Colors Of Fire

September 30

7:38 pm

[long chapter ahead!]

Taehyung was strapped from head to toe in protective gear. The cafe was renting bikes for its members, and Yoongi turned out to be a gold cardholder. He was already being led to the backside of the cafe while Yoongi had graciously selected a bike and some gears for Taehyung.

"Don't look so scared," Yoongi said as he strapped his glove on and adjusted his helmet. He sat on the bike, starting the engine with a loud roar.

Taehyung had practically zero experience with bikes, of course, he was speechless at the turn of events. He stood there, fiddling with his own helmet thinking about the thousands of ways this could go wrong.

Taehyung was not a person who gets scared easily. He had just seen way too many news channels and heard about too many accidents. With South Korea still being prejudiced against such unruly behavior, it was normal for him to feel unsure.

"Taehyung, trust me." Yoongi said, shifting the gear from neutral, he held out a hand for Taehyung," You won't regret it."

Taehyung gulped and quickly nodded, perhaps too fast, and got sat behind Yoongi. He heard Yoongi instructing to hold onto him before the sound of the engine took over his hearing ability.

Taehyung clung on for his dear life at first but soon adapted to the pace and movements of the vehicle. Soon he felt himself relax and actually began enjoying the ride.

The rushing wind and the vibrations from the engine seemed to have a strangely calming effect on him. He could barely hear himself breathing, and it was liberating him from the shackles of his thoughts he never knew he was confined in.

He wrapped his arms around Yoongi for support and moved closer to him. He could feel the change in his posture every time they took a turn. It was like an intricate act of balancing, executed with perfection. Yoongi somehow seemed natural at this, and it made Taehyung immensely confident.

Yoongi picked up speed when they reached the outskirts of Seoul, where there was far less traffic. The wind seemed to pick up and the scenery became blurry. Taehyung had never been this dangerously close to something so volatile. It made his adrenaline pump harder, but he was enjoying it all the same.

When Yoongi eventually started to slow down they were far away from the metropolitan hub. The place was barren, and there was almost no building in sight.

"You might want to keep me alive if you want to get back home anytime soon," Yoongi said, taking out his helmet, pointing at the deathly grip Taehyung had on Yoongi.

Taehyung hurriedly released him and got down the bike. Taehyung saw Yoongi switch off the motor before getting down the bike. He took off his helmet to run his fingers through his hair again.

Something was different with Yoongi today...

Yoongi looked at Taehyung with a fond smile and pulled him towards the slight rise in the pavement. Taehyung tagged along without much resistance.

Taehyung's jaw went slack when he saw the view. They seemed to be on some sort of a bridge. The water beneath them was stagnant, forming a perfect mirror for the stars that hung above them. It seemed like they were standing in between all the twinkling little dots, with the fresh flurry of air breezing past them.

Taehyung took an involuntarily step forward to lean against the railing. He could barely take in the beauty laid out before him, let alone string up words to express the way he feels, but Yoongi didn't seem to expect it anyway, so he was fine.

"There are several more options of stars here for you to choose from," Yoongi said, bringing Taehyung out of his reverie.

He gently took Taehyung's hand and guided it to the brightest star in the sky, "You can use that for signing to work for that individual artist."

Taehyung went stiff at that statement. His hand that Yoongi held felt heavy.

"What if I needed that bright star for something else?"

"Then you can use that bright star," Yoongi said, pointing at the perfect reflection of the bright star in the water. Taehyung laughed at the unexpected reply, elbowing Yoongi's torso.

"Sometimes you need to take your risk, Tae. You don't need anyone else's accreditation to feel accomplished." Yoongi let go of his hand and took a step back with a smirk to let Taehyung think through.

"How did you know that I got the offer?" Taehyung wondered, looking back at Yoongi with a questioning gaze.

"I saw him giving you his card." Yoongi leaned back at the railing and crossed his feet, "Tae, not working under a label is hard, but not impossible. That guy is famous. He can get you far more networking than BH."

Taehyung furrowed his eyebrows for a second, deeply contemplating his choices,"I never thought of going independent."

Yoongi took out a mango-flavored candy from his pocket and tossed it at him, "My friend used to say that when life throws an adventure at you, grab it and run."

Taehyung caught the candy and looked at the stars once again.

You never run out of hope to pluck from.

Taehyung smiled and popped the candy into his mouth, "I'll do it."

He looked back at Yoongi's smiling face and beamed, "Thank you, hyung."

Yoongi ruffled Taehyung's hair with a soft fondness, and said," Let's get you home."

The ride back home was just as stimulating. Taehyung even screamed his lungs out once. Yoongi had to pinch his arm to silence him.

9:00 pm

Yoongi was waiting at the bus stop leaning against the back wall, legs crossed and eyes closed, when Taehyung, who was sitting beside him, suspiciously looking at him, exclaimed," YOU'RE WEARING HAIR GEL!"