On-Way Passage || ᴠᴍɪɴ

Chapter 14

When Doshik left, Jimin peered into the lounge and took a look around the room.

The lounge was larger than he had anticipated, with a soft double bed in the centre, floor-to-ceiling windows on one side, and a wardrobe against the opposite wall. There was another door next to the wardrobe that was made of frosted glass, with only a hazy outline of the interior visible.

Jimin walked over to open the glass door and peered inside. It was, in fact, a bathroom with a shower.

He lowered his head and pulled his sticky T-shirt away from his chest. Coffee stains on a white T-shirt really stood out, and it seemed like it’d take a while for it to dry. After a bout of hesitation, Jimin locked the lounge door and stripped to take a shower.

The bathroom’s frosted glass door had no locks. Jimin closed it, turned on the hot water, and the rush of the jetstream flooded his ears. The semi-closed space was quickly filled with rising steam that engulfed him completely.

Since he wasn’t familiar with the environment, Jimin rinsed swiftly and perfunctorily. He couldn’t find any towel around, so he grabbed the T-shirt he’d taken off and carelessly used it to towel his body dry before tugging his pants on.

He pushed the glass door open, clutching his soaked T-shirt, but with only one foot out the door, he spotted Taehyung sitting on the edge of the bed, facing him, and immediately stopped dead in his tracks.

“How did you get in?” Jimin asked, still shell-shocked.

“This is my room,” Taehyung said.

“But I locked the door.”

“…You think I wouldn’t be able to access my own room?”

Jimin was momentarily at a loss for words.

Taehyung remained sitting. He was dressed in an immaculate suit, and with his long legs parted, elbows on his knees, and fingers steepled, his face was devoid of any expression as he looked at Jimin.

Jimin got goosebumps from his gaze, and he slowly raised the wet T-shirt he was holding to cover his chest.

Taehyung’s icy voice called out, “What’s there to cover up.”

“You have such unique tastes, how would I know if you’re getting any weird ideas?” Jimin muttered as he bypassed the bed and made his way to the door of the lounge. He opened the door and peeked out, but Doshik had not returned. 

“Where are you going looking like that?” Taehyung’s voice rang out from behind him.

Jimin looked at him over his shoulder. “Why isn’t Doshik back yet?”

“What do you need him for?”

“He’s gone to buy clothes for me.”

“He won’t be back so soon.”

Jimin was unconvinced. “Why? Are there no clothing stores around here?” He tried to recall the path he took from the subway station to the company, and apparently there really were no stores or shopping malls.

Taehyung rose, leaving the bedside and walking up to Jimin. “I told him to get you a more appropriate set of clothes.”

Jimin’s first reaction was to retort, “How are my clothes inappropriate?” After which he immediately followed up with, “Why would he need to do that?”

“We’re having dinner at my family’s house tonight,” explained Taehyung.

Stupefied, the hand on Jimin’s chest relaxed by accident. “Why should I go have dinner with your family?”