𝑬𝒑𝒉𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒍 | m.yg. ✓

스물다섯 :: trust

Present

"So what's the first step?" Bora asked the man sitting across her.

"Of what?" He raised an eyebrow.

"Fixing yourself," she breathed out.

Taehyung thought for a moment before he stood up from his seat. He made his way around the table before placing his hand on the girl's wine glass. They made an eye contact, Bora obviously confused. So, the man used his other free hand to slowly pull away the girl's hand away from the glass.

"This has to go," he said. Swallowing the lump in his throat, he meandered his way across the room and poured the remaining wine in the sink.

"Hey!" Bora protested, abruptly standing up to grab the glass away from Taehyung. "That wine is worth more than you think!"

Taehyung only rolled his eyes before he began to rummage through the cupboards and cabinets, taking out all the bottles of wine stored. Bora tried her best to pull him away in protests but she couldn't stop since he was bigger and stronger than she was.

She let out a sigh of frustration before giving up and standing at the side as she watched him with dead glares.

But when he began to open each bottle and pour in the sink, she gasped before clinging on to him, begging him to stop what he was doing.

"You dipshit! Those are worth thousands and you just threw them away like that! What the fuck is wrong with you?!" she shouted, stomping her feet.

This didn't seem to faze Taehyung, however, and continued to throw everything until nothing was left except for the empty bottles.

He finally faced Bora, who had a deadly glare, which was meant to be for the businessman.

"Those addictions has to go," he simply said, making the female raise an eyebrow.

"I'm not an alcoholic." She scoffed, running a hand through her hair. "I only drink when I feel like shit. It's not an addiction of mine."

"Exactly," he snapped. "Instead of facing your fears heads on, you cower behind bottles of wine, thinking that would temporarily make your problems go away when it would only make things worse."

Bora shut her mouth and silence hung in the air for awhile.

Crossing her arms, she muttered to herself, "This is crazy. Why am I even letting you do this?" She raised her head to meet Taehyung's piercing gaze. "Why are you even doing this?"

Taehyung was silent for a moment before he walked closer towards the female, their distance diminishing. He placed both of his hands on her shoulder, his eyes still boring through hers but it a much more softer tone.

"You may think that everything between us is only about business but Bora," he paused to let out a sigh. "I care about your well-being. You may be a pain in the ass but I always put up with it because I care about you."

"Why?" she whispered, her lips trembling slightly. "Why would you care for me?"

"Who would if I won't?"

A comfortable silence settled between them again as they stared at each other's eyes. Bora's chest heaved up and down as she calmed herself. She closed her eyes momentarily before opening them again.

"What's the second step?" she questioned.

Taehyung smiled softly. "We'll save that for another day. This time, you have to rest. Clear your head and take the day off."

•  •  •

Inside the car, it was uncomfortably silent. The whirring engine and air conditioner were the only source of sounds inside the enclosed space. It was cold as well, which didn't help. Byeol shivered slightly as she stared at Yoongi's side profile from the passenger's seat.

When the car came to a stop in front of a traffic light, Byeol's gaze immediately went to look outside the window when Yoongi began to shift. As she wondered what he was doing, she found out when he felt warmth radiating from her side. She turned her head to see her husband placing his jacket around her small shivering form.

Byeol instinctively tucked herself deeper into his cozy huge jacket. She couldn't see his face but she could feel his warm minty breath fanning her face. She was thankful that it was already night since the darkness inside the car concealed the blush that crept up her cheeks.

The male sat back on his seat, a small breath escaping his lips as he rested his eyes on the road again, the traffic light still flashing a red color.

Byeol continued to stare at his dark silhouette, pulling the jacket closer to herself to inhale the scent of her husband.

When she couldn't handle the silence any longer, she asked in a soft voice, "Yoongi, are you mad at me?"

She heard him sigh before answering, "No, I'm not. Why would I be?"

Byeol bit on her bottom lip. "Because I didn't tell you that I knew Jimin."

"It's okay. I didn't tell you I knew Jimin too, did I?" he paused. "Besides, you're free to befriend anyone. I didn't strip away your freedom, you know." He chuckled softly at the end but the woman felt it sounded forced.

Yoongi must've misunderstood. After all, what would people think if a girl and a boy were hanging out in a room alone. There wasn't any other eyes to watch them. Of course, Byeol knew that the guy might take it the wrong way.

"We're just friends, Yoongi," she said.

There was a short silence.

"I know. You don't have to confirm it. I never told you I thought you two were a thing, right? Like I said, you're free to do whatever you want to do," he explained.

Byeol's lips trembled. She didn't feel to convinced by his words and she couldn't help but let a tear escape her eye. Even though she knew she had no right to feel this way, she couldn't help but feel sad.

After all, she opened up to a stranger about her struggles but never her own husband. The guilt was slowly eating her alive. She didn't want to bring it up to him since it would cause an argument.

But another thing also bothered her. He didn't utter those three words. Those three words that would've soothed her even just a little bit.

I believe you.