I was sitting in my train seat with Tae to my right. The early Monday morning sun stung my eyes as the fluffy white clouds hid the city of Seoul from sight when droplets of rain pattered on the windows. Tae's head rested on my shoulder as I thought back to the MV filming to keep myself from falling asleep. The scene was beautiful and filmed in a nearby park, Namjoon looked as happy as ever and it didn't feel like work at all. PD-nim found out I was going with Tae on his journey, nodding as I told him why I had to go, surprisingly he was very understanding and only told me that I should get some rest while I was away.
'Someone should watch over Tae after all.'
The train ride wasn't as long as I thought it would be and soon we reached our stop. Tae had warned me it would be humid and hot in his hometown so I wore a white skirt and pink t-shirt with a navy blue sweatshirt incase it rained while he had worn a plain white button up shirt and black jeans. We both wore our face masks to help make us indistinguishable from the other riders.
"We're here."Tae yawned, grabbing his black bag from the seat next to him.
I get my black backpack from underneath my seat and followed him out of the station. He was right, it was really warm here. A blast of heat hit my face as I walked into the busy, yet humble city streets. The buildings were shorter compared to Seoul's, but it just seemed like Tae's type of town once smiles, amusement park rides, and colorful kites came into view.
"We'll stop by my house first! I can't wait for you to meet my family!"he cheers.
I shake my head with a laugh, at least he's a bit less stressed from the last time we talked about this. We walked for a while, Tae introducing a few buildings here and there like a tour guide to keep me entertained.
"This is where my brother and I would play with the other kids."
"Oh-This is my old middle school! Ah, I remember now."
"When I wasn't living on my grandparent's farm I would always come to this arcade."
"Omo, this is where my sister got hurt while we played tag. Aish, she was so troublesome. She still is to be honest!"
His eyes disappeared as he smiled when he reminisced freely, it was like he was an entirely different person from the one I know in Seoul.
"Ah...we're here."he states, looking at the enterance of an apartment building."Well...let's get going."
He opened the door and led me to a row of elevators. Once the doors closed I felt the atmosphere change entirely. He pulled down his mask and rubbed his temples, his mouth in a slight frown.
"Roxi-ah, please stay by my side."he says softly, clentching the handle of his bag."I...don't feel so good anymore."
"Don't worry I'm here."I smile, giving him a pat on his shoulder.
We left the elevator and walked through an empty hallway, stopping at a door. Tae looked straight at it for so long I lost track of the minutes. It seemed like he was thinking whether or not he could back down, his hand slowly balling up into a fist as it rested against the hard wood of the door. He took a deep breath before knocking three times. We waited for it to open. Minute after minute an uncomfortable pit started forming in my stomach. Tae didn't budge from his stance in front of the door, his hand quivering as he knocked again.
"Eomma. It's Taehyungie."he said in a clear voice."It's your son, please open up."
We waited again, only getting silence in return. Just as I was going to tell Tae they probably weren't home, the door opened to reveal his mother. She looked at Tae before giving him a tight yet short hug, then turning to me.
"Who is this girl?"she asked, acting as if I couldn't hear a word she said.
"She's a good friend of mine. I asked her to come with me."Tae explains."Roxi, this is my mother. Eomma, this is Roxi."
She looked at me up and down before stepping inside to let both of us into the apartment. For four people to live in here, it seemed quiet spacious. She sat us down on a wide couch and started making some coffee.
"Are Jinnie and Gyu sleeping?"he asked.
"No they're at school right now."replied his mother from the kitchen.
Tae turned to me, "They're my siblings."
"Ah, I see."
"Your father's shift ended right now so he'll be here soon."
"Ah really? That's good."Tae smiles, trying to shake off some of the uneasy atmosphere."What did you want to tell me about Eomma?"
Tae's mother took a seat next to him and sighed."I think it would be a better idea to have your father here to help me explain."
Tae nods and I look at the cup of coffee in front of me silently. I didn't know whether I had the right to speak or ask any questions, this was a family matter after all. It was even surprising for his mother to allow me to hear about the subject.
"How long have you known Roxi?"she asks, switching topics.
"Nearly a year, she works at the same company with the other memebers and I."Tae says before I can interject."She's become a close friend of ours. Isn't that right Roxi-ah?"
"Yeah, Tae-oppa and his members helped welcome me into Bighit during my debut days."I say, his mother beaming with pride.
"Ah, Taehyungie is really open with others. I have a feeling he still acts like a child in Seoul doesn't he?"she chuckles, messing up Tae's hair while he smiles himself.
"I guess you could say that."I giggle, seeing Tae pout and fix his hair.
There was a jingling of keys and the front door opened, Tae's father stood there. Before I could even blink Tae ran up off the couch to give his father a big hug, it was such a heart fluttering scene that I could have squealed.
"Ah, son how are you? Glad you could make it."his eyes shift to me and widen slightly."Is this girl your girlfriend? About time!"
Tae and I blush wildly up to our red ears at his father's misunderstanding."N-No, this is Roxi. She's a friend of mine."
"Yeah, we're just good friends."I say as well, only to have his father laugh at the flustered expressions on both our faces.
"What? I was getting excited for a moment! I thought I'd finally be getting grandchildren."he teases, making Tae cover his face with his hands in embarassment."Nice to meet you Roxi."
The four of us begin to talk openly to help fill up the quiet room. Tae's expressions were more fluid and he was less stiff once his father talked about his work life and his mother brought up his siblings' lives. They even brought me in on the conversations of being an idol to keep me from feeling left out.
'This must be how parents act...'
Tae's father sighed and fixed the thin framed glasses that sat on his face, "So...son, we should talk about why we asked you to come here so suddenly."
Tae's face was struck with surprise before he licked his lips and leaned forward in his seat a bit. I fiddled with my fingers, wondering if it was alright for me to hear about anything private.
"Will it be alright if Roxi listens?"asked his mother towards her husband.
"She's not leaving my side."Tae replies, wrapping his arm around my shoulders suddenly."I made her promise."
Tae's father chuckled and shook his head, "You with your childish promises."
I stayed in my seat as Tae's parents warily look at each other.
"We've decided to come clean to you son...we've been hiding something from you since you were born."
