Acts of Hate | Taennie

9

Taehyung thought hard.

He thought of the negatives; which seemed to be a lot less in number than he had thought.

And then he thought of the positives, which seemed to be a lot more in number than he thought.

To sum it up though, taking her out would mean liberation for him. He would get his ability to simply exist back. Would not have to worry about being in the same room with her, much less think about the acting. He wouldn't be stuck reminiscing a past. He wouldn't be stuck fighting over every minuscule emotion that turned up around her. And, he wouldn't have to struggle.

But then, he thought of the cons. What were they? He would be snatching away one of the biggest opportunities for someone. A job.

He thought.

Could he really be selfish this time? Why shouldn't he put his needs first. In the end of the day, this was a drama and he was an actor. She was a guest in his field.

But then he thought again.

Did he really have the right to determine who got a job over his personal emotions? In the end of the day, he realized that despite how much he wished to curse her for being casted, she truly deserved it.

She was Jennie after all. The same Jennie he knew.

Immensely talented, hard working, and dedicated to each and every one of her projects.

He'd known how hard she worked to get where she was. The countless nights sacrificed, the almost never ending practices, the constant anxiety regarding her possibility of debut and the always recurring trips to hospitals.

And yet, no matter how unhealthy it got, she never gave up because it was her dream.

No matter the task, she'd done it to her best.

And now, she was here, cast alongside him. It was in hands to choose, and after considering how much effort she put in to get where she was, he concluded that it wasn't his choice to take away an opportunity from her.

No matter his discomfort.

"I've made my choice." He spoke up suddenly, as Director Sung looked up from his phone.

"Well? Do I need to contact our lawyers?" He asked as Taehyung shook his head.

"That won't be necessary. I'll make it work...somehow." He muttered at the end before taking his leave. 

Whilst leaving, he ran into Jennie in one of the corridors leading to the exist.

"Can we take them down?"

"No I promise it's nothing. You know how it is with the amount of dating rumours I get dragged into. But this time..... it's not just me who's affected. So can we get them down?"

"Yeah I'll stop by the office."

"hmm, thanks."

He stood where he was, unintentionally eavesdropping due to him standing his ground to avoid being noticed by her.

He thought, as soon as she got off the call she would leave, and then so would he. But turns out, luck never strayed on his side these days, as she stood her ground as well, seemingly not leaving either.

Sighing quietly, he walked forward.

Jennie looked up from her phone as the sound of footsteps echoed through the corridor.

Biting her lip, she almost cursed herself out loud for her timing as the figure came into recognition.

Taehyung.

He approached wordlessly and it remained that way between the two until he got to opening the door, when she finally spoke up.

"Don't go."
She said, barely audible but loud enough for him to hear as he paused, taking a much needed breath as he turned to face her, and saw her looking ahead instead.

"What?" He asked, considering if he misheard as her actions and words didn't match, and neither did her request.

"The press came into the building. We're waiting for security to clear them out. But if you go...you'll get mobbed." She spoke, still avoiding his gaze.

For a moment, time stilled.

His hand still stayed on the door as he stood there, unsure of his next move before he let out a deep breath and dropped his hand, choosing to lean against the wall opposite.

Seconds passed, which turned to minutes, which turned to 15 minutes of them standing there waiting for a signal from the staff to leave.

She thought it would remain that way before he suddenly spoke, cutting her out of her thoughts.

"You can't even look at me, huh?" He asked out of nowhere as she looked up suddenly, meeting his gaze in an unfamiliar yet familiar way.

"What?" She whispered, not being able to speak much louder in the shock she had that he chose to speak to her.

"It's funny to think, how different we are now. From then and now. We went from being close friends.... and more, to now being what? Enemies? Strangers? Acquaintances?" He continued as she stared wide eyed.

"Where...where is this going?" She spoke up again, knowing there was no way this was simply a reminiscence of their past.

"Now all that people think when they look at us is that we're in some sort of a fight. That's a pretty big difference." He ignored as he continued, finally letting out something or the other about the situation.

"What? Well yeah we're not exactly fr-." She started as he interrupted once again.

"Why did you even come here? Audition? I'm sure someone or the other could've gotten you out if you asked. This is my only career, you're still an idol. So what are you still doing here? Are you here to purposefully annoy me?"

"Not everything is about you."

"I'm sure it isn't. But this could've been avoided easily. Either way, you're here in the end." He spoke, the last sentence more to himself than her.

"I'm here for....personal reasons. Yeah, personal reasons. Look, I'll stay out of your way as much as I can alright? I won't interrupt you or whatever, if that's what you're worried about. It's better for me to stay away from you for me too."

In response Taehyung just scoffed.

She just stared, not knowing what to add.

He then straightened and gave her one last hardened look.

"Yeah well, you must be an expert at that by now." He spoke as he turned to walk towards the door again, when she couldn't help but ask.

"What does that mean?"

He just looked back at her and spoke one last time before walking out, into the PR mess, choosing that instead of being there with her for a moment longer.

"I mean, you always choosing to walk away from me when it's convenient for you."

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Chapter 9
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Acts of hate
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JJENINII
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