THE BODYGUARD | JAEYONG NCT

27: The One That Got Away

2 years later

Taeyong picked at his salad aimlessly with his fork. Everyone around him was laughing and smiling, and Taeyong? Well, he was in one of those slumps. A slump he always got into because of he who must not be named. It was getting better though, the worst of the bitter pain was gone but it still left a sour taste in his mind and mouth. He missed him so much it hurt.

"Taeyong?" Ten drew out from where he was sitting on Johnny's lap. His fingers were tracing up and down on Johnny's exposed right arm where there were big, unsightly bumps and lumps from where he got caught in the fire. Johnny showed it off with pride though, talking about it in circles at frat parties and even going as far as wearing short sleeves in the winter months, which of course Taeyong and Ten scolded him for.

Taeyong looked up, startled at Ten's sudden voice. He felt Doyoung's eyes on him too at the other side of the round table and forced a smile.

"I'm fine."

Taeyong ran a hand through his now purple hair. Ten nodded and their previous conversations continued. This was their lunch break between classes where all four of their schedules all finally aligned, he wasn't going to ruin it with depressing talk of Jaehyun. That was reserved for his drunken spiels on Saturday nights, or any night where he drank really.

"I'm gonna head to class now," Taeyong pushed himself out of his seat abruptly. Everyone knew the reason why, however, there was a silent, understood agreement not to bring it up. Taeyong felt their eyes on him all the way to the door and dumped his tray at the bin before heading off to class much earlier than he knew he needed to.

Sitting down in class, Taeyong forced himself to concentrate. He had let himself go so much last year that he had practically failed, he knew his father was involved on him getting those barely passing grades. From then on, he tried his hardest to do better, half because he didn't need nor want help from his father, and the other half because he didn't want a man to be the reason he failed school. No, he needed to keep his personal life out of his school work.

He couldn't help his mind drifting a bit though and he ran a thumb over his lip mindlessly. He'd been wanting to get a lip ring for awhile to add to his whole depressed, punk boy persona. Changing his hair colour from pink to purple felt like a real breakthrough for him, a step towards his goal of forgetting.

Thinking about which lip ring position he should get, he didn't notice the professor's dismissal and everyone filing out until a classmate jostled him awake with a hand on his back.

"Oh yeah, sorry," Taeyong mumbled as the guy smiled at him.

His name was Seongho, Seongha, Seonghwa? Something along those lines. He only remembered vaguely from the numerous attempts the guy did to introduce himself and ask him out, which Taeyong shut him down before he could even try to.

Maybe that was what he needed, a Seonghwa, somebody to move onto and forget about his past lover. Taeyong didn't stir that thought around too much though as he packed his bags and headed out to rush home and get started on some work he was slacking on.

Approaching the entrance to the parking lot, he saw that it was raining heavily and frowned, placing a hand over his eyes. Doyoung was parked all the way over at the other end so Taeyong would be soaked by the time he even got halfway. He took tentative steps to towards the parking lot, gathering his courage to just go for it.

"Do you need an umbrella?"

Taeyong froze. That voice - he knew that voice.

"Or would you prefer to get soaked?" The person stepped behind him and Taeyong's breathing hitched. It couldn't be, he had left Korea two years ago. It was too soon and Taeyong wasn't ready yet. He would never be ready.