Can I Kiss You? - Dahl
Jungkook
The university enrolled only geniuses. International or national students. As I sat in the examination hall, I took a breather to look around. Everyone was immersed in writing, focusing, and drawing on the answer sheets, and I spaced out. It didn't take me much effort to understand any subject, I've known it since I began to understand modesty. I was extraordinary, but here, in the sea of extraordinary, I was only an ordinary student who was participating in the same race.
All four subjects were tough, but the last one gave us a reprieve. My eyes took in the long rows of students who sat stiffly in the same position like they were machines. The examiner walked over to my desk and cleared his throat. That did it. I re-focused on my paper.
An hour later, the time was up. I walked over to the podium to submit my paper and found Ulrich behind two people. Getting out of the exam room, I waited for him. The other rooms also had students walking out.
While juniors had classes conducted on the ground floor, the second years were on the first floor, and so on. Jimin's classes were on the third floor as he was a fourth-year student. The building had eight floors. The topmost floor had laboratories and a library, and the seventh floor was only open for exams. All students had a separate room, but we were all on the same floor. The seventh floor also had a big auditorium that I heard was used for auditions. There was a similar auditorium on the ground floor, but that was solely used for educational purposes. "How did it go?" I heard Ulrich's overzealous voice. There was a glow on his face which was so rare I found myself mesmerized.
"I hope I pass." I grinned.
"You'll more than pass." He slapped my back, hard. The strength was new too. Ulrich was never a handsy person, but I believed it had to do with a sense of relief and accomplishment.
One semester done, eleven more to go.
Jimin startled me with his voice. He was also looking fresh, like the tree glowing in the first ray of sun after a whole night of torrential rain. "How did it go?" He asked us generally, his voice carrying more sincerity. Of course, he tutored us on so many occasions. Taehyung Hyung too, who was now hanging out with his group when I glanced back. His eyes met mine and I awkwardly smiled. That widened his eyes for a beat before I looked away, seeing in my peripheral vision that he began approaching us.
We smiled and nodded in response. I couldn't focus on Jimin's words as I registered his fragrance, faint tonka beans, Dahlia, and some spice.
"Hi," Taehyung Hyung approached, his entire focus on me.
I looked up at him and smiled. "Hi, Hyung."
"Ulrich, could you walk with me to my dorm?" I heard Jimin and I nearly reached over to grab his wrist to stop him.
"So... Still not talking to me?" Taehyung Hyung asked, his eyes a little crazy and a lot desperate, but he masked his facial expression with a buoyant smile.
For the first time, I felt it. His infatuation with me. I must have been blind not to realize it sooner. He was always the one who put his foot forward to talk to me or even offer help. Jimin never directly extended the same privileges to me as he did to Ulrich. I felt mad. I didn't know at whom was my anger directed, but this had to be a sick joke of the universe.
It made me wonder if Jimin was aware of it. Did Taehyung Hyung ask him to help me out with the job, too? Did he ask him to give me the check for Ulrich? It definitely left a bitter taste in my mouth, but that didn't mean that the infinitesimal moments I had with Jimin were weak. He looked genuinely worried when I almost passed out in the gym, on the night of the fire. Still, the truth wasn't changed. Jimin didn't want anything to do with me, not in a way that mattered to me anyway.
"How were your exams, Hyung?" I asked instead.
"You know, as always," he ushered me towards the length of the corridor and I started walking dumbly. "Stairs?" He asked.
I nodded.
We kept descending round and round, the set of stairs coming into view again and again as we moved. I only hummed or scarcely answered the basic questions that Hyung asked me until we hit the ground floor.
We halted when we found Ulrich and Jimin laughing. Jimin's arm was on Ulrich's shoulder and my friend was respectfully nodding his head. He was such a good boy. Always maintaining a distance, always referring to them as 'sir,' and always taking their suggestions to heart.
Could I also be like him? I've been like him all my life, listening to my father, and doing things to make him happy, but I didn't think that was me anymore. I needed some fire in my life, passion. A dedication to go after something I wanted. The more I realized how strongly I felt for Jimin, the more I rebelled against my own authority.
I was so immersed in my thoughts that I only caught the word 'leaving' from their conversation. "When do you leave for home, Jungkook?" Jimin was asking me now, the earlier laugh still buzzing on his face.
"I haven't -" my words broke and I looked at everyone one by one. They all seemed to be horrified that I didn't have vacation plans. "When are you guys leaving?" I knew Ulrich was leaving for home the next morning.
"Tonight," That was Taehyung Hyung.
My body moved to align with Jimin's. My eyes oppugned. He heaved a small sigh and said. "I am stuck here for two days." There was sadness behind his words, but I was almost ashamed that I found comfort in it. If he was here for two days, it meant that I could hang out with him alone.
Then I remembered. Rosenow. When was she leaving? "Oh," I found myself saying. "Too bad. You'll be on your own."
"Yeah," he confirmed. "It's alright. I guess I'll catch up with sleep."
"What about dinner tonight? Together?" I suggested. "Before you guys leave."
Ulrich's muscles stiffened. I was always dragging him into uncomfortable situations. I almost felt bad about it, but he needed to mingle with people more. He had a brilliant mind, and a little networking with seniors never hurt anyone, especially when the said seniors were eye candy."
"Sure," Jimin confirmed first. "I'll call Rose."
"Just us boys," Taehyung snatched the phone from Jimin's hand.
I wanted to kiss the hell out of him then. I love you, Taehyung Hyung. I love you. But, you know... Not like that.
**
After we separated, I wanted to eat my weight in the late lunch, but suddenly my hunger was the last thing my body cared about. I was making plans for the next two days.
When we returned to our temporary VVIP dorms, which my father had moved us in, I helped Ulrich pack. I had so much excited energy in me that I didn't know how to spend it.
We drank beers, just one each, which we had saved for exactly tonight. I couldn't accomplish much before the skies turned dark again. These dorms were on the backside of the cafeteria. We could watch the entire acre of land on which the university stood tall. The wilderness on the back side window was oddly terrifying and calming, depending on the time of the day one looked at it.
The shower took only some time, but getting ready was my favorite part. I carefully picked out my mismatched outfit and boots. I even decided to wear make-up. I wasn't really a heavy make-up guy, but sometimes, I loved wearing fragrant moisturizers, nude-toned eye shadow, and lip tints. It wasn't extreme, but the regime made me feel incredible.
Gel in my hair, and my skin wafting lovely notes of jasmine, I walked out with Ulrich's bag. He followed behind and closed the door shut. "Are you sure you don't want to come with me?" He asked me. "My parents will be cool. I promise."
"No, man. Maybe some other time. I really want to spend some time alone."
"Think again, Jungkook. There really won't be anyone here. You'll hardly see any humans on campus. It will be kinda scary honestly. The cafeteria will be closed, too.
"I appreciate your efforts of trying to scare me, but I am not going to spend my three weeks here," I laughed. "I said I want to have some time alone. I didn't say I'll be stuck here for good. I might go somewhere warm. Travel."
"Don't you miss your family?" He asked suddenly.
"Of course, I do." Obviously, I did. At the same time, there was something so freeing to decide on my own. My father had already asked me multiple times if I wanted a jet to fly back home, but I denied it because I wanted to stay back and get a little study done before the next semester started.
I didn't know what I wanted to do in these three weeks of holidays. Like I told Ulrich, I could travel and then go home, or do nothing at all. I was going to follow my heart. He cursed softly, something about his bus ticket, and began wildly patting his pockets, pulling me out of my thoughts.
We soon reached the restaurant. My lovely seniors were already there as I took a seat right in front of Jimin. Taehyung Hyung slid beside me, so Ulrich had no choice but to sit with Jimin. "Are others joining?" I asked.
"No," Jimin looked up from his phone screen and locked it. "Hoseok already left and Christoph must be stoned somewhere."
I nodded, suddenly nervous as his gaze smack dabbed swept all over me. He must have noticed my lip tint, or not. "It's my treat," I cleared my throat as several eyes pinned me in place. "Thanks for helping me with the job." I told Jimin. "Thanks for tolerating me." I threw at Ulrich. "And Hyung." I turned to look at Taehyung Hyung. "Thanks for always being there."
He smiled, his eyes unable to pry away. They felt like steel cages. I wondered to outsiders looking in, could they make out Taehyung Hyung's infatuation or did I look oblivious? Of course, I wasn't anymore, but curiosity grabbed me by the shoulders. Did Jimin think I was clueless about Taehyung Hyung's advances? Or did he think I was stringing him along on purpose? No matter, I was going to act clueless. Sorry, Taehyung Hyung.
I ordered drinks, lots of drinks. Ulrich didn't touch alcohol. Taehyung Hyung also said that if he drank, he would be up the entire flight home, and he badly wanted to sleep after multiple sleepless nights of studying. That left Jimin. He didn't drink because at least one person needed to be sober to drive back to the dorms.
I, on the other hand, knocked my senses off enough for him to offer me a lift —not that he would leave me alone to find my way back to the dorms myself. Right?
I needed an excuse to crash at his place tonight.
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13 Jun, 2023