ᴛʜᴇ ᴇssᴇɴᴛɪᴀʟ ʙᴏᴛᴀɴɪsᴛ ɢᴜɪᴅᴇ ᴛᴏ ᴊᴜɴɢʟᴇ sᴜʀᴠɪᴠᴀʟ│ᴛᴋ [complete]

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Taehyung's shirt may have been white and wrinkle-free, it certainly wasn't odourless and insisted on clinging to his chest thanks to the permanent humidity in the air. The camp had a shower-like system that had been set up to collect rain water and allow the men to stay somewhat clean, but by the time it was his turn to wash up, the cistern would always be empty.

Eyeing the tent under which Professor Kim was presently working, he figured he had gathered enough samples to keep his boss busy for the next few hours and decided to spend the forenoon looking for a place to bathe. Packing a fresh set of clothes and a bar of soap, he greeted the man with his most dazzling smile. "With your permission, professor, I'll be taking the morning off."

Namjoon glanced at the young man's tousled hair and beard growth on his chin.

"I need to wash up," Taehyung confessed shyly.

That's all it took for the man to send him on his way. "Why don't you take the day off? I have plenty work to get done by the time you return."

This was more than Taehyung had hoped for and he gladly agreed to it. Heading into the forest, our brave explorer embarked on a quest to locate a water source suitable for bathing, relying solely on his knowledge of plant life and its need to remain hydrated.

After what felt like hours of roaming around the matted jungle, Taehyung's ears perked up at the distinct sound of a running stream nearby. Following the silvery notes of the playful river upstream, he finally reached the shores of multiple overflowing ponds softly glimmering under the midday sun. A short ways up, the young man spotted several waterfalls which supplied the pools with their crystalline turquoise water.

The idyllic setting was nothing short of inviting and Taehyung threw all caution to the wind as he hurriedly undressed, proceeding to wash his garment first in order to allow it to dry while he enjoyed the ponds to himself. Pulling a razor out his satchel, he carefully shaved his facial hair before fully immersing himself in the shallow lagoon. The fresh water on his warm skin provided a pleasantly nippy sensation. Taehyung sighed contently, closing his eyes and letting his body drift toward the deeper end of the natural pool.

As the five senses would have it, shutting one off usually heightened the other four. Relying on his hearing to survey his surroundings, the bather soon perceived movement, both in the waters nearby and in the treetops above. Opening his eyes, he immediately noticed a suspicious log that most certainly had not been there when he'd entered the pond.

"Where did that come from?" he wondered. The fact that the drifting piece of wood was presently moving upstream did make him a little nervous.

This was no log.

And Taehyung was out of his depth.

Turning around, he started swimming sidestroke, keeping an eye on the aquatic predator on his tail which had, unsurprisingly, also picked up speed. Humans could not compete against water-dwelling reptiles such as the one chasing him at the moment, and the zoologist knew his attempt to escape it was futile. But that thing called survival instinct had him try anyway.

Focusing on the shore, Taehyung barely noticed the ruffle in the branches nearby which had him do something he'd never done since first entering the jungle: take his eyes off the ground and look up into the wreathed foliage.

That's when he saw him: a human figure of olive complexion wearing nothing but a loincloth, standing on top of a sturdy limb, staring straight back at him with concern etched over his otherwise gentle features.

The blindsiding vision almost cost Taehyung as life as he forgot to swim and, consequently, nearly drowned, were it not for the strong arm that swiftly pulled him out of the water and into the air until he found himself perched on a thick bough high above the ground.