☘ seoul

@ᵗʳᵃᶤᶰᵉᵉ n. jaemin "sᴇᴠᴇɴ" jaemin was the type of kid who could actually turn something as mundane as shopping for a wedding gift into a treasure hunt if he wanted to. taehyung submits, watching the other bemusedly as he scans the directory and formulates the best possible attack plan. he leans in when jaemin gestures to a department store on the list and nods in agreement. “sounds like a good idea, although i don’t think she would want a huge orange bear for her wedding—“ he stops, a bit taken aback that he had referred to “her” when the wedding was meant to be a celebration for two. coughing awkwardly and hoping jaemin hadn’t noticed, he quickly traces a finger from the ‘you’re here’ spot on the directory to the location of the mall. “let’s go.” he says and starts walking towards the direction of the department store.

@ᵐᵛ ᵈᶤʳᵉᶜᵗᵒʳ k. taehyung jaemin's eyes were never close to dull. if anything, they shimmered as his smile remained as brilliant as the sun. this time, however, as the corners of his eyes were showing crinkles out of joy and glee, he felt elated knowing that taehyung missed him too, not even minding the looks that people had given them.

"a wedding gift," jaemin repeated aloud as he blinked precisely twice – mayhaps it was for a soon-to-be-married friend or relative? though when taehyung offered him to tag along, he didn't give another thought about it and quickly shifted to the directory, scanning at each of the variety of stores displayed. "say no more!" he chimed, and tapped a finger at the bottom left area, motioning taehyung to come and look at what he was pointing at, "have you checked the department store out yet?" he looked at taehyung, "i mean, it has everything– i think i've seen a huge orange bear somewhere!" he said while making big gestures with his hands.

@ᵗʳᵃᶤᶰᵉᵉ n. jaemin "sᴇᴠᴇɴ" taehyung’s eyes widen when jaemin practically throws himself onto him and wraps his arms tightly around his frame. he can only smile sheepishly when a set of mall-goers walking past shoot him a strange look. “i missed you too,” he mumbles, resisting the urge to run his fingers through the other’s hair and ruffle his strawberry pink locks. it hadn’t occurred to him that jaemin was just about as tall as he was.

he nods slowly as jaemin explains his predicament. “is that so…” he hums, finding it amusing how jaemin could be so energetic with the way he spoke sometimes. at the mention of the mall directory, taehyung is reminded why he had come in the first place. “i’m looking for a wedding gift.” of course he had left out some details about who exactly that gift was for, but he supposes that wasn’t too important. “since you’re bored and alone why don’t you accompany me, maybe help me pick something out?”

@ᵐᵛ ᵈᶤʳᵉᶜᵗᵒʳ k. taehyung jaemin practically threw himself onto the other, though nonetheless engulfed him into a tight hug as if they hadn't met in years. "i missed you!" was what the pink-haired boy had squeaked whilst pulling away. well, it had been weeks since their last meet-up, and he did miss taehyung – he hadn't seen him around as much, probably because both parties had their own matters to attend to and were just busy. being able to see him again somewhat made him over the moon.

"oh, i was actually planning to hang out with my roommates here, but they all refused! can you believe it?" he lightly scoffed. "so i'm just spending my time alone," he wailed dramatically, sulking as he had his arms crossed above his chest. "anyways, what about you?" he had quickly changed the subject, "you look like you're trying to find treasure with the directory– what're you looking for?" he raised a brow.

@ᵗʳᵃᶤᶰᵉᵉ n. jaemin "sᴇᴠᴇɴ" taehyung snaps out of his reverie when he hears a familiar voice call his name. he turns towards the source of the sound and is surprised to see jaemin there, waving at him in the distance as jogged over. how long had it been since they last saw one another? he still remembers their late night walk to the convenience store like it was yesterday but when he thought about it, that must’ve been two or three weeks ago already. it was also weird to think that it had been a year and a half since he had last seen her. time is a strange concept.

“jaemin, what are you doing here?” he questions once jaemin is close enough to hear him speak. he couldn’t help but feel a bit bad for disappearing all of a sudden. he had forgotten to tell him that he would be shooting some projects abroad the last time they met, although he doubt jaemin was looking for him anyway. the kid always had a habit of popping up at the most random moments. if taehyung resembled a gloomy cloud, jaemin was the burning sun that practically radiated happiness.

@ᵐᵛ ᵈᶤʳᵉᶜᵗᵒʳ k. taehyung the weekend arrived quickly than jaemin had expected. the time would usually tick so achingly slow for him to the extent where it caused him annoyance and irritation, and he swore that he was on the verge of throwing a tantrum. though somehow, it seemed like this week was an exception – maybe it was just his will to keep on pushing through, ignoring the temptation to check the time every single minute and bother his fellow trainees about when will their classes end, but whatever it was, he thanked god as he was able to survive yet another week of training, hardship, and exhaustion.

it was saturday when jaemin planned on hanging out at the mall. unfortunately, when he asked his roommates if they wanted to tag along, they had all declined his offer; one told him that he had other plans while the others just preferred to spend the weekend lazing around the dorms – which resulted in jaemin being at the mall, alone, a bit sulky as he treaded around. perhaps he would spend time browsing through stores, taking occasional pictures here and there and getting himself something by the end of the day.

what was truly unexpected, however, was when jaemin spotted someone familiar by the mall directory ahead of him. he was doubtful when approaching said person, but as soon as he had a better, clearer idea of the other's physique and visage, a large grin went onto his features and he jogged up to him. "taehyung!" he called out, waving towards his way.

@ᵗʳᵃᶤᶰᵉᵉ n. jaemin "sᴇᴠᴇɴ" taehyung had just gotten back from a week in spain and italy when he noticed an embellished envelope amidst his usual junk mail. it was crafted with the type of paper that felt expensive to the touch. the back was decorated with watercolor flowers and adorned with the words ‘somi and james park’ written in elegant cursive. it was a weird feeling to see her name after so long, this time tied to someone else’s. taehyung doesn’t remember how long he stared at the piece of paper in his hands, trying to make sense of it all.


the mall was rather crowded on the weekends but it was also one of the few days taehyung had for himself. after a long deliberation and an impulsive decision to mark the ‘going’ box on the wedding invitation, he figured he had no choice to back out anymore. that pretty much explains why taehyung had been perusing a kitchenware store for the past thirty minutes. the poor worker assigned to him could only stand aside awkwardly while taehyung stared intently at the toaster on display with a frown. ‘definitely too cliche,’ taehyung concludes.

taehyung crosses his arms, his eyes boring holes into the mall directory with irritation. he was never good with gifts and the idea of figuring out what to get his ex for her wedding didn’t leave the best taste in his mouth. it was weird to think that she would probably be moving in with someone soon (or maybe she already has) and turning a new page in her life while taehyung stayed right where he was. did he feel left behind? jealous? in all honesty, taehyung doesn’t know. he had buried his feelings for her long ago, kept her hidden in the recesses of his memory. it didn’t make sense for one piece of paper to confuse him so much.