HIRAETH

9.Bug hunt in Taehyung's room...

Ahru's second day at Kim Villa was fraught with nerves as she reluctantly made her way towards Taehyung's room. She had requested the meeting to discuss Mrs. Kim's condition, but facing Taehyung was something she wished to avoid.

She forced herself to remain calm, repeating professional mantras in her mind as she navigated the vast and confusing corridors of the estate.

The grandeur of the mansion struck her, but it also evoked a sense of loneliness, each crisscrossing hallway seemingly leading deeper into solitude.

Lost in her thoughts, Ahru contemplated calling Sehun for directions when she suddenly collided with him in the next moment. His initial unreadable expression melted into a small, confused smile as he recognized her.

"What are you doing here? This area is off-limits to anyone. I assume you've already managed to get yourself lost," Sehun remarked, answering his own question before Ahru could respond. She felt too embarrassed by her predicament to press the matter further, so she simply nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, I thought I was taking the same hallway as yesterday, but clearly, my sense of direction is off," Ahru admitted with discomfort. "I need to meet Mr. Kim urgently."

"Miss Lee, you're on the complete opposite side of the house," Sehun replied, his expression amused yet helpful.

"Can you... um, maybe show me how to get there?" Ahru asked tentatively.

Sehun sighed dramatically, as if guiding her through the mansion was a monumental task.
"I can, but you owe me two bubble teas," he said casually, his playful demand catching Ahru off guard. She thought she might have misheard him, but his mischievous expression confirmed otherwise. Absentmindedly, Ahru nodded her agreement, realizing she had no choice but to comply with Sehun's unusual request.

"I know, I know, I'm weird, but hey, you gotta," Sehun said, raising his eyebrows playfully. Ahru shook her head in amused disbelief. These people were indeed beyond her imagination.

Navigating back to Taehyung's room with Sehun's guidance, Ahru couldn't help but smile at his childishness. She couldn't fathom how someone so friendly and carefree had found himself in the mafia. Her initial impression of him being some kind of pervert had been completely off base.

" Try to remember the route next time. I  can't help you everyday." Sehun said and was about to leave until he remembered " Remember our deal meet me at the cafe nearby after finishing bussiness with him."

Ahru nodded and turned towards the closed door at the floor.

Stopping in front of Taehyung's door, Ahru steeled herself. She knocked several times, but there was no response. Remembering Sehun's assurance that Taehyung often left his door unlocked, Ahru hesitantly turned the cold doorknob.

She made a face while touching it." How many times he had touched this."
Saying this she entered the room, she braced herself to blurt out what was on her mind and leave as quickly as possible.

The room greeted her with silence and emptiness. The sound of a running shower emanated from the bathroom.

Ahru sighed inwardly, deciding to wait or return later. Just as she turned to leave, a sudden, manly scream pierced the air, followed by the sight of a terrified Taehyung clad in a blue bathrobe covered in teddy bear prints. His hairs wet and messy.

Frozen in place, Ahru was taken aback by Taehyung's unexpected reaction. Instead of hostility or irritation at finding her in his room, he seemed genuinely frightened and sought refuge behind her smaller frame.

"Bug! Kill the bug!" Taehyung exclaimed urgently, pushing Ahru toward the bathroom door. She couldn't help but smirk at the sight of the supposed mafia leader cowering from a tiny insect.

"Keep your voice down, it's not going to eat you, Mr. Teddy Bear," Ahru teased under her breath, loud enough for Taehyung to hear
. She sauntered around the room, pretending not to notice his reddening cheeks and discomfort.

Taehyung scowled at her, clearly embarrassed by both his fear of the bug and her mocking demeanor. "Why are you here?" he demanded tersely after Ahru killed the bug and left it in the trash can.

"Ungrateful, aren't we? We're stuck with each other now, courtesy of you," Ahru retorted, glaring at him. "And I did kill that bug, in case you've already forgotten."

Her words seemed to catch Taehyung off guard, rendering him momentarily speechless. His cheeks flushed deeper, and Ahru couldn't help feeling a twinge of satisfaction at having rattled him on their very first meeting.

"It— It..." Taehyung stuttered, clearly flustered.momentally wanting mother Earth to split up and swallow him as he heard the doctor teasing tone.

"Wait in the study room. I'll be back in five minutes," he finally managed to say, almost pushing Ahru out of his room and closing the door behind him .

Inside, he leaned against the door feeling thoroughly embarrassed by the encounter and staring at his reflection in the mirror, contemplating Ahru's words and his own ridiculous state in that teddy bear bathrobe.

He slumped down, feeling the weight of embarrassment and frustration settle heavily upon him. "Why did she have to come here now, of all times? And why on earth did I have to be wearing this ridiculous teddy bear printed bathrobe?" Taehyung muttered bitterly to himself, his face flushed with embarrassment as he glanced down at the cartoonish pattern adorning his robe.

He cursed inwardly, berating himself for the unfortunate timing of Ahru's arrival and the fact that she had witnessed him in such an undignified state. The memory of her amused smirk as she had mocked the bug and then him, however subtly, stung his pride. His mind replayed her words, her teasing tone lingering in the air like a mocking echo.

The incident with the bug had been trivial, yet it had managed to puncture his usually composed demeanor. Sitting there, still clad in the bathrobe, he couldn't shake the feeling of being caught off guard. It was a stark reminder that even someone like him, with all his authority and control, could be reduced to a figure of amusement in a matter of moments.

Frustration and self-consciousness battled within him. He wanted to vanish into thin air, to erase the memory of this embarrassing encounter. Yet, as much as he wished to disappear, the reality of his position as the leader of a mafia family demanded that he regain his composure quickly.

With a resigned sigh, Taehyung finally pushed himself up from his crouched position on the floor. He straightened his shoulders, a determined expression replacing his earlier chagrin. "Why am I letting this bother me?" he muttered, more to himself than to anyone else.

Resolving to put the awkward incident behind him, Taehyung walked over to the mirror, running a hand through his damp hair. He glared at his reflection, momentarily disliking what he saw. But beneath the surface frustration, a flicker of grudging amusement crossed his features. "Next time," he vowed silently, "I'll be better prepared."