Gratefulness~ pt.4

I open the door and give Taeyang a weird look.
"Young bae? What are you doing here exactly...?"
He shrugs.
"You know... Just passing by," he answers with a casual expression on his tanned face. I lean on the door and frown.
"Why are you driving Ji Yong's car?" I ask.
"I borrowed it," Tae explains. I still look super confused.
"But hop in. You must be freezing," he says and just right then the cold wind blows onto my skin and neck and makes me have goosebumps. I shiver.
"Well, yeah... Okay," I sit on the car seat and close the door. I throw my sport bag in the backseat. Tae steps on the gas and turns to the opposite direction I thought we were going. He doesn't want to take me to the dormitory.
"Do you mind if we cruise a bit?" he seems to sense my confusion. "I haven't driven this pretty car for ages." Then he glances at me and grins. "You said you owe me, right?"
I nod silently, not sure if I'm pleased. He's wearing black jeans and a white sleeveless top. I wonder how he keeps warm.
"Actually, Ji Yong and I were supposed to meet tonight," I tell him as we drive around the city park.
"Oh, really?" he glances at me blankly before he turns to a smaller street. "Jinjja?"
"Ne," I mutter and look outside of the window gloomily. I feel a bit ashamed. I asked him out but I didn't make it.
"He must be sleeping by now," Tae says silently. Even the radio isn't on, so it's a bit akward. Not much but a bit. "Gwenchanayo?"
"Gwenchana," I look at him and smile a little.
He drives to the parking lot near the apartment building he lives in to be able to search for something in the car.
"What are you doing?" I ask. Tae looks at the backseat and reaches to the floor behind my seat.
"I lost something here..."
"Oh, yeah? What is it?" I take a look under my seat but find nothing. Tae puts the seat belt back on and exhales loudly.
"Nothing big," he looks at me and smiles warmly. "Do you want to come in?"
Somehow I feel wrong although I shouldn't. I trust Young Bae. I think it would be weird to go to his home because I couldn't spend time with Ji Yong.
"Uh, actually I should be back to our dorm already," I answer silently and Tae takes a look at his watch. He seems a bit off today. Or maybe he's just tired.
"Ah!" he realizes. "It's already 3.30. Mianhe," he laughs it off and starts the engine. This time we drive to the right direction. It's takes some time to get to the dormitory, especially when we have to drive extra miles because of roadworks. After a long silence and lots of thinking, I decide to ask if everything's okay.
"Okay, yeah," he glances at me and smiles.
"For sure?" I want to make sure. He just leans on his window which is open, smiles happily as he looks at the road. He waits for the lights to change.
"I feel like something's bothering you."
But Tae keeps smiling. He gives gas and drives on, turns to another road because the one we use the most is closed at the moment. Young Bae gets his phone from his bag that's laying between my feet. The phone drops in my lap and Tae grabs the steering wheel with both of his hands. I stare at the phone quietly. We stop at a gas station.
"Let's take a selca," he turns to me and smiles like the teddy bear on my bed that I'm missing because I want to go to sleep already.
"Selca... Why do you want to take that?"
"To put it on Instagram," he answers calmly. I frown. That's a bit weird but I guess I should feel honoured to get to be shown off on his account. He takes the picture and I pose normally.
"Didn't you just do that to change the subject? I really feel like something's wrong..."
Tae looks at me, still eyesmiling after the picture, and focuses on driving.
"No," he says. "I just wanted to update my Instagram," he avoids the subject again and I sigh out loud.
"It's good promotion for you," he adds. I feel sad that he can't tell me about his worries. Just when I told him something extreme I did. I'm a good listener but I don't want to seem to curious so I just shut my mouth and let him be."You really can get home from here?"
I stop, turn around. Tae is standing at the corner of the building with his hands in his pockets. I nod and laugh a bit. It's drizzling and his hair starts to lose its shape, now getting glued to his gorgeous face. It's dark and misty.
"I'll be fine," I smile and wave him. He looks at me blissfully and for a brief moment his dimples show off. As I walk closer to the door of the dormitory, I hear the silent sound of a sport car getting further away. I dig out my key card and just when I'm letting the machine read it, I hit something with my foot.
"Aish," I huff automatically and look down. There's a small statue shaped as a dog, and around its neck somebody has tied a letter.
"Ige mwoyeyo*...?" I whisper by myself and pick the item up. In the letter reads MINEA.
"Hm?"
I read the keycard and sneak inside our dorm. When I'm safely in my room, where I'm alone at once since Ariel is at her friend's house, I fall on my soft bed and open the letter.

"For my dear Minea This is (hopefully) your first fan gift from your number 1 fan :) ~GD"

"Oaaw," I gasp with an idiotic smile on my face and look at the greyhound. It finds its place on my makeup table. I fall asleep with my full clothing still on happily, waiting for what's coming next. But what I was waiting, wasn't so worth the waiting after all...



*ige mwoyeyo? = what is this?

Notes

Teaser for chapter 18