Taehyung waited inside the hotel shuttle van. He gripped at the arms of his jacket, it wasn't even that cold but knowing the situation that he is in, he cannot help but feel that the temperature inside the van is dropping exponentially. Amidst his better judgement he decided to step outside of the van and waited beside the hotel employee who held a sign that said 'Bae Joohyun'.
Taehyung looked at the sign and asked the man for a marker.
"Did we get the spelling wrong, Sir?"
"No. I just ah... I wanted to add a little something." Taehyung replied as he drew a huge heart-shaped creature with arms and legs.
The employee eyed him a few times but did not say anything.
Just then a few cheers and shouts were heard from the arrival area and a few of Joohyun's ardent fans who waited for her arrival scurried to the place where they can at least glimpse of the beauty that she is.
Most of Joohyun's fans were female. She did not mean to give off a charismatic, standoffish image towards her male fans but apparently that's what they thought, and that earned her the nickname "man-hater". It was however, more of the projects that she usually agreed to do that she has attracted a loyal following of females. Even mothers of all Korea liked her and was voted first as "The Female Model/Actress That Ahjummas ask their Bachelor Sons to Marry".
So Joohyun removed her masked and waved at the bevy of fans that waited for her arrival. Her road managers were close beside her, however, rarely does it happen that pushing or invasion of private space happened to Joohyun, it was one of the characteristics of her fans that she liked and she attracted.
Alike people attract each other.
She was a person who enjoyed her private life and was the type of person who would constantly think, "There's always a nicer way to say things." She was always considerate but had a strange aura around her when she's doing projects that relate to her advocacy, that includes: body positivity, the youth, and education.
Taehyung caught a glimpse of the petite figure that walked across the tiled floor of the airport. He felt his hands get clammy, his heart beat a little faster, but he can't help but smile to himself,
It's been two years and seeing her still feels like this?
So instead of a forced smile that he expected to give her, he had on a goofy smile on his face - goofy but warm. His eyes crinkled on the side and the apples of his cheeks were incredibly high.
If Joohyun hadn't known any better she would have thought that Taehyung was a granfather seeing his granddaughter as she visited him after a long while. And she can't help but smile at him. There were no hard feelings when they broke up, at least after a year of the break up. They each admired the other from afar. They admired each other's aspirations and dreams.
And for a while both were satisfied to be in that relationship.
"Hey." She waved at the people waiting outside the van.
Joohyun made her way towards the van and greeted the employee who held the sign and nodded to Taehyung.
"That's cute." Pointing at the doodle on the paper. "Can I have it? You know, as a keepsake."
The employee couldn't do anything but nod and immediately handed the paper to her.
"Joohyun." Taehyung said, almost a whisper.
The female caught that and looked back at him. "Hey. Oh no, I'm sorry that you have to be the one to come here." She said as she put both hands together like in a praying position.
"My manager called Ms. Katy but she was so out off it. We were not able to understand half of what she said."
"It's fine. No worries. I was uh- not yet sleeping it's fine. It's fine. Don't worry. I said that already. I mean it's fine really..."
Joohyun laughed at him and nodded.
He missed hearing her laugh. And him making her laugh.
"Ehem." Her road manager, a man in his early 30's, voiced out. "Can we," he said pointing to the woman beside him who is Joohyun's other manager, "Can we go in now?"
"Aaah. I'm sorry to keep you out in the cold. Yes yes. Let's." Taehyung, who was flustered, opened the van door and the managers slipped in at the back, while the two remained in the middle seat just behind the driver.
It was almost a silent journey back to the hotel, except from the snores of the manager.
Taehyung decided to break the silence by having small talk with Joohyun, which his businessman persona nudged him to do.
"How was the flight?"
"Went pretty smoothly. I had a tight schedule today so I was knocked down once I sat on my seat."
"I see."
WTF. Kim Taehyung. That's all? You're going to stop there? That's all the tact that you have? Shame.
It's a good thing then that Joohyun knows the right things to say.
"How was the shoot so far?"
"It's good."
"Wow. Well, I demand that you answer me with more than two words."
"I'm sorry."
Joohyun held up two fingers indicating that the man had given her merely two words again.
"I'm sorry Joohyun about everything. And I'm really happy to be working with you again."
"Were you really? And stop apologizing every time we meet." The woman huffed recounting the times they have met at events and all the guy did was apologize and disappear from her sight.
"Understood. Sor...er I mean okay. The shoot was great. The models that we got were all great. I'm sure you'll love them."
"I know. That's why I accepted this offer." Joohyun smirked and eyed him on the side.
Taehyung sat there, one eyebrow raised until it all clicked on his brain, "Was it... It's you?"
Joohyun chuckled at the man's expression. She's not about to tell him that she had a meeting with upper management to change the concept of the shoot, and she's not about to tell him that she had to leverage - her term for bargaining - her influence so that she made it clear that she'll do the shoot only if Taehyung does it.
No. She not going to say those things because it'll scare off the photographer who sat beside her, mouth agape.
▪▪▪○▪▪▪
"This is you." Taehyung pointed at the door to Joohyun's hotel room and gave her the card key. "The two managers are at the rooms at the end of the hallway."
"Thank you Taehyung, really." She said while swiping her card door. It opened with a click and she looked back at Taehyung her back on the door.
"Have a good night's sleep."
"Hyun-ah."
There it is, that nickname, it does things to Joohyun's stomach and for a second she swore that she almost flung herself to him.
"Thank you for being so cool about us. I hope to take really nice pictures of you tomorrow." He said and extended an arm to her which she took immediately before saying, "Sure. I look forward to that."
Joohyun closed the door abruptly and with a soft thud fell on the floor with hands on her head, "I don't want to be cool."
On the other hand, Taehyung walked back to his room, a few doors from hers and rubbed both hands on his face. Ruminating through the other things he could have said.
'He might catch feelings again' that's what he wanted to believe, but the truth is, it has always been there.
"No. Stop. Not cool."