Hilde | Kim Taehyung fanfiction ✓

taehyung

11

Taehyung left her house with deliberate steps, enjoying the knowledge that he was probably getting on the girl's nerves. Getting under people's skin was something he took pleasure in. Well, as long as he knew they couldn't do any harm to him. Not fatally, anyway.

Once outside, he couldn't resist checking the name on the mailbox. Sneakiness wasn't his style, after all.

Allen.

Back at his place, Taehyung took care of his wounds before taking care of the promise he made to the girl: tracking down Novikov.

His head pounded with each beat of his heart, and his hand throbbed with a dull ache. Perhaps he shouldn't have shaken her hand so firmly.

With Novikov's file spread out before him, Taehyung looked through the details meticulously, noting down key information about Novikov's life and connections. As he considered his next move, he contemplated making calls, particularly to Thorne and Everhart. Yet, reluctance held him back: Taehyung recalled the consequences of seeking help in the past, the mistake that had led him to Thorne.

Determined not to repeat those errors, he resolved to handle this situation on his own terms. Instead of relying on others, he opted to pull a few strings.

*

Seated at the kitchen bar, Taehyung looked the dimly lit surroundings with disapproval. Rising from his seat, he approached the fridge to look for a snack, not finding anything that wet his appetite.

His gaze drifted to the kitchen counter, where a bowl of red apples and oranges caught his attention. While Taehyung had a fondness for apples, he preferred the yellow ones over the red.

So, he grabbed an orange.

As he was about to finish eating it, the sound of approaching footsteps caused him to pause

"Hi, Amato," Taehyung greeted with a smile before Amato even entered the room, his tone pleasant. "Such a pleasure to meet you," he added, waving casually at him. "How's your finger?" Taehyung asked, a hint of mischief dancing in his eyes as he pointed at the bandaged finger with his eyes.

"I told her everything I know, what more do you want?" Amato retorted with a groan referring to the girl, his voice rising in pitch with a hint of agitation.

"You told her everything you knew. You might have some new information now. Which is why I'm here," Taehyung replied, his smile widening into a grin as he maintained his composure.

Soft steps followed, and a delicate and weak voice broke through the air. "Why are you yelling? What is going on?" A woman emerged, stopping a few paces behind Amato. Her appearance was rough, there is no other way to put it. With a bandage over her right eye and a purple circle beneath the left, she appeared more than tired. Her trembling voice amplified her fragile state as she talked to her husband. "Who is that?" she whispered, her voice barely audible.

"That wench sent a puppet over," Amato relayed to his wife, his tone tinged with bitterness. "Maybe now she wants him to take one of my eyes."

"God, she did that to you?" Taehyung's disbelief was palpable. "So, she stole your finger," he remarked, gesturing at Amato, "and your eye?" he added, indicating Amato's wife. "We're talking about a debutante," he mused, closing the distance between himself and the couple who seemed to instinctively put some distance between themselves and Taehyung. "Listen, I've been doing this for a while. I'll be able to make you talk faster than she did, I might cause you more pain than she did as well," Taehyung declared with assurance, his words a promise.

"Just..." Amato began, his frustration evident in his tone, "What do you want? At this point, I would rather die than protect some futile information. Who is it?" He didn't even wait for Taehyung to answer before listing off names. "Columbo? Novikov, again? Don?"

"Novikov," Taehyung confirmed simply, slipping his hands into the pockets of his pants.

"He took a flight to Ames. He has a cottage or something in Idyllwild. That's where he's staying," Amato disclosed, holding nothing back.

"Anything else?"

"Yes. He probably put a hit on both you and that little girl," Amato added bluntly.

"Why so honest?" Taehyung asked as he started walking towards the front door, ready to leave.

"Did I ask you why you're after him?" Amato retorted irritably, prompting Taehyung to shake his head no, a knowing smile tugging at his lips. "So don't ask me why I want Novikov dead."

*

Taehyung had anticipated spending the entire day, if not longer, extracting information from Amato. Yet, by two in the afternoon, he found himself back home, seated at his laptop, ready to book tickets to Idyllwild, Ames.

While he acknowledged the need to question more people than just Amato, he sensed a shared enthusiasm in both Amato and the Allen girl to see Novikov die.

After searching through every possible website, the earliest available tickets were for four days later.

*

Taehyung printed the two tickets before settling into his room and slipping into his pajamas; he glanced over at his bedside table to switch off the light, ready to go to sleep. But something caught his eye before he could do so—a photograph resting there.

In the picture, he grinned widely, his thumbs raised in a playful gesture. Beside him, his mother flashed a peace sign, her smile reflecting his own.

Gazing at the photo, memories flooded back, transporting him to a time long gone.