It was the only thing on his mind.

Preying on his thoughts, all day, even in his dreams the night before, in which he imagined meeting with a masked person who ended up pulling a gun on him right there in the middle of the bookstore.

Taehyung didn't believe that would happen. Of course not. But it certainly didn't help to put him at ease, and regardless of the unlikelihood of it becoming a reality, the dream still scarred him.

Moreover, he wondered about it. About what would actually happen. If their meeting would be long, or if the sole purpose of it was to prove that Blue was an actual person, and not just a coward hiding behind a screen.

In his classes, Taehyung couldn't hide his odd behavior. He often appeared to have something on his mind, and he was aware of it, but today, even he could tell he was being obvious. A resting scowl on his face, eyes flitting back and forth rapidly as though scanning his own thoughts.

Jungkook even asked him about it.

"Meeting," the boy answered. "I'm meeting with someone, that's all?"

"Meeting?"

"Meeting."

"Like, for work?"

"Kind of."

"Oh, okay."

He raised no further questioning. Seokjin, however, did.

"You look real antsy, Tae, everything alright?"

"It's fine."

"You sure? Got a dentist appointment later or something?"

"No. Just a meeting."

"Ah, I see." Seokjin made a noise of understanding and leaned back in his chair. "No need to be nervous, Tae, you'll knock 'em dead with your good looks."

"What?"

"I'm trying to be encouraging."

"Oh...well...thanks, I guess..."

"You're welcome!"

It didn't help much. He knew it full well, that nothing would be able to put his mind fully at peace until after this "meeting" was over and done with. Not even Yoongi, though with his scarring dream on repeat in his head Taehyung urged himself to message his friend.

Taeger💛
hey yoongi i know you're probably at work but i just felt like saying hi

Taeger💛
hope you're doing well. take care of yourself.

Yoongles💕
lucky you, caught me on my lunch break :)

Yoongles💕
i'm doing fine tiger what about you?

Taeger💛
pretty good i guess

Taeger💛
got a meeting today, a little nervous about it

Yoongles💕
oh tae you'll be fine i know you will

Yoongles💕
there's nothing you can't accomplish, tiger

Yoongles💕
be sure to let me know how it goes, okay? i'll be rooting for you

Taeger💛
:) thanks yoongi

Taeger💛
i know i can always count on you

Yoongles💕
of course you can <3

The time was nearing five p.m. now. Taehyung had called into work not long ago, informing his boss that because of personal issues he wouldn't be able to come in that day, or that, if at all, he would have to work later. Luckily Taekwoon was available to stay late so it wasn't too much of an inconvenience.

Taehyung wanted to make sure he showed up at Dogseo Corner before Blue did. Though it probably didn't make a difference, he didn't want to feel as though Blue was even one step ahead of him. So by 5:15 that evening Taehyung had himself seated at a small, otherwise empty table on one end of the store. To pass the time, he flipped through comic books while at the same time keeping a close eye on the entrance door, as well as the other customers skimming magazines and novels nearby.

Things were quiet. No noise above a gentle tone of conversation, nothing too distracting, too loud.

The loudest things right now were the internal reverberations of Taehyung's heart.

He checked his phone - 5:52 p.m. No messages from Blue.

He had better be here.

Every minute that passed by added more doubts, more questions, more anxiety to what had already so greatly accumulated in Taehyung's restless mind. It had been running all day. He was tired.

The little bell on top the entrance door rang and instinctively Taehyung turned to it again.

Someone entered the store. A white mask covering his mouth and nose, while a pair of tinted sunglasses shielded his eyes from view, the figure was dressed casually in grey sweatpants and a comfortable-looking, oversized sweatshirt, the hood of which had been pulled up over the person's head.

Taehyung held his breath without knowing it. There was no second-guessing. This was the person he had been waiting for.

Heartbeat accelerating, he watched as the masked person made their way quietly over to the table and pulled out a chair to sit down.

For a moment, Taehyung felt himself shaking. I'm not scared of him. I don't have a reason to be scared of him.

As he repeated these words over and over again in his head, Taehyung almost failed to notice as the masked person held up his phone, having typed out a message for Taehyung to read. And Tae had to look at him strangely.

"Can't you talk?"

The person shook their head horizontally.

"I don't believe you," Taehyung scoffed. "You are Blue, aren't you?"

"Mm."

"There, you do have a voice."

No response. He couldn't even tell if Blue were looking at him.

"What's with the sunglasses? We're indoors, for goodness' sake, get rid of them."

Again no response. Guilty silence, perhaps. Taehyung rolled his eyes and finally turned his attention toward the phone.

I have a tack. I'll prove myself now.

Once he was sure Taehyung had read the message, Blue lowered his phone back to the table's surface, then proceeded to reach into a small drawstring bag he'd brought with him to retrieve exactly what the message mentioned.

A small thumbtack. Taehyung shot him a frantic look.

"Wait, you..." He eyed the pointed object. "...you were serious, you're going to-"

A quick action, an abrupt stab into his index finger that caused Taehyung to flinch. It was merely a poke. But it exaggerated itself in Tae's eyes solely to raise alarm.

A tiny tear of skin. Torn, enough to allow blood to escape from the inside.

Blue.

He hadn't been lying after all.

Just as quickly as he had done this, Blue reached into his pocket and pulled out a tissue which he used to cover his finger, tying two ends together so it would stay in place.

Taehyung couldn't tell if he were breathing at this point. Knowing the truth was even more overwhelming than his anxiety had been leading up to his moment.

Blue was like him.

He wasn't alone.

And right now, that fact left him speechless. He could only watch in silence as Blue applied pressure to his finger, the dark color of his blood leaking through the thin tissue which seemed to frustrate him. His hands were shaking. His sleeve had partially rolled down from his forearm being raised, thus revealing a silver charm bracelet hanging from his wrist.

"What's that?"

The innocent question sparked a suspicious reaction. It startled Blue, urging him to put his arm down and cover the bracelet in a hurried manner.

Taehyung squinted at him. "What, too personal to share? It's just jewelry, right?"

"Someone-"

He stopped himself after having seemingly let this word slip out by accident. It was quiet, soft, and muffled by the mask.

Blue lifted his phone again, typed out a message, then held it up for Taehyung to see.

It was a gift from someone special. That's all. Sorry for being jumpy.

His behavior was odd. Certainly less confident now that he couldn't hide behind the phone, even though he still used it.

"Someone special?" Taehyung raised a brow in curiosity. "Can I ask?"

Clear hesitance. Blue turned his head slightly to the side, most likely in a thoughtful way, although Tae couldn't really tell due to the other's face being entirely covered.

He received a response after a while. A slowly typed out response.

It's a bit too much for me to describe in detail, I'm sorry. I'm afraid I'll get emotional. But yes, they were someone special to me. I haven't spoken to them in years.

"Speak to them, then." Taehyung whispered curtly. "It's not complicated. Seems a better use of your time than whatever you're doing now. Unless you actually plan on telling me something. Or did you really just set this up to show me your blood?"

Blue shook his head horizontally again.

He typed out another message. This time, however, Taehyung sensed more urgency. The tremor in Blue's hands was even more obvious, and that frightened him.

Blue held up his phone once more.

I'm afraid they're after you, too. For your blood. Just like mine, I'm scared they'll try to sell it on the black market. I haven't seen them yet but I know they're in Busan. That's why I'm here.

Genuine fear. Taehyung could feel it in those words, despite only reading and not hearing them, and moreover, that hand tremor...

The tiny cut from the tack seemed to have stopped bleeding but Blue still left the tissue tied over it, as if afraid it would do so again.

Taehyung stared at him with wide, demanding eyes. This all felt like some intense fever dream but he knew it wasn't. "Black market..." He swallowed his breath. "You're...you're not serious, right? Have they actually done that to you?"

No answer. Not even another message. No, instead, almost in a panic, Blue shoved their phone back into their bag and stood up suddenly from his chair, triggering Taehyung to do the same.

"No, you're not leaving, you can't leave me hanging like this, Blue-"

"Talk later."

Those two, gentle, muffled words and he bolted. Past the bookshelves that lay between them and the door, and Taehyung followed as quickly as he could but not quickly enough, evidently.

He lost him after thirty seconds.

That feeling, that feeling of defeat alone amounted to more frustration than Taehyung believed to have ever experienced in his entire life. He could still text Blue as he had been doing that, he knew that, but for some reason being with him in person meant more. Especially now, now that Tae knew Blue hadn't been lying about the most important thing.

But he had lost him. That man was too quick on his feet.

Taehyung held his head in his hands. In his pocket, he felt his phone buzz. Sighing a deep, unsteady breath, he took it out.

You have (1) new message from Blue

Blue
i'm so sorry, taehyung, please forgive me, some day please.

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end of chapter thirteen.