Exchange student - one year ᵗᵃᵉᵏᵒᵒᵏ

8

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Jungkook looked at his best friend and his eyes widened in surprise.
Jimin laughed and explained, "I'm here so we can get ready together and I can raid your closet."
"How many parties has Namjoon already thrown during the semester break?" asked Jungkook, amused. Their mutual friend Namjoon and his brother were known to throw a party every weekend and Jimin would come over beforehand to raid the closet. Jimin liked Jungkook's clothes more than his own.
Jimin shrugged his shoulders and thought for a moment. "I think this is the sixth or seventh time this semester break," he muttered thoughtfully. "But it doesn't matter. We're definitely going to celebrate properly today before we have to cram again!"

A laugh escaped Jungkook's lips as he hooked onto Jimin and walked with him towards his closet at the back of the room. But they stopped just before the partition when they heard Taehyung's voice, who was obviously on the phone.
Jungkook understood that it was Korean, but he didn't understand a single word. Despite his Korean heritage, he had never been interested in learning the language. Jimin, on the other hand, seemed to perk up. He crawled onto the couch, which was right next to the partition wall, to listen in better, as he understood his mother tongue very well. The blonde sidled up next to his pink-haired friend and looked at him angrily. "It's rude to eavesdrop," Jungkook whispered because he didn't want Taehyung to hear him and possibly irritate him.
"I don't care how much money you pay for this crap here," Jimin whispered to him the word-for-word translation, knowing that Jungkook didn't understand a word despite where he was coming from. "I'm only here because you're making me do this shit," Jimin continued the translation.
Taehyung's voice on the phone grew louder and Jimin strained his ears to catch every detail. "I don't give a fuck about any of you," Jimin translated quietly.

Jungkook felt the tension in the air and tried again to get Jimin to leave. He didn't think it was right for Jimin to eavesdrop on his exchange partner like that. "Come on, Jimin. It's none of our business," Jungkook whispered nervously. "Let's go instead," Jungkook almost pleaded, genuinely afraid that Taehyung would notice them. Jimin ignored him and continued to listen to the words coming through the partition.
Fear gnawed at Jungkook. After what Taehyung had done to Renjun earlier, his fear that he might do something similar to Jimin intensified. Unlike Renjun, Jimin was weak and had never been in a real fight, although he was often provocative. If he ever got punched in the mouth, he was the loser, with a face covered in bruises. Jungkook was also afraid that Taehyung would get so irritated again and take his anger out on him again. He could already feel the sweat of fear running down his back.

Jimin translated quietly: "I'd rather go to hell, but no, wait. I'm already there because I'm part of this shitty family." Even Jimin realized that this was getting too personal and looked at his best friend. "He doesn't seem to get along so well with his family," Jimin said quietly. Suddenly, Taehyung fell silent on the phone and silence spread. "Fuck you," Taehyung cursed after a moment of silence, in his native language and even Jungkook understood its meaning. After that, a bang was heard from the other side, as if something had fallen.
Jungkook felt a lump forming in his stomach. Before he could say anything, Taehyung came back to the front area. The blond flinched in shock and looked at his exchange partner, afraid that things would get loud now. "We didn't overhear you, I can't understand a word you're saying anyway," Jungkook babbled straight out of fear and even stood up to bow slightly to the slightly taller one.
But nothing happened.
"I don't care if you didn't understand anything or everything," the dark-haired one said quietly in agony and simply disappeared into the bathroom.

Jungkook and Jimin exchanged an uncertain look while Taehyung disappeared into the bathroom. The tension he hadn't noticed before was now spreading through Jungkook, who let out a nervous snort. He felt his heart beat faster as he stared uncertainly at the floor. Unsure of how to deal with the situation, he lay back in his seat while Jimin decided to pretend nothing had happened and continued on his way to the closet.
The silence in the room was broken by Jim's question echoing across the wall to the blondes. "Are we going to get really drunk tonight or is it going to be more low-key?" asked Jimin. Jungkook put his head down in stress, because that's what it was, it stressed him out when Jimin and Taehyung met. Jungkook had already had to endure the first encounter between the two and he still felt that.
"Let's take it easy. I don't feel like spending the weekend with a hangover and sitting half dead in class on Monday," Jungkook complained as he stepped to the back of the room as well.

The blond looked around to find out what had caused the bang he had heard earlier and discovered a cell phone lying on the floor, he knelt down to the device and picked it up. His fingers gently stroked the cracked screen, which had been damaged by the impact. Taehyung was often in a bad mood, Jungkook knew that, but somehow it felt different at that moment and Jungkook felt bad about it.
"True, although I really feel like giving it my all again today," Jimin mumbled, pulling Jungkook out of his thoughts as he pulled clothes out of the blond's closet.
"You can do that next week too. I bet Namjoon will throw another party then," Jungkook suggested, putting Taehyung's cell phone on the nightstand and going to the closet to pick out an outfit as well.
"I'll decide on the spur of the moment," grinned Jimin and was already getting changed.

Meanwhile, Jungkook thought about Taehyung and what Jimin had translated for him. The last sentence indicated that Taehyung's family situation wasn't very good and he remembered that the dark-haired boy had mentioned once before that he was forced to do the year of study.
He looked to his pink-haired friend and played with a piece of clothing in his hand. "Should we ask Taehyung if he wants to come with us?" he asked suddenly, receiving an indefinable look from Jimin.
"Why... do you want to?" asked Jimin, then put on the red mesh top, which he later put a white jacket with red accents over.
Jungkook shrugged his shoulders and looked at his hands. "I don't know. I have to get closer to him somehow to get along with him. What would be better than doing something together? Besides, we're not alone at the party," Jungkook explained.

Jimin seemed to think about it and then let out a stressed sigh. "I don't know. I can't stand this guy," he mumbled, taking the garment from the blond's hands to pull another one out of the closet.
"Partner look," Jimin only remarked and also pressed a mesh shirt, in white, into his hand. "When I see him, I feel the need to provoke him and then he takes his bad mood out on you again," Jimin confessed.
Jungkook looked at the new garment in his hand, then looked at Jimin and sighed slightly. "Yeah, I know, but you could try? If he's bugging you, just have a drink instead."
"So I guess I'm going to get drunk after all," Jimin grumbled, throwing himself on the bed to look at his best friend. "Your responsibility. But if he starts acting like an ass, I'll leave you alone with him and get out. No arguments," he added with a serious look.
"Deal," Jungkook agreed. Jimin shook his head, but a slight smile appeared on his face. "You really are too good for this world, Kookie. Just try not to fall under its spell. Sometimes it's better to keep your distance."

Jungkook laughed. "Yeah yeah," he finally said and began to change his clothes and put on the white mesh shirt that Jimin had chosen for him. He sat down on the bed next to Jimin and grinned slightly. "If we show up in our partner look, everyone will think we're a couple."
Jimin grinned and put his arms around Jungkook's neck. "Aren't we one?" he asked playfully offended, but with a smile on his lips. The blond played along and playfully pushed his friend away from him. "You have Jisoo, you don't want me at all," Jungkook said offended and had to pull himself together not to laugh out loud.
Jimin waved him off and let go of his best friend again. "Oh, things aren't really going well there anyway. It's really only a matter of time before we break up," Jimin suddenly said seriously. To distract himself, he went back to the closet to choose a pair of matching trousers for Jungkook. He already had his own outfit ready. "Maybe I'll try it with a man then, too. When I'm around you, I feel like I'm on the other side anyway," he added, laughing.

"I told you, you're a fag too," Taehyung suddenly said. Both boys flinched in shock as he stood in front of them so unexpectedly.
"No, I have a girlfriend," Jimin mumbled, trying his hardest not to look at him stupidly.
"I see," was all Taehyung said.
Jungkook stood up and carefully took a few steps towards Taehyung.
"Do you...", Jungkook began and looked nervously at the dark-haired man. "Fancy a party?" he finished his sentence carefully.
Taehyung raised his eyebrow questioningly and looked at the slightly shorter man in front of him. "A party? With you? Why?" he asked. "Why not? It could be fun," Jungkook replied meekly.

The blond let his gaze slide over his roommate's striking face, and he couldn't deny that it was hard to hold his gaze. The dominant expression in Taehyung's eyes drew him in magically, while at the same time the wet strands of his hair captured his attention. Every drop slid seductively down Taehyung's neck to his collarbone, which was emphasized by the wet edges of the top.
In that moment, Jungkook momentarily forgot that the dark-haired man was actually obnoxious. The sight in front of him was way too hot and Jungkook felt himself swallow involuntarily. If Taehyung hadn't been such a fucking asshole, he surely would have flirted with him by now or at least raved about his looks.
"Sure, why not," Taehyung mumbled, seemingly indifferent as he tried his best to ignore the looks Jungkook was giving him. Although he felt more than just uncomfortable and really had to control himself not to snarl at him in any way.

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