AMIN
He hated his asthma.
"I want to pretend like I don't have it." He says, head tilting to the floor. "Because it made you leave. And it made me different from everyone."
I stay silent.
"I was so happy when it didn't show up for the past five years." Taehyung says, holding my hand. "But then it started to show again, these last couple of weeks."
His hand trembles. He shifts it behind his back, when I've already seen it anyway.
"You don't have to say anything more." I say quietly, wrapping an arm around his shoulders. "I understand."
So he was scared.
He'd been terrified, every time I would mention his asthma or an inhaler. But it didn't change the fact that he still had the condition.
I breathe.
"Taehyung."
"Then I need to tell you something."
I tell him about that night. The reason why I'd been in his house, and the inhaler sitting in his kitchen drawer.
"Keep it— or throw it out." I murmur to his frozen figure. "It's your choice."
"You...brought me an inhaler?"
I nod, confused when he groans into his hands.
"I was so mean to you that day. I told you to leave, and I...I'm sorry, Noona."
And I'm about to tell him that I don't blame him. Even I'd be angry if I found him coming out of my apartment, when I'd never let him in.
But then I look up at the sound of a dull crash, and a short burst of laughter.
Shilla?
Taehyung peeks over my head when I push open the door and hurry out to the living room. Jungkook is on the floor, trying to get up with the blanket tangled around his legs.
He looks disoriented, and I see Shilla on the other side.
She's turned her head to the side, entire body shaking with suppressed laughter.
"Amin!" She hiccups, her lips still stretched in a wide smile. "Did you sleep well? Oh, you too— Mr. Kim."
"Min Shilla."
Jungkook looks more pissed than usual as he gets to his feet, blanket fisted tightly in his paled hands. And my friend's smile slowly dissipates when his furious glare turns to her.
"I think, uh, we need to get going." She laughs awkwardly, reaching for my sleeve.
Taehyung's hand tightens on mine for a second, before it loosens quickly. It's like he's realized, that Shilla doesn't really know.
"Yes." I say, pressing down a smile when I see Taehyung's lips purse together in a frown.
"I'll see you at work, Mr. Kim."
And the moment we're out of the door, Shilla grips my arm. She's wriggling her eyebrows.
"Amin, I know about you and Mr. Kim."
I laugh.
"I'm surprised you didn't say anything up until now." I say, continuing to walk. Shilla easily follows my pace, still grinning.
"Did you kiss yet?"
"Yes."
"So you're dating him!" She exclaims, and I hesitate a little before shaking my head.
"No."
"Wait, what?" Her mouth twists into a confused frown. "I thought you would be, for a hundred percent. I heard him calling you Noona, Amin. Noona."
"And he always looks at you this way, when you're not looking at him."
I breathe, my pulse getting a little faster.
"We're close."
"Close, huh." She blinks, and I pause. "So is it like a big close or a small close? Oh wait— you've kissed him. Never mind, it's a big close."
My fingertips turn warmer. Then I remember Shilla, and Jungkook. Did she have any idea yet? That he found interest in her?
"Shilla, what about your leader?"
"Leader?" She asks, and I motion back at the way we'd just come from. I'm trying to hide the curve of my lips.
"Jeon Jungkook. He cares about you."
"Him?" She says incredulously. But I don't miss the slight blush in her cheeks, when she whips around to face me.
"Amin, he hates me. You just saw!"
So she has no idea.
I laugh— because it's just so like her. She'd never been the one to catch onto things quick, with me always reminding her and telling what to do.
"Maybe."
"Now you're just being vague." She crosses her arms, blinking. "How do you know that he—"
Then she suddenly whips around.
"Shilla?"
Her eyes are intense, fixed onto the corner of the street we'd just come from. And she stares for a long second, before turning back again.
"Sorry. I thought...I thought I heard something, that's all."
I raise an eyebrow, my eyes flickering to where she'd been looking at. Nothing's there, but my expression still creases to a frown.
I turn to Shilla.
"Are you coming over?"
"I can't." She sighs, handing me her phone. When I look confused, she bends to fix her shoes. "I have to finish some work. Don't you think it's so stupid?"
She grumbles. "Apparently bodyguards need to study too."
I smile. "Of course. Just because you're a guard doesn't mean you do physical things all the time."
Then I tap at the jacket she's wearing, still holding her phone for her.
"This isn't yours."
Shilla freezes. Then she looks down at the dark, oversized jacket around her shoulders, expression completely blanked out.
"I— I didn't even realize. What in the world? Whose is this?"
Jungkook's, probably.
And when I tell her that, she curses loudly and starts to run back the way we'd come. She waves at me to go first, and I pass her phone right before she forgets.
"Thanks Amin! I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"
Her figure soon disappears down the street, towards Taehyung's apartment again.
And my eyes narrow.
"What do you want?"
Cold laughter sounds behind the dark spot, around the corner of a store. And she finally reveals herself.
Taehyung's stalker.
"You knew about me?" She asks, and I force myself to stare back at her calmly. She's beautiful— tall, with tight clothes hugging her curves.
Disgust flickers through my gaze.
"Yes. What do you want with me?"
Her mascara-lined eyes curve into crescents. And I can see why Taehyung is so terrified of her.
Her voice turns to venom.
"I just wanted to confirm something. Do you know a man named Kim Taehyung?"
"Of course." My tone is icy. "He's my boyfriend. How do you know him?"
Her eyes widen a little. But then it slits down to sharp lines, dark against the rest of her features.
"Don't lie."
"I could kiss him again, in front of you if you'd like." I hiss back, memorizing everything about her. So this was the woman who'd been messing with my Taehyung.
Her lips curl, before giving me a fleeting look.
"You're not worth half of him."
My jaw flexes. But my expression soon turns amused, because I just knew these types of girls too well.
"He's still mine, isn't he."
At that, her cheeks flush in anger. And I think I've put her in her place when her lips slash into a devilish smile.
"I think you should know something."
"Whatever you might be doing with him, it's not his first."
I freeze.
What?
"I remember he'd liked it too." She smirks. And I don't notice her hand, raising to hit me because I'm so distracted.
It can't be. She was lying, wasn't she?
Then her high-pitched scream makes me look up. My best friend is standing there, watching me frantically while pulling the woman's hand back.
Shilla.
And for a second, I accidentally let the vulnerability slip on my features.
She sees.
She snaps the girl's wrist back, her mouth tightening in a serious line. I'd never seen her look like this often— because she was such a soft one all the time.
Now isn't one of those times.
"What the hell?" She asks, not listening to the woman hissing in her grip. "What'd you do to Amin? Why does she look like that?!"
I quickly fix my expression.
"Shilla, no. It's fine."
"The heck it is." She growls, looking down at the screaming woman. "This ***** said something to you, didn't she? What did she say?"
We were starting to draw attention.
"It's okay. I promise." I murmur. But Shilla glares at me, and I sigh.
"I'll tell you if you let her go."
She bites the inside of her chin. But then she lets her go, and she rushes off. I can hear her cursing at me all the way from where I'm standing.
Shilla crosses her arms.
"Okay. Tell me now."
I hesitate for a second. But she frowns, and I know that I have to.
"Amin, that woman almost hit you. I need to know who the hell she is so I know if I can send her to the hospital or not."
I look at her in disapproval.
"That isn't what you're going to do."
She rolls her eyes.
"Fine. Just tell me."
So I do. I tell her about everything, until she understands. But when I finish, the first thing she asks with a happy smile is confirmation that I am with Taehyung.
I sigh.
"Did you listen to anything else that I said? I said that it was a pretend."
"I need to go."
"What? But what if she comes back to bother you again?" She exclaims, but I shake my head.
That was the last thing I worried about.
"She won't."
After thanking her, I leave for my apartment. Half of me wanted to go back to Taehyung, because of what that woman had said.
It isn't true. There was no way that Taehyung would have let her do anything to him.
But if it was?
Even picturing him kissing or touching someone else was enough to set me off.
I shove my hands roughly into my pockets.
She's just saying lies.