Losing Kim Taehyung

eight

Without you, I can't breathe
I'm nothing without you
Open my closed heart, drench my heart
So I can feel you, hold me

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It was already the first period in the afternoon, Trigonometry. The teacher gave us twenty minutes to review our lectures, so Byunghun, Taehyung and I asked each other questions, and each of us has to answer it correctly. If not, we have to flick each other's forehead.

I got the most wrong answers, then Byunghyun and Taehyung got the least. My forehead was painful and red as hell. They are both guys and they flicked strongly, especially Taehyung with his long fingers. It was the first time to see Taehyung laughing happily that his eyes were turning crescents, almost disappearing, and his lips were turning into a shape of a rectangle when he smiles widely and laughs hysterically. He looked like he'd almost turn into that emoticon with closed eyes and an awkward rectangular smile.

I stopped playing with them when I noticed I got too many mistakes. I began reviewing myself for the remaining more or less five minutes, until the teacher announced that the test will begin.

The students hid all their reviewers inside their bags, and placed all bags in front where the teacher can see them. After the students have already went to their own seats, the teacher started distributing the test papers. The classroom was now filled with nothing, but silence once the students started answering and solving each question in the test paper.

It took me half an hour to finish and solve the questions in the first page, and I was dumbfounded when I heard Taehyung's seat creaked, and saw him walked towards the teacher to hand her his questionnaire and his answer sheet. When he turned around to go back to his seat, I immediately looked down to my paper and began solving again. I immersed myself in solving these tricky math questions when I felt his presence passed, and he left a small yellow sticky note on top of my desk. I didn't look up or glance at him, and just read the small note: Thank you. :)

I gently slapped myself for feeling too attacked all of a sudden. Like why now, Taehyung?! I took a deep breath before diverting my focus back in the questionnaires again, and not to Kim Taehyung.

It took me almost an hour to finish the test, and Byunghun kept teasing me that I'll probably fail, and that he'll get the highest score among us three. Believing I would fail, I blamed Taehyung for giving me a cute note that I wasn't able to focus completely, and the two of them just laughed at me after.

Hanging out and laughing with Taehyung like this already made happy, like it was one of the best days in my life. This morning, he was already in a good mood, and I was surprised to see him like that for the first time ever.
Walking along the hallway like a ball of sunshine he is.
Smiling like a kid given by a big lollipop.
Laughing like a boy who tasted freedom for the first time.

I wanted to see him as happy as that everyday. I wish she can make him more happier, then his happiness will be my happiness as well.

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When classes were dismissed, Byunghun already bid his goodbye hurriedly, and forgot to tap-slash-slap my butt as his way to say goodbye to a friend (but I wasn't complaining). I turned to Taehyung to see him putting on his bag. I waited for him to look at me, once he did, I spoke timidly, "See ya tomorrow."

"See you." I left first than Taehyung as I exited the room to meet my friends in the hallway being as rowdy as ever.

Yeri placed her arm on my shoulder, and in front of us was the couple walking hand in hand. "They've been making me envious. Just watch, you two will break apart soon!" Yeri hissed, then hid behind my back when Sooyoung gritted her teeth, and used her bag to hit Yeri. Sungjae and I just laughed, watching those two dorks run around, and chasing each other.

Suddenly, I felt my phone buzzed from my skirt's pocket. I fished it out my phone from my skirt, and saw my mom texted me. It was written on the text message that she would pick me up after work because we have somewhere to go to. I replied her by asking where. I turned to my friends, and told them I couldn't join them. They were a bit disappointed, but one by one, I gave them a hug before they left, leaving me alone waiting in front of these gates.

I looked down to see the time in my wristwatch; it was already 5:14 PM.

Mom told me she'll pick me up because she made reservations for the two us in her favorite restaurant. I shook my head, thinking my mom badly needs a new guy to make reservations with, but she seems pretty happy just by being with me. And I guess, it's okay with me.

As the cold wind blew towards my direction, I held a tight grip on my coat. Almost freezing, I just hid my hands inside my skirt's pockets to keep it warm. I impatiently tapped one foot as I kept looking both ways to look for mom's car.

After a split minute of still waiting, I heard footsteps toward my direction. I turned around to see Taehyung walking out of the gates.

"Hey, what are you still doing here?" He asked, stopping his mark beside me.

"I'm waiting for my mom. She told me to wait here." I told him. I moved a little closer to him. "Anyways, aren't you going home just yet?"

"I still have to meet with my friends, but before I go," He stopped in mid-sentence, retrieving something from his pocket. "here, take it." I looked at his hand to see him holding a crimson red flashdrive, just as small as the one I gave him.

"What's in here?" I asked him, once I took it from his hand.

"Just some songs. You should listen to it."

"Why are you doing this?" I asked him, narrowing my eyes suspiciously. He doesn't seem to be the kind of guy to do this.

He laughed under his breath. "My way of saying thank you for everything." He said with a sweet smile which made my cheeks turned warm red all of a sudden. "Well, I gotta go."

"Okay, see you." I said timidly, still blushing as I watched him leave with my hand waving at him goodbye.

I stared at the flashdrive I was holding then took out my phone along with my earphones, and the OTG cord from my bagpack. I inserted his flashdrive to my cord, and inserted the other end on my phone. I put on my earphones, and listened to the first song in the flashdrive.

I empty my drink but it gets filled with loneliness
I should've just given in, why did I argue all the time?
Even the trash bag thrown away on the street
Makes a lonely sound in the wind
All I did was color you in my white, blank paper
But then I realized, it already became a finished picture

I paused the song for a while when a car already honked at me. I saw my mom gestured at me to get inside the car through the tinted glass, so I did. Once I sat on the passenger's seat, I continued listening to the song again.