Brighter Days || Taekook

Part 15

Maybe it's the hunger that's making them all act like this. PD-nim has promised them dinner back at the company. It's just cheap take-out chicken again because that's all the company can afford, but it's better than nothing. Taehyung wonders how the company could possibly pay off Mr. Kim if they can't even afford to take their trainees for a dinner outing, but he doesn't want to dwell on it for too long.

Thinking will only take him places in his mind that Taehyung doesn't want to visit, so he prefers to keep his mind blank as much as he can these days. Namjoon's looking at him unhappily again, glancing over every so often, the way he did when Taehyung first joined the band and avoided the other members.

Maybe that's because Taehyung's avoiding all of them again. He's also trying to not bump into Jimin. His laugh and his carefree attitude are the last things that Taehyung needs right now. He knows that his behaviour wounds Jimin and Jungkook and Yoongi and Seokjin and Namjoon, and maybe even Hoseok, who he still sees as an acquaintance more than anything else because that boy is just too cheerful. However, when he's not loud and jovial, he's quiet and brooding, and Taehyung just never knows how to approach him if it's not to ask for dancing advice.

The six of them pile into the van without exchanging words. Jungkook falls asleep before he's even fully settled into his seat, and his head lolls to the side and finds a cushion in Jin's shoulder. Jin's eyes fall closed shortly after. Hoseok's listening to music, and Namjoon's furiously typing away on his phone. Maybe he's texting someone, or maybe he's writing some lyrics down. For all Taehyung knows, he could also be playing some random game. Beside him, Yoongi's listening to music and bobbing his head along to the beat. Taehyung settles for aimlessly staring out of the window and letting the world pass by him in one giant blurry mess.

When they arrive at the company, Jungkook's barely awake enough to walk, leaning heavily on Namjoon as they all gather in the meeting room in which the promised dinner waits for them. The clock on the wall reads shortly after 11 o'clock and the room smells deliciously like chicken. Bang PD-nim is there to greet them. He too looks tired, Taehyung thinks.

He asks them about their experience at the first shooting, if there had been any difficulties and if they've enjoyed it. Only Namjoon really answers, as the others are too busy opening bags and taking out the desired food containers, hunger written all over their faces. Even Jungkook's awake enough to squabble with Jin over mushy french fries.

Taehyung doesn't even notice that one of them is trying to leave with his food, until Yoongi speaks up: "Hoseok, where are you going?"

All eyes are on the dancer.

"I want to eat in peace," comes the cold answer.

"We're a team, we should be eating as a team after our first photoshoot," Namjoon says, and really that's just such a Namjoon thing to say, Taehyung thinks to himself. He's so preoccupied with musing over those words that he almost misses Hoseok's reply.

"Well, you shouldn't be lecturing me about team-spirit."

And then the door falls shut behind him.

First there's quiet, and then there's a huge commotion in the room.

"Can someone explain to me what's going on?" Bang PD-nim asks, while Jungkook looks at Taehyung wide-eyed and says: "Why was he looking at you like that, hyung? I don't get it."

Taehyung can't really focus on what the others are saying at the same time. He stares at his cold chicken and stays silent, wondering what exactly he has done to Hoseok to have the older boy react towards him this way.

He only tunes back into the conversation as PD-nim asks him to come to his office after dinner, before telling all of them to enjoy their well-earned food and leaving.