Brighter Days || Taekook

Part 34

Taehyung is sleepy. Somewhere in the BigHit building, Jimin is currently stuck in a recording studio to record for "No More Dream". Namjoon is filming a log. That's his new thing now. He's talking to a camera, complaining about being hungry and how he should write his raps. Taehyung sits on the dingy black couch in the back – out of sight, because technically he's still not a confirmed member and that kind of stings – and watches him. He keeps spacing out as he watches the leader ramble about hardships and more practice, and the only thing he can really think about is that Namjoon's hair looks like a mess these days. They also have a twitter account now, have started using it around the time Hoseok and Donghyuk left actually, but only Namjoon and Jin use it so far. Taehyung has seen Yoongi draft a tweet every now and again, but then the rapper decides to delete it again and instead goes back to writing lyrics. Taehyung wonders what makes him stop from sending that first tweet. Maybe it's the fear that by officially introducing himself as part of Bangtan Sonyeondan Yoongi confirms his idol status, but Taehyung can only guess. If he was allowed to tweet out that he's a part of the band, he would have done so long ago.

All in all, things move forward somewhat smoothly. Jimin picked up the improvised and Hoseok-less choreography for "No More Dream" fairly quickly. He's not as good as Hoseok, that much is obvious. Hoseok's dancing had an edge to it, whereas Jimin's movements are smooth and elegant, no matter how hard he tries. It's not perfect, but it's okay. They can make it work with this, even if now and again Namjoon still insists that somehow there has to be away to get Jung Hoseok back.

Every time Taehyung hears those words, he feels guilty. After all, he's the very reason that Hoseok left in the first place. The dancer would have stayed if it wasn't for the drama surrounding the blackmail situation. He never would have doubted BTS if it wasn't for the uncertainty that Taehyung's situation brought to the equation. And Namjoon's not the only one suffering from Hoseok's loss. Jungkook mentions him ever so often, asks them if he has replied to any of their messages, wonders out loud what Hobi-hyung might be doing now. Whenever he hears Hoseok's name now, it makes Taehyung want to disappear. Either that, or search the entirety of South Korea for one Jung Hoseok, so he can present him to Jungkook and make the youngest member stop worrying so much.

Taehyung slinks back to the dorm after Namjoon finished recording his log. He's tired and his body is aching. It feels as if he's coming down with a cold, which is totally not what he needs right now. BigHit still has them on this stupid diet, and Taehyung wonders why they fattened him up in the first place after picking him up from the streets, when now he's back to eating too little food to sustain the normal healthy body weight of a still growing teen.

Returning to the dorm with no expectations, Taehyung is taken aback when he finds Jungkook on the couch with puffy red eyes and a swollen face. He's wrapped in a blanket and Jin sits next to him, rubbing his shoulder while they are both absorbed in some anime.

"Is everything okay?" Taehyung asks carefully as he enters the room. Jungkook looks terrible. Taehyung has seen him cry before, but he's never looked this tired and resigned when he did. He's like a picture of misery and all kinds of worst-case scenarios start running through Taehyung's mind. Did someone get hurt? Die? And then there's the irrational voice that screams at him that Jungkook cried because he found out. That he's so disgusted with Taehyung that it brought him to tears.

Jungkook refuses to make eye-contact and for a second Taehyung really suspects the worst, but when he notices the tips of Jungkook's ears colour red, he realizes that Jungkook's stubbornness to ignore him stems from embarrassment.

"Everything's okay. It just wasn't a good day," Jin says with a soft smile. He looks tired as well, but Taehyung can't find any actual worry in his eyes, so he believes his hyung. It happens. They all have days like that, where they're close to their breaking point and struggling. And sometimes it's just easier to let go and let it all out. Taehyung suspects it must have been a day like that for Jungkook.