Chapter Text
The late afternoon sun washed Seoul in gold as Taehyung stood at the edge of the bus stop, suitcase in one hand and a sketchbook tucked under his arm.
The city stretched endlessly before him.
Towers of glass, buzzing cars, and the faint smell of roasted chestnuts from a nearby street cart, made him hum in contentment.
Yet what caught his attention wasn’t the bustle.
It was the small things.
The way the sunlight broke through the clouds and painted the river in glittering strokes, how a sparrow landed on a lamp post and fluffed its feathers, or the swaying of the trees that lined the sidewalk.
He paused, drinking it in, his lips curling into a small smile.
“Seoul,” he whispered to himself, voice tinged with awe.
“You really are beautiful.”
Before he could take another step, his phone vibrated violently in his pocket.
He already knew who it was.
“Eomma,” Taehyung greeted softly, pressing the phone to his ear.
“Tae! Did you reach safely? Have you eaten? Don’t talk to strangers, and keep your inhaler in your bag—” His mother’s worried voice tumbled through the speaker, like a waterfall.
Taehyung laughed under his breath, shifting his suitcase.
“Umma, I’m fine. Really. I just got here. Seoul is… it’s different, but I like it already.”
“Different means dangerous. You’re too soft-hearted for a big city.”
“Appa,” Taehyung guessed, when his father’s deeper voice suddenly cut in.
“Remember why you’re there, son. Focus on your studies. Don’t waste time with… with unnecessary people.”
Taehyung rolled his eyes, though fondly.
“Appa, I’m twenty-two, not twelve. I can take care of myself.”
A pause, then his mother’s voice, softer this time.
“Call us when you settle into the dorm.”
“Of course,” Taehyung said automatically, even though his chest tightened with guilt.
He hadn’t told them about the suspiciously cheap “room rental” he’d taken, since he didn’t want them to worry.
When the call ended, the city suddenly felt larger, heavier.
He followed the directions scribbled on a piece of paper, weaving past narrow alleys until finally, he stopped.
The mansion loomed at the end of the lane.
It was massive, dark stones rising like a fortress, vines crawling along the edges, windows shadowed by thick curtains.
The iron gate creaked when he pushed it open, its sound sharp in the quiet.
Taehyung froze, unease curling in his stomach.
"This doesn't look like a dorm" the omega murmured under his breath, looking around the lonely street.
The air felt colder here, heavier, as though the house itself was watching him.
His lips quirked nervously.
“Creepy much…? This landlord has a weird taste.”
He shook his head quickly, brushing off the prickle of goosebumps on his arms.
After all, it was just a house.
A place to live.
Nothing more.
Gripping his suitcase tighter, Taehyung squared his shoulders and stepped inside the mansion grounds, completely unaware that with that one step, he had just walked straight into fate.
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