Grey smoke escaped from his mouth as he took another puff of his cigarette, placing it between his pink lips, and blowing it in the air. The smoke particles clung in the thick foggy atmosphere. The December breeze was harsh, slapping against his face, turning his tanned skin into a rosy shade. Two coffee-brown eyes stared into the dark nothingness of the night. It was 11:05 pm. The night was silent to his preference. He was serene and motionless. A shuffle on his left made him turn his head.

"Are you seriously going to keep sitting out here in this cold, Taehyung?" A stern feminine voice uttered, taking his attention. The petite girl stood in the half-open doorway of her house, with her hands on her waist. She wore a thick sky-blue sweater with jeans. Her center-parted ombre brown hair ran down her shoulders smoothly like a waterfall. Taehyung shifted in his place, his eyes fixated on her pale face.

"You said I couldn't smoke inside the house." He said, voice low and secretive, like a whisper in the silence.

"I thought you said you'll quit smoking?" She countered, arching an eyebrow. The temperature was so low that she could see her breath form misty little clouds in front of her lips, as she spoke.

"I changed my mind." Taehyung shrugged, shamelessly continuing to smoke his habitual cigarette.

Her brown eyes stared at the smoker intensely. He stared back at her, almost emotionlessly. His eyes were barely visible from under his long dark bangs that curled slightly at the ends. Their eye contact lasted a little too long, making Eunha feel uncomfortable. She knew this wasn't just a staring competition, but a battle of who will dominate the scene. Their eye contact was always like that, Eunha knew, she had to assert herself, she had to stare him down. But just like always, Taehyung won, and she gave up first, looking away from his stony gaze.

"Come inside. I made dinner." She told him with a sigh, turning on her heels, ready to head back inside.

"Oh my! Did you cook? For me?" Taehyung exclaimed with a coy smile, pretending to be shocked.

"I cooked for myself. I'm letting you eat out of pity since you're homeless." She emphasized, scowling at the arrogant male sitting on the cold porch. When Taehyung didn't counter her with any snarky remark, she walked inside the house, moving her arm to close the door when he called out her name, making her halt.

"Eunha,"

"What?" She asked, glaring at him, asserting herself, showing him that she was mad at him for smoking again. Her hand was wrapped around the door handle, ready to close it.

"Thanks," Taehyung whispered a ghost of a smile on his face, and just like that, Eunha melted, as the snow does when the season changes.

"Whatever." She mumbled, feigning displeasure, as she closed the door.

Taehyung's eyes stayed glued to the door for a few seconds, then he looked away. Glancing at the cigarette between his long fingers, he let out a sigh and threw it on the ground. He stood up and stubbed out the cigarette by stepping on it. Fixing his blazer, he opened the door and went inside.

The inside of the small single-story house was nostalgic to Taehyung. He took in the familiar wooden floor and old furniture. The living room was crammed, with a six-chair large dining table on the right side of it and unneeded decorations and plants here and there. There were sofas on the left side of the rectangular living room where, Taehyung remembered, sitting and tutoring Eunha in mathematics back when they were in high school.

There were only two rooms in the house, one of which was Eunha's bedroom and the other was a spare room that Taehyung stayed at whenever his so-called friends, as Eunha would say, kicked him out. Originally, that room belonged to Eunha's parents but they didn't live with her anymore, and neither did her older sister, so she had the entire house to herself.

Eunha and Taehyung had been high school best friends that aspired to go to college together, but their friendship had become sour when they both ended up dropping out of college, just after the first semester, because of personal reasons that they never told each other. Taehyung never asked and neither did Eunha. They never spoke about it and something bitter and evil grew between them, like an unknown grudge.

The sound of Taehyung's footsteps against the wooden floor made his presence known to Eunha, as he walked to the dining table and sat down across from her, who was already eating. He noticed the curry rice and soup on the table and his mouth watered. He hadn't realized that he was so famished.

Gazing up at Eunha from under his thick eyelashes, he complimented her. "You've gotten good at cooking."

"You didn't even taste the food yet." Eunha snickered, without glancing at him.

"I know, but I can tell just by looking." He replied, as he picked up a plate and started filling it with curry and rice. Eunha hummed in response, as she filled a bowl with soup and pushed it toward Taehyung. He eyed Eunha, then scrutinized the bowl, as if suspicious of something.

"You didn't poison the food, right?" He narrowed his eyes at her. When Eunha just stared at him blankly for a long time, he started cackling, as if somebody had told him the most hilarious joke ever.

"Are you being serious right now?" Eunha deadpanned, unamused.

"I was just saying." Taehyung rubbed his jaw, the ghost of a lopsided grin lingering on his lips, as he grabbed a spoon and started digging into his food.

"Just to clarify, if I ever wanted to murder you, I'd stab you right in the heart with that big black knife in the kitchen." Eunha snarked.

"Ouch. Okay, but wouldn't poisoning me be easier? I mean, I could defend myself if you try to stab me straight on." Taehyung posed, gulping down his soup. Eunha noticed a little bit of soup running down his jaw from the corner of his lips and tried not to stare at it.

"Poisoning you would be cowardly. I'd kill you with confidence, looking you in the eyes." She snarled as she finished her meal.

"Why are we discussing my murder again?"

"You started it." She snorted, collecting her dishes.

"No offense but sometimes you frighten me." Taehyung shook his head, as he grabbed a tissue and wiped the soup off his jaw. Eunha's eyes followed his every movement and she felt dazed. As much as she hated to admit it, Taehyung was enchantingly gorgeous. He wore a black turtle neck and a dark grey blazer on top that looked as smooth as silk. Black slacks, which looked equally expensive, wrapped around his legs and he had leather black formal shoes on.

Taehyung visited Eunha only once or twice a week but every time he did, he would be dressed in expensive suits and blazers. He came across as being a wealthy man from his attire, but Eunha knew he was everything but wealthy. Those clothes were just one of the many items he had stolen. But clothing wasn't the only cause of his beauty. Even when he wore a simple tee, he looked stunning. His beautiful angular features were something out of this world, and his uneven eyelids made his face appear even more unique. And his lips-

"Is there something on my face?" Taehyung questioned with a puzzled expression. At his voice, Eunha seemed to break out of her trance. She realized that she'd been staring at him for a bit too long, as she noticed Taehyung had already finished most of the food on his plate.

"No." She responded shortly and stood up. She started picking up the dishes, promptly.

"Then why were you ogling at me like that?" Taehyung smirked at her.

"I wasn't ogling at you. Now, bring the rest of the dishes to the kitchen once you're done eating." She demanded, changing the subject.

"Alright." He nodded, and soon after he was in the kitchen, putting the dishes in the sink, where Eunha was washing them.

The kitchen was small and had a stove, a sink, a miniature refrigerator, worktops, and two to three kitchen cabinets arranged according to the modular design of the place.

Taehyung brought the leftovers of the food from the table and put them in the refrigerator.

"There aren't any plates left on the table, right?" Eunha asked Taehyung, who shook his head in response.

"Good."

The serene silence enveloped them, as Eunha proceeded to wash the dishes and Taehyung stood still, leaning against the counter, a few steps away from her. The hush felt like the familiar shackle between them that kept them from asking each other what they truly wanted to ask.

"So..." Taehyung was the first to break the thick silence. His voice was deep and velvety, his eyes fixated on Eunha's side profile.

"Yeah?" She glanced at him.

"Did you quit working at that crap store already?" Taehyung asked, chewing on his bottom lip.

"Yeah, unfortunately, I did. That bastard of an owner won't stop harassing me." Eunha answered, clenching her jaw at the reminiscing of the disgusting memory. Just thinking about that man and the little time she worked there gave her the ick.

"People are revolting," Taehyung stated. His words were laced with heavy contempt and they lingered in Eunha's mind. She mentally agreed. The world wasn't pretty.

"Well, what about you?"

"What about me?" He tilted his head.

"You know, if you're done pretending to be a millionaire by wearing stolen expensive clothes and smoking, maybe you should consider getting a job too." She suggested, squinting her eyes. She didn't want to snap at him or pick a fight, but Taehyung being a thief and a street hooligan was something she hadn't ever expected of him. She wanted him to be better.

"I do have a job," said Taehyung, pursing his lips.

"And that is?" Eunha paused midway washing the last plate and arched an eyebrow at him.

"Stealing." He deadpanned while skimming at his nails as if he didn't have a care in the world.

"That's not a job, that's a crime!" Eunha berated through bared teeth.

"And I'm a criminal." Taehyung grinned, making the already glaring girl even more furious at him. If looks could kill, Taehyung would have been dead by now.

"This is why your parents kicked you out." Eunha scoffed, as she washed the last plating in her hand and placed it on the drying rack along with the other dishes, neatly.

"That makes the two of us," Taehyung said with a sly smirk that made Eunha's nostrils flare in rage. He was provoking her on purpose again, irritating her, stinging her in an attempt to get a reaction out of her, anything. That's what he did all the time and was the reason why they always ended up in a heated argument every time they conversed.

"Excuse me? My parents didn't kick me out. I'm living in my own house, right here. Can't you see?" She retorted, rolling her eyes at him harshly. Peeling off the yellow rubber gloves, she stomped toward the living room. Visibly mad, she threw herself on the couch and began scrolling through her phone in an attempt to ignore Taehyung. Taehyung followed right after her, entering the living room with the same arrogant expression.

"You're right. Your parents didn't kick you out, they abandoned you." Taehyung sniggered, hitting a critical nerve in Eunha and her eyes became moist immediately.

"Get out of my sight this instant." Looking up from her phone, she hissed at him, her icy eyes burning into Taehyung's blank ones. They were seeing eachother after a full week and this is how he was going to behave?

"I'm staying here tonight." He told her, seeming unfazed by her anger.

"Why? Did your friend kick you out again?" Eunha taunted with sharp emphasis, but Taehyung still appeared undisturbed.

"He has his girlfriend over," He explained and walked off towards the door.

"Where are you going now?" Eunha asked, her eyebrows knitted together in a deep scowl. Taehyung stopped and turned around to look at her.

"Why do you care?" Ice lined up his words and his tone was so vicious that Eunha felt like somebody had stabbed her in the heart with an axe. She felt a pang in her heart, as she fidgeted in her place, swallowing hard. She rubbed the nape of her neck but said nothing, as Taehyung's eyes stayed on her, awaiting a reply. She wanted to snap at him, she wanted to shout, to say something brutal. She wanted to hurt him as he hurt her, but swallowing the lump in her throat was becoming harder with every passing second.

"I'm going out for a smoke." Taehyung sighed, turning back around. Eunha could feel the built-up anger inside her about to explode.

"You've become just like those lowlife thugs because of hanging out with them all the time. Seriously, raise your standards. You're pathetic." She spat out at him, letting out all of her pent-up frustration. She had her face screwed up in a contorted expression as she studied Taehyung, a thousand emotions causing havoc inside her heart.

Taehyung's expression dulled. A muscle in his mouth twitched but he didn't look at her. He didn't say anything. A mixture of grief and anguish clouded his features, as he stood frozen for a moment as if time had stopped at the most agonizing second. Eunha pressed her lips together, guilt rising inside her.

After a few aching seconds, Taehyung scoffed and trod out without a word, leaving Eunha alone with her thoughts, as she'd always been, wondering if she'd said too much.

~~~

The microscopic smoke particles shone in the darkness like glitter. Taehyung imagined the cigarette pressed between his full lips was a glitter cigarette that tasted like candy. But in reality, it tasted like ashes and looked rotten just like the world he despised so intensely. His eyes glistened for a moment but it was replaced with a stony expression, promptly. He squeezed his eyes shut but he knew he couldn't ignore his reality by doing that. Even if he shut his eyes, turned his back, or pretended to not know, no matter how far he ran, the past was still there like a revolting history. The present was still the same. The world was still the same.

He tried to imagine a different world in his mind, a different reality but he couldn't. His mind was so overcast with emotions, so hazy just like his joyful memories, just like his lost ambitions, just like the smoke of the cigarette in his hand.

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A/N: IF Y'ALL DON'T LEAVE ENCOURAGING COMMENTS, I'M GOING TO HAUNT YOU IN YOUR WORST NIGHTMARES-

Anyway, have a good day! :D