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“Dad, I don’t wanna go!” You sounded like a five year old, and you knew it. But did you really care? Not at all. It wasn’t the first time your dad had dragged you along to a business event, but the last time you could honestly remember going and truly enjoying the event was when you were like… Sixteen. Back then, all you had to do was go find the kid’s table and goof off for the night, remaining totally ignorant to the business aspect of the events. But six years had passed, and as of late your job at these events was to smile and look pretty, to absorb as much information as you possibly could, to brag about how you were midway through business school, falling in line to inherit the business from your father. You heard the steps move past your bedroom, then pause, slowly moving back. You spun from where you were seated at your desk, glaring at your father fiercely, to which he returned an equally annoyed gaze. “I’m not going. There’s no way in hell that I’m sitting through another one of those cocktail parties in a dress that makes me look like I’m 35 and desperately looking to marry myself off.”
“First of all, you look lovely in those dresses.” You rolled your eyes, spinning back around towards your desk as he continued, “And secondly, the only reason I bring you along is that so you can gain experience, and you know that.”
“Have you ever considered I wanted experience in a field that wasn’t related to your money?” you muttered under your breath, and you heard the sigh as he walked away, probably off to another conference call.
“Look – just be ready for 7:30, alright?” You let out a noise of annoyance, burying your head in your hands as you slumped over your desk. Even if you wanted to say no, you couldn’t – you didn’t hold your father’s reluctance to release you from this world against him. It was just tradition – he inherited the business from his father, and so you would from him. There was no other way of life.
*
“I hate this, by the way,” you grumbled for the umpteenth time as your father escorted you into the hall, your fake smile already plastered onto your face. He shot you a small look before smiling naturally at those around him, extending his hand out to a business associate. You smiled as well before letting your gaze drift around the hall. It was the same as all the other parties – your mother was off socializing with the other wives while your father associated himself with all his business friends. Under normal circumstances, you’d have joined your mother and would have at least been able to zone out around the mind-numbing gossip. However, being the only child of your parents, you were in the unfortunate position of having to play the role of the future of the business. Tonight though, you were playing by your own rules.
Your father had let out a noise of disdain when you’d walked down the stairs in strappy high heels, your black skin-tight dress leaving little to the imagination, but you simply raised your eyebrows daring him to argue. Your mother sighed, guiding him towards the door as you followed behind – you were an adult, you had all the right in the world to dress a little more daringly if you so desired. Not that it was exactly getting you any help tonight – the young adults at this party were few and far between, and the ones that you had met weren’t exactly the… Social types. You zoned back into the present moment as you felt your father release your arm, nodding at you. “Go and socialize,” he told you, offering you a sympathetic smile. You smiled weakly in return, sighing as you tried to find a safe spot – a place where you could hide from men disguising business deals behind smiles that were far too friendly, or women who only wanted to know whether you were suitable to be married off to their far too awkward sons.
Scanning the room, your gaze caught on the grand staircase at the back of the room, and you strode across the floor with purpose, determined to see what lay beyond that escape route. Slipping your heels off gracefully at the bottom, you took two steps at a time, pretending not to notice the boys ogling you from the floor. Reaching the mezzanine, you glanced around, before pacing across the tiles towards the open door leading out onto the balcony. You let out a gasp as the cool air hit your shoulders, but the sensation was admittedly more comfortable than the stuffiness of that hall. You took a couple steps out, planning on going to lean against the railing, but you froze as you heard: “Aren’t you a little cold, princess?” Turning slowly, you narrowed your eyes, trying to make out the figure sitting on the far end of the railing. A small flame suddenly burst into life, and you found yourself staring at the shadowy image of a boy around your age, a faint smirk on his face.
“This – this is a private party,” you managed to stammer out, your previous sense of bravery quickly disappearing. “You can’t be here.” He raised his free hand up by his head, and even though you couldn’t fully see his face, you could tell he was feigning innocence.
“Aw, come on princess – not gonna give me a chance?” You looked him over, picking out the details you could make out in the darkness. His jeans were ripped at the knees, his plaid flannel hanging loosely off his frame, and he had some sunglasses perched on the bridge of his nose.
“You definitely can’t be smoking out here,” was all you gave in response, your voice gaining some surprising strength. A soft sigh escaped the boy, and the lighter suddenly died, leaving you both in the shadows, despite the light shining through the glass windows of the doors.
“I hate cigarettes – I just have the lighter for emergency situations,” the mystery boy replied, slipping down off the railing, his hands curling around it as he leaned back instead. You took a step back – just because the kid seemed friendly, didn’t mean you were about to let him get too close. “Besides, why do you care, princess? Seems to me like you’re not one to just start chatting it up with strangers based on how quickly you were running up those steps.”
“How would you know those were strangers? For all you know, those could be a hundred of my closest friends,” you retorted, crossing your arms over your chest.
“Princess – you’ve got some pretty shitty friends, if that’s the case.” You scowled, about to put this guy in his place when suddenly you heard a voice calling your name. Feeling your heart drop into your stomach, you turned, about to tell this kid that you’d pay him off just to kidnap you for the night but… He was gone. You stared ahead of you, trying to figure out where he could have possibly gone, when a hand on your shoulder shocked you out of your thoughts.
“What on earth are you doing? You’re going to freeze out here,” your mother admonished gently, and you sighed, slipping your heels back on carefully.
“Sorry… I just needed to get out of there,” you muttered as you followed her back inside, and she paused at the top of the stairs, giving you a wistful sort of look.
“I understand that sentiment,” she admitted, much to your surprise. “They’re all so…”
“Formal? Awkward? Fake?” you added, smirking proudly as she laughed.
“Yes… Those are all accurate terms.” She wrapped an arm around your shoulders, squeezing you gently. “But you do know your father is trying to do his best by you, yes? He just wants to make sure he can leave you with something that’ll keep you in a comfortable state of living for the rest of your days.” You sighed, understanding what your mother meant, but still wishing that there was another way of showing your dad you’d be fine on your own.
“Yeah… I know.”
*
“Ah, there you are!” Before you even had a chance to put down your drink, your dad was pulling you away from the bar, babbling about a friend he just had to introduce you to, speaking as though your life depended on it. “Now – the truth is, you’ve met before, but they moved away about… Ten years ago? I’m not expecting you to remember, I just figured I’d let you know.” You smiled awkwardly as you finally got closer to the man, extending your hand. “This is Mr. Kim – and you remember my daughter, yes?” The man nodded, a gentler smile on his face than most of the smiles you’d seen this evening, and it honestly made you feel more comfortable than you’d been all night.
“I’d introduce you to my son, but… I’m not quite sure if he’s even here yet,” he admitted, clearly a little embarrassed as he glanced around the room.
“Right here, dad.” A deep voice rang out from behind him, and you peered over the man’s shoulder, your eyes going wide. A lanky boy with light hair (were his bangs colored green…?) and sunglasses perched high on his head walked over to you, extending his hand. “Nice to meet you – name’s Taehyung.” You shook his hand slowly, watching him as you introduced yourself.
His father shot him a look as he pulled back, clearly displeased with his untimely arrival and his… intriguing style choices for such an event. He simply shrugged, settling into a comfortable position as his gaze returned back to you. Your fathers began to talk, but it didn’t seem like either of them wanted you to leave so you awkwardly stood alongside them. You took this as your chance to give the boy a proper once over, while he watched you rather… Intently. Letting your eyes wander down his body, you were met with… Plaid. And ripped jeans. And sneakers that looked all too similar to those of the boy from the balcony. Your eyes flashed back up to his face, realization setting in, and a goofy grin overtook his features. “Hello, princess,” he mouthed – but the words seemed a little less sarcastic this time. Your mind was working overtime to connect the dots, trying to figure out how he’d gleaned all that information earlier, how he was standing here now – and then time froze for a second as he crossed his eyes, his tongue poking out playfully.
*
“Hey, PRINCESS!” You were eleven again, and that boy with the messy hair and boxy grin was making you chase him around the dance floor, pulling funny faces any time he looked your way. In theory, you knew you should be annoyed – after all, he was a boy, and boys were gross – but you couldn’t stop laughing as you two ran around in circles, finally landing on the floor alongside each other, chests heaving as you tried to catch your breath.
“I… I need a nickname for you,” you managed between heavy breaths, looking over at him as he scrunched his face up, shaking his head.
“Nope – no nicknames for me. Besides, princess isn’t a nickname – it’s what you are!” You rolled your eyes, sitting up and fluffing out your dress, pursing your lips in thought.
“What if I call you… TaeTae?” you offered casually, glancing down at his reaction. His eyebrows pulled together, and he said the name once, trying to get a feel for it.
“… I guess it’s okay.” If only you’d been aware enough at eleven to know that the blush on his cheeks said otherwise.
It felt like a lifetime ago, but the feelings came rushing back to you as you mouthed, “… TaeTae?” His eyes lit up, and you were glad to see that though the boy had grown, that boxy grin of his hadn’t disappeared.
“Might I accompany you for a walk… Princess?” he teased, the words spoken out loud this time as he held out his arm to you. Your father watched with a knowing smile as you hesitated, then slowly linked your arm with his, your grin a touch more genuine than before.
“I suppose that would be okay… Taehyung.”