The Brothers Kim

Chapter 20- Do You Promise?

"Stupid Gyuri..." Taehyung muttered under his breath as he kicked a pebble near his foot. He pouted as he sat down near the grass, not caring at all that his expensive garments would be soiled by the dirt. At that point in time, Taehyung didn't care about anything apart from what Gyuri had said to him.

"Why would I ever want to work for an immature brat like you?"

Taehyung sulkily ripped blades of grass from the ground beside him and proceeded to tear them into smaller pieces. He knew that engaging in such pointless actions won't solve anything, but he needed a distraction from the hurt he was feeling in his chest. He grunted out of frustration as he threw the torn pieces of grass away in frustration. Why was he so bothered by what Gyuri had said?

"You are not that good of a maid anyway" Taehyung mumbled huffily. "I was only trying to be nice..."

But deep down, Taehyung knew that he couldn't lie to himself. The truth was, Taehyung had become somewhat aware of his feelings towards Gyuri. Ever since he had learned about their shared kiss, he couldn't stop thinking about her. At first, he thought he would feel angry at her for lying to him about how babies were made. She had purposefully lied to him to make him look like a fool. Taehyung had planned to confront her about it but, every time they crossed paths, the first thing he always thought about was her lips. Learning about their kiss had the opposite effect on him: it had made him more aware of her. And because of that, he had been avoiding her like the plague.

"Stop thinking about her, stupid!" he scolded himself as he placed his hands on his cheeks out of embarrassment. "She is not even that pretty or smart or—"

Suddenly, the woman in white's smile flashed in his mind's eye.

Taehyung was tongue-tied. He shook his head violently to be rid of her image. Why did I suddenly picture her? The woman in white was still a mystery to him and he almost forgot all about her until that moment. Who was she? And why does my heart ache every time I think of her?

Just as Taehyung started revisiting his memories of the woman in white, he suddenly heard footsteps approaching from the shadows. He looked up. A scowl formed on his lips when he saw who it was.

Gyuri emerged from the shade and gaped at Taehyung with a relieved expression. "There you are," she remarked as she strolled towards him. "I've been looking all over for you."

Taehyung turned his face defiantly so that Gyuri was facing his cheek. A sharp hmph escaped his lips. Seeing that Taehyung was still upset, she took it upon herself to sit next to him on the grass. In response, he inched further away.

Gyuri sighed. "I'm sorry" she sincerely apologised, "I didn't mean what I said."

Still, Taehyung refused to look at her.

"Can't we talk about it?"

Taehyung reluctantly turned his head and peered at Gyuri, who appeared regretful. "I thought being with me is like a 'living hell'" Taehyung retorted, emphasising her words. "So why are you here trying to talk to me?"

"Like I said," Gyuri repeated, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean it—"

"Yes, you did" Taehyung abruptly interrupted. "You think I am an 'immature brat'." Gyuri observed how Taehyung's brows were knitted close together as he glared at her. "And because I am an 'immature brat', you do not wish to work for me. Well, guess what? I was only offering you that job out of pity, stupid Gyuri!" He got up to leave but Gyuri obstructed his path. "Get out of my way" he grumbled.

"Stop being so childish" Gyuri chided. "I already said that I was sorry. Why do you have to make things so difficult?"

Taehyung's crescent eyes narrowed. "I am not making things difficult. You were the one who started it." He tried to push past her but Gyuri side-stepped so that they were facing each other again.