As he waited for the elevator to arrive, Taehyung bit down on his bottom lip, contemplating on what he should do. He knew for a fact that So Arang was not the type of girl who would say something she didn't mean. If she wanted him to stay, she would have had no problem making it known. Because, let's be honest here, the girl was perfectly fine with speaking her mind and voicing her own opinions. She genuinely wanted him to go out and enjoy himself, yet Taehyung couldn't help the uneasy feeling swelling inside of his chest.

It wasn't right for him to drag her across the ocean only to abandon her. He promised her parents he'd take good care of Arang and he couldn't break their trust. They might never find out that he had left her alone, even if it was only for a couple of hours, but he would know. Taehyung wasn't sure if he would be able to handle the guilt, which would be gnawing away at his conscience whenever he saw them. The elevator pinged, snapping Taehyung from his thoughts. The doors pried apart and he stared into the lift. He had to make his decision now.

* * *

Arang wasn't an idiot. As soon as she saw who was waiting for her out in the hallway, she immediately grabbed onto the door and tried to slam it shut. The stranger, who was certainly not an employee at the hotel, sprung forward, arms outstretched. Thankfully Arang managed to overpower the intruder, locking her out of the room. Furious, the woman, whose face was hidden behind a mask, kicked the barrier separating the two of them. How could she ruin a perfect opportunity like this?

With her chest pounding loudly, Arang made sure the door was bolted and chained up before she scurried over to the bed in search of her phone. Her hands were trembling nonstop and she constantly glanced at the entryway, fear gripping her very soul. The incessant banging made her flinch as she waited for Taehyung to answer her call. She reached his voicemail and cursed under her breath. Her eyes started to water but then the banging suddenly came to a halt. Arang's breathing hitched as she lowered her arm. A piece of paper was slid under the door and the girl slowly advanced. Should she call the police? Once she saw what was written on it, Arang froze in her tracks.

Scrawled out in what appeared to be blood was, "I told you I'd be watching you, you stupid bitch. Just wait until I get you alone again." Arang's complexion paled as her lips quivered. This couldn't be happening. Had the stalker followed her all the way to Japan? This was getting out of hand. She shouldn't have come. When somebody knocked on the door, taking her by surprise, Arang nearly screamed. She thought the stalker had returned but once she heard his voice calling out to her on the other end, she threw the door open without a second thought.

"Taehyung!" she cried out in relief as she enveloped him into her arms and buried her face into his chest. She wasn't alone anymore. He was here. He had come back for her.

The sudden impact caused the boy to stumble a step back and his eyebrows shot up. "Did you miss me that much?" he joked as he stroked her hair. If she wanted him to stay, she could have just said so from the start. He would do anything she asked of him. That's how much he liked her. Next, Arang pulled away and Taehyung caught a glimpse of her watery eyes. Alarms started blaring in his head. "Were you crying? What's wrong?" He began to panic and before the girl could inform him of the incident, he noticed the note lying on the floor behind her.

His blood ran cold and he resettled his gaze on her. His expression was tender, touched with a twinge of regret. "I'm sorry," he said as he dragged her back into his embrace. Taehyung tried his best to control his emotions when he heard her crying softly, his chest muffling out the sound, but it was no easy task. How could he have allowed this to happen? He shouldn't have left her alone in the first place. He should have insisted on staying even when she told him to leave. What had he been thinking?

"I called but you didn't pick up," Arang sniffled while Taehyung led her over to the bed. She took a seat and he crouched down in front of her, a hand resting against her cheek. Using the pad of his thumb, he wiped away her tears and the girl continued to speak her mind. "I thought I was never going to see you again," she whispered brokenly. This time, Taehyung felt his own heart wrenching. How frightened she must have been.

"Look at me, So Arang," he prodded. Their eyes met and he sucked in deep breath. "I'm right here, aren't I? I'm not going to let anything happen to you, do you hear me? So don't you ever think about such scary thoughts ever again. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

Arang stared at him for a few seconds, eyes soft and gentle, and then nodded her head. Taehyung straightened his posture and just as he turned away, she tugged on the hem of his jacket and held him back. "Where are you going?" she questioned, afraid to be separated from him.

A tiny smile graced his lips and he nudged his head to her suitcase. "You should put some clothes on," he said as he looked up at the ceiling, his heart practically leaping right out of his chest. "I know you're shocked and everything, but I'm still a man."

Arang peered down and realized she was donned in nothing but a robe. It's Thailand all over again! Heat rushed into her cheeks and she shot up to her feet. "Don't look," she shrieked. She pushed past him, grabbed her pajamas from the coffee table and bolted toward the restroom. Once he heard the door slam shut with a loud bang, Taehyung chuckled and shook his head. The smile, however, did not last too long when his eyes landed on the letter sitting on the floor. With his teeth clenched, Taehyung walked over to it. His body began to quake with rage and he peered back over his shoulder before he pulled out his phone.

Now clean and dressed properly, Arang stood in front of the mirror with a blank expression plastered over her face. Mindlessly, she brushed her hair, trying to untangle the wet, dark brown locks which seemed to have appeared out of nowhere. Upon her return to reality, the girl looked at her reflection and placed the comb down onto the counter. Her eyes were a little pink, evidence that she had cried, and it took everything in Arang not to collapse onto the marbled tiles. She couldn't fall apart. Not now, not ever. That's what the stalker wanted and Arang refused to let that psychopath win. She was going to overcome this. She had to.

Taehyung was flipping through the channels, searching for something to watch, when he heard the door to the bathroom open. He immediately turned to his left and found Arang walking out with a towel dangling around her neck. His heart stuttered at the sight as their time in Thailand drifted into his mind. The room suddenly felt stuffy and Taehyung shifted his attention back toward the television screen. "How do you feel?" he inquired as she climbed up onto the bed behind him.

"Now that you're here, I feel much better." His grip on the remote control tightened and he found himself holding his breath. This was definitely not the appropriate time for his hormones to be acting up like this. He had to control himself.

"I'm glad to hear that," Taehyung managed to get out despite the situation he was in. He could feel the mattress dipping, which told him Arang was moving. What was she doing? Then, before he knew it, he was trapped in her embrace. Her chin rested in the crook of his neck and the smell of her shampoo surrounded him, making his head spin. Taehyung could feel all of her curves pressed up against his backside and it took him a great deal of self-control to maintain his composure. She needed him right now. He couldn't do anything reckless.

"And I'm glad to have you," replied Arang. She was never good when it came to showing her affection, but with Taehyung everything seemed to come so naturally to her. Whether it was arguing or making up. "Do you think you could stay here with me until I fall asleep?" she requested, uncertain of what his response would be.

Taehyung looked back at Arang and held onto her hands. "I'll stay with you as long as you want me to," he declared. "Because you're somebody I cherish."

Arang couldn't help it as the corners of her lips curled upward. She honestly didn't expect him to drop his plans with his friends just because she had asked him to. Nevertheless, one part of her was happy that he had been willing to do so without reluctance. After, she pressed a kiss onto his cheek and released him. "What should we do? Shall we watch a movie?" She plucked the remote from his grasp and Taehyung gazed at her profile as she settled herself next to him.

What was she trying to do? Tease him again? It seemed like she was really good at it. Wanting to even the score, Taehyung moved in and gave her a quick peck in return. Arang was a bit startled and she shifted his way, her eyes rounded. Her fingers brushed up against her cheek and she swallowed. "What was that for?" she blinked.

He shrugged offhandedly. "Just because," he hummed. The girl now had her eyebrows knitted together in confusion yet Taehyung refused to elaborate on his answer. "Should we watch a comedy?" he questioned as he took the remote back. Her slightly dazed expression made him smile again and Taehyung was beyond content to know he had the same effect on Arang as she did on him.

* * *

Laughter echoed through the suite. Taehyung was propped up against the headboard with his legs stretched out before him while Arang rested her head against his chest. His arm was coiled around her shoulders and when he felt her body vibrate, the sound of her beautiful laughter consuming the entire room, he stole a glimpse of her. What he'd give to see her smile like this every single day. Was this what it was like to fall in love?

As the hours flew by, Arang had easily drifted off to sleep. No longer hearing her make a peep, Taehyung peered down to check on her. When he saw her sleeping, he released a soft sigh. It must have been hard for her to forget about the incident. Cautiously, Taehyung reached over for the remote and turned the television off. He didn't want anything to disturb the girl. She needed to rest well. Then, ever so gently, he swept away the strands of hair covering her face, which caused her to shift closer to him.

"I'm going to fix this," he muttered. "As long as I can help it, I won't let anyone harm you."

The moonlight flooding in through the windows of the hotel provided Taehyung with the perfect amount of light to make out Arang's features and his heart skipped out of beat. He could get accustomed to this. Without knowing, his eyelids began to feel heavy and before he had the chance to stop himself, he had surrendered his mind and body to the dark abyss. Settled within each other's embrace, Arang and Taehyung both wore subtle smiles as they faced one another, their fingers intertwined between them. Their dreams were filled with nothing but sweet moments, allowing their minds to be at ease.

The following morning, it was Taehyung who had woken up first. His thoughts were a tad bit hazy and it took a minute for his eyes to adjust to the sunlight which surrounded him. It was only when he attempted to move that he felt something weighing down on his arm. He looked to his right and gasped upon discovering Arang cuddled up against him. So it hadn't been a dream! They had actually spent the night together in the same bed and everything! For a second, Taehyung had been utterly frazzled by the situation. However, seeing how relaxed Arang was as she snuggled into his chest managed to calm him down. "How can somebody be so pretty in the morning?" he whispered as he smiled.

Suddenly, Taehyung's phone started to go off. Afraid that Arang would rouse because of the noise, he quickly reached for the device to silence it, not bothering to check who it was that was calling him. And as if that wasn't bad enough, somebody began to knock on the door. Being careful, Taehyung then climbed out of bed and hurried over to answer the door. Yoongi, Hoseok and Seokjin were waiting for him on the other side, all three of them wearing different expressions as soon as they saw him.

"I told you he'd be here," Yoongi sang as he wriggled his eyebrows.

"Where's Arang?" Seokjin asked, looking over the younger boy's shoulder. "Don't you know it's not appropriate for a young lady to share a room with a young man? What would her parents say if they found out about this?"

Taehyung hushed his friends by placing a finger over his lips before he stepped out and closed the door. "Relax. Nothing happened," he assured. "Let's go back to our room first and I'll explain what happened."

* * *

The sound of a phone ringing echoed through the hotel room and Arang groaned in disdain. Blindly, she searched for the device. It was sitting on the nightstand and she had to squint her eyes in order to read the name of the caller. It was her mother. "Hello?" She yawned and forced herself to sit up. She wasn't fully awake yet, her head swaying side to side.

"Why haven't you called us?" Mrs So inquired. "Are you having too much fun without us?"

"Of course not," replied Arang. "It just slipped my mind. The boys had a busy day yesterday."

"We know," chirped her father. "Your mother is just messing with you."

"What about our son-in-law? How's he doing? He must be exhausted," her mother pointed out.

"Son-in-law?" Arang repeated incredulously as she raked her fingers through her hair. She was definitely wide-awake now. "Mom, who are you calling your son-in-law?"

"Why Taehyung of course. Who else would I be calling my son-in-law?" There was a hint of mischievousness in the woman's voice and Arang could do nothing but blush furiously at her mother's teasing. No wonder her siblings were always causing trouble. They must have learned it from her!

"Mom, don't be ridiculous," Arang said with a huff. "I have to go now. I'll see you guys soon."

From the other end of the line, Arang could hear her parents laughing. "All right. Say hello to our son-in-law for us then," Mrs So mused joyously before she hung up.

"Son-in-law?" Arang shook her head and tossed her phone onto the bed. She was absolutely dumbfounded. "They've lost it. My parents have completely lost it. Aren't we too young for marriage? What are they thinking? Who said they could call him their son-in-law anyway? Did I say I'd marry him?" Flustered, the girl recalled last night and scanned the room for Taehyung. He was nowhere in sight and she unknowingly became disheartened. He must have left as soon as she had fallen asleep.

Tossing the covers off, Arang trudged into the bathroom and was startled by her own reflection. Who was this person? Did she usually look like this in the morning? Her eyes were puffy, most likely from the crying, her hair disheveled, resembling a bird's nest, and dribbling down the corner of her mouth was dry drool. "How embarrassing!" she shrieked as she turned the faucet on and washed her face with cold water. Perhaps it was a good thing Taehyung hadn't stayed the night. He would have been stunned, if not scarred, by her appearance!

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

author's note

» I don't know where to begin. First off, I would like to thank you for being patient. I hope this chapter made up for the time you had to wait. I think this showed how much Taehyung and Arang have grown. I thought some scenes in this chapter was adorable and I wonder if you guys agree? I'm especially fond of the scene where Tae looks back and Arang gives him a quick peck and of course him just gazing at her while she's asleep. The ending, in my opinion, was pretty funny.

that stalker though... so crazy. I'm worried for Arang >.< please feel free to leave comments and your frozen frames <3 I hope you're all enjoying the holidays!