LOST STARS

Chapter 21

                                                               **** TIME SKIP 2 years (1996) ****

A couple of years had passed in the beautiful, chaotic rhythm of Taehyung's gestures and Jungkook's touches. Both the boys had woven themselves into what could be best called domestic life.

Taehyung's hands were still sorting out the balloon animals he had made to be displayed in front of the utensils shop where the owner allowed him. He absentmindedly looked around the market and there he saw him. Yoongi. A bright figure amongst the market's colors and buzz.

There he was, standing at the fruit stall, examining Tangerines as if the world's axis depended on them.

The air around Taehyung thickened. He instantly choked, not even brave enough to say Yoongi's name mentally. However, his body betrayed his mind as Taehyung's feet dragged him towards the spec from a previous life. Now where was he supposed to begin his story? The struggles he had endured, rather, two of them endured—or that he survived?

"Hi," Taehyung gestured with a hesitant wave as he tapped on Yoongi's shoulder, who stood there, eyes wide and slightly getting moist behind his glasses.

"Aehyun??" Yoongi could just mouth, no sounds leaving him.

Nods replaced words and gestures and soon they found themselves sitting on a bench in the crowded Seoul market.

Minutes soon turned into an hour. When Taehyung asked Yoongi how he was doing and how Jinho was, Yoongi's reply came a minute later. He could only say, "All things considered, it's good."

The weight of those words was not lost on Taehyung. Yoongi wanted to tell him how there was nothing left to look forward to. There was a feeling of suffocation he felt. He wanted to tell Taehyung how the once bright and ambitious Jinho had just made her life about Yoongi. He was carrying the weight of not only his own choices but also Jinho's. He wanted to share that he was tired from the weight of the cross he was bearing.

Taehyung watched as if he understood each of those lines and frowns that crossed Yoongi's face. It was as if he was hearing the silent confession in his sighs and could watch it in the slump of Yoongi's shoulders.

"How are you? And what brings you to Seoul?" Yoongi asked as he sighed heavily.

So where was Taehyung supposed to begin? Was he supposed to talk about the mishaps, or the things that didn't go according to plan, or the fact that his life had found a rhythm with another person? Should he speak about the changes he saw in himself, or talk about the small room they had in the center of this street, or should he talk about Jungkook – his only constant now, his source of joy and his continuous challenge.

Taehyung's gaze hesitated and drifted. Yoongi thought maybe Taehyung was taking a moment to gather his thoughts, but what Taehyung was looking at was the small room on a terrace of a building – the one he and Jungkook called home.

However, before Yoongi could follow Taehyung's gaze his eyes caught the sight of the person he didn't want to see. It was Jinho and clearly, she was looking for him. Yoongi knew if he wanted to avoid a million questions, which anyways would not have any answers, he needed to leave, at least for now. Taehyung also caught the glimpse of the woman in the window pane he was facing and immediately knew what the situation demanded. With a longing in his eyes and heart, Taehyung bid farewell to Yoongi.

Jungkook waited for Taehyung to return home that night. As soon as he saw Taehyung crossing the road towards their building, he went and hid behind the door. It was just a thing that had become a norm now. Every day Taehyung would walk in from the door in the evenings, and Jungkook would jump at him to scare him. The reaction Taehyung gave everyday was bigger and better than the day before and Jungkook couldn't ever get enough of it.