Exchange student - one year ᵗᵃᵉᵏᵒᵒᵏ

43

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Throughout the day, Jungkook's head buzzed with the nagging question: Could it be that Taehyung was suffering from a serious illness? And if so, how could he help him? The uncertainty choked his throat and made his stomach cramp. Scenarios kept running through his mind in which Taehyung wanted to help but didn't know how. They had barely spoken to each other since then and the day dragged on in a suffocating silence.

When they got into the car together after the lectures, Taehyung hesitated to start the car. Jungkook looked over at his roommate uncertainly and finally asked quietly, almost in a whisper: "Aren't you going to drive off?"

The dark-haired man sighed and shook his head. "I have to run some errands. But I can let you out at home if you want," he replied, his voice sounding honest, but somehow also tired. The blonde drew his eyebrows together in uncertainty and looked at him with a hint of concern. "Get what? I can go with you and help you find it," Jungkook suggested, not only curious but also worried.

The older man turned his head slowly and looked at Jungkook for a long moment before finally nodding. "I need a new cell phone and a laptop," he said and started the car. Surprised, Jungkook raised his brows and looked at him curiously. "Are both broken?" he asked curiously.

Taehyung shook his head and looked out of the window for a moment, lost in thought. "No, but I don't want either anymore and I want something new," he replied, as if it were the most normal thing in the world.

Amazed that the older man could apparently afford it so easily, Jungkook began to navigate his way to his favorite mall. As he drove, he couldn't help but keep glancing worriedly at Taehyung. He seemed so absent since the incident this morning and the silence in the car was hard for Jungkook to bear.

When they arrived at the parking garage, they left their bags in the car and got out. Jungkook felt a little excited and could hardly hide his nervousness - he was so happy to be here. "Since we're here, do you mind if we stop by another store as well?" he asked as he hopped in front of Taehyung, doing little jumps of joy. His eyes sparkled with joy, and for a moment he seemed like the carefree boy again. "Please yes? I promise to hurry too," he added, looking at him with wide eyes, hoping to persuade the dark-haired man.

Taehyung couldn't help but smile at Jungkook's childish enthusiasm. It was a tiny smile, but it was there. He just nodded in response and made his way to the signposted elevators. As they stepped out of the elevator in the middle of the mall, they were greeted by a sea of lights, sounds and people. Taehyung looked around and the many impressions seemed to distract him for a moment. "We have to go this way," Jungkook said and pointed in one direction. His eyes lit up with joy and anticipation as they set off together.

The younger man felt an overwhelming urge to take the dark-haired man's hand, but instead of giving in to his impulse, he nervously clutched the hem of his top. Jungkook knew very well that Taehyung didn't want to show any physical closeness in public, and he stuck to it - as hard as it was for him. His fingers played restlessly with the fabric, as if he could hide his insecurity and the slight trembling of his hands. Jungkook kept glancing up at him and watching him look around, but he didn't really seem impressed.

"There's the electronics store up ahead," the blond suddenly said as they passed a corner and he caught sight of the familiar logo. Taehyung, who was lost in thought, followed him without really knowing where they were going.

Once in the store, Taehyung quickly decided on the first thing he saw when they stood in front of the devices. Without giving it much thought, he grabbed a laptop and a cell phone. "I've got everything, we can go again," said the dark-haired man, looking at the blond, who eyed him skeptically. "Are you sure? I mean... the laptop is really bad and the cell phone is also a lot worse than your current one, even though your display is broken," Jungkook mumbled, his brow furrowed in worry as he continued to look at him inquiringly.