Dandelions

**Song Suggestion: Dandelions by Ruth B. 🎶

"What did you see?" she asked but all he did was wiggle his fingers, stressing to her to take a hold of it.

"But the pavements cold." She whined and his eyes immediately turned to crescents.

"Yah! Don't you dare," she swatted his hand away and he laughed like a little child. Nevertheless, she crouched down next to him, in a kneeling position unlike him.

"You remember those natural objects you talked about?"

She nodded.

"Well, they're right there and a whole bunch of them too." He pointed just behind her and she turned to see a whole bush of dandelions swaying gently with the wind.

She turned to face him again, "You know, I could've puked all over you after you threw me over your shoulder from all of the emotional distress from tonight yet you still risked it all for dandelions?"

He gave a short airy laugh, "Honestly, you're so four dimensional Soo ah,"

She gave him a weird smile, wiggled her fingers in front of her, like sparkles were falling then she crawled over toward the dandelions and he followed suit.

"So do you want to relive childhood memories?"

They sat cross-legged beside each other and Taehyung nodded.

She smiled at his innocence even though it was something she regularly did. Hoping that her dreams, wishes and aspirations would come true. As she sat lost in her thoughts, Taehyung leaned forward but he noticed that she wasn't doing the same. "Aren't you going to do this with me?"

"Oh! Yes," she leaned forward but quickly glanced at him, "Do you have asthma by any chance?"

He looked at her perplexed, "No, why? Do you?"

"No, just checking." She gave a sheepish smile and moved closer to the dandelions. "On three,"

They each selected one dandelion to give their all.

"Hana, dul, set!"

They both expelled as much air as possible and watched as the little floaties detached bunches at a time from each of their afro-shaped plants soon to get lost with the wind. She normally couldn't go for more than one at a time because of her small lung capacity, so she stopped to take a short break but Taehyung on the other hand kept blowing on multiple other dandelions, and sent even more floaties into the air.

She laughed to herself at how cute he looked.

Nevertheless, she shut her eyes and made a wish.

After a couple of seconds she opened them up but her heart and lungs instantly stopped functioning.

"So you really do make a wish, yah?" Taehyung's dorky head was right in front of her.

Then and there she wanted to revoke her wish and instead wish that she could just float away with the floaties because the thought of him staring at her at that proximity felt as if it could make planets crash into each other.

"Y-You're too close," she stuttered.

"Social distancing is not in my vocabulary," he grinned. "And don't feel embarrassed, I made a lot of wishes too."

She nodded and watched him resume his position next to her but her cheeks still burnt like the pits of hell.

"So, what'd you wish for?"

"Aren't you supposed to keep it to yourself?"

"Yeah, but how am I going to make them come true if you don't tell me." He nonchalantly stated.

She stared at him, confused.

"I'm God, I'm good." He sent her a flirtatious look and she recalled when Taehyung said that to Namjoon back when they were learning standard textbook English but he has gotten better now.

"Gosh, you're such a creep." She shoved him. "But... I wished for the happiness, prosperity and longevity of those I care dear about."

He smiled, "You worry a lot about other people don't you?"

"I guess so because sometimes I feel like I'm hurting others unintentionally... that's why I tend to keep my distance from people. That's why I don't have many friends." She drew her knees up to her chest and rested her chin over them.

"Then how'd you spend your days before you met Jungkook and Jimin?"

"Eunwoo," she said and Taehyung noticed a small smile form on her lips. "And in high school, the rooftop. I spent a lot of time there alone. It was peaceful to be there then but now it's different. Although I'm sure I'll get over it someday." A soft laugh left her lips and Taehyung gave her a side hug. "And what about you? What did you wish for?"

"For your wishes to come true," he looked down, slightly shy.

"Aw," she embraced him in a hug as well. "You're sweet, thank you and hopefully they'll come true."

After Sooyeong released Taehyung the both of them fell silent because they lost themselves in their unruly thoughts. They both wanted to ask each other a burning question they've had for some time now but neither of them knew how to initiate contact so-to-speak.

Sooyeong's hopes were up that Taehyung would say yes to her question because of that indirect kiss they had shared earlier- which from just the bare memory was making her body hot inside out.

She took a few calming breaths to prepare herself before she made an attempt to ask him. However, just as she was about to speak, Taehyung broke out of his spell of thoughts and spoke, rather deeply.

"Sooyeong..."

"Mhm?" she looked at him surprised.

"You said longevity when you made a wish." He fiddled with his fingers. "Why?"

She thought for a couple of seconds and Dansae's horrid sticky note crossed her mind but she pushed it to the back of her brain, "Well... my parents are gone and I don't want to lose anyone else that's precious."

"Is that the only reason?" he shuffled in his pocket for something.

"Isn't it natural to wish for longevity."

"It is," his wallet was now in his hand and he pulled out a piece of paper. "Is it not because of this as well?"

An all too familiar sticky note was staring Sooyeong dead in the face. The letters over it had been smudged but it was still visible; I attract death.

"Why would you keep such an ominous thing in your wallet?" she attempted to hit it away from him but he pulled back before she could.

"Why would you keep such an ominous thing in your blazer?"

She said nothing.

"Do you know who gave it to you?"

She attempted to grab it again but he only raised his hand, "Was this one also pasted on your locker with the others?"

"No,"

"Who gave it to you?"

"Tae, I don't want to talk about it, please." She got up but he instinctively latched onto the hem of her jersey.

"Sooyeong, you said my happiness is your happiness." His grip tightened. "The feeling's mutual. So don't do this because I'm not going to drop it like before."

"Fine," She looked down at her shoes in defeat, "It was from the one who hurt you tonight."

She felt his hold on her sweater tighten, most likely out of frustration and she felt an abyss of pain within her because Dansae has already hurt him enough today but suddenly his grip just vanished.

She was startled and immediately turned around to see Taehyung marching back in the direction of the game room.

"Taehyung! No!" She ran after him, caught up to him and pulled him into a back hug. "Don't go." She cried.

He fisted his hands. He was on his wits end with that group of two-faced snakes. "All of them has done something to you and it needs to stop, Sooyeong. You can't keep living in the shadow of their misdeeds."

'I guess that's what guys do when they like girl.'

That thought flashed, momentarily in her mind, but she didn't really have the time to dwell on it.

"Taehyung please," her eyelashes were wet from tears. "I know they've all done bad things but if you go back there and start a fight, you're going to be no different from them. I don't want you to get hurt, please."

He clenched his jaw. He was irritated at the world and how it could not align for her but alas he heeded her words and took deep breaths to calm himself down. While he did so, Sooyeong took the opportunity to slip the disgusting sticky note from his grip.

She tore it to shreds and looked for a nearby trashcan that she located just down the street. Her hand snaked its way into his then she intertwined them and pulled him along the pavement. He simply watched her small body determined to reach that trashcan, and somehow the sight of her and her touch began to calm him down.

When they reached, they both stood next to it and as angrily as she could, she discarded those ominous pieces of paper without a seconds delay.

"There, it's gone." She declared with puffed out cheeks and Taehyung gave her a warm smile, content with her actions. "And can we please go home now. This night is becoming too much to process."

Taehyung manoeuvred his body and pulled her into his side where she somehow felt an immediate rush of placidity unlike the normal adrenaline rush she gets whenever she was close to him, "I'll get you home safely without anymore surprises."

A U T H O R ' S N O T E

Is there anyone who actually blows on dandelions? Because I haven't done it since childhood 🙈

Author, Lu 💜