✧･ﾟ: * two *:･ﾟ✧

Taehyung frowns at the map while scratching his head. He turns it to the left, then the right, but it still makes no sense. Is he holding it upside down? He squints, bringing it close to his face. Maybe he should have learned basic French before traveling to Paris. He knows "bonjour" and "au revoir," though. Somehow that felt like enough.

He pulls out his phone and goes to the internet to translate the words. The translations don't seem right. Maybe it's because he can't add those little accents at the top of some letters. He looks around, but everyone is minding their own business, not paying him any mind. He should try to find an English speaker. He's better with English than French, though he's not the best at either.

He taps someone as they walk by, but the man gives him a strange look and keeps walking. He glances back at the subway behind him, contemplating if he should just get on and then get off at random. That might make him even more lost, though. He has the hotel name if someone would just stop and give him a chance.

His eyes catch on a girl that's holding onto the wall, a map in her hand as well. She looks just as lost as he does. Maybe she speaks English?

No harm in trying.

"Excuse me?" he says politely as he approaches. "Do you know where I am?"

The girl snorts, a weird sound he's never heard. "Boy, I don't even know where I am."

So she is lost.

Taehyung doesn't know if that makes his situation better or worse. Probably worse.

He thinks of the words in his head before testing them. "Are you... hotel?"

The girl frowns. "Sorry?"

Taehyung licks his lips and thinks harder, then tries again. "Are you―" he gestures to his eyes, then to their surroundings "―looking... for... hotel?"

"Dammit," the girl mutters. "That's what I forgot to do."

Taehyung blinks at her. Forgot means she's missing something, right?

"You don't remember?" He grins to himself when he gets the word right. Remember is one of his favorite English words.

She gives him a funny look. "You don't speak English, do you?"

"Ah, no, no. I don't speak English." (two second video below of his accent because it's precious--beware, i might put a lot of these lol.)

https://youtu.be/eH991aaWoLA

"What do you speak? I know some Spanish." When he doesn't answer, she rephrases. "Your language?"

"Korean," he replies.

She sucks a breath in through her teeth. "Yikes. Can't help there, sorry."

"Eh? Sorry for...?"

"Never mind."

"Never... mind?"

She claps her hands together. "Are you lost?"

"Ah, yeah, yeah. I am lost."

"You should probably ask someone else." Again, a small silence. She sighs. "You," she says, pointing just to the left of Taehyung. He frowns and follows her finger. "Ask someone different."

He looks back to her. He notices her eyes seem out of focus. They're a light brown, but she's not really looking at him. Or at anyone. He leans in closer, but keeps a polite distance. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah. I'm fine."

"You're fine?"

"Yes, I'm okay."

She takes a step forward and her hand falls away from the wall since it turns a corner. She stumbles. Taehyung instinctively reaches out and grabs her shoulders to steady her. "Okay?"

"Yes," she huffs, sounding annoyed. "I'm okay. Thank you."

"What is your name?"

"Why do you want my name?"

He knows that word.

"You are... nice. I like you."

She laughs, causing Taehyung to stare at her in confusion. "I know you don't speak English, so for future reference, don't tell strangers you like them. It's weird."

"Weird?" That and English are the only words he gathered from what she said.

"Yes. Weird. Bad."

His eyes widen. "Ah, no, no. It's good."

"No," she says slower. "Weird is bad."

He nods uncertainly.

"Now, can you leave? I'm trying to be a solivagant."

"A... what?"

She sighs. "Never mind."

Taehyung tucks never mind into his brain to look up later. This girl has said it twice now. It must be an important English word.

He sticks his hand out for her to shake. "My name is Tae."

"Tae sounds like a nickname for a baby."

"Eh?"

"It's cute."

"Cute?"

"Yes."

He smiles. "Ah, thank you. You are cute too."

He sees her cheeks redden. He starts to wonder if she really is okay. "Thank you," she murmurs, looking down. When she looks back up, her eyes still don't focus.

"Your... eyes," he says. "Are they okay?"

"Not really."

"Oh... why?"

He mentally praises himself for using why right.

"I'm blind," she says. She understands his silence yet again and says, "I can't see." She covers her eyes to emphasize.

Taehyung's own eyes bulge. "You can't see?"

"Nope."

"Ah, I help you."

"Thanks, but I—"

"You need train?"

"The subway."

"Subway?"

"Yes, that's the train."

"Okay, okay. I bring you to subway."

"But aren't you lost?"

He nods, then remembers she can't see and slaps a hand on his forehead. "Ah, yes. But I can see. It's okay."

"You don't have to help me."

"I help you."

Without giving her a chance, Taehyung grabs the girl's hand carefully, noticing she jumps when he does. "It's okay," he assures her and starts tugging her along. "Ehh, the subway... here."

"Wait," she says and stops him.

He looks back at her.

She points to the map in her hand. "I need to get off at..." She pauses as if she's recalling something. "Roissy. Airport."

"Okay, okay," he says, nodding. He understood what she said.

He leads her onto the subway, most seats already taken. He sees a few single seats left, but he doesn't want to leave her on her own since she can't see. He starts to translate the best he can in his head, hoping he makes sense.

"There are... no more... seats, okay?"

She nods.

He looks around and notices the bars lining the top and middle of the subway. "Here. You hold this." He takes the hand he's holding and reaches up, trying to get her hand on the bar but she's too short.

"I don't stretch that far," she complains, tugging her hand back down.

He chuckles. "You... very short."

She sticks her tongue out at him playfully. "I know."

He grins, then moves them towards the middle as more people pile in. He grabs her hand again and sets in on the bar that's standing vertically. "There. Better?"

They're quiet for a moment before she says, "So why are you in France?"

He's silent while he translates what she said the best he can, then replies, "I like, uh, art. And travel."

"Do you draw?"

"Ah, no, no. I like looking."

"I can't draw either."

He repeats her earlier sentence, trying to enunciate every word perfectly like she had. "Why are, uh, you in France?"

"I want to travel," she says. "I want to see the world."

He frowns at this. "But... you said you were... blind."

"Yeah, what's your point?"

"My what?"

"Gosh. We're going to have a basic English lesson right now."

"Eh?"

"English. Lesson. Now."

"Oh... lesson?"

"Yes. I'm going to teach you."

"Teach me?" He points to himself. "Yeah, okay."

He watches the girl closely while she speaks, trying to mimic the way her lips move. She says something about an "alphabet." She says it's all the letters. Instead of speaking them, though, she sort of sings it. Like a song. She tells Taehyung it's easier to remember when you sing it, and he agrees. After five or six times, he's positive he's memorized it.

Before she can go further, he stops her. "Please. What is your name?"

She presses her lips together, then sighs. "Madeline. You can call me Maddie."

"Maddie?"

"Yes."

"It's nice to meet you, Maddie."

She smiles a little. "It's nice to meet you too, Tae."