Blue And Grey || KTH

chapter 3

Taehyung opened his eyes slowly, feeling the cool sheets instead of her warmth beside him. Before sitting up, he let out a groan. His mask and coat, which he had left on the floor the night before, were now neatly folded and on his dresser. He cringed as he touched his cheek, the slight tacky feeling of his dried tears caused him to cringe.

“Jagi?” Even though he knew she wasn't there, he still called out softly.
That's when he heard her hushed voice from outside. She was conversing with Jin and Yoongi. The conversation came to a halt when he heard her approaching footsteps. He quickly hid under the covers, pretending to still be asleep.

He squeezed his eyes shut, unsure of why he was hiding from her in the first place.

Aera looked over his shoulder, aware that he was acting. But she still sat at the edge of the bed, patiently adjusting the blanket around his body.

"Rest well," she said as she stood up to leave, but a hand shot out to grab her wrist, yanking her back towards him, as he engulfed her in a tight hug as if he was afraid she would vanish at any moment. She too wrapped her arms around him and kissed his cheek.

"Would you like to talk about yesterday?" Aera mumbled as he nuzzled his face against the cross of her neck, inhaling her scent.

"I miss Halmeoni."

She was the sweetest lady Aera had ever met. While his Halmeoni was protective of Taehyung, she admired the way he looked after her and the way his eyes lit up when he talked about Aera.

Halmeoni was there to provide her with a home that she had never had. Aera's pillar of support and the person she hugged when she didn't want to bother Taehyung.

Shades of blue evoke the bright, sunny sky while soft greens recall the rolling hills where his Halmeoni, along with her husband, presented Taehyung with their wedding rings, one for both him and Aera.

"This is what we wish for you and Aera, even if we may not be there in person and have to watch from heaven."

Taehyung couldn't afford to lose either of them, so he didn't want that to happen.

This is why he wears his grandfather's ring as a necklace around his neck and she wears his grandmother's as a necklace around her neck, waiting for the day when they can both wear them properly on their ring fingers. Keeping their promise to his grandparents.

They paid their respects to her grave after a year had passed. Her heart clenched as she watched him sink to the ground beside the grave.

He thanked her for the awards.

He apologised for not being there and for prioritising work over her.

But he didn't say goodbye as he stood in front of her grave. Instead, he bid her goodnight, hoping that her eternal sleep would be filled with peace and only good dreams.

-The end-