I See Colors | Taegi

fifty

I can't seem to live past a Thursday
without something bad happening.

It's like the world has thrown me
an evil cycle
of everything slowly falling apart
over and over again.

I'm at the cafeteria
trying to eat my food,
but there are so many voices that
I can hardly taste it.

While Seokjin and Hoseok chat about
something along the lines of world domination,
I notice someone walking up to our table.

   Haemi.

   "Hi guys!" She waves to us.

   The others wave back.

   I smile awkwardly and
   raise my hand up
   to make it look like a wave.

   "Hey."
   Yoongi greets her
   with a neutral expression on his face.

   I glance at him.

   "I just wanted to let you know that,"
   She looks at me,
   "We got most people to forget
the whole "Taehyung's gay" rumor.
   Now they're talking all about how stupid the school president is."

   Haemi snorts and
   covers her smile with her hand.
   "They think he's the one who raised the lunch prices!
   The school's stupider than he is!"

   Hoseok laughs.
   "Hey, you wanna sit with us?"

   Haemi and I both flinch in surprise.

   Hoseok looks at us
   with a suspicious grin.
   "You always come to this table.
   Why not just sit with us?"

  "Oh, no."
   She shakes her head and swats her hand.
   "I can't leave my friend behind.
   I'm just here to bring the news.
   Anyways, gotta go!"

   She runs past the other tables
   to one closer to the exit.

   A few days ago,
   I wouldn't have believed myself if I said
   that I'm grateful for Haemi.

   Hoseok looks at me
   with a smug grin.
   "So Taehyung...?"

   "What?"

   Seokjin soon follows with his own grin.
  "Haemi's cute, isn't she?"

   I shrug.
   "I guess."

   Yoongi gives me a look
   that I can only describe as
   worry.

   "...You think you'd go out with her?"
   Hoseok asks.

   I raise an eyebrow.
   "No?"

   Hoseok sighs,
   runs his hands through his hair,
   then rests his head on the table.
   It looks like he just
   slowly collapsed.

   "What's wrong?"

   "It's just,"
   Hoseok lifts his head.
   "You're so good looking,
   and such a great guy too.
   I don't want that to be wasted, y'know?
   People like you only come,
   like,
   five times a year
   or something."

   I glance back at Yoongi
   only to realize that he's been staring at me
   this entire time.

   "Yoongi?"

   He blinks
   and lets out a small chuckle.
   "Yeah?
   Sorry, I stared off into space a little there."

   The moment after he says that,
   he realizes where he is,
   and his smile turns into
   an empty expression.

   "...Wow."
   Hoseok exclaims,
   "I've never seen Yoongi hyung smile like that before."

   Yoongi rolls his eyes.
   "Not your hyung."

   "Whatever."

   I take a bite
   of tasteless rice.

   A voice shouts from behind me.

   "Taehyung!
   There you are, you freak!"