Exchange student - one year ᵗᵃᵉᵏᵒᵒᵏ

22

⊱ ────── {⋅. ✯ .⋅} ────── ⊰

"Tell me, is there something going on between you?"

Jungkook immediately let go of the dark-haired man and quickly turned to his best friend, his eyes wide with shock. "What? What makes you think that?" the blond asked, his voice quivering slightly with confusion and uncertainty. He didn't understand why Jimin was suddenly so angry.

"Answer me!" shouted Jimin, his own eyes shining with anger and disappointment. "Why else would you be on his side? Since when do you even get along?" the pink-haired man asked, his voice no longer sounding angry, but sad and broken.

Jungkook approached his friend and took his hands in his. "There's nothing going on between Taehyung and me. Why do you think that?" the blond asked worriedly and looked at Jimin accordingly. He could see the tears in his eyes, which he desperately held back.

But Jimin only tore his hands away and looked at Jungkook with tears in his eyes. "You can tell there's something between you two. Besides, he looks just as shitty as you do, so you've been up all night together. Why won't you tell me?" the pink-haired man asked, his voice trembling with sadness and hurt. He felt betrayed by Jungkook. "Did you fall in love with him, Jungkook? Didn't you learn anything from Taemin?" he added, his voice barely more than a whisper. He could barely breathe, the idea of losing Jungkook to someone else again hurt him so much.

The blond boy swallowed hard and could only look at his best friend speechlessly. "If you don't answer me, I guess that's a yes," Jimin mumbled, his voice barely audible. Jungkook immediately shook his head and reached for the pink-haired boy's hands again.

"No! I'm not falling in love with Taehyung. But he lives here, we have to get along somehow," Jungkook explained, his voice firm and determined. However, he deliberately left out the topic of his ex-boyfriend Taemin because he still didn't know how to explain to Jimin that Taemin was back.

Jimin laughed ironically and shook his head. His eyes shone with unshed tears. "That just looked like more than just good company. When you're ready to tell me the truth, you're welcome to contact me," the pink-haired man said, his voice cold and distant. He left the room and gave Taehyung one last deadly look before closing the door behind him.

Jungkook sighed heavily and slumped down on his couch with a muffled sound, his hands clasped convulsively over his head. He couldn't believe that Jimin would think that of him, that he would hide something from him or betray him. But it wasn't really that far-fetched, because he deliberately hid the subject of Taemin from his best friend. He knew that he had to tell Jimin the truth, that Taemin was back, but the fear of his reaction paralyzed him.

The fear of hurting the pink-haired man made him hesitate.

"What a drama," said Taehyung, leaning casually against Jungkook's dressing table. He looked at his lip in the mirror, which was a little chapped and showed a trace of blood. Even though the pink-haired man didn't look it, there was more force behind his punch than he had expected.
Jungkook's ears perked up and his worries about Jimin and Taemin faded into the background for a moment. He lifted his head, his dark eyes sparkling as he looked at the dark-haired man. "Drama?" Jungkook asked, stunned, standing up to walk towards his roommate. His voice was sharp as he continued, "You're the one who keeps causing drama, every time with your stupid comments!" His anger vented in his words and his hands clenched into fists. "Do you somehow not realize that your words are extremely provocative? It was clear that someone was going to punch you in the face at some point because of your behavior!"

Taehyung wiped his lip with the back of his hand to remove the blood. He slowly turned to Jungkook, his dark eyes looking cold and forbidding. "If you can't handle my kind, you're out of luck. I'm very good at defending myself against those idiots who want to punch me because of it." His voice was calm, but it carried an underlying threat. "Your annoying friend can only be glad you got there in time and stopped me from making a mistake. If it wasn't for this shitty academic year and me not having to abide by behavioral rules to avoid being sent back, I would have smacked you for interfering too. So thank those shitty rules that you and your boyfriend aren't lying unconscious in the corner," Taehyung replied with a coldness in his voice that sent a shiver down Jungkook's spine.