Abscond| KTH

•Chapter 5•

"Come with me to the library? Need to get some books."

Taehyung's text flashed across my phone screen as I packed my things up. My last class for the day had just ended, and having nothing better to do, "Sure. Be there in 5," I replied.

It was a quick walk across campus to the library. Dried leaves littered the grass, and I felt a burst of satisfaction every time a perfect crunch sounded against my feet. What should've been a quick walk took a little longer than expected as my feet dragged me towards every potential crunchy leaf on the path.

As I searched for my next target, I suddenly stopped short when my eyes landed on a pair of shoes; my gaze followed them upwards, past a pair of black jeans, past a grey hoodie and came to rest on a set of brown eyes. Taehyung wore an annoyed expression, his lips pressed to a thin line, but I could see the amusement hidden in his eyes.

"I've been waiting for the past 20 minutes," his tone was flat, clearly vexed with me.

"I'm sorryy," I gave him a sheepish grin, shoving my hands into my coat pockets. "I got a little distracted."

"Clearly," he agreed, looking pointedly at the leaves scattered around my feet. A hint of a smile appeared on his lips.

"Well, I got the books, so I guess I should head home," Taehyung informed me, and we started walking in the other direction, away from the library.

"Ugh, I can't believe I got that carried away," I said, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear.

"You looked so cute though," Taehyung was wholly laughing now, his previous annoyance completely gone.

His casual comment made my cheeks heat up, but he didn't notice. I really needed to stop assuming anyone giving me the slightest bit of attention was in love with me.

We came to a halt next to a familiar, luxurious black car. I had no idea how Taehyung could afford this car, but I had no intention of asking either. Asking someone questions about their background and past meant answering questions about my own, which was not something I wanted to do.

"I've got my car today; do you need a ride?" He offered, stopping to face me.

"Uh, let me ask Haewon where she is; we usually go home together," I replied, pulling my phone out.

"Yerin-ah, I was just gonna call you!" Haewon's spoke on the other end of the call.

"Why, are you okay? You sound kinda out of breath." I furrowed my eyebrows.

"I, um," she cleared her throat, "I'm going on a date with Jungkook." she mumbled quickly, keeping up her "unbothered" attitude. But knowing her as I did, she was definitely trying her best not to burst with excitement

"Wait, you're okay, right? Do you need som-"

"-Oh my god, no way!" I squealed as well, and Taehyung looked at me with wide eyes, shocked at my sudden outburst. "Yes, I'm fine, go have fun. But not too much fu-actually yes, have as much fun as you wa-"

"-Okayy, I get it," I could hear her rolling her eyes at me, "I've gotta go, text me when you get home."

I turned to face Taehyung, ending the call and returning my phone to my pocket. I explained the situation to him, and a broad smile took over his features, filled with happiness for our two friends.

"Okay, I'll give you a ride home then; let's go."

"Thanks, Taehyung, and again, I'm sorry for wasting your time." I couldn't help but apologize.

"Pay me back, then," he replied unexpectedly.

"Uh, with what?" I'm sure my confusion was displayed across my face.

"Your time. Would you like to go to dinner with me today, Yerin?" His eyes were hopeful pools of honey, and he bit his lower lip slightly.

A nervous laugh escaped my lips, and my hands had a mind of their own as they fidgeted with the buttons of my coat. "R-right now? I managed to choke out.

"Yeah, why not."

I paused for a moment, unable to form a whole sentence.

"Unless you don't want to, I m-mean. I can just drop-"

"No! I do... I want to. I'd love to join you for dinner." My cheeks were burning up as they rose at their own will, and for a minute, the two of us just stood there smiling at each other.

"Great, let's go."

*

A golden, cheesy pizza with colourful toppings sat on the table in front of us. Taehyung and I decided to get dinner at the pizza place near the university; nothing too fancy.

"So, what made you come here then?" Taehyung asked me, continuing our conversation as we both picked up a slice of the pizza.

"I guess I loved the literature program at this uni, but more than that, I really needed to get away from everything back home," I replied honestly.

Taehyung raised his eyebrows at that. His curious gaze brushed over my face as he continued chewing his food, his lips forming a pout.

"Was it family problems?" he questioned gently.

"More of the atmosphere, honestly," I shrugged, "My family was a happy one. We were always really close."

Taehyung simply nodded; he didn't question further, considering the closed-off tone of my voice.

We finished the pizza and moved onto ice cream. While mine was a simple mix of vanilla, chocolate and bits of brownie, Taehyung's was an abomination of green, pink and brown, sprinkled with all sorts of toppings. I looked at it in horror as he dug in, buzzing with delight.

"What is that?" my voice betrayed a little—no, a lot—of my shock.

Taehyung chuckled in response, launching into a story to explain. "Okay, so a couple years ago, my roommates and I got super drunk, and we couldn't decide which flavour to order. Somehow, we ended up ordering this mix of the most random flavours, and it was delicious." He offered me a spoon, and I politely declined—although I was slightly curious now.

"Anyway, it's become my go-to choice now," he smiled fondly at the memories, and I laughed along with him.

"Roommates? I thought you just had one."

"Yeah, one of them is Hoseok; he had come with me to the club, remember?" he asked, referring to the red-haired man I had seen at the club. I nodded. "The other is a few years older; he lives on his own now, though."

"Are you guys still close?" I asked.

"Very," he confirmed, his tone full of admiration.

I could tell by the way he spoke of them that Taehyung held a lot of respect for these friends of his.

"Last bite, are you sure you don't want some?" Taehyung offered, temptingly.

Giving in to my curiosity, I accepted his offer and tasted the monstrosity.

My eyes widened in surprise, and a series of giggles erupted from Taehyung's lips.