NOCTURNAL -kth

8 ◽ "did i seem like a weirdo?"

"REMEMBER when we first met?" haewon asked, whilst eyeing a shelf of books. taehyung was leaning against the opposite shelf, seemingly uninterested in whatever items that were arranged behind his back. but haewon wanted to go the book corner, so he obeyed her request.

"yes, i was in the slide. why?"

haewon took a book out and sat down on the floor. "what were you doing in there anyway?"

"well, i love to lay down in there but at that time, i was slipping down and before i knew it i fell through it. and you just had to see me in my embarrassing state."

"i know. and then you suddenly introduced yourself to me."

"oh my god, did i seem like a weirdo?"

haewon nodded. "an awkward weirdo." but she found his awkward self at the time so cute she felt like adopting him, but he didn't need to know that.

there was a moment of silence, and taehyung was staring intently at her, while she kept flipping the pages in the book.

"why do you love books so much? they're boring as hell."

"they're not! when i read them i can actually feel myself escaping into somewhere else, somewhere far better than the reality. isn't that such a wonderful thing?"

he blinked his eyes and beamed a lopsided smile. "that's such a blatant lie. you're bad at lying, haewon."

haewon laughed and raised her hands in surrender. "okay, you caught me. but books are fun to read. that i'm not lying."

"the only time we can escape from reality is when we dream. but it's also terrible how we can't control what dream we wanted to dream." taehyung stated, he now sat in front of her, and was beginning to lie down on his back.

"do you love dreaming then?" she closed the book, feeling more interested in talking with the person in front of her.

"no."

"why?"

"because i can't control them," he sighed. "that's why i don't really sleep."

"do you have nightmares often taehyung?" she looked at him, but he was closing his eyes.

"every night."

after that, she let silence embraced their moment. it was a quite comfortable silence, not an awkward one. she liked how quiet and peaceful the mall was at the time, even though it was quite dark.

"taehyung?"

"what-"

"WHO'S THERE?" a loud, third voice boomed from somewhere not far from where they sat.

at that exact moment, both went silent as the dead, and terror flashed in their eyes. heavy footsteps now beginning to come closer and closer to them.

a sudden light coming from a torch now pointed towards the shelf, almost shining on them.

"shit."