Chapter Text
Part One: Crème Brûlée
Going Home
Let’s say that someone got off a very long bus ride to visit a small village on the outskirts of Daegu.
If they decided to take a detour between the mayor’s house and the elementary school, and turned a prompt right, left, and then right again, they would come across a gravestone with the statue of a cat.
If, again, they were compelled to go in the direction that the stone feline’s paw points, they would find an alleyway, and treck their way straight down it. The end of the path reveals the outskirts of town, and in front of them, a vast forest.
For as long as anyone can remember, there was always a forest surrounding the edges of Mungyeong Village.
The trees pack tightly to each other, dark branches and dense closeness encasing the ground beneath it in darkness, and without entering there is no sure way to know what could possibly be lurking.
Even the children of the village are not foolish enough to venture into its foliage, and whatever traveler that happened upon the exact path to come to its entrance is certainly not daredevil enough to try either.
But if you must- if there is some strange circumstance that demands of you to enter, remember one thing-
“Remember one thing Taehyung-”
“Taehyung, someone’s at the door.”
The college junior looks up from his econ textbook, straightening his head in interest. Wincing at the crack in his back from unknowingly hunching over the pages, he sets his reading glasses to the side and peeks around the bunk bed in his way.
Kim Taehyung. Twenty-One. Current residence: Seoul. An innocent country boy with freckles and caramelized skin that fell prey to the eyes of all those of paler complexion, and learned the hard way how to take the slurs out of his language and the kindness for any stranger.
It’s not a new story in the city. He camps out in the library on most days, drowning through books full of economics and business, with the occasional visit for an always much-needed cup of caffeine. Slipping into the legions of other college students with dark stains under his eyes and a perpetual yawn, Taehyung busts his ass studying, determined to make a name for himself and to be able to soon support his own family that’s been struggling back in Daegu. It might not exactly be what’s he hoped for in the most ideal future, but sometimes we don’t get the luxury to wish for anything more.
“Who is it?”
“An old lady. Says she’s your grandma?”
“My grandma!?” Taehyung squeaks, nearly falling out of his seat as he stumbles upright, sprinting over to the door. His roommate, Minho, raises an eyebrow at him as he pushes the door open wider, revealing the tiny plump-faced stature of an old lady wrapped up to her neck in scarves, with the sweetest, gentlest smile. She is indeed his grandma.
Taehyung narrowly avoids bursting into tears.
He hasn’t seen his grandmother in years- ages, even. The last time had been a mess of tears and farewells before he had driven off to college, trying desperately to reassure her in the fact that yes, he would eat properly, and yes, he’d come back every summer, (he hadn’t) and the memories of winters with her warm hot chocolate and the best hugs no one could ever match.
He nearly throws himself into her arms and catches them both before she can topple over with a sweet little laugh, the college student hugging her as tightly as he can. When Taehyung inhales deeply, he can smell the faint scent of birch and pine that clings to her jacket, and the spices of her kitchen that sends him catapulting into the memories of his youth.
“Grandma..” He croaks out, sniffling a little as he lets a tear escape.
“Hello to you too, Tae bear.” She smiles warmly, patting his head and hugging him back. Minho mouths a silent ‘I’ll leave you two alone’ behind her back, slipping back into the dorm room, and Taehyung nods gratefully, clinging to his grandmother for just a little longer before pulling away.
She reaches up to wipe the tears from his cheeks gently, the junior bowing his head slightly to make it easier until she wacks him in the side for it, frowning. “Excuse you, bear, you’re not tall enough for me to be unable to reach just yet.”
"Of course, grandma,” Taehyung smiles stupidly, not moving, as she sighs and smiles again, exasperated but fond.
“Well? Aren’t you going to let me inside? It’s hot out here you know.”
…
Twenty minutes later they sit across each other at a local cafe, a small cinnamon muffin for Taehyung and a steaming mug of tea for his grandmother.
Even now that his elation has died down, Taehyung can’t help but grin brightly, happiness taking over every precedent as the old lady carefully takes a sip of her tea.
She raises an eyebrow and takes another sip, apparently pleased. “This is good tea. Made from the right leaves. I’m surprised the city folk even have something of this quality.”
“The staff here are from Daegu,” Taehyung explains, waving in greeting to the man behind the counter who returns it with a wink. “A married couple who moved to the city for their children’s education. Good people.”
“Anyone who makes good tea is a good person.” His grandma says seriously, and he laughs freely in response, resting his chin in his palm.
“Whatever you say, grandma.”
“Don’t you talk down to me, grandson,” She huffs, annoyed. “The city’s made you too bold.”
“It’s made me a lot of things,” Taehyung whispers, glancing out the window to catch the monotone cityscape and the people rushing to and fro, with perfectly brushed hair and bright lipsticks, suits and phones. If he closes his eyes he can see golden fields and rolling hills, the sun kissing his skin from above and the soft ground underneath his bare feet.
He heaves a deep sigh, tilting his head to the side with a sheepish smile. “I’m glad to see that you haven’t changed, though. What’s the occasion?”
His grandmother looks at him, really looks at him, and something sorrowful blooms in her hazel eyes, a darker brown streaking across her irises that Taehyung knows all too well.
“You don’t think I just wanted to see you?”
Pity.
“Well, maybe, but that can’t just be it. You hate Seoul.” He replies matter-of-factly, biting into his muffin to avert his gaze downwards, his fingers curling tightly into the fabric of his sweater underneath the table even as he poses a polite smile.
“I know that your semester ends soon, so I want you to make good on your promise to come back to visit for the summer.”
Taehyung nearly chokes on his food, coughing slightly as he looks back up at his grandmother, who simply sips her tea and waits for him to recover.
“Excuse me, what? You know I can’t leave, grandma, I have stuff to do here-”
“Stuff that’s more important than visiting your family?” She asks, and the junior swallows, the jab stinging significantly along with his own personal huge helping of overwhelming guilt.
“Well, no..”
“Then what’s the problem, Tae bear? Why are you so afraid to come back?”
“Dad.” He ends up confessing, unable to lie to his grandmother staring holes into his face, and chews on the rest of the baked treat, not wanting to say anything more. The old lady sighs and sets her mug back on the table, fixing him with a gentler look.
“Your father will be out of town for most of the summer, he has business with his brother in Busan, Taehyung. Just come back home. You’re wasting away, here, bear.” She pleads, reaching across to hold his hands tightly. “The city is draining you, I can see it. I know you miss home. There’s nothing holding you back.”
At that, Taehyung makes up his mind in nearly seconds.
“Yes, please. Please take me back.”
…
And that’s how he finds himself inside a rusty truck, his belongings shoved into the back and his grandmother grumbling about bad ventilation in the side seat, with the brightest, happiest grin on his face.
Minho taps on his window and he slides it down to high five him, his roommate shooting him a smile.
“You’ve needed a vacation for a long time, man, go have fun and stay away for as long as you can.”
“Will do,” He snickers, and Minho backs away from the vehicle, waving, as Taehyung slides out of the driveway and peels out onto the road, blowing a messy kiss at him before finally taking off.
His irises flex and twist to mend the broken metal of his steel orbs, to make him whole once again, for the first time in three years. The world looks more beautiful as the pavement streets straighten and tumble into long, winding dirt roads, grey buildings flattening into gleaming fields of golden wheat.
He knows it might not be anything, that this summer could mean nothing, but he wants it to be everything.
Taehyung wants desperately to have faith- and for his wishes to finally follow through.
…
Deep in the forests of Daegu, a loud growling sound scares a flurry of birds out of the trees as a pained howl follows it.
“I AM SO FUCKING HUNGRY!”