[3] Code: REBIRTH || KTH

Ch17: Not For Long

Third Person POV

Taehyung lets out a sigh as he goes through his phone, scrolling aimlessly and waiting for his shift to be over. He can't wait to go home and see his girlfriend and tell her all about his day although nothing interesting happened. His heart skips a beat at the thought of her. Is this what it's like being in a relationship?, He thinks.

The sound of something being placed on the counter pulls Taehyung out of a trance and he immediately puts his phone aside. Looking up at the customer, he goes stiff upon seeing Jimin, who looks just as surprised. Taehyung looks down at the products and starts scanning them as fast as he possibly can.

"Jae told me about you," Jimin says, his mind drifting to a few days before when the little boy told him everything.

Jae had told him about how Taehyung and "the wolf" had broke in to the experimental lab with an army of their own and guns, and how they had killed the "evil doctors" and took the hybrids somewhere safe where they were given food and water. Until the police showed up, shooting hybrids and dragging them to the camps, but it all stopped suddenly one day, and the little boy and the other hybrids were taken to a shelter where Jimin adopted him from.

Not knowing what to say, Taehyung nods.

"I still don't like you," Jimin adds as he pays for his stuff, "But... thank you. For getting Jae out of that place. Maybe you and that Seokjin did some horrible things, but I can't deny you did some good things, too."

"I don't usually care what people think." Taehyung averts his gaze to the glass window. "But you're Seol's friend. I want us to get along. For her."

Jimin doesn't reply. Instead, he stares at Taehyung for a few seconds before grabbing his bags and turning around. He's almost at the door when Taehyung calls for him, making him stop in his tracks.

"Jungkook was my friend, too," Taehyung says.

Without sparing him a glance, Jimin makes his way out of the store.

---

When Taehyung walks in the apartment, Seol is standing in the kitchen making something to drink. She sends him a quick greeting before averting her attention back to the coffee.

Watching her, Taehyung stands by the kitchen counter, feeling his heart skip a beat when she turns and gives him a small smile. He wonders if she knows how she makes him feel, if she feels the same things. Gently, he approaches and wraps his arms around her waist from behind.

Seol flinches, almost dropping the sugar before letting out an awkward chuckle.

"You should've given me a warning," She says.

Taehyung hums, burying his face in the crook of her neck as the overwhelming urge to protect her takes over him. Albeit he has no idea what there is to protect her from. And as he closes his eyes, he realises how perfectly she fits inside his embrace, as if they were both born to hold each other.

Not for long, a voice in the back of his head says.

Taehyung shudders at the thought as his heart beats fasten again.

Seol places a hand on his arm. "Are you okay?"

He hums again as she turns around to face him, and he studies her face slowly, taking in her concerned eyes. When was the last time someone cared about him this much?

"Do you ever think about it?" He asks.

"About what?"

"About how I'm going to die soon?"

Seol's heart sinks when he mentions it, and she tears her eyes away from his. Of course she thought about it, how can she not? She wondered if she'll end up like Jimin, if she'll learn to move on eventually.

"I don't want to talk about it," She murmurs softly.

"But I think we should." He puts a finger under her chin and lifts her face. "You have to make peace with the fact that all of this is just temporary. We are temporary."

"We're not temporary, don't put it that way!" She pauses, swallowing a lump in her throat. "I know you won't always be here, but can we not bring it up until it happens?"

He scoffs. "You can't just pretend like it won't happen!"

"I'm not pretending! I just... " She trails off, looking him in the eyes, "I just don't want it to be something that would stop us fromㅡ I don't know, anything we would have done if you would be there for a longer time."

Seol waits for Taehyung to say something, but he stares at her quietly, intently studying her face with a blank expression.

"A few years is a long time," He finally says, pulling her closer and resting his head on her shoulder.

Seol blinks back her tears as she wraps his arms around his shoulders. "It's not enough."