After they had claimed their baggage, Taehyung and Arang walked out of the airport, with the boy leading the way and their hands still meshed together. Ever since they boarded the plane from Phuket, Taehyung hasn't let go of the girl. As ridiculous as this might sound, he was afraid of losing her even though they were well over a thousand feet in the air and the only way that would've happened was if she decided to put everyone on the flight at risk and jumped out of an open door. Yes, So Arang may be a lot of things, but one thing she was certainly not was someone who was fond of extreme sports.

She could be adventurous when she wanted to be, but she would never do something which could possibly result in extensive bone damage, if not her imminent and untimely death. She's not that adventurous. You'd think Arang would have found his actions to be childish but, to her, it was a rather endearing gesture. It showed her just how much she meant to him. And to mean so much to another person felt... nice.

Honestly, Arang really felt special knowing she, out of all people, could have such an effect on Kim Taehyung. With his handsome looks, status as one of this year's most promising idols and, let's not forget, his winsome yet hidden personality, which took her quite a while to uncover, it's no surprise that he could land any girl he wanted. And apparently, as he so boldly declared earlier, she was the girl he wanted and you know what? Arang was proud.

Because their delayed arrival to Japan hadn't been disclosed to the public, there were no fans lurking about, screaming and shouting at the top of their lungs, confessing their undying love for him. Thank god. Could you imagine the murderous look in their eyes if they saw Arang holding hands with the source of their affection? This was supposed to be a little getaway from all of the stress she's been under lately. Sure, people threw quizzical glances at them in the airport since they were both wearing masks and sunglasses indoors, however, nobody approached them directly and to that they were grateful.

While they were standing by the curb, waiting for their ride, Arang's eyes flitted down to their entangled fingers. She couldn't help but think about the day she graduated from high school, which seemed like ages ago, and the words of her former classmates. There was definitely nothing dull and boring about her life and Arang wondered if she had jinxed herself. Her heart was stuttering over and over again, like a song stuck on replay thrumming loudly in her ears. And you know what, she enjoyed holding his hand, just as she fancied kissing him.

His touch was filled with nothing but warmth and comfort. Then, Arang recalled the day of the big press conference where he had also held her hand, along with the time at the police station. Both times he had instilled her with courage and strength, assuring her that everything would be all right and, without being aware of it, the corners of the girl's lips twitched upward at the memories.

His touch made her feel safe. He made her feel safe and that's all she's really ever wanted, especially after she found out that there was a psychotic stalker targeting her because of her relationship with Taehyung. Yet, despite knowing that the decision she had made probably put her in more danger than before, Arang was not bestowed with the same fear she had when she thought she was alone. Why, because she had Taehyung to protect her and she realized she didn't have to go through this all by herself. The reality was finally settling in. The two of them might have been a fake couple at the beginning of this whole thing but Arang can assure you that was no longer the case now. All it took was a mere nod of her head for their relationship as boyfriend and girlfriend to become real.

Thinking about it though, Arang was still having a rather difficult time grappling onto the idea of the two of them actually dating but it wasn't necessarily a bad thing. Less than three months ago they couldn't even be in the same room without having the urge to rip each other's throats out gnawing at the back of their minds. They had certainly come a long way and Arang was grateful she had gotten the opportunity to get to know the real Kim Taehyung.

He might be arrogant, he might be rude but that was only one side of him. He didn't receive the nickname 4D Prince of BTS for no good reason. First impressions weren't everything and, as you might recall, theirs wasn't particularly ideal but at least they could say it was a memorable and impactful one.

A black van proceeded to pull up in front of them, snapping the girl out of her daze. The door slid open and they were greeted with a few familiar faces, which were, of course, sporting various expressions. "It's about time the two of you got here." Yoongi grinned as he glanced at their hands. He sent the girl a wink and she rolled her eyes playfully, aware that he was teasing them. Out of the other members, she'd have to admit Yoongi was probably the most childish but that was his charm. Arang has gotten accustomed to his antics and has even become quite fond of him as well. He ended up growing on her like the rest of the boys had because she no longer saw them as idols but people—humans with dreams and hopes.

Taehyung did not allow his friend's taunting to faze him and headed to the trunk. Once he stuffed their suitcases into the back, they hopped into the vehicle, their palms glued together the entire time. "Sorry about the mix up," Arang said and Namjoon shook his head. It was his way of telling her it was fine.

"It wasn't your fault, Arang," Hoseok declared. "We all know very well who's at blame here." Their eyes drifted to Taehyung and they scrutinized him from head to toe, mercy nowhere to be found. He opened his mouth to reply, defend himself, but the girl had beaten him to it.

"I should've double-checked the information too. Please don't blame Taehyung anymore." The way his name rolled off of her tongue made his breath hitch as he turned to look at Arang, a bashful smile ghosting over his lips. He was still not used to her calling him in such a casual manner and by his real name at that. This had to be a dream. And it was at this precise moment that Taehyung realized just how much he loved his name. Next, he gave her hand a quick squeeze. The gesture told her he was there, that she was not alone, and Arang returned the gesture. So this was how it felt to have somebody who was always on your side.

"Look, she's defending him. How sweet," Seokjin gushed, touched by her actions. In the short time they had been exposed to their relationship, it was rare for the young couple to express themselves, let alone display any type of affection they had for each other. For him to witness her protective side was truly a sight worth seeing. Seokjin may not be best friends with Arang but he was able to make an educated guess on what kind of girl she was. She was the type of girl who didn't open her heart up often. But when she did, she did so sincerely, earnestly and selflessly.

Heat invaded her face, along with the rest of her body, and she nibbled on the inside of her cheek, slightly flustered that she had been caught. Was it that obvious? "I'm not defending him," she denied right away, hoping nobody would notice her scarlet cheeks and ears. "I'm just trying to take responsibility." It wasn't a total lie.

"Okay, okay. That's enough. We won't blame anyone anymore," Namjoon said with finality. As long as nobody was hurt, it wasn't a problem and he wasn't going to make it into one either by pointing fingers. The only thing that mattered was that they were here now, safe and sound. "Are you guys hungry? We were about to meet up with Jimin and Jungkook to grab lunch." Hungry? They glanced at each other, their expressions clear and transparent. They were practically starving! Because their rescheduled flight was early in the morning, they didn't have time for a proper breakfast. On the plane they ate some fruits, a banana and an apple, but that was about it. Just the thought of food had saliva pooling in their mouths as they both nodded their heads feverishly.

When they arrived at the designated restaurant, they filed out of the van. Taehyung and Arang were the first ones out and they used the minute they had to check up on one another, quietly whispering amongst themselves. Taehyung could tell Arang was tired, the black circles surrounding her eyes being blatant indicators. However, she assured him that she was all right and would have plenty of time to sleep later tonight. After lunch the boys had a fan-meeting to attend and instead of going back to the hotel first, Arang told him she would rather much prefer going with them than to be trapped inside a room by herself. She would love to tour Japan but venturing a foreign country on her own didn't sound like a good idea. Plus, she wanted to explore the country with Taehyung. It would be much more enjoyable with him accompanying her.

Jimin and Jungkook were waiting for them at a large round table and Taehyung finally released Arang so that he could pull out a chair for her. She thanked him, biting on her bottom lip as she sat down. This gentlemanly side of his was certainly charming and Arang was sure she'd have no issue getting accustomed to it. In fact, she's already half way there. Yoongi, being the scamp he was, pretended to gag when he plopped into the seat next to her and Arang chuckled. "If you asked, I'm sure someone would have been happy to pull your chair out for you too."

"I'm not jealous," he huffed in reply.

She shook her head and flipped through the menu, an amused grin settled over her features. "I didn't say you were," she hummed.

Yoongi pouted, recognizing that he'd unintentionally given himself away, before he turned to talk to Hoseok.

The waiter showed up a couple of minutes later and set glasses of ice cold water in front of each person. Once he was finished, it was Seokjin who recited the various entrees they'd be having. The guys visited the establishment yesterday when they landed, which was how they had knowledge of what was good and what wasn't. The man then disappeared with their orders scribbled on his notepad and as soon as he was gone, they wasted no time bombarding Arang and Taehyung about their brief stay in Thailand.

Taehyung should have known that his friends would never leave the matter alone. It's not in their natures. None of their inquiries ventured into anything suggestive, thankfully, and the pair was able to provide sufficient answers, satiating their curiosities.

Before they could come up with more questions, Taehyung thought on his toes and swiftly altered the topic. He started questioning them about yesterday's events and successfully steered the conversation away from anything related to Thailand altogether. Arang was busy chatting with Hoseok, since Yoongi was still a little embarrassed about earlier, and she found out that many of their fans had been extremely disappointed because of Taehyung's absence.

Suddenly, a wave of guilt washed over her as she lowered her gaze. She didn't understand why she was feeling like this but the stifling sensation was soon forgotten when a hand slipped over her own. Arang immediately glanced over to Taehyung, mouth ajar, and saw him talking animatedly to his friends. Her eyes flitted down to his lap, where their hands were resting comfortably on his thigh and she could sense the corners of her lips wanting to defy gravity.

The food arrived and everyone dug in. Arang reached for the steamed dumplings but Taehyung pushed her chopsticks away with his and shook his head. "Don't eat that."

"Why?" she couldn't help but ask.

"It has shrimp in it," he pointed out as he picked up the sautéed pea-pot leaves and placed it into her bowl. "Aren't you allergic?"

Arang's eyes widened. "How did you—"

"Your mom reminded me before we left," he replied. "You should have told me about it."

"You never asked," she mumbled.

Taehyung leaned closer to her and whispered, "Well, starting today I'm going to find out everything there is to know about you, So Arang." His voice sent shivers marching up her spine and she held her breath. Was this what she wanted? She gazed into his dark brown eyes, which seemed as endless as the night sky and knew the answer.

It was.

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author's note

» oh my gosh. I know this update was long overdue. Please forgive meeeee. Good news is I will be trying to finish this story by the end of the summer! Also, for the time being I have decided to repost GAMI up on AFF. However, it will always be updated on wattpad first :) because you guys are the absolute best. I hope this chapter was cute. The next chapter will be much cuter! :D

Please comment if you want <3 It'll definitely make my day, loves. Frozen frames?