On-Way Passage || ᴠᴍɪɴ

Chapter 10

Jimin tumbled onto Taehyung’s body in one fell swoop. In that split second, he caught a distinct whiff of Taehyung’s pheromones. He thus rolled over to the other side of the bed in a display of quick and nimble reflexes, swiftly moving away from Taehyung and getting to his feet next to the bed.

He stood there, heart still racing from the scare, and looked at Taehyung as he asked, “What do you think you’re doing?”

Taehyung remained where he lay on the bed and drew the covers over his chest. “Didn’t you say you came here to sleep?”

“Stop messing with me,” Jimin said. “I obviously don’t sleep in this room. We live apart, don’t we?”

Taehyung left his question unanswered.

A thought popped up in Jimin’s mind: technically, they were a married couple who slept in separate beds rather than who lived apart—but now wasn’t the time to make a fuss about the specifics. He quickly followed up with another question, “Do you know the passcode to the safe in my room?”

Taehyung glanced at him. “There’s a safe in your room?”

Jimin had no intention of wasting any more time talking to him. “You don’t know then…” Since Taehyung didn’t know, then whatever was inside his safe was probably important, and therefore he definitely wouldn’t have told him.

He was staunchly committed to the belief that he and Taehyung weren’t really husbands. From head to toe, nothing about Taehyung matched his sexual orientation.

Jimin made to leave the room.

Yet barely two steps forward, Taehyung called out to him, “Wait.”

Jimin looked back.

Taehyung said, “Could you get the lights.”

Jimin fumed, “Are you a cripple? Turn it off yourself.” He stormed out of Taehyung’s bedroom—but didn’t forget to close the door behind him. 

Back in his room, Jimin rummaged through his wardrobe for some pyjamas then went to the bathroom for a shower. Afterwards, he collapsed on the bed, spread-eagled, exhausted to the bone. Even though his mind was still active, it was clear that his brain was protesting. It was like a rusty, inefficient gear trying its hardest to turn, creaking all the while.

He had an inkling that there was something else he’d forgotten, but he couldn’t think of anything right now. Intense exhaustion gradually pulled him under.

His slumber was probably not that deep, Jimin recalled; it’d felt like he’d been dreaming all night. His dreamscape was bizarre and motley, and he could only remember one scene that left a particularly deep impression on him: he was moving back home to live with his grandpa, and when he entered the room, the grandpa he expected to see was replaced by Taehyung. He knew that this wasn’t right, and yet he couldn’t pinpoint what was wrong with it. His dreamscape gradually became hazy after that…

Jimin woke up the next morning feeling light-headed. He was lying on his side, and he stayed in that position for a few moments before he opened his eyes and turned over. 

The instant he turned around, Jimin was startled awake, and it was all because of a tall figure entering his line of sight—who else but Taehyung.

Taehyung wore a shirt that was slightly open at the collar. His hair was slicked back, exposing his brow. Despite the lack of a tie, he appeared to be ready to leave the house at any moment.

Jimin had no idea when the man had entered his room, but by the looks of it, he’d already been standing at Jimin’s bedside for quite some time. His gaze never strayed from Jimin’s face.