XLVI. BTS IN LA PT. 1

"Shoes?"

"Check."

"Clothes?"

"Check."

"Instant food?"

"Check."

"Boyfriend?"

She let out a snort, shaking her head as she continued mentally checking the things in her suitcases. Her boyfriend pouted at her reaction, coming down from his spot on their bed and sitting behind her. He pressed feather-like kisses on the nape of her neck, trailing his knuckles on the sides of her arms. Gyeoul leaned back and turned her head to place a soft kiss on his jaw.

"I can't stuff you in my suitcase, Taehyung."

"It's more possible than you think."

"Getting into jail is possible too, my love."

He sighed, "I know. I have to get used to this, you're a performance director," he paused, snaking his arms around her waist, "Plus, LA is your home too. Sometimes I forget that."

The lingering thoughts of her mental checklist disappeared completely as she registered his words. Standing up from the floor, she held his hands and pulled her along with him to their bed, careful to look out for his leg injury as she did so. The dancer laid down on the bed, his body practically on top of hers and his head on the crook of her neck. Her fingers raked her fingers through his soft brown locks, eliciting a contended hum from him. He tightened his arms around her and smiled, lips brushing on her skin.

"In case you ever so foolishly forget, Kim Taehyung," she started, a delicate smile on her face. "My home is wherever you are."

A soft groan escaped his lips and he held himself up to look directly into her eyes, "Say more things like that and I'm ready to take those things out of your suitcase and shove myself inside." His lips stretched into a goofy smile as she giggled. "Why are you laughing? I'm not kidding. I'm really not."

It was the near-end of October, only a day after their online PTD concert, Gyeoul had to make some last-minute preparations because she was set to fly to Los Angeles the next day. They were both ecstatic, but Gyeoul and a few select performance directors would be going three and a half weeks earlier than BTS to prepare the performances, especially the ones that involved The Lab.

Almost a month.

"What's your plan when you get to your apartment?" he asked, moving to cover both of them with the blanket.

She hummed, "My ETA is around 4 or 5 AM, so if you're not busy by 8 or 9 PM tomorrow, then I'll call you right away."

Jutting out his lower lip, he opened his arms to cuddle her, "Aw, pengweng, you make me feel special. I'm one step closer to stepping in that suitcase, so don't tempt me." She laughed again, throwing one leg over his hips. His fingers drummed against her thigh, "You have a suitcase filled with food, right? I'll get in that one because all the food you need is right here in front of you."

Gyeoul groaned at his last sentence, pulling away from him and rolling to the other side of the bed. Taehyung pressed his head against the pillow as he laughed uncontrollably. He moved to her side and wrapped his arms around her middle, pulling her to him and wiggling his fingers on her sides.

She jolted, trying to squirm away from his tickles. She giggled, moving to tickle under his armpits, but that only seemed to motivate him to tickle her more. Leaning over her, he pressed a kiss on her nose as they slowly calmed down.

Thinking that he was done with his attacks, Gyeoul sighed, placing her hands on his shoulders to keep him there. Breathlessly, she scanned his features, from his little moles to the crinkle by his eyes as he smiled to the smile lines by his mouth. She slid her fingers up to brush his messy hair back and pulled him closer.

Taehyung grinned mischievously and tickled her again, making her try to squirm away again. Their laughs echoed throughout their bedroom, both of them turning red.

And somehow, they both rolled off the bed and fell to the floor, but that didn't stop their blissful moment.

❆

TAEHYUNG
i wish there was a shortcut for me to be where you are right now

It was the first message she read after getting off her apartment building's elevator. Her steps were slow as she made her way to her apartment. Her heart burst into a starburst of warmth as she read the same message over and over again. A cheery laugh bubbled out of her lips, all traces of the fatigue she got from the flight leaving her body.

The moment she opened the door to her apartment, she was met with darkness, but her heart felt like it was set alight with this comfortable flame that Kim Taehyung ignited with only a few words.

Gyeoul tore her gaze away from her phone and opened the lights, taking her shoes off and placing them on the rack. She looked around the place, observing how painfully obvious it was that her apartment was left unattended for almost two years. White sheets were placed over her furniture because she wasn't sure when she would get back. If she would squint, she'd see the outline of her guitar by the side. She lugged her suitcases in and left them somewhere in the living room before going to her kitchen with her backpack.

She opened her phone again and texted Taehyung.

GYEOUL
i'm in my apartment. can i call?

Without another second passing, his contact name appeared clearly on her screen. It was as if he was on his phone, waiting for her to message him.

"Not one day and I'm already Gyeoul-deprived." She smiled, hearing the pout in his voice. "How was your flight?"

"It was good, I suppose. I was asleep the whole time."

"Did you miss the meals?"

She hummed, "I did, but it's alright. What about you? Did you have dinner?"

"I was just about to boil water to make ramyeon." He paused for a moment. "We packed you food, right? Do you have anything to eat there?"

"We did," she responded. Uncontrollable fondness overflowed her senses. She wanted to see him. "Do you want to eat together?"

"I'd love that, but aren't you tired? It's 5 AM there."

"I slept on the plane, remember?" She listened as Taehyung chuckled slightly. "Hold on, I'll video call you in a minute."

She put her phone down on the counter and pulled out her laptop from her bag. She opened it and went to the video call app, calling Taehyung right away. While she waited for him to accept the call, she went to her living room and fetched cup noodles from her suitcase before going back to the kitchen.

Once she took a look at her laptop's screen, she smiled.

"I had a nice conversation with your wall for the whole minute you were gone," he joked as soon as she came into view.

She laughed, "How was your day?"

He leaned against his chair with a groan. "It was boring. I did nothing but spend the whole day in the vocal training room, then there's English lessons, but I zoned out a lot. I also tried practicing with my trumpet too, but I'm considering keeping it as decor for now."

Leaving the camera's frame, she rummaged through the cabinets to find her kettle. "Your teacher would probably go feral if she realizes that you didn't pay attention today in your lesson. I'm more afraid of her than my seniors. Have you seen that look in her eyes when she gets impatient? I get chills, and I have an extensive history with bloody instructors."

She looked back at him and saw him sipping on his water with a pouty frown. "Please help me, Gia. I need your brain for this."

"Hell no, if your teacher finds out that you asked me for help, she'll have my head!" she exclaimed, pulling out a packet of unopened dishwashing soap. "The expiration isn't for another two days. That should be okay, right?"

"It won't if you don't help me with my lessons."

Humming, she opened the packet to wash the kettle, "I guess we only live once."

Taehyung whined childishly, "Come be my teacher this once, Gyeoul, I have a worksheet to fill out tonight and the only thing I've written is the romanization of my name. I don't know what to put in this thing."

"Then you should have paid attention to your lesson earlier."

She finished washing the kettle and filled it with water, bringing it over to her electric stove to leave it to boil. Satisfied, she turned back and saw him looking at her through the screen with pleading eyes. A smirk grew on her face as she stood her ground.

All of the banter they were exchanging was meaningless, Gyeoul would help him with his homework either way. She could never deny him, but she could never pass up a good opportunity to tease him.

And Taehyung knew exactly what game she was playing and gave up on acting cute to convince her. "You're mean," he stated, a smile blooming on his face.

Her ears perked up as she heard the slightest sound of something boiling. Taehyung picked his head up and raised a finger to say that he'll only take a moment. Gyeoul turned her head back to check her kettle even though it's been less than a minute.

"Are you planning to sleep again after this?" he asked as he placed a bowl of steaming ramyeon in front of him.

"No, I'm planning on going grocery shopping, cleaning the apartment, and going to my usual laundromat to wash some of my clothes here. I have a guitar here too and it's probably out of tune, so I'll work on it later."

Even though his food was ready, he didn't make any move to touch the chopsticks beside his bowl. Gyeoul smiled at the discreet action. He was waiting for her. He was waiting for her food to be ready even if it meant for his own to become stale. Noticing her sudden silence, he raised his eyebrows to silently ask if everything was alright.

"Don't let your food get cold."

As if he read her mind, he looked down at his food and chuckled, "We're eating together, remember?" He shook his head, leaving no room for arguments as he continued, "Eating is best enjoyed with you."

Gyeoul was one step closer to jumping in a plane just to go back to him.

"Thank you for waiting."

❆

Days passed like a blur.

Both had their schedules packed. Taehyung had rehearsals and preparations for their PTD in LA, Gyeoul was teaching the dancers everything for the concert and attended around three to four dance classes a day. Even with their busy lives, they always found time for each other.

Due to the time difference, talking in real-time proved to be difficult, but they managed to pull through. Sometimes they would eat their meals together, Gyeoul would eat dinner a bit later and Taehyung would eat lunch a bit earlier. Sometimes Taehyung would call her late at night (on his side) so he could listen to her complaining about getting lost in the grocery store because its layout changed. Sometimes Gyeoul would wake up extra early just to keep him company during his creative bursts of energy that usually spiked during the night.

When they're too busy, however, they would simply send pictures and messages throughout the day, updating each other about their lives and that would be the first thing they'd see when they open their phones.

That wasn't the only thing they'd see on their phones, in Taehyung's case, he'd see a ton of tweets and stories that would include Gyeoul's activities. Her vibe was different from how it usually was in Seoul. There was something in the LA air, as netizens say. She was going hard on classes and dance battles, all the while doing her performance director duties. She'd be attending classes with a wide variety of genres such as dance hall, hip-hop, contemporary, open style, and so much more, and would kill it every time.

GYEOUL
send help

GYEOUL
my friend invited me to a trampoline park and now im standing in front of a studio because she signed me up for her heels class

GYEOUL
ive been scammed

Taehyung laughed, leaning back on the swivel chair. He and the others were in a meeting room, waiting for Jimin, who was late, to finally start their meeting.

TAEHYUNG
can i call?

Not ten seconds later, Gyeoul's contact name appeared on his screen. He excused himself from the others and walked out, moving out of the office area and out into the hall.

He answered the call with a small grin, "What's wrong with attending a heels class? You haven't done one in two years."

She groaned from the other side of the line, "I know, that's exactly why I don't feel like doing this. And I was so hyped up for the trampoline park."

"We'll go to a trampoline park when we get there," he consoled, "You're awesome with heels choreo. What's the worst thing that could happen if you continue the class?"

"I could trip on my face and die."

He bit the inside of his cheek, trying not to laugh at her. "You won't."

"I would! My spidey senses told me so."

"That's paranoia."

Familiar warmth spread throughout him as he heard her laugh. "Wish me luck. It'd be really embarrassing if I accidentally trip over."

"You're a professional, I'm sure you'd save yourself with a cool dance move."

"I think you're painting me a little too incredible in your mind, my friend."

He playfully rolled his eyes at the last two words and he knew that Gyeoul was probably grinning evilly like an idiot on the other side. They came a long way from the friend zone, he had no intention of being referred to only as such.

"Your boyfriend believes in you enough for the both of us," he retorted, leaning on the wall behind him and stuffing his hand in his pocket. "I know you'll try your best and you'll do incredible. You always do."

"You always know what to say," she said. He could hear her smile widening and it was enough to surround his heart with a fluttery feeling. "I miss you already."

He hummed, "I miss you too." Pushing himself off the wall, he sat down, smiling at the floor like an idiot. "Do you have plans tonight? I can't call you later because we're shooting a commercial, but I'll text you whenever I can."

"It's okay. I'm having a freestyle session with Ian tonight then I'm planning to do laundry, but I'd probably get lazy."

At the mention of the name, his eyebrows shot up, "Ian? Ian Eastwood?" Gyeoul hummed in confirmation. He gaped at the wall with starry eyes, "Can you get me an autograph?"

"Alright," she chuckled.

"Taehyung!"

Turning around, he saw Jimin. He sighed, a frown slowly replacing his smile, "I'm sorry, I need to get going, but I'll try to call you before you go to sleep."

"Okay. Don't zone out in your meeting," she reminded. Taehyung heard her hum, "And good luck with your rehearsal. I'll know if any of you guys are messing up the choreo too much. Sungdeuk-sunbaenim will tell me first."

He clicked his tongue, "Noted, teach. I'll talk to you later."

Once they hung up, Taehyung looked up at Jimin who was waiting for him. He made a face, pressing his phone to his chest. "I miss her."

Jimin scrunched his nose, "I know you do, you've been whining about missing her ever since she got on that plane." He outstretched his hand and pulled Taehyung to his feet. "And you'll see her soon."

They both went back to the meeting room and commenced their meeting which started and ended late since Jimin, well, Jimin-ed.

Gyeoul reminded him not to zone out, but he did, for the more insignificant parts anyway. He was itching to check his phone an hour into their meeting when he felt it vibrate. The notification was either Gyeoul, someone else, or spam. He was really hoping for the first.

The meeting went on for another hour and Taehyung had to suck it up and deal with it. And when their meeting ended, he tried to play it cool as he walked with his group members out of the room.

Jungkook suggested that they take the stairs instead, and whatever he says goes, so everyone agreed. Taehyung took their painfully slow walk down the stairs to check his notification.

GYEOUL
the class wasnt recorded but someone recorded it for me on my phone

GYEOUL
and thank god i didnt fall on my face and die

GYEOUL
[insert video]

With a light snort, he took his earbuds out of his pocket and connected them to his phone, immediately playing the video.

Less than a minute later, he'd regret that decision.

As soon as he started the video, he was met with the sight of Gyeoul's back and the slow rhythm of Orion's Belt by Sabrina Claudio. His walking slowed to a stop as she danced to the song.

His jaw parted and his heart started to beat significantly faster. It was as if she was dancing on air wearing heels. Her lines were clean and the way she understood every layer of the music only heightened the quality of the choreography. She moved slowly but with intention. The way she rolled her body and arched her back made his grip on his phone weak. Her dancing was poetic sensuality in motion.

And Taehyung was not prepared for it at all.

Was this really the same person that was whining about doing the same class?

One thing that was clear in his mind was that Gyeoul, heels, and Sabrina Claudio's songs form a dangerous concoction that will one day be the death of him. Truly, what was in the LA air?

He gulped, moving to resume walking.

But suddenly, his foot missed a step and he almost fell down the stairs if not for Seokjin and Hoseok catching him by the arms. His phone, however, flew out of his hands and hit Namjoon's head, clattering by Yoongi's feet. Concerned yet amused at Taehyung's flustered face, Yoongi picked up the phone and briefly saw Gyeoul's contact name before handing it back to his younger member.

Clearing his throat, Taehyung composed himself, quickly thanking Seokjin and Hoseok apologizing to Namjoon, and getting the phone from Yoongi before rushing away from them to save himself from even more embarrassment.

Yoongi chuckled, pulling out his phone and texting Gyeoul.

YOONGI
i have no idea what you sent to taehyung but i think you broke him

❆

'Did you truly find Eris? Tell me, what does the moon have that I don't?'

Gyeoul watched Ian's movements as he freestyled to 134340 by BTS. Her expression was light as she paced back and forth on the side, quietly bopping to vibe with his movements. Ian Eastwood, simply put, was the Namjoon to her Jungkook. He was there for her from the very start and walked her through her first class in LA. Gyeoul looked up to him a lot, and she still did. His dance style greatly influenced hers.

They were in The 5th Element, a small dance studio that was constructed to look like a garage. Gyeoul was present in its early stages and back then it was only a skeleton with a mirror, now it was in its ultimate form. The room was dark, lit by purple LED lights to bring a certain atmosphere to the studio to match the artists of the song.

Ian managed to make a story with the song without knowing the translation of the song itself. That was the magic of music. Music extends beyond the limits of language barriers. Or perhaps Ian was just that good of a choreographer. It made sense either way. He slid out of the middle of the dance floor as the chorus ended and Yoongi's verse rolled around.

'Nothing much different from yesterday. Same old days, it's just that you're not here.'

When she danced, she lost herself to the music, just like what happened earlier in that godforsaken heels class (she still didn't know how she broke Taehyung earlier as Yoongi said). There was a whole novel structured in her head, typing words and backspacing to build this story that only she can tell, a story that was pulled from the deepest parts of her being and made into something literate.

"You're better than I remembered," Ian breathed out as she finished her freestyle. She smiled at him in thanks before making her way to the side to check her phone. Ian's eyes sparkled with recognition as he saw the expectant look on her face. "So, you have someone at home, huh?"

She smiled, putting her phone down as she found no new notifications. "Is it that obvious?"

He returned her smile, "Kind of. I have that same look on my face whenever Leslie tells me she'll text me when she's done with work. I'm assuming it's the same with you?" Leslie Grace was his muse, the apple of his eye, his 'today, tomorrow, and always,' his melody, and all that. They were in a long-distance relationship because of Leslie's projects. "How long have you been together?"

"Seven months."

Humming, he nodded, "How's the distance working for you?" He went to the speakers and changed the song to a more trap one.

Gyeoul made her way to the middle of the dance floor beside him and started to lab. "It's not so bad since the period we're apart is a little less than a month, but we try to include each other in our day as much as we can." She bit the inside of her cheek and smiled sadly, "But it's weird."

Confused by the usage of the adjective, Ian turned to her with knitted eyebrows. "What do you mean?"

"He's, like, a part of me. Sometimes I would do ordinary everyday things and feel like something's missing. He is missing from me." She shrugged, starting to experiment with movements with her footwork with her knees. "I don't know. I just miss him, I suppose."

"Isn't that along the lines of the same thing? 'I miss you' and 'you are missing from me' tells a hella romantic story if you ask me. I get what you're saying, you managed to put how it feels being apart from my girl into simpler words."

She shifted on her feet, moving until it made sense and turned into footwork. "Why don't you make choreo about it? Kind of like a love letter to her or something. I think she'd appreciate that."

"What about you?"

A cheeky smile appeared on her face, "We wrote a song together two months ago. Only the lyrics, though. We gave up on the melody since we didn't want to change the lyrics and we got too caught up with work to finish it. And while I was sleepless in my bed a few nights ago, I wrote the melody. It's not much of a love letter since it's half-done, but yeah."

Ian opened his mouth to speak, but Gyeoul quickly interrupted him.

"But you know what would work just as well as a love letter?" She jogged back to her bag and pulled out a notepad and pen, "Your autograph."

Two nights later, Gyeoul was in her apartment with no intention of sleeping anytime soon.

She had just walked out of the shower and there was a small towel draped on her shoulders because she didn't want to waste effort on blow-drying it. She was tired enough as it is. Rolling her ankles, she made herself comfortable on her couch, thinking about what she could do to pass the time.

Usually, she would be on a call with Taehyung around this time, but he had previously informed her that he'd be busy that day. She was bored out of her mind and she could still feel the heavy bass of the loud music that would play whenever The Lab would rehearse the songs for the concert and the handful of classes she would go through in just one day. She could start choreographing for her class for the next week, but she didn't think the stingy old lady living below her would appreciate that too much on a late night.

Pushing herself off the couch and sitting on the floor, she opened her laptop on her center table and decided to work instead. She opened her notepad and picked up the mechanical pencil that acted as her bookmark. She connected her phone and started to transfer all of the videos she took so she could monitor the faults during rehearsals earlier, especially with Black Swan. She poked her tongue on the inside of her cheek, her critical gaze scanning over the dancers.

Deja vu washed over her as she found herself in a similar situation as before. She paused the video, unable to focus until she can pinpoint exactly which memory it was.

Gyeoul scribbled on her notepad as she focused on the footage in front of her, letting out her third yawn that time. She noted the parts where both the dancers and the group needed to improve on their synchronization, the placements of their feet when they travel to another position, and the parts where some would dance faster than the song and some would dance a beat slower.

She was supposed to be sleeping, it was nearing 3 AM, but there she was, sitting on the floor in front of the center table and pulling at her roots. Waking up suddenly two hours after she and Taehyung went to bed, she couldn't find her sleep anymore, so she decided to use her sleeplessness to do something productive.

A few minutes into working, she started to feel sleepy, but now that she started with work, she couldn't help herself from continuing until the end.

Biting her lower lip, her eyes caught a dancer looking too much in the direction of his next position. She kissed her teeth, noting that down. Her nose started to itch and she yawned once again.

"Gyeoul?" she heard faintly. She ignored it and continued watching the footage, thinking that it was from the video itself.

Suddenly, a warm hand laid on her shoulder. She paused the video and took off one earbud, watching as Taehyung sat next to her on the floor and laid his cheek on her shoulder, snaking his arms lazily around her waist.

"Why are you working when you should be sleeping? Do you get paid for doing work from home?" he croaked out, sleep heavy lacing his voice. "Come back to bed. Work at a reasonable time."

She sighed, "I can't fall asleep."

Taehyung picked his head up and took her mechanical pencil out of her hand then checked the mark where she paused the video before writing it down on her notepad. He closed the notepad and put her pencil down. Gyeoul smiled softly as he then took her earbuds and placed them in their case.

The dancer pushed her laptop away before he could close it. "Go back to sleep. I'll follow in a minute."

He caught her hand before it could touch her pencil and placed it on his shoulder. "A minute means an hour in your dictionary. Either you go back to bed or we sleep here, I'm good either way."

She pursed her lips, "I mean it, darling, go back to bed. The video's almost over."

"Then I'll resort to Plan B."

"What's Plan—"

Quickly closing her laptop, he put her arms around his shoulders and stood up, carrying her along with him bridal style. She yelped in surprise, her hold on him tightening, afraid that he'd accidentally bang her head against the furniture and doorframes. Gyeoul managed to let out a frustrated groan which only made him laugh. He put her down on the bed and pulled the blanket over them before she could slip out of bed again.

"You're annoying," she stated, a fond glint in her eyes.

He pulled her closer to him, "And you need to sleep."

It was almost the same situation except her boyfriend wasn't there to distract her from doing so. Gyeoul sighed, reeling her away from her memories and going back to work. She wasn't at all much of a clingy girlfriend, but she missed Taehyung. They haven't been apart that long, but she missed him a lot.

She combed her fingers through her damp hair and focused on the video, scribbling on the page as she spotted something that needed to be improved on. With her eyes still focused on the screen, she stretched her neck and groaned. Her body was sore from all the dancing she was doing.

This won't do, she thought, clicking on the space bar to pause the video. She closed her eyes and let her back lean back on the couch, stretching a leg out and folding the other, her elbow resting on her folded knee while the other was on the couch as she massaged her temples.

Humming the melody she created for the song she and Taehyung made, she picked up her phone to go through social media. But then she saw a message from Taehyung sent just now.

TAEHYUNG
my teacher gave me extra english worksheets since the concert is almost here

TAEHYUNG
help me?

GYEOUL
no

TAEHYUNG
please? (ﾉ' з ')ノ

GYEOUL
no (°◡°♡)

TAEHYUNG
jokes on you

TAEHYUNG
you have no choice

TAEHYUNG
open the door and help me with my homework

Lips parting in shock, Gyeoul reread the message, trying to see if there was any sign of him just joking around with her. He wasn't supposed to be flying out to LA for another three days. She waited for him to text again and tell her that he was just trying to get a rise out of her, but none of that happened for the whole minute she was staring at her phone.

Instead, rhythmic knocks sounded from her door.

"Holy shit," she breathed out, completely abandoning her work and jogging to the door. She didn't bother to look through the peephole and opened the door.

And there he was.

Her missing piece.

Kim Taehyung stood in the middle of the hallway in front of her door, holding a bouquet of white carnations while wearing a full three-piece suit. He smirked, tilting his head at her as she stood still in her doorway in utter shock.

"Will you help me with my worksheets?"

Gyeoul opened her door fully, biting the inside of her cheek to contain her excited smile. "You traveled for thirteen hours on a plane just to ask me to help you with homework?" He nodded, a proud grin on his face as he stepped closer to her. She hummed, "What if I decline?"

He took another step toward her and quirked an eyebrow, "Then I'll fly back to Seoul and tell my teacher that you did all of my previous worksheets then I'll watch as she castrates you when you get back."

"Punk," she grinned.

Impatient with the slow steps he made, Gyeoul grabbed his necktie and pulled her towards him inside the apartment while she closed the door with her other hand, pressing her lips on his into a kiss. Feverishly, Taehyung returned the kiss, holding her hips (the bouquet still in his hand) and pressing her against the door. She moved her hands, gripping the lapels of his blazer to pull him impossibly closer.

Too soon, Taehyung pulled away, his lips swollen and his eyes dazed. "I forgot my suitcase in the hall." He pressed another kiss on her lips, "And my worksheets that you're helping me answer are there. Wouldn't want that to get lost."

Gyeoul chuckled, "I'm locking the door when you get out."

"I'd like to see you try."

"You think I'm not serious?"

"Is that a threat?"

She squinted her eyes, "It's a promise."

Taehyung smiled, stepping away from her and formally giving her the bouquet. "I really missed you." She reciprocated the smile and accepted the flowers, briefly hugging him. "And I wanted to surprise you."

"Consider me surprised," she gasped dramatically. Raising the bouquet, she gestured to somewhere in her apartment, "I'll just put this in a vase while you get your suitcase."

He nodded, ruffling her damp hair affectionately before getting out.

Gyeoul placed a hand over her heart and walked off to the kitchen, shaking her head as she was still in disbelief that her boyfriend was actually there. She must be dreaming. Maybe if she pinched her arm, she'd wake up from the dream. She pinched her arm rather harshly and winced. No, it's definitely real.

Taehyung walked back inside the apartment and took his shoes off, placing them on the rack before rolling his suitcase further inside the unit. His eyes immediately caught sight of the laptop and notepad on her center table. He's seen this scene before and he wasn't entirely fond of it. He checked the time on a wall clock and shook his head at the thought of her still working near midnight in her free time.

Once Gyeoul walked back into the living room, she placed the vase at the center of her coffee table and nodded to herself, satisfied by its placement in her home.

Looking back at Taehyung, he suddenly pecked her lips.

He tucked her hair behind her ear, "You're working too hard." Before she could reply, he kissed her again, deeper this time.

Gyeoul pulled away, "Unless you want to sleep in a full suit and look like you're practicing for your funeral, I suggest getting out of those clothes."

"Mind doing it for me?"

Caught off guard, Gyeoul's eyes widened and she whacked his arm. 

NOTE

this chapter feels so dramatic for some reason ygdghsudhvei

i live for the lab x bts interactions. like, the lab (today) has some of my favorite dancers e.g. gabe de guzman, julian de guzman, sienna lalau, josh price, etc. i cry happy tears whenever i see them interact

on a random note, i dont know if my brain remixed it or if i heard it somewhere before but i keep singing "pick your filter book it with traveloka" and i cant sing filter the same way ever again

song(s) mentioned in this chapter — orion's belt by sabrina claudio | 134340 by bts | black swan by bts