ELVEN | K.TH

48

RINEI

"Just saying,"

"You're making a really, really bad mistake."

He laughs coldly at my strained words as I struggle to not peek down at the forest ground seventy feet below me. He's doing this on purpose— I'm sure.

He smiles.

"Why? Is this scaring you?"

My eyes widen when he loosens his hold on me. A surprised yelp escapes my lips before I can stop it as I hurry to clasp both hands around his neck, practically straddling him for dear life.

I hiss.

"Kim Taehyung, you're dead meat tomorrow. I don't give two flying sticks if you remember this or not—"

"You keep saying that."

I glance up sharply when he cups my face in his hand. "That I remember you. When I don't know who you are."

"Tell me who you are."

"I told you my name already." I say, my hands tense around his neck. My fingers are slowly slipping from the sweat, and the strength is falling from my grip.

"Just get me down and I'll explain!"

"Fine."

In a second he has me back down on the ground. And I'm so stunned I fumble backwards, falling onto my bottom on the dirt.

I glare up at him.

You're actually dead tomorrow.

"Now tell me." He says amusedly. "It might just save you your life."

"You can't kill me," I mutter.

"You seem so confident."

"You can't." I repeat. "I'm confident because I know. You're Kim Taehyung, and you love me. And I promise—"

I stare into his blank eyes.

"I promise I'll help you fix this. I promise I will."

He bursts into laughter.

"Fix me?"

"I don't need fixing." He says, voice harsher than before as he draws closer. "And let me tell you one thing, human."

"I love no one."

"Then why did you come here?"

I point back at the direction of the cottage, eyes firmly fixed on his. "Why did you go back there? That cottage is where you told me that we would stay together after you finished your time as King. That cottage is where most of our memories are."

He pauses. And I know I've hit something when I see an unreadable look pass across his face.

He'd come here for a reason too, hadn't he?