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Taehyung was a woodman.
Anyone that saw him would think he is a normal guy living in a beautiful house not so far from town, all alone. Selling wood and buying goods every week, a constant in the town’s panoramic.
But he was not a normal guy.
Woodmen lived in houses out of town, the busy streets and the lack of nature were always a problem, but they liked to befriend humans, so they were always talkative and good beings to interact with.
As far as the stories went, woodmen were very protective of their homes, always reserved and with not another soul in it, being a complete contrast to their social nature.
“Tell me once more, Taehyung. Why don't you invite that lady over? She is very respectful and fond of you.”
Taehyung laughed lightly, brushing the dry leaves out of the wooden coffee table on the porch of his house. Autumn bliss was upon town and he could not be any more happy.
“Miss Jennie is indeed a very nice lady, she brought me a handmade mug last week. Then, after chatting for a while right here on the porch, she left.”
Park Seojoon sighed, throwing his hands in the air. “Am I the only one that always goes inside, then?”
“Don’t be silly, Joon.” Taehyung scrunched his nose, tapping the wood with his fingertips.
On cue, the circular coffee table folded in itself, the ornament-like legs crossing in the circular plate, the whole thing rolling inside the house and, Taehyung hoped, settling calmly somewhere without bumping in any valuable gift.
“Woodmen.” Seojoon clicked his tongue. “You and your woody voodoo.”
The traveler always made Taehyung laugh. After many years knowing each other and seeing every antic possible, the woodman knew he wouldn’t get tired of them.
He met Seojoon a year after he arrived in town, the man was an adventurer by heart, always messing with scary caves, magic stuff and cursed objects— that more than once made him come back running to Taehyung to help him get off a haunting mad ghost.
“I’ll be going to Busan today.” The man announced, stretching his limbs and breathing in the calm morning breeze. “A friend of mine asked me to help him with an underwater treasure!”
Taehyung often wondered how Seojoon was so intimidating and childish at the same time, but he ended up giving up after a minute— that was Park Seojoon’s charm, after all.
“Please don’t touch any mermaid’s tail, hyung.” Taehyung pleaded, begging with his eyes as he grabbed Seojoon’s travel backpack from where the coffee table previously was. “I don’t want to have you poisoned because you offended one.”
Seojoon looked offended at first, but in the moment Taehyung was out of the porch and in front of him, the man laughed while bringing Taehyung into a bone-crushing hug.
“I’m going to miss you, Taehyungie!” He exclaimed like he wanted to let the whole forest know. And of course he wanted to, after Taehyung told him the forest was more alive and sentient than everyone thought.
“I’ll see you, when I see you, Joon-hyung.” Taehyung whispered, tightening his hold on the human.
He hated saying goodbye to him. Every single time, watching him disappear by the path carefully made by Taehyung —sided by luminescent mushrooms so it could be seen during the night— was always a bittersweet moment. He loved having him in his house, hated seeing him leave for a potentially dangerous adventure, but relished in the fact that Seojoon was actually living his life at its fullest. It all made the coming back and seeing him again one hundred percent better.
“Bon voyage!” Taehyung exclaimed, waving at Seojoon —who was walking backwards— until the human was finally out of sight.
The woodman never truly explained why there were just a few people going inside the house, and even less actually staying for days, like Seojoon.
His house was his heart.
From the porch to the messy backyard, from the floor to the attic, from the roses planted in front to his chaotic garden in the back. His soul and heart were there, every piece of himself inside it, his happy and painful memories, his emotions, his goals, wishes and dreams.
And, most importantly, his whole love and forever wait for the ones that he hoped thought of his house, a home. He wondered if they were close, he was already feeling a bit empty.
After all, what is a home without its warmth?
He walked inside, hearing the pitter patter of his dog’s small paws running on the second floor. Taehyung knew the small and infinitely cute animal was chasing the squirrel that seemed to have found a nice living space in the attic. Little Yeontan was not having it.
He looked at the three armchairs in the living room and snickered. He needed to get one out, the space was just too crowded. He was a lazy woodman, after all, and the chair had been there for over a month.
Namjoon and Hoseok were going to kill him. He could already hear the “you’re not lazy, you chop wood all damn day, what’s a chair going to do to you? Bite you?” that Hoseok was surely going to say.
Namjoon was a lumberjack that owned a cabin in the forest. The man lived in the next town but built the cabin minutes away from Taehyung’s house because that forest is dull and foreign, Taehyungie, but this one is warm and welcoming .
They met due to the closeness, Namjoon brought him apples as a peace offer, mysterious woodman, please don’t destroy my house . They talked for a while, laughed at Namjoon’s ridiculous point of view of woodmen, and said goodbye. Taehyung planted the apple seeds the next day and now there was a beautiful apple tree growing behind his house, one that Namjoon always talked to —just as he did with Taehyung’s whole garden— and called ‘his son’.
Hoseok, on the other hand, lived in town, a walk away from Taehyung, and passed by more often than not during the evenings, bringing something to eat or drink. They got to know each other as the years passed, starting by Taehyung getting wood for the town’s school, where Hoseok taught— and where his friend, Jisoo, ended up teaching the woodman french, as Namjoon taught him english.
Together, Hoseok and Namjoon managed to convince Taehyung to throw out the worn out armchair that ruined the whole living vibes... their words, not Taehyung’s. While the woodman looked at them, confused, they rolled their eyes simultaneously. And as much as Taehyung wanted to understand them, he couldn’t. He held a place for everything in his heart, there was a reason for everything to be.
The scratches in the coat rack were made by Tannie after a day in which Taehyung had to leave the whole 24 hours, the dog was angry when he came back but still stayed in the garden with Taehyung all day, making sure the woodman wasn’t going out again. Unremovable marks. They always put a smile on his face, a reminder that his dog was as stubborn as he was adorable. He really did have that little animal engraved in him.
The puppy was a gift from Kim Jisoo, Hoseok’s coworker, that loved working with herbs. She came by the forest when she was out of a special herb hard to find, but eventually just went with the purpose of visiting the woodman. Taehyung started to grow the herb for her some time after.
Walking further into the house, his gaze fell in the pictures on the walls.
He had met so many people and spent so many happy moments it always overwhelmed him to actually focus on all of them. He never thought he would hold on to so many memories, his heart flipping happily when he almost could feel those people’s steps in the ground.
The forest had memory and, luckily for Taehyung, it was glad to share it with those who listened.
Mumbling the names of the people in each picture and chuckling at one or two memories, Taehyung continued until arriving at the kitchen.
The kitchen was the center of a house and Taehyung would always agree, even if his living room had its fair share of memories. The kitchen was a calm place, even when Seokjin was cooking one of his large dinner and used so many tools that Taehyung didn’t even know he had— he guessed Seokjin brought them with him and just left them there knowing Taehyung wouldn’t complain about people leaving things at his house.
The woodman always thought about telling his friends that he allowed them to leave things there because it was a piece of them in his heart and nothing felt better than some just leaving things without asking, like this was their home too. Like Taehyung’s heart was their home.
He was still waiting for them to come back, Seokjin being one of them.
The house was big, he knew that for sure, when he used his woody voodoo for the first time when he decided to settle there permanently, after months of roaming around looking for the perfect place, he wanted to go all out, he hoped for people so important to him that he would feel delighted to give them a room of their own.
Naturally, some of those rooms were already decorated to the likes of some of his friends, and not having them around was proving to be more challenging that he thought it would.
Humming a song one of them composed before leaving, Taehyung walked out of the kitchen and into the living room.
During early winter, it was a nice place to be, surrounded by everyone and enjoying their company before the snow was too much for them to go outside, because Taehyung could go out even if it was freezing cold. The perks of being a woodman, something that helped Taehyung to get money and provide wood for the houses back in town.
Looking to his side, he sighed.
Maybe it was time to throw the armchair. It could probably be a memory to learn from in his mind and not one to hold onto in his heart.
He met Yoonwoo when he first arrived in town. The former inn owner was kind and friendly, liked to be around people and make them laugh with his irrefutable charisma. In the beginning, Taehyung always thought that the man would make a good woodman, if the universe had wanted it another way.
Yoowoo was the richest man in town, being the only inn back in the day, and a famous one.
A lot of people went to the town for the Trade Festival, where a huge market was placed in the middle of town and anyone would be free to put on a stand of their business, adventures went for the caves far up in the mountain —where there was supposed to exist a special flower that would make any wound heal within minutes— and travel the amazing forest, meeting so many creatures the days would be short and the nights too long. They got a lot of people in need of that well managed inn.
Taehyung hadn’t known human greed yet, always surrounded by his mother and kind humans back where he used to live.
He sure met it with Yoonwoo.
The inn owner was a smart one, of course. He didn’t just know the people, he knew people. He knew how to talk to them, charm them, have them in the palm of his hand for him to dispose.
Even as a woodman, Taehyung had to live as a human, eat, dress and buy things for the house that he could only find in town, and buy with money. Yoonwoo came to him expressing care and worry about how hard the younger was working and how he did it all alone. He offered help and some men to help Taehyung. Of course, the woodman loved company, always happy to get to know people.
A wolf in sheep’s clothing, certainly.
While Yoonwoo basked in his new profit with the wood, Taehyung lost more money than he could and ended up struggling for a bit, spending the last few nights of their association sleepless and disappointed.
Until Park Jimin arrived in town, built a new inn and literally kicked Yoonwoo’s ass out of town, after making him go bankrupt.
He certainly felt better taking out Yoonwoo’s favorite seat, where he was always drinking and spilling or where his shoes were always dirtying the fabric because the man didn’t care if his soles were clean or not— he should have gotten rid of it a long time ago, damn. Let go of the pain, keep what it taught you.
While leaving the armchair in front of the house ready to take away, Taehyung chuckled at the memory of Jimin happily waving goodbye to Yoonwoo’s caravan while the older man left town.
The woodman always described Jimin as vibrant. The human was always full of life, determination and a love for making people laugh that always blinded Taehyung. He was truthful, didn’t hide anything and expressed his love and appreciation without filter. Definitely one of Taehyung’s favorite people.
One that should arrive later for dinner. But would probably arrive late, as per usual.
“ Taehyungie! ”
Or maybe too early.
Taehyung raised his head from the armchair when Jimin’s voice reached him. He was so far in his memories that he didn’t even feel him walking close to the house.
“Guys?” He asked, mouth falling open when not just one, but six pairs of arms were flailing in the air, six people running towards him with bags in their hands.
When they dropped the bags, Taehyung widened his eyes and took two steps back, ready to run from the terrible collision with excited tingles running over his body.
“No, no! Guys, don’t—”
Too late.
The six of them ran faster to reach him and Jimin was the first one to collide against him, the others joining one second after. The wave of bodies sent them straight to the floor, the seven of them groaning and immediately regretting it.
“Oh my god, my bones!” Seokjin yelled, trying to get out of the pile.
“Can’t breath!” Yoongi wheezed, willing as hard as his body allowed. “I’m going to kick you all!”
Taehyung, despite feeling all of their weights together, laughed loudly, making them stop bickering.
“Guys!” He exclaimed, shaking his head. “Just stand up before there’s no Taehyung left for you to squeeze.”
Namjoon was the first one to do so, helping Hoseok and Jungkook up with one single pull— scary lumberjack strength. Jungkook helped Seokjin, Hoseok helped Yoongi and, before anyone could help Jimin, the inn owner jumped on his feet and pulled Taehyung with all his might, almost sending them back down if it wasn’t for Jungkook holding them.
“Hyung, we’re back.” The younger announced, smiling widely and melting Taehyung’s heart.
He met Jungkook the day he was out for 24 hours. The forest was in distress, the animals restless and creatures running around in panic. The balance was off.
Taehyung woke up after a nightmare that day, clearly affected by whatever it was that had everyone going crazy outside of his house. So he went out at four in the morning not even caring about being in pajamas and slippers, Yeontan darting out of the house and running into the forest. Taehyung just hummed, following him with a slower pace.
A few meters away from his house, under a well known tree and a favorite of Namjoon, with abundant foliage and his branches thick, making it possible to climb. Taehyung liked it, it was an old one, its trunk was huge and would be able to hide a human inside if someone hollowed it, something that no one would do because Taehyung would never allow anyone to hurt it. With spring coming to an end, the tree was glowing and the woodman could feel its roots almost twisting in call for help.
Now, when the oldest tree around was distressed too, that’s when he knew something was extremely wrong.
He followed Tannie until he rounded its trunk and a gasp left him when a body covered in branches and foliage came to sight.
Jeon Jungkook was seventeen when he was walking back to his town and a wolf chasing a bunny ran past him. He ran and threw whatever he could find on his way, trying to shush the wolf away, or make him divert his attention from what could be his dinner. He ran for too long and it wasn’t until his legs were finally burning that the wolf seemed to get tired of the smart bunny, leaving the smaller animal panting and wounded by the wolf’s claws, but alive.
Taehyung supposed he never found his way back after straying so far away from the road and wandered without destination for the rest of the night, burning out his last strengths until he arrived at the old tree, passing out. The bunny was still around him, and when it saw the woodman arrive, it ran to him, nosing his ankles and then running back to Jungkook, asking for help. The animals had covered the boy’s body as good as they could, trying to keep him warm during the night.
When his dog barked to take him out of the daze he had fallen in, Taehyung was quick to carry the younger back to the house, taking him to one of the empty rooms in the second floor. During the next year, the room was painted black and dark blue, the walls covered in drawing, a guitar on one side, sketchbooks all over a desk that Taehyung gifted him and so many things that made the room a clear representation of him.
Jungkook worked with Jimin after they met thanks to Taehyung and had his own place back in the town, his family sending him letters every once in a while and him doing the same.
“I know that face.”
Taehyung blinked at the younger. They were sitting in the living room, Yoongi and Namjoon were in the backyard, probably inspecting the garden and Namjoon happily talking to his son. Hoseok, Jimin and Seokjin were in the kitchen, organizing the food they brought with them for lunch and getting ready the cookware needed. If Jimin and Hoseok were helping, Taehyung knew the kitchen was going to end up being an absolute mess.
“What face, Jungkokie? I was born with it.”
Jungkook rolled his eyes, smiling. “You are going into your memory castle.”
“Memory castle?” Taehyung snorted. “That’s how you call it, bunny boy?”
“Does that mean you were thinking about the day you found me?”
The woodman smiled and nodded, leaning back in the chair. Jungkook caught up too quickly with his surroundings, and being the one that had lived the most with him, the younger knew more about Taehyung than Taehyung himself did.
“Namjoon, don’t touch the lilies!” Yoongi’s scream resonated even in the deepest corners of the forest, making everyone inside the house snicker to themselves.
Min Yoongi was certainly amazing. He had an art academy in the center of the town, a simple building in the outside that camouflaged with the others in the street, until one went inside and music, colors, smells and laughter filled all senses. Most of the children and teens took lessons there, learning different arts after classes. Even Hoseok sometimes did some tutoring in dancing, Jungkook in composition and Yoongi taught— Taehyung was pretty sure the second oldest knew a little bit of everything and could teach a very decent amount of dancing, but his main subject was piano and composition, even though he taught Jungkook how to play the guitar.
“He kept complaining about his trip when we met earlier.” Jungkook commented, chuckling. “He keeps saying that he won’t find a bed as comfortable as the one he has here and that he won’t travel again for more than a week.”
Taehyung smiled and looked at the door that opened to the garden, where Yoongi was walking inside with a frown in his face. “If Namjoon messes up my flowers again—”
Namjoon rolled his eyes walking right behind him. “I didn’t touch them!”
Yoongi announced his love for gardening when Taehyung invited him to his house after going to piano lessons for months. They talked for what seemed like hours and while the woodman stood up to make more of Jisoo’s special tea, Yoongi caught a glimpse of the garden, running out and looking around like a kid in a candy store.
When Taehyung walked out, Yoongi began talking about his gardening hobby, both of them sharing gardening tips and turning the casual get together into a let’s cover ourselves in dirt because we’ll be gardening all evening . Namjoon had come by at dawn and was baffled to find Yoongi there, when no one else was permitted to touch Taehyung’s garden. It just kinda happened.
“When did you guys come back?” the woodman asked them when they were in the living room, drinking hot chocolate made by Hoseok.
“Yoongi and Jungkook this morning.” Jimin spoke first, smiling with the chocolate close to his face, enjoying the sweet scent. “Namjoon late last night, Seokjin around midnight, Hoseok like an hour ago”
Taehyung gaped at Seokjin and Hoseok. “You two should be resting at home.”
The reactions at that were something the woodman was not expecting. Seokjin shook his head, smiling amused, and sitting on the floor next to the oldest’s armchair, Jimin scrunched his nose. Sitting on the couch at both of his sides, Jungkook snorted and Yoongi huffed. Namjoon, sitting in the new armchair, raised an eyebrow and Hoseok, sitting in the arm of the armchair, chuckled.
“What are you talking about, Taehyungie? Don’t be silly.” Seokjin clicked his tongue. “Of course we would rest at home.”
Frowning, the woodman looked around. “Then why are you here?”
“We are home, Taehyung-ah.” Hoseok raised his voice, opening his arms to signal the room. “This is our home, the place we feel most comfortable in and one that we know will always have the door opened for us.”
Oh god.
Taehyung was definitely about to cry.
For a woodman, that was the main purpose of life, becoming a home, finding people to rely on that even when they were not with him every single day, he knew they would never truly leave his heart. Find those he could trust his home, his heart, to.
For Taehyung, being a woodman was something amazing. There was something beyond what humans could possibly understand about the limits of everyone’s heart, woodmen were more aware of everything related to it, every single day and with every single fiber of their bodies.
Those six humans called his heart a home, and he called their whole beings, their hearts and souls, his own home too. There could not exist a universe where Taehyung existed without them, they were his light, his warmth, his happiness and his endgame peace, the keepers of his sadness and distress and the ones to understand every frustration that could come in his life.
As the day went by, everything fell into place in the house, a calm atmosphere settling at the end of the evening, the fireplace covering the living room in a dim light. Namjoon and Yoongi talking about one of the millions of books they had read, Hoseok making corrections on the latest homework of his class, Jimin passed out in the couch with his head in Jungkook’s lap, the younger talking with Seokjin about his latest attempt to make tomato soup —gone terribly wrong— and Taehyung silently watching them from the garden door, letting the night’s chilly weather to caress his skin.
Everything felt right, the animals and plants outside, the people inside the house and the woodman’s soul. Together, everything had a balance.
They were not just in his heart.
They had become a part of it.