chapter one (1/1)

On the 31st of December, at exactly 10:24 pm, Taehyung realized he has fallen in love. He thought to himself, this is the first time his heart has beaten this fast just by looking at someone. He turned his eyes away and focused on the flying embers of the bonfire. He unconsciously reached out to his chest, somehow wanting to contain his heart. He continued to watch the fire dance before him even though all he wanted to do was stare at her again. He thought he could fight it, but the need to watch her smile and throw her head back in laughter was winning.So he stopped fighting it.He looked up again and gazed at her exceptional beauty. She really was a work of wonder, he thought. She brushed back the long black hair that the chill wind of the winter night blew at her porcelain skin. Her skin, he thought, had this natural glow, like it’s shining to give light to everyone around her. He then watched as she continued to listen and laugh to every story being told and passed around the small circle like it was the most interesting she has ever heard. That laughter, it was harmonizing well with the sound of the wave of the sea. It was music to his ears.“She’s going to melt,” someone whispered to his ears.He turned and saw his closest friend Yoongi sit beside him on the mat, sand slightly scattering all over the place.Taehyung was embarrassed at how obvious he had been. He picked up the can of beer beside him and quickly drank from it. He gulped the bitter taste down his throat in one go and wiped the dribble of alcohol from the side of his mouth. He was taken aback by his friend and the sudden realization that he has never been this way, especially to someone he just met.Wheein, he thought, even her name was pretty, new and unique. She was a new classmate, transferred from another college in another town, and was now part of their group even though it’s only been a month. She’s friendly and got along well with the other girls of the circle, so it’s only right to invite her in their winter getaway, celebrating new year and the new decade in his parents’ beach house in an island in the south.She’s sitting across from him, hugging her knees and seeking warmth with her huge jacket. He thought, maybe he could offer his, but smacked himself at the thought. He has barely spoken to her. They only exchanged an awkward greeting a couple weeks ago when they bumped into each other in the library. He helped pick up the books she dropped from her arms. He noticed that the books were either about crime or poetry and thought it was weird for a busy fourth year accounting student to read, but it also made sense to him. She’s a walking sunshine emitting elegance and class but would be someone who likes to read grime and gore for fun. She has a personality, unique, he thought. She smiled and thanked him once he handed her the books. He wanted to talk to her, but there’s something about her that made his tongue curl up in panic.Now, as he thought about it, it might be because he’s starting to like her.She’s beautiful, smart, adorable, and everything else he still needed to know. He needed to know more than her name. He needed to have to call her pretty name with confidence and delight. He wanted to know her.“You’re staring again. She’s really going to melt,” his friend whispered again.Taehyung looked at Yoongi and opened his mouth to talk, but the latter taunted him with a knowing smirk. He zipped his lips and drank