The Flower of the Dark | k.th

.Eighteen.

"Geez.." I can hear Taehyung whine, and pace back and forth making the floor creek continuously like an alarm. "When the heck did it get so cold?!"

After awhile, it becomes quiet and I'm back to falling into deep sleep. I don't understand why Mr. Tae thinks it's so cold. It's warm to me, warm enough that I can feel my limbs unlike last night, but he now knows what I felt whenever we came to the hotel. Instead of feeling happy that it's not me who's cold this time, I feel guilty that I'm just laying down on this brick-like bed instead of helping him get warm.

Suddenly, events of last night pop into my head and my eyes snap open, hoping that I can't see the way Taehyung looked at me again.

'You know I can't hurt you.'
My stomach drops.
'Unless you want me to.'
I can feel my ears and face get hot, and I sit up quickly, cursing under my breath for him acting that way to me.

"He's not even attractive!" I mumble, hiding my thumping heart with an irritated tone. "What was his goal for doing that?! Just to poke fun at me?!"

I realize the humongous wool blanket laying on top of me. A gust of cold air flies to my arms when I sat up, and that's when I know how right Taehyung was for it being so cold.

"Hey, Miss Ji!" I snap my head up from the wool blankets devouring my puny body. He flashes his rectangular grin at me, making my heart get faster the longer I stare at him.

He's not cute! Cute doesn't even describe him.

"Glad you finally woke up!" he says, yanking the blanket away from me and wrapping himself with it.

"Hey!" I shriek in shock, "Taehyung, you little-"

He tosses a jacket at me, hitting me in the face and I catch it before it falls.

"Put it on quickly because we're leaving."

"Leaving where?" I uncover my face to see him plop on the couch and stuff his feet in his shoes. He hums, happier now that he's not as cold as he was.

I put the oversized, black jacket on as directed and I notice Taehyung's smelly, old couch. What the- this isn't the hotel? My gaze moves around and captures the dirty walls, the mysterious dark hallway, and the coffee table where his red glasses sat.

It hits me then: "We're back home?" I ask eagerly, smiling like a fool.

He nods and stands up, letting the blanket drop down to his uncomfortable couch. He's wearing nothing but a blue jean jacket and a gray winter hat on his head.

"I have to make you happy, remember?"

Soon Taehyung and I walk out of that ghetto, sketchy apartment building, passing by the hallway invaded by cats. Taehyung pinched my nose without warning as we got closer to those cats once I began to sneeze. For a moment, I had a feeling that he was trying to hurt me then, but I realized what he was trying to do.

"So where are we going?" I ask, cheerfully, ignoring the freezing breeze outside that's making my ears and nose numb.

I feel safer now that I'm home, surrounded by normal looking people with shadows and different colored eyes. Even the sky looks normal: with blue and very little clouds instead of black with planets exposed like that was something normal.

"We'll go see your mom first before anything else." Taehyung says, his voice quavering as if to tell me he's colder then I am.

"Really?!" I squeal, wrapping my arms around his body. "Thank you, Mr. Tae! Oh, thank you thank you!"

I jump up and down, and he tries to pry my arms off of him like I'm the one making him uncomfortable after what happened last night.

"Jieun! Get off-" he stops talking suddenly.