An Ode to Maehwa | kth

Chapter 34: The Root

Surprised at Taehyung's word, you blinked for a moment before you hesitantly sat next to him.

"...Your Highness," you started, but was soon interrupted by the other.

"Taehyung."

Why was he suddenly calling his own name? You tilted your head.

"Call me Taehyung."

"I thought that was only for a disguise?"

"I just want you to call me by my name, try?"

You felt flustered. It felt too intimate. Sure, you called Jungkook with his name, but it felt different from calling the man in front by his name. Jungkook was—more like a brother, or a close friend to you like Jimin, someone familiar. Taehyung, who was more like a prince (no offence to Jungkook), was definitely not your friend or a brother, the feeling was completely different.

You inhaled deeply before you muttered as if you just started learning how to speak, "Tae...hyung?"

"Mn," the man responded briefly, his eyes and lips softening as his name rang in his ears sweetly.

You loved Taehyung's smile—it was deeply genuine and warm. To think that smile was now directed to you, as his visage traced gently by this faint starlight, you felt your heart jump a beat.

Clearing your throat, you blurted, "happy birthday!"

Taehyung paused, but soon took out his palm and placed it in front of you.

"What?" you asked.

"Present," he replied.

"Ah," you said regrettingly, "I don't have it...."

He looked away and gave an audible sigh, but in actuality he wasn't expecting it at all, just wanting to tease you. Truthfully, you were looking for his present when you went out with Misun the other day, but everything was a mess then. You felt like there was no point in giving excuses, so you chose a different topic.

"It's a shame that your birthday was combined with His Highness' celebration."

Originally, today was prepared to be Taehyung's birthday ceremony. However with a bigger event taking place, they conjoined the two festive events—although seeing how things went today, the share of Seokjin was quite obviously bigger than Taehyung.

"No," Taehyung said.

"No?"

"Hyungnim's news is more meaningful, and I don't really like to celebrate my birthdays."

Birthday for you was something fun. You could become the one in the spotlight for a day, with everyone wishing you with a smile. Growing up, your parents made you feel special especially on that day. Then you recalled how Taehyung wasn't brought up in an average way—not that you knew what average was in this era—but to be brought up in a brothel, then starving on a street, you imagined there must have been something you could never mindlessly sympathise with.

The sudden memory of your life before gushed in, and you couldn't help but feel your heart clench.

"When is your birthday?" Taehyung asked. "How do you normally spend yours?"

As if that was a cue, a trickle of tears ran down your cheek. The man in front of you widened his eyes, gasping.

"Oh, no, I forgot you still didn't have your memory back," he jabbered, evidently perturbed to have made you cry. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-"

You honestly didn't know why you were crying. You weren't this emotional normally. But just when the memory flashed back in your mind—how Jimin tried to surprise you on your birthday, also pretending to forget the date, but dear man was so hopeless at acting and everything was just a comedy, or how you pleaded your father to get you a puppy when you were small and refused, but he made it possible and actually surprised you, or something as simple as your mother preparing every favourite dishes for you because it was your special day.

Your everyday life in this era was a new learning day which has kept you busy, almost giving you no time to think of the past. But you missed them. So badly. Taehyung only tapped the door that enclosed those feelings, and now you were a crying mess, like a broken dam.

"I just," you hiccuped the words, "I just feel so lost."

Frowning his eyebrows in worry, Taehyung silently listened.

"I feel like I've lost everything—my loved ones, my delight, my purpose of existence. I have none of those in my hands right now, and it's just me falling in a bottomless pit of uncertainty."

You wiped your eyes rashly, while trying to stop the unceasing tears from rolling down. The rubbing made your eyes red, and Taehyung took your hands gently, wrapping them with his warm.

"Then I'll catch you," he breathed. "I'll be the purpose of your life."

You hiccuped once, and widened your eyes to look at the other. The shock seemed to be big enough to stop your unruly tears from slipping out.

The man of attention gasped, realising what he had just said sounded like a love confession if not marriage proposal, and cleared his throat before he corrected himself, "I can show you the purpose of living."

Hearing your heart ease a little on its spontaneous pounding, you still blinked at him wanting for more explanation. Which made you look young and tender, Taehyung thought, resulting in his soft smile.

"You may not get back your memory, and you may feel like you've lost everything you had. But you're still here, alive, with many more things to come. You'll keep on making memories to cherish, you'll find more people to love. And if you ever feel lost and alone, remember that you have Jungkook, other friends you made here—and me."

His soft voice gingerly reached your ears and immersed within your heat. The person shone under the faint light of stars in the night canvas, was nothing short of breathtaking and you needn't tilt your head to see the stars, because he possessed the universe within his luminous orbs.

"But why...why do you...?"

Kim Taehyung wasn't your enemy. But he definitely considered you so, once upon a time. You weren't exactly sure how to process all this compassion you were receiving—all too unreal, but all too cradling.

The questioned man glanced down at your connected hands, fluttering his long eyelashes slowly tracing upwards, finally looking into your eyes. Tenderness.

"Because I...," the rest of the words were muffled in silence, and what remained was his warm smile, as if he'd drank in all the spring daylight.

And that was a cue to your crying. Tears rolled off against your will, and you simply didn't know how to stop it—how to stop feeling vulnerable in front of this man, who made you feel under his wing.

Taehyung, however, was noticeably in panic, not knowing what made you cry further or how to make you stop crying. He hesitantly pulled you closer, holding your trembling figure in his warm arms, and promised he'd stay there until your tears stopped falling—no matter how long.

Jungkook found him pretty drunk. His alcohol tolerance wasn't bad—at least compared to his brother Taehyung who'd drink three cups in a frown and part to dreamland, which he'd never failed to do, as if that was truly written in the stars.

But whenever he had a chance to drink in some kind of celebratory event, he'd drink with the guards who saw no end to their impoverished well of intoxicant. However, he wouldn't let himself unleash completely to jump into a pond again—not today. It was his brother's birthday, and he wanted to wish him personally.

When Jungkook looked around the banquet hall after a good time of drinking, he saw Taehyung had left already. Taking out the purple fan which was securely tucked in his sleeves, he left the hall, in search of his brother.

He failed to see him in his room, and he strolled about the night courtyard, raising the fan under the night sky, he hoped his brother would find his present pleasant. He finally reached the remote area of the palace and tipped his head up, and he found him. Unexpectedly with someone else.

"Hyung...and y/n?"

Visible from Jungkook who was standing in a distance from the Bureau of Astronomy building, the two sat on the rail of the veranda—embracing.

The night was quiet and the breeze was gentle, but Jungkook's inside was astir. He couldn't name it, but something in that moment made him feel unsettling, making him clutch on the fan unknowingly.