Chapter Text
Taehyung leaned back into the seat of the car and sighed. It had been a long, long day and he had passed out before the plane had taken off, waking up only when the air hostess had gently shook him awake. He had apologised to the crew before getting off the plane and boarded the taxi that his company had booked for him. He was assigned to this project a few days ago and he had no idea where he would even begin. He was back in Korea for less than a week after a whole six months of being a nomad, travelling from country to country and he was already exhausted. People perceived being a travel writer meant living a luxurious life, seeing beautiful places and taking amazing pictures but there was so much on the other side of it which was often not seen by many. Missed flights, multiple layovers, staying among lifeless four walls, endless planning, sleepless nights to write and publish articles. Oh what would Taehyung give to spend at least a week in the same place, in the same room with the same bed and cozy blankets in his apartment which he unfortunately couldn't call his home since he had not lived there for the past six months. He had been working as a travel writer since he was twenty-two. Having visited more than fifty countries in the last five years, he had started to feel burnt out about his lack of routine. He was so close to pulling all his hair and quitting his job to find some semblance when his boss had offered him a three month time off to figure out his life.
Seokjin was one of a kind. The kind who had taken a young, enthusiastic Taehyung under his belt when he had joined the company. He had started out assisting the older with putting together travel blogs until Seokjin had started to take him on some trips for research and experience. Taehyung had always deemed himself a quick learner and Seokjin was more than impressed by his skills which had landed him a full time job as a travel writer. Having hit the last year of his twenties the previous year and celebrating his birthday in New York with only strangers around him, it had finally made him realise to stop running his life and start living it instead.
He had promptly come back to Korea after a lot of whining and hardly any begging to Seokjin. Taehyung had prepared a long speech to explain how this job was not working out for him anymore and that he wanted a break but the elder had one look at his face over a Teams call and said, "Damn, Taehyung-ah. You could really use a break. How about you come back once you finish your South Africa project and take a break? We can figure out the rest later." Those words had almost brought tears to Taehyung's eyes. He had come back happily without any plans for the next three months.
But plans had manifested itself on his first week back home with his parents asking him to attend his cousin's wedding with them and Seokjin assigning him another project. He was okay with the former given Minji was his favourite cousin growing up and he was happy to see her get married, not to forget all the delicious Korean food he would get to eat in the wedding. However, he wasn't as happy about the latter.
"Jin, you said I will have three months off! I am not even back for three days and you are assigning me yet another project." He had protested.
"Taehyung-ah, I am really sorry. You know I wouldn't do this if I had a choice. But I really don't have a choice this time. Baek was supposed to do it but his mother is in the hospital. You are the best resource we have and it will just be a really short project, only three days." He had pleaded.
"As long as I don't have to catch another plane." He had huffed.
"Um, you will have to get on a plane but you will be in business class with everything else booked for you. It's in Jeju."
"Jeju? Hyung, I haven't been to Jeju in years! I have no idea about the place.”
"Exactly. This article is dedicated to first time Jeju visitors so you will only have to go to the most common tourist places. You don't have to explore anything like you usually do.”
"What's the fun in that?" It was a rhetorical question. "When do I have to do this?"
"Baek was supposed to leave on Thursday. The article is due in two weeks.”
"Can't on Thursday. Have to attend a wedding on Saturday.”
"Oh my god, Taehyung-ah! You are getting married and never told me!"
Taehyung rolled his eyes at Seokjin and his antics. "So funny. Also I wouldn't agree to work right after my wedding.”
"Actually Jeju is a wonderful place for a honeymoon. You could mix work and pleasure."
"I will keep that in mind for when I actually get married, hyung. Thank you for your advice."
"Not one sarcastic bone has left your body." Seokjin grinned. "Thank you for doing this, Tae. Let's go out for dinner once you get back."
He definitely would make Seokjin take him to an expensive restaurant, he thought as he rested his back against the leather seats of the taxi and he relaxed in comfort. He cursed himself for thinking he could power through attending a wedding and flying to Jeju on the same day. Worse, he had decided to go all the way to Seogwipo and relax there for the night instead of just staying at a hotel in the city. It was already past ten in the night and they were almost halfway to the island when the driver pulled over in the middle of nowhere.
"Sir, I am so sorry but there seems to be an issue with the car." He said with an apologetic face. "I will quickly check it.”
"Okay," Taehyung nodded. He couldn't do anything but nod given the time and the place they were in. He was getting nauseous from the curved roads that went around the mountain and he was relieved to get at least a few minutes of break to breathe without getting an urge to vomit. He scrolled through his phone for a few minutes and started to get restless as time passed. The time was getting closer to eleven and he wasn't in bed yet like he had planned to. He rolled down the window and looked at the driver who was attempting to fix something with the tire. He had no idea about cars or fixing them which made him sigh into the seat and wait for the driver.
"S-sir," He knocked on the glass. "If you don't mind, would you please step outside the car for a bit? I need to try restarting it and it's safer if you are not inside.”
"Um, sure." He said though he didn't understand a word that was said. Was staying inside the car a safety concern? Anyway he didn't have the time or energy to ponder over it and slipped out of the car. He stood on the curb with his hands in his pockets trying to beat the cool spring air. He was grateful for getting on the airplane with his suit from the wedding, at least it kept him warm.
"Thank you, sir. It won't take long." The driver reassured him with a smile before getting in the car and igniting the engine. The car roared back into life and the driver pressed on the accelerator a couple of times making sure that the engine stayed on. After a couple more minutes once the sound of the car stopped echoing around the woods, Taehyung moved closer and pulled the handle to open the car door but it was locked. He knocked on the window to get the driver's attention and within a blink of the eye, the car was zooming past him leaving him stranded.
"Hey!" He called out loudly. "Hey, hey you-" He screamed at the top of his lungs but the car soon disappeared from his sight. He ran after the car and saw the driver throw something out of the window. He ran faster hoping that the driver would stop but to vein. He breathed heavily, tired from the running and bent himself in half, resting his hands on his knees trying to catch a breath. He saw something fallen on the road and walked towards it. But all he found was his small writer's bag which he always filled with information about the places he was visiting. All he had was a dairy, a pen, some random notes and cut outs that he had printed off while researching about Jeju.
"What the fuck!" He kicked a stone to the middle of the road. "Shit, shit, shit." He cursed again when he put his hand into his trousers to fetch his phone but couldn't find it. He patted on every single pocket of his suit but couldn't find his phone and he realised that he had thrown his phone on the back seat of the car when he had got out of it. He messed up his hair in frustration, his body only radiating anger at the moment. He had no idea why the stupid taxi driver had driven away leaving him behind. What was he gonna do with his phone and some clothes he had hastily thrown into his luggage? He let out a loud scream, unable to control his emotions. The first and the second stage of grief was merged with all the emotions he was feeling. One moment, he pinched himself, praying himself to wake up and hoping it was all just a dream. On the other hand, he was incredibly angry with himself and the universe for putting himself through this mess. After losing his shit for a few more minutes, he slapped himself awake and thought of how he would get by to Seogwipo or anywhere else where it wasn't the middle of nowhere. He didn't have his phone or his wallet with him. He walked in circles on the same curbside and decided the only option for him to find a way out of the situation was to hitchhike. But it was almost midnight and it was Jeju. He was sure that the buses wouldn't come by but the possibility of cars travelling at the time was also scarce. He held in all the internal strength he had left, hoping and praying that cars would come by and someone would help him. The hope started to fade away little by little when it had been at least thirty minutes and not a single vehicle had passed through the road. He decided to walk as much as possible hoping to find someplace but tears started streaming down his face when all he could see ahead was pitch darkness. He was angry, confused and sad, all at once. What had he done to deserve this, he thought. It was supposed to be his last project for God's sake and this just had to happen to him. It also didn't help when his brain brought up the memory of him fighting with his mother earlier during the day when she had pestered him about meeting someone.
It was payback for talking back to his mother and upsetting her, he concluded but it wasn't enough. Nothing was going right in his life. He was burnt out from work at the mere age of thirty, hadn't slept even for a single week in his own apartment and he had no one to go back to. He had enjoyed being single and the casual relationships that he encountered throughout the years thanks to his job. But over the last year or so, he saw many of his friends getting married and he couldn't help but feel lonely at times. Yes he had the money and hell lot of airplane miles but what would he do with it if he had nobody by his side to enjoy it with? The thought brought out more tears and he sobbed audibly. No one would even realise if he died there tonight, he shuddered when the thought crossed his mind. He didn't want to die, at least not today and not so pathetically.
He sat on his heels, head tucked between his knees pitying himself and his unfortunate situation. He had no idea how long he sat there or if he fell asleep but the sound of a vehicle alerted him. The sound got louder as the vehicle was closer and it wasn't the sound of a car. It was louder, stronger. He lifted his head and saw a motorcycle go past him. He was up on his feet and yelled a hey but the motorcycle went past him without stopping. He couldn't will his legs and run after the motorcycle. He was scared of motorcycles and he didn't know the rider. What if he was a criminal? The irony was he couldn't trust anyone in a car either and the thought that he didn't chase his only option to get out of there safely troubled him. He ran his hand through his hair again, internally screaming at himself when he heard the noise of the roaring motorcycle again as it got closer. He turned to the motorcycle and put his forearm in front of him to cover his eyes from the bright light from the motorcycle which stopped a few feet from him. As his eyes adjusted to the light, he saw a man dressed in all black get down the motorcycle and walk towards him. His hands were covered with riding gloves and his face with a black helmet. He stopped in front of him leaving a good personal space between them.
"Hi," He said and his voice was gentle, completely opposite to the way he was dressed. "Are you hurt? Do you need any help?" He asked with a concern filled voice which made the writer's eyes pool with tears again. "Hey, don't cry." He said calmly and took a step toward him, making Taehyung put his arms around himself and take a step back.
"Please don't do anything to me." He cried. "I-I don't have anything with me. P-please. I s-swear I am t-telling the t-truth. I-I am just s-stuck here."
"Hey, hey." The man lifted his hands up in surrender. "I won't hurt you." He said and lifted the helmet revealing his face, offering a small smile. "I can help you. Please don't be scared." He said.
Taehyung stared at the man in shock, deciphering his words slowly. The man was incredibly handsome in the low light that he could see him in. He had an eyebrow piercing and a lip piercing which were supposed to make him look sharp but his round face made him look kind, soft.
"I am Jeongguk." He spoke slowly, softly. "Do you need me to drop you somewhere?"
Taehyung nodded.
"Okav." He smiled at the other's response. "Are you hurt? Do you need to go to the hospital?"
Taehyung shook his head sideways, no.
"Okay. Where do you want to go?"
"S-seogwipo." He whispered.
"Where in Seogwipo?"
"I-I." Taehyung realised he didn't remember the name of the hotel his company had booked for him. "Lotte Hotel? Um, no..Shinhwa I think." He squeezed his eyes shut, more tears threatening to fall out of his eyes.
"Hmmm," Jeongguk hummed, not sure how to respond. “It’s okay. Both of them are really far from here though. You could-”
"I-I don't have my phone..or money." Taehyung spoke, looking at the man. "Taxi driver..h-he drove away with my things." A sob left his throat at the memory.
"Oh," The man's eyes went wide and they were so big. "I am so sorry you got robbed." He said. "I-I can take you to the police station? They will be able to get your things back.”
Right, the police. It hadn't crossed Taehyung's mind at all. He nodded vigorously.
"Okay, let's get you to the police station then. " The stranger smiled. "Come on." He said and put on his helmet, hopping on his motorcycle.
Taehyung looked at the motorcycle and then at the man. He wasn't going to get on the death trap. No way. But being stranded in the middle of nowhere was probably a greater deathtrap than the motorcycle right now.
"Are you scared of it?" The man asked, noticing his hesitance and he nodded. "I will go slow. It's safe, don't worry." He assured him.
Taehyung hopped on the motorcycle and squeezed his eyes shut when it roared in the silent night and they started moving. The man rode slowly like he had promised but it was still scary for the writer. He clutched the man's jacket until his knuckles turned white.
"It's less scary when your eyes are open." The man spoke loudly over the sound of the motorcycle and Taehyung kept his eyes open for the rest of the ride, and it felt a lot better like the man had said. After what had to be the longest ride in his life, they entered a place with well lit roads and he sighed when the motorcycle slowed down to stop in front of a police station. He hopped down, much less gracefully than Jeongguk had before.
"T-thank you." He smiled slightly and Jeongguk smiled back.
"I hope that you get your stuff back." They looked at each other, neither of them moving. "Do you want me to go inside with you?"
The question brought a relief in Taehyung's heart. The man was nothing but a stranger but he felt comfortable and safe around him. He didn't want to go to the police on his own. He felt like a kid wanting to go to the doctor with their mother. Taehyung climbed up the few stairs to the entrance of the police station but his feet wouldn't take him inside. He turned back to look at the kind man who had brought him there.
"Y-yes..if you don't mind." He shrugged.
They went inside and sat down in front of a bored looking police officer. Taehyung glanced at the officer and then at Jeongguk not knowing what to say.
"Officer, we are here to file a complaint. He-" Jeongguk pointed at the writer. "-got robbed by a taxi driver."
"Name?" The officer asked and Jeongguk stared at him waiting for his name, making Taehyung realise that he had not told him his name at all.
"K-Kim Taehyung." He said eyes locking with the man before turning to the police officer.
"Taehyung-ssi, can you tell me what happened? I will file a complaint and we will see what we can do about it." The officer asked and he narrated the story in detail to the last bit he could remember, feeling worse and worse after reliving the incident.
"Do you remember the taxi number?"
"Um, no." He put his head between his shoulders.
"Didn't you say your company booked the taxi for you? They would have sent the taxi number right?" Jeongguk intervened, having paid close attention to the story.
"Oh," Taehyung blinked. The man was right. "Yes! Yes I had the number. B-but it was on my phone."
Jeongguk gave him a look of pity.
"That's alright. We will check the CCTV footage and try to identify the culprit." The police officer assured him. "I think I have all the details that I need Taehyung-ssi. We will contact you when we get a lead.”
"When do you think that would be?" He asked, restless.
"In about three days, give or take a day.”
"Three days?" Taehyung widened his eyes. "Officer, that can't be possible. I do not have my phone or wallet. How will I stay here for three days? And how will you even contact me if I don't have my phone?"
"You can use the phone here to contact your family, Taehyung-ssi. You can provide an alternate number for us to contact you. How about your number, sir?" He asked Jeongguk.
"What?” Taehyung was starting to lose it now. "I don't remember anyone's number to contact them! And he is just a random stranger." He said, pointing to Jeongguk and realised how harsh it sounded. "A k-kind stranger who helped me get here." He corrected himself. "But I don't know him. Can't you track my phone or something? I left in the taxi."
"We already tried calling your number and the call did not go through."
"Isn't there a way to still track it? How will you find that taxi driver? What am I supposed to do now? I have nowhere to go!" His voice raised as anger filled him.
"Taehyung-ssi, I don't know which TV show you are basing off how the police work but it doesn't work that way. You can stay here for the night and we can try to help you or feel free to find your own way."
"Argh," He groaned loudly and sat up from the chair. "How do you call yourself the police when you can't help a citizen who was robbed? You are not even trying to-" He had started to yell and the police officer was glaring at him.
"Hey, hey-" Jeongguk stood up from the chair as well. "Let's get you out of here." He said, holding his wrist but Taehyung yanked back his hand.
"Out of here to where? To the streets in the middle of nowhere?" He glared, unable to control his anger.
"Thank you for your help, officer." Jeongguk smiled at the man, unfazed by Taehyung's outburst. "Please call this number if you find anything." He said and wrote down his number on a piece of paper.
"Come." He said holding the writer's wrist again and pulled him out of the police station.
"What?" Taehyung yanked his hand away from Jeongguk once they were outside.
"Can you get a hold of yourself?" He said, voice stern. "I know that you have been-"
"Get a hold of myself? Do you realise I have lost everything including my phone? And the police who are supposed to help don't give a fuck here. I can't even go back to Seoul! It's been such a shitty day and it got even shittier.
"No one will help you with that attitude of yours."
"Excuse me?"
"Do you think the police will help you out if you yell at them? They don't have Avengers technology to track your phone, Taehyung." He said. "Just be a sad victim and kiss their ass if you want your things back.”
Taehyung stayed quiet, anger and irritation growing in him.
"Don't you really remember anyone's number?" He asked. "Not even your mom's?"
"No.." He put his head between his shoulder.
"Wow." He sighed. "Look, if you want to go back to Seoul, I can drop you to the airport and lend you money for the flight." Jeongguk said, exasperated.
"I can't go back! I am here for work and I-"
"I am sure your work will understand your situation given-"
"Ugh, I fucking hate this. I hate, hate everything." He squatted down and tucked his head in between his knees. "I wasn't even supposed to come here in the first place. Stupid shit." He cried, mumbling to himself.
"Will you stop crying for God's sake?" Jeongguk wasn't having it anymore. "I am fucking trying to help you here."
"It's not like I love to cry." He said through his tears. "If I could stop it, I would." He wiped his tears with the back of his hand.
"Taehyung," Jeongguk said, taking a deep breath and the writer stared at him. "That is your name, right? You told the officer you are Kim Taehyung." The other nodded.
"Which phone do you have?"
"What?"
"Which phone do you have, Taehyung?"
"iPhone, why?"
"If I imagine your phone long enough and focus my brain on it, it will appear here." He pointed at his palm and rolled his eyes. "Do you remember your Apple Id and password? We can track your phone." He stated.
"Oh, " Taehyung blinked at him.
"I think the word you are looking for is thank you." He said mockingly and the writer felt ashamed for lashing out at the motorcyclist.
"T-thank you, J-Jeongguk." He said in a small voice, hoping he got his name right.
"But my phone is out of battery and I don't have my laptop on me. If you wait, I can go get it." He said and Taehyung looked around to see where he could wait in the middle of the night. He certainly didn't want to go back to the police station. "Or you can come along with me." Jeongguk offered and the writer's ears perked up at the offer. But he was apprehensive about following the man to wherever he was going. He still stood by the fact that the man was a complete stranger.
"Why are you helping me?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.
"What?" Jeongguk found the question absurd.
"Why are you even helping me? What do you get out of this?" He asked sternly. "Why would you just help me out of the kindness of your heart? What if you-"
"Let me stop you right there." Jeongguk raised his palm in front of him. "You are right. Why am I helping you?" He chuckled to himself. "I don't get anything from helping you. I shouldn't let my heart be so kind and try to help an ungrateful prick. So suit yourself." He said angrily and walked back to where his motorcycle stood.
"W-wait," Taehyung screamed when he realised that the man was leaving. "Wait, please." He called out again and ran behind him. "Jeongguk, I am sorry." He
rushed to say. "I-I d-didn't mean it l-like that. I just-I..I am just scared..I-I..." His breath caught in his throat. "Please help me." He pleaded but the man remained silent and hopped on his motorcycle, putting on his helmet.
Tears pooled in Taehyung's eyes realising that he had completely blown away his shot at getting his stuff back, both with the police and now with Jeongguk. He couldn't seem to keep his emotions at bay. He stared at the him as his motorcycle roared to life. Jeongguk turned to him and locked eyes with him.
"What are you waiting for?" He barked. "Hop on before I change my mind." Taehyung didn't waste a single moment before he hopped on the motorcycle and clutched the man's jacket. He kept his eyes wide open though his heart was beating fast with the speed the man was riding his motorcycle. He prayed that they would reach safely to wherever the other was taking him and owed himself not to anger him anymore because he was sure that Jeongguk was going fast only to spite him.
<->
Taehyung held his breath when they crossed the well-lit roads to enter a narrow pathway which was visible only because of the headlight of the motorcycle. Was he right to doubt Jeongguk in the first place? Where was the man taking him? He trembled in fear when they crossed a small gate which the man opened by kicking at it and stopped the motorcycle. There was nothing around them except dark empty fields and Taehyung had goosebumps all over his body. He couldn't speak even if he wanted to, his words having stuck in his throat.
"Get down." Jeongguk said and Taehyung hopped down the motorcycle so quickly that he almost fell to the ground.
"W-what is this place?" He dared to ask, his voice nothing but a whisper.
"I stay here." The man said, unbothered as he took off his helmet and got started on his gloves and the motorcycler's jacket. He removed the jacket to reveal a black short sleeved T-shirt inside and ink covering his arms. The ink disappeared inside the sleeves of the T-shirt and Taehyung didn't know where it stopped. He was in the middle of nowhere with a man who looked dangerous covered in tattoos, piercings and rode a motorcycle. He knew he was stereotyping the man but his brain was fogged with fear. The rational part of his brain told him that the man was doing nothing but trying to help him but he couldn't let the fear go away.
"You s-stay here?" He asked.
"There." The man pointed him to what looked like a camping tent. "I have been camping here." He said and started to walk towards the tent.
"Is it-um, is it s-safe?" He asked as he trailed behind the man.
"I have been here for a week and I am still alive. So I'm pretty sure it's safe." He said nonchalantly which did nothing to reassure the writer.
“A-are you even allowed to be here?” He dared to ask, fully knowing he was risking his life by asking more questions.
Jeongguk only rolled his eyes at him before he zipped open the tent and went inside, turning on a lamp while Taehyung stood outside, unsure about what to do.
"It's safer inside than it is outside." Jeongguk said, making the writer take quick steps to go inside the tent and zip it up. It was a tent like no other. There was a sleeping bag on the floor, a lamp, a huge backpack in the corner and a few random things scattered next to it.
"How will you c-charge your phone? There's no electricity here."
He said but the motorcyclist remained silent as he rummaged through his bag and held out what looked like a power bank in front of his face. He got comfortable in the sleeping bag while his phone charged. Taehyung was nothing but comfortable in a small closed space with the stranger. He sat down as far away as possible from the man in the tent that was the size of a matchbox and stared into space.
"Are you not wearing your watch?" Jeongguk asked, suddenly startling the writer.
"I-I am." Taehyung said and pulled the sleeve of his suit jacket up to show him his watch.
"You don't have an Apple watch?" Jeongguk frowned looking at his watch. "Who wears an ancient watch like that?" He scoffed.
"It's not ancient. It's Cartier." He frowned. "It's a luxury watch if you don't know."
"'Yes, so luxurious that it can't even track your phone." He remarked sarcastically. "A Gucci suit and Cartier watch. Be happy that the taxi driver didn't strip you."
"That's not funny." He replied, irritated.
The motorcyclist's phone lit up indicating it was now turned on which stopped their bickering.
"Login to your account and pull up a number to contact." Jeongguk said, promptly handing over his phone to the writer. "You can try tracking your phone later.”
"Thanks." Taehyung muttered, taking the phone and typing in his Apple Id and password.
A ‘Password incorrect’ screen glared at him. He frowned and typed it again assuming he had made an error in typing. The password incorrect screen popped up again. He typed for the third time and groaned when he got the same error.
"What?" Jeongguk looked at him. "Don't tell me you don't know your password. " He warned. "Fucking wonderful." He grumbled when the writer didn't answer. "How can you not remember your own password? Are you that dumb?"
"Hey-" He protested. "I remember my password." He said. "I-it's just that it's not the correct one." He was dejected.
"Trying recalling it then. Your birthday, your pet's name, your lucky number, favourite colour, anything."
"I am not ten years old to use my favourite colour as my password, genius.”
"Well, you as well might have because you would fucking remember it." He gave back. "Or are you one of those psychos who's favourite colour changes every month?"
"You first called me dumb and now a psycho? Watch your mouth." Taehyung said with gritted teeth.
“I can't believe you don't know your mom’s number!” He shook his head in disbelief. “Who doesn’t remember even a single number? So stupid.”
Taehyung felt like the stupidest man on earth.
“Can you stop? Don’t make me feel worse than I am actually feeling.”
"Fine. Just try logging into your stupid account and don't you dare disturb me. I am going to sleep." Jeongguk said indifferently and shuffled himself into the sleeping bag ignoring the writer. He closed his eyes and sleep found him easily before he was woken up from a voice. He first kept his eyes closed, unable to open them but the voice only got annoying as time passed by. He paid attention to the voice and it sounded like Taehyung was talking to himself, something about forgetting his password and trying to recall it.
"Can you like stop talking? Who are you even talking to?" His voice was filled with irritation. "Aren't you tired?"
"Shut up!" Taehyung yelled back. "First you stop me from crying my heart out and now you want me to stop talking?"
"Yes, because I am trying to sleep here."
Taehyung glared at him, frustrated. "Do you even know the crisis I am in? And you want to sleep?"
"Yes I know." He said. firmly. "I fucking know because I am the one who brought you here and now I am regretting it." He said in frustration.
“I didn’t ask you to help me or bring me here!” Taehyung yelled as tears pooled in his eyes. “I don’t even want to stay here. This tent is so small and stuffy, I am in the middle of nowhere with a stranger. How can I sleep knowing I have no money or my phone? I don’t even know-” He rambled through breaths that were getting shorter and he felt his throat close up.
“Hey, hey,” Jeongguk was by his side in a moment. “Taehyung, here, breathe. Slowly. Look at me. Follow my breathing.” He said and took deep breaths himself, ensuring that the writer followed him. “Yes, like that. Good, good.” He held his hand between his palms to comfort him. “I am sorry. You are going to be okay. You have had a stressful day and you are tired. Taehyung, why don't you try to get some sleep?" He said. "It's two in the morning. You can try to access your account in the morning. Maybe you are not able to recall the password because your brain is not able to think properly now. I am sure you will feel better after you get some sleep.”
"Okay." Taehyung mumbled after having calmed down and the fight left his body.
Jeongguk went back to his sleeping bag but Taehyung sat in the same place without moving an inch.
“What now?” Jeongguk asked, exhausted.
"I-I don't have my pajamas." He whispered under his breath.
"So?" Jeongguk asked, puzzled.
"So you want me to sleep naked?" He spat back.
"No, God, please no." He sighed. "I will lend you my clothes. I can't believe you are asking for pajamas to sleep given the situation you are in. Unbelievable ." He said, getting up to pull another black T-shirt and sweatpants from his backpack and threw it at him.
"I can't change in front of you." He said ignoring the jab.
"Go change outside.”
"What if someone sees me? Or if there are animals outside?"
"I assure you that you aren't their type. Neither the humans nor the animals.”
"Asshole. " Taehyung mumbled under his breath.
"What did you just say?" Jeongguk glared at him. "You know I don't have to put up with this right? I can just throw you outside."
"Y-you wouldn't do that." His voice shook, imagining the motorcyclist abandoning him.
"Try me." He challenged.
"Fine. At least turn the other way so that I can change." He said, eyes pleading.
"Ask nicely.” He challenged.
Taehyung fought the urge to roll his eyes. "Please." He whispered and Jeongguk laid down facing away from him grumbling about how high maintenance the writer was. He ignored yet another jab in the favour of not getting thrown out and got into the motorcycler's clothes quickly. He loved how nice it smelled and how soft the clothes were. He took the space on the opposite side of the tent, using his suit jacket to lay on and covering himself with his shirt. He could never sleep without hugging something and he managed to sleep hugging his trousers to himself, pitying himself for his unfortunate situation and hoping the new day would be better than the current one.