Heart&Seoul || jjk/kth/bts

Chapter 6: Need a ride?

Taehyung

"Bam please, not now, we're gonna be late" Jungkook complains, noticing how his dog is excitedly sniffing the ground to follow a scent, most likely another dog's, or the delicious smell of meat being cooked at the street market one block away. I can't blame him, it's making my stomach growl as well.

Yeontan, too, stares at the curious bigger individual of his own species, although a different breed, but he doesn't move a muscle towards the source of that scent. He's a classy pet, no street market meat is worth going bananas for.

Jungkook and I have miscalculated the time it requires to take our pets out for a stroll and now he's running late for work. He pulls the leash a little, almost getting on his knees to beg for Bam's attention. After some initial hesitation, Bam at last obeys and sprints forward, guided by his inexhaustible vital energy. Yeontan seems to give him a powerful, highly judgemental side-eye before he resumes walking at his own moderated pace.

Jungkook glances at his watch, sighing when he realises he only has little time left to eat, shower, clean up and revise before work. Despite the difficulty of managing a part-time job between courses, giving one of them up is unthinkable. There's no quitter's gene in his DNA. He's so resolved to excel in both activities that he fails to see how draining it is. He fell asleep on his books earlier. Again. He claims he's learnt to balance study and work, but sometimes I feel like he just needs a break to take care of himself. Striving for perfection in any aspect of his life could turn out dangerous for his own health.

He pets Bam's head as an apology for dragging him away from the scent he was following, then we continue to walk at a hasty pace to be at his house in time. Jungkook even ignores his phone that keeps buzzing in his pocket. It's only when the caller insists on dialling that he stops in his tracks to grasp his phone angrily, ready to shout at whoever is ruining the fast-paced walk.

On noticing the caller ID on the screen, he expresses irritation through loud cussing and an exaggerate eyeroll, and eventually clears his throat before answering. "Dad?"

His dad's voice is so loud and deep that I can hear it as well as he can. "Hey, son, I'm sorry to bother you, but is there any chance you can buy some milk, ssamjang sauce, some oil for frying and paper tissues on your way home? We've run out of all of those."

Jungkook, annoyed as ever, pinches the bridge of his nose, evidently pondering whether to sacrifice his last bits of free time to do his father a favour or be labelled an ungrateful child. I know he's wondering why the most boring errands are always for him and never for his brother Jung-hyun, but his heart is too big to let his family down like that.

He sends a pained look my way before he replies with: "Yeah, sure, no problem."

"Thank you," his dad sighs in relief. "See you at home."

Jungkook hangs up and I fear he might just throw his phone against the nearest wall from how enraged he looks. Instead, he only shoves the device back into his pocket, much to my surprise. His eyebrows are furrowed nonetheless, and he encourages me to speed up our pace once again, dragging Bam and Yeontan along.

I keep an eye out on Yeontan to make sure all this physical exercise isn't threatening his fragile body. He seems more curious to know where we're headed all of a sudden than worried about his conditions.

We all make our way to the nearest supermarket, running straight to the beverages aisle in search for the milk, while I let Jungkook complain freely about the bad day he's been having so far. He walks into the supermarket like a fury, without even glancing at the shopping carts. Bam follows him with a puzzled look, his eyes bigger than his love for roasted chicken.