The Painting || BTS TAEHYUNG

Chapter 36: Daegu

The game of love started unintentionally,
we got rid of the cards one after the other until the chase of the King has began.
Neither of us framed the rules of time and destiny, neither of us smelled the scent of losing nor winning, we had no control over the path we were following, we were just players caught in the game of love and time.

How did we play it ?

When Junho ran towards me and I immediately wrapped my arms around his petite body, hugged him firmly and let the sweet and innocent scent of my little brother fill my nose and caressed his messy hair from staying awake all night until his sister would arrive home.

"Noona were you in pain ?" He asked me while he played with my hair with his little fingers and glanced into my eyes with a worried expression on his face which made my heart melt.

"Now that you hugged me I healed" I broke the hug and cupped his little face with both of my hands, his doe eyes were staring worried at me before he started pouting.

"Noona stop lying, you're crying!" I gulped and before he started crying my mother entered the hallway and my heart sank.

"Eomma..?" I whispered, almost not believing my own eyes.

I had sleepless nights fighting with myself and breaking down at the thought of living without my family, at one point I thought that I will never see them again, I tried to gulp down the urge and the void of them in order to stay with my love, but now I realized how much I really missed them and needed them in my life.

I ran into her arms and hugged her as if my life was depending on it.

"Oh my little baby, what has happened that you give us with so much love today?" She asked while stroking my hair.

"Nothing Eomma...just like that" I shut my eyes and pressed my lips together.

My hand was shaking when I placed it on the cold doorknob of my room I left weeks ago, after taking in a deep breath I nodded to myself and pushed it down to step inside. I frown when my eyes traveled the room I grew up in but why did it feel so different? Why did the scent of my room smell so unfamiliar although I spent most of the time of my life inside this room?

Why does my bed which always felt like the coziest bed in the whole wide world doesn't look comfortable anymore ? Why does it feel like something is missing in here ?
Why does the windows look so small when I always thought they were the widest ?

I closed the door behind me and walked towards my dressing table exactly how I had it in my mind before leaving 2019.

When I sat on the little chair in front of my dressing table I didn't dare to open my eyes and look into the mirror in front of me.

Who would I see ?

The girl I was before traveling in time ?

Or the girl who is madly in love with someone she can't have ?

Who would it be ?

I slowly lifted my eyes, I almost let out a wince when I met my own reflection while the tears started building up inside my eyes.

He was there

His traces were all over me

I breathed out and lifted my hand to touch the mirror where my own reflection was looking at me, trying to catch my own tears the way he used to do it, the way his eyes darkened before they slowly softened and filled me with his warmth which I could still positively feel gleaming on my skin.