Treasure - Bruno Mars
I laughed at Jimin's remark. "Did you see him?" I asked when I ensured that we were far away from the entrance so I knew the boy couldn't hear us anymore.
"Him? Who?" Jimin turned around, but the boy wasn't there anymore.
"Must be the first year, he had bags in his hands," I replied, rubbing the sweat off my forehead that had started beading due to the sun.
Jimin couldn't stop the judgemental smile on his face. "Was he kind of cute too?" He asked me.
"Kinda cute? No, definitely cute." I emphasized.
"I don't understand the craze over the freshers everyone has. If anything, we should be more empathetic towards them for the hell they have thrust themselves into."
"Not everyone is here because they have to, Jimin. Some people actually want to become doctors." I replied exasperatedly.
"Point to be taken into consideration, Tae. You are here to become a doctor, not fall for anyone you see the first thing in the morning." Jimin poked his finger at my rib.
"If that was the case, I would have been head over heels for you."
We were laughing when they all arrived, Rosenow, Christoph, Hoseok, and, Anja. Our classmates, friends, and partners in crime.
"So... Where is he?" Anja asked us and we dumbfoundedly stared at her.
"I thought you were arranging the cabs," Jimin questioned.
Hoseok glared at us as if he was looking at the anatomy of an intestine spewed out at the table in the open. "I can't believe you two," he mumbled in Korean.
This was our thing, whenever anyone of us was angry or in the mood for some anecdotes, Korean came to us naturally. The same was the case with Christoph, Anja, and Rosenow. The speed with which they spewed Geman at each other still amazed us, albeit we weren't bad at German either.
Rosenow sighed and pulled out her phone as Jimin looked at her with apologetic eyes. "It's okay, I will call the guy who took my uncle on the tour."
Last year, we went to Croatia in the summer. Being in the heart of Europe with stunning landscapes, Germany had many things to offer in summers and winters. For three years, we celebrated Jimin's birthday in a killer place like that. The last one was on the boats, ferries, and beachside restaurants, and it was completely surreal.
Jungkook
I smiled at the lady who was working on her computer and looked up at me. "Guten Tag! Ich heiße Jeon Jungkook," I introduced myself. "Könnte ich bitte die Passwort-Kombination zu meinem Zimmer im Studentenwohnheim haben."
(Can I please have a passcode combination for my dorm?)
She smiled before taking out a brochure that I accepted in my hand and scrutinizing the several languages it was printed in. It brought a sense of appreciation to my head. I could read German well, but it was still a work in progress as I couldn't understand all of it. So I turned the page over to find the instructions written in English.
Students are to not share the dormitory passcode with anyone.
Breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks will be provided in the cafeteria if you opt for food. For timings, please contact on below number.
Any damage to the property is to be borne by the student.
Girls are not allowed inside the boys' dormitory and vice versa.
If you wish to leave the dormitory anytime, one-month prior notice has to be provided to the administration and your legal guardian's written approval is required.
If you wish to change your dormitory, please fill out the form attached.
Lastly, Have a happy stay. Welcome home.
I looked up and she was ready with the passcode. I accepted the keycard along with an envelope. "Ihr Zimmer liegt im ersten Stockwerk und Sie teilen es sich mit Ulrich Maier. Bitte nehmen Sie die Broschüre mit und gehen die Verhaltensregeln durch." She informed.
(You are sharing your room with Ulrich Maier. The dorm is located on the first floor.)
"Vielen Dank."
"Bitte schön (You're most welcome)," she replied and I scurried out towards the massive dorm building.
The sound of furniture scuffling was everywhere as I fathomed that people were just settling in.
I wondered who my roommate would be. I knew it would definitely be someone not-German, but the name the warden mentioned seemed German. Eomma wanted me to take a VIP dorm with one bed, but I needed to make friends instead of finding comfort. So I decided I'd move into a shared dormitory at first.
Looking at each door in the corridor, I finally found my room, 9-A.
Swiping my alternate keycard, as I still hadn't opened the envelope that had the passcode yet, I entered the room to a hyperventilating boy. I panicked, unable to discern what was happening to him. "Hey, are you okay?" I asked, but how could he respond when he was wheezing quite literally?
Running towards his side of the bed, I opened the window. "Hold your breath for a second," I instructed him and his brows curved for a moment dubiously. "Do it!" My voice grew urgent and he clutched his nose with one hand and shut his mouth with the other instantly.
Within five seconds, he was breathing fine. "Woah! How did you do that?" He asked me, regulating his breath, completely impressed by me.
My lips twitched in a smug smile at the response I was going to provide. "I came here to become a doctor."
It was a right off-bat friendship. The next moment, we were laughing. "I am Ulrich Maeir," he introduced himself once we managed to calm our laughing asses down.
"German?" I inquired.
"Mhm," he nodded. "What's your name?"
"Jeon Jungkook."
"Jeon Kookook?" He repeated and I let out a loud chuckle.
I carefully and slowly broke it down for him. "Jung Kook," I saw his lips pursing as he must have repeated the words in his mind. "Call me Kook if you want."
"No, Jungkook... Jungkook," he repeated twice before he peered up at me with a proud look. "See, got it!"
"Ulrich... Can I ask you a question if you don't mind?" He encouraged me with his nodding and patting a space on his bed. "Why are you in the dorm when you are from Germany itself?" I sat beside him.
"Well, Jungkook..." He emphasized my name and we grinned. He slung his arm on my shoulder so suddenly that I didn't know how I felt about it. I have always been a fan of personal space, but I had to suck it up if I wanted to be friends with him. "Germany is a big place," I nodded understandingly. "I am from the west part of it, most specifically, Bavaria."
"I am sorry, I haven't heard of it," I shrugged.
"Yeah, because it's 'typical German' and more on the conservative side. Not as famous as Berlin or Cologne. He explained. "Where are you from?"
"Would you like to venture a guess?" I said cockily.
"Will it be racist if I say I think Japan?" He squinted his eyes.
I smiled, "I am from Korea, Busan."
"Oh, same as Jimin sir?" Ulrich's eyes shone suddenly as if he had a good reputation of Busan in his eyes. Thanks to whoever this Jimin was.
"Who's Jimin?"
"He is now a fourth-year student, quite popular here. Mostly for his looks," Ulrich squinted his eyes as he looked in a certain direction. I thought he was done but he kept going. "Dancing skills... Good grades... And definitely his half-yearly hair color."
I laughed comically at the information. "What's the half-yearly hair color?"
"He changes his hair color every semester. He is the only one, I think. But no one says anything to him, mostly because they don't wanna come off as racist since he is, you know... A model student and also... From your country."
"Sounds like a clown to me," I got up, walked over to pick up the bags that I let fall, and then looked at my side of the bed. It was... Really small.
"Nuh, you will change your opinion once you see him," Ulrich stood from his side and walked over to mine. "Are you going to unpack?"
When I didn't answer, he shook my shoulder. "What's wrong? Started missing your own room?" He had a smile on his lips that wasn't teasing, but understanding.
"Kind of," I sighed and rethought my decision. Should I have taken the VIP dorm?
"Don't unpack. Let's go somewhere."
Where?"
"Anywhere, it's very sunny and bright. We can leave now and we can reach Fehrman Island before it gets dark."
I scrunched up my face as my confusion turned bigger. "What about the classes?"
"Oh, classes don't really start until three weeks. Moreover, it's orientation time for freshmen. It's really just for all this organization stuff that comes up, to you know, settle down. But I can tell you more than that." Ulrich replied and waited for me to say something.
I smirked. "Tell me more about this Farman island."
"It's not Farman... It's Fehrman," he pointed out in an accent. "It has farm animals, goats on green grass, cheese, beaches, but most importantly, cheap beer."
I wasn't really sure. I asked myself. "Will my parents be happy to learn that I bunked the orientation to go and have fun on some goat island?" No.
"But will I be happy to learn that I bunked the orientation to go and have fun on some goat island, learned a little bit about German culture, made a new friend, and drank a lot of beer?" Yes.
"Let's do it!" I beamed at Ulrich.
"Yoo-hoo!" Taking out his phone, he immediately began to click on something.
"You know, if you were Japanese, I'd tell you one thing. But it's okay because I am going to tell you anyway," Ulrich announced while browsing. "Bigger cities of Germany have a huge influence from cultures like Japan, Turkey, or Morocco. My city is a little on a conservative side but there are places that have a Japan day dedicated to Japanese festivals and such to establish the culture further in the society."
I felt bizarrely euphoric as he went on for a long time. "What about the people? Do they date foreigners?" I obviously asked the question of my interest.
"You shouldn't worry about that, dude. Girls drool over Koreans not only in Germany, but I think all over the world," it hit a nerve. Should I just come out in front of him? "But yeah... I think certain local straight individuals thrive under their predominantly white friends group. They just have the vibe of racists and narcissists... I can't describe it. I mean you would be mad if I took your food, right? I guess it's the same thing. People here are also not open about sexuality. You get called names for being gay."
I didn't know if Ulrich learned what I wanted to ask, but what was even different? It was the same as back home.
I stayed quiet and let my mind wrap around the information I'd received. A question came to my mind. "How do you know about Jimin?" I tentatively asked.
Ulrich slid his phone into his pocket. "Call him 'sir' because he is the fourth year. I know him because he tutored me for a few months. Also, he and my cousin are dating."
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11 Jan, 2022