HOME - Taejoon

30. Known

The entire airport suddenly smelled like cinnamon and coffee. There were masses of people stopping to catch planes, on vacation, returning, fleeing in noises that made it difficult to notice all the places that, at any other time of the year, would stand out with their large posters and advertisements, a total irony given the faces of the employees within who showed nothing more than a longing to be at home. After all, it was close to Christmas, after a year of Taehyung leaving his home.

Yes, he would be fed up too if he had been them; That was what he thought after checking his luggage. He stayed seated in one of the waiting rooms, and without wanting to see his cell phone anymore, he preferred to entertain himself with people's faces. He thought of those who had received him kindly, and so still looked at him as a stranger.

The beginning was the most difficult, in a language that he barely mastered with work, far from everything. The questions about whether his decision had been the right one had left him after finding like-minded souls, there, in the heart of the silver cloud that was England.

It was a depressing nation, but not so much compared to America, which was where maybe Namjoon had gone. In the end he himself had decided to leave everything, but by his own means, without fear of leaving his home, he found that now what he wanted was to be back, and preferably never to return abroad.

He had only done it so as not to waste the plane ticket from the college program.

Thinking about it, he ended up unintentionally approaching the window of the only jewelry store in the entire airport: a small store, with just one employee showing mostly engagement rings to a couple of interested people inside. The man with silver hair and a blue scarf that was Taehyung however decided not to talk more; He just stood outside, observing the things on display as if they were an anomaly.

He couldn't help but smile as he recognized a pair of rings, carved like the stem of a flower, and an emerald gem in the center. He put his hands inside his pockets and leaned on his own weight.

"Tae!" A sudden hug made him burst into laughter, a blonde with hair almost flush with his head was hugging him tightly, before looking into his eyes and returning his smile. Soon, new voices joined them.

"We brought things for the trip!" was Michael's voice, teeth bared with his southern accent, completely covered in a white jacket. He approached his friend and handed her a plastic bag. Right next to him, two other men arrived with a neck pillow and a melon drink respectively.

Taehyung greeted them with a hug, pats on the back, and great pleasure. He would soon miss those faces. The girl who was hugging him separated.

"I thought they were too proud to come." He commented amused when Taehyung saw them.

"And miss your return?" Michael responded happily; Taehyung bowed out of politeness. "We brought everything, drinks, comfort, entertainment, you name it."

"The only thing we lacked was a man." The girl said and Taehyung gave her a roll of his eyes.

"Thank you, Amy." Taehyung told the girl before hugging her tightly. "I'll miss you. Really."

"I hate that time has passed like this." Amy replied, hitting him to suppress her own urge to cry. "Can't we go back to when you walked into my bedroom by accident?"

She received another hug in response, only to be overwhelmed when the other three men tenderly joined in the hug.

"I hope you solve everything, friend." Joe, the shortest of them all in his funny clothes, wished. "Too bad you are not graduating with us because you preferred your ex." The hug broke apart.

"Thank you, but that's all over for good now." Taehyung told him with a smile, trying to convince him, and convince himself that he himself was already convinced.