9. Blind Spot
My breathing turned uneven immediately.
"No— no, no..."
I pulled the phone away from my ear with shaking hands.
Call Failed.
Outside—
A sudden, violent slam rattled my apartment door.
It wasn't a knock or someone trying the handle.
Something was out there, brutally throwing its weight against the wood, intent on smashing the door to pieces.
Panic crashed through me so fast my hands started trembling uncontrollably.
What the hell was happening?
This couldn't be real.
People didn't break into apartments over job offers.
The doorknob rattled violently again.
"Shit—"
My phone lit up suddenly.
Incoming Call.
Taehyung.
I answered instantly.
"Taehyung—"
"KITCHEN."
His voice came fast this time.
Sharp.
Focused.
"Go to the kitchen right now."
Another metallic sound echoed from the front door.
I didn't argue.
I ran.
Bare feet against the apartment floor.
Heart slamming painfully against my ribs.
"What's happening?!"
"The fire escape behind your building."
I shoved the kitchen curtains aside immediately.
There—
barely visible through the rain—
was the narrow metal staircase running behind the apartment building.
"You need to leave now."
"What about the front door—"
"Don't look at it."
Something about the way he said that made my stomach twist.
Like he already knew what was outside.
I grabbed my hoodie from the counter with trembling hands while forcing the kitchen window open.
Cold night air rushed inside immediately.
Behind me—
another violent rattle hit the front door.
My chest tightened painfully.
"Oh my god—"
"Y/N."
His voice cut through sharply.
"Look at me."
"...what?"
"Your phone."
Right.
I stared at the screen instinctively.
And somehow—
the second he knew I was listening again—
his voice softened slightly.
"You can panic later."
A pause.
"Just keep moving."
I swallowed hard before climbing out onto the fire escape.
Rain soaked through my sleeves almost instantly while I hurried down the metal stairs as carefully as I could.
The call stayed quiet except for both of us breathing.
Then softly—
"That's it."
The praise hit embarrassingly harder than it should've.
I finally reached the ground and jumped onto the wet pavement below.
Cold rain hit my face immediately.
"Where do I go now?!"
For a second—
nothing answered.
Then:
"Turn left."
I froze.
Because this time—
his voice didn't come through the phone.
It came from somewhere behind me.
I turned immediately.
And there he was.
Standing beneath the rain at the end of the alley.
Black hoodie.
Dark hair damp from the weather.
Phone still pressed against his ear while his eyes stayed locked on mine like he'd been making sure I actually got out safely.
For one terrifying second—
relief hit me so hard it almost hurt.
Then another loud sound echoed faintly from somewhere above us.
Taehyung moved first instantly.
"Come on."
He grabbed my wrist and pulled me down the alley before I could say anything else.
We walked for almost twenty minutes without stopping.
Endless wet streets reflected blurred neon lights while midnight traffic hissed softly through the rain.
Taehyung kept his hood low the entire time.
One hand holding mine tightly enough to guide me through crowds.
Not enough to hurt.
Just enough to make sure I stayed beside him.
Every few minutes, he glanced behind us.
Checking.
Always checking.
My lungs still burned from panic and running.
Meanwhile, he barely looked out of breath.
"How are you this calm right now?" I asked finally.
"I'm not calm."
"You literally sound calm."
"That's different."
The answer came so fast it caught me off guard.
I looked toward him carefully.
His jaw was tight.
Eyes exhausted.
Shoulders tense beneath the black hoodie like he was forcing himself not to panic for my sake.
Suddenly—
I understood.
He wasn't calm.
He was trying not to scare me more.
That realization made something ache painfully inside my chest.
Eventually, we stopped beneath the weak lights of a tiny convenience store tucked between buildings.
The place looked nearly empty.
Only one bored cashier sat behind the counter watching videos on his phone.
Taehyung finally let go of my wrist once we stepped inside.
And immediately—
my hand felt strangely cold without him holding it.
Annoying.
Very annoying.
He disappeared briefly down one of the aisles before returning with two canned coffees and a small towel.
Without saying anything, he handed me the towel first.
"...thanks."
"You're shivering."
"Well yeah. I escaped my apartment through a window."
A faint breath escaped him quietly.
Almost a laugh.
"You're handling this better than usual."
I blinked.
"...usual?"
His expression changed immediately.
Like he realized he said too much again.
Then softly:
"Than most people would."
Liar.
Terrible liar.
But somehow—
I let it go this time.
We ended up sitting outside the store beneath the small awning while rain continued pouring onto the empty streets.
The city felt strangely distant at this hour.
Quieter.
Like the world had temporarily fallen asleep around us.
Taehyung sat beside me with his hood still covering most of his face.
Not celebrity Kim Taehyung.
Just—
Taehyung.
Tired.
Quiet.
Real.
I stared down at the canned coffee warming my hands.
"...are they still following us?"
"I don't think so."
You don't think so.
Not exactly comforting.
I leaned back against the wall tiredly.
For a few minutes, neither of us spoke.
Then suddenly—
Taehyung reached into the pocket of his hoodie and pulled something out.
A worn black photobook.
The edges looked soft from being handled too often.
He stared at it quietly for a second before holding it out toward me.
"...what's this?"
His gaze lowered slightly.
"Proof."
I hesitated before taking it slowly.
Then opened the first page.
My breath caught immediately.
Pictures.
Hundreds of them.
Not celebrity photos.
Not paparazzi shots.
Us.
Me asleep against his shoulder on a train.
Taehyung sitting on the floor while I dried his hair with a towel.
Both of us laughing so hard in one blurry picture neither of us looked camera-ready at all.
And somehow—
that made it worse.
Because nothing about these pictures looked fake.
They looked comfortable.
Intimate.
Like two people who had loved each other quietly for a very long time.
My fingers trembled slightly turning another page.
"...where did you get these?"
"We took them."
The answer came softly.
Naturally.
Like there had never been another possible answer.
I looked up slowly.
Rain continued pouring softly beyond the awning while distant headlights passed through the wet streets.
Taehyung watched me carefully.
Not nervous.
Not defensive.
Just...
waiting.
Like someone standing in front of a person who might forget him all over again.
"...why do I feel like I remember some of this?"
Something painful flickered briefly across his face.
Because apparently—
that wasn't a good thing.
"You shouldn't force it."
"But it feels real."
"It was."
Was.
Not is.
My chest tightened unexpectedly.
I looked back down at another photograph.
This one blurrier than the others.
I sat wrapped in one of his hoodies while half asleep against his chest.
Meanwhile, he looked down at me like I was something precious enough to ruin him.
My heartbeat started stuttering painfully.
"...why do you look at me like that?"
Silence.
Long enough to hurt.
Then quietly—
"Because I don't want to lose you!"
The words knocked the air out of me completely.
Rain echoed softly around us.
Cars passed somewhere far away.
But suddenly it felt like the world had narrowed into this tiny space beneath the awning.
Just him.
Just me.
And something unbearably sad sitting quietly between us.
Taehyung looked exhausted after saying it.
Like the confession slipped out accidentally.
Like he regretted letting me hear that much.
I should've looked away.
Instead—
I stepped closer.
Slowly.
Carefully.
His eyes lifted immediately toward mine.
And for the first time since meeting him—
he looked uncertain.
Not idol-perfect.
Not composed.
Just scared.
Scared of me.
Or maybe scared for me.
The realization made my chest ache.
"...you're really asking me to trust you without explaining anything?"
A faint smile touched his face briefly.
Tired.
Small.
"I know it's unfair."
"That's one way to describe this."
Another quiet almost-laugh escaped him.
Then the expression faded again.
Rainwater still clung to strands of dark hair near his eyes.
Without thinking—
I reached up gently and brushed them back.
His breathing stopped.
Not dramatically.
Just enough for me to notice.
And suddenly—
we were standing much too close.
Neither of us moved.
I could feel the warmth of him even through the cold night air.
My pulse started racing embarrassingly fast.
"...have we done this before too?" I whispered.
His eyes searched mine for a long second.
Then quietly—
"...not enough."
And before I could fully process the answer—
he kissed me.
Soft.
Careful.
Like something he'd spent a very long time trying not to do.
My breath caught instantly.
For one disorienting second, neither of us moved at all.
Then his hand lifted slowly—
hesitating briefly before resting carefully against my waist like he already knew exactly how I fit there.
Warm.
Familiar.
My chest tightened painfully.
Because somehow—
it didn't feel like the first kiss.
It felt like remembering one.
Bạn đang đọc truyện trên: ZingTruyen.Xyz