thirty two

Jimin gave you both a smile, and you smiled back nervously as Taehyung led you towards the hall, and back to his room so the two of you could get dressed. Jimin picked up on your uneasiness, though, and was somewhat concerned, not sure why you seemed so troubled. He decided he would ask you about it as soon as he had the opportunity.

~ ♡ ~

Once you and Tae had gotten dressed, you headed out for the long walk to your hotel. You spent the entire walk worrying about what you were going to do, but Tae was unaware, chatting happily about how great it was going to be to have you living in the house.

At one point, he had stopped at a convenience store, and offered to buy breakfast, but you declined, because your stomach was in knots and you had no appetite. "Y/n, whats wrong? You seem bothered by something..." Tae looked at you, his eyes narrowing.

"Uh, nothing, I think I'm just still tired, Tae. I woke up earlier than I wanted to this morning. I'll be fine," you lied, hoping he didn't question you any further. You already had a plan somewhat brewing in your head. You just didn't know if you could make yourself do it. You didn't want to imagine being without him. You didn't know if you could be without him.

"Okay, well, I'm going to grab something to eat, because I'm starving. Let me know if you change your mind, ok?" He looked at you, making you look him in the eye, and holding your gaze until you nodded.

You walked another 10 minutes and were finally at the hotel. You would do what you came to do, and ask Minhae about a refund. If you could get one, you would check out today, and move into Tae's house, just like you'd agreed. Part of you hoped it wasn't possible to be reimbursed, because it would make things so much easier for you.

Minhae was at the counter, and smiled warmly when you walked up. "Y/n, how are you? I haven't chatted with you in a couple days." You smiled back, genuinely happy to see him.

"I'm doing well, thank you, Minhae. I'd like you to meet my friend, Taehyung." You nodded towards Tae, who bowed and said annyeonghaseyo. You had no idea what he'd just said, but Minhae smiled.

"Minhae, I have a question, and I don't know if it's even a possibility, but either way, I'm just looking for an answer, so I can plan accordingly."

He nodded, "I'll do my best to answer your question if I can."

"Well, do you remember when I mentioned wanting to find an apartment?" He nodded again. "Well, my friend here happens to have a place he has offered to let me move into. So I was wondering, since I paid for two weeks up front, if there is any way I can get a refund, and check out today?

Minhae smiled widely. "That is wonderful news. I was so happy to hear that you would be staying indefinitely, and I knew something would work out for you as far as a place to live. I would be glad to give you a refund for the extra days you won't be needing. I can either give it you in Won, or refund it to the card you paid with. It's entirely up to you."

You smiled at his obvious happiness for you. But inside you were dying. "You can refund it to the card, thank you so much Minhae." You would have no use for Won soon.

"Oh, it's no problem at all. I will take care of that today, and you should see the refund on your card within a day or two. I will miss seeing you coming and going though. Do stop in if your near by and say hi."

"I will, I promise." But you wouldn't be stopping in. Because you wouldn't be near by.

Tae grabbed your hand. "Lets go gather your stuff, so we can get you moved in." He was so excited, and you smiled, but inside, your heart was breaking.

You rode up the elevator, and Tae's happiness made it hard for you to think. You needed to just smile and play along right now. You didn't want to give him any reason to worry. You put a smile on your face, and decided to just be happy with the time you were able to spend with him.

You got to your room, and Tae immediately started helping you pack your belongings up. You got all your toiletries together, and within 15 minutes, your suitcase was packed. The clothes Tae had bought you wouldn't fit, and he had put them back in the bag they'd been brought here in, and he carried it, along with your shoulder bag, while you pulled the suitcase behind you. You looked at the room one last time before closing the door, the memories you were leaving here something you would cherish forever.

You stopped at the desk, returning your key card, and saying goodbye to Minhae. He came around the counter, and hugged you warmly, telling you to take care of yourself. He nodded at Tae, who nodded back, and the two of you were off.

Four blocks later, you were turning up the driveway to the cute little house you knew you would be comfortable in, but only for a short time. You couldn't let yourself get too comfortable. Tae unlocked the door, and you stepped inside, again charmed by the coziness of this home.

"Let me have your suitcase, I'll take it upstairs to the bedroom." Tae took the handle in his other hand, picking the suitcase up off the ground, then he climbed the stairs two at a time, returning less then 30 seconds later empty handed. He took your hand in his, and led you to the sofa, sitting and pulling you down next to him. He looked at you, studying you.

"What's wrong y/n...and don't tell me nothing. I'm not blind. I can see that something is bothering you." He lifted your chin, searching your face. "Please talk to me. Tell me why you seem so sad all of a sudden."

You tried to think of something to say, something that he would believe, because you couldn't tell him what was really bothering you. You couldn't tell him that you'd decided to spare him from having to choose between his career and a relationship that he never really wanted in the first place.

"Are you sure you don't mind me staying here. I could pay you rent, I have money in my account..."

He drew his brows together, looking at you tenderly, smiling before leaning forward, and kissing you softly. You melted, as his hands came up to cup your cheeks, his lips soft against yours. You squeezed your eyes closed, holding back the tears. "I know your lying, y/n," he whispered against your lips. He pulled away, and you opened your eyes, to find him looking into them. "Something else is bothering you. I don't know why you won't tell me, but I'm not going to pressure you. Just know that when your ready to talk, I'm here for you. Promise me you'll talk to me."

You stared into his eyes, and your heart shattered into a million pieces. "I promise, Tae. I just need some time, is all. It's nothing really, but..." you looked away, whispering "I promise I'll tell you soon."

He got up, and went into the kitchen. You heard glass rattling, and a few minutes later, he was back with a glass of water. He handed it to you, and you took it, hoping he didn't notice that your hand was shaking. You brought the glass to your lips quickly, drinking it down, mostly so you didn't have to worry about spilling it, and handed the glass back to him. He took it, looking at you worriedly. You smiled, hoping he couldn't see the pain you were trying so hard to hide.

"I have the whole day off, y/n. How about we go to the park by the river, and just relax for the day?"

You took a breath, and nodded. "That sounds like fun" you smiled, knowing that if you didn't at least try to be happy, he would for sure figure out just how tormented you were. You could be happy, for just a little while longer. You put what you had to do out of your mind, because it wasn't going to help anything for you to hold onto it right now. You told yourself it was for the best, and you were doing it for him, because you cared so much about his happiness.

You looked at Taehyung, at his beautiful, trusting, happy face, and felt more love than you'd ever felt before for anyone. You weren't going to think about anything else right now, except for how much you loved him, how his happiness meant more to you than anything, and how you would do anything, just to see him smile, even if that meant letting him go.

☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

A/n: annyeonghaseyo = hello