Exchange student - one year ᵗᵃᵉᵏᵒᵒᵏ

10

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After the performance, they entered the beach house and Taehyung felt as if he had just opened the door to a crowded club. The entire entryway was bathed in dim, pulsating light from colored LED lights on the walls, which continued throughout the house. The entrance area, the hallway and the room that originally served as the living room were crowded with people dancing to a wild rhythm. It was barely possible to move freely and they had to squeeze through the dancing crowd.
The music boomed with incredibly powerful bass and volume. This was nothing new for Jungkook and Jimin, they were already familiar with parties like this because when Namjoon threw a party, it felt like being in a club.
The fact that the host didn't even know half of his guests didn't bother him in the slightest - but everyone knew him.

Taehyung glanced at the other guests, who were spread out in small groups all over the room. There were people partying on the large terrace that led to the beach. Some were dancing exuberantly on the impromptu dance floor, while others sat comfortably on the sofas, chatting and sipping cocktails.
Jungkook was worried about Taehyung's emotional state, he couldn't tell if it was too much for the older man or if he thought it was okay. He kept glancing at his roommate to find out how he was doing. Taehyung's expression was hard to read, so far he still seemed relatively calm, but it was hard to predict how he would develop over the course of the evening.
"Do you want a drink?" Jungkook asked Taehyung, pointing at the impressive selection of drinks at the bar. He hoped that a little alcohol would ease the tension. He didn't need to ask Jimin, as he had already mingled with the people and left the roommates alone.

Taehyung agreed. "Why not," he mumbled, more to himself than to Jungkook. So Taehyung nodded accordingly and followed Jungkook to the bar, where there was even a private bartender working. Once there, Jungkook ordered two cocktails and handed one to Taehyung.
"I don't know if you like it, but it's really tasty," Jungkook said, hoping that Taehyung wasn't upset that he had just decided for him. But Taehyung didn't mind in the slightest, he was absolutely not picky when it came to alcohol.
"You seem surprised," Jungkook remarked in passing as he continued to watch Taehyung's face and carefully sipped his cocktail. "Namjoon's parents are filthy rich and extremely successful businessmen. On his eighteenth birthday, he and his brother were even given their own company by their parents and it's a huge success! And I'm one of his best friends!" Jungkook proudly chatted on without waiting for a reaction from Taehyung.
Taehyung leaned casually against the counter and held his glass in his hand, sipping from it occasionally. "I don't care," he replied disinterestedly.

Taehyung could feel the eyes of others on him, scrutinizing him curiously. He felt like a star on a red carpet, even though he was only new in town and he seemed to radiate that.
Some of the surrounding girls noticed him and began to giggle quietly as they secretly talked about him. With a hint of self-consciousness, they slowly ventured closer. They stopped in front of him, trying to hide their excitement as they looked at him with seductive smiles. The brown-haired one of the two broke the silence: "Are you new here? I've never seen you at a Namjoon party before." Her voice sounded slightly shy, but also interested.
Taehyung looked at the two girls in front of him and then averted his eyes again without answering her. He had no interest in getting to know anyone here. The blonde took a step closer and nudged Taehyung with her shoulder. "Do you want to dance with us, sweetie?" the blonde asked.
Taehyung raised his eyebrows briefly and then slowly turned his head towards the blonde. His answer was concise and unmistakable: "Get lost."

The two girls seemed disappointed for a moment, but they didn't let up. The brown-haired girl stepped even closer, her breath brushing Taehyung's ear as she whispered in a seductive tone, "Come on, let's show you the city and show you how much fun you can have here."
Annoyed, the brown-haired one sighed softly. "I said get lost. I'm not interested in sluts," he said, and it was the truth. These two young women seemed to him like the kind of people who would recklessly get involved in one-night stands.
The two girls exchanged horrified glances before glaring angrily at Taehyung. The blonde clenched her fist and seemed ready to give a sharp retort, but Taehyung remained calm. He wasn't fazed by her reaction and continued his cool stare. His lips adorned a slight smile that gave the impression that he didn't care at all about her presence or her upset anger.
"Wow, you're really rude," the brown-haired girl said, turning around with an exaggerated roll of her eyes, followed by the blonde. They both moved away and left Taehyung alone again. He wasn't here to hang out with casual acquaintances.

Jungkook, who had been standing silently by the side the whole time, was amazed. Taehyung had been at the party for less than 20 minutes and had already attracted the girls' attention. Jungkook could understand the two girls very well - Taehyung was undoubtedly very good-looking. But in a strange way, he was happy that his roommate had turned them down.
A relieved smile spread across Jungkook's face and he nodded to himself. Still, Jungkook couldn't help but comment, "Why did you send her away? I would've guessed you'd go for it."
Taehyung turned to his brother for time and looked him straight in the eye, his gaze neutral nonetheless. As soon as Jungkook felt the gaze on him, he regretted his words, which is why he threw a quick "Sorry" after him.
"Jungkookie and Jungkookie's exchange partner!" Namjoon joined the two and held up his glass to clink glasses. Jungkook sighed out in relief when Namjoon intervened and knocked his glass against his friend's.
"Whatever he said, don't listen to him. He tends to exaggerate sometimes," laughed the black-haired man as he leaned casually next to Taehyung. "That's not true!" Jungkook snorted indignantly and stood in front of the two of them. Namjoon laughed heartily at Jungkook's reaction and even Taehyung couldn't suppress a smile.

The blond widened his eyes in surprise when he saw Taehyung's smile. Satisfied, he refrained from commenting on it, as he had probably just said the wrong thing. He didn't want his roommate to feel uncomfortable or get angry, so instead he took another sip of his drink.
Time passed and the drinks flowed in streams. The music got even louder, the beach house continued to fill up and the party was in full swing.
Jungkook barely realized that two hours had already passed. Taehyung was talking non-stop with Namjoon, and the two seemed to be on the same wavelength - or it was the ever-rising alcohol level that made Taehyung so talkative. Either way, Jungkook liked it and it made him happy to see his exchange partner so relaxed and cheerful.
Taehyung seemed to have completely tuned out the blond during his conversation with Namjoon, which probably also contributed to Jungkook not joining in the conversation. He actually kind of enjoyed getting to know Taehyung in this new way. He had never thought that Taehyung could be so talkative and that his smile could be so frequent and genuine. This brought a pleasant warmth to Jungkook's heart.

Suddenly, Jimin reappeared beside them, he gave Jungkook a quick hug and then said excitedly, "Kooookieee. Jisoo finally broke up with me," his pink-haired friend slurred happily. "Now I can finally throw myself at you, sweetie," Jimin laughed, making Jungkook laugh as well. He knew he was joking, but at the same time, he was a little worried about the news. At least that would explain his friend's already drunken state, which he had reached after only a few hours. Jimin chuckled and put an arm around Jungkook's shoulder.
The gaze of the smallest of the group wandered to Taehyung, who wasn't paying attention to him and Jungkook, and a stab of anger flashed through him. Jimin gently broke away from the hug and walked resolutely towards Taehyung. He stepped so close to him that their upper bodies were almost touching. "And you keep your hands off Jungkook! If you touch his body even once, I'll kick your ass!" Jimin began to scold him. Taehyung, who had been calm so far, suddenly looked surprised and maybe even a little amused by Jimin's reproach, which was shown by a smile.

Jungkook immediately intervened and pulled Jimin away from Taehyung and Namjoon. "Jimin stop it!" Jungkook intervened directly. "Don't listen to him. He talks a lot more trash when he's drunk than when he's not," the blond defended his friend, his voice concerned but also slightly desperate. He hoped that Taehyung wouldn't get angry. Taehyung waved off Jimin's accusations with a calm gesture and turned to Jungkook. "I'm in a good mood, your friend is lucky," he said calmly and Jungkook's eyes widened in surprise.
Had he heard wrong?
Taehyung wasn't angry?
Was he in a good mood?
Immediately, the blond nodded his head vigorously and pulled his drunken friend away from Taehyung with ease.

Jimin's eyes narrowed as he looked at Jungkook. He tore himself away from his best friend who was supporting him and disappeared towards the bathroom with a hasty "I'm going to puke".
Worried, but also amused, Jungkook staggered after his best friend, trying not to bump into anyone. The alcohol had already taken effect and Jungkook swayed slightly to the side. The blond could only tolerate very little alcohol, and after a few drinks his mind was already foggy.
On his way to the bathroom to help his pink-haired friend, he was suddenly grabbed by the arm and stopped. Surprised, the blonde turned to face the person to whom the arm belonged. Jungkook's face immediately turned pale when he saw who was standing in front of him. A feeling of shock ran through him when he saw the person. He felt as if he had sobered up in one fell swoop.
"Taemin..." he mumbled in shock and couldn't believe his eyes. His heart began to beat faster and a flood of memories and emotions overwhelmed him.

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