[3] Code: REBIRTH || KTH

Ch18: Rain

Hanseol's POV

"Let's get matching outfits."

Taehyung turns his head to me with a grimace before looking back ahead, ignoring me. I wrap my arm around his as we walk down the shopping mall. His hands are occupied with shopping bags, but when I hold onto his arm, he shifts all the bags to one hand so he holds mine with the other. I smile to myself as he does so.

"I would rather die," He says in response to my suggestion.

"C'mon!" I whine, "Okay, then matching shoes. It doesn't have to be a whole outfit."

He squints his eyes, thinking it over. "Fine."

I giggle as I start looking around for shoe stores. I unconsciously squeeze Taehyung's hand when a stranger throws him with a disdainful glare simply because he's a hybrid, but he seems unbothered. Either he doesn't notice it, or he's pretending not to. Knowing it's most likely the latter, I hug his arm as I glare as disdainfully back at the stranger.

We buy matching sneakers, much to Taehyung's dismay, before making our way back to the car. The radio turns on as I start the car, so I instinctively reach to turn it off but I pause when I make sense of what I'm hearing, and I turn the volume up instead. Taehyung throws me with a confused look, knowing how much I hate the radio, but he doesn't say anything and listens silently.

"...careful consideration of the decrees issued by the Constitutional Court regarding the Hybrid Code Laws, the National Assembly has decided to abolish the following decrees: decree 57 of 19XX, decree 58 of 19XX, and decree 59 of 19XX, as well as issue decree 24 of 20XX which mandates that crimes committed by hybrids are to be prosecuted according to the Civil Law System..."

"Did you hear that?" I turn to Taehyung, my eyes widening as a grin makes its way to my face.

Eyebrows furrowed and eyes narrowed in suspicion, Taehyung still looks somewhat confused.

"They're removing the code laws! The trials are over and they were announcing their decision today." I check my phone for the date. "Yes! There's no more code laws! Taehyung, you're not a Code: REDㅡ there is NO Code: RED!"

Taehyung stares at me for a few seconds, his eyes dazed. Then, with a silent nod, he gives me an empty smile.

"That's it?" I say. "You're not happy?"

"I'm happy," He says with the most un-happy expression ever.

I lean back in my seat, trying to figure him out. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah." He nods, smiling at me again. Another fake smile.

A drop of water falls on the windshield, then another, and in a few seconds it starts drizzling with rain. I decide to leave the conversation to home as I put my seatbelt on and step on the pedal, hoping to arrive before the rain gets heavier. My fears come true, and the rain keeps on bucketing down harder and harder till I'm driving really slow on the right lane, the wipers moving rapidly but it's still not enough for me to see clearly.

"Stop the car," Taehyung says calmly, "We'll wait it out."

I park on the side of the road and we sit in silence. The radio has been off for a while now, and the only sound we can hear is the soft pitter-patter of the rain as it hits the car's roof. 

"Why aren't you happy?" I fiddle with my accessory, the silver bracelet with the tiny butterflies. "Isn't this what you wanted? I mean, we still haven't achieved equality, but abolishing the code laws and hybrids having the same laws as humans is a huge step, right?"

"It is." He watches the rain through his window. "I don't know why I'm not as happy as I thought I would be."

"Maybe it didn't sink in yet," I say and he shrugs nonchalantly.

I let go of the bracelet and look up at him, then at the rain. An idea pops in my head and I take off my seatbelt. Taehyung watches me as I leave the car and walk to his door, opening it and stretching a hand out to him.

He looks at me like I'm crazy. "What are you doing?"

"I won't bite."

Reluctantly, he takes my hand and we stand in the rain on the sidewalk. I take his hands and put them on my waist, and put mine around his neck before I start swaying slowly. Taehyung catches on and starts swaying with me, taking my hand in his, the other still on my waist. His eyes lock with mine, a gentle smile dancing on his lips. Leaning my head on his chest, I can't help but smile back, his heartbeats music to my ears. His chest vibrates with his deep voice as he starts humming a song, and I close my eyes, smelling the rain, wishing this moment would never end.