Double update today! Keep scrolling for Chapter 14 <3.

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Taehyung was having a shitty day.

His mom had been cooking vegetables for a week now and it was driving him crazy so he took the initiative of waking up early and cooking breakfast. It wasn't unedible but it definitely wasn't something to be praised for. He thought his mother would be relieved to see that a) she didn't have to cook that day and b) her son was capable of cooking a decent meal. However, his mother threw a fit about how Taehyung wasn't appreaciating her efforts in cooking, so he made breakfast himself because he wanted to let her know that he didn't like her food.

It was not a pleasant thing to hear early in the morning but Taehyung could tell that she was stressed over something else and just vented it out on him. He didn't feel like asking her what's wrong after she called him ungrateful.

When he got into his car, he found it to be reeking of strong orange air freshner which he absolutely could not tolerate. His mom must have sprayed it last night when she went out for some business. So he drove to his workplace with the constant urge to throw up his breakfast. When he reached the office, he thought he would feel better but he found himself hunched over a toilet seat after five minutes.

He had submitted two pieces of designs for the upcoming Winter collection right before the deadline and was yelled at for being sloppy, before the manager took all the praise by the higher officials, saying Taehyung's great performance was because of her supervision. Taehyung usually just let it pass because he knew the officials knew that Mrs. Lee was just spewing bullshit but today he felt impossibly triggered by it, so he spent three quarters of his lunch break splashing water on his face and pacing the washroom while receiving concerned and alarmed looks from his co-workers.

He thought God had heard his pleas when his manager walked up to his workspace and congratulated him on the good work with stifling reluctance before granting him an early leave.

 When he reached the parking lot, he found a little girl roaming around on her own so he escorted her to security and waited along with her until her guardians arrived. Turned out, the mother was getting take out from the restaurant above Taehyung's office and had asked her daughter to remain next to her car. She yelled at Taehyung for causing her more trouble by taking the girl to the security office as she had to walk around for two minutes to find her little child (whom she shouldn't have left alone in the first place). She even seized the small piece of candy, that Taehyung had given the girl, and threw it on the ground before taking her daughter to the car.

Taehyung understood that parents were wary of seeing their children with strangers but, again, if they're so worried, then they shouldn't leave them alone in a parking lot. Besides, Taehyung didn't deserve such treatment.

Of course, the world wasn't done consipiring against him because he had only travelled a few hundred metres when he found himself trapped along with at least fifty vehicles in front of him. Some sort of car accident had taken place and the road was blocked. A lot of the vehicles were veering to the wrong lane and getting blocked by vehicles that were approaching them. Taehyung cursed everyone and their extended family who tried to act smart by changing to the other lane because now, their only way of getting out of this hell was a mess as well. 

After hours of moving in a excritiatingly slow pace, Taehyung finally saw the light of day. Ironically, the day was near its end because the sun was finishing its journey to the west. He had dmed Jimin and Jungkook while he was stuck in traffic but they hadn't responded yet. He wasn't sure where he wanted to go, so he ended up in the parking lot of his mother's cafe.

His heart was somewhat trembling as he walked into the coffee shop.

"What?!"

"He just left!"

Taehyung's heart dropped to the very bottom of his stomach. All that courage he had mustered...

"What do you mean he left ? Why didn't you give him the flowers with the ointment?!" 

"Tae, calm down," Jimin said from somewhere in the background.

Taehyung pressed the phone closer to his ear and muttered, "You better have a good explanation for this, Jungkook-ah."

"Listen, I gave him the ointment, okay? Honestly, I should've given him the flowers first because he looked sad when I just gave him that tube. I was gonna give him the flowers- literally, I was one fucking second away from giving those flowers when-" Jungkook's voice went dead and Taehyung assumed his friend was trying to keep his anger under the ashes. Taehyung started to feel a little guilt for speaking so harshly with Jungkook.

"Hey, it's alright," Taehyung tried to comfort Jungkook but it sounded awkward.

"No- it's just," Jungkook gritted out. "I fucking hate that bitch of a manager."

"Ms. Byun? What did she do?"

"Yeah, that bitch. She was screaming for me right before I could even mention the flowers to Seokjin-sshi and then that bitch screamed even more for something that I totally wasn't responsible for! But when I told her that I was with Aunty so I wouldn't even do that shit, she screamed at me more for slacking. When I returned to the staff room, Seokjin-sshi was gone, so I kept the flowers on the table, so I can give them back to you tomorrow, but guess fucking what! When I was done with my shift, the flowers were gone- poof! Not a fucking trace! So I went around searching, tryna see if someone had moved it and guess where I found it?! In the trash, outside."

Taehyung's blood was boiling, bubbling, bursting in angry splashes. 

"Do you think it was-"

"Yes, it was that bitch, Byun. She was the first to leave today after Seokjin-ssi. I bet you she's the one who threw away the flowers. I wish I went through the CCTV footages before leaving."

"How dare she throw away someone's flowers? Like, she didn't even know that those flowers weren't for you! God, that piece of- fuck, I need to talk to Eommoni about her."

"Yeah. I feel bad for Seokjin-sshi. He looked really sad. I guess he really wanted those flowers..."

Taehyung felt his heart clench so hard that he was sure there was a blackhole in his chest right then, not to be dramatic and all. He had planned the entire day out- he had woken up early to go on a scanavnger hunt for a cute little picnic spot which was well hidden from rest of the human population in the local park next to the pond, he had picked out a restaurant from where they would get food and then set up electric candles on a picnic blanket in order to pretend it was a fancy candle-lit dinner. 

It was the perfect plan and that stupid woman ruined it all. 

Taehyung sighed as he sat down at one of the tables, eyes searching for a certain waiter. Seokjin hadn't been very chatty with him lately and Taehyung wondered if it was because of the flowers or if he had some other conflict going on because Taehyung didn't want to think that Seokjin's life revolved around him. Besides, the older had his family issues to worry about. He thought of their last conversation...

Taehyung: Hyung, you didn't say goodnight last night :(.

Seokjin: sorry, was too tired

Taehyung: Oh, work?

Taehyung: Have you been taking care of that scratch wound?

Seokjin: it's not a big deal

Taehyung: Hyung :(.

Seokjin: don't worry

Taehyung: Hyung, you sound really down.

Taehyung: I'm a good listener.

Taehyung: So if you ever need a friend, I'm here.

Seokjin: thanks tae

"Hello sir-" Taehyung whipped his head at the speed of light and frightened the waiter.

"Oh- Sorry, sir! I'm actually new and- I'm sorry, sir. What would like to have?" A girl, no more than nineteen, blabbered in a flustered manner.

"No, no- uh, it's my fault, sorry," Taehyung said quickly. "Um... this will be an odd question but..."

"Oh!" The girl turned red immediately. "You want my number, don't you?! Oh no- you're very attaractive, sir- but um, I don't know- uh-"

Taehyung felt even more awkward as he denied, "Oh, no, you got me wrong... uh..."

The girl's eyes were swimming in shame but she forced a robotic smile and said, "My apologies, sir. I just watched this in a drama..."

The girl chuckled awkwardly and looked like she wanted to be swallowed by the earth.

"Oh yeah, dramas-" Taehyung switched to a dead serious tone, "Is Kim Seokjin here?"

"Kim... Seokjin?" the waitress looked lost.

"Um, you know- tall guy, broad shoulders, soft- I mean, cute lips." Taehyung wanted to slap himself.

"Oh! The hour-glass oppa!" The girl's eyes shone with enlightment.

"Yes," Taehyung cleared his throat. "Him."

"His shift actually ended about an hour ago," the waitress supplied helpfully. "Um, I think you're not here for coffee, sir."

"Um, no," Taehyung smiled awkwardly and stood up. "Uh, thanks."

When Taehyung was back in his car, he waited for Seokjin to respond to his texts.

Taehyung: Hyung, wanna meet up?

Taehyung: I'll pick you up if you wanna hang out.

Seokjin was normally a quick-responder if he was not at work. Taehyung had already left the parking lot and was on the road, driving through the city without a destination but Seokjin was not messaging him back. Finally, the younger stopped at the local park and his feet carried him to the spot which he had unofficially booked for their unofficial date.

He had even brought out the picnic blanket from the trunk of his car and laid it under the old willow tree. He rested his back against the rough bark and stared blankly at the sparkling water of the pond that was kissed by the mellow twilight colours of the sky. He wasn't really the type to sit under trees in silence and observe nature but he had nothing else to do- meaning, he didn't want to return home and bump into his mother. The thought of taking out his sketchpad did cross his mind but he didn't bring the pad with him and there wasn't sufficient light for drawing.

Taehyung felt somewhat at peace but he was started to get creeped out too because he was absolutely alone... concealed from the eyes of normal people... the perfect victim of some serial killer on the loose... 

Crunch

Taehyung screamed.

Seokjin screamed.

Birds flew away from the tree.