epilogue

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"Daehyungie..." Wheein called in a sing-song.

It was dead dark outside, but the spirit of the new year's day party was still very much alive. Taehyung finally took his last step, landing at the bottom of the staircase. He's apprehensive, clueless on what's happening.

He saw Wheein hugging one of their friends, but she perked up as soon as she saw him. "Daehyungie!" She called again and un-clang from the hug and walked to him, swaying and almost tripping in the air. "Miss me?"

Taehyung immediately ran to her and held her in his arms. "Be careful," he whispered.

"Hey, what are you two doing?" A high-pitched voice called out from somewhere inside the living room.

Taehyung looked up and saw that everyone was looking at them.

Wheein's giggles were uncontrollable.

"You two were nowhere to be found earlier," Hyejin spoke again. "Did you two sneak in upstairs and make out?" She's got her hands on her waist but swayed in doing so. Everyone yelped and held her in place. Everyone was loud and laughing, Wheein's giggles grew more uncontainable.

He held onto her waist, and she clutched onto his arms.

"OMG! You did!" Someone shouted again.

Wheein was shaking her head toward their friends, animatedly saying no. Then, she looked up at him. "Maybe we should have, but he didn't want it." She looked at her friends. "Daehyung doesn't want to kiss me." She whined and flailed in his arms.

She's drunk.

"You need to rest. Let me get you to bed," he spoke to her softly.

"What the hell, Taehyung? Kiss her!" Byul shouted beside Hyejin and imitated her stance.

Everyone was drunk.

"Kiss her, kiss her!"

They're all drunk.

"Shhhh!" Wheein shouted. "Shut up! Too loud!"

Wheein continued to hush everyone, but then turned around and wrapped her hands around Taehyung's neck and went closer. "Maybe we should really have." She tiptoed and held onto him dearly.

And kissed him.

In front of their friends.

Wheein was kissing him in front of their friends.

He stood frozen, his hands on her waist but still clueless on what to do. Her lips were sweet and soft, poisoned with alcohol, and it's tempting him to go with it and just kiss her back. He's tempted for more.

The girl whose lips were just on him pulled back and smiled at him with heavy-lidded eyes. "I want to kiss you more." She fixated on his lips and went closer again.

Taehyung held her face, but not to give in.

"You're so drunk. Please, let me get you to bed."

"No. I'm fine. I'm not drunk."

"Wheein," he said her name carefully. "Go sleep."

She pouted but nodded at him, and like a command, she fell into his arms and went to sleep. So fast.

Taehyung got a grip of her and hugged her.

How did the night end like this? How did this year start like this?

But Wheein did not fall into a sudden slumber, she pulled back and screeched and puked all over him. The girl he's been adoring all night, the same girl who turned him on, the same girl who smoked with him like a badass. That girl puked all over him, but instead of being disgusted, he smiled and grinned to himself and went on laughing.

He laughed, because despite all this spontaneity and mess, he still wanted to hug her and protect her from everything else in the world. He wanted to make her feel better.

And on the 1st of January, at exactly 3:17 am, Taehyung realized he has fallen in love.

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