On-Way Passage || ᴠᴍɪɴ

Chapter 9

It was well into the night when Taehyung drove Jimin back to the Seoul. Since he regained his consciousness at the hospital, his main concern had been his grandpa, and now that the dust had settled, a profound weariness assailed his still recovering body. Seated on the passenger’s side, he fell asleep midway home.

Jimin awoke to find that the car had come to a halt. He opened his eyes to the sight of the dimly lit parking lot outside the window, as well as Taehyung beside him, the man’s gaze fixed on him.

Taehyung had probably been staring at him for a good while. He didn’t avert his gaze when Jimin’s eyes blinked open and only asked, “You’re awake?”

Jimin rubbed his eyes. Stretching his arms, he gazed out the window. “We’ve arrived?”

Taehyung didn’t answer, instead opening the door and stepping out of the car as he said, “Get out of the car if you’re awake.”

Despite the large number of parked cars, the underground parking lot seemed vacant. As Jimin followed Taehyung to the elevator, he saw that the parking spaces were largely occupied by pricey luxury cars. Groggy from sleep, he inquired, “Where do I currently work?”

When they entered the elevator, Taehyung answered, “You don’t work. You stay at home to take care of me.”

Jimin fought off a yawn. His reply came off a little sluggish. “Can you try to sound a little more convincing?” He’d spent enough time with Taehyung to figure out some of the man’s tricks, and he’d also come to realise that Taehyung wasn’t all that scary.

“Since I was little, my grandpa always told me that a man has to stand on his own two feet and not rely on others.”

Taehyung was standing upright. His back was even more so. “And so?”

Jimin said, “And I always listen to my grandpa.”

When the elevator reached their floor, Jimin followed Taehyung out and was greeted by a small indoor courtyard. The only door in sight was directly ahead, which Taehyung unlocked with his fingerprint. The lights were turned on, illuminating a large, spotless living room.

The apartment was approximately 200 square metres in size. The interior design leaned towards a masculine cold and harsh aesthetic, primarily in black and white tones. The place had little to no homey feel to it.

Jimin walked up to the floor-to-ceiling windows in the living room and peered out, spotting a flower garden downstairs that was still lit up with yellow lights even this late at night.

Taehyung didn’t say anything to him after they arrived home and went straight to his room.

Jimin took an inquisitive look around the room. He then followed the sounds until he came to a halt in front of a bedroom doorway. Inside, Taehyung was stripping down to his underwear. “This is where I used to live?”

Taehyung first removed his shirt, baring his muscular upper body, before removing his pants. He didn’t even spare a glance at Jimin when he said, “You stay in the courtyard outside.”

Jimin rolled his eyes. His heart was filled with dread when he saw the two-metre-wide bed in the middle of the room, complete with a set of pillows on top of it, but he persisted and asked, “Which room is my room?”

Taehyung turned to face him, his legs now bare. “This here is your room.”

In Jimin’s almost twenty-two years of memories, he was close with plenty of his male classmates, and they’d often change clothes in front of each other. Though the majority of his buddies were Betas, there had also been the occasional Alpha.