8th March

Over their lunch of a salad for Jungkook and a full course meal of steak and pudding that Vivien ordered, the two didn't talk much. Vivien was busy filling her stomach hastily.

"This tastes so heavenly-" she gently dabbed the napkin on her lips. "-I might wanna go for seconds."

Jungkook hummed while supposedly poking at his crusty greens in his salad, not paying much attention to her or his food. His mind was distracted.

"Jungkook." she called out to him. "Jungkook!"

He widened his eyes and looked right at her. "What?"

"You do realise you're getting nothing on that fork of yours, right?"

Jungkook looked down at his bowl of cherry tomatoes and various kinds of leaves, and then at his fork which was stabbing his table napkin.

"And what fun do you even have eating all those leaves?" she sipped some water. "You haven't changed a bit."

Jungkook, quite embarrassed, shyly returned his fork to his bowl and ate.

"You're already done?" he pointed his fork at her plate.

"Yes." she nodded back to him bluntly.

Jungkook cleared his throat awkwardly and adjusted his posture in his seat. "So...um...how was the trip, Vivien? You've been away for almost ever since this small challenge was discussed." he counted his fingers. "About six-seven months?......You even missed Jin and Namjoon's wedding."

"Yeah.." she twirled her knife in between her fingers. "I didn't mention it, but back at home, there were some...complications that restrained me from coming back early..." she sighed out and gave a small smile. "If it weren't for that, I would have been there at the wedding!"

"But, didn't you go to Sweden? Your home's in Germany."

"I did. But because of that urgent matter back home, I had to travel to Germany for a couple of weeks, it delayed my schedule and messed up a few things along the way."

Jungkook stopped eating and looked at Vivien with a concerned expression. "Is everything okay, Vivien?"

"Yes!" she smiled. A waiter got her pudding. Vivien smiled at the woman in the black waist apron and then went on to pierce her spoon through the soft dessert.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

Vivien looked up from her caramel topped pudding and raised a gentle brow. "Since when did you hear out other people's problems?" she placed her spoon on the ceramic plate and folded her hands to her chin.

"Did I not before?" Jungkook stuffed his mouth with a mini tomato and scrunched his face a bit, in confusion.

Vivien giggled softly. "No, you never did. Anyway-" she took in a deep breath and held her spoon again, poking at her dessert. "-I don't quite feel like talking about it. Thank you for asking though." she gave another small smile.

"You sure?"

"Yes, Jungkook... I am quite sure."

Vivien's pudding was over, yet Jungkook's leaves lay in the white bowl, just chilling without their fellow companions, the cherry tomatoes, which were picked out by Jungkook. Jungkook was still distracted.

"You keep looking around." Vivien said, looking through something on her phone. "Anything wrong?"

"No." he said back quickly. "N-not at all?"

"Are you going to finish those-" she pointed at the leftover greens.

Jungkook smiled nervously. "Don't feel like it." he glanced behind him again and then back at Vivien. "I kinda lost the appetite."

"You shouldn't have ordered if you weren't going to eat." she said back calmly, while grabbing a fork of her own and pulling his bowl to the centre of the table. "Now, I'll help you, but you're not getting up till you finish. Because there is no way you're wasting all of this."

Jungkook sighed out and rested his elbows on the table, picking at the leaves with grave disinterest. "You know, you haven't changed."

"In what aspect?" he winced a bit, disgustedly, as she ate one of the spinach leaves.

"Your motherly charm." Jungkook teased, snickering.

Vivien smiled back. "Well, what can I do about that? You're the kid here, you need to be taken care of."

"I am not a kid." he pouted back.

"Sure." Vivien ate another piece of spinach. "Okay-" she frowned again, and rested back on her chair. "How in the world do you eat this? I feel like a koala."

"Koalas eat eucalyptus."

"I know-" she shifted up to the table again and ate with Jungkook. "-but you get my point, right?"

"Of course." he stuffed his mouth.

After the two were done with their spinach leaves, Jungkook asked Vivien to wait for him by the car while he went over to Taehyung.

He casually looked around the cafe first, but didn't find him. So, then he headed for the barista counter, where he found Jimin.

"Jimin?"

Jimin looked up at Jungkook. "Oh, hey, Jungkook! Here to get something to go?"

"Ah- um...not really."

Jimin spread a smug look on his face. "Okay, soo?"

Jungkook hesitated a bit and pretended to look at the cakes in the display cabinet. "Um....Where's Taehyung?" he asked Jimin innocently, tapping his fingers on the glass cabinet.

He smiled back. "He's in the staff's room, just at the back." he pointed to a black door at the corner behind himself.

"Is he okay?"

"Why don't you go ask him yourself?" he smiled, filling up a latte cup.

"I-I can go inside?" Jungkook pointed at the door.

"I'm letting you, aren't I?"

Jungkook smiled shyly. "Right, thanks."

He made his way past the door, to find Taehyung laying on the couch, facing away from the door.

"Hey, Jimin-" he said, without looking at Jungkook. "-how many times do I have to tell you, I'm fine! I can work! Can I come out now?"

He was a bit whiny, sounded almost like a little kid which made Jungkook blush up a little. It evoked a notorious feeling in Jungkook to not let Taehyung know that it was actually him, and not Jimin. He probably just wanted to hear Taehyung complain a bit more, mostly because he sounded adorably like a little cub.

Taehyung got up. "I've been here for almost an hour, Ji-" his head turned to a flustered Jungkook, standing awkwardly at the entrance.

"Jungkook?" he stood up and whipped the pout from his face, licking his lips nervously. "What are you doing here?"

"Uh- I just came over to check on you." he rubbed the back of his neck. "To see if you're....fine?"

Taehyung looked down at his right hand, all dressed up nicely in a light gauze. "Yeah, I am fine actually."

"Are you sure?" Jungkook's eyebrows perked up a bit in concern. "That burn did look serious."

"No, it wasn't." he smiled back. "I assure you that. You don't have to worry."

"But are you sure you can work? It is your dominant hand after all, right?" Jungkook's fingers were rubbing against his palms. "Won't it be hard for you to work?"

Taehyung smiled innocently. Jungkook's kind and gentle concern got to him. "Don't worry about my right hand, my dear photographer." he walked up to him. "I'm ambidextrous, so I can comfortably do my work with my left hand. Thank you for worrying about me though."

Jungkook nodded his head. "So...when does your shift end?"

"At night, I guess."

"But shouldn't you just cut short for the day?"

"Jungkook-" Taehyung placed his left hand on Jungkook's shoulder. "-I am okay! Stop worrying! It's not like he stabbed through my hand with a knife!"

Jungkook's eyes narrowed in disgust. "Please don't say such things."

Taehyung looked down, guilty. "Sorry."

It fell silent.

A moment later, the room's door opened to a staff member. "Hey, Taehyung." he said, walking up to the couple. "Mr. Park says you can take my place now."

Taehyung sighed in relief. "Thank you. I'll go."

The man gave Jungkook a weird look and went behind the lockers.

"What was with that look he gave me?" Jungkook muttered, as his eyes followed the man before he disappeared behind the lockers.

"Let him be." Taehyung whispered, and the two went out.

"Do you want me to give you a ride home? After your shift maybe?"

"Jungkook, it's just a small burn! Besides, my car came back from servicing, so I guess I'll be fine. Thanks for the offer. Now, do me a favour?"

"Yes?"

"Could you tie my apron?" he held up a black cloth that he got from nowhere and smiled cheekily. "I'd have to use both hands, but I can't."

Jungkook nodded and wrapped the apron around his waist and stood behind him to tie the two straps together in a pretty little bow.

And then there it was, that warm mellow scent wafting from Taehyung's nape to Jungkook's nose. Though he wasn't that close, he could still smell him.

Tying the knot, his eyes wavered a bit beyond the straps, to Taehyung's butt. It wouldn't have been a problem if he were wearing a sweater, but Taehyung was in the cafe's uniform, a grey shirt tucked tightly into his pants. That wasn't exactly giving Jungkook an option to not notice his backside, not that he hadn't noticed before, but seeing it up close was another issue. Resisting the urge to place his palms on them, was yet another issue altogether.

'It's just an ass, Jungkook.' he thought to himself. 'Everyone has one.'

'Yeah...' another voice said at the back of his head. 'But this is Taehyung's ass. Not everyone has Taehyung's flawless ass.'

Jungkook bit the inners of his cheeks to stop himself from those thoughts and quickly tied the knot.

"Is this okay?" Jungkook asked, his hands were getting a tad bit nervous.

Taehyung moved his waist a little. "Hmm...a little more tighter."

Jungkook did so, awkwardly. "Now?"

"Yep." he turned to him. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." Jungkook smiled.

"Taehyung-ah!" Jimin's voice called across the counter. "Come here! We have table seven and thirteen waiting for you!"

"Coming!" Taehyung called back to Jimin. He turned to Jungkook. "Okay, I have to go now. How about we talk later?"

"Yeah- sure. Just take care, okay? I don't want you hitting yourself on the same spot as your wound."

Taehyung sighed sarcastically. "For the last time, Jungkook! It's a small burn! I'll be fine."

Jungkook tilted his head in disbelief. "Small things can turn into big things pretty easily, you know?"

"Okay, fine." Taehyung gave in. "I'll take care. Now, bye. Thank you once again." saying that, he rushed off to Jimin.

Jungkook met back with Vivien by his car, only when he had talked to Jimin about keeping an eye on Taehyung.

Jimin laughed at him, telling him that he was probably babying Taehyung too much. Jungkook denied that. He was only protective of him because he cared. He wouldn't want Taehyung to be in harm's way now, would he?

"But you're forgetting that he's a twenty-five-year-old adult." Jimin said to Jungkook, as they stood outside the cafe.

"Yes! I know he's an- wait... he's twenty-five?"

Jimin stared at him sceptically. "You're telling me you both have known each other for over a couple of weeks, and that guy is your model, but you still don't know his age? I mean, it shouldn't be a big deal.......but it makes me question your topics of interest during your conversations."

"I always thought he was around my age."

Jimin sighed. "And you are?"

"Twenty three."

"About two years." he snickered. "Anyway-I should get going now."

"Keep an eye on him!" Jungkook told him as Jimin headed back inside.

Jimin gave a thumbs up and got back to work right away.

Where Jungkook had parked, Vivien was leaning against his car, surfing through her phone.

"Why didn't you sit inside, Vivien?" Jungkook asked as he walked up to her.

The woman looked up from her phone and stood straight. "I couldn't. Because the kid forgot to give me the keys to his car."

Jungkook patted his pants, only to feel the keys in his pocket. "Oh." he winced at her. "I'm sorry."

"It's alright." she said. "But could you please open the door?" she rubbed her arms and shivered slightly. "It's gotten cold."

It was about four-thirty in the evening, but the sky was a dull grey shade, and the sun was behind the clouds. The cold winds were slowly gaining speed, and the weak branches on the trees were starting to bend in the direction of the moving air. The chirping of the birds in the trees were wild in panic like they were warning their kin for the upcoming weather.

"Do you think it'll rain?" Jungkook asked as the two of them sat in the car.

They both looked up at the sky through the windshield. The dark ominous clouds were moving at a faster pace. Then, they rumbled all of a sudden, spreading the loud thunder through the partially empty street.

"I most certainly think it will." Vivien muttered.

During their ride, they talked quite a bit about Vivien's trip to Sweden. Jungkook was sure not to mention Germany to her.

They talked about the various themes they chose for their pictures, whether or not the two stuck to landscapes and sceneries, or whether there were any one of the pictures they liked more than the other. There was a lot to talk about.

"Oh, and by the way- I managed to capture the aurora." she said modestly.

"No way!" Jungkook turned to her and then back at the road, smiling excitedly. "How was it??"

"It was beautiful." she sunk back into the seat, looking at the roof of the car dreamily. "It was such a sight. The green and purple ribbons-" she shook her head, closing her eyes as she recalled the phenomenal view in her head. She had a satisfied soft smile on her face. "-It wasn't easy. But it was worth it."

"Wasn't there a short window for you?"

"Oh, there was." she sighed out. "I had only a couple of weeks, and I was already late. Keeping a check aurora forecast, trudging in the snow almost every other night in that horrifying cold.... those things were bloody unpredictable. It was tiring, but I got my shot."

"Gosh, am I jealous of you." Jungkook breathed out a sigh and shook his head.

Vivien smiled gently, gazing out of the window.

"So..." she started talking again. "How was he?"

"He?" Jungkook kept his eyes on the road. "Who, he?"

"You know-that special guy of yours."

Jungkook chuckled timidly, awkwardly tapping his fingers at the wheel at the mention of his special guy. "Taehyung?"

"Yes, him. You went to him didn't you?"

"I did. He's fine."

Vivien fell silent. Jungkook looked at her from the corner of his eye.

"Why did you tell me?" she asked all of a sudden.

"Tell you what?" he pulled over to the entrance of the hotel.

Vivien looked at Jungkook with an anxious expression. "Come up, let's continue there." saying that, she got out of the car and headed to the boot.

Jungkook's eyes followed her in confusion. "But, Vivien-" he said under his breath, knowing all too well, that she couldn't hear him.

Vivien got her suitcases to head to the lobby. She turned back before she could enter the hotel and gave a hand gesture to Jungkook, asking him to come along.

Jungkook hesitated to move. A man came over to Jungkook's side, for valet parking. Jungkook didn't seem to have much choice at that point. So, with a hefty sigh, he got out and followed Vivien.

"Why did you call me all the way here?" Jungkook asked as he walked behind Vivien into her room, shutting the door behind him.

"You really haven't changed at all, have you?" he smiled at her. "Dragging the conversation along with yourself? Instead of finishing it right there and then, or maybe another time."

"Do you expect me to change?" Vivien explored the room and found a bottle of wine. "Oh, look." she held the bottle by the neck and showed it to Jungkook. "They have red wine!" she sat down on the bed and started to unscrew the bottle. "Come, sit." she swayed her hand to the armchair in front of her. "Talks are always better with wine."

Vivien started to pour the bright crimson liquid into two glasses.

Jungkook came and sat down. Vivien offered him a glass.

"No-" Jungkook shook his hand. "-I'd rather not. Not right now."

Vivien placed the glass on the small coffee table and crossed her legs, sitting patiently. She was waiting for something to happen.

Jungkook noticed that Vivien was just going to wait for him to speak, just like how she always did, so he started talking. "What were you talking about in the car? Why did I tell you what?"

"About Taehyung." she said, swirling the liquid in her glass. "Why did you tell me about him?"

"Telling you about the fact that I have a thing for him?" he cocked his head and frowned.

"You don't really do that, do you?" Vivien sniffed in the scent of the wine. "You're a reserved person, Jungkook, I know. You're not someone to go babbling about your 'special' person just like that."

"So?" Jungkook shrug his shoulders and curved his lips innocently. "Do I need a reason to tell you?"

"No, of course, you don't. That is, if you trust me enough."

"Of course I do!" he scowled and then pouted. "You know I trust you."

"I know." her voice lowered. "I know that, Jungkook. But I also know that you don't just bluntly tell others about anything that could be of any concern about your life, much less your love life."

Jungkook blinked at Vivien awkwardly. "I just felt like telling you, okay?" he sat back and crossed his legs. "There's nothing else to it."

Vivien stood up and opened the curtains of the room, revealing a blood orange calm sky. The dark clouds were gone, and so was the gloomy atmosphere. It hadn't rained.

"Tell me one thing." she asked.

"Yeah?" Jungkook turned to her and rested his back and legs on the armchair's armrests.

"About your crush on Taehyung......Are you satisfying your desire to tell him how you feel, by telling it to others around you instead?"

Jungkook's eyes locked with her's for a couple of seconds before he averted his gaze to the carpeted floor, not blinking once. His mouth was partially open, his mind circling around what Vivien had just said.

"Do you feel that way?" she asked softly. Her voice had a sense of concern in it, she knew Jungkook felt that way, he just wasn't ready to admit it.

Jungkook slowly looked up to her, standing against the setting sky. His thoughts had started to blank out. Maybe deep down inside, he did agree with her but seemed way too conscious to actually admit it.

"Is it because of how things happened before?"

Jungkook scrunched his eyebrows. "Before?" he asked. Jungkook probably knew what 'before' Vivien was talking about. But the thing was, he hadn't told her about it.

"About your events with Ethan."

Jungkook's breath got shallow, and his eyes were full of shock. "Why do you know about Ethan?"

"I'm sorry. I know I shouldn't mention him-"

"Vivien-" Jungkook cut her off. It was the first time he had. "I don't care about him anymore, okay? Ethan is my past now. What I want to know is how you know about Ethan and why you do."

Vivien took in a deep breath and sat on the desk's chair in front of Jungkook. "Namjoon did." she said.

"He did?"

"Actually, yes and no."

"And that means?"

"I- asked him. And he told me."

"Wait... when did this happen?"

"That time when I took you on tour with me? Namjoon met me before we left."

"He did?" Jungkook was quite surprised to hear that Namjoon would up with Vivien.

"He was concerned for you, and I didn't want to make you feel uncomfortable in any way. I was curious if there was anything I needed to keep in mind. So, I asked him. Which was when Ethan popped into the conversation. I never told you because I knew that was a sensitive time for you back then."

"Yes, it was." Jungkook nodded. "I'm glad you didn't."

"Though, I'm sorry for hiding it from you."

"You don't need to be. I'm fine with it." he sat properly and rested his elbows on his knees. "And about what you said- I think that might be true, now that I think about it."

"Do you fear that what happened with Ethan might happen with Taehyung too?"

Jungkook hummed a bit. "Hmm. I don't know. Though he does know about my sexuality."

"And?" she sipped her wine for the first time.

"Nothing! He wasn't objected by it or anything of that sort!" Jungkook gave a gentle smile as he remembered the time when Taehyung and he sat on his house's porch, staring at the night sky. The night when they also had that indirect kiss.

Jungkook cleared his throat and rubbed his forehead with his fingers tensely, trying to stop imagining what would happen if they actually kissed.

'Not the right time, Jungkook. Not the right fucking time.'

Vivien chugged down her wine and even the one that she had poured for Jungkook. She rested her hands on her hips and smacked her lips. "Well...That is good. Okay then, for now, I shall go and freshen up." she walked over to her suitcase to get out a change of clothes.

Jungkook decided to leave as well, so he got up and walked past Vivien. "If that's all, Vivien, can I go now?"

"Wait wait wait." she crossed her arms. "Where do you think you're going?"

"Uh..." his thumb pointed at the door. "Back home?"

"But you're supposed to show me to the gallery, Jungkook!"

"Right now?" he looked at his phone. "Vivien, it's almost seven. I don't think the owner would be free at this time. We can do this tomorrow! Besides, you should get some rest."

"The owner, Miss. Yi, right?" she asked, ignoring everything else that Jungkook just said.

"Yeah."

"Well, isn't she a huge fan of your work?" Vivien held her clothes in her arms. "I am sure she could make such an exception for you, no?"

"How do you know she's a fan of my work?"

Vivien walked past Jungkook to the bathroom. "You told me that yourself, you little bunny!" saying that she entered the bathroom and shut the door behind her.

That gave Jungkook no other choice but to stay, wait for his teacher, and call Miss Yi in the meantime, to open up the gallery so that Vivien could get a small peek.

Fortunately, just like Vivien said, Miss Yi had no problem opening the gallery at that time, in fact, she'd be honoured to do so for Jungkook at any time of the day.

"See? I told you she'd agree." Vivien told Jungkook modestly as the two headed to the outskirts in Jungkook's car.

"Well, she said that she could only spare an hour." he informed her. "She has a family dinner after."

"Hmm? How long did you say it was?"

"An hour."

"An hour?" Vivien seemed distracted. She wasn't the type of person to lose focus.

Jungkook hummed and nodded his head, keeping his eyes on the road.

"Well, an hour seems more than enough, doesn't it?" she asked.

"Yes." Jungkook glanced at Vivien. She was absorbed in the screen she held. Jungkook had noticed how her mind had been elsewhere ever since she came back. Though she had talked to Jungkook about his situation like how she normally did in the past, this distracted side of hers was rather unusual and quite odd to digest.

"Vivien?"

"Yes?" she replied, but her eyes were still on the rectangular light-emitting device.

Jungkook decided not to talk ahead and gave Vivien the chance to question him why he called out her name. But she never noticed. She never asked Jungkook.

When they reached the two-story building, they were greeted by Miss. Yi, who seemed to be overly excited to meet Vivien. Miss. Yi was a short middle-aged woman with curly red hair and the softest hazel brown eyes. She had quite a sweet and respectful character.

"Miss. Müller." the two ladies shook hands. "What a pleasure to meet you! Who would have known that I would be meeting someone as accomplished and talented as you!"

"Oh, please." Vivien's smile was back. "You are too kind, Miss. Yi. But Vivien will suffice."

"My my, what a heavenly pleasant pleasure it is to hear your beautiful voice in person."

Vivien gave a confused look, while Miss. Yi left her hands and greeted her favourite.

"Mr. Jeon." she shook her hand with quite a grip. "It is such an incredible honour to have both you and your teacher use my place. Thank you."

"Yes, of course, Miss. Yi." he let go of her hand. "But I did tell you that Jungkook is just fine, right?"

"Ah, yes, of course......... Jungkook. I just wanted to show my respect!" she swayed her hands to the entrance. "Right this way."

"She's quite the cute lady, hm?" Vivien muttered to Jungkook.

"Oh, tell me about it." he snickered slightly and the two followed Miss. Yi inside.

The moment the bright white walls of the gallery hit Vivien's eyes, she was left in awe, twirling around slowly, looking at the bare walls, imagining which pictures she would hang where.

"Where in the world was this little gem tucked away for the last ten years?" she looked at the ceiling and then at the owner. "And how come I wasn't aware of it?"

"It used to be an art museum before." Miss. Yi replied.

"And what happened to the museum?"

"We shifted it to a much bigger place."

"We?" Jungkook joined the conversation.

"Yes." Miss. Yi said. "I own the museum."

"Crikey, Miss. Yi!" Vivien exclaimed. "That sure is something!"

"Well, what can I say, Miss. Muller." she tucked her hair behind her ear. "The lineage runs through the family."

"How interesting. You and I should get a drink sometime, ma'am."

Miss. Yi smiled and bowed slightly. "Surely."

Jungkook and Vivien walked around a bit, talking about the placements for their pictures and sorting out which area would go to whom.

Miss Yi mentioned how the upper floor had the same plan layout and suggested that the two could split their pictures by floor, or maybe by dividing each floor in half to get an equal distribution.

"Hmm." Vivien rubbed her chin and looked around her. "That, Miss Yi, is quite appealing, I admit. But-" she stopped and pursed her lips in deep thought.

"But?" Jungkook asked.

Vivien snapped out of her thoughts and clicked her tongue. "But if we have to make this a challenge, and we separate our work...wouldn't it reflect people's biased nature toward either of our photographs?"

"Well-" Miss Yi crossed her arms. "-you do make a point there, Miss Muller."

"And I presume you already thought of a solution for that, right?" Jungkook knew his teacher, she was always one step ahead when it came to intellectual thinking. Maybe a bit rusty around the edges, but he didn't blame her.

"I thought that we could keep the pictures anonymous."

"You mean, not put our initials?"

"Yes." she nodded. "That way, no one would realise which is which."

"But the incredible difference in your work-" Miss Yi pointed out. "-Wouldn't people recognise that?"

"Miss Yi, when adorning a photograph by its photographer, people tend to bat a blind eye at the actual content of the photograph. Though that might not always be the case, it certainly does happen." Vivien smiled, hands in her coat pockets, gazing at nothing but the fairly large wall in front of her. "But here, I want to showcase pure quality. I want them to see the picture for what it is, without searching for those two little words denoting the creator. I want them to see the world as it is."

The woman with the red locks looked at Vivien in admiration. Jungkook turned his gaze from Vivien to Miss Yi, he could feel a certain vibe radiating from the woman. After all, she was admiring his teacher, who was staring quite passionately at a blank wall.

"Jungkook, I am taking this spot." Vivien pointed at the large white area in front of her. It was a spot that could directly be seen from outside the gallery. A spot so huge and cleverly placed, that Jungkook had already set his mind on it before Vivien.

He stood beside her. "How about the upper floor?"

"Upper floor?"

"Both floors have the same layout." Miss Yi said. "Maybe you could decide over who wants to take which spot."

"Hmm." Vivien looked at the owner and then at Jungkook."Well, that would work out just fine, right? You want this spot, don't you?"

Jungkook smiled cutely, turning his head to the wall. "Yeah."

"Well, then I'll let you take it."

Jungkook's eyes widened as he looked back at his teacher. "Seriously? You'll let me have it? You don't mind?"

"You seem to have a clear idea about what you want up there. So, I'm going to let you do your thing. Surprise me. Show me the photographer you've come to be." she put her hands in her pockets and walked to the centre of the room. "Who knows how many people are going to be here from all over the world to see this place."

"Excuse me-" Miss Yi piped in, sounding a bit confused. "-did you just say- from all around the world?"

"Yes, Miss Yi." Vivien replied. "From all over the world. Which is why I asked Jungkook here to choose the biggest place in town."

"Oh." the other blinked in surprise. "That's- uh....wow, I'm honoured! Thank you so much!"

"There's no need to thank us! In fact, we should be thanking you!" Vivien extended her hand to Miss Yi. "Thank you for letting us use this amazing gallery."

The lady with red hair shook her head. "You're most welcome."

After a small tour of the floor above, a bit more planning about their spots and thanking the owner, Jungkook and Vivien were back in the car, headed for Vivien's hotel.

"Well, she was a kind lady." Vivien said. "I liked her quite a lot."

"Oh, did you now?" Jungkook glanced at her.

"She was quite the shy type, I must say." she got out her phone and lost touch of the conversation right away.

Jungkook glanced yet another time. "Vivien, are you okay?"

"Hmm?" she raised her face a bit, but didn't look at Jungkook.

"I asked if you are alright."

"I am alright!" she jerked up in her seat, averting her eyes from the screen, widening them at her student.

"Right." he replied slowly. "You sure?"

"Y-yes." she breathed out heavily and shifted uncomfortably. "What makes you doubt that I'm not fine?"

"You've been on your phone the entire time ever since you came back."

"That-uh....it's a client. There's nothing wrong! Come on, Jungkook!" she chuckled a little and turned her head to look outside the car.

"If you say so." Jungkook wanted to ask her why she looked so off while talking to her client on her phone. Vivien wasn't someone who would be distracted because of something like that, she was amazing at multitasking, she could do ten things in one go! But the Vivien who Jungkook knew, was missing.

He didn't want the conversation to take a wrong turn, and he certainly did not want to prick further into the topic, because he knew he didn't want to force her into talking about something she clearly didn't want to. Besides, he was just her student, there wasn't much he could do anyway.

Jungkook had dropped off Vivien at her hotel at around eight-thirty, and headed back home for the day.

Back at the cafe, Taehyung was done for the day as well. At about nine, he said his goodbyes to the staff and Jimin, who was off on his date with Yoongi and went home.

Climbing up the stairs of the apartment, he clumsily hit his injured hand on the metal railing, causing a surge of piercing pain to run through his palm to the arm. He bit his frustrated scream back, because this wasn't the first time he'd hit himself on the same spot as the burn ever since he got it. He'd done it several times at the cafe, and it was getting annoying.

"How come I go around hitting my stupid hand into so many things when I have a wound!" he muttered to himself, looking sheepishly at his right hand covered in gauze, which had now started to stain. "Great, now you want to bleed."

As he said that he remembered what Jungkook had told him, not to hit himself at the same spot as the wound.

He snickered as that played in his head. "The irony-"

He reached his apartment door, to find a note stuffed in the hinge of the door handle.

Taehyung growled from the bottom of his throat and rolled his eyes. He pulled the note out and read through.

"Fucking hell- I told him!" he talked to himself as he entered his house. "Bloody idiot can't understand that much!" he set the pastry bag on the kitchen counter, threw his bag on the armchair and slumped down himself. "I paid the three months that were due...And I told him I'd pay the last month's rent soon!" he rubbed his forehead in frustration and hit his head back.

The hand's pain had mostly disappeared because of the frustrating landlord who was now looming in Taehyung's head. It had started to get him even more frustrated and annoyed.

As a few minutes passed by, Taehyung left the landlord's thoughts out of his mind and went over to the kitchen to get out a pastry for dinner. As he did so, his eyes fell on a dog's chew toy, half bitten to death, sitting on the floor. And that was when it struck him.

He hadn't picked up Yeontan from his new neighbour.

Taehyung cursed at himself, grabbed the house keys and headed out next door.

He rang the bell, patiently waiting for the granny to open the door.

After about a minute or so, the door opened and there she was.

"You're late, dear." she removed her glasses and looked at Taehyung lovingly.

"Yes! I know!" he pressed his hands together. "I'm sorry!"

"Oh my!" she held his right hand. "What happened here? My my, dear, you're bleeding! Come in, now." she started to pull him in.

He tried insisting that he was fine, but Yeontan came to back her up and started to pull onto his pants. So, he followed the granny inside, while she got her first aid kit.

Yeontan propped onto his lap and cuddled against his tummy, whining. It was a way he told Taehyung how much he missed him during the day.

Taehyung smiled gently and pat Yeontan with his left hand. "I missed you too, buddy."

With Yeontan by his side, his worries, frustration, pain, they were all gone. Yeontan always had a way to calm him down. He felt at home with him.

Once the granny was back with the kit, she started to redress his wound for him, while he told her the entire story.

"That man was a complete asshole." she commented when Taehyung was done.

"I know right? But I had to stay put!"

"If it were me-" she applied some ointment of his burn, causing Taehyung to flinch a bit. "-I would have punched him."

Taehyung laughed while wincing at the same time. "I would love to see you throw punches."

The granny smiled warmly and tied the gauze on his hand. "All set. Now wait here, I'll go get us some coffee."

Taehyung nodded his head. "I have two pastries back at my place, I'll just go get them." he got up and gently placed Yeontan on the ground.

"Oh, don't worry yourself with that!" she waved her hand at him.

But Taehyung insisted that he should, so he went.

When he came back, the granny was still in the kitchen with the coffee.

Besides the smell of coffee, her house was always snuggled with the scent of warm vanilla. The lady did a small tailor's job and made customised clothes. So, her tiny house was full of fabric, everywhere.

Her house had the same floor plan as Taehyung's, which meant small, and the clothes just made the place look smaller than it actually was.

He helped her in the kitchen, and then the two finally sat down on the tiny table where she had a dress laid out.

"Is this your recent order, granny?" Taehyung asked, touching the silken fabric.

"Ah, yes." she picked the cloth up. It was just the top half of a white dress. "For my daughter."

"Oh, wow! That's a lovely piece."

"Of course it is!" she smiled, folding the cloth and keeping it aside. "Her wedding is soon and she asked me to make her a dress."

"That's so sweet of you!"

"It may be, but my daughter doesn't realise that this wedding's not good for her! No matter much I tell her!" she took a bite of the truffle pastry.

"What do you mean? Are you not happy?"

"I am!" she sipped some of her coffee. "But it would be amazing if the kind man she was marrying was you!"

"Granny!"

The granny laughed out, and pat his arm. "I'm just pulling your leg! Don't worry."

Taehyung shook his head and looked down shyly. "Yes, I know."

"But what about it?"

"What about what?"

"Marriage." she raised her eyebrows in question. "Do you have anyone in mind?"

Taehyung looked up at granny and felt to be at a loss of words. "Uh-"

"Are you seeing someone?" she asked. "It's alright, you can tell."

Taehyung blinked a couple of times, hesitating to answer. "Uh-n-no."

His mind had suddenly just thought of something, or rather someone else. Someone he never thought he'd think of for a question like that. And for the matter of fact, the memory his mind chose to imagine, was of that person naked, standing by Taehyung's, in just his underwear.

The granny sighed. "What a shame, I could have introduced you to my daughter!"

"Granny!!"

The lady just laughed back.

When the pastries and coffee were over, Taehyung held Yeontan under his arm, thanked the granny, wished her goodnight and headed back to his place.

He changed into something comfortable and lay in bed beside Yeontan. He had one leg propped on his knee, while he went through his unopened messages of the day.

Jungkook's name was at the very top of the list.

Taehyung gave out a soft chuckle and licked his lips. 'What a coincidence, I was just thinking about you.'

The texts were sent just about a few minutes ago. They asked how he was, and whether or not he bumped his hand into something.

Reading that, Taehyung couldn't help but crack a shy smile and cover his face in slight embarrassment. He had, in fact, bumped his hand into quite a lot of things.

He held the phone to his chest, staring at the ceiling for a while, thinking about things.

The two of them, Jungkook and Taehyung hadn't hung out together recently. With everything going on, besides the shoots, Jungkook never met him.

"Hey, Yeontan." he called out. "How about we call Jungkook for the festival this year?"

Yeontan's ears perked up at Jungkook's name. His tail started to wag in joy and he pawed at Taehyung's chest to do the deed immediately.

Excited, Taehyung picked up his phone and called Jungkook.

At the other end, Jungkook's phone rang, and the poor guy panicked.

"Oh, shit!" he looked at his phone, not able to answer. His hands were just shaking in excitement because Taehyung called first, and he usually never calls first. "Wha- what do I-" he got so nervous, he didn't even pick up the call, and it ended.

Taehyung looked at his screen in confusion. "That's weird, why did he not pick up?" he sat up, a bit more serious toned.

He tried again, and this time, he picked up.

"Hey, Jungkook!" he greeted. "Is this a wrong time?"

"No!" Jungkook completely skipped on the greetings bit. "I'm free! So, how come you called?"

That man really tried his best to keep his shivering nervous voice stable.

"I just saw your messages, and I'm doing good. So, you don't have to worry about me."

Jungkook giggled a bit. "Okay, as you say, Taehyung."

"Also, I was thinking-" Taehyung's words bit back. "We haven't met hung out in a while...like, you know....we haven't met at the cafe for lunch and all."

Jungkook's heart was about to blow up. Never did he ever imagine that Taehyung would call him first to say that they haven't hung out recently. "Y-yeah. We haven't."

"Well, so wanted to ask if...you'd like to join us... as in, your family would like to join me and my family for the hill festival?"

"The festival? Yes, I've heard of those."

"Have you ever been to one?"

"Nope."

"You must come with your family then! And besides, Yeontan misses you a lot."

"Oh, does he?" Jungkook raised a brow.

"Yes." Taehyung smiled. "But maybe he's not the only one." he added, in a very tiny voice.

"Huh? I'm sorry, you're voice just got muffled."

"What?" Taehyung acted dumbfound. 'Shit, why did I just say that?'

"Hello?" Jungkook called out.

"Yes! I am here. So-" Taehyung cleared his throat. "-is that a yes?"

"Yes, definitely! I'd love to!"

"Well, then..um.. it's getting quite late. Talk tomorrow, okay?" Taehyung was in a rush to end the call.

"Alright. Good night. Take care, okay?"

"Yes, I will. You have a good night as well."

Then, he hung up.

Jungkook still had the phone to his ear.

'Did you just ask me out? Even if that was an indirect mention, but he did ask me out, right?'

He bit his lower lip and threw himself, face down, on the pillows.

'Oh my goodness! He called me first! And now we have an indirect date? Wait- when's the festival? And what do I wear? Ah- never mind about that!' he snuggled into the pillow, probably blushing his highest. 'Gahhhh-I might explode!! He sounds so adorable on the phone.'

While Jungkook was having a crisis with Taehyung's phone call, Taehyung lay in bed too, just that his hands were covering his entire face as he questioned himself.

'That was nerve-wracking for no reason!' he thought, rubbing his fingers on his face. 'But why did I even say that?'

Note

>Hello!!!

Now, I'm not sure if this chapter was satisfactory enough, but it does contain quite a few pointers for how our story might progress further. 

>Quite a few people read my story, and I am soooooooo thankful for that!! But if there is anything I must know about my writing, it'd be great if I were told! It would only help me learn more and discover new things! 

>And like always, Borahaeeeeeeee!!!

<3<3<3<3<3<3<3