bittersweet | taekook

five

in the end, jeongguk took his manager's advice and started focusing on his studies. it was all new to him, really. having missed out on years of learning, he basically had to start from the beginning – just like a little child.

to an extent, it annoyed him. having to teach himself all the basics in order to know what the pythagoras' theorem was, or how to do calculus. he had to memorize literature every night and would often recite the shakesperian lines that he grew to hate as time passed on.

when he first asked for extra schoolwork, his teacher didn't believe the words she was hearing. immediately after jeongguk left with the piles of paper, his teacher didn't hesitate to call his mother to praise her for "motivating jeongguk to start focusing on his studies" once more. it was unbelievable, to say the most.

he would often stay behind in class to catch up on work, often receiving help from his classmate park jimin, who noticed the boy's struggling behaviour and didn't hesitate to help. jeongguk was even able to decide at the end of the day that jimin's smile was rather cheerful and comforting – even somebody for him. it was a naturally bright aura that he radiated, yet he probably got the aura from his friend jung hoseok – the school's sweetheart.

jeongguk's brain continuously worked and whenever he needed a break, he would sometimes skip a lesson or two to hang out at his usual spot behind the school with min yoongi – his smoking acquaintance.

yoongi was often taken by surprise – he didn't expect jeongguk to suddenly reappear after numerous days of absence. nevertheless, he scooted over to provide jeongguk with his personal space before offering the pack of cigarettes. in exchange, jeongguk took out his lighter and made sure that the both of their cigarettes were properly lightened.

"you disappeared." yoongi spoke for the first time in weeks.

"got a job. they forced me to study if i wanted to keep working there." jeongguk replied whilst taking a long drag, letting his hand fall freely once complete.

his days continued on like this, and when he finally attended his first assigned shift at the tattoo parlour, he realized that his hopes had slightly gone a bit too far up. he had wanted to have a shift at the same time as taehyung on that day, but it couldn't be helped.

just like at any other job, jeongguk received a tutorial on how the cash machine works, how much each tattoo pays and along with other information about the necessities he needed to know. he had to admit that his memory was becoming better – especially after spending hours on end to improve his grades.

he would continuously watch customers stroll into the store, one by one. they would all be greeted with a contagious smile from one of the workers before being assigned to their seats. he didn't have much to do, so more often than not, jeongguk was also forced to do additional cleaning. dusting on areas that didn't even have any lingering particles.

towards the end of his shift, he was praised for doing well on his first day and upon exiting, jeongguk had bumped into taehyung.

"oh! look who it is!"

whether he liked or not, jeongguk's mood was slightly lifted... though he still acted unbothered.

"you have a night shift again?"

"not today, nope. i have a shift every other night, but since today was your first day here, i came to visit! did you finish already?"

"...yeah, i did." jeongguk replied, eyes trailing down.

"great! let's go out!"

by "out," taehyung meant the bridge. over the next few days and weeks, the pair would often meet up like this. on some occasions, jeongguk even visited taehyung during his shifts and waited around, spending his time by reading catalogues or catching up on schoolwork (which his manager was pleased to see).

taehyung would usually bring snacks for them to eat, and jeongguk even offered a cigarette, but taehyung refused with the words of "it's really bad for you."

as if jeongguk didn't know that.

"...so, you're saying you hate school?" taehyung asked whilst munching on cookies. they had tumbled onto the topic of school – gradually edging towards a private topic.

"i just think it's useless. i understand other people's opinions on the importance of education, but i just find it useless." jeongguk replied, taking the cookie out of taehyung's hands before sharing a cheeky smile.

"hey-" taehyung started, reaching forwards to get his cookie back. "there's a whole package over there! don't take mine!"

and just like that, they would often tumble on each other's bodies, sharing a laugh whenever they found their actions silly – cringy, even.

"what about you? don't you go to school?" jeongguk asked, eventually eating taehyung's cookie after the latter gave in and let jeongguk eat it, (but not until he persuaded jeongguk to let taehyung feed him).

"i do, actually. it's on the other side of this town. i often skateboard from my workplace to my school, then to home."

"...home? why do you sleep out here and not in the comfort of your own bed?" jeongguk asked with genuine interest.

"because," taehyung smiled and reached forward before gently poking jeongguk's forehead; using a little force to push his head back, (eventually causing the latter to attempt to hide a blush). "you're lonely and i'm not leaving you here. i just tell my parents that i sleep at the tattoo parlour after a tough nightshift at work."

"but... you don't have to do this. it's cold." jeongguk murmured whilst fiddling with his fingers; suddenly finding huge interest in them rather than in taehyung.

"i know that i don't have to. i want to. but, tell me. why do you sleep out here?"

touching upon a sensitive topic, jeongguk's breath hitched, but there was no shame in telling his friend about his life – it's not like it'll make a difference.

"my parents hate me, i hate them. they've never loved me, so having to spend another minute under their roof by my own choice is suffocating. i came here by accident whilst venturing outside and just decided to spend my nights here."

taehyung's face softened and he placed his hand over jeongguk's for extra comfort, but the latter didn't seem very affected by it – even when taehyung would gently stroke his thumb over jeongguk's own. "i'm sorry, but you're a human, you deserve to be shown love. if you take care of your body now by sleeping on something warm, if you save your lungs by quitting smoking and if you continue studying hard... you'll have a nice future. it'll be a bright future, so don't be harsh on yourself."

jeongguk looked at taehyung in the eyes with a sarcastic smile and his eyes dull. "bright future? i'll have you know, taehyung... my future is definitely coloured with plenty of shades - they're all black. all dull. just meaningless colours."