Beauty Next Door (vsoo)

[08]

The following morning, Taehyung was nursing a pounding headache from the soju he had chugged the previous night. His mind was a fog of regrets and embarrassment. He couldn’t believe what he’d done in front of Jisoo. The thought of confessing to her—and then vomiting—made him cringe. His reflection in the mirror seemed to mock him, adding to his discomfort.

As he stumbled to the bathroom, he grabbed his toothbrush and squeezed some toothpaste onto it. But before he even brought it to his mouth, his reflection in the mirror smirked back at him.

“Wow, you really screwed this one up, didn’t you?” his reflection teased, making Taehyung groan as he began brushing his teeth.

“Shut up,” Taehyung muttered, his words muffled by the bristles in his mouth. He spat into the sink and splashed his face with water, trying to wash away the feeling of humiliation.

His reflection didn’t let up, though. “Seriously, bro, you confessed and then proceeded to make a fool of yourself. What an impression.”

Taehyung scowled, feeling frustrated with himself. He wiped his face with a towel, and again, the mirror seemed to laugh at him. “Poor Taetae,” it mocked. “You’re a mess.”

Furiously, Taehyung turned away from the mirror and stormed into the kitchen, desperate to distract himself from his thoughts. He needed to cook. Cooking always helped him clear his mind. He grabbed two eggs from the refrigerator and placed them on the kitchen table. His hands were shaky, still feeling the aftermath of the alcohol, but he pushed through it, chopping tomatoes and washing veggies with determined focus.

The guilt of what he’d done the previous night continued to linger in the back of his mind. How was he supposed to face Jisoo now? The awkwardness from last night felt like it would hang between them forever.

Taehyung stood frozen in her kitchen, still processing the overwhelming wave of embarrassment that had just hit him. Jisoo had walked away after handing him the glass of water, and he couldn’t help but notice her obvious annoyance. His heart raced, and he had no idea how he was going to recover from what just happened.

After gulping down the water, he had tried to muster up the courage to ask again, to express how he felt—without the alcohol clouding his mind—but his words had gotten lost in the awkwardness of the situation.

"Can I court you, Jisooshi?" He had asked one last time, his voice shaky but sincere.

Jisoo, clearly annoyed, had frowned at his persistence. "No... Is this enough for you?" she said, taking the empty glass from his hand.

Taehyung had started to feel a strange unease settle in his stomach, but he didn’t expect what happened next. He had suddenly felt a rush, and before he could stop himself, he puked—right in front of her.

"Mr. Taehyung... you..." Jisoo’s shocked voice rang in his ears, but he barely heard it as he panicked, trying to find the right words.

"I’m sorry... where’s the mop? I’ll clean it up," he said, fumbling over his words, already mortified.

"JUST GO FROM HERE!" Jisoo shouted, her face a mix of frustration and disbelief. "You... Arghhh... Why are you so annoying?"

Taehyung stood there, in the middle of her kitchen, utterly humiliated. He quickly turned away, not sure how to make it right, only to hear Jisoo's frustrated sigh echo through the room as she started to clean up the mess. But he knew he had messed up in a way he couldn’t undo.

The next thing he remembered was stumbling out of her apartment, his head spinning from the alcohol, his heart sinking with regret.