„So if you bother me one more time… Then I will really…” Taehyung grinned at Jungkook, who was pushed against the wall, leaning on it and looked at the student like a scared deer, “Just date you.” Taehyung kept smiling and kissed Jungkook’s forehead before he left and walked outside of the gym. In front of the gym Taehyung fixed his uniform and wiped over his bottom lip. He didn’t notice how his friends came up the hill on their way to their room.

“Kim. What were you doing in there?” one of them asked curiously since they saw Taehyung coming out of the gym.

Taehyung looked at his friends and pulled his silk tissue out of his jacket’s chest pocket to wipe his lips. “I had something to do. Let’s go.”

Namjoon, who had arrived at the school too, also noticed Taehyung coming out of the gym. Everyone knew that Taehyung didn’t work out, because he didn’t like sweat on his clothes or skin. Namjoon got curious and had a bad feeling. What if something happened between Taehyung and Jungkook again? But yet there was no time to worry about Taehyung, because he had news for Jungkook, so he rushed into the building. “Seonbaenim?!” he shouted and ran into the hall, looking around until he found Jungkook, who was still leaning against the wall and looked down, “Seonbaenim, what are you doing here?”

Jungkook slowly looked up and turned to his friend. “Namjoon… what do I do now?” he whined.

“What do you mean? You have to go to the hospital!”

“Right? I look strange to you too, right? I need to get treatment, right? Which hospital should I go to first?” Jungkook babbled quickly, causing Namjoon to let his chin drop down.

“What are you talking about? You father fainted. He’s been taken to the emergency room” Namjoon explained and Jungkook’s eyes slowly grew big.

He rushed to the hospital, while Namjoon took care of everything at the school, so Jungkook was able to be absent for the day. At the hospital he walked quickly through the rooms, looking for his father. The area under his eyes was red and lightly swollen, because on his way to the hospital Jungkook couldn’t help but cry a bit because nobody knew what happened, he was afraid he would lose his father now as well. Jungkook saw Yoongi who was looking for Jeon Gihwan as well. The teacher rushed over to the boy so they could look together.

Right at the moment they wanted to enter another room, Jungkook’s father came out of the operation area. “You are here?” the man asked surprised when he noticed his son.

Jungkook turned around and saw his father. He recognized his father’s arm, which was put into a hard plaster. The three of them sat together and Gihwan explained them that he got into a car accident, so he broke his arm. Jungkook’s father wanted to leave the hospital as quickly as possible but as his son Jungkook threatened his father to get checked properly or he would cause trouble again and so his father agreed to stay in hospital and get a whole checkup.

Jungkook and Yoongi had left the hospital at the early evening and Jeon Gihwan was sitting in his room. But after a while he was bored and took a walk around the hospital’s floor. From afar he could observe a funny scene. He saw a young man, who walked around the floor and stopped at the nurse’s check point. The boy wore a dark botton-up shirt and a red sweater over it. His hair was upstyled and on his bag he had a huge rucksack. The nurse asked the boy how she could help him.

“I’m looking for a patient” the man said and the nurse looked up from her computer.

“A patient?” she asked and smiled brightly after she realized how handsome the man in front of her was, “Yes, of course. If you give me his name and information I will tell you where he is.”

“His information?”

“Yes.”

The boy pulled his back bag in front of him and looked through it. “The notepad with his information is here somewhere. Then I have to get it out from the inside pocket. Then I have… to open everything”, the man mumbled and suddenly he became quite sleepy while talking, “Oh, what a hassle.” He turned around and leaned against the counter slipping down on the ground. “It’s such a hassle.”

The nurse stood up and leaned over the counter looking confused after the man. “Excuse me! Excuse me! Are you okay?” the nurse asked and patted the man’s shoulder. But instead of answering the nurse, the man hugged his big backpack and dozed off. The nurse was about to call for an emergency as Gihwan stepped nearer and grabbed the boy’s nose shaking it lightly.

The boy looked confused around before he looked up and saw the older man. “Boss!” he smiled brightly.

Jeon Gihwan apologized to the nurse and dragged the boy with him to his sick bed. “You jerk… Your boss is dying and you show up after 13 hours?” Gihwan spoke strictly, while sitting on his bed, “Did you forget the contract?”

“Based your voice, it seems you will be fine not for 13 hours, but for the next 13 years” the boy chuckled and sat next to the bed.

“I couldn’t die because I had to ask why you were late.”

“Stop saying that you are going to die” the boy said and sighed, “I’m the one who almost died.”

“Why?” Gihwan asked shocked.

“I was going through security at the airport. They told me to take off my sweater and backpack and then afterwards told me to put it all back on. Wow! It took me an hour to put on that outfit again. Boss, when I think about that…” the boy talked causing Gihwan to frown because he thought the boy was kidding. But the boy was serious. He sighed more and sat down next to Gihwan on the bed. “It annoys me to death.” Then the young man pushed Gihwan lightly aside and laid down on the sick bed.

“Get up, punk!” Gihwan groaned and grabbed the boy’s nose again pulling him up, “You are always laying down. Yah… you need to meet that person while you’re here.”

“Speaking of which… How is my hubby doing?” the boy looked at the older man curiously, “Does he still have that y temper?”

On the next morning Jungkook was on his way to school again. He was freed from school for one day, so he planned on visiting his father in the afternoon. He wore dark red pants with black shoes and a black sweater over a white shirt. Over his left shoulder a leather bag hung. The young teacher ambled up the hill with many other students passing him. He didn’t pay attention to his surroundings because he was in thoughts. He thought about the incident from the day before. He didn’t know why Taehyung said all this and neither Jungkook understood why the boy kissed his forehead. Did he really intend to date him? And if so, would Jungkook be the other man then since Taehyung used to date Jimin? If he would date a student, he would definitely get in huge trouble. In front of the school’s gate Jungkook stopped and looked ahead. The school had a long tradition and the building was built in the western and quite old school, castle like, style. Jungkook remembered the words Namjoon told him, that he shouldn’t take the kids’ joking too serious, because they would use to play around a lot and that Jungkook had to act cool as teacher.

“Right! I can’t be like this because of a kid’s joke” Jungkook talked to himself, “What’s a kiss these days? It’s even used as a passing greeting!” Jungkook took a deep breath and looked up to the blue and sunny sky. “Life’s so easy now that I’m so cool.” Then the teacher walked some steps forward as he noticed a glance from behind. He turned around and saw Taehyung, who was walking some meters behind him with his friends. Jungkook quickly turned forward again and quickly hid between the trees and coppice. He waited there until Taehyung and his friends had passed him. When he was sure that they were far away Jungkook stepped out of his hideout. Today was the first day of his gym class so he had to hurry up because he had to change into his sport’s clothes.

For his sport’s outfit he wore a white simple t-shirt and grey sweat pants. But Jungkook didn’t notice the size of the shirt, so that he was a bit tight, showing his muscles and abs through it. “What’s that? An outfit to attract the Hollywood paparazzi?” Namjoon asked when he saw his friend like this.

“I’m teaching gym glass today… So I put on a tracksuit” Jungkook explained but Namjoon just shook his head and rolled his eyes.

“There’s no class today.”

“What?”

“What seniors would take gym class? Don’t you are responsible for the seniors? Just have study hall.”

“What? But it’s my first class of my teaching trial” Jungkook mumbled, “I prepared a lot, too.” But Namjoon just shook his head more and walked off. “I’m going to give this class!” Jungkook shouted after his friend.

And Jungkook kept what he said. He had ordered his class into the gym, where he was standing in front of the students, who were still in school uniforms. Jungkook just tried to keep smiling, while he held a basketball in his hand. “Is this everyone, Class President?” Jungkook asked Hoseok awkwardly since only Hoseok and another student came.

“Yes” Hoseok answered and scratched his nape, “Everyone else said they will have study hall.”

“Seonsaengnim” the other student lifted his hand and Jungkook looked at him.

“Yes.”

“I can’t play basketball” the student said and Jungkook didn’t know what to say so he just nodded. All three of them could feel the awkwardness and Jungkook was about to send them to the study hall as well as suddenly loud noises appeared from behind.

“You’re going to play basketball, seonsaengnim?” Yoongi asked loudly and walked over to Jungkook with his friends. They had changed into sports’ clothes already and Jungkook couldn’t help but smile since Yoongi was about to save his . “Let’s begin seonsaengnim!” Yoongi added and clapped his hands loudly.

“Yes. So what if it’s just six students? Kim Taehyung didn’t come…” Jungkook thought, “So I’m happy with…”

“I’m a bit late, right?” Taehyung spoke when he and his three friends entered the gym hall as well. They walked over to Jungkook and the other boys. “It’s not so bad taking a break to play basketball.”

“No. It will be bad” Yoongi responded and stepped close to his rival, “I’m going to make it very bad, Kim Taehyung!”

Jungkook didn’t want the two boys to fight again. It was better if they would put their anger into the game so the teacher quickly rushed between them. “All right! Today will be a fun basketball game among friends. And now I will be going…” Jungkook talked and threw the ball lightly over to Yoongi, who caught it easily. When Jungkook was about to leave Taehyung stepped in front of him blocking Jungkook’s way and smiled.

“Oh, seonsaengnim! You need to play with us. The numbers are uneven” Taehyung said.

Jungkook exchanged looks with Yoongi, who just shook his head but Jungkook agreed. The students changed and they parted into two teams. Yoongi and his three friends played with Jungkook, while Taehyung played with his three friends and Hoseok, letting the student who can’t play basketball be their referee. Yoongi and Taehyung had to start the game and while everyone was totally in the mood, Jungkook was just staring at them because he was afraid they would explode on each other once more. The game started and the ball quickly flew to Jungkook, who was unable to move at first but with the time he got into the match as well. Jungkook passed to Yoongi who was able to make a basket.

“Slam dunk!” Yoongi shouted and Jungkook who couldn’t hold back his laughers jumped over to the student and they shared a high five.

Taehyung who looked pissed at first, didn’t know how to react over the teacher’s reaction. He crossed his arms looking at the scene, when Yoongi was dancing around pulling Jungkook with him, who had already noticed Taehyung’s glance and tried not to look at the rich kid.

While the game Jungkook often got the ball. Once he was blocked by the boy with the long hair. “Saeng” the boy said, “I must be a masochist. I want to be choked by your strong arms.”

Jungkook blushed and was able to get away from the boy but he directly bumped into one of Taehyung’s other friends. “I must be a sadist, saeng! DO you want to scratch my washboard abs?”

The teacher’s eyes grew big and he tried not to face the boy. With a turn to his left side Jungkook was able to get away again. But there was once more of the group and the boy caught him. “Abandon them and come into my arms, saeng. Huh? What do you think?” the student grinned.

Jungkook shook his head lightly and tripped the ball aside. Finally Jungkook was free. Just one more step and Jungkook was able to make a basket as suddenly Taehyung appeared next to him and laid his arm around Jungkook’s waist. “Your arms are strong but your waist is that of a woman’s” Taehyung said causing Jungkook to let the ball fell out of his hands and the other students cheered around.

“How could he end up like this?” Namjoon asked himself, while he watched the match from the tribune, “He was a hot-tempered person who would hit a spike, a powerful overhead attacking shot… I always tell him to control his temper but he shouldn’t let students allow treating him like this…”

After Jungkook had finished the gym class he took a shower and changed into his normal clothes again. As soon as he came back to the teacher’s room his responsible teacher called him over. He stood next to the man, who just shook his head. “Jeon seonsaengnim, having gym class for seniors… You’ve got some guts. Yes or no?” the man asked while playing with his glasses.

“No, I don’t think so.”

“What?!”

“What’s so bad about having gym class during gym time?” Jungkook asked.

“So, what are you going to do if the kids get hurt during gym class? Will you take responsibility if the parents complain? Yes or no?” the teacher talked loud and strictly, “Just go and clean the gym.”

“Yes” Jungkook mumbled and bowed before he left the room.

He walked back into the gym with a mop and started wiping the ground. “Then if not gym during gym time, should they take a bath instead?” Jungkook talked to himself, “It’s not the other kids you worry about being injured, it’s our Hwanung. You are worried about the state of your position and status, not parent complaints. Why don’t we become a bit more honest, Han seonsaengnim!” Jungkook angrily threw the mop aside and kicked one of the balls, which laid in front of him on the ground, away. The ball flew through the hall and banged into some boxes. “Oh, my!” Jungkook quickly ran over to fix the boxes again.

“Hey, what happened?” Jungkook heard a familiar voice which sounded from the tribune. It was one of Taehyung’s friends. Jungkook quickly hid behind the boxes because he didn’t want to be seen. “You hate the smell of sweat but you wanted to go to gym? Are you interested in the gym teacher?”

“What? Kim Taehyung? Do you really…?” Jungkook thought and tried to see something but he didn’t dare to move an inch because he didn’t want to be found.

“What is it? Are you still getting texts from him?” another one of the group asked the third one, who was being on his phone a lot.

“The boy keeps bothering me since he got my number. Maybe I should date a girl again. I need some changes” the one with the long hair answered.

“Looks like you got unlucky. You stepped on some poop huh?”

“That’s what I mean. It’s annoying me to death” the long haired boy sighed loudly.

Taehyung didn’t really pay attention to his friends and looked at the water bottle in his hands. “Tell him he’s pretty.”

“What do you mean tell him he’s pretty? I was totally tricked by the club lighting” his friend replied, “Eyes, nose, mouth, there’s not a single decent thing.”

Taehyung took a sip of his water and leaned on the ceiling in front of him. “Just tell him that his beauty mark is pretty. No matter how unbelievable his looks are, most beauty marks are pretty. And it works for boys and girls. If you tell him something is pretty, he’ll be quiet for about five seconds.”

“Then, what do I do after the five seconds?” his friend asked, while Taehyung drank some more of his water.

“Give him a kiss on the forehead, then him or her will be quiet for about a week, because they have been unable to sleep at night” Taehyung explained and Jungkook couldn’t believe what he was hearing right now. Taehyung used all those methods on him.

“But why kiss them on the forehead?” one of the friend’s asked, “You can just do it on the lips.”

“On the forehead!” Taehyung said loudly and turned to his friends then he smiled, “It seems sincere that way.”

“As expected from Hwanung-nim” the friends shouted together and the group left the gym again, while Jungkook stood some meters away. He was frozen because he couldn’t believe what he heard.

The boys were on their way to their class room. Like always everyone stepped aside when they were coming because nobody wanted to get in trouble. Usually Taehyung showed his good behavior but everyone knew that Taehyung got whatever he wanted and when he wanted someone to vanish, he was able to kick someone out of school; something nobody wanted to risk. But once in a while there was someone who didn’t care about Taehyung’s high class status. So did Jungkook. “Stop right there, Kim Taehyung!” Jungkook shouted over the hallway, catching everyone’s attention.  Taehyung and his friends turned around and looked at the teacher. Also lots of other students stopped and many even came out of their classrooms.

“Saeng” Taehyung mentioned and walked a bit closer to the young teacher, who held a volleyball into his hand, “It’s great that you are passionate about teaching but volleyball too? I’m a bit tired now.”

The hallway got crowded with students and Jungkook took some steps closer. He didn’t pay attention to Taehyung’s sweet smile, which caught him so much before. “Kim Taehyung…” Jungkook’s voice was loud and clear and didn’t show any hesitation. Jungkook used his empty hand and took off his name tag from his chest. “I’m going to take this off and count to three” the teacher said and Taehyung nodded, “And then I’m only going to hit you once.” Taehyung made big, round eyes but didn’t really care because he didn’t believe the teacher’s words anyway. Also his friends smiled over the threat.

“What?” Taehyung smiled.

“So better clench your teeth tight” Jungkook added and threw the name tag away, while Taehyung looked to his friends and laughed. The teacher held the volleyball up. “One… two…” Then Jungkook threw the ball up and every single student who was observing the scene looked after the ball. “THREE!” Jungkook shouted and used his hand to punch the ball hardly, which hit Taehyung directly on his head, so he fell on the ground. Taehyung’s friends stepped afraid backwards and didn’t dare to move. “Don’t move a single finger in front of me ever again” Jungkook spoke while Taehyung laid on the ground, holding his neck, “And don’t even step on my shadow. Got it?”

Jungkook took a deep breath and turned around because he wanted to leave but Taehyung, who was lifted up by his friends, stopped him. “You, stop right there!” Taehyung shouted and kept holding his neck. He walked over to Jungkook and was about to grab the teacher’s wrist as suddenly another man appeared and grabbed Taehyung’s arm first. “You will get in trouble with you start a fight with this man” the stranger said, “Especially to my hubby…”

“What?” Taehyung asked and looked from the stranger to Jungkook, who was confused and surprised as well, “H…Hubby?”

“Hubby?” Jungkook asked shocked as well but the man just smiled at him.

“Move! Move! Move!” the teacher, who was responsible for Jungkook, shouted while running down the hallway. He rushed over to Taehyung to check on his most precious student. “Taehyung-ssi, is your head okay? Are you hurt?”

“Seonbaenim! This hand!” Namjoon grumbled angrily.

“You punks! Go to your classes now” the old teacher yelled and slowly all students went back to their rooms. Namjoon grabbed his friend’s wrists pulling Jungkook away, while the old teacher followed Taehyung and his friends, who went to the school’s nurse.

Jungkook looked behind once more because the man, who called him hubby, had disappeared as suddenly as he appeared.

When the hallway was empty one student noticed a man, who laid on the ground and slept. He slowly stepped closer to the man, who held the volleyball in front of his stomach. “It’s a hassle, such a hassle” the man mumbled in his sleep.

“Excuse me…” the student said and crouched down in front of the man, “You can’t lay down here.”

“Why’s that?”

“Because… it’s the hallway.”

“Who are you?”

“The hall monitor” the student explained.

“Hall monitor… Hall monitor…” the man mumbled and suddenly opened his eyes and sat up, “Then I should get up. The hall monitor is the most holy position in the school. But who was that rice-cake-looking kid earlier?”

“Rice cake?” the student asked confused and titled his head thinking about the stranger’s words a bit, “Kim Taehyung?”

“Kim Taehyung?” the man repeated.

After the incident Jungkook sat in the principal’s office. He was ordered over there quickly after the responsible teacher came back from the sick room. He sat on the sofa and looked down. He knew what he did wasn’t good but he couldn’t hold back his anger. “Look here, Jeon seonsaengnim” the teacher, who was responsible for him, talked, “What era is this that you can hit a student? What if the kids had video recorded that? You would have been the top hit item as ‘hot-tempered man’. The man who abandoned all common sense…” Jungkook looked lightly over to the teacher, who turned to the director. “Principal, yes or no?”

The principal took a deep breath and leaned forward to look at the young teacher, who just looked down on his hands, which hold his name tag tightly. “I think it’s the best you go home for today” the man said and Jungkook looked over to him, “Jeon seonsaengnim, I will let you know what we hear from human resources.”

Taehyung was quickly taken to the hospital. The school’s nurse told him that nothing is injured and that he should stay in bed until he won’t feel dizzy anymore but Taehyung insisted to be taken to the hospital. There he sat on his sick bed in his single room. He had finished the checkups already when he father came. Also their private doctor came to tell them what they found out. “According to the MRI scan, there is no problem” the doctor explained, “But since he got hit by a professional volleyball player, he might experience some after effects. It will be best for you to rest in the hospital for now.”

“Excuse me…” Taehyung interrupted the doctor, “Instead of ‘got hit’, please use the term ‘got in an accident’.”

“Oh, yes. Yes, I’m sorry” the doctor apologized and bowed lightly before he left the room.

As soon as the doctor had left Taehyung’s father stepped closer to take a better look at his son. “But where did he get hit?” the man asked his assistant, “I can’t tell. Move your head, turn your neck. O..over here?”

Taehyung felt awkward and looked away, crossing his arms annoyed. “No” Director Hyun got himself into the search, pointing at a spot, “He got hit over here.”

“He got hit with a baseball?” Taehyung’s father asked.

“No, he got hit with a volleyball” the director explained.

“It’s a relief it wasn’t a baseball.”

“Yes.”

“It’s probably the first time he’s been hit since he decided to let his hair grow” the father spoke to his assistant like Taehyung wasn’t even in the room, “Will he be okay?”

“It’s not just his first time being hit and he didn’t just get hit, he really got hit hard” the assistant said.

Every time Taehyung heard the word hit, it felt like his pride got hit more. He sat on his bed until he couldn’t stand it anymore. He suddenly jumped up and was about to leave the room. “Where are you going? Kim Taehyung!” his father shouted after him.

“Why are you asking?” Taehyung asked pissed.

“Kim Taehyung? What about that teacher? Should I fire him?”

Taehyung rolled his eyes and turned back to his father. “No! Don’t ever fire him without my permission. And don’t ever say ‘got hit’ in front of me again!” Taehyung ordered and his father nodded slowly, then Taehyung stormed out of the room.

His father patted the director’s shoulder while both of them looked after the young man. “Kim Taehyung… he’s mad. He’s mad, right?”

“Instead of being mad, I think he’s humiliated” the director said.

“Humiliated?” the older man asked surprised and his assistant nodded in agreement.

At the early evening Jungkook went to the hospital to visit his father. His father stayed at the shared sickroom and the men were watching a variety show when Jungkook arrived there. He sat at the end of his father’s sickbed and looked at the tv while his father, who had his dinner in front of him on a tray. Once in a while laughers where filling the room before it was quiet again and Gihwan looked at his son, who just kept staring at the tv. It was awkward between them so the man tried to break the ice. “I heard you got fired” he said, causing Jungkook to cough because he choked.

“Who said that? I told you I left early today” Jungkook replied after he was done coughing.

“What did I say? I said being a teacher doesn’t suit you” his father talked while looking at the tv, “You boil up like a silver pot, how can you be a teacher? If you had just kept hitting spikes…”

“And if I had?” Jungkook interrupted his father, “Would that feed me with rice or food? I told you that I’m not going to eat ramyun only. I’m going to eat rice through the life time guarantee of food by civil service exams.”

“You” Gihwan pokes his son between his eyebrows, “You have a wrinkle there. You are getting old. Why do you wrinkle your face so much? Relax a little and be yourself. Stop using your head! You have to live according to what your body says, what your heart tells you to do. Even if you lose a little, you will not live like a coward. Like your father…”

Jungkook didn’t know what he should say. He knew his dad was right but it was something Jungkook didn’t want to accept it. The young man looked at his father who just smiled warmly at him and then he looked at the tray with his father’s dinner. “You have hardly eaten. Aren’t you hungry?”

“They use the same sauce for everything! How can I eat something like this? I just wish I could have some ramyun” the father said.

“Forget it! Ramyun in the hospital?”

Sometime later Taehyung was sitting outside in the hospital’s park on a bench. Next to him sat Jimin, who was holding his cup of ice tea in his hands and looked at Taehyung, who slowly took down his sunglasses. “Are you going to get that student teacher fired?” Jimin asked curiously.

“Why would I fire him? I’m not a kid” Taehyung talked back forcing himself to smile.

“Did you eat? What should we eat? If you don’t like hospital food, I was thinking of buying a lunchbox…” Jimin spoke but stopped when Taehyung suddenly flinched.

“Why are you asking so many questions? It’s not like you, stop acting like all those other annoying people.”

Jimin just smiled. “I was just trying it out.”

Taehyung gave him a smile back. “You are most handsome when you don’t talk” Taehyung said and checked Jimin out, “Did you do anything at your uniform?”

“No” Jimin shook his head and took a sip of his ice tea. Taehyung was thinking about the incident while Jimin looked around. “Oh, it’s Yoongi. Yoongi!” Jimin smiled brightly and waved his hand to the other one, who just frowned.

“Good timing. Go play with Min Yoongi” Taehyung ordered, “You are a bit burdensome today so leave me alone.”

“Should I?” Jimin asked smiling and leaned forward looking at Yoongi, “Yoon, do you want to eat together?”

“What? Eat? Eat together?!” Yoongi shouted, turned away and walked off.

“Seems like Yoongi is still mad” Jimin pouted and turned to Taehyung, who didn’t pay attention, “I will go now.” Jimin waved and stood up.

“Okay” Taehyung said and looked after Jimin to be sure he was off.

“Who’s that?” a man asked, who sat on the bench some meters away and kept staring at Taehyung and Jimin, “Your boyfriend?”

“Oh… Yes” Taehyung agreed and looked confused at the man, who walked over to him and sat down next to Taehyung.

“Wow, he’s really handsome.”

“Of course, that’s why he’s dating me” Taehyung admitted and looked at the man, before he turned annoyed away.

“But how can you send off your boyfriend without eating with him?”

“Why should I? He will probably take care of it himself” Taehyung talked while the man checked him out. The man looked from Taehyung’s feet up to his face and suddenly placed his hand on Taehyung’s chest. “What? Ahjussi what are you doing?” Taehyung asked and pushed the man lightly away.

“This kid is trash of all trash” the stranger spoke and Taehyung just rolled his eyes again, “Do you know why guys like you are tall but empty on the inside?”

“What?!”

“Your chest is as big and bulky as Kwon Sangwoo’s but do you know you’re as bare as a desert inside?” the man talked, “It’s because you only grew up on cold food. You need to grow up eating some hot stuff so that it will boil up in here…”

The man started to touch Taehyung’s chest again and the younger one started to get pissed again. Until he couldn’t stand it anymore, he stayed next to the man and suddenly Taehyung pushed the stranger aside. Taehyung jumped up and saw how the man laid on his back holding his chest and groaned in pain. “What’s wrong, Ahjussi?”

“I… must be dying…” the man mumbled groaning, “What do I do? I felt off today.”

“I… I will go and call a doctor” Taehyung said and turned to leave but the man quickly grabbed his arm.

“No. Forget the doctor. Something else…” the stranger whispered and Taehyung looked shocked at him.

“Ahjussi, do you have medicine?”

“Yes, I have medicine. What that is…” the man babbled and showed Taehyung to come closer. Slowly and carefully Taehyung stepped near the man and leaned down to him, “If you go to my house, open the second cabinet, on the first shelf in the silver pot… If you eat one chopstick full your hard will become firm… If you drink one mouthful your whole body will heat up… my ramyeon…” Taehyung couldn’t believe his ears and stood up again, rolling his eyes and took a loud annoyed breath. “A guy like you needs to eat it. If you eat that, you will become a person. What do you think? Craving it, right? I haven’t been able to eat it… so I’ve been feeling so stuffy, right here since yesterday.” Then the man sat up and kept holding Taehyung’s arm. “Let’s go! Let’s go and you have a bowl, too.”

Taehyung pulled his arm roughly out of the man’s grip and looked pissed at the man, who fell backwards on the bench. “If you want to put on a show, do it in front of the hospital. Then they will have you checked out and put in a closed ward. Let’s say the first meeting is a mistake, but not a second one. Don’t run into me ever again. No matter what you do or where you work you will be fired immediately.” Then Taehyung rolled his eyes again and turned around walking off.

“Ah, what a waste” the man chuckled and looked after Taehyung, “He’s the first empty-head that I’ve wanted to feed in a while.”

After some meters Taehyung stopped and turned around to face the man once more but when he turned around he saw the bench was empty and the man was nowhere around. “Where did he go?”

After Yoongi had rushed off from the hospital again he had stopped some streets away and sat on empty stairs. He wanted to visit Jeon Gihwan but when he saw Jimin with Taehyung again all the rage came up again. Yoongi noticed Jimin immediately when the other one appeared in front of him. He didn’t notice him because of the shoes, but because of Jimin’s scent. “You… haven’t eaten?” Yoongi asked and Jimin nodded with a smile.

Yoongi jumped over his own shadow. He actually planned on being mad with Jimin but he couldn’t resist him. So he invited Jimin to a restaurant which was nearby. Yoongi had ordered some rice dish, while Jimin just ordered some salad. “That rich guy didn’t even buy you a meal?” Yoongi asked and held a spoon with rice to Jimin, “Eat some real food, don’t just eat grass.”

Jimin smiled and opened his mouth. Yoongi let him eat from his spoon while Jimin kept smiling. “I have to watch my weight. My dance show is coming up soon” Jimin explained, then he sighed and looked at Yoongi, “I’m ruined because of you.” Both of them looked down on their plate and kept eating. “Yoongi, let’s date again.”

“What?” Yoongi asked but he couldn’t hold back a bright smile, “What about Kim Taehyung?”

“I will date Taehyung too!”

“What?! Hey, Park Jimin! You think that makes sense?” Yoongi shouted angrily.

“In the end, it’s for you” Jimin smiled.

“What?! How is it for me?!”

Jimin took Yoongi’s hand and looked deep into the other one’s eyes, while Yoongi just frowned. “If there’s a fork in a river, what would happen if you blocked one stream? The dam would burst. It’s the same thing. We need to keep Taehyung open in order for us to flow smoothly. Dating Taehyung is the only way for me to not lose you.”

“What?” Yoongi whispered. This didn’t make any sense to him at all.

Jungkook had left the hospital a while ago already but he couldn’t stop thinking about his father who wanted to eat ramyun so badly. So he passed at his father’s restaurant and prepared the noodle soup which his father liked the most. After he was done cooking, Jungkook put everything in a warming up bowl to bring it to the hospital. With a black plastic bag in his hand Jungkook stood in front of the elevator in the hospital again.  “Oh, that old gramps” Jungkook mumbled to himself, “The only thing he wants to eat is ramyun again? Why isn’t this coming down? It’s going to get soggy.” Then the sound of the arriving elevator caught Jungkook’s attention, who was often looking down on the black plastic bag. When the elevator’s door opened Jungkook stepped in, but when he looked up he couldn’t believe it. There was a man in the elevator and that man was Taehyung.

Also Taehyung thought it was a joke, but he just smiled. Suddenly he remembered why he was in the hospital and held his neck. “Oh, my neck! My neck” he whined while Jungkook stepped in next to him. “You came sooner than I thought. But what do I do? Oh! Oh, my neck.” Taehyung groaned in pain and tried to catch the teacher’s attention, who just looked up to the screen, where it showed the floor they were at. “I’m not in the mood to accept your apol…” Taehyung talked but Jungkook just dropped off when the door opened, “What the…?!” Taehyung rushed after the teacher and placed himself in front of Jungkook, blocking his way.

“Move.”

“What? You’re not going to apologize?” Taehyung spoke, “You didn’t come to apologize?”

“Apologize? You mean where someone who did something wrong acknowledges it and asks for forgiveness?” Jungkook asked sarcastically.

“Yes!”

“Then you should be the one apologizing, not me.”

“Me? Why should I?” Taehyung asked surprised, “I’m the one who got hit. Why do I have to apologize to the intern?”

“You don’t even know why you got hit, right?”

“No. Do I need to know all that?” Taehyung said.

“No, you don’t. Because it won’t matter if a Hwanung like you doesn’t know for the rest of his life” Jungkook replied.

“Look here, Intern Saeng. You must be doing this now in order to regain some pride but I don’t plan on starting trouble with my school’s employee. If you apologize, we can wrap things up” Taehyung talked but suddenly some nurses and doctors passed them quickly. Jungkook noticed the patient who they were rushing into the operating area. He lost his concentration on Taehyung and looked after them. He wanted to run after them but Taehyung grabbed his wrist pulling him back. “What the…?! Where are you going?!”

“Let go.”

“Intern, I’m talking right now.”

“Let go of me!” Jungkook shouted and threw the plastic back to Taehyung, before he ran off to follow the patient, who was sent into surgery since it was his father.

“What the…” Taehyung mumbled to himself while looking after the young teacher. He didn’t understand the situation. When he noticed that he was still holding the bag in his arms he looked at it.  He kept the bag with him and stared at it. “Intern… You turned your back on me?” Taehyung leaned to the bag and smelled lightly on it, while he was sitting on a wheel chair on the hallway, waiting for Jungkook to come back. “And what’s this? Seriously…” He looked around because he was tired of waiting, as he saw Yoongi, who came down the hallway. “Hey! Crazy chicken!” Taehyung greeted Yoongi and stood up, holding the plastic bag to the other one, “Did Intern send you? Good timing.” But Yoongi and his friends didn’t pay attention to him. They just passed him and walked down the hallway. “Now what’s this?” Taehyung talked to himself and looked after Yoongi. He finally wanted to get rid of that bag and followed Yoongi and his friends. They walked to a funeral hall at the basement of the hospital. Taehyung looked around since there were many people in black clothes it took a while for Taehyung to find Yoongi and his friends. When he finally saw them, they were kneeling down in front of an altar. “What? Why is he there?” Taehyung whispered and observed them bowing to the dependent that stood next to the altar. When Taehyung looked closely at the relative he noticed that it was Jungkook. “Jeon…” Finally he understood why Jungkook suddenly ran off. Taehyung’s glance wandered from Jungkook to the photo of the person who had passed away. It was the man from the park who wanted to eat ramyun with him.

He kept staying there for a while until he had enough courage. He walked over to Jungkook and held the bag to the teacher. “Here. Take this” Taehyung said without looking at Jungkook, because Taehyung couldn’t bear to see the young teacher being teary, “I was going to just throw it out… but it smells strange. So take it.”

“Throw it out” Jungkook spoke with a thin voice while staring at the bag, causing Taehyung finally to look at the teacher, “Thanks to you he can’t eat it anymore so throw it away.”

Taehyung nodded and walked off, but instead of throwing it away he took it with him to his room. There he sat down on his bed and he unpacked the plastic bag. Inside was a pot with ramyun, which got cold already. The man wanted the ramyun so much and Jungkook made them for him but the man wasn’t able to eat them anymore. Taehyung felt bad because he was harsh to the man. He remembered the words of the man, when he told him to go to his house and to get the silver pot where he usually eats his ramyun with.

Jungkook laid in front of the altar for a very long time. He even had fallen asleep. When Namjoon woke up gently it was night already and Jungkook slowly sat up. He was covered with a black jacket, which he picked up and held it to Namjoon since he thought it belonged to his friend. “Here” Jungkook said with a cracked voice.

“This isn’t mine” Namjoon spoke quietly and put the jacket over Jungkook’s shoulders again while Yoongi and his friends packed the stuff. Namjoon carried the urn with Jeon Gihwan’s ash inside and next to him walked Yoongi, who carried the photo of the man. Jungkook and Yoongi’s friends followed them. They walked to a bus which was ordered from the hospital and they all entered it.

When the bus drove off the man who had visited Jungkook’s father before at the hospital stepped out of the building and looked after the leaving bus.

The bus dropped them off near Jeon Gihwan’s house, where they gave their farewells to Jungkook. The young man entered the house the first time after years again. He gave his father a visit in the small restaurant some days ago but the house which was behind the store was different. Jungkook couldn’t stay in the house all alone so he went to the restaurant. Wherever he looked at, whatever he touched, he felt this father everywhere. He didn’t know what he should do neither he knew how he ended up in the kitchen boiling ramyun.  

When the noodles where finished Jungkook sat down on the place where his father used to sit as well. He started eating slowly and poured himself a drink. When he drank it up he remembered how his father used to drink it and how he used to pour Jungkook milk so he was able to drink with him as child. He told him to make the usual expression and sound when drinking alcohol so everyone understood that he liked it. He thought about many memories which he had with his father in the restaurant. But unfortunately Jungkook also remembered the bad things like the fights and quarrels which made him leave his father after his mother had died. He could feel how his father must have felt after Jungkook had left him. “Don’t go…” Jungkook mumbled and the tears entered his eyes again, “Don’t leave our father alone. Then he will be so lonely. When the door shut were you always standing at the window alone? I wasn’t there and neither was Mom. Were you always here alone every night? I thought only I missed Mom. I thought only I was alone. But you were alone too, right? I didn’t realize. I’m sorry, appa…” Now Jungkook wasn’t able to hold back his tears anymore. “I’m sorry…” Jungkook looked down while crying and knocked his hand on his chest. Suddenly Jungkook felt like his father stood in front of him. “Appa… you didn’t go, right? I was wrong, appa. I am sorry for losing my temper on you. I was wrong. Please don’t leave me alone.” Jungkook didn’t know if he was dreaming or not but it felt like his father was there, holding his hands and talked to him. He said he won’t leave and Jungkook leaned forward to hug his father while he kept apologizing under tears over and over again.

At the same time Taehyung sat in his sick bed and watched bored at the tv. He couldn’t stop thinking about Jungkook, his hurt expression on his face and his teary eyes. Taehyung wondered if Jungkook went to the place where he got the ramyun from.

He needed to see Jungkook. He needed to see if the young teacher was alright. So he dismissed himself from the hospital and quickly rushed home where he changed into fresh clothes. Then he took his car and drove to the store. Luckily he kept the black empty plastic bag with him, where the location of the restaurant was put. He drove through the neighborhood and stopped in front of the small house. It was a typical small neighborhood in Seoul but Taehyung never was here before although it was close to their school.  He parked the car and stepped out. He looked curiously at the store. To him it looked old and like it needed a makeover but still it seemed native and homelike. When he came closer he noticed that there was still a small light in the restaurant. He was glad Jungkook was there, because he wanted to apologize. But when he looked through the window, he saw how Jungkook sit on a bench and hugged a man, who stood in front of him.

“Appa… since when are you so muscular? Are you really my appa?” Taehyung heard Jungkook talking while he looked up and was still in tears.

“No… I’m not your father” the man talked calmly, “I’m your husband.”

“What? Husband?” Jungkook asked looking confused up to the man who just smiled at him.

Taehyung didn’t know if he heard it right neither he knew if this was just a joke. He came to apologize but now he had to see a scene like this. That man who wanted to ask him out seemed to be married with a man and still he wanted to date Taehyung?