Ethereal - TaeBin ✐

Chapter 9

Taehyun was driven back home by Verlaine, and the two yet again talked throughout the boring ride. Taehyun was glad to have someone like him accompany him and keep him entertained.

As the carriage got closer and closer to his house, he remembered something: I should meet up with Hueningkai and tell him everything that happened today. He cleared his throat and called Verlaine's name, and the latter hummed as a response.

He was glad that the ride wasn't awkward as the man was very talkative and never ran off stories to tell him.

"Could you drop me off at the house with emerald-colored doors? In fact, you can just drop me off here, I will find my way there"

"Sorry, but I am not allowed, I was instructed to drop you at the place I picked you up from"

Taehyun sighed. Of course, Verlaine was still his coach and not friends, and Taehyun's request might even put his job at risk. He thought for a while of what he can do to convince the man to let him off, as he won't be able to meet Hueningkai if his father meets him first.

"I remembered that Papa had asked me to make him a cake, and well, I must go shopping for the ingredients, and now is the perfect time for me to do so. You should drop me off by the store, Mr. Verlaine" said Taehyun, praying that Verlaine would not think much of his sudden change of request.

"I should not-" Verlaine spoke but stopped as he saw Taehyun's begging eyes. There was something, something so innocent in those eyes that he could not possibly reject, so, he huffed out a breath and nodded his head. Taehyun's eyes returned to their original look, calm and void of much emotion.

The rest of the ride was spent just as before, with laughter and a warm conversation. That was until they reached the center of the city and Verlaine stopped the carriage and Taehyun stepped out, he bid his farewell with the man and finished it off with "hope we meet again" to which the older man returned with a smile and a wave of hand.

Taehyun looked back a few times a she started walking around a store, and once he saw the carriage out of his vision, he left the store and run off to the place so familiar to him as if it was his own home, which it technically was, as he felt more at home there than anywhere else.

Huening will be very happy to hear about the whole thing

The thought lingered in his head and managed to place a smile on his face as he walked down the path to Hueningkai's house.

His steps faltered as he reached the familiar emerald door and he walked inside the gates. The Huening family always welcomed him with warmth and never made him feel bad about anything, it felt as if they were closer to him than his own father.

He saw Lea and Mrs. Huening watering the flowers while holding a conversation, they seemed so immersed that Taehyun decided it was best to just leave them be and greet them later.

He walked inside the house and there, he met Nabil, Hueningkai's father. The latter was sitting on a chair and reading the newspaper, and he looked up once he heard the sound of footsteps.

His eyes lit up at the familiar sight of Taehyun and he stood up, walked to Taehyun and embraced him tightly. Taehyun melted in the hug and hugged him back.

"Oh dear, it has been so long since you came by to visit us! I haven't heard of you ever since you started working almost a year ago! How has life been? Is Ji-Yeong still the same grumbling, old man?" Nabil let out a laugh at the end and was the first one to pull out of the hug.

The two then walked to the living room, where they sat across from each other.

They talked of everything that had happened to them in the span of that one year. Taehyun spoke of his new job and his father, and Nabil talked about the new anthology he was working on and even read a few of the poems to Taehyun who was in awe at the end.