Chapter - Eight

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Jeongguk's pov-

I stepped into the quiet of my mansion, the familiar scent of the place settling around me. The day had been long-endless, almost-but there was a weight lifted off my chest, something I hadn't realized I'd been carrying until just now. The conversation with Taehyung, the words we'd exchanged, were still swirling in my mind. I hadn't expected him to ask about a date. Honestly, I hadn't expected anything from him after everything that had happened.

But when he'd asked if Sunday was good, I'd felt this strange feeling bubble up. It wasn't nerves or fear, but something softer. I couldn't put my finger on it. All I knew was that when he'd looked at me with those calm, understanding eyes, something in me shifted. The idea of spending time with him outside of the usual fleeting moments felt... right. Maybe it was because he made me feel like I didn't have to be anyone other than myself. Maybe it was the fact that even when I shut myself off, he always saw through the walls I put up. Either way, I didn't have the strength to resist him.

I walked across the living room, my thoughts still on that conversation. I made my way to the couch, falling onto it with a tired sigh. My mind raced. What would I do on a date?

I hadn't been on many dates in my life. Sure, I'd had my share of fleeting interests, but I was always too caught up in my responsibilities, too consumed by the weight of my duties to let anyone get close. Taehyung had a way of making me forget all of that. For the first time in a long time, I didn't feel like I had to hide parts of myself from him. He seemed to accept me as I was-even the parts I thought were unworthy of anyone's attention.

I grabbed my phone, fingers hovering over the screen as I stared at it for a moment. I hadn't really thought about what I wanted out of this. I had always kept things simple-focused on things that required no real emotional involvement. But now, with Taehyung, everything seemed to change. The casual nature of our relationship so far-if you could even call it that-had shifted into something more, something deeper. He'd made it clear he wanted to get to know me better, and in turn, I couldn't help but want the same. But this was different. This wasn't about the cold, detached way I lived my life-it was personal.

I opened the message Taehyung had sent me: "How about a small café by the lake? It's quiet, and I think you might like it."

The words sat there for a moment. A café by the lake. I could picture it-soft waves against the shore, the gentle rustling of trees in the wind, the kind of peaceful setting that didn't require any kind of grand display. It felt... right, honestly. The kind of place where I could let my guard down without thinking too much about it. The simplicity of it made it even better.

I leaned back into the couch, trying to picture the moment. Just Taehyung and me. It felt strange. I had always been so focused on my responsibilities-so focused on keeping everyone safe-that I never allowed myself to really think about what I wanted. But with Taehyung, everything was different. He was calm, steady, and for some reason, he made me feel like maybe it was okay to not be constantly on edge.

I messaged him back, my thumb moving over the keyboard with a slight hesitance: "Sounds good."

I stared at the message for a moment, not quite sure if I'd made the right decision, but then I realized-there was no perfect answer. I didn't need to have everything planned out. What I needed was to take the next step, and this date, whatever it turned out to be, was that step. So I hit send.

Once the message was sent, I exhaled slowly, the weight of the decision suddenly heavier than I had expected. Why did this feel so important? My hand instinctively reached up to run through my hair, a nervous tick I'd had for as long as I could remember. I never second-guessed myself, but with Taehyung, there was always this feeling that maybe I didn't quite know what I was doing. And that scared me.

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