The Jeon of Jeonseol

22. Teacher?

"But-"

"Take my advice and let your past go. I know it's only been a month and a half since you came here, but you're not going back, Jeongguk. By coming here, you've already set six and a half centuries worth of lives and stories going. So much has already happened the second you stepped out of that century and if you go back now, you'll only be rewriting all these centuries' stories. In that process, Taehyung might not even be born anymore. You don't want that, do you?" 

"Why do you have to bring Taehyung into this?" Jeongguk asked with a frown. Things weren't adding up and he was confused. Jimin was saying he wasn't his teacher, but he was also giving him advice about something that would only come from experience. People who never went through what he went through wouldn't even think about what Jimin was saying. 

"Because I know you like him-"

"What nonsense-"

"Shut up. Don't even try to deny me. I know you like him. And it's okay. You both are men, but it's okay. You don't control who you like. You just act on it. He likes you too, so get your head out of your ass and treat him the way he deserves to be treated."

"How indecent!! Get my head out of what?! How dare you talk to me like tha-"

"Another thing," Jimin cut him off, unbothered by his anger. "Like I told you already, you are not in your century anymore. Here, you are just another human. Someone who literally has no food, clothes or shelter. You would literally be a beggar on the streets if not for Taehyung and my help."

"I could have provided for myself."

"You couldn't have. You literally didn't even have official documents for yourself until I got Eunwoo to make you and Jeongyeon some fake ones. You'd have absolutely eaten dust. So let your ego go and be normal. Princely ego isn't a charm anymore. Not in this century. People will only judge you."

There he went again. Giving advice regarding stuff that nobody from this century would be able to give. It was like talking to a fellow comrade. 

Jeongguk remembered the evening Jimin had called the man named Cha Eunwoo over for help. It was the day they decided to make him Taehyung's bodyguard. 

One phone call from Jimin had the man rushing to Taehyung's house, calling Jimin 'Hyungnim' repeatedly and almost falling at his feet. Jeongguk supposed if Jimin let him, the man wouldn't even hesitate to lick his feet. 

"I need you to make them fake documents," Jimin had said. 

"You mean, like I made for-"

"Yes, like that," Jimin had cut him off and the man had nodded vigorously before leaving. The said documents were ready and on the coffee table by next evening and Jeongguk had been impressed by the speed of the man and the command Jimin had over him.

It hadn't seemed suspicious, but now it made Jeongguk rethink. Who else had that man made fake documents for? Even though he hadn't understood then, he knew what the documents were for now. So he couldn't help but think more. Were they for Jimin? 

No matter how much Jimin said he wasn't his teacher, why couldn't Jeongguk shake the feeling off?

"Alright, I shall not argue with you. I like Taehyung-nim. But it is strange."

"It is not. I thought it was strange too, but it really is not. Give him what you have and see how you will feel. After that, if you still find it strange, you can stop it," Jimin said.

Jeongguk frowned and worried his lower lip for a while before nodding slowly. "Alright. Thank you for the advice. I shall see you around," he said and made to leave the room with his head still full of pestering thoughts. 

"Wait!" Jimin called out when he was at the door. 

"What?"

"Try to change the way you talk. Tae never lied. It really is super ancient," Jimin said and waved him off. 

"Oh, Gguk, you're here!! I was searching for you," Taehyung exclaimed a little too loudly as Jeongguk entered the kitchen, bringing him out of his thoughts. 

"Good morning, Taehyung-nim," Jeongguk said, deciding to start implementing Jimin's advice despite Taehyung looking and panting like he had just run. 

"Aww? Good morning to you too?" Taehyung said excitedly, having never seen this cute broody side of Jeongguk before. He ignored the fact that Jeongguk hadn't responded to what he had originally said to him. 

Instead, he gestured to the huge bowl on the dining table. 

"I know you weren't too drunk yesterday, but do you wanna have some hangover soup?" he asked. Hoseok, Yoongi, Namjoon and Seokjin had stayed over in different guest rooms as well, being too drunk to go back home, so Taehyung wanted Jeongguk to have his gigantic share comfortably before they woke up. 

"What soup?"

"This one. It's good for hangovers," Taehyung said with a grin. 

"And what is a hangover, may I ask?" 

That took Taehyung off-guard. "Ahem," he cleared his throat, "you know, the headache you get next day after getting drunk," he said. 

"Oh, that," Jeongguk never had hangovers himself, but he had seen people around him suffer from it. "Thank you, but I'm fine. I shall have the soup, though. The cook makes delicious food," he said. 

"Thank you, Gguk!" Taehyung grinned again, "I'll make sure to let her know!!" 

"You seem happy," Jeongguk commented as he sat down and waited for Taehyung to serve him the soup. 

"I just am," Taehyung said, again with a grin. 

Jeongguk stared at him for a few seconds, scoffed and then looked back down at his soup, shaking his head disapprovingly. 

Taehyung ignored his reaction. He was just over the moon. Wasn't he allowed to be?

"I shall not argue with you. I like Taehyung-nim. But it is strange."

"It is not. I thought it was strange too, but it really is not. Give him what you have and see how you will feel. After that, if you still find it strange, you can stop it." 

"Alright."