Prince Pauper || KTH

38. Until We Meet Again

She didn't want her shattered heart to fracture far worse than she already was.

"I-I'm sorry, Taehyung." Halmeoni apologized as she gripped onto the doorknob.

"It's okay, Halmeoni." He smiled softly to cover the aching feeling on his body. He didn't want to cry in front of the old lady. "Thank you so much. Thank you for everything."

Her mouth curled with sympathy as she said, "I wish you the best. Don't forget your time in Imuwa."

The prince nodded in agreement, "I won't." He'll never forget it.

Once she closed the front door, he still wasn't giving up. He needed her to at least listen to him.

He headed to the side of the house where her window was. It was next to her neighbor's chicken coop as he heard irritating clunking from the haggard fence over.

As he went closer to her window, he heard her crying. He couldn't see in since her blinds covered the sight. But she was probably curled in her bed holding a plushie to comfort and hold her fragile form. That very image saddened him.

"Sweetheart?" He called out gently.

Her ears flickered at his baritone soothing voice. She laid on her bed in a fetal position as she clings onto her plushie. She heard him again and noticed it was coming from her window.

Oh, how she wanted to open them but she refused to see his face. It'll be detrimental to her current emotional state. But she did scoot closer to the window to hear him one last time.

He heard her shifting so he knew that he heard her. He stood in front and knocked on the glass. "Sweetheart, please talk to me."

He met with silence as he predicted. But hopefully, she'll listen. She'll listen to what he needs to say. "I'm sorry that I hurt you. I'm sorry I called you that. I just—I didn't wa—"

He couldn't put it into words without expressing his true thoughts of her. He regretted saying it. He didn't want to remind her of her label. It was difficult for him to work his way around it and apologize.

But just apologizing won't help. Working his way around his mistake wasn't gonna get any better, it won't help him improve. Guilt and shame are not productive ways to deal with this. He shouldn't regret what he said because that's what he felt and it was valid.

He must use this opportunity to better how he can handle his problem. He had to be proactive and do it. Be a responsible adult. Own up to your actions, Taehyung. Don't blame others, don't make up excuses for your own fault.

Taehyung sighed and revealed, "Yes, I think of you as the poor girl." Him saying that again made her cry silently into her plushie. "Penny, it's almost inevitable for someone who loves and cares about you to not know about your past."

"I don't pity you. But I do feel sorry because it hurts knowing how the person that I love went through all of that. I know I hurt you and never wanted that to happen. I don't want to see you hurt. I never want you hurt."

Streaks of tears ran down his face at his confession. It pained him that Penny went through all that shit she didn't deserve. It's as if what she felt, he felt too. He truly wanted to protect her, not as pity, but protect the girl he loves dearly.

"It sucks, you know? That you're called poor girl. Being labeled sucks, okay? I get it! I understand! I get fucking called Princess and spoiled brat all the time but I don't let it get to me. I've grown to deal with it."

The sad wet-faced Penny listened to his rant as she tucked her knees into her chest.

Fury replaced his sorrow in a matter of minutes. "You can call me fucktard, an asshole, a dick, anything. I'll be okay with it." He shook his head as he waved his hands around for dramatic emphasis. Then he recalled a memory from the first months in Imuwa.