Decoupled • KTH ✔

Chapter 5

Maya

"Why didn't you tell anyone that you're leaving?" I ask him while handing over my tag at the valet booth.

"They wouldn't bother...some of them wouldn't even realize that I left. They're all so drunk," Taehyung chuckles, softly pushing his bangs with the back of his hand.

"Yours?" I turn to look at him, expecting him to hand over his tag as well at the valet booth, but he doesn't, and he keeps his hands stuffed deep inside the pockets of his jeans, his shoulders lifting in a small shrug.

"I don't have one. I used the subway," his answer surprises me, and I realize how foolish I have been to assume that everyone would have a car.

 

Taehyung

"Let's use the subway then," Maya answers without delay, and it takes me by complete surprise.

To be honest, I have been in a state of trance right from when I first saw her tonight. She looks beautiful as always, in fact, a little more polished than before, and I can't stop myself from admiring how gracefully she has grown up from the pretty and petite Maya—who ruled my thoughts throughout all my days and nights for three whole years, and even a little more than that—to the super attractive woman that she is today.

"Hey, come on. You don't have to..."

"What if I want to?" She cuts me off casually as she takes back her tag from the valet booth and returns it to her handbag and looks at me.

I can't answer that question because it feels as if my heart is beating in my mouth right now. I can't believe it that I'm still so nervous around her.

Without sharing another word, we both start walking out of the hotel premises and out onto the road.

"Do you know any tteokbokki restaurants around here?" Maya breaks the silence first while I was actually admiring our shadows as we walked along the pavement.

"Yeah, there's one down that road on the right," I answer and turn my head a little to look at her as we keep walking.

"How have you been?" Her voice softens even more, and following her line of sight, I notice that she's looking at our shadows too, and the soft night-time breeze is making her hair, as well as mine, to flutter gently.

"Mm, okay..." my voice trails off, causing her eyes to land on me. "How have you been?"

"I'm doing good," she nods with a big smile, looking down at the ground and then straight at the path ahead of us.

"Are you happy?" I ask her, taking a relaxed breath and burying my cold hands deep into the pockets of my jeans.

"Tricky question," she laughs a little, moving some strands of her hair that seem as if they want to keep kissing her face. "Today, I am. Are you happy?" She asks without looking at me, but I'm unable to look anywhere else.

"Not always... it seems so hard to reach," I chuckle softly, and Maya hums in agreement.

I stare into the distance as we keep walking, and she doesn't speak anything more about our personal lives, and I don't too, feeling quite relieved that we aren't discussing my pathetic life. We talk only about the reunion as we finally reach the small tteokbokki restaurant. It is an ancient one with just a few chairs and tables inside, but the interior is clean, and the food is tasty and hygienic.

We settle down at one of the tables after I place the order to the ahjumma who runs this restaurant. Today being Saturday, there's a small booth set up in a corner of the restaurant where a solo singer is doing a live performance with his vocals and his guitar, and he also seems to be taking song requests.