hidden stars || kth. (discontinued)

chapter three

I kept asking where we were heading to throughout the journey but Taehyung wouldn't drop a hint. After awhile, I looked out of the window and realised he was driving past the cities and towards the area covered with vegetation and trees, making me more curious but I couldn't question him further.

I was getting really bored after an hour ride through the unfamiliar forest. There were only trees all around, it was already dark and I could barely see anything. Then the ride got bumpy, making me let out a throaty groan. "You're such a bad driver," I hissed, "And are we reaching anytime soon? I wanna get home now."

"I can drop you off here if you want," he responded and I glared at him.

"How the hell do I get home from here?" I snarled.

"Precisely, so just follow me or walk home on your own. Your choice," he said and continued driving. I rolled my eyes, staring out of the window and mentally cursed him. It was a dumb choice to let a stranger drive me to nowhere in the first place.

Minutes passed when we finally reached at our destination. I hopped off the truck, studying my surroundings. We were standing on a quiet road that barely had any other vehicles passing by and it was dark, there were only a few lamp posts by the road to illumine the place. I turned to look at Taehyung and he was already walking towards a gentle slope of a hill that was covered with long grass. I reluctantly came after him, making sure I didn't trip over any twigs or rocks as I walked.

"We're here," he said in a calm voice, before I looked up, and what I saw before my eyes instantly snatched my breath away.

Taehyung had brought me to a lookout point, one that had a breathtaking view that was too precious for me to lay my eyes upon. The city spread below us, and above was a vast night sky adorned with beautiful, glistening stars. As the sky got darker, the city lights glittered everywhere just like stars dropping to the earth and I simply stood there, awestruck, unable to speak because I was too overwhelmed by the enchanting cityscape before me. Such a view felt like a dream.

I took a step forward, taking a closer look at the aerial view. I closed my eyes as the gentle breeze ran through my hair, putting my heart to ease. It felt so tranquil, it was as if I had no worries.

Taehyung cleared his throat loudly, disrupting me from my calmness. I looked at him, wanting to say something but nothing came from my lips. Shall I thank him?

I sat on the ground after he did, my eyes stay fixated to the lovely view of the cityscape.

"Are your lips glued together?" He asked, and I clicked out of annoyance.

"What shall I say then?" I responded.

"Do you like it here?" He asked, absentmindedly playing with a twig he had just picked up.

"Of course I do, it's beautiful," I smiled.

"I come here whenever I need some time alone, when there's so much distress piling up within me. I can't possibly escape from my problems, can I?" He suddenly spoke with so much pain in his eyes, but it disappeared in a second.

I looked at him, my brows knitted together as I suddenly got curious about his thoughts.

"You can tell me what's bothering you if you want to, just to relieve yourself. It's bad to bottle up your feelings," he spoke.

I thought for awhile and sighed, not sure where to begin with. "I broke up with my boyfriend."

"That sucks," he said, looking at me and I was trying my best to fight back the tears that was starting to form in my eyes.

"I just— we were so messed up. We fought everyday because of jealousy. One night he came home only to tell me that he was done with everything and he wanted to break off the relationship. There you have it, a typical, tragic break up story."

"What a dickhead," he spat out.

I pursed my lips, taking a deep breath before I continued, "He left. I didn't know where he went to. He only came home occasionally to fetch his stuff, and his things slowly disappeared from the apartment as days went by."

"Where'd you first met him?" He asked, listening to me attentively.

"The art museum. We used to come to work together everyday. We both loved art very much and we were once portrait artists. But after the break up, I never saw him at work. He probably quit painting," I answered, sighing bitterly as my mind rewound to the times I spent with Hajoon.

"So, that's why you're getting yourself a new job?" He questioned.

"Yeah, to get over him," I said, wiping a tear that rolled down my cheek with the back of my hand. "Let's not talk about him."

"But you do feel calm here, right?" Taehyung asked, and I simply nodded. He looked up at the night sky, and a soft smile tugged at his lips.

Similarly, I threw my head back and raise my eyes to the sky, admiring the stars above.

"The world's too dark for us to live in. Problems, worries, all the trouble, they never fail to put one to the depths of despondency," he spoke with a calming voice. I sat there, listening to him whilst still gazing at the mesmerizing sky above me.

"... But without the dark, we'd never see the stars."

"What do you mean?" I asked him softly.

"When everything fades to blackness, you'll get to see the stars. It'll get you out of your hardship, and you'll eventually fall too in love with the stars to be fearful of the dark."

I couldn't help but smile at how captivating his words were. The way he spoke, his voice was such as a person hears maybe only once a lifetime. I was moved to tears. It was amazing, how someone that I thought was simply inconsiderate, could speak such comforting words.

"You're a philosopher now?" I chuckled, and he laughed as well. "Anyway, thanks for bringing me here and listening to me. I feel quite relieved," I said.

The scintillating moon above illuminated the night sky and the stars were still up, gleaming brightly. It was beautiful, like a surreal blanket above our heads. We somehow settled into a comfortable silence, before something got on my mind. "Do you have anything to share?" I asked, concerned if he had any worries too.

He averted his gaze to me. "No," he said, but his eyes tells otherwise.

"Are you sure?" I questioned him again, and he nodded before he looked away.

"Let's get home, it's getting late," he said and stood up from the ground, walking towards the down slope and got to his vehicle. I quickly came after him though I had many thoughts in my head.

Perhaps, he's hiding something away?