play date (kim taehyung)

05

'Youth is never coming back.'

You tilted your head to the side, staring at the words Taehyung decided to paint on another closed rolling door. For the past three days, he only painted random figures and lines. You didn't think about what they meant as you only truly cared about the game you two were playing.

Looking up at him, you took in Taehyung's blank expression. For the first time, you wondered what was going on in his head. His gaze was unwavering, staying on the large letters he sprayed with black paint.

"Why do you think so?" you asked him about his words, surprisingly sounding quieter than you intended. Taehyung briefly looked into your eyes before returning his gaze to what he wrote.

"Getting into adulthood is like falling into a cliff that you can't come back from," he spoke coldly. He seemed like he was coming from his own experience as his stare pierced holes through the rolling door. "Or at least, that's what I got from The Catcher in the Rye." he softly added, disrupting the tension with his silliness and short chuckle.

Instead of laughing along, you nodded your head absentmindedly, looking back at his work. Without fully knowing, Taehyung was piquing your interest; which you consciously didn't like.

"I haven't read that yet." you said, your voice pealing with attentiveness. Taehyung shook the metal canister of spray paint before putting the cap back on it.

"You should. The school library has it." he knowingly replied, looking at you.

Meeting his gaze, you couldn't help but stifle a laugh. Taehyung raised an eyebrow at you, confused by your aloof reaction.

"What?" he asked in utter bewilderment. You smiled at him fondly, unaware of what really got you in that mood.

"It's nothing. Most people would describe the book for it to be a convincing recommendation." your statement didn't fully make sense, and it took you a couple of seconds to understand that it wasn't really a big deal. Slowly, your smile faded into your usual poker face.

You were just plainly amused and you couldn't put your finger on the reason why.

"Well, I only read good books so there's no need for an explanation." Taehyung answered, going along with your unnecessary comment. Once again, you beamed as you playfully rolled your eyes at him, causing the corners of his own mouth to quirk into a smile.

Everything slowed down for a while. It was your first time seeing him smile like that, box-shaped and full. His eyes arched along, radiating a light atmosphere that you've never felt with another person before.

The longer you stared at him, the clearer his features remained in your mind. Under the stars, your eyes raked the sight of his seemingly soft hair hiding his forehead, the tiny mole on his nose, and his supple cheeks that contrasted his sharp jawline.

You denied ever being attracted to Kim Taehyung, only knowing him for a couple of days; but you wouldn't deny that he looked gorgeous. You convinced yourself that you were just like everybody else who saw him.

"Hey! What are you doing?!"

The grimy and hoarse voice echoed in your ears, snapping you out of your daze. As the strong white light hit your eyes, you were brought back from your tiny escapade. Your feet didn't hesitate to scamper away. You kept running and running into the deep night, sparing no hesitation to look back.

"Hey! Stop right there!" the police officer called out as he chased you both.

Like before, Taehyung ran ahead of you by a few inches. You felt adrenaline rush throughout your whole body as you sped up on your tracks. Being relatively new to Daegu, you decided to follow Taehyung this time, since you didn't want to get lost again. Your heart picked up its pace as you outran the single police officer on your tail.

"[Y/N], here!" Taehyung exclaimed as he took a detour to a narrow alley between two buildings.

Catching your breath, you hid behind the large trash bins pressed up to the wall. You squatted beside Taehyung as he kept you close; avoiding a minor slip that can lead you to being caught. He leant his head back on the stained wall, breathing heavily with his eyes closed.

Your breathing was extremely ragged too, heart not calming down at any moment. Feeling pain shoot from your legs, you fell on your butt.

"Ow." you whined. Taehyung immediately shushed you, his eyes serious and determined. You glared at him intensely, exhaustion filling your system.

Keeping your knees close to your chest, you felt Taehyung sit beside you too. The cool wind brushed past both of you as you wrapped your arms around yourself to keep you warm. Both of you had your hoodies on to help mask your identity but they also served their purpose of providing heat.

You anticipated the footsteps of the police officer chasing you, your hearing alert to the sounds of your surroundings. After a couple of minutes, both of you heard someone running past the alley, grumbling in annoyance. You heard a whistle blowing, confirming your suspicion that it was a police officer.

Sighing in relief, you were about to stand up when Taehyung quickly grabbed your hand and dragged you back down to the ground.

"Ouch!" you exclaimed again, earning another 'shhh' from the boy pressed to your side. Scoffing in exasperation, you yanked your hand from Taehyung's clutch.

"He's gone, vandal. Let's get out of here! It stinks." you whispered as you scowled at him and your surroundings. Taehyung clicked his tongue, growing irritated by the situation as well.

"Just stay still for a while. He might come back and catch us, you know." he whispered back, "Don't tell me you prefer jail over this?" Taehyung tested you even more, his taunting sending you over the edge.

You lightly punched his shoulder, childishly sticking your tongue out after he dramatically winced in pain.  As your glare deepened, Taehyung reciprocated with his box-shaped grin. Your outward distaste for him spurred him on, and it left you completely jarred.

"What if we get caught?" you asked, your words spilling out scathingly. He smiled playfully, quiet cool and quiet calm despite your aura.

"That won't happen since I always know where to hide." he revealed with a smirk on his face. For a moment, you saw a glint of petulance and moroseness in his eyes; defeating his attempt to boast.

The small information raised more questions in your head. You already knew, the moment you met Taehyung, that he had a lot going on; but to what extent?

You shook your head, suddenly becoming aware that you were already meddling with him too much if you wondered even more. Heaving a sigh, you tried your best to ignore the stirrings of intrigue in your chest as you looked up to the stars and tried ignoring the boy beside you.

You remembered the adrenaline rush of breaking the rules, getting chased down, and your goal of winning. Those were enough to remind you that the two of you were only playing a game—

nothing more.