20 Minutes Left

[4] ° No More Dream

Thirteen minutes left.

Their little conversation had died down, but they were left in an awkward silence as music pounded outside the door. Jeongyeon was the one who felt awkward actually. Taehyung on the other hand, wasn’t. He was actually glad he wasn’t going to spend the new year’s eve alone in a bathroom after drinking too much. Can’t help it. He likes the taste of the alcoholic beverages being served, and trying to isolate himself from the other batchmates sounded like a good idea at the time. He had reasons his anyway.

Footsteps pounded somewhere outside, followed by an audible yell. “It’s almost time for the fireworks!” Jeongyeon was about to step towards the door, but her movements faltered. She stopped and folds her handkerchief slowly instead.

“Do you really wanna go out?” Taehyung asks, eyes on the bathtub’s surface once again. “We can just watch the fireworks at that window.” He gestures to the small, high window above the toilet. “I actually want company that’s why I’m not trying to open the door and get the fΩck out. The lever's easy to break though.”

“If you wanted company then why don’t you hang out with your old friends downstairs?”

He scoffs. “Protecting image. It’s stupid.” He changes position. His back was turned to her this time, head on the other side of the bathtub faucet. No more eye contact. “One of my students’ parents are there. Can’t believe it.”

Jeongyeon perks up at this. “You’re a teacher?”

“Yeah. Wanted to be a professor but life had to be a b!tch to me.” He giggles slightly. “I like kids though. They’re adorable. Cuuute!”

She hums at this. “What’s so bad about meeting their parents? That shouldn’t stop you from having fun downstairs.”

He makes a groan. “Something is. Before the program earlier, people just had to show how fΩcking happy they were with someone. I’m just standing there like- ‘hey, I’m single. Please don’t be fΩcking rude’- but they don’t get the message. Do they? No.”

She rubbed her arms protectively. “W-what's so bad about being single?” She should’ve known he was single, after all the flirting he did. But alcohol was mixed in so she didn’t go assume things. “I’m single… but I’m contented with what I have in life right now.”

Taehyung immediately sits up, looking at her with shocked eyes. “You are?” He then leans forward, resting his arms on the edge of the bathtub. “You really are?”

“Don’t rub that to my face,” she mutters as she averts her eyes.

Taehyung snorts and guffaws, whooping afterwards. “Holy sh!t. This is great?”

“Uh, wh-”

“We can kiss each other after the countdown!”

Jeongyeon groans. “Shut up. Don’t say that.”

Taehyung grins foolishly and lies back down. This time, he was facing her again.

Silence consumed them once again. But only for a moment. The guy wouldn't mute his baritone voice.

“Hey, have you ever… gotten love letters back in high school?”