TAEKOOK | NOT HERE TO BE LIKED!

right choice?

There’s something incredibly nerve-wracking about speaking to Mrs. Jeon, for the first time in eight years, even more than it was talking to Jeongguk at first.

After his mom gives him her number, Taehyung decides to go for a shower and then procrastinate some more in his bed before he finally gets the courage to grab his phone and dial her number.

By the fifth tone, he assumes she won’t pick and feels a mixture of relief and disappointment wash over him, but it’s exactly ten when she picks up.

Taehyung has listened to her talk a million times, but it’s been so long that he couldn’t even remember what her voice sounded like.

The memories come rushing back to his mind as soon as she picks up the phone, asking, “Yeoboseyo?”

And she sounds just like she did all those years ago.

Taehyung stays frozen there for a second, nibbling lightly on his bottom lip until he snaps out of his daze and realizes he probably seems like a creep.

He reacts before she can hang up and block his number forever, asking, “Mrs. Jeon? It’s Taehyung—Kim Taehyung.”

“Oh—Taehyung-ah!?” she says, sounding as shocked as Taehyung would expect her to. It must really come as a shock after so many years. Especially considering Taehyung didn’t even call her when he and Jeongguk were friends, always using Jeongguk’s cell number to call him up.“It’s such a surprise to hear from you again, after so long. How are things? Are you back from the Netherlands?”

It’s a question, but Taehyung can distinguish genuine curiosity from small talk. Jeongguk must have told her he was back at some point, he’d imagine.
“I got back about a month ago, yeah,” Taehyung says, scratching behind his right ear as he tries to come up with a good way to bring up the matter. “How’s everything going for all of you? I’ve seen Jeongguk around a lot lately.”

“We’re doing well. Not much news to share, luckily,” she says, eliciting a soft smile from Taehyung that she obviously can’t see. “How about you? Is life treating you well?”

“I have no complaints. I’ve had a good few years, but it’s nice to be home,” Taehyung says, earning himself a hum from her. “I’m gonna stay here for definite now, in Seoul. Which is actually why I’m calling.”

“You’re staying?” she asks, sounding surprised. Taehyung makes a small noise in confirmation, and so Mrs. Jeon adds, “I wasn’t expecting you to come back after all this time.”

“I guess we all end up coming back home at some point,” Taehyung says, not having a proper answer for it himself. He’s also still trying to figure out what exactly is it about the time when he left that made it so right. As much as he loves small talk, he wants to get on topic. “Mrs. Jeon, I’m sorry to be calling you for work-related matters on the weekend, but I could use some professional help. Since coming back, I've been living with my parents, but I’m looking for a place of my own now.”

“Oh! That’s exciting, Taehyung. You know by now that I’m always here to help,” Mrs. Jeon says, Taehyung is able to detect the smile on her face even through the phone. “Do you have any ideas or requirements?”

“I have a few, yeah,” Taehyung says, reaching out for the small notebook still resting on top of the mattress, where he’s written down the must-haves for his apartment. “Should we meet in person on Monday, and I can let you know?”

“No way. You can email them to me right now. There’s no need to wait until Monday,” she says. Taehyung is about to protest since he does see the need to wait. He knows Mrs. Jeon doesn’t work
on the weekends, so he doesn’t want an exception being made for him. “On Monday I’ll send a few options to you, and we can schedule visits to the places you’re interested in for Wednesday. Does that sound good to you? I’ll just need a really comprehensive list of what you’re after.”

“What—so fast?” Taehyung asks, his jaw almost dropped open. Mrs. Jeon hums. “There really is no rush.”

“I know, I know,” Mrs. Jeon says with a laugh. Taehyung swallows down. “Do you have anything at hand to write down my email?”

“Yeah, yeah—just a moment,” Taehyung says, reaching for his pen. He uncaps it, saying, “Okay, now.”

In the same notebook, in the lower corner of the page, Taehyung scribbles down the email that Mrs. Jeon recites to him.

After that, the conversation between the two of them doesn’t last for much longer—Mrs. Jeon insists that he sends the information to her as soon as possible, and Taehyung agrees. After some more polite small talk, they both say their goodbyes, Taehyung being
the first to hang up.

Part of him feels weird about having spoken to her for so long, especially with how things with Jeongguk are now—messy.

But the other part of him knows that his mother is right, and this is the best option for him. Mrs. Jeon is fast and efficient, and Taehyung trusts her far more than he would trust a random real estate agent he found online, regardless of all the five-star reviews they could
have.

He takes a sharp breath and drops the phone on the mattress, right next to his leg.

He’s made the right choice.