Revelry | BTS

07

2020

Wandering around the castle with no real destination or reason had been a hobby of Gangtae's for quite some time when there was nothing else to do. He knew every inch of the large premises - even the pond at the bottom of the small hill behind the house and the basement within the basement - but there was no stopping Gangtae from exploring it all again. 

Everything had remained the same and yet it all felt so dystopian as if Gangtae had seen it in a dream or a movie, like he knew every detail but almost as if he hadn't stepped a foot inside. Perhaps it was due to him being so used to seeing the hospital that it was like his past was never real in the first place. Either that or that place had turned him completely insane. 

Unconsciously, he avoided the kitchen as well as any living soul which wasn't hard, he was known to be quick on his feet anyway.

Maybe he was trying to evade something in particular but he wasn't about to admit that to anyone let alone himself. There was no point in dwelling when he could simply treat himself to some peace.

"Gangtae!" Someone suddenly called out with an urgency that was difficult to ignore. Although, Gangtae knew that voice all too well, that realisation alone had him continuing on his stroll as if it were only the echoes of the past come back to haunt him. "My prince!"

He couldn't escape, however, because a hand had made contact with his shoulder in a very unprofessional manner. 

Gangtae turned around with much hesitancy and saw doe eyes staring back at him.

The man quickly bowed when he realised what he had done. "I apologize, my prince."

"Oh, Seokjin," Gangtae droned, looking at the older man blankly. "Good to see you again."

Jin wrung his hands together. "How have you been?" 

Gangtae admittedly had never seen him so nervous as his eyes shifted from one thing to another and his jaw clenched periodically. Usually, he was a rather confident man, knew what he wanted and wasn't afraid to tell someone if they were in the wrong. Jin had seemingly turned into a meek, self-conscious person over the past two years and Gangtae didn't know how to feel about it.

"Fine, I suppose. And you?"

"Oh, uh, I've been alright." His soft doe eyes found Gangtae's, almost as if he were silently pleading with him. "I've... missed you."

"Yes, it has been quite a while," Gangtae spoke nonchalantly, it took everything in him to act like he didn't care.

If it were possible, Jin's downtrodden expression only fell further. "Please, Gangtae, I'm sorry."

"What are you sorry for?"

"You- I- I can't-"

"Look, I have to go Seokjin, but catching up was nice." He gave the man a forced smile, hands in his pockets as he turned on his heel and walked out of the room at the fastest pace he could while also seeming like he held some type of grace. He didn't want to make himself look like an idiot even no matter who it was he was speaking with.

That encounter was exactly what he was looking to avoid and, of course, the man just had to show up and taunt him with his mere presence. Gangtae should have known the level of bad luck he possessed and with that came someone like Kim Seokjin trying to worm his way back into his life.

As if he would let him.

It wasn't like Gangtae was being unfair, at least that was what he thought, he knew what he felt and what he still felt and that mattered, or that was what he learned in therapy. He shouldn't always think about what others thought, he should make himself happy and if he was uncomfortable then he had the right to distance himself.