FATE'S GAME | | BTS FF (18+)

10| The Language of Breathing

KIM TAEHYUNG

The training complex was quiet at this hour...most of the members had already retreated to their rooms. But sleep never came easy these days.

I found myself wandering the dimly lit halls, my thoughts restless.

And then her.

yn.

She stood by the vending machine in the lounge, bathed in the soft blue glow of its display. Her fingers hesitated over the buttons, brow slightly furrowed as she debated her choice.

I didn't mean to stare. But the way the light traced the curve of her cheek, the loose strands of hair escaping her ponytail-something in my chest tightened.

"You should pick the peach tea," I said before I could stop myself. She jumped, startled, before turning to face me. "S...sunbaenim?"

I stepped closer, suppressing a smirk at how flustered she looked. "The green tea's bitter. You won't like it."

Her eyes flickered down to the selection, then back to me. "You-you remember what I like?"

Of course I do.

But instead, I just shrugged, leaning against the machine. "Lucky guess."

A pause. Then- "Why are you avoiding me?"
Her question caught me off guard. I stiffened. "I'm not." "You are," she said softly.

"Ever since... the dorm assignments. You've been cold." The air between us thickened. I exhaled slowly, running a hand through my hair. "It's complicated."

She studied me, searching for something in my expression. And then...The vending machine beeped. The peach tea dropped down.

She picked it up, holding it out to me with a small, tentative smile. "For you." I stared at her outstretched hand, the warmth in her eyes unraveling something inside me.

Maybe I wasn't as good at hiding as I thought.
I took the peach tea, our fingers brushing in the gesture. "Thanks." She leaned against the wall next to me, sipping from her own bottle.

For a few moments, we fell into a silence that wasn't quite uncomfortable, but not quite comfortable either.

I sipped my tea, watching her out of the corner of my eye. She was different from the other trainees. Most girls would be flirting by now, or gushing about how I'd noticed her in the first place.

But yn... she just stood there, quiet and comfortable in her own quiet way."You're an early riser," she said suddenly.

I raised an eyebrow. "Is that your way of calling me sleep deprived?" She laughed softly, shaking her head. "Just an observation. I've seen you here before, like... really early in the morning."

I hummed in response, feeling strangely exposed. It was true. I had a habit of wandering the halls long before dawn. But hearing her put it like that made it seem... weird, like I was some kind of insomniac ghost.

"It's not what you think," I said, a little defensively."I just... can't sleep," I admitted, running a hand through my hair again.