Before Anyone Else √

² I really did.

weekdays, two weeks of finding job and he finally did found one. at this one restaurant that were own by an old friend that hadn't he met months. his friend, son seungwan know as wendy had offered him a job as chef at her restaurant.

today is his first day to work here, taehyung glad that all his co worker are all nice people and he also recognise some of them who went to the same college with him. his shift hadn't started yet but he decided to arrived early and he also had second thoughts about to approach irene who showed up at his door last night. he just couldn't.

"you never change, aren't you? always show up early." then there's wendy coming up behind made him turning around and smiles at her. "you act like we hadn't meet in years wendy while it just been months." he says to her, putting his bag on his locker.

"i know, a lot of things happened ever since you left taehyung." wendy lower her voice, sounding a little sad which making him raised his brows in confusion. "what happened?" he asked and yet she just smiled. "you will know soon." wendy said as spun around to left the room but stopped.

"just so you know that you hadn't met our manager.. it's irene, your ex lover. be careful with that pregnant women, last week one of our chef got fired by her for being disrespectful. irene literally slapped him hard and i'm so proud of her." with that she left him alone.

taehyung stared at his locker and closed his eyes as he sighed, somehow he is not ready to faced her.

meanwhile irene on the other hands, arrived at her workplace at ten am and were approached by wendy as she dragged her to their office. "hi irene!" wendy startled her causing her baby kicking in her bump hardly.

"oh gosh wendy ow! don't do that! you're scaring us-ow she's kicking hard" irene smacked wendy's arm softly and had her to sit down on the chair. "oh really, my goodness oh little one i'm so sorry!" wendy immediately apologise to irene, "but irene.. i forgot to inform you that we had new chef!" she exclaimed to irene excitedly.

irene frowning slightly at her "oh new chef huh? aren't it supposed to be me to find new chef not you?" she started to question the woman that standing in front of her and wendy rolls her eyes. "I'm the owner of this restaurant, remember? now do as I say, if not I will have seulgi as the manager." wendy says, remind to irene to not being so bossy as she poking irene's shoulder and irene sighed after wendy mentioned seulgi the head waitress.

not wanting to hear wendy start to blabbering again, irene interrupt "yes my landlady, forgive me and who is this our new chef that you found?" wendy smiled at her again but suddenly her faces become serious. "i hope you won't be mad.. he's an old friend of ours who just left you eight months ago and now he's back. he was looking for a job and i found him then i offered him to work here since we need new chef." wendy tells as she explaining to her and had irene with her face turned blank.

"who that boy?" she asked as if she already know the answer.

wendy hesitate, "your ex lover, kim taehyung."

irene's hands that were on her belly fells away in shocked and she softly gasped. she then hears wendy talking to her again but she didn't hear her clearly. irene raised her hand to hold on wendys and say, "tell seulgi to take charge of my duty today.. i am not feeling well. forgive me, i'm going home." before wendy could say anything, irene had rushed out of the office.

she couldn't face him again, she's not ready to talk to him and she really did not want to see him here at her workplace. irene walked to the dining hall, glad there's no costumer coming yet and she made her way out to the entrance not until she bump into someone.

"hey- oh.. my mistake.. uh" the person caught her arms before she could fall back and irene looked up about to thank the person. turns out it was taehyung who was holding her. both of looking at each other in surprise. irene breath out "taehyung?" she whispered his name and realising that her hands were place on his chest; she literally gripped his uniform chef.

"irene.." he says her name, still holding her arms. irene stared at him, studied his features and know that how much she was missing that face. she was longing him for months and how she missed to be hold by him.

taehyung also did the same, staring and studied her features then he found himself feel guilty for leaving her back then. slowly he released her away from his hands and standing still in front of her. irene then missing warmth she just had a second ago and her eyes still on his.

"uh welcome to our restaurant and i hope your first day are nice." irene says nervously and smiles at him. "yeah, thank you and i hope you're fine." taehyung replies to as he smiled awkwardly.

irene nodded "i'm not feeling well actually but see you around, new chef." she had no idea what she's trying to say, she has been so awkward like this and she don't recall when the last time she's being this awkward and nervous. "if you excuse me." irene bow a little at him and left the restaurant right away.

taehyung found himself were dumbfounded of what just happened and he looked at her left the restaurant then hears wendy were running and calling her names.

"irene!!" wendy then whined in disbelief and turning at taehyung. "i just tell her about you and I didn't expect to had her become like that. please do your job well or i'm kicking you out." she said with little threatening in the end.

"wendy.." taehyung says her name then "how come she's pregnant? who's the father?" he asked and the landlady sighed. "i suggest that you should talk to her about it." that's all her answer.

his shift has come to end and taehyung really did a good job today. all he want right now is to be at home and have a bath and relax. afterwards, he sat down on his bed as he recall of what happened in the restaurant. how irene bump into him, how he missed holding her and how he hate himself for having this feelings back again.

he knew it was his fault for leaving her back then and he dont know if irene hates him for leaving her. taehyung rubbed his in his hands and remember what wendy told him talk to irene about it.

then here goes nothing, taehyung stood in front of her door waiting for her to open the door after he knocked it. irene did opened the door and didn't expect it was him thought it would be somebody else. "taehyung.. i  didn't expect you... here" irene spoke softly.

taehyung smiled a little, "irene, can we talk?"

~