Part : 01 Wonderful life

The night scene unfolded, like a velvet curtain, across the face of the world. Darkness clung to the edges of streets that were poorly lighted by unpredictable street lamps. A cool breeze stirred the leaves of old trees, their twisted branches creating haunting, dancing shapes on the pavement. The background noise of the city continued to be soft and steady, punctuated periodically by the siren wail of some forlorn dog or the mournful cry of a train whistle.

Taehyung walked down the sidewalk, clutching tightly onto his shoulder bag while muttering softly to himself.

He felt that a number of fellows were behind him, had been for some time. Or maybe they were following him.

As he walked on, he opened his bag and brought out a small bottle. He had his muscles strained as he took a deep breath. He suddenly swung around without looking ahead and sprayed the contents of his bottle.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaa!"

He widely opened his eyes: several boys were crying, rubbing their eyes.

"Sir, what did you spray on us?" exclaimed a boy full of eagerness.

"First, tell me why you're following me. Are you gangsters? Stalkers? Or worse, killers?" the young man stammered, his shivering voice covering his mouth as if his hands were cramping from horror.

"Sir, you got it all wrong. Those are nothing like us! Your brother asked us to prank you. You are Kim Taehyung, right?" one of the boys clarified, which again made Taehyung raise an eyebrow suspiciously.

The boys continued to rub their eyes, wincing all thanks to whatever Taehyung had sprayed on them.

"Please believe us! Just tell me what you sprayed on us." one boy pleaded while others started rinsing their eyes with a water bottle.

The other boy dialed a number and said, "Here's my phone. You can call your brother to see if we're lying-" But before he could even finish his sentence, Taehyung snatched the phone, recognizing the number as belonging to his brother.

Taehyung snapped the moment the call went through. "Yahhh! Sending people to prank me at night? Have you completely lost it, Park Jimin?"

"Calm down! Now, tell me how scared you got." the teasing voice at the other end was only adding fuel to Taehyung's anger.

He started to walk away, yelling at the phone.

"Sir, my p-phone." the boy yelled, running behind him.

Taehyung stopped, hanging up and narrowing his eyes on the boy. "Here, take your phone. I'm not going to steal it!" he snapped in a sharp voice.

The boy reached for his phone, but as Taehyung turned to leave, he stopped him again, asking, "Sir, at least tell us what you sprayed! My eyes are still itchy, even after so much rinsing."

"Um... hair setting spray." Taehyung replied awkwardly in a low voice, and the boys stared at him in shock and disbelief.

"Oh no. Poor guys!"

Taehyung bowed to apologize, while the boys just did the same in return.

He bade them bye and stopped a taxi, getting in while giving his address to the driver.

In some time, the taxi stopped in front of a small house.

It was situated at the end of a tree-lined street, with its exterior in a warm and inviting tone of light blue, accentuated by sharp white trim around windows and doors. It was slightly slanted and the top was grey-shingled, much darker than the color of the walls.

Taehyung paid for the ride, got out of the taxi, and went inside.

"Finally, you are home!"

Mrs. Park beamed as Taehyung rushed in and immediately wrapped her into a soothing hug.

"Mom. I am tired!" Taehyung winced, letting her go to drop onto the nearest couch, the shoulder bag sliding off to fall with a soft thud.

"That's why I am saying you shouldn't work at this late hour!" she said, hands on her hips, adopting that classic 'mom stance' so well-practiced over years.

"That's discrimination! You are so sweet when it comes to Taetae but weirdly rude if I ask anything." Jimin pouted, striding over with an exaggerated strut, clearly expecting a round of applause for his impeccable timing.

But Mrs. Park and Taehyung didn't paid attention to him.

"Wow. Now even ignoring me. I will report it to Dad!" Jimin exclaimed, eyes narrowing into a mock indignation, arms clasped across his chest like a sulking child. Mrs. Park rolled her eyes, a grin forcing its way onto her face despite the false annoyance.

"Your father is busy, Jimin", she replied with a dismissive wave of her hand, "and frankly, dear, I really don't think he would care if you turned into a pumpkin at midnight!

Taehyung snickered, just imagining Jimin rolling on the floor in an orange giant costume, his frustration turning into amusement. "I can see it now," he said barely able to hold in his laughter, "you'd be the first pumpkin to complain about being a vegetable!"

"Hey!" Jimin shot back, "I'd at least be the best-dressed vegetable you've ever seen!"

Mrs. Park shook her head, trying to keep the maternal authority in place: "Alright, alright you two goofballs, cut it out. Taehyung, what happened tonight? You look like you saw a ghost!

"Yes, mom! Just had a mini-confrontation with a group of pranksters in the dark your younger son set up. My heart is still racing from the adrenaline!" Taehyung exclaimed melodramatically, flinging his legs up in the air as if he had just emerged from some shipwreck or something.

Mrs. Park couldn't help but chuckle, "Oh come on, you're overreacting. It's not like you were in any real danger. You handled it beautifully with your hair setting spray."

Taehyung sat up, eyes wide with mock horror, "Beautifully? Mom, I just blinded a few innocent boys with a product meant to keep my bangs in place! What if they go home, tell their parents, and I become a local legend for all the wrong reasons? 'Beware of the Hair Spray Bandit!

Jimin, who had been faking sulkiness in the corner, suddenly lit up: "I mean, that does have a nice ring to it. Imagine the headlines: 'Local Boy Takes Down Gangsters with Glamour!' You could start a whole new trend, Taetae!"

Mrs. Park shook her head in dismay and said, "You two are impossible. Just wait until your father hears about this. He'll have a field day."

"Dad will just laugh it off," Taehyung replied, and rolled his eyes. "You know how he loves a good story. Besides, he'd probably try to turn it into some family bonding event. 'Let's all go spray paint the neighbors, kids!'"

Jimin snickered, "Or maybe he will join you in a hair product fight! 'Who can create the best hairstyle under pressure?'"

Taehyung burst out laughing. "Now that is a competition that I would be very much behind. I'd win with my signature 'I just survived a night in the city' look."

Just then, the door opened, and Mr. Park stepped in. He smiled at the sight of his family gathered. "What is all this ruckus about? Did my sons finally decide to stop acting like kids and instill some wholesome fun in this family?

Taehyung sat up straight, "Oh, you won't believe it, Dad! A group of guys this chim-tim set up for prank were tailing me. I really thought they were gangsters or something! So, I sprayed hair setting spray on their faces!"

"What? Hair setting spay?" Mr. Park asked and Taehyung nodded in a split second.

Mr. Park burst into laughter, "Well, you have just achieved your vigilante status in town! 'Beware the Hair Sprayer!'"

"Dad!" Taehyung winced, he buried his face in the cushions of the couch. "They were just playing a prank. I almost gave them a heart attack!"

The family burst into laughter, and Taehyun couldn't help but join in, "I think I should also add 'Hair Spray Vigilante' to my resume."

"Let's be real," Jimin said, still chuckling, "you could have turned them into a hair care product commercial! 'Tired of your flat hair? Try Taehyung's Hair Setting Spray-perfect for emergencies!'" he shut him mouth when finally earned a deadly glare from Taehyung.

"Alright, dinner is ready. Let's eat first." Mrs. Park suggested though it sounded more like an order.

The father and son nodded and went to wash their hands before joining the dinner table.

After the meal had come to a close, the family sat comfortably into the living room, the heart of their home. They had shared lots of laughter and playful banter; the joyful teasing flowed freely amongst them, and Taehyung couldn't feel more grateful.

When Taehyung was just 14 years old, his parents died in a tragic road accident. The world felt dark and lonely without the loving presence of his parents, but fate had something else in store for him. During his distressed time, the Park couple stepped forward; they were his parents' childhood friends. They welcomed him into their household in a very short time and gave him the same love and care as they would give to their son. Their generosity changed Taehyung's life and gave him the notion of home that he was afraid he could never have again.

Now, as he sat comfortably in the living room surrounded by laughter, he reflected on how far he had come. Life seemed to be treating him well. He had a loving, supportive family, always taking great pains to make sure he felt loved and included.

In fact, life was wonderful for him.

He had a loving family, an understanding boyfriend, a good job. What more could he possibly want?

...

Mrs. Park sat in the living room, watching the latest episode of some new k-drama. She was peacefully simping over the greatest Cha Eun-woo until the ringing of the doorbell made her groan.

She got up in annoyance and went to open the door. The frown on her face was immediately replaced by a genuine smile when she opened the door and saw the familiar face standing in front of her.

"Lucus!" She called with a smile looking at the male figure infront of her who bowed and wished her good morning, "Come in child. How are you here?. What kind of question I am even asking, ofcourse you are here to see taetae." She babbled to herself while shaking her head. Mrs. Park let him in, gesturing for him to take a seat in the living room that was well-decorated with family photos and soft cushions. She poured him a glass of water.

"Actually, I called Taehyung yesterday, but he was unreachable, and he also didn't reply to my texts. I am a little worried if he is fine?" Lucus snapped in concern as he took a sip of water.

Kang Lucus was Taehyung's boyfriend.

Mrs. Park awwed at him, "He is fine. Just sleeping! Why don't you go and wake him up yourself." she said and Lucus awkwardly stared at her making her chuckle.

It wasn't that he met her for the first time, but her habits of teasing him every time made him embarrassed. In order to get away from her, he actually went upstairs-up towards Taehyung's room.

The sound of the opening door broke Taehyung's sleep as the noise fell into his ears. He was a light sleeper; even the least noise could wake him up.

He instantly sat up and fixed his gaze on the door. He relaxed when his eyes fell onto Lucus, who was inching closer.

"Taehyung, you are awake." Lucus muttered, and Taehyung nodded while he rubbed his eyes lightly to push away his urge to sleep again.

"Hyung, you are here in early morning. everything is fine?" Taehyung asked still feeling sleepy.

Lucus gave a smiling face with eyes covering on Taehyung face and his cute gestures. "Someone was supposed to text me but guess what?" he rose his brows at the latter.

Taehyung closed his eyes... ahh! How could he forget to text Lucus?.

"Sorry, hyung! I got too engrossed in work and forget to message you." he mumbled with a pout.

Lucus just shook his head with a soft smile. He ruffled the younger male hairs, "That's alright. How about we go on a date today? I took a leave from work."

Taehyung's smile stretched further, "Great! I am also free today." he jumped out of bed and made Lucus chuckle with his childish behaviour.

"You get ready, I'll wait for you downstairs." Lucus said and left when Taehyung hummed in response.

Kang Lucus was Taehyung's senior in college. Lucus had a crush on him since the very start, and Taehyung knew that too, but he didn't have any problem with that because they were doing good as friends since Lucus never made him feel uncomfortable.

On Taehyung's graduation day, when Lucus had boldly proposed to him in front of everyone, he gave him a bunch of roses. Although Taehyung had taken the roses, making his heart flutter then with a smile in front of their friends, later he did speak to Lucus in private, explaining with so much tenderness how he didn't have any romantic feelings for him then.

Heartbreaking rejection for Lucus, but he asked, in his very understanding manner, if they could at least try on each other, maybe in time, Taehyung will learn to feel for him. And Taehyung agreed.

Why? Well, why not? Lucus was all a person wished for as a partner. And more importantly, he was one of the few people's company Taehyung felt at ease around. Trying to date him was not really a bad thing.

Now, they had been together for seven months; however, he never did anything that would upset Taehyung. He really liked Taehyung and wished to do all couple-like stuff-kissing and cuddling, but he never did so, knowing well that Taehyung hadn't developed feelings for him yet.

It hurts! But maybe someday, Taehyung would see him as more than just a friend.

Speaking from Taehyung's point of view, he tried! He really tried to love Lucus more than a friend, but he couldn't. He just couldn't. Now the guilt started seeping in and settling in him.

Reflecting on his thoughts from the previous night, he realised there was still something unsettling in his life because it was negatively affecting someone else.

He had an understanding boyfriend who was perhaps too understanding for his own good.

After a quick shower, Taehyung combed through his hair and let the moist strands spill over his shoulders as he deliberated what to wear that day. He went for a wine-colored shirt that suited him so well, with beige pants seemingly enhancing his figure. Putting on a few carefully chosen accessories, sliding into off-white shoes, he presented himself to the mirror.

Ta-da! He was ready... in just one hour!

Meanwhile, Lucus was having light talk with Mrs. Park. Both sounded very much alive with their outbursts of laughter until Jimin, who had just come home, interrupted them.

"Oh, you are here, hyung," Jimin said, his voice lighting up the room as he greeted the older male. "How are you doing?"

Lucus then gave a very dramatic sigh. "Not so good without your brother," he replied, his voice light yet laced with sincerity.

Jimin smiled, "Then take him away. What's stopping you?"

"If only he allow me to." Lucus muttered in low voice.

"Huh?" Jimin questionably look at him as he did not hear what latter just said.

"I heard you failed your english exam." Lucus casually changed the subject.

Jimin scowled, looking sharply at the latter, "Who telled you? It's not write! I sawwed the results yasterrday, I passed away!" he shot back in broken English.

Mrs. Park laughed. Lucus gave an awkward smile, "I see..."

Just then, Mrs. Park gestured towards the staircase. "Here he is," she said, her eyes glinting as Taehyung came down the stairs, looking every inch like a model off the ramp.

His eyes then moved to Taehyung, and he felt his cheeks flush at just how charming and confident Taehyung seemed; he was a living work of art.

"Mom!" Taehyung called brightly, running toward Mrs. Park and enveloping her in a warm hug that swelled her heart with love.

"Auntie, shall we take our leave?" Lucus suggested, softening as he turned toward Mrs. Park, who nodded in approval.

"Mn... take care of my bub." she said in a commanding yet affectionate voice.

"Don't worry, I'll take good care of him," Lucus assured her. A smile from Mrs. Park was all he needed-an assurance that she trusted him.

"Shall we?" he asked Taehyung. Taehyung nodded excitedly, eyes wide with anticipation of fun things the day would bring.

"Buy-buy, may god blast you!" Jimin called out with his best English accent and waved his hand. Lucus choked on the air, taken aback by the sudden farewell from Jimin while Taehyung didn't even bat an eye, used to his clumsy English already.

As they came out into the bright morning sun, Lucus took a deep breath as he promised to make the day special for Taehyung. As much as the guilt weight lingered in his heart, Taehyung felt himself getting relaxed. Pretty did he know, after this day his life would never be the same.