VMINKOOK / THE ART OF BEEKEEPING

07

―PART SEVEN.

"I hate the sky."

"What are you on about?"

"The sky."

"Yeah, I figured.. but how can you hate it?"

"You can hate anything if you're bitter enough."

And that's when a tube of BBQ Pringles were tumultuously propelled at the gloomy boy appointed with the name Taehyung. Said gloom boy was sure he had a ring adorned against the skin on his forehead now, from the sheer impact of the can, yet he didn't seethe with pain, rather just released a hyperbolic hiss, not at all dissimilar to the sound of an agitated kitten.

"What was that for?"

Seokjin didn't look at all guilty, as he shamelessly reached for the previously tossed Pringles can and placed one into his mouth, gracelessly ignoring the question, "I thought you loved the sky."

"Not anymore, besides, that doesn't explain why you inflicted pain upon me."

"You're bumming me out, kid." The elder shrugs, before taking a hearty sip of Taehyung's Capri Sun ― not that younger cared enough to protest, "I took time out of my busy schedule to come down here and see you and you're just crushing my spirits with your saltiness."

"You barely travelled far, your university is ten minutes away from my house."

"And I'll march you straight back to your house and inform your dad of all you've been doing, if you don't stop frowning and just tell me what's wrong."

Currently, the two were perched on a bench opposite the ocean, watching the callous combers that agitated the sand in frenzied dispatches of ultramarine, intertwined with glissades of Sacramento. The sun sashayed against the cool blue waters, leaving it's irreverent and sustained mark against the dips of the Earth.

It was barely one o'clock, but both had opted to pull out of prior commitments (aka school) and had met up for a picnic on the beach ― which just consisted of Pringles and Taehyung's pre-packed sandwiches.

"Nothing's wrong." The younger sighs, though both knew this to be untrue, as why else would the teen ditch school partway through the day to complain to his ex-neighbour about how miserable he is?

"Quit the bullshit and cut straight to the point." Seokjin scolds between a mouthful of crisps, "what's bothering you so much that you'd pretend to hate the thing that gives you the greatest comfort? Is it the kid's at school? Did they steal your PE kit again and chuck it on the roof?"

"No, quite the opposite, actually." Taehyung responds despondently, shrinking down against the bench and offering his weak, battered body to Apollo, hoping mythical god's may wish to consume his body, preferably by tearing out his organs in the most painful manner.

"Huh?" Seokjin turns his attention fully to his friend and as soon as he catches sight of him, he slaps his stomach a tad too harshly, silently telling him to straighten up.

Taehyung ignores the silent command and just sinks further into the bench, lips pouted slightly in sadness, just as he used to do when he was younger and wanted to get his way, "everyone's being nice to me, Jin, and it's givin' me the creeps."

"People being nice to you is making you miserable?" There's silence for a minute as Seokjin's eyes ponder over the sight of brunette, giving him a judgmental gaze.