Decoupled • KTH : Book 1✔

Epilogue Pt.2

Taehyung

"Where do you see yourself in ten years from now, Miss. Oh?" I exhale as I lean back in my seat.

"In ten years, I can see myself in your position, Mr. Kim," she answers with a smile.

The confidence she exudes hasn't reduced in intensity, and it has immensely impressed me right from the moment she stepped in for the interview some twenty minutes ago.

"That's impressive. I wish you good luck!" I extend my hand to her, and she returns my gesture with a firm handshake that again speaks volumes about her confidence and optimism.

Selecting her, right away.

She was the last candidate among the five of them that I had to interview today, and the very next second after she exits my room, my phone starts buzzing with an incoming call.

Picking up my phone from the desk, I take a few seconds to admire the caller image, which is that of Areum taken on her sixteenth birthday. Today she turns seventeen, and I can't wait to get back home to my favorite people on the planet.

"Bubba, hi," I answer her call with a lot of cheerfulness and enthusiasm.

"Appa, hi. When will you return home?" Her voice so sweet as honey sounds at the other end of the call.

"I'll be there in an hour. Where are you now?" I check with her as I pick up my briefcase and walk out of my office, waving goodbye to my subordinates on the way.

"I'm at the school library, and I'll be leaving in some time," Areum informs me.

"Alright then, I'll see you soon. I love you, bubba," my words make her laugh softly.

"I love you more, appa. I'll see you too," she says before we end the call.

I make up my mind to surprise her by picking her up from school and then buying her an egg tart and also spending time with her on our drive back home.

Areum's school is just about a ten-minute drive from my office, and I arrive there on time, pulling over on the side of the curb while I wait for her.

In a few minutes, I see my daughter walking out of the school building with her head low, her hands tightly holding onto the straps of her backpack. She doesn't know that I'm here to pick her up, and so she's walking towards the bus stop to board the bus home.

But just as I'm about to climb out of my car to go get my daughter, I notice something.

A scene too familiar and nostalgic.

There's a boy, tall and slim, walking at a distance of about five feet behind her, and following Areum as she walks towards the bus stop. He's wearing a uniform too, his steps matching hers in a perfect rhythm, and his eyes are fixed on her form. I don't need too many guesses to figure out what this is all about and what everything means.

Stepping out of my car, I take long strides towards the boy and reach him just when he is about to halt at the bus stop. I gently tap his shoulder while still making sure that Areum doesn't notice me. She has her noise-cancelling headphones on, so she most probably won't hear a thing.

The handsome boy, who is almost as tall as me, turns around and gives me a confused look.

"Hi, are you by any chance following that girl right there?" I point to Areum, and he turns his head to look at her before his bambi eyes return to me.

"Uhm- no," he lies, suddenly too nervous that he's unable to maintain eye contact.

"Hey, come on. I saw what you were doing earlier. You stopped when she stopped, you walked when she walked, and you didn't move your eyes from her. Don't you think you were making it too obvious?" I raise a brow at him, ushering him to the space behind the shelter of the bus stop to make our presence a little incognito.