Secrets In The Sunset | KTH 18+ ✔️

Chapter Eighty-Seven

The next week was busy enough to keep Taehyung and I from falling apart completely with funeral arrangements and things to handle at the company that he would end up bringing me along to do. With him basically living in my apartment temporarily, I don't think he wants to be alone right now and frankly, neither do I.

The flight to Korea for the funeral was a tough one. The anxiety of needing to catch a plane after our loved one just died on one was incredibly hard for us both. Taehyung's hands shook for at least half an hour into the flight until his sleeping pills kicked in. He had been laying awake for the first three nights until I coaxed him into at least taking some melatonin to help him rest. That next morning, he already seemed a bit better with the dark circles under his eyes lightening and the color returning back to his face. The last thing either one of us would need right now is him being put into the hospital for exhaustion.

We check into the bustling Seoul hotel for the next few days and quietly make our way to our room. The last time I was in this beautiful country seems like a lifetime ago. But this time the sky seems grayer, the noise of the city is more dull and the people seem more solemn. Almost as if all of Seoul is also mourning the loss of Uncle Kim.

Taehyung sets down both of our bags and plops down on the bed as he looks over at me still standing in the middle of the room as if I felt out of place, "Come here, beautiful."

I take off my coat and drape it over the back of the chair before walking over to lay down on top of him as he gently scratches his nails over my back to soothe me. It became almost an unspoken habit to take turns in comforting each other. Some days were more about him and other days he took care of me. Most of the time I didn't even realize I needed it until he began to console me, but he could always notice before I could.

"What time do we need to be ready tomorrow morning?" I mumble with my lips pressed against his neck as I let his scent act almost like an aromatherapy, pulling me into a calmer atmosphere.

"Nine." He whispers while he stares up at the ceiling and his fingertips trace an invisible pattern over my back.

"Do your parents hate me now?" I randomly question, causing him to stop in his tracks and rear back his head in his best attempt to look at me.

I raise up and stare back at him with curious eyes. There hasn't been a good time to ask since we got back together with everything happening at the same time. It's been years since I've seen his parents and knowing I'll be seeing them again tomorrow worries me even more. Sure, they approved of me when I was eighteen, but things have changed. We had broken up and I moved on temporarily. And while I don't think they know that bit of information, I just don't know if they even still approve of this relationship.

"What makes you ask that?" He raises his eyebrows.

I shrug as I lay my chin down on his chest, "Just something I had been wondering about for a while now."

He softly grins at me and while it's not his wide boxy smile, I'm thankful to get any kind of smile out of him these days.

"They still adore you. Always have. They asked about you all of the time and Unc-" He looks away, taking a moment to collect himself before turning back to me, "Uncle Kim would tell them how you're doing."

"So you kept tabs on me too?" I quirk a brow, doing my best to hopefully get another smile out of him.

He huffs out a tiny laugh that sends a spark of joy straight to my soul as if it was music played by the heavens, "I did, but I tried not to know too much."

Snuggling back into his neck, I leave a small kiss where his pulse is and let out a deep sigh, "I'm glad I have you back in my life. I couldn't imagine going through this alone."