Against Time | k.th. ✔

九 : petty stealing

"Here we are," Yeseul paused and glimpsed at Taehyung tenaciously, "could you recall yet, the place which made you realize that you aren't in your world anymore?"

"Is that what you concluded too? Magnificen— Ow!"

"Answer my question first." Yeseul remarked impassively, completely neglectful of the fact that the pitiable man beside her just got smacked on the head by her own hands and hence required some time to recompose himself.

Did Yeseul give a flying fuck about that, though?

"It was a darkened room for as far as I remember, and it was only after I opened its door that I think I ended up here, in this station. Then I followed people around..." Taehyung was endeavoring hard to recollect the vague memories, as it had clearly begun to show by then, "Yes! I stepped upon some strange sort of moving stairs and reached a floor above. By the way, can I use those stairs again? It was such a breathtaking experience that I can already feel a twist in my gut just by thinking about it." He grinned widely, causing his eyes to crinkle automatically.

"But there's no escalator on this platform..." Yeseul's voice faltered in incertitude as she brought her hand closer to her chin and trapped it— a gesture that portrayed that she was musing determinedly, "Are you sure that's all you did?"

"Did I say that was all?" Taehyung mocked, earning an instant scowl from Yeseul, "Apologies, apologies. Alright so, thereafter on that floor, I squeezed myself into a box kind of room other people were rushing into too. Now that was all I did. I eventually got bored waddling from here to there, you see... that was also when I tried to sneak out of this big maze by using you as a distraction. I'm genuinely sorry for that, I didn't know back then that you'd be so generous to me in the time to come." Taehyung weighed his head down in guilt whilst fiddling with his fingers simultaneously.

Yeseul could sense herself sympathizing with the chap at that moment. A voice, somewhere from deep within, convinced her relentlessly not to take his ruefulness for granted for it was forsooth very bonafide. A ghost of a smile appeared on Yeseul's lips, though she had also made sure that Taehyung did not catch her believing him so naively. That was exactly what had happened too, since as soon as Taehyung raised his head up once again, Yeseul dismissed the only evidence of her trusting him in a hurried manner.

"Not a big deal, don't worry about that," said Yeseul possessing a sombre expression, shifting her vision to Taehyung soon after, "there still remains one problem though... Did you manage to notice anything that stood out to you? I'm talking about when you exited the elevato—Erm, your moving box?"

"Of course!" Taehyung's voice perked up, and Yeseul swore that the former's talks had never been so riveting to her, "There was a huge billboard about someone, whom I presume died on a particular date because the date was highlighted rather very dominantly. The decoration didn't coordinate with the announcement, however. There were so many bright color—"

"Did you happen to read the name? Even a single name that was written on that board?" Yeseul intervened, as a specific thought crossed her mind.

By the description Taehyung just gave of that board, it became apparent that it was for sure related to a celebrity. But a celebrity dying must have created a buzz on the internet. How was she not aware of that, then?

"I think it was... Park Seojoon? I may be wrong too." Taehyung pressed his lips into a thin line out of hesitation.

"What? Are you serious—"

"Excuse me, ma'am. Are you Miss Moon Yeseul by any chance?" A middle-aged man chipped in, who— by his way of catechizing— did not come across to Yeseul as a jobless adult looking for conversations to be a part of. Something about him was odd, that the female had not yet figured out.

Yeseul nodded meekly in submission, as her face turned wan in the meanwhile. As if the man's presence was not intimidating enough in itself that the command he made next attracted a couple more people to hop by and check on the ongoing situation. Yeseul's brow remained hoisted all this while, while Taehyung could not care less. Good thing that the girl did not pay attention to her partner, or else she would have gone bonkers due to his nonchalance.

"Miss Moon, allow us to escort you and your friend to the police station. I'm Detective Park Jongoh." The supposedly self-claimed detective brandished his identity card before Taehyung and Yeseul, and all the doubts harboring in the female's heart regarding the detective being a fraudulent one, vanished into nothingness.

"What? Why? I mean, what did we do to be arrested here like this?" Yeseul objected, shielding Taehyung with her petite body and outstretched arms, as if it would bring any difference to their condition.

The detective clicked his tongue in a ridiculing manner, and Yeseul involuntarily readied herself to be subjected to a dramatic turn of events.

"The store you had your little lunch at, reported shoplifting a while ago. However, what actually should concern you here is that you leaving that store, concurred with the petty stealing that occurred there. When we checked the CCTVs over there, the friend whom you're risking yourself for, turned out to be the one doing the deed. Now tell me miss, what do you have in your defense?" The detective pretended to mull, only to catch Yeseul by surprise once again, "Or the best, why don't you just come with us to the police station? You have a right to remain silent after all."

The moment Yeseul grasped that the detective had rendered his part, she swiveled her head backwards to match gazes with Taehyung. Her pleading eyes for the man to not come out as the wanted accused whom the police was searching for, went in vain when the latter instead hung his head low in shame.

What in the world did he mean by such surrender of his? And why did it have to happen right at that moment?

"Sir," the detective called out, resuming only when Taehyung had acknowledged his address, "sir, why don't you tuck out your shirt and show the young lady what we're trying to say right here?" The detective smiled satirically, leading Yeseul's heartbeat to double its pace.

Was that why his stomach had been giving the impression of being bloated all this while?

Before Yeseul could inquire Taehyung to confirm her suspicion, the latter had already pulled out his shirt, and cats and dogs started to rain from under it as a result.

🔹

a/n

those who were confused about the relevance of taehyung's bloating, i hope your doubts have been cleared hahaha boi brought upon some serious trouble for himself and yeseul 😂😭