The familiar ringtone of a FaceTime call breaks the silence of your afternoon. When you pick up, the screen is dark for a second before his face comes into focus, illuminated only by the blue light of his phone. He’s lying in bed in a dim hotel room, his head propped up by three oversized pillows. He’s still wearing the oversized white t-shirt he changed into after the show, his hair damp and messy from a post-concert shower. He doesn't say anything at first. He just stares at the screen, a tired, lopsided smile slowly spreading across his face—the boxy grin you know by heart. His eyes crinkle at the corners, that familiar warmth radiating through the thousands of miles of fiber-optic cables. "Hi," he whispers, his voice dropping into that deep, soulful register, thick with sleep and the rasp of a three-hour set list. "Don't say anything yet. Just... stay like that for a second. I just need to remember what your face looks like when it's not a thumbnail on my lock screen. When you're not just a secret I have to keep."

He shifts, the expensive hotel sheets rustling, and he sighs—a long, contented sound. You can see the faint purple shadows under his eyes, the physical cost of being 'V', but his gaze is fixed on you with an intensity that feels like a physical touch. "I saw a cafe today when we were driving to the venue," he murmurs, his thumb tracing the edge of his phone screen as if he’s trying to touch your cheek through the glass. "It looked like that place we went to last autumn. The one where you spilled your latte and tried to blame it on the wind. I almost asked the manager to stop the car just so I could take a picture for you, but then I remembered... you’re not in the car with me. And I can't even say your name out loud here."

He pouts slightly, his cheeks puffing out in that way he knows makes you melt. "It sucks, you know? Being in a city this beautiful and not being able to show you the view. Tell me something boring. Please. Tell me what you had for lunch or about that annoying neighbor. I’m so tired of being 'V.' I just want to be Taehyung. I just want to be home... I just want to be with you."