12hrs - k.th

nine

第九个小时。

in any other circumstance, you'd be eating with the utmost precision and caution, daintily taking bites and making sure not to make a mess, just like how your parents had conditioned you to. but the naturally messy eater inside you could not be controlled in this moment.

taehyung laughs at the sight of you, half a tomato slice and some lettuce hanging out of your mouth, and a streak of mayonnaise at the corner of your mouth. he pokes your cheeks full of food, giggling when you smack his hand away.

"i didn't expect you to be so messy at eating." everything slowly comes to a standstill as taehyung focuses in on your lips, bringing up his thumb and gently wiping away the sauce.

you gulp the remaining food left in your mouth. "sorry. i'm just— i'm really hungry."

"yeah, i can tell." he smiles at you. the both of you fall into a comfortable silence before taehyung speaks up again. "where are you headed?"

his question catches you off guard. "huh?" a stray piece of sweetcorn almost falls out of your mouth but you expertly catch it before it does.

"i've told you where i'm going, now it's only fair for you to let me know where you're going, right?"

"oh," you say in between chews, "i'm going to meet my parents."

a crease appears between taehyung's eyebrows. "do you not already live with your parents?"

"i do, but they're on a business trip. i'm going to their hotel in seoul."

"you're spending your christmas in some hotel away from home?" taehyung raises his eyebrows in surprise.

you shrug. "well, i mean, it's a five star?"

"that's so sad."

your voice becomes a little quieter, a little more sorrowful. "you're spending yours in a hospital room, and i think that's even sadder."

taehyung looks away and is silent for a while, and for a moment you think you've upset him, until you realise he's simply just thinking. he looks back at you thoughtfully.

finally, he says: "i guess we have a lot more in common than we think."