TASTE | KTH

whatever

"Joon hyung, I think I narrowed it down." Taehyung says with conviction. Namjoon's eyes light up in excitement for his friend.

"Really? That was fast." He says, and it's true. Taehyung didn't expect that the tip line would work so soon, but last night, as Taehyung paced his apartment, yearning to be at the phones at the station as the clock approached the usual time, he tasted nothing. He didn't taste blood at all. In fact, he tasted apples. Cool, crisp and sweet, worlds away from the metallic bitterness of blood. And he felt tears accumulate in his eyes, smile uncontrollable. His soulmate was okay. He had saved them. "It's only been two days."

"I know, but I didn't taste blood last night. After almost two weeks of tasting it every night, that's a big deal. We have a list of ten women who called the number and had police summoned to their house two nights ago, and at five of those, the abuser was arrested." He explains.

"Meaning you think one of those five women is your soulmate." Namjoon connects the dots, and Taehyung grins, nodding quickly, curly dark locks bouncing with his enthusiasm.

"Yes. I think so." He says sincerely, and Namjoon nods.

"So, what are you gonna do?" Namjoon asks, and Taehyung shrugs.

"I mean, I have names of these women. I could go to them, but that's kind of stalker-ish." He says thoughtfully,
and Namjoon chuckles.

"I suppose you wait?" He suggests, but Taehyung frowns.

"I don't want to wait any longer, hyung...after all she's been through, I'm ready to just...hold her." Taehyung sighs softly, and Namjoon can see the genuine care in his eyes. "Never let anyone hurt her again." He says quietly.

"Well...they have to come in for interviews, I think. The city is only funding the tip line if it gets positive reviews from the public. You could help Yeri interview them." Namjoon says, and Taehyung's eyes light up.

"That's perfect." He says nearly exploding with excitement. Namjoon smiles a bit, but Taehyung can sees the apprehension in his eyes. Taehyung knows Namjoon is breaking the rules for him, but he needs to know if he really found his soulmate. "Just until these five interviews are up, Joon. Then I'm out of your hair." He says, and Namjoon nods, sighing a bit.

"Okay. But until then you don't get on the phones alone, okay? Yura stays on shifts with you." He says, and Taehyung nods. He was beginning to get Yura to warm up to him anyway.

"Thank you, Joon." He says sincerely, and Namjoon nods.

"You're welcome. Now, the first interview is in half an hour, you can go debrief with Yura." He instructs, back in his unit supervisor mode and our of his friend mode.

"Yessir." Taehyung nods, playfully saluting the man before exiting his office. He makes his way to the room where he and Yura have the phones set up. He sees her through the window, and she's writing in a notebook. Her hair falls nicely around her face, framing her high cheekbones and soft jawline. She's concentrated, which is evident in the crease between her eyebrows and her bottom lip tucked gently between her teeth. She's gorgeous. When she isn't
so reserved and formal, she's beautiful, and the fact that she clearly has no idea makes her even more so to Taehyung. The sight of her brings a little smile to his face.

When he enters the room, Yura glances up at him. She raises her eyebrows, sensing his demeanor. "Someone's in a good mood this morning." She says, and Taehyung laughs a little.

"What can I say? I got my eight hours." He grins, and Yura manages a tight lipped smile. Apart from their coffee outing, he has never seen the girl genuinely happy. Taehyung decides then and there that on his list of priorities, making Yura truly smile is right behind finding his soulmate. "Whatcha writing?" He asks, approaching her chair and standing behind her. He leans down to look at her paper, and she flinches again, just like she did at the coffee shop. She tries to play it off, but Taehyung notices. "Yura, are you—"

"I'm just writing notes for the interview. Questions to ask and stuff." She cuts him off before standing up abruptly, quick to put as much distance between him and herself as possible. Confused and mildly concerned, he opens his mouth to ask again, but Yura clearly doesn't want to address it, because she speaks again. "Come on, the woman we're talking to today will be here soon." She says, and before he can process, she's out the door.

Yura inwardly curses herself for letting her reflexes take over like that. Taehyung is such a seemingly gentle, kind man, and he would never hurt her. The rational part of her knows that. But, the irrational part, the part that takes over when there are fists striking her skin, doesn't. And that's what part is currently dominating the forefront of her thoughts. She didn't go home last night, didn't see him, and it was like a dream come true. She was finally away from him, finally slept a few hours without nightmares, finally made it through a day without new bruises forming. Apart from a constant headache she had had, last night was perfect.

But then she thought about what might happen when she does have to go home, when she does have to see him. And the thought of that is terrifying.

Taehyung has to jog a bit to catch up with her, but he does so quickly. Yura sighs, trying her best to remove those thoughts from her mind, at least for the interview. She can see the worry in Taehyung's pretty eyes, but she ignores it.

"Yura, please." Taehyung stops her by jogging a bit ahead of her and blocking her path. She can tell he's making a conscious effort not to touch her. "What's wrong?" He asks, and Yura sighs heavily, crossing her arms over her chest. "You flinch every time I go near you, did I do something wrong?"

No. Yura wants to say. No, you didn't. You didn't do anything wrong. You're kind and compassionate. You're empathetic and selfless. You're the only man I've ever met who's any of those things. People like you are the only reason I have hope I might make it out of this living hell alive.

But she doesn't. She can't. So she says,

"Maybe because I don't want you near me. Ever heard of personal space?" She snaps, and she watches the hurt that forms on Taehyung's face. "We're coworkers, not friends. Now let's get this interview over with." She states, and Taehyung nods, speechless for a moment.

"Okay. I'm sorry I made you feel uncomfortable." He says, and Yura feels her heart contract. He's the last person that should feel sorry about anything. The emotional conflict she feels only makes the pounding in her head intensify.

"Let's go." She brushes him off, walking around him to the interview room.

"Yura, I really am sorry." He says, clearly not planning on giving up until she accepts his apology.

"It's whatever." She says softly, and he can tell from her tone of voice that she doesn't mean it.

Yura knows she doesn't mean it, too. But maybe if she tells herself enough, it will be.

hi this is a lil baby filler but expect more next week!!!