𝗥𝗘𝗗 𝗙𝗟𝗔𝗚 || ᴛᴀᴇᴋᴏᴏᴋ

• C H A P T E R 36 •

He’s… cheering for them?

Right beside him, Jimin waved a proud Red flag, grinning cheerily, clapping and yelling Taehyung’s name, but Jungkook…

Jungkook sat beside him with a guilty expression, trying to look neutral, but the Yellow flag in his hand was like a slap to Taehyung’s pride. A loud, mocking, waving slap.

A flash of hurt and then, red-hot anger simmered in Taehyung’s chest.

Jinsoo, noticing the shift in Taehyung’s eyes, turned his gaze and followed it. When he saw the beautiful boy with doe-eyes and soft features waving his team’s colors, a slow, mischievous smirk stretched across his face.

“Well, well,” Jinsoo murmured under his breath. “Didn’t expect someone that pretty to be my lucky charm.”

Taehyung heard it. Every word.

And it only made things worse.

He clenched his fists as the ball was passed to him again, muscles tensing, sweat trickling down his neck. He took the shot and missed. For the first time all game.

Yoongi gave him a sideways glance. “You good?”

Taehyung’s expression was stormy, dark eyes blazing. “I’m fine,” he muttered.

But he wasn’t.

Because the one person he wanted to impress the most…

Was sitting in the crowd, unknowingly stabbing him in the chest with that damn yellow flag.

The gymnasium’s atmosphere only grew wilder as the game progressed the roars of the crowd echoing like a thunderstorm inside the enclosed space, banners waving, the rhythmic thump of sneakers and the squeak of shoes on polished wood building an almost electric tension in the air.

The scoreboard blinked: Red - 38, Yellow - 25. The Red Team was ahead, but the momentum in the room was shifting and the reason for that wasn’t just the game.

Jimin sat relaxed in the bleachers, legs crossed, waving his bright red flag proudly, his eyes sparkling with mischief as they flicked between the court and the boy sitting next to him.

Jungkook.

The younger boy looked adorably flustered his eyes darting between the court and the yellow flag clutched nervously in his lap. He had barely waved it since arriving, only raising it halfway when others did, mostly keeping his focus locked on one person:

Kim Taehyung.

Taehyung was moving like a lightning strike on the court. His limbs sharp, swift, and calculated but the fire behind each play had changed. There was something visceral about his movements now, something stormy. He looked too composed to be reckless, but too intense to be calm. Every muscle on his arms rippled with strength, veins prominent as he dribbled hard and clean, black bandana tight around his forehead as sweat clung to the sides of his face. His jaw was tense, and his lips pressed into a firm, unreadable line.

He hadn’t looked up at the bleachers since Jungkook had started waving that yellow flag.

And Jimin noticed.

His smirk deepened knowingly as he leaned toward Jungkook. “He’s staring down there like he’s about to murder someone,” he whispered, grinning.

Jungkook blinked, confused. “Who?”

Jimin rolled his eyes dramatically. “Taehyung, genius. I told you the yellow flag was gonna make him snap.”

Jungkook’s cheeks flushed. “I-It’s just a color—”

“It’s not just a color, Koo,” Jimin whispered, mischievously leaning closer. “It’s provocation.”

Before Jungkook could reply, Jimin's fingers sneakily pinched his waist, making him squeal softly.

"Yah!" Jungkook slapped his hand. "Stop that!"

“Then cheer. Properly.” Jimin poked his side again. “Loud. For Jinsoo.”

“I—what? No! Why would I—?”

“Just do it. You’ll see.”

Jungkook, flustered and pressured, shyly stood up, face as red as Jimin’s flag, and after a beat of hesitation, cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted:

“L-Let’s go Yellow! You can do it, Captain Jinsoo!”

The reaction was instant.

Across the court, Jinsoo had just missed a free throw, but upon hearing that sweet, delicate voice from the stands cheering his name — his head whipped toward the bleachers, and when he saw Jungkook cheering, for him, he lit up like a Christmas tree.

He winked.

Taehyung saw it all.

Saw Jungkook stand. Saw the cheer. Saw Jinsoo’s smug little wink.

And something snapped.

His neck twitched slightly, that thick vein popping beneath his skin as his jaw clenched and nostrils flared just subtly enough for Yoongi, standing nearby, to raise a brow.

“Oh no,” Yoongi mumbled under his breath.

Taehyung didn’t speak.

He moved.

Aggressively.

The next play was vicious. Taehyung blocked Jinsoo’s pass with brutal precision, stealing the ball and storming down the court like a man possessed. His feet pounded the floor like thunderclaps as he dodged one, two, three defenders, twisting mid-air and slamming the ball through the hoop in a beautiful dunk that made half the crowd erupt in screams.

And he didn’t stop.

Each time Jinsoo touched the ball, Taehyung was there intercepting, pressing harder, playing tighter defense. He wasn’t giving Jinsoo an inch. He even accidentally bumped into him mid-run, causing Jinsoo to stumble and nearly trip. The referee warned him once, but Taehyung just gave a calm nod and played on, his jaw tense, shoulders squared.

All the while, his eyes would flicker briefly, sharply toward the stands, just to check if Jungkook was still cheering for someone else.

The answer?

Yes.

And that answer only made him angrier.

Yoongi, standing beside him during a time-out, offered a bottle of water. “You’re gonna explode,” he muttered.

Taehyung took the bottle without saying anything, eyes still sharp on the crowd, where his bunny sat, cheering for someone else, completely unaware that he was poking a tiger.

TO BE CONTINUE