It was almost July, which meant graduation and the departure of the seniors, NamJoon and SeokJin included.
Since Taehyung and Jimin could be considered their friends, Taehyung suggested that they invite those 2 out to eat. Jimin agreed, also inviting NamJoon's girlfriend Yoona and her close friend A Yeon. Although they were only juniors, one was Taehyung's club president and the other was Jimin's club president, both of which offered a lot of guidance and support.
SeokJin asked Taehyung if he could bring his girlfriend too, and Taehyung happily agreed: "Of course, bring her by all means!"
Taehyung enjoyed lively events, so he then also invited the other campus anchor he met in the student council, Jong Hyun, someone NamJoon personally suggested as his co-host.
That weekend, their group sat around a huge table in a restaurant near the west gate.
Other than SeokJin's girlfriend, the others all knew each other beforehand. Seeing her, NamJoon sat next to SeokJin and asked in a low voice, "Changed again?"
That girl had a head of large, wavy hair and a sexy body, dressed fashionably, and looked quite well match with the handsome SeokJin.
SeokJin: "So what of it?"
NamJoon smiled: "You're not going to introduce her?"
SeokJin lightly coughed, then said, "This is Shin Yeji, my girlfriend. She goes to S City's teacher-training college, a junior."
Everyone welcomed her warmly. Yeji swept her gaze around the table, and seeing the other 3 guys, exclaimed w/ hearts in her eyes, "Are all the guys at F University this hot? If I had known earlier, I would have risked my life to get into F University!"
A Yeon laughed out loud: "Girl, you don't know, but the hottest guys in our entire school are all sitting here right now. What you're seeing isn't the average, but the best of the best." She pointed towards Taehyung and Jimin: "Those two, one's the current Campus Idol, the other's our journalism department's Department Idol. They're both mysterious people you normally could barely catch a glimpse of."
Due to A Yeon's words, Yeji covered her mouth and laughed. They were all young, so they quickly got comfortable w/ chatting.
Yoona teased SeokJin: "You sure have the skills. Not even picking from your own university, but stretching your hands to steal from another. Her college's on the other side of the city, so how did you two meet?"
SeokJin: "I have former classmates there. When I went to play a while back, we got to know each other on accident."
NamJoon laughed at him: "You sure do a lot of things 'on accident'."
SeokJin glared at him and picked up his cup to clink against the other's: "You shut your mouth."
Not only did NamJoon not shut his mouth, he even said to Yeji: "Sister yo, you'd better keep your eyes on this guy. Don't be fooled by his looks, he's a fickle little skirt-chaser. In the 4 years I've known him, he's changed girlfriends 4 times. If you feel he's not treating you seriously enough, dump him fast. Don't let him hurt you first."
SeokJin banged his cup on the table: "Oi oi, can you not badmouth me right in front of my face?"
NamJoon raised an eyebrow: "Did you, or did you not, change girlfriends 4 times?"
SeokJin: "That... It didn't work out ok!"
NamJoon: "Then tell me how long the longest one lasted."
"4 months... 3 months?" SeokJin suddenly realized his mistake and roared, "Fuck, you're just digging holes for me to jump in!"
Everyone laughed, and with just this short convo, NamJoon already established that SeokJin was a womanizer.
Jimin inwardly thought: Compared to this former Campus Idol, Taehyung's pretty much an innocent little bun.
However, every girl in love probably thought they'd be the one to finally cure a fickle heart, so Yeji didn't take NamJoon's warning seriously and treated it as a joke.
Yeji then looked towards the girls next to Taehyung and Jimin and asked out of curiosity while completely misunderstanding, "Are you guys couples too?"
The 4 of them quickly refuted. A Yeon pointed towards Taehyung and Jimin with a wicked smile: "They're the actual couple."
Yeji blanked out for a bit before realizing what that meant.
Taehyung grasped Jimin's hand and introduced, "He's my boyfriend."
Yeji covered her mouth w/ her hand, not hiding her astonishment at all: "You're...homosexual?"
Taehyung and Jimin shared a glance, then nodded.
Seeing this, everyone was shocked, including A Yeon: "Oh my god, you guys weren't joking around?"
Due to the precedence of the previous Campus Idol SeokJin and NamJoon's rumors, even though Jimin getting kissed by Taehyung was known throughout the school, most people still thought they weren't for real. Taehyung and Jimin didn't care to make a big deal out of it and continued to stay low-key.
The ppl here today only thought that Taehyung and Jimin's relationship was good and never expected them to come out like that in front of someone from another school.
SeokJin also stared at them in disbelief: "Holy fuck, you guys are really together?"
Taehyung: "That's right. Jimin and I are different from you and Senior Namjoon. We're really dating."
NamJoon & SeokJin: "......"
The only person not shocked was Yoona. Smiling happily, she told them that last year when they met on Christmas in that restaurant, she knew there was something fishy b/t Taehyung and Jimin.
She looked at NamJoon and SeokJin before sighing, "A real gay couple sure is different from a fake one. No matter how suggestive you two act, you can't even compare to the sweetness of them sharing a single glance."
NamJoon almost spit out his wine: "Other than you, who else even fantasizes all day about her boyfriend being gay w/ another guy?"
Taehyung was quite curious, thus asked, "Senior Jin and Senior Namjoon both have girlfriends, so President, why would you fantasize about them being together?"
In his eyes, NamJoon and SeokJin couldn't be more "straight".
Yoona grew excited: "Aiya, you don't know, but those two have done a whole bunch of very gay things!"
NamJoon set down his cup: "Today, you'd better explain to our faces just how SeokJin and I acted gay."
"That's right, that's right." SeokJin even put down his chopsticks.
Yoona crossed her arms confidently: "I entered school a year after you guys, but I heard that during your freshman year, when Jin accidentally twisted his foot, NamJoon carried him on his back to class for two whole weeks. Did that happen?"
NamJoon frankly admitted: "Yes. But that was just helping out a classmate."
Yoona shot him a sideways glance: "Why did you carry him and not someone else? You weren't even roommates w/ SeokJin."
Hearing this, even NamJoon paused, then looked towards SeokJin: "Hey, why did you ask me to carry you back then?"
SeokJin retorted: "What do you mean I asked you to carry me? It was clearly you who volunteered to carry me, ok!"
NamJoon thought back: "When you twisted your foot, I was the only person nearby. You were screaming like a pig getting slaughtered, so if I didn't carry you, was I suppose to abandon you there? So of course I volunteered to send you back to your dorm, but after that, you kept clinging to me."
SeokJin: "Fuck you, weren't you the class monitor? Your classmate got hurt and you were planning to watch from the sidelines?"
NamJoon snorted: "I certainly didn't watch from the sidelines. I even suggested you find a stick as a cane and make do, but you didn't want to lose face in front of other people, and wanting to maintain your image, insisted that I carry you to class everyday. Or did you forget?"
SeokJin's cheeks turned a bit red: "Lies! If it wasn't b/c you were tall and had the strength, who'd ask you."
NamJoon shrugged and looked towards Yoona: "Alright, he was the one who wanted me to carry him. I'm innocent."
SeokJin: "......"
Everyone thought this was pretty normal. To be fair, Taehyung felt that if he was NamJoon, he'd help SeokJin too.
Yoona said to NamJoon: "During your sophomore year, the 1st time you hosted an event, SeokJin also sang. When he finished, you princess carried him off the stage, remember? That was something I personally witnessed."
Everyone else was taken aback. Yeji gasped, "Princess carry???"
A Yeon also remembered and excitedly added, "Ahh, I remember! That was such a shock to baby me who had just started college! Just like when Taehyung and Jimin played their duet last year, the entire audience exploded!"
NamJoon expression was a bit strange while SeokJin had covered his eyes as if he never wanted to remember that again.
But the others wouldn't let them off that easily and all started gossiping.
NamJoon bit the bullet and explained: "Do you still remember what song SeokJin sung?"
A Yeon: "Nope. It was kind of a rap, and sounded quite nice......"
It was ''." NamJoon cleared his throat and hummed a few lines.
"You're out of tune!" SeokJin interrupted him and corrected, "It's, 'Where should I go find my love, do you want my heart or not, I don't want you to argue with me, if only you understood'......"
A Yeon: "Right right, that's the one!"
SeokJin continued to sing: "Where should I go find my love, are my words important, I only want you to come and, give a hug..."
Singing to here, he and NamJoon's gazes met, passion instantly radiating out. NamJoon opened his arms and said, "Come, hug me."
SeokJin: "......"
SeokJin: "Fuck you asshole!"
Everyone broke out in laughter, and even Taehyung and Jimin couldn't bear to look at this scene straight on.
After that joke, the two of them weren't so awkward anymore and NamJoon smiled: "I think it was due to the atmosphere at the time. The audience was yelling 'Give a hug', so I did."
SeokJin: "But you shouldn't have gone w/ a princess carry! My illustrious reputation was completely ruined by that 'hug' of yours!"
NamJoon: "Then what was I suppose to do? Lift you up like a baby? How stupid would that be!"
Everyone else was doubling over in laughter. SeokJin looked to the ceiling, speechless, as if he would never love again. In any case, ever since that happened, the rumors about them being gay never stopped.
NamJoon shrugged and argued, "What happens onstage doesn't count. The ambience and atmosphere means that your actions aren't your own." He looked towards Taehyung: "You should have experience with this. Didn't you also kiss Jimin on impulse?"
Taehyung innocently replied, "No, I'm different. At that time, I already liked Jimin."
Jimin: "......"
NamJoon wanted to spit out a mouth full of blood. Looking at Taehyung's pure and simple smile, he personally experienced what it felt like to get screwed over by an airhead......
Yoona continued to make fun of them as everyone else laughed. She mentioned a few more of their escapades, like how despite being the Campus Idol, SeokJin holed up in his room all day, and even needed NamJoon to bring him food. Or like, when she, NamJoon, Jin, and Jin's ex-girlfriend went out to travel, SeokJin needed NamJoon to pick out his clothes for him everyday to judge whether it was hot or not, and every little thing he did required NamJoon's help. In the end, it felt more like he and NamJoon were the real lovers, and Yoona and that other girl were background mobs......
After a whole slew of things, even Yeji started looking at NamJoon and SeokJin somewhat differently.
But this entire convo held a joking mood, and after listening, NamJoon even retorted w/ a grin: "Look, everything's him coming to look for me. I have nothing to do with any of it."
SeokJin: "Oh, so it's my fault? If you think I'm annoying, then refuse. From what I saw, you were plenty happy about helping with this and that."
NamJoon cursed in jest: "Screw you!"
Yoona used her index finger to point at SeokJin: "You're the one bullying my family's super nice NamJoon!"
Grimacing, SeokJin poured a cup of wine and said to NamJoon: "Alright, Namjoon Bro, let me toast you. Thank you for all your care these 4 years."
Hearing this, NamJoon remembered their upcoming graduation. They'd go their own way and probably won't see each other often anymore, so he also raised his cup: "Yeah, from now on, if something comes up, call me. This is my toast to you."
With a "Stop stealing my lines", SeokJin threw back his head and drank the whole cup.
Parting was eminent. Everyone offered their congratulations, and as SeokJin thought back to all that happened these 4 years, he couldn't help but feel a bit sentimental, so throwing an arm around NamJoon, they started drinking cup after cup.
After a few rounds, they both got a bit drunk, and their convo also turned more and more sappy.
SeokJin sincerely expressed: "Bro, I'll miss you."
NamJoon: "Me too......"
SeokJin, his voice hoarse: "I feel like from now on, I'll never meet anyone as good as you......"
NamJoon: "What are you saying, idiot. Your girlfriend is sitting right there. You're this handsome and worried that no one will treat you well?"
SeokJin belted out: "That's different! Women are women! Bros are bros!"
NamJoon: "You have straight male cancer."
SeokJin: "Lies, I don't have straight male cancer! If I did, would your wife still fantasize about us being together?"
NamJoon, speechless: "......Straight male cancer doesn't mean straight male."
Thinking of an idea to tease the other, SeokJin giggled: "Hey, since Sis Yoona already fantasized about you being w/ me, if we don't really do something suggestive, wouldn't that be letting her down?"
NamJoon, on guard: "What do you want to do?"
SeokJin drank a mouthful of oily and numbing pickled veggie soup: "We've been gossiped about for 4 years, so let's take this opportunity before graduation to officiate that rep. Come come come, give me one and let me experience what a guy's kiss tastes like!"
Saying this, he puckered his super oily lips and moved closer to NamJoon purely out of mischief.
The entire table instantly became interested, slapping the table and chanting: "Kiss! Kiss!"
NamJoon pushed SeokJin's face away while half-cursing: "Our girlfriends are both right here. You might not care but I do!"
Yoona was all smiles and flowers: "As long as Jin's girlfriend doesn't mind, I certainly don't mind hahaha!"
At first, Yeji was a bit stupefied, but hearing Yoona say that, also agreed, "I don't mind either."
SeokJin shrugged his shoulders and laughed w/ glee: "See, you coward, scared now huh? Straight male cancer is referring to people like you. If you were really straight, what are you afraid of, it's not like a kiss will turn you gay—"
Right at this point, everyone witness NamJoon putting down his cup and suddenly sealing Jin's lips with his own.
After a beat of silence, a shrill squeal erupted: "AHHHHHHHHHH!" Yoona was already so excited she could faint.
That kiss lasted for barely a second. SeokJin finally came back to himself and jumped out of his chair, letting out a string of "Fuck"s while rubbing his lips w/ napkins and using beer to rinse out his mouth: "Are you crazy! Didn't you know I was just joking with you ahhh!"
NamJoon also used his hand to wipe his lips: "You asked for it, dumbass."
SeokJin's entire face was beet red: "What asked for it! What, you'd kiss anyone who asks!?"
NamJoon narrowed his eyes and remained silent while taking a drink.
This prank washed away most of the sentimental mood from earlier, but soon, SeokJin got completely drunk. His entire body leaned against NamJoon while crying his eyes out with snot and everything, completely ruining his image.
The group had already gotten used to their "deep brotherly love" at this point.
After they split, NamJoon helplessly asked, "Should I carry him back first?"
Yoona nodded in consideration: "I'll help Yeji get a taxi......"
Awkwardness flashed across Yeji's face: "That, if I go back now, the school's gates would already be closed. I think I'd better find a hotel nearby. I-I can take care of Jin......"
NamJoon: "Alright, then I'll directly send you guys to a hotel."
Taehyung paid the bill and officially bade farewell with the others. NamJoon thought of something and then said: "That's right, I bought a lot of books these 4 years. Now that I'm graduating, it's inconvenient to bring them all back home, so when you have time, come over to my room and take a look. If you see something you like, you can have it."
Taehyung: "Ok, thank you Senior."
NamJoon: "What are you being so polite for."
On the way back, Taehyung and Jimin chatted about NamJoon and SeokJin's relationship. Taehyung asked, "What do you...think about them?"
Jimin knew what Taehyung wanted to ask. Actually, he also thought about this question before— If Taehyung was straight, then he'd cooperate and play the role of a close bro until the very end, burying his own feelings deep inside his heart, forever...... Perhaps in that scenario, they'd also looked very similar to NamJoon and SeokJin.
But he wouldn't find a girlfriend. If he was truly gay, then finding a girlfriend was really lacking in morals, unless they privately talked it out and agreed it was only an act. Like how he and Taehyung pretended to be fake boyfriends.
...Then, could Yoona be acting with NamJoon?
Jimin shook his head and replied, "I can't tell. This kind of thing isn't easy to joke about. Whether or not they really have feelings, only the two of them know."
Taehyung held Jimin's hand. He didn't really have the heart to gossip about other ppl either and only randomly asked. As long as he and Jimin were happy, that was enough.
The next day, Taehyung went over to NamJoon's dorm to pick books, and while chatting, asked: "How's Senior Jin?"
NamJoon smiled: "Hungover, how else? But at least he had his girlfriend to take care of him. Just let him be."
He pulled out a box of books from under the bed, all of them neatly stacked.
Taehyung: "You bought all this? You've read each one?"
NamJoon: "Yep. I don't have a habit of making notes in the book as I read and didn't lend these to other people, so they're all quite new."
Taehyung pulled one out and flipped through it: "You're just going to give these away? No regrets?"
NamJoon smiled: "I've already bought an e-book version of the good ones and saved them on my Kindle. I can read them at any time."
Taehyung only picked a few and even offered that if NamJoon wanted to sell these, he knew someone who could help.
When Jimin came back to the dorm that night, he saw that Taehyung had placed the books on his desk. One of them was Freud's "The Interpretation of Dreams", and curious, he picked it up. But after flipping through a few pages, a piece of paper fell out.
That was a page torn directly out of a notebook, and on it was a poem:
You and I met by chance on the ocean that night,
You have yours, and I have my, path to follow;
It's great if you remember,
But I'd rather you forget,
The sparks we both felt during this encounter!
......
Seeing that there seemed to be words on the back as well, Jimin flipped it over and jumped in shock. The back of this page was entirely and densely filled with repetitions of a single name: Jin
He handed it over to Taehyung. Taehyung's expression was a bit peculiar as he asked with interest, "Say, do you think it's possible that NamJoon likes SeokJin?"
Jimin sighed, "Who knows."
The next time they heard about NamJoon and SeokJin was 3 years later. At that time, they were also close to graduating and heard that Yoona was getting married, but not to NamJoon.
Worried about Yoona, Taehyung sent her a pm to congratulate and also subtly brought up NamJoon, wanting to know what happened b/t them.
Yoona: I was never really together with him. He has someone else in his heart.
Thinking of that piece of paper from 3 years ago, Taehyung joked:
Taehyung: Is it SeokJin?
Yoona: Haha, now that, I can't tell you. If you want to know, why don't you ask him yourself. Don't you have his WhatsApp?
Taehyung didn't want to sound like a gossip, so sending back an emoji, dropped the subject.
Yoona: Are you and Jimin still doing well?
Taehyung: Yes, very well. Thank you for asking.
After a while, Yoona sent another text:
Yoona: NamJoon wasn't as fortunate as you guys. The person he liked wasn't of the same path, so the road he walked was a difficult one.
Taehyung: "......"
No need to ask more; this already confirmed Taehyung's guess.
Half a year later when Taehyung and Jimin were out shopping, they saw a pair of guys also shopping. Taehyung paused, thinking that those two silhouettes looked a bit familiar. He pulled Jimin along, and as they stealthily got closer, they heard:
"Wow, I like this beanbag, let's buy one!"
"Don't you already have a sofa? The room we rented is tiny, where do you plan on putting this?"
"Then we can just throw away the old one, come on, let's buy it......"
"Fine fine, let's buy it."
......
Taehyung and Jimin shared a look, then walked up and patted one of those 2 guys on the back with a smile: "Hey, Senior Namjoon, long time no see."
The other person also turned around. He was someone they hadn't seen in 3 years: SeokJin.
—
[[And that's the end of the 1st extra! it's meant to be an open-ended ending, but omg, I ship them~]]