TAEHYUNG

* * *

The sun was always on schedule (except for rainy days), so when it was shining high on the blue sky, its rays sneakily seep through Taehyung's windows, gently shining on his face as if it was tugging the young man to get out of bed. Feeling the slight heat, his face wrinkled in discomfort before he could slowly open his eyes. A yawn escapes his lips before letting out grunts and yelps as he stretches out his tired joints. He lays there for a moment, taking in the complete serene state of his room in the mornings before finally getting the energy to hop off his bed. He slips on his slippers before walking in his bathroom, turning on the lights.

Getting up, doing hygiene, eat, work, then sleep. Not once did he ever break this routine. Not like he had anything special happening to his life to break this redundant cycle either, but Taehyung was always grateful that he could open his eyes in the morning. As he brushes his teeth, eyes gazed upon the mirror in front of him, he couldn't help but feel... happy. Perhaps it was the extra hour in his sleeping routine that gave him the extra energy; he was usually a little grumpy in the mornings, but today, he felt like it was going to be a good day. After finishing up with his hygiene, the man steps out of the bathroom and walks towards his drawer, which was situated in front of his bed.

He always pulls out a pull-up sweater with a different color variation each day, paired with plain square pants with neutral colors. On a warmer day, he always wears a plain white t-shirt. However as the winter season inches closer, he opted to wear something with more layers. Once he was done putting on his clothes, he takes one good look of himself in the mirror before leaving his bedroom.

Now, Taehyung never had difficulties during breakfast, but alas he was met with his obstacle of the day when he lifted the milk carton from out of the fridge—it was already empty. He sighs and throws it away before frowning upon his cereal bowl that already had his favorite honey-covered cornflakes prepared. 'Looks like I'll be having takeout from McDonalds I guess...'

He picks up the bowl and proceeds to put it back on the plastic container before stashing it away in one of the cupboards. Taehyung then makes his way to the front door, taking his keys, phone, mask, and wallet in the process before putting on his beige coat that hung on top of his shoes. He puts on his shoes in one swift motion before opening the door. His ears were greeted by loud sound of maintenance construction that seemed to be taking place on the floor above him. He locks his apartment door before making his way to the elevator, where he was greeted by Min Eun-sook, an elderly woman who lives by herself in the same floor as him.

"Good morning Taehyung, you seem to be up and early today." She states, looking at the man from head to toe. He smiles, "Ran out of milk Mrs. Min, I'll be eating out for breakfast." Judging from the grimace of the elderly woman, she wasn't too pleased with his choice of eating fastfood for breakfast. "Oh dear, young people these days, always eating out. You should try finding yourself a nice young woman... or a man if that's what you like. Someone who can cook for you." She rambles.

Taehyung doesn't usually take her rambles by heart, knowing that she was only looking out for him. He chuckles, "I'm afraid I'm too busy to look for someone Mrs. Min... Need to focus on my studies first." She clicks her tongue, "Nonsense! You'll find someone eventually, it's only a matter of time."

The soft 'ding!' of the elevator cuts their conversation short as the metal doors open for Taehyung to step inside. He waves goodbye to Eun-sook before the elevator doors close. After a few seconds, he could feel the elevator slowly descending to the ground floor. There weren't a lot of people who're awake around this time, as the majority of the residents in this apartment complex had night shifts or had work later in the morning; plus this apartment complex didn't have a lot of residents to begin with. It was going to take a little while until he reached the ground floor, so he got a little bit lost in his train of thoughts, especially with Mrs. Min's remarks about him finding a lover.

It wasn't a bad idea, it's just that he simply didn't have the time to look for someone. His course demanded him a huge portion of his time and effort, and it didn't help the fact that he was working two jobs just to get by and take off a little bit of the financial burden off his parents' shoulders. Finding a lover seemed a little bit too troublesome for his liking, especially when he knows that you also have to put a lot of effort in a relationship. 'Though... It would be nice to have someone who will be with you through the tough times.'

The elevator doors opened once again, forcing Taehyung's train of thoughts to stop. He steps out of the elevator and makes a beeline toward the exit of the apartment complex. He greets the security with a smile, to which it was gladly reciprocated by the man. He quickly puts on his mask, remembering that the air quality was going to be a bit worse than yesterday. Once he was finally out of the building, his next stop was: McDonalds.

* * *

The cold breeze of the air-condition greeted him as he passes through the glass doors of the fast-food establishment. Two people were only lining to get their orders in, so he quickly lines up behind the second person. He was thinking of getting a breakfast meal, which consisted of a warm biscuit, McDonald's sausage, hash browns, and scrambled eggs. Once the other two customers were done punching their order in the machine, it was finally Taehyung's turn. He punches his order in, making sure to also get orange juice as an add-on. After the machine has processed his payment, a small white paper pops out of the slit.

Taehyung grabs it and sees his number on the receipt. He then proceeds to look for a spot where he could enjoy his meal. As he walks to where the tables, he couldn't help but notice a figure of a woman hunched over the table, as if she was sleeping. She had long black hair, and he couldn't really see her face as it had been covered by a mask and her black cap. He then looks at her surroundings. On the side of her sleeping figure, there was a binder of what seemed to be musical sheets spilling out. There were also a few notes that seemed to be scribbled by the woman, though he couldn't really read it. 'She must be playing an instrument...' He thought before discreetly walking pass by her, before finding a seat that was situated only two tables away from the sleeping woman.

He sits there comfortably, patiently waiting for his order. Around five minutes have passed and Taehyung decides to check to see if his order was ready. He also peeks over to the woman, who was still fast asleep. 'She probably pulled an all-nighter...' He thinks to himself as he gets up from his seat. Taehyung could see himself in the woman, and thought that perhaps buying her a nice meal wouldn't hurt. He thinks of the many times he wished that a random stranger would just be there to comfort him through his tough times. Before making his way to the front counter to claim his order, he punches in another order for the woman; a simple breakfast sandwich with a side of hot cocoa wouldn't hurt. After paying for it and claiming the receipt number, he makes his way to the front counter where his meal awaits him.

JISOO

* * *

She could feel a stinging pain on the back of her neck when she awoke from her "2-hour" power nap. Who wouldn't get a stiff neck after falling asleep on one of the tables in McDonalds? She lets out a groan as she tries to move her neck a bit, wincing every now and then when she feels pain. She then lets out a yawn before looking at the state of her table; musical sheets scattered and spilling out of the pink binder, scribbled notes that she had made herself had long been forgotten on certain parts of the floor, and of course, her violin case which laid right beside her feet. It was certainly a terrible idea to go to McDonalds to finalize her pieces, but she couldn't care less when her violin recital was going to be only a week away.

Jisoo was determined to finish perfecting her piece, after all, her family reputation requires her to be perfect at all times. It was times like these when she realizes how big of a burden she was carrying as the next heiress of her father's company. She had to excel in every aspect. She couldn't afford to embarrass herself and her family.

'I should probably start packing my things-'

Her train of thoughts were interrupted when she noticed a tray right besides the binder of her musical sheets. The hot cocoa was still hot, as evident by the smoke exuding out of the cup. Right beside the cup was a breakfast sandwich. She then notices a note attached to the sandwich, which read: 'Good luck on your performance! Fighting!'

A smile makes its way to her lips, finding the kind gesture from a complete stranger to be heartwarming. She fixes herself before munching down on her free breakfast, silently thanking the stranger for the simple act of kindness.

* * *

lmao, it's been a while.
i've been so busy with college that i rarely get to update anymore 🥹 next update? we'll never know 🤩 but i'm planning on finishing this tbh.