Wind howled outside the windows, setting the curtains on a flailing frenzy. The lady stirred in her sleep, pulling her blanket closer for warmth. Despite her tired body, sleep was starting to trouble her these days and she suspected them to be signs of an oncoming old-age.
Just about then, she heard a small whisper by the side of her bed. "Grandma...?" Said the little voice. The lady's eyes fluttered open, initially of shock at the boy's voice.
"Is everything alright?"
"Grandma... I- I can't sleep..." Whispered the child.
The lady let out a tired breath. "Why not?"
The little boy looked troubled saying this out loud as if he was ashamed of admitting it. "I am scared." He said in an even more low of a whisper, lest someone one else heard it despite the fact that they were both alone.
"Do you want to sleep with me?" She asked making enough space for his small figure. He nodded enthusiastically and snuggled next to her, he could finally breathe better.
"What scares you, little one?"
He seemed to be lost in thought at that question. Taking a few hard seconds, he hesitantly replied "Darkness?"
"You don't seem so sure."
"I... I don't know."
"I see." The lady remained quiet for a while, selecting the right words that would ease up the child's innocent mind.
"Why don't you see it this way..." She started. "It's not that you don't know what you're afraid of; you're just afraid of what you don't understand." This had made sense in her head but now that she said it out loud, it made no sense. If it made no sense to her, how could it make sense to a ten year old?
She chuckled at the boy's perplexed face. "Darkness scares us because we are unaware of our surroundings, because it makes our sense of sight render useless. We feel more reassured in the day because the light helps us see and we know our surroundings better."
To the woman's surprise, the child nodded his head. "That makes sense, I never thought of it that way. So if I had superpowers to look in the dark... that would be nice... I won't be scared anymore. I should eat more carrots." Mused the innocent kid.
The lady laughed to herself before caressing the child's soft hair. "Go to sleep now, Taehyung. You have wake up early for school."
Amidst his lazy groans and complaints, she felt herself drifting off to sleep much easier than before.
***
Kira knew that she was definitely running late. She glanced at her watch for over the hundredth time as she typed in the last few words of the mail. Sending it hastily, she shut the laptop with all her might and ran to get her coat. Since it was a Friday night, she decided to stop by Taehyung's room to say goodbye. She knocked on the door before pushing it open slowly to find him sitting unnaturally still.
"Hey Tae, everything alright?" She asked cautiously.
For a moment, his eyes looked different. It looked broken as if all the life was sucked out of him. But before she knew it, it was gone, replaced with his casual smirk.
"I am now." He said cheekily, getting up from his seat. He waltzed his way towards her and Kira started getting suspicious. He smoothly pulled her close and pecked her lips.
"Ookay, so I can go now?" Kira asked, playfully ruffling his hair.
"Wait, you're going already? We've got urgent matter here."
"What urgent matter, I just finished sending out the last mail to India."
"Not that. My urgent matter is..." He trailed off, moving his lips close to her ear to whisper "You."
Kira chuckled at his sudden outburst of affection. "As sweet as whatever this is, I really have to go. I am sorry."
"Can't you stay for me?" he whined like a little kid.
"Na uh, nope I am not falling for that face again, Kim Taehyung." She said and turned around. Before she could take much steps, he tugged her arm, pulling her back towards him.
"Ohh-kay, we're still doing this." Kira said, as he smiled cheekily as her.
"You'll stay with me, won't you, Minjee.....?"
Kira sighed and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Tae, you know I can't. Come on; don't make me feel bad. It's just for tonight. How about we go on a date night tomorrow?"
"Fine, alright." He said pouting. "Where are you going, anyway?"
"I am going to Namjoon's place. He almost killed me when I cancelled on him last week."
All of a sudden, the air in the room seemed to get tense. His cheeky smile turned cold and hands that held her warmly dropped to his side instantaneously. "Namjoon hyung?"
Kira wasn't sure what was going on and she tilted her head. "Hm?"
"You're choosing him over me? Don't hang out with him tonight." He said monotonously.
Kira looked at him for a while and burst out laughing. "Nice try, Tae. If you think you got me there, you're so-"
"I am serious."
"Oooh I am serious." Kira said, imitating him.
It's when he pushed her away that Kira started to doubt it might be past a silly show.
"What's wrong?" She was genuinely concerned now.
"Nothing is wrong with me. I just don't want you hanging out with random guys at night."
"Random-ha!" Kira let out an exasperated laugh. "Taehyung, he's my friend. Heck, he's your friend too."
"You used to date him!" He pointed out.
"So? We don't anymore and suddenly I can't hang out with him?" A part of her was trying hard to comprehend the abrupt confusing change of situation and a part of her was utterly furious.
"You've been with him an awful lot lately and I am bothered."
"Where is this pettiness coming from? What happened to you?"
"If I didn't know better I'd say he still has feelings for you." Kira couldn't help but notice the intentional evasion of her question. Something was definitely not right. She knew him enough to know that this was an outburst of something else that has shaken him. Despite all of it, she couldn't stop herself from raging back.
"Taehyung, do you not trust us?"
"I-"
"Do you not trust me?"
"I don't even know anymore!"
Whatever it was that she wanted to say seemed to be stuck in her throat.
"Park Minjee, you're going to die. You're-" Namjoon's familiar voice reached her from the door. Her eyes were trained on Taehyung's who was looking right back at her.
"I uh, I'll wait downstairs. Or maybe we could meet later... it doesn't feel like a good time." Namjoon said hesitantly, slowly backing away from the intense staring contest.
"No Namjoon, I am done here." Kira said, not taking her eyes off of Taehyung. "Talk to me when you've sorted yourself out." She said calmly before walking away.
***
"Yes mom, I am eating healthy." Kira sighed, throwing in a few packets of ramen made purely out of chemicals into the cart.
"I don't know, I'll have to check my schedule for that but I'll let you know soon." She waited for the huge list of do's and don'ts to end (for over the hundredth time) knowing all too well that mothers are always protective. "Okay mom, I looove you." She smiled, singing the word 'love' for as long as possible. "Bye."
Kira scowled at the huge list of grocery in her hand and started speed walking through the aisles, throwing in random goods. She was so engrossed in it that she almost knocked into one of the employees.
"I am so sorry, are you alright?" She asked, bowing in apology.
"I am okay, Ma'am. Is there anything I can help you with- oh my, it's you."
"Oh no, I am good." Kira said, smiling back at the man. Being the 'owner', she was used to them being nervous around her and she wanted to make the guy feel comfortable.
"Do you remember me?"
Kira took a closer look at the man. He seemed familiar but her brain just couldn't remember where. Seeing that she was clearly struggling, the man chuckled.
"We met a few months ago... on the streets and uh; you said I could start new and find a job here." He was averting all eye contacts with her.
It took a while for Kira to process as she put all the pieces together. When it did, Kira abstained herself from yelling "Hell yeah! You're the dude with the knife!" and instead went with "Oh yes! I remember now." Mentally, she did a double take. The man she met a few months ago had completely transformed. Dressed in a decent salesman outfit, he looked more at ease and void of anxiety.
"I took your word and I got a job here. I am really thankful for that." He said with a smile that reached his eyes.
Kira couldn't help but break into a genuine huge grin. "I am glad you did." She ended up talking with the man for a little more while. Funny, how good he was at conversations when he didn't hold a knife at her throat.
She excused herself when her phone buzzed in her pocket. She took a deep breath and braced herself for whatever it is that he had to say.
"Hello?"
Silence.
"Hello?"
More silence.
Before she could repeat again, she heard him breathe hard. "Minjee." His voice was different. So different that she doubted if it was really him.
"Taehyung, is everything alright?"
"No. It isn't. I- I don't know what to do..." Silence. A few seconds later, she heard him sob softly.
"Whoa. Tae, what's wrong?"
She didn't hear him reply. Instead, all she heard was his muffled sobs. Kira was extremely alarmed and she felt like her thought process went on a complete standstill.
"Are you home?" She asked softly.
"Yes." He managed to say.
That was all it took for her to abandon her nearly completed shopping cart. She tapped the phone shut and ran out for a cab. She jabbed the pin number in a hurry and got it all messed up. She stopped and took a deep breath. She reminded herself that her being calm is the only thing that would help him. She tried the pin again and quietly pushed the door open.
Her legs took her automatically to his room. The door was slightly ajar and the huge house was eerily silent. She slightly pushed the door open and looked around at the unlikely mess of his room. It clearly looked like the work of rage and softy walked around the room, searching for the source of storm.
Her eyes finally fell upon a curled up figure in the corner of the room. He sat with his head buried in his knees, his hunched figure shaking lightly. She sighed deeply before kneeling down next to him.
"Taehyung-ah..."
It took him a long while to look at her, but when he did, it completely shattered her. His hair was dishevelled; his nose red, his cheeks were stained with tear streaks and his eyes looked utterly broken. She knew better than to talk. She sat close to him silently, allowing him to take his own time to settle down.
He spoke with difficulty, his breath interfering unnaturally. She learned that his Grandmother was critically ill, he didn't mention the details but she knew enough to know that it was bad. Kira had heard stories of his grandmother before and she knew that he was more close to her than his own parents. But she had no idea about her current whereabouts until now. Taehyung had only talked about her past that Kira had ignored the possibility of her still being alive and healthy.
When he left for college, he had found it hard to live without her. He would call her every day, talking about his day like how he usually did. But as time went by, he found it easier living on his own. Taking up the burden of a company at a young age had initially cut him off the luxury of time. And slowly, he started drifting away. He'd think about going back to see her but he felt like he was no longer the boy she used to know, that he was too broken for her to even recognise him anymore.
"I hate myself." He said clenching his fist. "I let her down. I deserve this." He said, tears rolling down his cheeks. Instinctively, her hands reached out to cup his cheeks, desperately trying to catch the falling tears in vain.
"Tae, you can still meet her. It's not too late."
He shook his head stubbornly. "I can wear different faces with different people but her? She knows me too well. She sees right through me. She's the only one I cannot bear lying to. She'd hate me if she saw me now. I want her to remember the old me, the one she loved. I'll keep this with myself."
"What are you talking about? Why would she hate you?"
"I hurt people. I let her down. This is not what she raised me to be. She would be so disappointed."
"I don't think so." Kira tried. "You said it yourself. She knows you too well. She'll understand."
Kira sighed deeply. A part of her cursed herself for not knowing about this intense hatred that he had buried himself in. At times like these, she wished she had a special superpower: the power of comforting others.
"Tae, look. Everyone goes through phases in life that are unpleasant and not everyone is proud of it. But you still have time to change. You still have time to make everything right again. Don't let your past define you and work for a better you. Become the Taehyung your grandmother raised you to be."
He looked away, contemplating her words within himself. It took a lot more to convince him but the determination on his face was enough to let Kira know that he had taken a decision.
***
Kira twisted the key before pulling it out. They were parked in the parking lot of the hospital and she slowly unbuckled her seatbelt. She looked over at Taehyung and noticed the nervousness in his posture. His hand fidgeted uneasily with a bouquet of flowers.
"Ready?"
All the time that she's been around him, she had barely ever saw him being nervous. The guy who seemed unbothered at the most difficult of times couldn't even hear her from being nervous.
"Taehyung."
"Y-yeah?"
"We're here." She pointed out. She was about to push open her door when he stopped her.
"Minjee, the other day... about Namjoon... I didn't really mean it. I mean, I think he still likes you but I obviously trust you so..."
"I know." Kira smiled. "Don't worry about it."
Kira tried opening the door and he stopped her yet again.
"Are you sure you're cool with it? I mean shouldn't we talk it out?"
It was pretty clear that he was trying to stall the time and Kira raised her eyebrow.
"Tae, do you not want to do this? I mean, do you need more time?"
"No no, of course not."
"So... let's go?"
"I think so, I don't know. Wait, what do I tell her? Will she even recognise me? What if she doesn't remember me? What if-"
"Tae...Tae, Relax."
"Yeah I should do that."
They stood outside the car. He looked at her uneasily and took a deep breath. She stretched her hand out to him and he took it gladly.
"Ready?"
He nodded his head in a reply and they walked silently, hand in hand.