Who Is He? [BTS]

[공]

[ S E O K J I N - 0.0 ]

Repeatedly tapping the fine tip pen against a blank page, Seokjin created a steady rhythm that was out of time with the tick coming from the heavy clock that contrasted with the pale cream walls. A sunken puddle of black ink was forming at the corner of his page, but that went unnoticed as his mind was running around elsewhere. A slender flower was outstretched from it's pink pot, reaching towards the clear window as it photosynthesised. Fresh air circulated around the small room, flowing in and out through the window adjacent to the flower that was cracked open. He unconsciously scratched at his jaw, irritating his recently shaven skin with a rosy star blossoming as evidence.

A soft knock coaxed him out of his thoughts, allowing his eyes to regain focus and he let out a breath he didn't acknowledge he was holding.

"Come in."

The doorknob dropped downwards and the heavy door slowly opened. A tall figure shuffled into the room, quietly closing the door on his way, and dropped into the seat opposite Seokjin silently. Seokjin analysed the boy, drinking in the atmosphere he brought and forced a small smile to play on his plump lips.

"Hey, Jeongguk." He calming said, tilting his head slightly to the right.

"Hey." The young boy's voice was deeper than the last time Seokjin heard it, and he used it timidly as if testing it out. Seokjin's gaze softened and crinkles formed around his eyes.

"How are you feeling?"

Jeongguk let his dark eyes meet Seokjin's for a second before his gaze quickly jumped behind Seokjin, connecting with the soft sky framed by the window, to the wall with the clock, and then back to rough patch of carpet around his feet where people would scuff their shoes and bounce their feet.

"This room still... looks like ice cream." He said with a clear but quiet voice. Seokjin chuckled heartedly, amused but not surprised by the boys' comment in reply to his question.

"How so?"

He pursed his lips so much that they disappeared, and he looked back up underneath the clock.

"The walls and carpet look like caramel ice cream, and... Handsome... looks like strawberry flavoured ice cream."

Seokjin proudly twisted his neck and glanced at his indoor plant, Handsome, and turned back to Jeongguk.

"So what flavour does that make the door, or our seats?"

"I heard there's black ice cream somewhere."

"Have you ever tried it?"

"No, but I want to."

Seokjin chuckled again. Jeongguk was swimming in the same puddle of ink as Seokjin had on his page, where he wrote, Room looks like ice cream – wants to try black ice cream. The puddle was big enough that it concealed the vanilla button up shirt and dark tie, running just over the top of his hugged thighs. The darkness spread down to his shoes that were covered in scratches, much like his hidden arms, up to his hallow face with stokes of colour under and in his round eyes and drowned his semi-styled hair.

It was a regular session, easing into exploring together the way a bullied teenager thinks by starting off with small talk. Seokjin had a slight advantage to observing those who sat in the dying chair across from him – he saw them every day while walking down the suffocating teenage-odour filled halls and met with the other coffee-reliant middle-aged teenage babysitters to discussed about them in worried tones. His window behind his desk even gave visible access to the quad where lunch breaks were spent. 

He basically was able to study them individually for 6 hours daily – but of course, that's only the far mile the back of his mind wished he went. Truthfully, he was always early and stayed cooped in his room all day, and even when he did go for a short walk to the room where he could make himself another coffee, no adults seemed to want to engage in a conversation with him and his broad shoulders. There was, however, Jung Hoseok, who was younger than him and wore a blinding smile wherever he went. He was the only one who seemed to strangely disagree with coffee. Hoseok was who Seokjin could rely on for updates and observations of some of his students. And Jeongguk was one of his favourites – he always brought something new to share.

"I..." Jeongguk started, but his voice got caught in his throat instead of continuing.

"It's alright, Jeongguk. You can talk to me."

"I..." He took a deep breath, "Saw... a ghost."

But this was a statement that was completely unexpected and took Seokjin by surprised. It took him a minute of letting his words sink in and gathering his thoughts until he tried to reply correctly. He paused again, and he mentally scolded himself for acting so unprofessional.

"What do you mean, you saw a ghost?" Seokjin tried, keeping his voice soft and understanding.

"I mean I saw... a ghost. Today, in cooking class and mathematics."