Taehyung's heart was racing in his chest and his breathing accelerating with each ring of the phone call. He had to hold his shirt when Eunsook picked up. He barely let out each word with shaky voice.
"I got it... Main role!"
Eunsook gasped through the line before screeching like a chicken, nearly destroying his eardrums but he paid no mind. Lost in his thoughts, he was floating in the clouds, wondering if it was real life.
Eunsook screamed that she was going to go to his place but Taehyung was nearly arriving at hers. Scolding him that he did not give her time to prepare, she ran to the convenience store to get a champagne and her parents were plating him food when he walked in through the door.
"Oh, I'm so proud of you, Tae!" Her mother hugged him tightly and Taehyung felt his emotions rise up to his throat again.
They all gathered around and had a small congratulatory party for him. Taehyung kept denying their praises, saying it was just the beginning and he had a lot to do to prove himself, but the smiles and warm words did not cease until the stars lit up the dark night sky.
Her parents had already retired themselves to their bedroom when Taehyung and Eunsook were watching his previous movies where he played minor roles. Taehyung watched himself and wondered how his future would be from that point on. It was a given that he would have to work even harder as the main lead.
"Eunsook, I'm sorry. I will be busy from now on and... I don't think we can meet up for a while..."
It was silent and he was afraid that she would not like that.
When he turned to look at her, he sighed when he realized she fell asleep. Her head kept nodding sideways and he chuckled at how cute it looked. He wanted to poke her cheek and be mad at her for not watching his movies, but it was so late, so he slipped his arms under her knees and behind her back, holding her waist and lifting her up to place her on her bed.
Her room was filled with canvases spread all over the place. Taehyung gently put her down on the bed and sighed before turning on the cosmos light projector he bought her and then taking a look at her.
He froze.
Under the bright light, her cheeks were stained with tear marks. Taehyung held his breath not knowing what to do. Was she having severe nightmares?
Her chest rose up and down quicker as she whimpered and mumbled.
"Jungkook... Don't leave..."
Taehyung's eyebrows came together in a knot. 'Jungkook? Who's that?'
His phone suddenly vibrated in his pocket, startling him, and he shuffled out of the door to pick it up. "Yeah, mom?"
"Hey, didn't you say you have your first shooting day in the morning?" She sounded worried but mostly angry. "Aren't you coming to rest?! You know what time it is?"
"Mom, I'm not a child," he said, pinching his nose bridge.
After his brief talk, he walked back into Eunsook's bedroom to see her awake and sitting in a daze, staring at nothing. Taehyung slowly approached her, eyeing her in concern.
Eunsook whipped her head towards him and rubbed her eyes. "Sorry, I fell asleep. It's too late for you to go back, right? Why don't you just stay the night? I'll prepare you a bed in the living room."
"Nah, it's fine. I'll drive back. I have to shower and prepare some things for tomorrow."
"You mean today?" She joked, snorting, which felt like a whiplash to Taehyung. "Ok then. Safe driving and good luck, Tae."
"Then give me good luck money."
She slapped his arm and cackled when he hissed. "That's my good luck."
It seemed he really needed a good luck. The day he set foot on the set the first time, his eyes flitted everywhere in the bustling crowds of film crews and his nervousness was swallowing him up. More than anything, the burden to act his best was weighing him down and throwing his mind into chaos. Still, people were busy with their own works to notice him or his nervousness.
Taehyung came face to face with his co-lead, the female lead who was a renowned actress in the field which further added to the burden. But surprisingly, the moment their eyes met, he somehow felt a little antagonistic, not liking her off the bat when she did nothing.
"H-Hello, I'm Kim Taehyung, the male lead for this project." He cursed himself for stuttering in front of her. He did not want to seem weak.
"Taehyung, oh here you are!" Eunsook suddenly appeared beside him and bowed to the actress, handing her a takeout coffee. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Choi Jieun. Please take care of Taehyung."
"What, what are you doing here?" Taehyung gawked at her.
"We're giving out drinks and pizza," his manager said, passing them by.
Jieun smiled at them, feeling a little mischievous. "I'll take care of him well. Sorry in advance for stealing your boyfriend for the couple scenes."
Eunsook widened her eyes, mouth gaping. "Oh- W-We're not..."
Taehyung took note of her feeling uncomfortable and aversion towards Jieun intensified. "Please don't misunderstand. We're good friends."
"Sorry," Jieun chuckled and eyed him. "Why do I feel like we've met before though?"
His eyes popped out, suddenly feeling self-conscious. "Maybe you've seen me act minor roles..."
She hummed, tilting her head. "I don't think so. I'm not someone who pays attention to something like that."
He furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. "What?"
"I'm just being honest," she laughed, walking away. "I don't have time for such things you see. I wouldn't pay attention to those is what I mean."
Although he was put off by what she said, he could fully understand. 'Of course. She's a top actress, always working.' He was having a truly blessed opportunity to star as the male lead alongside such high ranking actress, and he reminded himself to not antagonize her which would prove difficult the more he interacted with her unbeknownst to him.
Similar fates were waiting for Eunsook who was standing there, processing everything, while Temperance was acting out of line once again. Soon there would be more incidents as she just made certain universities merge.
When asked about it, she only replied that it was economically efficient for both universities.
Because of this, Eunsook ran into Jungkook at her university and was pleasantly surprised when they learned that they would now be in the same university. She was then introduced to Jimin who quickly warmed up to her as if they knew each other for a long time.
Taehyung would sometimes come to the university once in a while, and him and Eunsook would turn heads whether in the hallway or the classrooms. As the social butterfly, Jimin approached and befriended Taehyung after hearing the rumors of a famous new student in the drama department due to the university merge. He wasted no time complimenting him for his acting in movies and asking him to be in the talent show. Although busy, Taehyung could not decline the request of a new friend.
These four had no trouble becoming close with each other due to the unfamiliar familiarity between them. Still, if they knew why, would they have made these connections again?
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Happy new year, lovelies 🫶🫶
Dropping a chapter because I had free time, hope you enjoy 😘🥰