“So when are you leaving?” Jimin asked him, but as Taehyung stared back at him, he added, “I mean, you’re coming with her, right?”

“Why are you so sure?” Taehyung questioned.

“Why will I not be sure?” Jimin retorted.

“Taehyung, we are well paid. I am supporting my siblings’ education, paying for our house loan and the bills, and even taking girls out on date. While you are only supporting yourself,” Jimin explained, “I’m sure you have a lot of savings. You could even invest in your own house by now. You could afford a condo if you want to. The only reason you stayed in that apartment is because that was the only way Joohyun could find you back.”

Taehyung heaved a sigh, his gaze falling on the papers on his table as he  got lost in his own thoughts.

“Do you want to come with me to New York?”

Joohyun had extended an invitation that she did not give the first time she left him. All this time, Taehyung had been waiting for the opportunity to be with her, but he couldn’t even reply with a resounding “yes” to her question. Joohyun even had to assure him that he could think about it.

It doesn’t make sense if I will turn down her offer.

“You’re right,” Taehyung whispered, “I should go with her.”

But the way Taehyung said those words made Jimin see through his hesitation.

“What’s wrong Tae?” Jimin asked, “Are you worried about America? Come on, you’re good in English. And you’re a bright guy. I’m sure you’ll find a job there.”

Taehyung his lips, and shook his head, “I don’t know.”

Jimin stared at his friend and noticed the evident change in him – because if it was Taehyung two years ago who was given the chance to come with Joohyun, he would have left with her right then and there. Taehyung would choose to be with Joohyun with no hesitation and with no questions asked because Taehyung was so in love with Joohyun, he would be willing to conquer every challenge just to be with her.

“Taehyung,” Jimin called his attention before asking, “Do you have another reason to stay?”

But Taehyung left the question hanging, refusing to acknowledge that there was an answer he was scared to admit.

He went home with haze in his mind. He almost even missed his bus stop because of the thoughts lurking in his head. However, his trance was halted when he saw a familiar figure.

Strikingly dyed hair and pale skin.

There was a big grin on her lips as she talked to someone over the phone and Taehyung’s lips slowly curved into a smile as well. Dahyun’s happiness had always been contagious for him.

She was wearing an oversized hoodie and it reminded Taehyung of the day that Dahyun got lost – the day that he started becoming Dahyun’s hero.

Then he noticed that even if she no longer had crutches, she was still slightly limping, making her movements slower. He wanted to rush to her, offer his help and walk by his side. But nowadays, Dahyun had been refusing all the help he was willing to give.

He couldn’t come to her side because he was afraid that if he made his presence known, Dahyun would try to run even if her foot was not yet fully recovered. Thus, he found himself merely following her.

Taehyung took the time to enjoy the sound of her voice that he longed to hear. He almost forgot the rise of her tone whenever she was excitedly telling stories. His memory of her laughter had also been blurred.

I used to be so close to you.

Why can I only look at you from afar now?

However, even before they came to the apartment, droplets of rain fell down on them, making Dahyun drape the hood of her jacket over her head. As the drizzle became a full-blown rain, Dahyun shrieked, ending the call she was in and hurriedly tried to seek shelter under the canopy of a closed store.

“That rain came out of nowhere,” she whispered to herself, but as she raised her gaze, she found Taehyung joining her in the small space of the canopy.

“Hey, Kid,” he greeted her with a small smile.

Dahyun bit her lip before replying, “Hello, Mister Kim.”

“Mister Kim,” Taehyung repeated, “Why are you back to calling me that?”

“I – I just don’t want Miss Joohyun to misunderstand,” Dahyun stuttered, “I don’t want to ruin this chance you have with her.”

He mirrored her posture, resting his back on the wall, with both of them staring at the downpour of the rain. Silence surrounded them for a while as Taehyung tried to savor the moment that he was alone with her.

“I’m leaving, Dahyun.”

Dahyun perked her head up but refused to meet his gaze, afraid that Taehyung would notice the pain in her eyes.

“R-Really?” Dahyun asked, “Found a new apartment to live with Miss Joohyun? Is it somewhere nearby?”

Taehyung then shook his head and answered, “I’m coming with Joohyun to New York.”

New York. America. That’s farther than I thought.

Dahyun chewed on her lip before whispering, “That’s good then. You’ll finally get to live your happy ever after with her.”

She sighed, trying to ease the pain in her chest before blurting, “When are you leaving?”

“I’m not sure yet. I still need to fix things,” Taehyung answered before saying, “It’ll be hard to see you then.”

“Yeah,” she mumbled, slowly nodding her head.

“Then can you at least let me help you while I am here?” Taehyung asked her, making Dahyun look at him.

“I’m fine, Mister Kim,” Dahyun answered without wasting a breath.

The way that she easily dismissed him felt like a stab in his chest.

“There must be something that I can help you with – “ Taehyung tried to insist but Dahyun quickly cut him off.

“I live with Miss Solar. Miss Yoona and Mister Yoon share whatever they cook. Yeji and Hyunjin include my needs whenever they do shopping. Jungkook takes me to school and I have friends in university to help me,” Dahyun explained, “I have all the help I need.”

But Taehyung let out a scoff and said, “So you’re rec