The tension in the car was palpable as they waited at the fast-food drive-thru, the silence heavy like a cloud of uncertainty. Taeyeon's mind raced, her thoughts a jumble of suspicion and confusion. She had been so sure that the man beside her was Baekhyun, her ex-boyfriend, but his demeanor had shifted, and she was left second-guessing herself.
As the car moved forward to collect their order, Taeyeon seized the moment to adjust her appearance. Her mask and sunglasses were her shield against recognition, and she hoped to remain anonymous to the crew.
The exchange at the window was brief, and soon they were back on the road. She glanced at him from the corner of her eye, studying his posture and movements. She needed more than just words to confirm his identity.
"U-uhm... C-can you tell me what's your name?" she ventured, her voice carefully neutral.
"Why do you wanna know? I'm just an ordinary guy," he replied, his tone guarded.
"Take off your sunglasses at least. Or cap, or mask, I have no symptoms of COVID," Taeyeon insisted, her curiosity driving her forward.
"It's better this way. I'm not wearing this because I'm afraid I might be infected--"
"Then why?"
"I uhm... a-a very ugly person."
Despite the tension, a small chuckle escaped Taeyeon's lips at his unexpected response. It was a momentary relief, a crack in the wall that had built up between them.
"Really?" she asked, a playful glint in her eyes. "I highly doubt that."
He glanced at her with a hint of surprise, and she met his gaze with a small smile. It was a fleeting exchange, a break from the intensity that had consumed them since their unexpected reunion.
"C-come on, I just... wanna see the man who's helping me. So that I'll be forever grateful," Taeyeon insisted, her voice betraying a mix of determination and playful exasperation.
He responded with a resigned shake of his head. "That only makes me hide my face even more."
The tension between them was palpable, each word exchanged carrying more weight than they anticipated.
"Whether you're Kim Taeyeon or not, I'm not removing this. Here, eat this. You have to fill your stomach." His tone shifted, now carrying an undercurrent of frustration, his words holding a command that seemed out of place.
Taeyeon felt herself bristle at his tone, a flash of defiance coloring her reaction. Who was this man, to act so bossy and authoritative with her?
Bringing the car to a stop in a public parking lot, he handed her the food he had ordered, a practical solution to the immediate problem at hand.
"You should eat too," she offered in return, her concern for his well-being evident.
"I'm not eating," he replied tersely, a sudden shift in mood that left Taeyeon perplexed. It was as if he had gone from being hungry to adamantly refusing sustenance in a matter of seconds.
"But you just said you're hungry. Is that some kind of joke?" She couldn't help but voice her confusion.
"You're hungry. I don't know how to convince you anymore. Should I just get off, and just take a cab? So that you can eat?" Taeyeon's frustration grew, her willingness to find common ground slowly eroding.
Frustration bubbled within her, and she moved to open the car door in a bid to assert some control over the situation. However, her actions were thwarted as she discovered the door locked, her attempt at independence stymied.
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from afar | baekyeon
Fanfiction"We already parted our ways... But as I think about it, I can't forget you... so let me still look after you, watch you... From afar." -Byun Baekhyun
