Q/A: What is your biggest regret in life?
******************************************
Sure enough, Jungkook volunteered to run the suicide lane in the 2nd round. Taehyung was going to solo the middle lane again, so Jimin joined Suho and Beom Seok to take care of the top lane.
When it came to gaming with guys, you spoke with your skills, so the other 3 now had a whole new level of respect for Jimin and treated him a lot more warmly.
After the game started, Suho and Beom Seok were still basking in the afterglow of the last match, and having seen how strong Jimin was, started chatting with him.
Commander of Light: 0, what's your locality?
JM: gg
My Little Sister Can't Be Younger Than Me By 3 Months: 0, how many years have you played DotA?
JM: 2
My Little Sister Can't Be Younger Than Me By 3 Months: I've also played for 2 years, why do I feel like you're much more amazing? How did you get so strong?
JM: Practiced a lot.
My Little Sister Can't Be Younger Than Me By 3 Months: ......
Jimin's responses were all very concise.
However, saying that he "practiced a lot" wasn't him pretending to be cool, but what he actually did.
Back then, it's true that Jimin downloaded DotA because of Taehyung, but he didn't treat this as a casual endeavor.
Whatever he did, he aimed to do it well, and with DotA, that meant winning.
In order to raise his skills, he had read a bunch tutorials, analyzed video replays by pros, and practiced all kinds of techniques and mouse controls.
Since he was small, learning piano had polished his perseverance into a sharp blade, so the tasks that others found dull were per the norm for him.
Also, games requiring keyboard usage was similar to playing the piano. If there was a combo he couldn't pull off, then all he needed to do was practice, 100 times, 200 times, all the way until he could do it perfectly, until it became a reflex.
But most people only played for fun and didn't have that kind of dedication. Therefore, Jimin was able to become better than most after putting in some extra work.
Plus, he got accepted into F University so his grades couldn't have been bad, and as someone who excelled in both his studies and gaming, on top of having such a cool temperament, Beom Seok and the others couldn't help but admire him.
Suho extended a metaphorical olive branch, wanting to pull such a strong player into his own circle:
Commander of Light: 0, do you usually play with a set team?
JM: no
Some of Jimin's former classmates also played DotA, but it was too much of a hassle to play together. Improving one's own skills didn't require teamwork, so Jimin mostly went at it alone.
My Little Sister Can't Be Younger Than Me By 3 Months: Then 0, why don't you play w/ us from now on?
As soon as he saw this, Jimin stopped moving.
Suho and Beom Seok also paused, thinking that the other was going to say no, but after 5 seconds, they saw this appear in the chat:
JM: Ok, but stop calling me 0.
Suho & Beom Seok: Dramatic_Anime_Falling_Over_In_Shock.gif
Neither of them understood why Jimin didn't like this short and easy to type nickname.
Only Taehyung, who also knew of its double meaning, felt his eyelid twitch.
Although the impression Jimin gave people was that of a straight male, yet Taehyung couldn't help but think: If Jimin was gay, he's probably also a 1......
Just as his imagination was running wild, Jungkook's call for help appeared:
Moonight God: FML, I'm almost about to get blown away! Yet you guys still have the audacity to chat! Someone get over here and help me!
This round, the two teams were pretty evenly matched, so of course it was impossible for Jungkook to win 1 vs 3, and he was continuously pushed back.
After the 3rd time he died and was resurrected, he saw that those guys were still chatting away, and thus exploded in anger.
However, Jungkook's anguish did not gain him any sympathy. Suho even laughed at him:
Commander of Light: Lolol, why you try?
My Little Sister Can't Be Younger Than Me By 3 Months: To choose the 3rd position, you must be mentally prepared to sacrifice yourself. Accept your fate!
Moonight God: Fuck your effing sister!
My Little Sister Can't Be Younger Than Me By 3 Months: Let's go!
Moonight God: You beast! That's your sister!
Commander of Light: Loony Tae, go AF your little YueYue, he's about to rage quit.
Taehyung's eye twitched. For the first time ever, he was ashamed of having this group of friends that had no morals to speak of.
He dearly wished that Jimin would simply ignore all this, but who knew that the usually taciturn man would ask in a bout of curiosity:
JM: What does AF mean?
Taehyung: "......"
My Little Sister Can't Be Younger Than Me By 3 Months: HAHAHAHAHAHA
Commander of Light: AF = anal fuck = lovingly fondle
Moonight God: Come at me Loony Tae, passionately, lovingly fondle me!
......
Jimin was quite shocked.
Although they lived in an era that was relatively open, but the high school he went to had a very upright atmosphere. Even if there were fujoshi or guys who acted gay on purpose, there were very few who would be so brazen about it.
Of course, that might have had to do with Jimin's himself. Ever since he realized his sexuality, he was careful about maintaining a distance between his male classmates, so very few would even joke around with him.
Now, watching these people chat, it was like opening the door to a whole new world!
He never expected that the way Taehyung and his friends interacted was so.....unrestrained.
Was it possible that this was the correct way for straight guys to act around each other?
Thinking back to Sung Hoon and Taehyung attitude towards that forum post, Jimin belatedly came to a realization. Turns out, whether it was those matching bowls, or that status on WhatsApp, or that teasing question at Loverbirds Lake, or that gossip thread, all of it was just him, as a fake straight male, overthinking things.
...I see, so a straight guy living in the 21st century wouldn't mind these kind of jokes at all.
To that comment from Jungkook, Taehyung had replied with:
A Mapleleaf's Dance of Madness: Go die.
Jimin had secretly glanced at Taehyung, and saw that the other was smiling as usual without a hint of discomfort.
......As expected, he wasn't offended.
For the rest of the game, Jimin, who just had his world views shattered, carefully observed how Taehyung and his friends interacted while reconstructing his understanding of things.
Playing games together was the easiest and quickest way to become friends. Taehyung was already strong, and now with the addition of Jimin, they pretty much didn't lose any matches.
After a night of gaming, Jimin and the others had become a lot more familiar. At the end, Suho took the initiative to ask Jimin for his WhatsApp and IG, which prompted everyone else to follow suit.
Jimin couldn't refuse, so he gave them his WhatsApp number and IG too.
Beom Seok specifically made a gaming group and promised to play together again next time.
For all of Taehyung's preventative efforts, in the end, they still got Jimin's WhatsApp.
After that, it was about time to wash up and go to bed.
Jimin and Taehyung took a shower one after the other, and then Taehyung asked Jimin to help him apply medicine.
Exposure creates immunity, and this time, Jimin's heart was a lot calmer. Except, during the applying process, his entire mind was filled with that "anal fuck" he saw in the chat, and almost got hard.
Next, they switched out their mats. Jimin hesitated over what to do with the straw mat he had used for only one night. He wasn't allergic, so throwing it away was a waste, but there wasn't a point in keeping it either.
Sung Hoon saw this and said, "You guys don't need your old mats, right? Can you give them to me? I'll recycle it for you."
Taehyung laughed, "If you want it, take it, what recycle... I actually need to thank you for saving me a trip downstairs to throw it away."
Seeing Taehyung this straightforward, Jimin also gave his mat to Sung Hoon, though when he handed it over, a thought flashed through his mind: Sung Hoon wouldn't be planning to pass these off as new mats to sell, right?
Well, although that felt a bit wrong, Jimin wasn't a die-hard moralist. A mat that had only been slept on once wasn't that much different from a brand new one, so he let it be.
After getting in bed, Jimin curled up in his blankets and opened ig, quickly scrolling through Jungkook, Suho, and Beom Seok's status for the purpose of finding posts about Taehyung.
And he found a gold mine!
Especially Jungkook's ig. About 1/3 of his posts had something to do with Taehyung, and he also posted a lot of their photos. Going out to eat, singing karaoke, playing ball... On campus, off campus, it had everything.
Compared to the the carefully selected photos that Taehyung shared, Jungkook seemed to post any random picture he took. If it wasn't for Taehyung's high-spec looks and 360 degree photogenic prowess, his image would probably have been ruined by this "helpful" friend of his.
In comparison, Suho and Beom Seok didn't post much about Taehyung, and from this, Jimin could tell that Jungkook and Taehyung's relationship was closer.
Having collected a whole pile of new photos, he looked through them like a crazed fanboy, almost bursting with happiness. Ahh, he looks hot in this one, he looks hot in that one too...
But at the same time, he couldn't curb his growing jealousy of Jungkook, of his many years of friendship with Taehyung, of how they could joke around without any boundaries......
This kind of jealousy was completely different from the uncomfortable feeling Jimin harbored towards all those girls rumored to have dated Taehyung.
After all, friendship was friendship and love was love, and Taehyung never had delusions about crossing that line.
In the realm of friendship, achieving the same status as Jungkook in Taehyung's heart was all that he dreamed of and more.
During the game earlier, he had heard that Jungkook and Suho would be going to study in England come September, and Beom Seok was leaving for Canada next week.
Proximity breeds intimacy, so Jimin couldn't resist thinking, since Jungkook was leaving and Taehyung seemed to like him well enough, shouldn't he grasp this opportunity to try and take the other's place in Taehyung's life?
As soon as this thought formed, it was like the spark that ignited a raging fire.
With his heart beating like a drum, Jimin gathered his blankets around him, and a determined light flashed across his eyes.
The next morning, Taehyung groggily woke up, and by reflex, grabbed his phone to look at the time while habitually opening his ig notifications.
Seeing the new notifs, his sleepiness immediately dispersed.
Last night, Jimin had given his "new friend" post a like, and even replied with a smiley.
Taehyung couldn't stop grinning foolishly, and seeing the adjacent bed empty, knew that Jimin woke up earlier than him again.
He looked over the railing and saw the other changing below, revealing a slender waistline as he took off his shirt. Taehyung felt an itch in his heart, then called out the other's name.
Jimin looked up and smiled at him: "Awake?"
Taehyung: "......"
After he climbed down, Jimin then asked, "Is your back better?
Taehyung: "Yeah, a lot better......"
......What was going on? Why did he feel like today's Jimin was somewhat different from yesterday's Jimin?
Sung Hoon was also up, and after he came out of the bathroom, Taehyung went in.
Seeing that it was already past 9, Sung Hoon frowned and asked, "Dude, why hasn't our last roommate arrived yet? The class assembly starts at 10, is he not going to attend?"
Jimin finished changing his clothes and took out a pair of glasses from his drawer: "No idea. Taehyung has his number, we can have him ask in a bit."
That pair of glasses had an extremely thin titanium frame, and when Jimin wore it, he looked even more scholarly with an added touch of severity, giving off an aura of asceticism.
When Taehyung came out of the bathroom, he froze: "You're...nearsighted?"
Jimin: "A bit, it's not very strong."
Taehyung stared at him for two whole seconds, then smiled, "You look even cooler with glasses."
Jimin: "......"
Taehyung had heard their convo earlier, so he pulled out his phone and texted KiBum, receiving an immediate reply:
Lee QiBum: I'm eating breakfast with my parents and won't have time to return to the dorm first. I'll go directly to the assembly hall later.
After reading this, Taehyung saw Jimin pull out an A4 sized sheet of paper, and thus asked, "What's that?"
Jimin: "Speech notes."
"......Speech notes?" Sung Hoon turned around when he heard this: "Holy shit, you're the new student representative?"
Jimin: "Yes......"
Normally, universities would choose the student who entered with the highest score as the new student representative and have them make a speech. As a self-proclaimed "info broker", of course Sung Hoon knew about this.
But he never expected that the random people assigned to his room would turn out to be so outstanding. Two super handsome guys, one who's probably going to be the future campus idol, and the other was their grade's new student representative!
With this, Sung Hoon grew even more keen about the appearance of their 4th roommate, because standing next to these two pretty much made him invisible.
Curious, Taehyung got up close and looked at the paper: "When did you prepare this?"
The fresh and minty smell of toothpaste mixed with Taehyung's unique aroma assaulted Jimin's senses, and for a split second there, he couldn't even breathe. "A week prior...a professor gave me a call."
To Jimin, resisting the pheromones of the person he liked at such a close distance was quite the arduous task, but since he already made his decision, he was prepared to have his will tested.
He can endure Taehyung smiling at him.
He can endure Taehyung being near him.
And if Taehyung wanted to put an arm around his shoulder, he thinks he'd be able to endure that too.
If he couldn't, then how could they continue as friends?
...To remain calm even in the face of death, this was the correct way straight guys interacted with one another.
—
[A small interlude]
System: [Your friend, Park "Scheming" Jimin is online.]
Taehyung: "......"
—
Jimin: Hurry up and go lovingly fondle your friend.
Taehyung (maintaining a smile): I only want to lovingly fondle you.
Jimin (expressionless): Come, step up your love, fondle me.
Taehyung: ..................!!! (With a heart on the verge of imploding: I've told you so many times now, if you keep talking like that, sooner or later you'll get screwed by me!)
[[Man, I wish all straight ppl were so open about gay jokes. MC has now spectacularly misunderstood how straight ppl interact lmao~ ML is in for so much suffering in the future, good luck bro.]]
A/N: don't forget to vote.......................