4 O'CLOCK - K. TAEHYUNG

二

"fucking namjoon and his stupid underground business", luna sighed, kicking a pebble in anger. a mother and son walked past, the mother covering her son's ears as she threw a dirty look at luna.

"eomma what does 'fucking' mean?", a chuckle escaped luna's lips as she heard the mother scold her son.

crossing her arms, luna suddenly stopped in her step, her eyes glancing to the side. with a swift turn, she faced the new boy who had been following a couple of feet behind her. tilting her head, she noticed his nervous facade.

"i-i'm not following you! i just live this way too!" he exclaimed, his face flushed red in embarrassment. luna raised a questioning eyebrow, a small giggle bubbling to escape, but she held it back, eyeing the taller boy. 

"i never said you were following me kim taehyung-ssi." taehyung flinched at the sound of his name, his fingers fiddling with the hem of his sweater. the sight of him being a wreck made luna wonder if he really was the murderer everyone accused him of being. he seemed too naive and fragile to have killed someone, but then again, it would be the perfect demeanour to hide behind.

luna sighed, waiting for a response only to realise that the boy was starstruck with nervousness to reply with one. "i'm going. you can continue following", luna grinned, turning back around.

"i said i'm not following you!", his voice was louder and stronger, surprising luan but when she peeked over her shoulder at him, he still held that innocent look she was growing used to. with a small smile, she threw him a lazy wave.

"whatever you say."

taehyung watched as her figure became smaller, reassuring himself that he wasn't following her as he slowly began walking too. her body was still in view as he came to a crossing in which he'd have to part way with her, but for some reason, his feet continued walking.

he kept his distance, noticing how the small girl would glance side to side but she never stopped, not once. taehyung wondered how far she actually lived since it seemed like he had been walking for a while now.

"i thought you said you weren't following me?", luna finally stopped, turning towards the boy.

"i'm not", he defended, but she had already seen through the lie.

"really? because i've walked through this neighbourhood twice now and you've been stuck to me like glue." taehyung finally tore his gaze away from her, his face flushed red as he noticed his house sat before him.

"i still wasn't following you", he insisted, turning back to her. luna sighed, shaking her head. she didn't understand the boy before her, but to say she wasn't fascinated by him would be a lie. "i'm going", he stated, turning around and walking off, despite his house being right there.

luna chuckled, shaking her head as she walked in the opposite direction to him. once she was finally out of sight, taehyung ran towards his house, entering in a rush. he was panting for breath, leaning against the door as he slid down to the floor.

luna, however, continued walking around the neighbourhood. her mind couldn't stop but wonder back to the boy with soft, grey locks. he was a mysterious fellow and luna couldn't stop herself from thinking about him.

even at 3 a.m in the morning, sat under her silk sheets that managed to keep her warm throughout the fall weather, her back against the headboard as she stared at the display of her phone.

it was another one of those nights again where her thoughts prevented her from entering dreamland. and if she were to enter, she'd immediately be kicked out due to the nightmare that is her past.

for years luna had trouble sleeping, it all began after the incident. the incident that labelled her as a murderer to everyone else.

standing from her bed, luna quietly made her way out of the house, making sure not to wake up namjoon by accident. the clock had read 3:59 a.m when she left.

the streets were empty, illuminated only by the light of the moon as luna's steps echoed through the neighbourhood. you'd think that a young girl like her would be shitting herself at this time of day, especially with the strange sounds emitting from every alleyway she walked past. however, luna was a different case. she had grown used to these midnight walks that nothing bothered her anymore.

her state of tranquillity under the moonlight was enough to protect her. no one dared to disturb her because they know. they know that a monster comes out when she's angry. well...that's what the rumour says.

a rumour that he had never heard of. their steps were in sync, like a melody that just keeps playing over and over in your head, making it impossible not to hum along to. their gazes fixed on the starry sky and half of the moon that was visible to the naked eye.

the scent of strawberries was strong as she felt his presence walk by. not once did she tear her gaze away, she didn't want to know. she was calm and that was what was important to her right now.

however, his eyes had torn away, sparing her a quick glance which led to a double take and then widened eyes. his eyes never left her, even as they walked by one another, and even as she continued to walk after he had stopped.

he wanted to look away, continue on his journey, but there was something about her that was holding him back. a soft smile made its way onto his lips and with a soft sigh, he turned back onto the road before him.

"she's brave."