Far from You 

The past two weeks had been too hectic for Yoona. She had to join acting classes at her company and stay long hours at the film sets to get the perfect scenes, yet to be shown on the screen for only mere minutes. But that had been her weekly routine for a long time and she was used to it. What had started to consume her free time though was attending endless, evening parties, important dinners and meetings at least three times a week.

Despite having gone to numerous similar events in the recent past, Yoona still couldn’t get herself to feel at her own skin, when surrounded by such a high-profile community. The attendees usually consisted of a small amount of more well-known, respected veterans, who had been in the entertainment industry for ages. The main group of attendees was formed of people comparable to Yoona, still considered as newbies and seeking for more experience.

But no matter, who you were and from which status you came, you were still part of the same dull game. People would hold casual conversations, dressed in posh dresses and smiling gracefully, but their sealed thoughts were all just about opportunism and job offers. Pretence lingered all around the room.

She would have never attended such places, if Sanghyuk didn’t bring her along with him, though she was positive that he did it more for her than to benefit himself.

He had a stable position in the work enough to be able to dismiss such unnecessary events, but still chose to accompany his girlfriend to them.

He knew much better than anyone else, that talent wasn’t enough if you wanted to be successful in the entertainment industry or any other area. You had to build a good image not only outside the public, but also inside the community, forming new trusts and collaborative relationships in a casual way.

Yoona acknowledged this reality. But that didn’t compensate for her permanent disappointment on how the entertainment worked. She never talked down with Sanghuyk about this as she knew, he didn't see much as a problem. But he had assured her that with time passing by, she would grow accustomed to showing up more in the society. She just needed to get used to it.

And although she highly doubted his words, she was at leat happy about her bein able to spend more time with her boyfriend this way. It was still a mystery to Yoona, how Sanghyuk had found more free time to be able to see her so often though. Especially now that she had stayed at his apartment for a week.

„Why has been noona ditching us so much lately? It used to be more fun with her,“ Jungkook whined. He cursed as he stepped on a deep puddle made of droplets of rain. The boys had left just left Yoongi’s house and were heading home, his eyesight not serving as good as expected due to the darkness in the middle of winter night. The lamps were set with far distance.

„I told you I’m not in touch with her,“ Taehyung replied dryly with his cold voice. It wasn’t that he didn’t care, in fact, he was pretty damn sure he was the one who missed her the most out of the band, but could do nothing with it.

A few weekends ago, he was still texting with her as usual, insisting on her to come to their band practices, but she constantly rejected him, explaining that she had already made plans that she couldn't put aside. He hadn't seen her since they went to the Lotto World. He longed for a message from her, he wondered how she was doing, whether the work wasn’t pressuring her too much. He somehow wished to bump into her at the hallway, in the elevator, anywhere. A glimpse of her face, a small talk would have been enough.

He knew that the work had piled up, therefore there was no chance he would have seen her for a few days. But those few days turned into weeks and despite Taehyung’s urge to chase her, he always managed to keep his fingers away from knocking on her door. He would have behaved more confidently, if she had called him, suggested him to meet her, but the problem was that he received no signal from her.

Taehyung was fed up with his feelings. It was obvious that he was thinking about her more than she was about him.

He had nothing to do, but wait for her return and replay all the moments they spent together in his head. It was like if he had sat down in an empty movie theater, watching the same movie over and over again. 

He still remembered, how her cheeks coloured into a bright shade of pink, when he planted a soft kiss on the side of her head. She smelled like every other time; a calming scent of earthy sandalwood and sweet vanilla tingled his nostrils. But he had invaded her personal space and had to retreat back quickly. 

The act came out unexpected even for himself, only his sinful feelings being able to cause him to do something so daring.

Her eyelashes fluttered before her halzenut eyes wandered across his entire face, gliding from his cloudy eyes and finally stopping at his lips. For a second, a chill sparked inside him. There was a small possibility that maybe she liked him too. That she could reciprocate his feelings, which were messing his entire nerve system, whenever she was around.

But then a truck with a bold logo Rejection hit him. Inside the truck sat no one else but a handsome, confident man named Sanghyuk. He had picked Yoona up and left the heartbroken Taehyung alone.

„I don’t envy her job at all,“ Jungkook said and Taaehyung returned back to the present time, „I thought she was already busy enough back then, but look at her now, she doesn’t even have time to come visit us. She must be exhausted as .“

„Do you think Yoongi’s going to end the same?“ Jimin said, walking in the middle of Taehyung and Jungkook.

„What?“

„You know, distancing from us. After he graduates, he probably won’t have time to keep this band active anymore, he will have to go his own way eventually.“

The two other boys remained silent as the they continued to walk along the dark streets. The truth hurt. A tom-cat meowed in a corner path, rummaging through the smelly trash from the fallen dustbin.

Taehyung was about seperate from the latter two and Jimin was already raising his hand to bid him a goodbye, when Taehyung asked out of blue, „Tomorrow is the 18th already?“

„Nah, next Saturday is, why?“ Jungkook replied.

„Good. Ah, why? Nothing special,“ Taehyung shrugged nonchalantly, one of the bag straps falling down from his shoulders, “I just made some plans with Sana on that day.“

A week later, Taehyung showed up at the park a few minutes earlier than agreed, leaning against a fountain, which was temporarily disabled, since the water would have have frozen under cold, winter conditions. It was a chilly, afternoon Saturday with a thin layer of snow covering everything it came with contact with. 

He really wanted to give Sana a chance. She had always sent him a warm greeting every time they had met in school, her hands fidgeting with the bag straps. But he had never got a chance to get to know her better. Or better spoken, he didn’t even try to talk to her, since he had his eyes on Yoona. And so, when she kept on sticking on him at Lotto World that day, he barely replied to her random talking.

However, that was the past. Now he was determined to give Sana a try, to pay her a full attention. He truly wanted to free himself from the grasp of Yoona’s charms.

Sana arrived on time, greeting him with the widest smile he had ever seen on her. She was wearing a suede coat, a blue knee-length dress protruding under the coat. Thin leggins and high-heels surely weren’t the best option for winter, but he didn’t really care.

They begun their date with brunch – yes, although he had never formally asked her out on a date, only approaching her with, „You wanna hang out?“, he considered this meetup a date. The fact that she had crush on him was too obvious to stay unnoticed, so he was sure that she wasn't against stepping up in their weak, almost non-existent relationship.

For brunch, Taehyung chose a friendly café-restaurant, located in his favourite part of Seoul – the Hongdae square, a place famous for its wild nightlife, where people partied in the clubs till the sunrise and where crowds of people surrounded talented buskers. But that was a different talk; in the daylight, Hongdae was a perfect place for strolling and relaxing outside on the mall.

Sana had ordered the blueberry waffles with grapefuit juice, speaking perhaps way too formally to the waitress than necessary. Taehyung had opted for a tuna sandwich. Their conversation started easily, talking about how she had accustomed to the new school. He had eventually found out that she had been attending an all-girls‘ school since the first grade. That must have been the reason behind her submissive character and polite speech.

„That’s cool. Are you used to having males in the classes yet?“

„N-no way,“ she chuckled bitterly, „I’m still sensitive to the presence of boys. It’s embarrassing to admit, but whenever they talk to me, I stutter and get all nervous. It cannot be helped. Especially, when I’m surrounded by a group of men, that’s the worst.“

He laughed, joking, „Tell me, do you despise males?“

Once the words spilled out of his lips, Sana’s eyes darkened and her body froze. It was a signal for him, that he had posed an inappropriate question. He was about to fix the situation, when she spoke up, “I don’t. But it’s hard… when you find out your father lost all the money in gambling and cowardly leaves your family behind, because his long-time lover offered him to live with her.“

Taehyung gulped down the food and put the sandwich in his hands back on the plate. Not once had he imagined her to have to endure such a pitiful past. 

„But the biggest filth behind all of that was that mom had just gave birth to my younger sister and had to return back to her work shifts in order to earn living for us. She had to discontinue her maternity leave out of blue. I had to take a pause from school to take care of my sister, back then she was just a baby.“

Taehyung sealed his lips, only realizing that his breathing had turned into a quiet, uneasy panting as she poured her story onto him. The person sitting in front of him wasn’t the Sana he imagined anymore, no, this girl only resembled Sana with her outer appearance. Everything else was different. She wasn’t stuttering anymore, her voice had lowered and slowed down. Even her eyes seemed to change somehow, the eyelids were tiredly hanging open as she continued to stare on the half-finished plate on the table.

Wasn’t she supposed to be sad? Angry? So why were there no traits of emotions flooding inside her? Taehyung didn’t know how to react properly, because he had no idea how it would offend her.

„I’m sorry about your past. That’s not what you certainly deserved. Not even your mother and your sister,“ Taehyung said finally, „But I hope you don’t take your father as an example. I believe that most men are harmless, innocent people.“

„I know, Taehyung,“ she sighed, her eyes closing for a moment before opening them again and landing upon his face. The corners of her lips curled up, „It used to be hard for me to think about the opposite genre other than as those, who can do nothing but only make women uncomfortable, commit the majority of violence, and more… But now I’ve changed my view on you.“

Shivers danced down his spine as she went on talking. This was the first time she had opened so much to him; her past life, her opnions, she showed it all, leaving him dumbfounded. She was like a book with a bland cover and title, even the very first pages boring him with a mainstream introduction. But as he dove in closer and closer, his interest begun to raise. He wanted to keep reading.

„You don’t hate me?“

„There’s nothing to hate on you. I still remember, when I was so lost on my first day of school and you approached me with a smile, showing me the way to the principle’s office.“

„You looked so funny, you should have seen your scrunched face, when you were looking at the noticeboard, scratching your hair.“

Sana let out her high-pitched laugh, covering with her hands. Taehyung smirked, his hand on the table supporting his chin. He was somehow glad to see her in a good mood again. 

Sana calmed down quickly, „You give me hope. That not all the men are evil and insensible. You can’t hurt me, right? Especially, when I know that you only like me as a friend.“

Oh, no. She was definitely reffering to that time, when he was totally out of his mind, firstly kissing Yoona on her head and afterwards building this huge wall between him and Sana by stating coldly, that she was just a friend.

Yoona. Where was she and what could she be doing right now? Why couldn’t she send him just a single message, so that he would stop worrying about her?

Sana sipped on the juice through the spiral straw silently. The sound of glass meeting with the table put Taehyung back to the presence. He blinked several times and cleared his thorat.

„I wouldn’t hurt you,“ he ensured. The two finshed their meals and Taehyung insisted on paying for both. Sana’s cheeks remained pink and hot.

„, fill up the car instead of me. I need to use the bathroom,“ the short-haired girl turned off the engine in a quick motion and rushed out of the car just to run inside the convenience store. Jimin’s laughter filled up the car, amused by his older sister’s unstoppable rumbling stomach after the siblings had gone for a lunch together.

Jimin stepped out of the vehicle. His eyes didn’t even land on the variety of pumps before he immediately reached out for the Regular one and put the red pump straight into the fuel tank. His pocket started buzzing and Jimin pulled his phone out.

„Taehyung?“ He said, leaning against the car.

„Yo, I’m going to come sooner. Sana‘s mom suddenly called her home. Your spare key is still on the same spot?“

„Yup. How was the date anyway?“

„Not bad. Let’s say I got more interested in her.“

Jimin’s eyebrows jumped up in curiosity, „So you are finally getting over Yoo-„

He would have finished the quesiton, if a female voice behind his back hadn’t interrupted him.

„You shouldn’t use the phone on gas stations, unless you won’t to blow this place off someday.“

„Yoona?“

„Yoona…?“ The voice on the end of the call repeated. The tone of Jimin’s voice confused him, was she there with him? He had managed not to invade into her apartment unless she called him and Jimin is the one, who gets to see her?

„See you later, okay? Happy to hear that you enjoyed the date, mate,“ Jimin said and hung up.

„Sorry, was the call important?“ Yoona threw a smile at Jimin, knowing that the call wasn’t really important as she had caught up on Jimin talk about some date.

„Not at all,“ he replied, somehow finding it both amusing and strange, that she had showed up right, when he was about to mention her name.

„It’s been some time since I last saw you. Would it be awkward if I hugged you now?“

A chuckle bubbled out of Yoona’s lips. She made her way towards him, walking around her familiar white car. After a moment, they pulled out of the friendly embrace.

„How have you been?“

„I’ve been good, thanks. What about you? I’ve been quite worried about you, since you haven’t visited us for so long.“

Yoona clutched onto Jimin’s shoulder and gave it a soft squeeze, „Sorry about that. It’s just that I have moved into my boyfriend’s apartment down the center. So it takes me more time to go to work. And I’ve been spending more time with him, compensating for the time we lost.“

Jimin’s chest puffed a little as he processed her words inside his head. He thought she was busy with work as Taehyung had told him and not because of spending time with her boyfriend and certainly not at his place. Since when had she moved out of her apartment? Why did she decide to just leave without a word?

He felt bad for his friend, having to deal with… this. She was really clueless about Taehyung’s blooming feelings towards her, wasn’t she?

„Since when have you moved out from your apartment? You could’ve told us,“ he asked as he tried to restrain the irritation flaring up inside him. Yoona noticed his strange behavior and she felt her heart tense up into a knot.

„I’m so sorry for that. I thought it was unnecesary to inform you about that. I didn’t even plan this, but my boyfriend seemed really upset about the distance between us so he proposed me to live with him. So right now we’ve been working on our relationship again.“

„I never knew you had such problems between you and… Sanghyuk, was it? You barely talk about him in front of us.“

„Taehyung…“ Jimin’s face wrinkled upon hearing her say his friend’s name, „I think he doesn’t like my boyfriend. And it upsets me, because he has met him only once and that was with you guys in the amusement park. I’ve talked about him with Taehyung though so he knows quite a lot about him through my words. He seemed to dislike Sanghyuk at first, but that was… quite understandable, I’d say? Because I would complain a lot about him, that boy seemed genuinely worried about me. He never said anything bad about my boyfriend, but his physical reactions did. He doesn't know, but I always notice how upset he becomes, when Sanghyuk's name appears in our conversations. Jimin, you have to understand me, I never talk about Sanghyuk anymore, because I don’t want to get at Taehyung. Heck, I didn’t text him, because I don't want to bother him! It's not the other way round, believe me. I thought I’d soon return to my place, but Sanghyuk has been persistent about me staying with him. How- how’s Taehyung doing anyways? And what about Jungkook and Yoongi? Forgive me for not contacting none of you.“

„The boys have been doing fine and we aren’t angry with you, Yoona,“ Jimin sighed, his empathic nature showing up, „But you should really call Taehyung. He still lives with the false thought that you live in the opposite room to his.“

„I will meet him.“

„Great.“ Jimin smiled, „But don’t feel too bad about him. He’s more okay than you think. And he seemed to be pinning down to Sana, the girl that went to the Lotto World with us, if you remember.“

Her mind eased at the thought of Taehyung waking up every day with a light head.

She was automatically assuming that he was thinking about her from time to time, just like she was. She had been exaggerating the whole time…

„That‘s the cute girl, who has crush on Taehyung, right? That’s amazing, Jimin, I’m happy to hear that,“ Yoona cheered.

If Taehyung had been flirting with her, then they it was clear as the day that they would get together soon.

Author's note:  This chapter was quite rushed, but I hope you still enjoyed reading it!! comment down below and have a nice dayyy