“You didn’t have to bring me home,” Dahyun told Jungkook as they exited his car.

“You really think I did this on my own volition? As far as I know, you used up all your free vouchers for my car rides when you were injured,” Jungkook argued, “Chaeyoung just pointed a knife at me and told me to take you home because it was dangerous for you to commute at this hour.”

“Oh really? I was actually planning to buy you cookies, but I’ll give them to Chaeyoung instead,” Dahyun retorted.

“Can’t I at least half-half with Chaeng?” Jungkook widened his eyes.

The both of them basked in hearty chortles, to the point that wrinkles appeared at the corner of their eyes.

But as their laughter faded away in the noise of the night, Dahyun stepped closer towards Jungkook before encircling her arms around him.

“Wow. Can’t you wait for our graduation? Wanna date me now?” Jungkook joked as he gave back the hug, “Seriously, if you will be this affectionate, you should take responsibility if I fall for you.”

“I’m just thankful,” Dahyun mumbled while her face was still buried against his chest, “I was so scared before I moved to the city but now, I’m so grateful for having that courage to change my life. It’s because of that courage that I was able to meet wonderful people.”

“Oh wow, so I’m just a representative of all the people you’ve met,” Jungkook uttered and he felt Dahyun nod against his chest, “And you’re not even denying it.”

Her laughter was muffled against his chest, but Jungkook couldn’t help but chuckle at his own antic.

“I don’t have a choice but to feel honored then,” he whispered as he gazed up towards the sky.

However, as he did so, he noticed the man that was staring at them from the third floor. He felt Dahyun slowly releasing him from the hug but Jungkook tightened his hold of her. A smirk then played on his lips before leaning in to kiss the top of Dahyun’s head.

At the gesture, Dahyun lightly pushed him away while creasing her brows at him, “What was that?”

“You’ll thank me later,” Jungkook winked while ruffling her head.

“Are you sure you’re not yet in love with me?” Dahyun squinted at him.

“Am sure that you’re about to be finally loved back,” Jungkook smiled at her before adding, “Congratulations, Dahyun. I’m happy for you.”

As more confusion painted Dahyun’s countenance, Jungkook took the opportunity to bid farewell and Dahyun continued staring quizzically at him as she watched him drive away.

Her head was clouded with so many thoughts as she went up the stairs of the apartment. She even came to the point of entertaining that Jungkook may have feelings for her. She was about to convince herself that it would not be too bad to date Jungkook for real. However, the thoughts lurking in her head were completely gone the moment she laid her eyes on the man that was waiting in front of her door.

“Hey,” Dahyun greeted him, “It’s late. Have you just arrived too?”

“No,” Taehyung immediately denied, “I was waiting for you.”

“Me?” Dahyun pointed at herself before asking, “Why?”

Before her mind could jump into conclusions, she smiled and tried to guess, “Are you going to ask me again if I need help?”

“No,” Taehyung shook his head, “I don’t think offering you reasons to need me would still work. So I’m just going to tell you the truth.”

Dahyun waited for him to continue and Taehyung stared at her eyes as he confessed, “It’s me. I’m the one who needs to be with you.”

She took time to process the words he said, because she had always known how Taehyung’s statements work magic on her, making her live in a fantasy where Taehyung could love her back.

But she didn’t want to fall into that trap again.

No. No false hopes.

They only bring me pain.

“Okay,” she nodded, thinking of all sorts of ways to downplay his words. Then, she asked, “So how can I help you?”

“No, Dahyun. It’s not just your help I need,” Taehyung clarified and reiterated, “I need you. I need to be with you.”

As her brain’s wires were about to short-circuit, she blurted, “And what does that mean?”

Taehyung took a deep breath, as if trying to recall all the lines he had rehearsed while waiting for Dahyun.

“I had to learn the hard way that not being true to myself will bring pain not just to my own heart but to the people around me, so right now, I am trying to lend a voice to all the emotions bursting inside my chest,” he began.

“The last time I concealed my feelings, I hurt the girl I used to love,” Taehyung then paused to meet Dahyun’s gaze as he continued, “And now I am scared that if I don’t put to words what I feel, I will lose the girl I want to love for the rest of my life.”

Her brows creased as Taehyung stared at her.

For Dahyun, Taehyung was still speaking in riddles and she was refusing to uncover the obvious statement he wanted to deliver. She wanted to hear it loud and clear because she was so tired of misconstruing his words.

So she pressed on, “And you’re telling me this because?”

“Because…” Taehyung trailed before bursting, “Because you are always with Jungkook! And you’re about to make him the future boyfriend and the future husband even!”

His sudden outburst surprised Dahyun but her shocked expression was misinterpreted by Taehyung as a confirmation of his statement, as if he had uttered a revelation.

“Wait. Are you dating him already?” Taehyung exclaimed, “Can’t you at least give me a chance?”

“W-Why do I have to give you a chance?” Dahyun was already stammering as her mind could not seem to wrap around the situation she was in.

“Why do you have to give me a chance?” Taehyung repeated the question as he ran his fingers through his hair in frustration, his gaze wandering around. Then, he put both of his hands on his waist before saying, “Well, uhm… I am trying to learn how to cook? I mean, I have been watching Youtube videos and even bought a cookbook from that nearby bookstore. I learned at least two dishes so far.”

“I haven’t… I haven’t learned japchae though,” he dejectedly added. However, he quickly argued, “I’m not yet that good to teach you but maybe we can learn together? Or do you really want a future husband with chef-like skills? Perhaps I could take some professional cooking lessons for real?”

Dahyun watched him as he kept blabbering, her features slowly softening, but for Taehyung, Dahyun’s silence seemed like a rejection.

“U-Uhm. I-I have endurance too,” he stuttered before faking confidence as he said, “I’m not kidding! I was able to carry you through all these three floors when you were drunk from that KTV party. I might just not look buff on the outside, but I am really strong. Come on, I always take the heavy bags when we do groceries.”

When Dahyun just continued staring at him quizzically, he whispered, “Am I not really worthy of a chance?”

“What chance are we even talking about?” Dahyun asked, but her voice was already shaking, as if bracing herself from the impact.

“A chance to be with you,” Taehyung whispered, “A chance to chase my happiness which leads me to nowhere but you.”

“Do you…” Dahyun hesitated.

The question in her head would lead to an answer that would either be a sign for a new chapter she was eager to have or a closure she refused to give herself.

But then, she swallowed her fear and voiced out, “Do you like me?”

“Well… that’s not the way I would put it,” Taehyung replied and Dahyun was about to reprimand herself for misunderstanding his words again until he added, “I think ‘like’ is an understatement. ‘Like’ is for kids.”

She watched as he bit his lower lip in hesitation, while a brush crept towards his cheeks before he said, “I love you, Dahyun.”

As soon as those words escaped Taehyung’s lips, warm balls of tears formed in Dahyun’s eyes. Her legs felt weak and she needed to rest her back on the wall as the tears started flowing down her cheeks.

“Oh no. I’m sorry. I’m sorry,” Taehyung repeatedly apologized as Dahyun started crying. He tried to pacify her as he said, “Please don’t cry, Dahyun. Y-You don’t need to answer. Y-You don’t even need to reciprocate my feelings.”

She glared at him through her tears, but Taehyung couldn’t still comprehend anything.

“If you’re really happy with Jungkook, I understand – “

“It’s you dumb-head,” Dahyun uttered through her sobs, “It’s you that I love too.”

“What?” Taehyu