Evenstar

39. Chiyue Nara

Dae Eun found the days moving too fast. She was so busy preparing to open their shop and looking for a new apartment for Taehyung to buy that the arrival of the end of March surprised her. In just two weeks, the Bulletproof tour would be starting and she would not be seeing her oppa until September. They would be apart for more than five months, the longest since they first met in August 2033. She didn't know how she would survive. He was almost her constant companion now. He would make time to be with her, and if it wasn't possible he was always chatting with her or calling her on the phone. She didn't know how he managed to do it despite his busy schedule, but he did.

Looking for an apartment frustrated her. The cost was too high because the location was very close to Gangnam, and she didn't want Taehyung to spend so much. She wanted to give up on it. She would just wait until the lease on either of their apartments ended, but she was afraid that if she didn't find one before he left he would find one for her - and he wasn't one to count the cost. When she asked the owner of their shop's building, she was told that the only unit they had left for sale was the one on the rooftop. No one would buy or lease it because it was too hot in the summer and too cold in the winter, and the high air-conditioning and heating costs turned off many who expressed interest. The building's air vents were all on the rooftop too. She took a look at the unit anyway because she had no other options left. To her surprise, she found it spacious and a bit charming. She could picture how it would look once she improved it. She negotiated for a lower price because of all the negative factors that the owner already cited and was happy to close the deal at 70% of market price. She planned to renovate it and have it leased at market rates once her own lease on it ended. When she told Taehyung, he asked her to go to his bank the following day with the owner. And by the first week of April, she had a convenient place to stay in the same building of their shop. The unit had three rooms and two baths, enough to accommodate their Geumsan staff too. She wouldn't be alone.

"Thank you." Taehyung felt relieved. He knew he had added to Dae Eun's stress but he didn't want to leave for the tour without having settled her temporary home in Songpa-gu, and he was happy she found a unit in the same building. He didn't like the idea of her driving late at night to transient housing.

"I'll be leasing it, Oppa. It will be our staff's housing too while we're running the shop."

"Agreed." He smiled at his girlfriend on the screen. She was walking about their shop, checking if everything was ready for their opening tomorrow. Her face was luminous and clear, her cheeks rosy with excitement for the big day. She had forgotten to cut her hair with all the activity, and it fell in layers to her waist now. He imagined it flying about her body if she ever danced. Maybe one day he would teach her and they could post a video together.

"Oppa, there are only a few days left. When can I see you?"

She turned her full attention on him and he saw an anxiety in her eyes that he also felt. They had been busy running through the details of the tour schedule at JKL. They were bringing a huge contingent of staff, not to mention the equipment, merchandise, and tour paraphernalia. It was the first time for JKL to be doing this, and even the members were helping Jungkook. They were all stressed because they had opened ticket sales for all the venues on their tour, and within minutes all seats were sold out. It was something they knew to expect in their 20's, but after being inactive for over ten years they almost couldn't believe it. ARMYs love was just overwhelming and they knew they had to match it with the commitment to give the best performance of their lives. Their tour expenses were literally paid for, and all that was needed was for them to show up and give their utmost. It was all in Bangtan's hands now. Because of everything that was happening he had not had the time to see Dae Eun for days, but he would drop by and surprise her.