TIME ─ JAEYONG

012⸰

taeyong found himself fully settled into his new room an hour after arriving at the jung's. his clothes were hung in the glorious walk-in closet, his toiletries, provided by the maids, were stocked along the shelves and medicine cabinets of his bathroom. although his room was full, he felt empty.

he thought to himself, why, why me? what did i do to deserve such lavish living? taeyong thought of others who could use this opportunity more than him. he could fight, protect himself, but others couldn't. those were the ones who deserved this.

to feel secure behind gates and bodyguards, to have fresh sheets to sleep on, let alone a mattress. "taeyong, it's time for dinner." jaehyun informed.

he exited his room, giving jaehyun a small yet forced smile before walking beside him down the hall. "you aren't allergic to seafood, right?" taeyong shook his head. "good. we're having a seafood feast."

the aroma of the freshly baked food clogged his senses the closer the two were to reaching the dining hall. his stomach grumbled, alerting not only him but jaehyun as well just how hungry and eager he was to eat.

"that smells great."

"it tastes even better. oh and you don't need to worry about my parents joining. They called and said they can't join because of some meeting." taeyong mentally breathed a sigh of relief.

if only they would be busy my whole stay.

the dinner was quiet except for the clatter of the eating utensils hitting the plates. jaehyun watched in admiration as taeyong piled his plate high, eating to his heart's content. the only time they spoke was when jae warned him to slow down unless he wanted to choke.

stuffed and content, taeyong thanked the workers who prepared the food before exiting back to his room accompanied by jaehyun. "so," jaehyun started. "everything is alright so far?"

"yeah. i suppose."

"well, night." he mumbled, retreating to his own room that was a good distance away. taeyong sighed and shut his door. he crawled into bed, pulling the cool satin sheets high above his shoulder.

sleep seemed nearly impossible as minutes turned to hours. he tossed and turned, no position satisfying enough to fall asleep in. an abrupt glowing light from his nightstand caught his attention. it was the phone jaehyun had given him. on the screen it showed he had a new message.

Jaehyun 🤗

i don't know if you're asleep but if you are then completely ignore this. if you aren't, hi. :)
Received at 12 a.m

hi.
Sent at 12:02 a.m

wow. i didn't expect a reply.
is everything ok?
Received at 12:03 a.m

yea.
i just can't get comfortable.
Sent at 12:03 a.m

i can have you move rooms...
if it's the bed.
Received at 12:04 a.m

taeyong wanted to groan out loud. jaehyun was so dense when it came to others. he couldn't relate at all, but then again, of course he couldn't. he didn't grow up struggling. he's had things handed to him on a silver platter since being a baby. taeyong frowned at himself for getting so worked up over jaehyun's attempted kindness.

it's not the bed.
i'm trying to adapt here
and it's going to take time.
Sent at 12:06 a.m

right. sorry.
i just want to make sure you know?
Received at 12:06 a.m

yea.
Sent at 12:07 a.m

when a reply didn't come in taeyong assumed the conversation was over. his short, one worded answers probably made jaehyun fall asleep out of pure boredom. taeyong still kept the phone tight in his hand, just in case another message would come through. and it did.

i want us to grow closer taeyong.
i know you have a hatred towards me
for taking you away from your past but
i just couldn't let you live like that.
Received at 12:11 a.m

why?
Sent at 12:13 a.m

i told you. you're special.
i can't put it into words yet.
Received at 12:13 a.m

"special..." he muttered. it almost made him want to laugh. he scrolled up to re-read the previous message. jaehyun assumed taeyong hated him.

sure taeyong didn't exactly like him but hate was a strong word. taeyong hated only a fair few but only because they did something to hurt him or others he's cared about. he pondered the message, an idea coming to mind.

if you want me to forgive you, slightly, promise me something.
Sent at 12:16 a.m

anything.
Received at 12:17 a.m

take me back to the poor side of seoul.
so i can find doyoung and help him like you helped me.
Sent at 12:18 a.m

is this doyoung kid related to you?
or you know, something more?
Received at 12:20 a.m

taeyong chuckled. something more? the only love life taeyong had was with ten and that ended in his death. he couldn't date again, in fear that the same thing would happen. the fear of not being able to keep them happy to the point where they felt like death would be a better choice.

he's someone i care for, kinda like mark.
so, is it a yes or no?
Sent at 12:22 a.m

yes.
on saturday we'll go find doyoung.
Received at 12:24 a.m

he smiled, he couldn't wait to see doyoung finally living a life he should be. he only had to wait a few more days. taeyong prayed doyoung would make it a few more days.

thanks. gn jaehyun.
Sent at 12:25 a.m

good night taeyong.
Received at 12:25 a.m

he set the phone back on the dresser and rolled over, the spot suddenly feeling right.

ten, i hope i'm making you proud. good night, my love.