Letters from the Void // ASTRO ✔

Chapter 47

Eunwoo grabbed his coat as he stepped out of his apartment. As he heard the door click behind him, he made his way to the lift. A teenager was waiting for the same carriage and he smiled slightly to her. The teenager smiled back and they waited in silence for the vehicle. The elevator dinged and he waved the card over the panel, illuminating the floor numbers.

"Ground floor?" Eunwoo asked.

She nodded and he pressed the button. Elevator music played softly in the background, accompanying their journey to the ground floor. They parted at the ground floor, with the teenager going straight for the exit while Eunwoo looked for his car. He unlocked his car and ignited the engine. Fixing his commander on the collar of his coat, he quickly dialed Taehyung and explained his intentions.

"You're sure she went there?"

"Yeah. She wanted some time alone, so I just let her go," Taehyung said on the other line.

"Thank you." Eunwoo paused. "I really mean it."

"No problem. We might've been separated for years, but you're still my first best friend," Taehyung silently replied.

"You still are my best friend, Kim Taehyung," Eunwoo mentioned.

As the conversation ended, he unclipped the commander and stashed it in the middle compartment. He wouldn't want any distractions later. He reversed out of the car park and set the destination on his navigator. The journey would take one hour by car, and he calculated the possibility of her still being there when he arrived. He took his chances; he quickly followed the direction to the desired destination.

As he entered the suburbs, he suddenly felt the rush of memories from the familiar surrounding. He might've not been here for the past 10 years, but barely anything changed. He still remembered the ice cream shop at the corner, the rows of restaurants, the same design of the houses, people going on with their daily activities and the environment he grew up in. He passed by his old house, who now had a new owner. His house seemed different; the owner must've renovated it after buying it. He didn't stop at the house, instead he went over to Taehyung's former house.

The sight in front of him wrenched his heart; only the frames of the house were left. Even the ground was charred from the raging flames, and Eunwoo couldn't imagine how Taehyung felt when he stood in front of his burning house. He parked his car and got out. Taehyung's house was slightly isolated, just liked Eunwoo's house was, though their sizes were significantly different. Eunwoo's house was like a mansion, while Taehyung's was a normal single house big enough for 4 people to live in comfortably. Eunwoo was known as the neighbourhood's rich kid, and everybody wanted to be his friend. But nobody stayed for long, except for Taehyung.

Eunwoo was known as the more mature one of the pair, while Taehyung was the jokester. Taehyung would pull pranks and Eunwoo would be the one to apologize. Taehyung had always wanted to skip school, but Eunwoo was the one to drag him all the way to 'prison'. They were polar opposites, but their friendship persisted until Eunwoo had to move away. Taehyung seemed like he would be irresponsible, but he actually cared for his own sister. They were separated after Eunwoo moved away, and lost contact. He was shocked to find out about Taehyung's status as a fugitive, but then he showed up in front of him with Kim Taehee in his arms.

Eunwoo's first love.

"What are you doing here?" Her voice came first.

Eunwoo was startled and he looked to the left to see Taehee looking at him, face stricken with tears. Obviously she had been crying. But for how long?

"What are you doing here?" she repeated the question.

"Would you like to go for a walk?" Eunwoo asked instead, without answering her question.