Stigma | KTH ✔

23 | Fireworks

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The orange tint of the sky indicates that the day had officially transitioned into evening, but even so the town was more alive than ever. Busy streets reeked with delicious flavours from traditional Korean cuisine, popcorn and sweet cotton candy. Children laughing, people talking and the sound of street-chefs calling out their menus in order to attract more customers, was all one could hear once they enter the heart of attraction that is the seaside area.

It's Friday, at last, and all of us are currently strolling down the seafront, almost drowning in the mass of people around us who are here for the same reason; the annual fireworks festival. Thank goodness Areum warned me not to eat before leaving, because a festival in east Asia apparently equals to an immense consuming of street food -- and oh boy if we aren't eating everything edible our eyes can possibly find.

Our hands are currently occupied with various of foods, and it was interesting, to say the least, to finally try some traditional Korean food that I haven't eaten before. Everything from the well-known kimbap (which I still count as sushi but I won't argue against my native friends), a wide range of different skewers, to beongdegi -- which I was really hesitant to eat at first because I thought they were pranking me, but the silkworm pupaes turned out to have a rather okay taste, after all. My favorites were of course the sweet and crispy bungeoppangs with either red paste or custard, which I happily devoured a number of that I've already lost count on.

"Bro, if you keep eating those things your intestines will explode," Areum says beside me, eyes wide in concern for my health.

"Then at least I'll die doing the thing I love the most," I reply simply, finishing the last piece of dessert in my hand.

"I think that's enough food for tonight," Kai says with a heavy groan. "I'm honestly afraid that my stomach will blow up if I even smell more food."

Everyone lets out an alien sound, not really saying anything, but we all interpreted it as a 'yes please'.

"Let's go to the souvenirs! They always have super cute accessories and ornaments here," Areum says enthusiastically before leading the way, and we all followed without arguing against her idea.

Since Areum seems to know the way to everything around here, we let her walk in the front in order to guide us. I wasn't really fond of pushing through people, so I naturally wandered to the back of our group, walking behind everybody. Though, it didn't take long until a certain someone joined me.

"What are you doing here in all your loneliness?" Taehyung asks beside me, grinning with one curiously arched eyebrow.

"Just avoiding bumping into people as much as I can. It makes me uncomfortable," I explain with a chuckle. To this, Taehyung's grin widens and I feel his arm snaking around my back in a protective manner, firmly holding his hand on my waist.

"Don't worry, I'll protect you."

Unable to help it, I allow myself to smile widely, along with a burst of butterflies being released in my stomach in reaction to his unexpected action. I thought I would be used to his touch at this point, but being out here in public with his arm around me, I couldn't help but feeling the tingles all over again as if he had touched me for the first time.

Since the day Taehyung took me to the hill, everything between us kind of.. changed. And it was making both my heart and my mind go insane. Every night after that one, Taehyung had begged me to stay with him, and we had now spent three nights together in a row; every morning I had woken up entangled in his embrace. I never had thought of Taehyung as a cuddly person, but this boy sure loves morning cuddles -- and there's no way in hell I'll complain.