It had been a week since that shooting. Yet, the memory of it still lingered in Rhea's head, especially the way Jungkook's presence had made her heart stumble. But no matter how much she thought about him, the thought always led back to Taehyung too.
On the other side of the world, Taehyung found himself remembering her in the strangest moments. Whenever he ate meat, a smile would tug at his lips as her voice echoed in his memory. And every night before bed, he would open his email, staring at her address, torn between curiosity and hesitation.
That night, he finally gave in. Still unsure of whether he could fully trust her, he created a brand-new email address, just in case things turned out differently than he expected. With a breath he didn't realize he was holding, he typed his first email.
"Hi Rhea,This is Kim Taehyung. How are you doing? It's been a week since we met."
Rhea was curled up on the couch, half lost in a Netflix drama, when her phone buzzed. She frowned at the unfamiliar notification and clicked it open.
Her eyes widened. Kim Taehyung?
A laugh of disbelief escaped her lips. "Yeah, right… as if," she muttered to herself. What if it was a scammer? Someone playing a trick?
She typed back, smirking at her own sarcasm.
"Ohh, hi. If you're Kim Taehyung, then I'm Jisoo from BLACKPINK. How are you, Kim Taehyung?"
Meanwhile, Taehyung's phone buzzed. He read her reply and burst into laughter.
"Jisoo? This girl…" he chuckled, shaking his head before quickly replying.
"Yaa! I'm really Kim Taehyung. Remember? You gave me your email after we became friends. And you even told me your secret, that you love Jungkook. Now do you believe me?"
Rhea froze. Her brows knitted as she read his words again and again. Wait… how could anyone else know that? He sounded so genuine, but doubt still twisted in her chest. What if someone overheard their conversation back then?
So she decided to test him. Her lips curved into a mischievous grin as she typed:
"Still don't trust you. If you're really Kim Taehyung, send me a video of yourself writing 'KT' on your forehead with shaving cream… and you only have 7 minutes. Your time starts now."
She hit send and leaned back, biting back laughter at her own absurd challenge.
Taehyung blinked at her mail. "What the heck? Writing KT… with shaving cream?" He let out a loud laugh that filled his quiet room. "This girl is unbelievable."
But instead of getting annoyed, he sprinted to his cabinet, grabbed the shaving cream, and set up his camera. Minutes later, he was smearing white foam across his forehead, messily drawing out the letters K T while laughing at himself. He zipped the file and sent it to her without a second thought.
When Rhea opened the video, her jaw dropped. There he was, Kim Taehyung himself, grinning wide with shaving cream all over his forehead. She covered her face with both hands, cheeks burning with embarrassment.
"Oh my god…" she whispered, biting her lip before quickly typing back.
"I'm sorry! I really thought someone was tricking me. I didn't mean to trouble you."
Taehyung smiled softly at her reply.
"It's okay. I understand your trust issues. I just wanted to have a chat, so I sent an email."
Her chest warmed at his gentleness. She found herself smiling at the screen.
"Thanks… I'm glad you still remember someone like me."
Almost instantly, he responded:
"Yaa, don't say things like that. We're friends, right? No hesitation, no formality. Don't think of me as an idol, just think of me as your friend."
Rhea exhaled slowly, her smile deepening.
"Okay… but I might need some time to adjust to this new friendship."
"No worries," he replied, his words almost carrying his grin. "We'll be good friends. I'm sure of it."
That was how their first email conversation began.
Two months passed, filled with lighthearted exchanges and small glimpses of each other's worlds through late-night emails. Slowly, her hesitation thinned, and his warmth seeped through her guarded walls.
Then, one evening, another email from him arrived:
"Let's hang out. I'm free this weekend."
Her fingers hovered above the keyboard for a long moment before she replied.
"Where do you want to go?"
His answer came quickly:
"Somewhere quiet. No cameras, no paparazzi, no fans."
She chuckled softly, shaking her head.
"Okay. You decide and send me the location. I'll be there."
But then, another line from him popped up:
"Since we trust each other now, can we share phone numbers?"
Rhea's heart skipped. This felt like a big step. Meeting him was already overwhelming enough; sharing her number felt even more personal. She bit on her lip, thinking for what felt like forever before finally replying.
"Okay… but you share your number first. Then I'll call, so you'll have mine."
When Taehyung read her mail, he laughed so hard he had to put his phone down. This girl and her conditions… But he didn't hesitate, he typed his number and hit send.
Rhea's breath caught when she saw it. It's really him… Hesitantly, with trembling fingers, she dialed the number.
The line clicked, and his warm voice filled her ear.
"Hello? Rhea?"
She hummed softly, almost too nervous to speak.
He chuckled, his laughter wrapping around her like warmth. "Okay, fine. Let's hang out this weekend. I'll send you the location, yeah?"
She hummed again, still shy.
He laughed even louder this time. "Aish, don't be nervous. I'm a human just like you, and yeah, see ya on the weekend."
And before she could reply, he hung up, leaving her staring at her phone, cheeks warmed, with a smile she couldn't hide.