"Holy crap!"

The loud sound of a car skidding to a stop drowns out my voice, and I instantly break into a run towards the road, umbrella completely forgotten.

I nearly die in relief when I see Taehyung blinking shockingly on the other side of the car.

He's safe.

"You idiot!" I screech, realizing just how fast my heart is racing as I gasp for breath. How had he even gotten from there to here this fast? How had—

Then Taehyung shifts off a dark, shivering silhouette.

It's a person.

He'd saved a person from getting hit by a car.

I'm standing there absolutely stunned to the ground as Taehyung heavily gets to his feet, eyes bright with adrenaline.

"I'm like you now!" He says happily as he helps the man off the road, catching his breath. "Remember you saved me from one of these—"

"Jimin hyung!"

I'm shocked for the second time in a minute when I hear the sound of rapid feet against the rain-soaked asphalt, a familiar voice.

Jungkook is flushed red as he looks wildly at the shaken man, his breaths harsh and rushed.

"I told you to stop walking around with those earbuds in!"

"I didn't!" The man squeaks, and I quickly grip Taehyung's sleeve so he doesn't go anywhere else. "Not my fault that car driver is just plain stupid!"

"You know him?" I exclaim shockingly as Jungkook nods.

"He was going to come and stay at my house for a bit."

Then the sound of a car honk echoes loud and clear, and I quickly pull a confused Taehyung off the road as Jungkook simply throws the man over his shoulder.

"Hey! Put me down, you little copycat! I was born in Busan first, okay?! First!"

"What's Busan?" Taehyung asks as Jungkook clamps a hand over the man's lips, his face stretched tight.

"Sorry— don't mind him. I think he's in shock." Jungkook grits out as the man continues squeaking. "Let's get out of the rain first."

Retrieving my umbrella, I grip Taehyung's cold hands and lead him back to the house we'd just come out from. And I was hoping that my employer would understand if I told him my friend had nearly been in a crash.

"Are you okay?" I say, fussing over his soaked clothing as he nods and shivers. "You were really brave, Tae—"

"Sian?"

"What's that on the door?"

The confusion in my face morphs into pure terror as soon as I see the white paper taped onto my front door.

No way.

This is a dream, right?

"Evicted?" Jungkook's equally confused voice echoes from behind me, breaking any possibility that this could be a dream. "Evicted? As in—?"

This can't be it. I'd thought I'd paid my rent just last week— or had it been longer than that? It couldn't be. This didn't make any sense.

I'm still stunned to the ground when Taehyung wraps his arms around me.

"Sian-ah. What's wrong?"

"Let's go inside."

I swallow, tears blurring my eyes when he stares at me warmly. That soon turns into shock when a choked sob escapes my lips.

What am I supposed to do now?

"Don't worry. You can stay over at our house." Jungkook's voice suddenly pipes up from my right, and I start shaking my head.

"I-I can't just let you—"

"He saved hyung's life." He interrupts, finally letting down the man he calls Jimin down to the floor. "It's okay."

"What are you talking about?" Taehyung says firmly when Jungkook begins to pull me away from the house I no longer own. "We're—"

"Can't you read." He says, voice stiff and cold as he waves at the sign. When Taehyung stares flatly right into the younger's eyes, Jungkook sighs.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that."

"Taehyung, we can't stay here anymore." I say quietly, scrubbing at my cheeks with my sleeves. "I'm sorry."

"I don't understand."

"I know— I know." I swallow, clenching my eyes shut. My head begins to hurt, and all I want to do is to just fall asleep right now. "Let's just get you warmed up, okay? That first."

"Sian..."

"Why can't you just understand?"

The moment I say it, I know that I've messed up. The look of pain that shades his pure eyes tell me that I've just said something I shouldn't have.

I've messed up.

"I'm sorry." I say, but he's already turning back, already stepping away from me. The look he's giving me is a look he'd give to a stranger.

No.

I'm not a stranger to you.

Am I?

_________________________

KANG SIAN

"I'll go after him." Jungkook says, his face ashen as he starts to shrug off his backpack. "This is my fault— I shouldn't have said that. I'll—"

"No."

"Thanks for offering." I say, my words a choked mess through the lump in my throat. "I'm sorry for all this, really. It's not your fault either."

Then with that, I rush out of the apartments.

My heart instantly plummets when I don't see Taehyung's tall, slender silhouette, or the top of his brown hair.

Where is he?

The freezing rain had dwindled to a light drizzle, but it was still so cold out here I could only see people walking back to their homes.

I tap a student on their shoulder.

"Have you seen a man anywhere? Really tall, brown hair... and oh, he was wearing a long overcoat. I-It was black."

"The sad looking one or the happy looking one?"

Huh?

At my stunned expression, the student blinks his eyes at me and crosses his arms.

"I saw two that matched your description." He explains, and a lump grows in my throat. "The one who looked sad or the one who was smiling?"

"Probably... the one that looked sad."

He gives me a short look before pointing towards the direction of the park.

"Thank you." I say breathlessly, trying not to slip on the soaked sidewalk when I run. The rain had completely stopped now, and I can see clearer as I rush across the grass towards the pool in the middle of the park.

What I see scares me more than this morning, when I'd seen him in the middle of the road.

"Taehyung-ah!"

It is him. He's dragging his feet over the frozen pool, his eyes fixed on the ice below him. He doesn't look up to my call, and I know he heard me for sure.

"Yah! It's dangerous out there!"

My voice grows urgent when he starts to near the middle of the pool, where the ice might be too thin to hold up his weight. Now I don't even have the time to hesitate as I step out on the ice.

Oh my God.

What am I doing?

My eyes fixed on his back, I try to slide my feet forward as fast as I can. The thought that the ice might give out under him any second drives my feet faster.

I fall.

Blowing out a frustrated breath, I quickly scramble back up and keep half-skating and half-walking towards his sulking figure.

At least he'd stopped moving now.

Finally breathing out in relief, I slow down and walk to close the last few feet that he'd put between us.

"Taehyung, I'm sorry—"