coldness.

“HEY TRENCH COAT!”, a voice called her from behind.

Startled by the voice, she pulled the brake. After skidding over the back wheel for few inches, she pulled over and turned her head to look at the owner of the voice.

With her eyes blooming she said, “You startled me!”

Hiding his smile under that straight face, he walked towards Sohyun who stood frozen holding her cycle.

“I wanted to see the actress who stood me up!”, he said walking towards her.

She stood filled with guilty of her tardiness.

“Now that I saw you… So long”, he said and walked away.

“Do you know the way?”, she asked.

He raised his phone while walking away showing her the location she shared. But he paused his steps and walked towards her saying, “I couldn’t sleep last night… tension all around… the meet with your parents, feels like an elimination round in the audition…”

Stringing each word into the sentence, she spoke hesitantly, “I lost my slee-”

He cut in saying, “An hour ago, Yeri picked up your phone and told me that you’re sleeping… so soundly that she feels sorry to wake you up!!”

Anger and sadness hit her. Her downcast eyes softened him.

He rubbed his palms and cupped her face saying, “Your face is flushed from cold… You could’ve called me…”

“The call didn’t get through…”

“I’m sorry…”, he apologised in soft tone taking the cycle from her and supported it against him. He took her hands in his and blew the hot carbon dioxide to her chilled hands.

Her wide grin at his apology kindled his unruly nature. He was pissed at himself for giving into even a speckle of sadness in her face without any fight. His face turned grumpy and let go of her hands; left the cycle standing in the middle of the road and marched in the direction of her house with his backpack. Wheeling the cycle, she ran and stood blocking him. She formed a picture frame with her hands and focused his annoyed face saying, “Fix that face! You look hot, when you’re pissed off! Your voice is even ier at that!”

He pursed his lips to hide his smile; took a step and pulled her by the waist pressing the cycle against each other. “We decided to see the end of it before giving up!”, he said.

Sohyun smiled decoding his words. “The day you see the entire crowd in the stadium chanting your songs is not so far!”

He pressed his lips against her forehead gently and carefully. He drew back, “What’s this?”, he asked grabbing the strap of her trench coat. “Don’t tell me, you came straight from the bed…”

While he was still holding onto the strap, she took a step back unable to refute his words making the knot undone. As the trench coat loosened, the cold wind that blew sent her shivers.

He slid his arms over her waist beneath her coat and immediately pulled her by his side saying, “Are you okay now?”

She nodded and threw him a contented smile. “How is my hometown?”, she asked proudly.

“These empty streets are good for dating… and farms feel like home…”, he nodded approving.

“How is everyone back home? It’s been a week since I spoke to them…”

“How do you manage to get my mom on your good side just through a phone call while I have to travel all the way here?”

She chuckled at his words that sounded like a praise at the beginning and soon turned into a complaint towards the end.

“It’s been a long time since we met, shouldn’t you welcome me with tight embrace and French kiss along with these stares, smiles and chuckles?”, he asked pressing his forehead against hers.

She smiled gleefully, “Aren’t these stares enough?”

“Sohyun-ah… Don’t you have any desires?”, he asked sincerely not taking his eyes off her.

“Need I tell you of my desires? Can’t you discover them?”, she asked smiling slyly.

Smiling, he leaned in and kissed her slowly. She ran her hand through back of his head, she kissed him back.

“KIM SOHYUN!”, a voice which was evidently filled with rage called her.

They broke their kiss startled by it and looked beside to find her mom, her uncle and Dongyeon. Her mom’s eyes were filled with worry while Dongyeon looked around to make sure no one has seen them together. But her uncle’s glare which felt like a professor’s eyes on a unrusent chills down her spine.

“Sohyun-ah, don’t get scared… I will talk”, Taehyung comforted.

Uncle gave him a sharp stare pouring out his rage and told her mom to take Sohyun home and left without a word. Kwak Dongyeon walked Taehyung saying, “Private space must be kept private… I don’t know about you, but she just signed for a drama… don’t taint her with scandals…”

His word struck his pride, but he held it in to not stir any commotion.

After few minutes of tension, silence and distance, they arrived home. Instead of the couch in the living room, they found themselves seated at the dinner table. In a 6-seater rectangular dinning table, Sohyun sat beside him facing her mom, uncle and Kwak Dongyeon while Yeri accompanied her. Though the food was arranged beautifully in front of them, though their empty stomach craved for food, the food remained untouched. Everyone’s eyes went on them, him in particular, like he was the one to blame for the suffocating atmosphere.

Taehyung rose on his feet, “Annyeonghaseyo! Kim Taehyung-nimida”, he introduced himself politely with a 90-degree bow, though it was a delayed greeting.

Sohyun’s mom gave a head bow smiling, “Take your seat”, while her uncle bowed curtly.

“I am the vocalist of the band BTS… Kwak’s collegemate… but now, I’m here as Sohyun’s boyfriend…”

Sohyun felt stifled at every unblinking stare of uncle. Yeri didn’t know what to do or say, she just held her hand tightly showing her support.

To end the awkward silence, Taehyung continued his introduction, directing his words at her mom, “I don’t know how much Sohyun or professor has told you about me… But I can sense that you’re upset with me now for what happened… I’ll apologise for that”, he stood up again and bowed to express his apology. Sohyun immediately got on her feet and bowed with him apologising.

Her mom’s forgiving words were stopped before they were uttered by her uncle’s stare. Taehyung realized the atmosphere under her uncle’s control.

As they stood bowing for a while, Yeri felt the atmosphere harden. She gathered her words and leaned in to speak but didn’t dare to utter a word. Sohyun’s tears that fell on the carpet riled up Taehyung. He stood straight and helped her up, saying, “So, no one will speak?”

They stayed quiet.

“ok… I get it!”, Taehyung said dismayed, “You don’t like me, and my relationship with Sohyun…”.

“Taehyung…”, Sohyun called him to stop him from uttering anymore.

“It’s alright Sohyun-ah…”, he assured his stableness. “I can sense your silent questions. If you ask me if I can take good care of your daughter… then, ‘most definitely’ will be my answer. But if you ask me if I am capable? Am I competent? Am I rich? What my social standing is?”, he paused making the professor to look at him, “For those, I wouldn’t know how to answer that”.

Silence possessed them.

“Is this a silent interrogation?”, Taehyung spoke frustrated.

“Mom…”, Sohyun pleaded.

“Sorry… We are just taken back by sudden rush of things… So many changes had happened in the past year, we are just reluctant…”, her mom’s soft voice spoke gently.

“I completely understand… eomeoni… Just give us a chance and some time…”, Taehyung responded.

Swallowing the food with great difficulty, choking on his own breath, he continued his existence in the dining table.

Her uncle put down the chopsticks like he hit it against the teak wood solid dining table. He looked at Taehyung furrowing his brows, “I’ll speak my mind… I’m against it”, he said firmly.

“Uncle don’t judge us based on what happened earlier…”, Sohyun pleaded.

Ignoring her words, he spoke, “I’ve seen you since the college days… With your temper you won’t last long… I even heard that your band is inclining towards disbanding. But she is a gaining her presence in industry, she got many offers… I can already see you spoiling it from the way you were with her in the middle of the road…”, his words and eyes looked at Taehyung like a suspect in a dock.

Offended by his words, Sohyun tried to speak up but was interrupted by Taehyung who was more offended by the look he was receiving from him, which made him blurt out, “Just because our relationship hasn’t been officiated yet, don’t give me that cheap look!”

“Officiated?”, Kwak Dongyeon narrowed his brows at him. “She is just growing in acting field… You might’ve seen the end of yours-”

“Stop it!”, Sohyun shouted, “I love him, and this is my personal problem, don’t interfere… please leave it!” Her words dumbfounded him and Yeri gripped her hold on her hand to calm her down.

“Sohyun-ah!”, her mom silenced her.

Taehyung looked at her mom and spoke softly, “If you can give us some time, you could get some confidence about our relationship. I can understand that all of this seems like a child’s play to you… But if you could think about this with open mind, you could understand the profound bond between us…”

“Profound bond?! Such a big word!”, her uncle snickered.

Suppressing his every anger in his fist, Taehyung sat quietly clenching his jaw.

“Uncle, please…”, Sohyun pleaded to let his words through them.

“We’re not bloody teenagers… We are talking to you like a man and a woman… Sohyun, your Sohyun is saying that she loves me, and I’m here telling you about how serious our relationship is. This is how you treat me?” Taehyung’s incensed words came out through his clenched teeth.

“Look at this… I told you he has a forked tongue!”, professor stood on his stand.

Sohyun tugged his arms to calm him down. “Tae, please calm down”, tears slipped from her eyes witnessing the situation that has gone out of control.

“Eomeoni, he is seeing everything in a wrong perspective… let me explain things clearly…”, he uttered the words calmly supressing his belligerence.

Professor acted as a mouth piece saying, “With the career you have chosen… you two are doomed to go down, if you’re together…”

“Sohyun-ah, should I speak to him or leave? Is he out of his mind?”, Taehyung vented his bottled-up anger.

“Tae… please…”, she pleaded him and looked at her mom whose eyes were quivering. She didn’t know to whom she should plead to make this situation better. Everything fell apart before her in a split of a second. She held his hand tightly not knowing what else to do.

“If this prevails and if this is how it will be… Then, I can’t do this anymore!”, Taehyung shot up from his seat released his hand from her hold and walked away.

Despite uncle’s warnings, Sohyun followed him to the streets. When Kwak Dongyeon tried to run after her, Yeri stopped him and went in his stead.

“Tae listen…”, she held his arms stopping him.

Shoving her hands away, he spoke, “You should’ve told your uncle about what happened between us…”

“What are you saying Tae?” The meaning behind his words alarmed her.

At every pass of the minute, his anger riled up, “I’m not in the mood to draw any poetry right now… It’s pointless if I do, because everyone in there thinks it’s impossible for us to be together. They would’ve known the truth, if they saw us together!”

She hugged him by wrapping her arms around his torso and tried to pacify him. “Tae… listen…”

“Take your hands off…”, he said while pushing her arms away from him. Her unyielding hold made him spell her uncle’s words, “People might see us together! Actress and scandal don’t go well together!”

“TAE!!”, she screamed shedding tears from her reddened eyes.

He gave up resisting and said, “Mark my words… one day you’ll find yourself in a dating scandal with that Kwak guy!!!”

She drew back saying, “What are you saying Tae? What’s this?”

“Do I deserve to be looked at like vermin by your uncle?”

“What does it mean ‘ to deserve’ when in love, Tae?”

“If you speak poetically now, then I might smas-”, he dropped his sentence midway, but his hostility didn’t seem to take a break.

“Have you lost it Tae?” she warned to calm him down.

“Yes, I’m a goner! I’m crazy! I even kidnapped you, remember? If it’s me don’t you think it’s even possible that I might chain him?”

“Tae… You’re losing it!”

“Sohyun-ah! You are half of me! And I am what’s that is left of you!”, he spelled frustrated. “I believe, we’re are not just born for each other, even our ancestors were born to give birth to us to be together! Can’t he understand? Can’t he listen if I tell him? Who the f*** is he anyway?”

“Tae! Mind your words, he is my uncle!”, she warned curtly.

He rebelliously stepped forward towards her pissed off by her answer, “What? Huh? Say that again?”

“Tae!”, she screamed to knock him out of his anger.

“He is just your uncle, right? You said he is like your godfather? Not a real father, right? Are you sure about that or should we ask-”

His words got broken by her hard slap across his face. “Like you said, we can’t keep doing this anymore! We’re seeing the end of us now!” Her bitter words were spoken through her tears.

“Ok… You spelled it right! We’ll be done soon!”, he said and bit his lips. “Listen, I’ll give you one more chance! I’ll wait till the last bus arrives, you’ll decide what happens to us in the meantime. I am ready to do anything to be with you… Come, only if you’re as mad about me as I am for you. If you don’t… you know me!”, he said and took his leave.

She shook her head denying his ultimatum. “Take care, Tae!”, she called it and turned over her heel walking away.

Pic Credits: we.purple.them (Instagram) I don't own the picture or the edit! 

Author’s thoughts:

Knocked out by pretty Sohyun in SMA 2019 and saw Sohyun and Taehyung on the same stage*

*If you wanna find their interactions/not on stage, check out the videos under #taeso in Instagram ;) My bias is Shyshy and taeso is new to me, but I’m totally enjoying this ship too, thanks to the shippers*