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NOT TODAY
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Yi-Seo

It has been three days since Se-Young was taken to the hospital. The fluid in his lungs has been drained, his pneumonitis is getting better slowly, and his fever has broken as well. This morning, we received a call from attorney Seong that Taehyung’s case has been moved to a fast-track civil court, and that the first hearing for it would be happening on Thursday, which is tomorrow.

Yesterday, after a lot of unexpected delay, we finally recorded a video confession statement from Se-Young for backup. It was done in the presence of a police officer since he doesn’t have an attorney to represent his case in court. So, the past three days have literally gone by in taping Se-Young’s confession and also in obtaining a cartload of legal consent before getting it done. I have also been running around collecting his older medical reports and taking care of his insurance formalities.

Taehyung knows about Se-Young’s health too, but he didn’t react much when I passed on the information to him. However, the only ray of hope at the moment is that Se-Young is getting better, and I’m really hoping that he will be able to make it to court tomorrow.

As of today, there are exactly nineteen days in hand before the statute of limitations forces the expiry of this case, and I’m not expecting things to end and convictions to be made after just one hearing. But I’m at least hoping that everything comes together within the given time and a warrant is issued to invalidate the statute of limitations.

The doctors haven’t yet cleared Se-Young for discharge, and he is also still on breathing support, which would make it hard for him to exist anywhere else other than at the hospital. But given the criticality of the case, the team of doctors that is treating him is willing to send him to court with portable oxygen cylinders in case his video confession is not accepted by the court. Because requesting a postponement for the hearing is out of question.

Se-Young hasn’t yet agreed to meet an oncologist to discuss the treatment options available for his cancer, and the doctors are focusing only on getting him better at the moment. But recovery is really hard given how compromised his immunity is, and how weak and worn out his lungs are.

There will be so many revelations in court when Se-Young’s proof is revealed, and my skin bristles at just the thought of it. Taehyung would experience so much, and I only hope he doesn’t get too stupefied when he learns about Sammy’s connection to Se-Young.

Spending time with Taehyung over mealtimes was becoming a habit, more like a ritual that I was enjoying way too much, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything. But given how hectic things have been, I haven’t been able to eat with him as much as I would love to, which is pretty much all the time.

When I met him on my way to the library today, I noticed that he seemed a little brighter than usual, and he also asked me if I could join him for dinner tonight. Of course, I readily agreed to it because I’ve really been missing him.

After my work at the library, I proceed to meet Taehyung. I wait for a few seconds before he answers the door, and the moment my eyes find him, I feel so underdressed and ugly. He is clean-shaven, his hair is swept back and styled neatly, and his clothes look bespoke and expensive.

My admiration and surprise show evidently on my face as my eyes freeze on him, and my mouth almost hangs open. The last time we dined out, Taehyung paid for us, and by default, it is my turn to pay tonight, but his clothes seem inappropriate for my kind of dining out.

“Wow! You- I mean, you’re dressed so well. I think you’re overdressed for my kind of a restaurant,” I say quite softly, but if he has assumed that I’d be taking him out somewhere high-end, then I want him to know that he was wrong.

“Dinner is on me, Miss Kwon,” Taehyung replies curtly while fixing the cuff of his jacket.

“Oh,” I fiddle with the strap of my shoulder bag, feeling stupid for showing up in a pair of worn-out baggy jeans and a huge T-shirt—a complete contrast to his rich CEO look.

“Don’t worry, I’ll wait for you. You could change into something more formal. We’re meeting someone tonight,” he sends a smile my way, also delivering a piece of surprise news that spikes my curiosity.

“Oh,” I shuffle on my feet. “Who is it?”

“Scandal guy? He’s my only friend, and I thought it would be nice if you met him. And you seem so stressed. I really feel that you need a break,” another slightly bigger smile accompanies his words.

My heart picks up pace upon hearing this, and my lips press together into a thin line as I quickly give in to his request and head back home to change into my best clothes.

Why does this feel like he’s introducing me to his family? Oh, God!

I practically run into my room and throw open my cupboard, rummaging through my clothes to retrieve the only two dresses that I own. One of them is club material and too revealing to be worn tonight, and the other one was presented to me by Jungkook, and it is definitely the better one among the two. It’s typically his style—black, simple, and not too short. I have no idea why and how I forgot to discard this dress, and I hate it that there are so many memories that rise to the forefront by just looking at it. My shoulders sink in defeat.

Placing the two dresses on the bed in front of me, I evaluate them. There’s not much time at hand, and the other dress is definitely too short, strapless and backless as well, and it would be so inappropriate to wear something like that to dinner with Taehyung. It would make me appear almost naked. The black dress is my only choice, and I take a deep breath as I make up my mind to wear it, convincing myself that it’s only a piece of clothing that shouldn’t tag along with any emotions or memories.

Shrugging out of my T-shirt and baggy jeans, I quickly step into the dress and turn to face the dresser mirror. I hardly have time for elaborate makeup, but I manage to squeeze in just a few minutes to apply a bit of lipstick and some dusting powder over the shiny oil rigs on my forehead and nose. Since I washed my hair earlier today, it looks presentable, and I only spend a few seconds brushing it out neatly. After a quick whiff of perfume, I grab a purse and move my things into it before sliding my feet into a pair of peep-toe shoes and heading outside.

My confidence score is a bit low tonight given how perfect Taehyung looks, but granted that I had to get dressed in under fifteen minutes, I pacify myself that I’ve done my best to look passable as I proceed to meet Taehyung.

The front door of his home is ajar, and I walk inside to find him waiting for me on the couch. The moment his eyes find me, he slowly rises from his seat, scanning my appearance with his laser vision as he takes slow steps in my direction.

“Nice,” he nods in approval when he gets closer, staring intensely. It is undoubtedly amplifying my nervousness, and I find my confidence sinking lower as well.

“Thank you. I look just average, but it’s fine. Can we go?” I ask him unconfidently, and he agrees, nodding, still staring at me exactly as he did at the bridge the other day.

We didn’t talk about that kiss afterwards, and his stare right now is so piercing that it is making my insides twist and flutter. Would I be getting ahead of myself if I say that I want it to happen again? Something more than a humble cheek kiss, even.

Gulping, I push my glasses up the bridge of my nose and turn around to head straight to my car, and Taehyung joins me in a few seconds. He tells me the direction to the restaurant, and I follow his instructions, remaining silent for most of the ride.

Throughout the ride, I can constantly feel his eyes on and off me, but I don’t dare to turn and look at him. However, with time and the soft music that’s playing on the radio, my nervousness does ease out a little, and in about thirty minutes, we arrive at the restaurant that Taehyung planned for tonight.

“Miss Kwon,” he turns his head to look at me, “just so you know, his name is Woo-Bin. Don’t accidentally call him ‘scandal guy’ or something,” he informs me in all seriousness, and I nod, laughing softly.

“Thank you for letting me know, Taehyung-ssi,” I speak holding our gazes, and I feel so different in his presence tonight. Everything about him feels different tonight, right from his clothes to the tone of his voice to his soft mannerisms. His stare is much too familiar though, and it succeeds in making my heart race as always.

“I want you to forget about the hearing, Sammy, Se-Young, and everything and everyone else just for tonight. Just forget it all and relax with me,” he says in the softest manner possible, and I find it impossible to respond with my words.

Taehyung’s eyes shamelessly scan me once from top to bottom and back up to my eyes, effortlessly elevating the temperature and tension inside my car, before he silently nods his head to let us know that we can climb out. We walk beside each other and take the elevator up to the seventh level, and it feels as if the universe is on a mission to put just the two of us together in a closed space.

Nobody enters the elevator on its ascent up to the seventh level, and Taehyung’s unwavering stare is still on me, but this time through the mirror wall in the elevator. I try to look everywhere but his eyes, and I keep failing miserably as my attention keeps getting drawn to him almost magnetically. Fortunately, we reach our destination before things could escalate.

Taehyung confidently strides into the restaurant beside me, and he walks straight up to a table at the far end that’s overlooking the city, where another man is waiting. Upon reaching the table, Taehyung gently taps the man’s shoulder, and he turns around to look at him.

“Taehyung-ah!” He jolts up from his seat with a wide smile, enveloping Taehyung in a bone-crushing hug, which he returns with equal zeal; both men laughing heartily as they finally decide to end their greeting.

“Were you waiting for too long?” Taehyung asks him as he slides a hand over his styled hair.

“I arrived just ten minutes ago,” he answers with a smile, and then his gaze falls on me.

“This is Miss Kwon,” Taehyung points to me, introducing me formally and without any tags, and the man casts a look of surprise at his friend.

Clearing his throat, Taehyung then points to the man as his eyes flick to look at me. “Woo-Bin, my friend,” he introduces the man and his relationship with him, and I greet him with a slight bow and a handshake.

The man, Woo-Bin, looks younger than his age, but there’s something about his face that would make him easily blend in with the faces in a crowded street, unlike Taehyung whose face holds a kind of power and lure. Woo-Bin is tall and slim, and he could have been a celebrity, but he didn’t make it there, and Taehyung did, and the difference shows evidently, despite Taehyung not being professionally groomed now.

We occupy the seats at the table, and the waiter steps up and hands us each a menu card. The names of the dishes are unpronounceable, their descriptions look like Greek and Latin to me, and they’re completely out of my league. But I still listen with a smile when the waiter elaborates on the details of each course of the set meal.

The menu card doesn’t display the price of the meal, but I don’t need too many guesses to know that this would require a few of my internal organs and probably even my car to be sold if I were to pay for the three of us tonight.

An expensive-looking wine is poured into our glasses, and an appetizer is served on our plates. Taehyung and Woo-Bin are busy discussing something and laughing over it while I’m busy trying to use my eyes to deconstruct the strange dish on my plate.

“You can eat it, Miss Kwon,” Taehyung interrupts my study of the dish, and I smile awkwardly before I proceed to operate the blob with my knife.

“Honestly,” Woo-Bin says after we all take a few bites of our food in silence, “I never thought there was a chance in Taehyung’s case. But I’m glad that you didn’t want to give up, Yi-Seo,” he addresses me by my calling name, and it takes me by total surprise.

There is no way of him knowing my name except for Taehyung telling it to him, and that kind of explains the look of surprise on Woo-Bin’s face when he introduced me as Miss Kwon. He probably mentioned me to Woo-Bin by using my name, so then why doesn’t he call me by that name yet? Why does he want to keep things so formal between us?

Lost in my thoughts, I remain silent, forgetting to respond to Woo-Bin. From across the table, he waves a hand in front of my face to bring me back to earth, and I do so with a slight jolt.

“I- I was really intrigued by him, and the stories that were written about him by the media. I had an inkling that most of it could just be what they fabricated or assumed from a viewer’s perspective,” I focus only on Taehyung as I speak to Woo-Bin. “And that kind of made me curious to know more about him and what actually happened back then,” my voice goes down as his eyes attract me heavily and steal my words away.

Taehyung nods his head a few times. “As I told you, Miss Kwon is an aspiring writer, and she told me that she wanted to write a biography of my life. It sounded funny in the beginning, and I don’t even know how I accepted it without reading any of her previous works,” he comments as if teasing me.

“This would be my first book, Taehyung-ssi, that is, if it makes it to the stands for sale,” I snap back, calmly though.

“Yah, as if you didn’t know that,” Woo-Bin playfully scolds Taehyung, making him chuckle lightly and causing his eyes to finally move away from me, and only then do my tense shoulders relax a little.

The comment also tells me that I have been a topic of their conversation more than I expected.

Woo-Bin is a very friendly person, and he enthusiastically talks to me about his wife and his twin boys, whose picture is on the lock screen of his phone. During the meal, I also learn that he works as a stockbroker and that he and my mother hail from the same town. He even complains a little about how Taehyung doesn’t meet him very often these days, and he seems genuinely glad for his friend who finally seems to be slowly squirming out of his shell in Silver Springs.

Taehyung doesn’t talk much during our meal, and he seems happy to just watch us bonding. I also notice that he hasn’t had more than a glass of wine, which is pleasantly surprising.

Once we finish eating our desserts, Taehyung pays for us, and then the two men head to the open terrace for a smoke while I decide to use the bathroom and wait for them to return. Heading to the ladies’ washroom, I relieve my bladder and wash my hands before dabbing my face with a tissue.

The moment I step outside and turn the corner to the hallway, I freeze on the spot when I see Jungkook walking out of the bar next door to the restaurant where we dined at. He sees me too. There’s nothing for me to hide behind, and I just stand anchored to my spot while he unsteadily walks up to me with a smug smirk on his face.

His eyes are bloodshot, and his grin is evil as he comes really close to me, making me take a step back. My purse falls on the floor, and I almost stumble and fall to the floor as well right before my back hits the wall at the end of the empty hallway. Jungkook is quick to trap me by pinning my wrists against the wall, and he is laughing at my face. His breath which stinks of alcohol makes me feel sick.

I whip my head to the side, not wanting to look at his face, also feeling tremors in my limbs at the same time. My mind tries to think of ways to escape from him, but his body is so close to mine that it would be impossible for me to use my trapped hands and fight his beastly drunken energy.

“Jagiya,” he whispers against my ear, harshly gripping my waist after releasing one of my hands from his hold. “You’re still thinking about me, aren’t you?” He pulls the fabric of the dress against my waist and releases it, making it slap back against my body.

Shit! Of all days did I have to wear this today?

“The last time you wore this, do you remember what we did? Of course, you do,” Jungkook presses his lips to the side of my neck, crushing me between his body and the wall as he begins grinding his hips against me. My eyes squeeze shut in disgust, and panic rises to the back of my throat, but I try my best not to show my fears and appear weak in front of him as I’ve always done in the past.

Years of martial arts training has taught me cleverer ways of self-defense than just fighting him with my bare hands, and given that Jungkook himself is a skilled martial artist leaves me with only one way to escape his dominance right now. I may have been foolishly submissive to his abuse for many years, but I’m determined not to allow any of it to happen. Not today. Not ever again.

Gathering all my strength, I suck in a deep breath and clench my jaw tight as I raise my knee, powerfully knocking him between his thighs once, and with a little more force once again before he could even react.

Jungkook’s loud groan echoes in the hallway, and I watch him as he clutches his crotch with both hands and stumbles backwards. The moment his figure moves to a distance, my stupefied eyes spot Taehyung and Woo-Bin stepping out of the restaurant.

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Uhm...
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Published on : 02/10/2023