“He’s a really nice person,” Jimin assured him but Jungkook had some doubts. However, he decided not to ponder about it too much and allowed Jimin to explain his case. I mean, if Jimin liked him, there must a valid reason, right?

“Yoongi hyung, I mean. He just takes time to warm up. And he’s really funny too. But like I said, he doesn’t get along with people in the first few tries,” Jimin said, a fond smile forming on his smooth face. Jungkook couldn’t help but feel happy to see that smile. It was just so pleasing to the mind and soul, unlike someone he just met. “You know,” he continued, “Hoseok hyung is still in that stage. Though they’re classmates, Yoongi hyung still hasn’t opened up to him yet.” Jungkook had no idea what his hyung was talking about so he replied with a simple “oh”. Then things went quiet between the two of them. But it was a little too sudden.

Jimin had suddenly stopped talking altogether. Jungkook noticed his eyes widen in sudden realization and Jungkook was sure that the shorter one had realized something of dire importance.

“Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrggghhhh!”

Jungkook swore he suffered from temporary hearing loss upon hearing that million decibel noise. “Jeez!” Jungkook complained, wincing at the high pitched voice. “Could you not do that?” He poked into his ear, trying to make sure that he was hearing perfectly, or at least was able to hear when…

“Goddammit! I completely forgot about Hoseok hyung!” Jimin yelled out. The passing students murmured something about whether the shorter boy was alright and if he had a screw loose but both parties paid no heed to it. “Of all the people, how could I forget Hoseok hyung? He’s like sunshine!” he continued to complain.

“I’m sorry, what?” Jungkook knitted his eyebrows. What was Jimin even saying?

“It isn’t too late!” Jimin said, not attending to Jungkook’s queries. He abruptly turned back towards the school. Fishing his cell phone out from his pocket, Jimin assured himself. “Good. It’s only four thirty. Which means he’s still in the club room,” he said and pocketed his phone again.

“Hyung, what even?” Jungkook asked, adjusting his slipping bag from his shoulders when Jimin held his hand.

“Come on,” Jimin gripped the hand a little tighter and gave the younger an undefeatable look of determination. Whatever he was planning, Jungkook had to be ready for it. This stupid person may be small but Jungkook always remembered that he was a rocket ready to explode any time. Calling him a time ticking bomb came a little close to his description, Jungkook used to debate over, but that wasn’t quite the point. Jimin was more like a grenade whose pin had already been pulled out, but due to some unforeseen malfunction, its detonation had not occurred yet but it would occur any time soon. Not that there was anything malfunctioning in Jimin…

Which was way beside the point, because the short bomb had already broken into a sprint. If matters were exaggerated (which Jimin would definitely do later on) one could say that the suddenness of the sprint broke the sound barrier. Jungkook, with his free hand held onto his bag so that it would not be flung away in the middle.

As they ran past the entrance to the school, Jungkook began to feel hot. Yes, they were running at their fastest for some unknown reason but that was not the reason for his sudden rise in temperature because Jungkook was athletic. Yes, Jungkook was athletic to the point that he could run three laps around a basketball court, at his fastest speed, without breaking a sweat. If at all, the maximum damage this would do to his composure was that his breathing would become slightly heavier. But here he was, his temperature rising above the normal level with no explanation whatsoever. But he didn’t have time to think over it. Why? Well, because they WERE running at the speed of light (again, exaggerated by Jimin) up the stairs.

However, Jungkook didn’t really hate that tiny fluttering feeling he encountered at that time.

Hoseok, a young boy with dark hair and healthily fair skin wiped the sweat off of his brows and breathed out a heavy sigh. “Take five guys,” he announced and allowed his club members to take a breather from their taxing dance routine. He was glad that he was made the leader of the dance club and that he had to prepare a new routine for the freshmen welcoming ceremony. But honestly speaking, three weeks were a little too less to come up with an entirely new dance routine. Especially when the vice leader was missing and wasn’t bothering to pick up his calls.

The said, and might I add, dashing male slid down the mirror near his bag and took out a bottle of water from it. The other members had all comfortably sat down, taking a breather, sweating due to the hard work that they had just toiled so he decided that the five minute breather could extend to ten. Now what wouldn’t he give to locate and get a hold of that silly junior who, despite being talented and hardworking than anyone else, was most definitely tardy in his schedule.

His hands reached for his cell phone in the bag and he pulled it towards his face. His beady eyes scrolled through the contacts once again as his mind went chanting “Jimin. Jimin. Jimin… ah. There you are.” But right as he was about to press the call button, the door suddenly slid open and hit the end of the frame with a loud bang. Not even surprised, Hoseok chose against calling the contact and stood up from his position, certain that it was the exact person that he wanted right now.

Jimin and Jungkook found themselves huffing and puffing, trying desperately to catch their breath (the second time for Jimin). “Why,” Jungkook asked the elder in between his heavy breathing, “—are we running?” He had gripped is hand so as to inflict pain on his erratic natured hyung but this action only caused his heart to speed up a little bit more. And since his heart was already racing because of the stupid sprint right now, he let go of his hand, deciding it best to calm down first.

The initiator of the sudden sprint tried his best to explain to his friend whom he had selfishly dragged with him but his current position disallowed him to do so. “I,” he said, in between his dying breaths. But he never got the chance to explain because he had suddenly remembered that he was indeed in the dance room. Where he was supposed to arrive about half an hour ago. Because he was the vice leader of the crew. And he was also partly in charge of the new dance routine.

“Oh hohohoho,” Jimin heard a very familiar voice call out. A wave of electricity passed through his spine because the responsibilities of reality had struck him with just those icy words. “So nice of you to finally grace us with your presence, Jimin,” Hoseok’s voice rang in his ears. “Say,” the voice dragged on and Jimin knew that the situation was not good, “what made you decide to come back here finally? When you didn’t show up without a word of information, I had thought that you were incredibly busy seeing that you are here with another person.”

Jimin gulped. It freaked him out to see Hoseok like this. Granted, Hoseok always had a smile on his face as it was his nature to be loud and cheerful. But this was not one of those smiles. Yes, he still had a wide smile on his face even now but Jimin was one of the very few people who was ‘privileged’ enough to see this menacing intent behind the expression. One would never believe the thoughts going on in the bright and cheery Hoseok’s head when he gave this smile.

“Ehhh,” Jimin shook in utter fear and dread. Hoseok glided his way (yes, he glided) towards Jimin and placed his hand on top of Jimin’s head. Needless to say, his smile grew even wider but his eyes were as cold as glass.

Stuttering was not even the word to describe what Jimin was doing at that point. Jungkook saw that the situation wasn’t good. He sighed inwardly. When would Jimin learn to take responsibility for his actions?

Jungkook moved in front of Jimin and faced the weirdly smiling boy who seemed to be sweating out his frustrations in front of the shorter boy. He bowed politely, not admitting that the smile was intimidating him slightly. “It was my fault,” he spoke out, raising his head in front of the stranger. “I’m new in the environment so Jimin here decided to help me around.”

Jungkook saw the smiling devil cover his mouth with his slender long fingers. His other free arm rested comfortably against his hip and he looked down on them with such a pompous look that Jungkook felt this was a scene right from an anime where the evil queen lets out a menacing laugh right before commanding the guards to chop off someone’s head.

“Oho, so you’re new in the school and you just decided to take our vice president… wait did you just say you’re new in school?” the chuckling student’s tone suddenly changed and it was like he was snapped back into reality where he was actually a male student in a dance room at four in the evening. The curiosity in his eyes was evident to Jungkook and he turned nervously to Jimin. “Uhhh,” he replied on seeing Jimin sigh out of relief. Just how quick was that change in attitude? He screamed in his head.

“I am,” he replied, taking a step back to avoid meeting the strange student’s face right in front of him. But it wasn’t helping that the same person was peering over him with beading eyes, anxiously waiting for an answer which would eventually come but it appeared that the said male was too impatient for it.

His advance stopped and the curiously peering look on his face disappeared altogether. “Don’t tell me,” he said and his face warped into one of the warmest smile Jungkook had ever seen. “You’re Jungkook ssi?” Jungkook took another step back and groaned mentally. Just how many people did Jimin introduce him to?

Jungkook confirmed his identity casually which he regretted immediately because the next thing he knew, he was enveloped in a bear hug by the sweating male, which he had no right to complain over because he was in a similar condition considering his run right then. “Hyung!” he heard Jimin whine from the side. “You’re crushing him!”

The stranger pulled away and introduced himself. “I’m Hoseok. Jung Hoseok. You can call me Hobie hyung, though,” he held out his hand. It was technically a little too late for that though. “I’m in my third year. As you can see, I’m the president of the dance club with that little chibi -chan there as my vice president.”

Jungkook stopped his steps back and returned the introduction. “It’s great to meet you. I’m Jeon Jungkook.”

“Say no more,” Hoseok announced. “I practically know everything about you. Jimin told me. From your birth date, blood type down to what your favorite ice flavor and underwear brand is. So, no need to worry about any formalities with me.”

The youngest of the trio once again felt the most itching urge to hit the adorably innocent person whom he called his best friend beside him. Just how much did he tell them about him and did he have no understanding that this information was far from normal?

“I’m joking,” Hoseok laughed away Jungkook’s worries and laughed reassuringly. “That look on your face was priceless, though!”

Jungkook heaved out a sigh of relief and turned to Jimin who looked embarrassed for some strange reason. In between Hoseok’s laughs, he heard him trying to clear his name. “I said no such thing, hyung! You’re so mean! Why do I have to face such cruelties of life this way? I’m gonna grow old and wrinkly for you making me worry like this!” Jungkook chuckled subtly. As if he would be ugly even if he became “old and wrinkly”.

Hoseok introduced Jungkook to his club members and even went to the extent of inviting him to join if he wanted. But Jungkook politely refused. It wasn’t that he was bad in dancing. In fact, his skills in dancing were honed further in America where he took part in several school competitions. But he was a little shy to compare his skills to Hoseok’s once he saw how good the senior was.

Discarding all previous thoughts to go home early and get rest, he concluded that he would wait for Jimin and finally manage to catch up with him.

Drumming his thin fingers on the desk of his clubroom, Taehyung hummed out a tune which he had heard previously but couldn’t pinpoint when. You know that feeling when a song is in your head, infinitely looping, but you can’t quite place the lyrics and the name and it frustrates you so much but there’s nothing you can do about it? That was exactly what Taehyung was feeling at the moment but he was doing quite a good job concealing his frustration behind his blank, out of this world, expression.

“Hey, Taehyung,” a girl called from the corner of the room. The called upon person turned to the voice to see the long haired president of their club, holding some music scores in her hand and an mp3 player in the other. Looks like she’s found a new song for us to learn, Taehyung thought and replied with a “hmmm”.

The girl called on the other two members in the room, both of whom were girls and were busy in their own world, listening to music, trying their best to mentally get the pitch right. “I’ve chosen the song for us to perform in the upcoming welcoming festival.”

Taehyung sat up straight from his chair and glanced a little more seriously towards the president. One would think that he wouldn’t look at her so indifferently considering that she was his girlfriend for two months already now.

“Which one is it, pres?” one of the girls, the one with the glasses – Jiyeon asked. The other girl had also given her full attention to the person in charge now, her eyes never leaving from the speaker. Taehyung sighed silently. He should probably tell them that he was going to quit the club now.

“Naeun,” Taehyung called out. But he wasn’t given the chance to speak further. The president simply spelled out the name of the song to the listening party and advised them to inform the other two members as well. “Why didn’t they come to the club, by the way?” she asked. The other girl, Haeri, answered that the two boys had gotten detention.

“Are you serious? On the first day?” Naeun asked as she sighed out, amazed that someone could be that stupid to get detention on the first day of school.

“Yeah well,” Haeri smiled nervously. Even she had no clue how and why those two were detained.

Taehyung tried again. “Naeun.” But once again, he was cut off. “Fine then. The two of you will be taking the lead along with Taehyung. Learn the song by tonight and the practice will start tomorrow, got it?”

“Oie, Son Naeun,” Taehyung raised his voice by a decibel catching the attention of all the three girls in the room. The girl turned, her hair seemingly flipping with all the drama anyone could muster up. “Isn’t that a little rude to address your senior, Taehyung?”

Taehyung simply grinned but there was no joy in his eyes. He finally understood what Jimin meant when he had said that Naeun wasn’t the girl for him. But he just had to go and try it out, didn’t he? Wanting to punch himself for ever accepting this girl’s confession just because she seemed interesting in the start, he swallowed a dry gulp.

“I’m quitting the club,” he announced, his tune retaining the calm nature. He was sort of thankful that Jimin wasn’t with him at this point or else he would have a hard time recognizing the Taehyung that had emerged in front of the girls. The other two girls in the room sensed the tension and stood up awkwardly, leaving the room with meek “see you tomorrow” and “have a good night”.

Naeun raised her eyebrows in utter annoyance. “No, you’re not,” she said, confident in her own words.

Taehyung rolled his eyes. Just where did this utter confidence come from?

“I am.”

“Taehyung,” Naeun called his name. “This is the sixth club that you’re giving up on.”

Taehyung looked out the window. “So what?”

The girl stood up and stood in front of him, blocking his gaze out in the open. “You can’t continue like this. You need to find something solid.”

“Well, I’m still searching,” he replied, half interested in what the girl in front of him was saying. Honestly, he was just tired of hearing even her voice. There was something about it which bored him immensely.

“You don’t mean it. You’re still as flippant as ever, aren’t you, Taehyung? How long do you plan to continue like this?” the girl asked. She took a step forward and continued walking towards him to close the gap between the two.

“What’s wrong with being like this? Nothing ever catches my interest.” He turned away from the approaching girl and tried to provide his attention to the chair in the corner of the room – the one in which Jiyeon had been sitting just a minute back.

The girl gave out a knowing smirk. “You know something?” she asked mockingly, catching hold of Taehyung’s marvelously crafted chin with her warm hands. She leaned down to his level and her voice mellowed down as she said the next lines, in opposition to Taehyung’s own booming voice, “It’s not that nothing ever catches your interest. It’s that you refuse to let it catch your interest.”

Taehyung smirked but there was no real emotion behind it. “Sometimes you scare me, Naeun,” he commented. “I do wonder where that sweet and gentle Naeun who confessed to me in the library that one fateful day disappeared to.” The girl addressed to mirrored Taehyung’s facial expression. “I don’t know. She disappeared when she realized what kind of a person she had fallen in love with was. Strange, isn’t it? How people influence others?”

Naeun released her grip cold grip on Taehyung’s chin and huffed an impolite laugh out through her nose. “Fine,” she announced, her eyes still as cold as the north pole. If Taehyung weren’t so cold as well at the moment, he would’ve frozen over. “Quit the club. Have fun explaining to the teacher in charge again as to why you’re too weak willed to find anything to hold on to.”

A click of the tongue followed from Taehyung. “The teachers have nothing against me. After all, I’m the best student in the class. Perhaps in the whole department too.”

“That may be true,” Naeun agreed grudgingly. “But you learn more from failures than success.”

Taehyung rolled his eyes out of habit of being with this ice queen. “That has no relevance here,” he argued.

Naeun simply smiled. She bent down to Taehyung’s level and placed a soft kiss on his lips, the action all devoid of warmth or any sort of affection. Pulling away, she continued her irrelevant sayings. “It does, if you’re willing to make the connection.” She stood up and picked up her bag from the chair that she was sitting on just a few minutes back. “Clean up the room, Taehyung, since it’s your last day here. You don’t need to send in a resignation form, though. I understand that you’re too shallow to make any connections so I won’t even ask your reason on why you quit the club. The others won’t mind as well.”

Taehyung looked at her with a poker face. He didn’t like the way this girl thought she knew everything about him. And the fact that she was spot on with her deductions about him.

“Also,” she added as she reached the door, her slender fingers twirling a set of her bicycle keys. “Thanks for going out with me. I enjoyed it while it lasted.” And the door slid close.

The sliding noise of the door resonated through Taehyung’s mind. It was the sound of another one of his failures, another one of his whimsical desires getting severed because of his lack of will. He released a long sigh, as if he had the burden of carrying the world on his shoulders. “Another failure, huh?” he spoke to himself. He leaned back on his chair and looked out the window once again. Refusing to acknowledge his reflection on the glass, he simply longed to go out in the open and get rid of that claustrophobic feeling within him. It was moments like this that that pesky sub consciousness of his decided to emerge out of his own free will.

Taehyung, the inner voice called. It was whispy and deep, exactly like Taehyung’s voice when he spoke in a whisper. The physical body closed his eyes. He hated this inner voice of his. He knew that he was in full control of it since it was a part of his own mind but at times like these, he couldn’t get a hold of it. The voice let out a bitter giggle. What are you going to do now?

“Shut up,” he quieted his own self and stood up, picking up his school bag off of the hard floor. He would have a lot of explaining to do again to his parents who were ever so hawk eyed on his performance in school and his co curricular activities.

“That was an interesting routine,” Jungkook commented as both he and Jimin walked out of the school building. It was six in the evening and the sun was showing its final rays of the day to the earth to mark the end of another vibrant day. “Did you and Hoseok hyung come up with it?”

Jimin, who was sweating excessively because of the tiring practice he just had, fanned himself with his hand and replied cheerfully that it was mostly Hoseok who came up with the routine. “I’m more of the editor. He comes up with the moves and I edit the rough edges out so that it’s easier and fluid.”

Jungkook smiled to himself. Jimin was still as modest as ever whenever it came to himself. That was one of the main things Jungkook liked about his hyung. Though not excellent in everything, his determination in everything and anything trumped any inborn talent and it surpassed even prodigies. I suppose that’s being a prodigy in itself. Jungkook concluded and walked on.

“By the way,” Jungkook spoke up as they neared the gates. “Are you still at the same place? You didn’t move, did you?”

Jimin turned to the taller boy and replied with a straight answer. “I’m still there. Do come and visit sometime. Mom and dad would be glad to see you. What about you? Where are you now?” Jungkook agreed to do so and gave him his address. “It’s not that far. Just four bus stops away.” He then continued the topic of his family because he felt a strange awkwardness whenever it got silent, even though it was never like that before.

“You should also visit as soon as you can. Lei’s been going on and on about how she wanted to see you ever since we got back.”

Jimin exclaimed, “Oh yeah! I forgot to ask! How’s Lei?”

Jungkook chuckled. He was a little glad that Jimin had forgotten about Lei even though it was for a short moment. He had no clue why though. Oh well, it was his own fault for bringing her up in the first place.  “She’s fine. Annoying as always but very fine.” Lei was Jungkook’s younger sister by two years but they couldn’t be more different which was not a surprise considering that she was adopted. The fact that she was adopted wasn’t a secret so everyone in the family was alright with it. If at all, they were even closer than any normal family with Jungkook and Lei being typical siblings, close and friendly but competitive at the same time. There was nothing deficient in their relationship and no awkwardness whatsoever.

“That’s wonderful to hear. I guess I’ll come over soon then.”

And there it was again. That small gap which made Jungkook feel… awkward? No. Jungkook could never be awkward with Jimin. It wasn’t imaginable. So then what was he feeling? Because his stomach was turning a little. He felt like he wanted to hurl but at the same time, he had never felt so contented before. It was like watching a horror movie while cuddling with your favorite pillow or plush toy and staying snuggly under a blanket, being all warm and cozy. He didn’t have a clue on what this feeling was but he was willing to find it out. And he was most definitely open to feeling more related to it.

“I suppose we have to go our separate ways now,” Jimin said and pointed towards the direction opposite to where Jungkook was supposed to take the bus from. “This leads home.”

“Oh.” Disappointment enveloped Jungkook’s face because he had hoped that he would be able to spend more time with Jimin. He knew that they would be meeting again the next day but there was this churning feeling in the pit of his stomach which was impossible because he had a hearty lunch, so why was he hungry?

“See you tomorrow then, Jimin hyung. Give my regards to auntie and uncle for me,” Jungkook said and smiled, deciding that it was best for him to walk away. He was tired from the long day and honestly, he just wanted to get home and figure out what was wrong with his stomach. Perhaps he was coming down with some indigestion or something.

Jimin wished back the same. “I’ll come visit as soon as I can,” he waved.

Jungkook turned the opposite way and began to walk. First slow steps then a little faster. He looked up to the sky. It wasn’t completely dark yet. There were still remnants of orange somewhere on the edges but it was practically night by then. The first star, which wasn’t technically a star, it was Venus – the evening star, shone brightly, valiant and proud, as if to mock the other stars for being slow to emitting their light.

I really need to tone down on my romanticism, Jungkook laughed to himself and walked on, his steps becoming slower and slower. He figured that Jimin had already gone past the corner and was on his happy way back home. He stopped in his tracks. Only one thing wrapped around his mind. And it filled him with a sense of warmth despite the still chilly winds blowing past him.

He looked at his hand, as if all the answers of life were written on it. “Jimin,” he simply said, clenching his hand, the same time his heart clenched on hearing that name being pronounced by him.

“Jungkook!” The raven head heard his name being called form the back. He turned, surprised as to who would even call him at this time of day. But he didn’t have time to react because a heavy mass, though shorter than him, ran into his arms and wrapped him in a hug.

It took Jungkook a while to adjust to the height of the alien body but when he finally realized who the sudden body against his own was, he called out in a surprised tone. “Jimin hyung?”

Jimin tightened his hug around Jungkook’s neck. He had to stand on his toes to reach this damned giant but it was worth it. “I didn’t get to say this before,” he began, burying his head into Jungkook’s own body. He didn’t want to admit it but his face was heating up a little quicker than usual. “—but welcome home,” he completed and nuzzled into Jungkook’s broad chest.

Jungkook felt his nose tingle with Jimin’s shampoo. How could it not? His smooth hair was placed right beneath his nose due to the current situation. But he didn’t regret it one bit. Because it smelled like fruits – the fresh scent of raspberries. He figured that Jimin still used those childish shampoos that he was so fond of when he was younger.

He felt his heart speeding up uncontrollably though there was no good explanation as to why such a thing should happen. Nevertheless, he allowed it.

He hugged Jimin’s considerably smaller frame and patted his back, more to assure himself that this was indeed happening than Jimin himself.

“I’m back,” he smiled back, his voice never sounding happier in the entire eighteen years of his life. He was finally back. And he was pretty sure that he was back for good. For his past and for his future, this place was where everything would happen, he just felt it in his tummy.

He breathed in Jimin’s scent unconsciously and it filled him with that nostalgic familiarity which he had always missed when he was in America. This was it. This was what he had been missing in America.

Smiling wider than ever before, Jungkook’s eyes crunched close in utter joy until he couldn’t see anymore. He was just so ecstatic that he could not manage any other words besides the one he kept on repeating on and on.

“I’m back, hyung. I’m back.”

A/N:

"Slow but progressive character development is what a brilliant story is made of" - probably some random dude who knows some stuff about good stories...

I really love the slow but sure development of Jikook here. It's like they're catching up with their past and yet, they're paving something for the future as well. 

Hoseok struck me to be the type of character i just wrote down for him in this story. He's all fun and games but his serious nature comes out when it involves something he loves and since he's a hard worker, he's stern and firm about it and yet, he still maintains his smiling face... I'm curious as to how he'll make even more appearances.

Also, not forgetting the dual faced Taehyung. Honestly, this scene was non existent until my hands began to acutally type it out. I swear, I had no intention of adding this. So, though surprised at myself, I continued it until I found it to be good material. Curious as to how this will turn out in the future...

All the above lines goes to show how clueless I am about this story, just as you all. But thanks so much for subscribing and commenting.

Indefnitely,

TypicalFangirl09