FORGET-ME-NOT | kth

Chapter 6 - Fire Exit

Friday evening had finally arrived, and everyone had been seated around their familiar table. Laughter and chatter filled the air, accompanied by the clinking of glasses and the occasional burst of lively music. Yet, amidst this cheerful ambience, there was a noticeable absence — Taehyung.

As the evening progressed and conversations flowed, his empty chair occasionally became the centre of quiet glances and unspoken questions, a silent reminder of his usual presence in their Friday gatherings.

Aria set her phone down on the table with a frown, taking a sip of her drink as she muttered, "He's not picking up."

"Maybe he's caught up in some work," Dodo suggested, and the group returned to their conversation, trying to push away the unease of Taehyung's absence.

Meanwhile, Jungkook's eyes roamed the room until they settled on Maya. Thoughts of Taehyung's absence flooded back, prompting him to grab his phone and send a message.

Jungkook: what's up? Aren't you coming?

Taehyung: No

Taehyung's response came swiftly, confirming Jungkook's suspicions.

"I will be back," Jungkook said as he stood up and made his way outside.

"Why aren't you coming?" Jungkook's voice was direct as soon as Taehyung picked up the call.

"I don't feel like coming today," Taehyung's response was curt, prompting a smirk from Jungkook.

"And why is that? That's what I was asking," Jungkook probed further, his eyes casually drifting back to the table where he had been seated, visible through the glass panels.

There was silence on the other end, causing Jungkook to check his phone to ensure the call was still connected. "Taehyung," he called out, prompting a sigh in response.

"I don't want to see her," Taehyung finally confessed, and Jungkook couldn't help but suppress a knowing smile. His intuition had been right all along.

"Who?" he asked, even though he already knew.

"Ugh, you know," Taehyung replied and Jungkook chuckled.

"Wait, weren't you the one dragging me to the bar for the past four days just to catch a glimpse of her?"

"I regret that," Taehyung confessed, and Jungkook's eyebrows shot up.

"What exactly went down?"

"I decided to ignore her after yesterday's embarrassing incident, but today I unexpectedly ran into her at the library," Taehyung grumbled.

"And?" Jungkook leaned in, intrigued.

"We talked. And not just that," Taehyung groaned, "I even ended up giving her a ride home."

"Whoa, impressive moves," Jungkook remarked. "What's the big deal then?"

"The big deal is that I skipped my class to drop her off. I lied about heading home," Taehyung confessed, "and to top it off, I couldn't utter a single word to her during the entire car ride. The silence was unbearable."

Jungkook laughed, and there was silence from the other side.

"Why are you laughing? It's not funny at all," Taehyung said, and Jungkook could already imagine the frown on his friend's forehead.

"Taehyung, chill. It's just your nerves acting up. But hey, you're making progress, keep this up" Jungkook reassured him.

"No," Taehyung cut in sharply. "I don't want to keep this up. It's exhausting."