"Can't you just say you missed me back?" -Jeon Jungkook

 

 

 

 

Chapter 4: Strawberry Lips and Ice Scream

 

 

“Professor Kim, what are you doing tonight? Any plans?” Yoongi stretched his back from the long hours of sitting as he glanced over at his office mate. The clock was ticking towards six.

 

“I think I’ll just go home,” Seokjin shrugged as he organized the files scattered on his desk. 

 

“Well that sounds awfully tedious. Why don’t we grab dinner together tonight? It’s my treat,” Yoongi smiled.

“What’s the occasion?” Seokjin raised an eyebrow.

“Oh come on. Can’t a colleague buy dinner for a fellow colleague he deeply cares about?” Yoongi frowned, urging Seokjin to say ‘yes.’ Seokjin chuckled at that.

“Well, I won’t say no to that then. When did you want to leave?” 

“How about in ten minutes? I still have to finish sending an email and then we can be on our way,” Yoongi scooted back under his desk, hands ready to type. He winked at Seokjin, “I know a great place nearby.”

 

“I’m excited,” Seokjin said as he finished up sorting the files. It’d been semesters since the two of them shared their lovely office together, but the amount of times they had eaten together only totaled to about two or three. With Seokjin loving his alone time too much and Yoongi loving his girlfriend too much, they just never had the opportunities to go out often. But the few times they did were good times, and so when Seokjin said he was excited, he meant it.

At least somewhat.

 

“Ready?” Yoongi finally got up, grabbing his jacket and bag.

“Most definitely,” Seokjin got up as well, smiling.

 

The two professors talked about their day as they walked to the “great place nearby” Yoongi mentioned, with Seokjin surprised it only took about seven minutes to get to by foot. He eyed the place as they stepped inside, taking in the peeling paint on the walls, stained tiled floors, and rather worn out tables with chairs. 

 

A great place, huh? he couldn’t help but ask internally.

 

“I know it looks run-down and all, but I promise the food is outstanding. This is a popular place among students too, as you can tell,” Yoongi assured Seokjin, as if he read his mind. He pointed to the packed tables with young customers who obviously seemed to be students at the university they taught at. 

 

“I didn’t say anything,” Seokjin shrugged, deciding to trust Yoongi on this. The restaurant was, in fact, pretty busy, indicating it clearly had some good things to offer. 

 

“Hello; table for how many?” a waiter who finally noticed them came running over. 

“Just two please,” Yoongi answered and within seconds, he and Seokjin were seated at a small table by the window. 

 

“What’s good here?” Seokjin asked, holding up the menu that was literally just a sheet of paper in front of him. He chuckled at how even the menu seemed to be falling apart, with rips and crinkles throughout. His expectations for the food became higher, because clearly that was what had to be keeping this place running and still together.

 

“Definitely the tonkatsu over kimchi fried rice with extra cheese,” Yoongi didn’t even look at the menu. He smiled that gummy smile of his. “No questions asked. Just order that, okay?”

“Wow, I love the immense amount of freedom I’m given,” Seokjin ended up setting down the paper and smiling himself. “But I trust you Professor. And it’s your money anyway, right?”

“Exactly,” Yoongi let out a laugh as he called the waiter. As soon as their orders were put in place, the two proceeded to continue to converse.

 

“So how are things going with your girl? How long has it been since you’ve been going out again?” Seokjin poured Yoongi a cup of water. 

“A little over two years,” Yoongi replied and chuckled when Seokjin’s eyes widened, “I know. Time flies, does it not? I’d say there were definitely times when we weren’t in seventh heaven, but overall, I think things are going great.”

“Well, it’d be weird if you guys were in ‘seventh heaven’ all the time. And unhealthy too at that,” Seokjin placed his elbows on the table. “It’s good you guys are still going strong though.”

“Yeah,” Yoongi nodded as he took a sip of water. He then cleared his throat, “Any thoughts or change of mind regarding finding yourself a suitable mate?”

“Don’t turn this conversation on me; we’re talking about you,” Seokjin shook his head defensively. He shrugged, “And I told you I’m fine alone.”

“Okay okay,” Yoongi sighed, giving up. He glanced around the restaurant until his eyes landed on a rather familiar figure. He squinted.

 

“Isn’t that Hyun?” 

 

Seokjin whipped his head around at the name of the girl that had strangely bothered him the whole morning. He narrowed his own eyes and recognized the side profile of Do Hyun, chattering away excitedly in front of what appeared to be two other girls. Seokjin sighed, a little relieved she wasn’t with...wait.

Why was he like this? He really didn’t care who Hyun was with. It didn’t matter to him one bit. Even if she was sitting with that bunny boyfriend of hers, it would most definitely not affect him at all—

 

“Professor Kim? Where are you going?”

 

Then what was wrong with his legs, now walking towards the table Hyun was seated at? Even Yoongi looked at him baffled, eyes wide and eyebrows raised.

But his baffled face quickly changed to an amused face, his mind already grasping what was going on.

 

“—just because I’m desperately trying to get over Professor Kim doesn’t mean I’m going to just date any guy,” Hyun’s voice reached Seokjin’s ears, completely freezing his feet. He wasn’t sure if what he heard was correct. And as if to confirm how flustering Hyun’s most recent words were, Seokjin found two shocked pairs of eyes on him, cueing him to have to say something.

 

“I’m guessing this was a bad time to come over to say ‘hi,’ huh?” 

 

And after a brief moment of pause, Seokjin watched Hyun’s head turn around to face him. opened and Seokjin almost laughed at what she said back.

 

“Hi...Professor Kim.”

 

Hearing her small greeting, Seokjin didn’t know how to respond for a few seconds until his brain commanded his frozen lips to finally melt into that pretty smile of his. 

 

“Hi Hyun-ah,” he gave her a nod.

 

“You’re Professor Kim, right? Hyunnie’s advisor?” Sooyoung stood up to bow, clearly picking up the rather awkward atmosphere. She was internally surprised at how good looking the man before her actually was; she had only heard about his heavenly demeanor from her friend and never actually saw him “in the flesh” until now. But my, she could understand why this professor was so popular among his students.

And why he stole the heart of her own friend staring at him with flushed cheeks right at the present moment. 

 

 Seokjin nodded again in response, his lips still stretched.

 

“Yes. And I can only assume you both are Hyun’s friends?” Seokjin looked at Sooyoung and Ji Eun respectively. They both nodded at that. It was a nodding party.

“Her two best,” Sooyoung grinned wide. Seokjin chuckled.

 

 “I see. Well, I just came over to say ‘hello’ after seeing a familiar face, but I don’t want to interrupt your time any longer. Have a good night ladies,” he began to walk away before turning around one more time, “And see you tomorrow in class Hyun-ah.”

 

“Yes sir,” Hyun bowed quickly, not expecting him to leave so fast and waited until Seokjin returned to his table, her heart hammering in her chest.

 

Both Sooyoung and Ji Eun had to strain to keep their mouths from letting out squeals or screams of any sort, and Yoongi on the other hand had to keep his own mouth from bursting out into laughter. Nobody knew or could explain what just happened, except say that it was a rather short, awkward, and unexpected interaction overall.

 

It didn’t take so long before Ji Eun and Sooyoung started making all sorts of comments to a blushy Hyun and Yoongi interrogating Seokjin himself. But in the midst of it all, Seokjin found himself in deep waters. It was as if his mind was even more bothered than it was all morning. Again, his logical mind began to put pieces together, completely ignoring everything Yoongi was saying to him.

 

One, it turned out Hyun didn’t have a boyfriend. But who was he then if not, able to hold her hand ever so naturally?

 

 And two, Hyun was still getting over Seokjin (“desperately” too, at that), which meant she still had some feelings left towards him.

 

And Seokjin didn’t know if he felt glad about that or not. He was utterly puzzled at his complex emotions at the moment. A part of him felt relieved Hyun wasn’t dating that buff bunny, but a part of him was muddled at why in the world he’d even be relieved of her single state in the first place.

He didn’t care, right? He didn’t.

Then why did he walk up to her table minutes ago?

 

Seokjin had never felt so confused and flustered in his life, but all he could do was snap out of his thoughts when Yoongi’s fingers snapped repeatedly in front of his face. 

 

“Hello? Are you listening to me?” Yoongi asked.

“Uh...yeah,” Seokjin cleared his throat. “Sorry, what were you saying?”

 

 Yoongi shook his head, extremely entertained at what was happening before his eyes. He saw a small spark of hope for his colleague, who had just stated he was “fine alone” for the hundredth time moments ago. After all, Min Yoongi was the romance expert with wit and speedy catches. But it didn’t take wit or romance expertise to see Seokjin’s disoriented state. Anyone with eyes could clearly tell Kim Seokjin was not his usual, collected self.

And that was a first. At least for Yoongi.

 

“I said, did you have something to tell Hyun? Why’d you go over?” Yoongi repeated the question Seokjin’s ears drowned out.

“I...don’t know,” Seokjin replied slowly, trying to think of why he wanted to even go say ‘hi’ to her in the first place. “I mean, she’s my advisee and all, so I just wanted to greet her.”

“Huh,” Yoongi nodded, hands interlaced and elbows resting on the table. “Well, I’m glad you guys aren’t in an awkward state anymore. It’s good you guys talk and greet each other even outside of class.” 

 

“...”

 

Seokjin didn’t say anything back, his ears turning into a light shade of pink, and Yoongi tried not to laugh out loud. It was so much fun teasing the great Professor Kim Seokjin in front of him. Things were definitely getting interesting. 

 

But as if to give poor Seokjin a break, the food they ordered finally arrived, making the two professors focus on filling their stomachs instead. Yoongi’s mouth was now busy enough to not ask anything further, and Seokjin appreciated that.

Because even he himself had no idea how to process whatever he was feeling at the moment. He didn’t even know what it was that began to stir within him.

He prayed this was all temporary.

Short-lived.

A passing fervor.

Nothing more.

 

Well, he was soon bound to find out.

 

 

 

***

 

 

 

“Does Mr. Jungkook know about your crush on Professor Kim?” Ji Eun asked as the three girls now headed home, back to their shared dorm. 

“Um…” Hyun felt a wave of unwanted stress fill her mind.

“That hesitation means a definite no,” Sooyoung clicked her tongue, shaking her head. She widened her eyes. “I wonder how he’s going to take it...being obsessed with you and all.”

“Yeah, I feel bad for him,” Ji Eun nodded. “Unless you decide to throw that hot professor out the window and give the cutie hockey player a chance.”

 

Sooyoung bursted out into giggles at Ji Eun’s comment, slapping her on the arm, “You’re crazy Lee Ji Eun!”

 

“Guys…” Hyun lowered her head, unable to laugh along. Her head was already aching from the thought of Jungkook even finding out about her crush. She wasn’t sure how he’d take it, being her childhood clinger and all. But at the same time, how could she throw Kim Seokjin out? Her heart was racing even just at the thought of him.

 

 “You know I really tried getting over Professor Kim, but I think whatever happened back there at the restaurant only fueled things,” she raised her head.

 

“What do you mean?” Sooyoung looked at her with big eyes.

“Are you saying you’re going to keep liking that professor?” Ji Eun asked, reading Hyun’s face.

 

Hyun only gave a nod in response, making her two friends not know how to react. Things were getting messy, but all they could do was support Hyun and hope for the best.

Hope things didn’t go overboard. 

 

“Well, it’s not like our Hyunnie Hyun can just force her feelings to stop, or command her heart to stop thumping whenever Professor Kim walks up to her,” Sooyoung gave Hyun’s shoulder a squeeze. She smiled, “I mean, honestly, who can even blame her? That professor was a walking god.”

 

“Wait, so there’s no hope whatsoever for Jeon Jungkook?” Ji Eun raised her brows. It was obvious she was team Jungkook. 

“Like I said, he’s just a—” Hyun began.

“Dongsaeng?” Ji Eun finished for her, cutting her off. She shook her head. “I get it, Hyun-ah. And I know you really aren’t into younger guys. But I think you should at least have an open mind towards him. He’s no longer a kid now but an actual adult like yourself. Who knows how things might progress between you two?”

 

“She has a point,” Sooyoung chirped in support, feeling rather fickle. She then continued after seeing Hyun’s distraught face, “Okay, but don’t be too worried. Focus on now and make decisions accordingly. That way you won’t regret anything.”

 

“I don’t even want to think about anything right now,” Hyun shook her head, rubbing her temples with her fingers. She was getting a headache from all this. She really didn’t want to hurt anyone...but her crush was too strong to ignore too. All Hyun wanted at the moment was to take a hot shower and crash onto her soft bed to call it a night. As long as she made it home without any more hindrances, she could do exactly that and maybe her headache would go away—

 

 

“Noona!”

 

 

Oh no.

 

An all-too familiar voice was heard and all three girls turned their heads to the right, taking in the very Jeon Jungkook they had just discussed about now running towards them. His hair bounced in rhythm of his swift movements as he quickly made his way towards the girl he had been dying to see all day.

And all night really.

 

“Did your practice end just now?” Hyun strained to keep a smile on her face, not expecting to run into Jungkook. How was she going to sleep now?

 

“Yup. I even cleaned up the rink and locker room extra fast so I can come see you,” Jungkook grinned, stepping closer to Hyun to give her a hug.

“Great job,” Hyun said half-heartedly, reaching up to give Jungkook a pat on the head as his arms slid around her waist. But the hug didn’t last very long, as Jungkook quickly stepped back.

 

“What?” Hyun looked at him, a little curious as to why he moved away all of a sudden. It was definitely unlike him.

 

“I forgot I’m a sweaty mess,” he looked down at himself before meeting Hyun’s eyes again. “I probably stink too.”

“Did you not shower after your practice?” Hyun narrowed her eyes. 

“I was in a hurry to see you. And I can always shower in the dorms; why waste time showering when I can use that time to come see you?” Jungkook shrugged.

“I’d much rather have you shower than not though,” Hyun wrinkled her nose in disgust and almost laughed at Jungkook looking so helpless, with his big doe eyes clearly disappointed he couldn’t come any closer to the noona he had missed dearly. 

 

“Sorry to interrupt, but is someone going to introduce us?” Ji Eun cleared , feeling very much left out and ignored...probably because that was the case. With Hyun in the scene, there was no way Jungkook would even acknowledge anyone else. 

 

Sooyoung nodded next to her, a grin spreading across her face at how she finally got to see the interaction between Hyun and Jungkook she had only heard about. And it was just as she had imagined it to be.

Sweet, cute, and...a little scary.

 

“Oh right; sorry,” Hyun apologized, and quickly turned to her friends. “Guys this is Jungkook, and Kook-ah, these are my two closest friends, Sooyoung and Ji Eun.”

 “Hello!” Sooyoung waved and Ji Eun just smiled while Jungkook himself bowed briefly in silence.

 

“So you’re the Kookie we’ve heard so much about,” Sooyoung continued with a bright tone when no one said anything afterwards. Jungkook looked at her, his brows furrowed.

 

“I’m Jungkook, sunbaenim. Only Hyunnie noona can call me ‘Kookie,’” he said bluntly, making all three girls freeze. Ji Eun widened her eyes in amusement and Hyun wanted to smack Jungkook for his ill-mannered remark. Sooyoung just opened , speechless.

 

“Oh I’m sorry...Jungkook-ah,” she managed to correct herself after an awkward silence. She kept a polite smile on her face but it was evident she was quite alarmed, having no idea this was the kind of person Jungkook was: cold indeed to everyone who wasn’t Do Hyun with absolute no exceptions.

 

“Kook-ah, don’t speak like that to noona’s friends. They’re your noonas too,” Hyun began to scold Jungkook when Ji Eun in, shaking her head.

“Nah. We can stay as your sunbaes, and we’ll make sure we call you ‘Jungkook’ too. There’s no need to treat us the same way you treat Hyunnie,” she gave a smirk, quite pleased Jungkook seemed to be the kind of person who drew lines and was wholly dedicated to Hyun alone. It made Ji Eun want to support him more.  She didn’t have anything against Kim Seokjin by any means, but perhaps she saw how happy Jungkook would make Hyun if only she were to return his feelings. Because even now, at the present moment, she saw his complete attention towards her friend, eyes glued and hand already wrapping around hers.

And Sooyoung noticed it too.

 

 “Well, on that note, we better get going. Hyun-ah, you can take your time ‘kay?” Sooyoung started to push Ji Eun away after seeing Jungkook inching closer and closer to Hyun. She recognized it would probably be best to leave them alone and give them some space. Goodness, Jeon Jungkook really was obsessed with Do Hyun, no doubt.

 

“Guys no wait—” Hyun shook her head, not wanting her friends to leave her. But they ignored her attempted imploration.

 

“Bye! It was nice meeting you Jungkook-ah; have fun with our Hyunnie!” Sooyoung and Ji Eun both waved as they linked arms and nearly ran off. Hyun almost cursed at them. 

 

“Wow…” she muttered under her breath before clearing . “Kook-ah, you know we have morning classes tomorrow right? We should head home and go to bed early.”

 

She was getting ready to brace herself for a major whining session, already thinking of all the back-up points she’d spit out when Jungkook started to complain about having to say ‘good night’ so early.

“You’re right, noona. You must be tired too, yeah? Let’s go home,” Jungkook nodded. 

 

Wait what? Hyun blinked to make sure she heard correctly. That was a little too easy. She looked at him like he had three eyes, unsure if he meant what he said. But before she could say anything back, Jungkook’s hand already holding hers started to pull her along as he began to walk. 

 

“I’ll still walk you to your dorms though. Is that okay?” he asked, his doe eyes large and pleading. 

“Yeah…” Hyun nodded as well, a little confused if this was indeed the right Jungkook she knew. What had happened for him to be so...compliant all of a sudden? To become so...reasonable overnight?

 

Jungkook grinned his bunny grin as the two of them walked side by side. It was funny how they were walking a little ways behind Ji Eun and Sooyoung who were also making their way towards the same dorm building. But it made a difference that Jungkook got to spend the last few moments of his day with Hyun alone. With the cool night breeze drying his sweat and his feet in sync with the girl right beside him, his day couldn’t possibly end on a better note.

 

“How was practice?” Hyun broke the silence as she turned her head to glance at Jungkook.

“Good. How were classes?” he asked back, also meeting her eyes.

“Pretty good as well,” Hyun nodded, now looking away.

 

“I missed you,” Jungkook said softly, his eyes still on her. Hyun kept her eyes on the ground. She was still getting used to how plain-spoken and clingy he was. 

 

“All day,” he added when she gave no response, making her lift her head.

 

“Well you’re going to have to get used to not being able to see me all day,” Hyun kicked a pebble in front of her as they walked. She smiled weakly at him. “It’s not like we can spend every minute together. We aren’t kids anymore, Kook-ah. We both have busy lives to attend to and—”

 

“Can’t you just say you missed me back?” Jungkook interrupted her, his lips in a big pout. He continued, now stopping completely. “Noona, I’m not asking you to play with me all day or anything. I know we’re not kids anymore, both busy with classes and practices. But I can still miss you and want to spend every free moment I have with you, can’t I?” 

 

“Uh...yes,” Hyun nodded slowly, clearly taken aback by Jungkook’s rather aggressive...ly accurate answer. He was right; who was she to say he couldn’t miss her? 

 

“Am I the only one that missed you noona?” Jungkook persisted, now leaning towards Hyun and bending down to face her directly.

 

“No…” Hyun couldn’t help but give in. There was something about Jungkook that made her unable to push him away whenever she tried to. With Kim Seokjin on her mind, she had wanted to set clear boundaries with the bunny in front of her. But she couldn’t. There really was something about him, drawing out an inner desire to comfort and attend to his needs from her. It was weird, but that was how things typically were with Jeon Jungkook. And that was another thing Hyun had to get used to.

Another thing she had to remember how to deal with ever since...well, half a decade ago.

 

“So you missed me too?” Jungkook raised his brows, hoping for a positive response.

 

“Yeah...sure,” Hyun sighed, much to Jungkook’s joy. He let out a happy giggle as he began to walk again, pulling Hyun closer to his body. And Hyun just weakly followed his lead, surrendering completely.

 

The two then walked in silence for a bit as they approached Hyun’s dorm building. It took less than two minutes before they were in front of the main entrance. Was the clingy Jeon Jungkook going to let Hyun go now? Was he going to actually let her sleep and call it a day?

That was the question. Or questions.

 

“Good night noona. I’ll see you tomorrow,” he gave Hyun’s hand one last squeeze before he let go. Hyun raised a brow, doubting this was all happening so easily. 

 

“Good night Kook-ah,” she answered when he just stood there. She then put up a hand and waved as she turned around to enter her dorm. But before she could actually step inside, she felt Jungkook’s arms wrapping around her from behind. She froze for a second before letting out a laugh. Of course it wouldn’t be that easy for Jungkook to let her entirely go for the night. 

 

“I’ll come to pick you up before class tomorrow, okay? Let’s go together,” Jungkook muttered, his breath tickling Hyun’s neck as she felt his head rest on her shoulder.

“Okay,” she replied and waited a solid minute until Jungkook unwrapped his arms. Hyun faced him and watched him slowly walk backwards as he waved using his entire arm.

 

“Alright good night for real now,” he grinned. Hyun nodded and returned the smile. 

“Good night. See you tomorrow.”

 

And then she was able to finally go in. Into her room, where her comfy bed and two girls would be waiting for her. As soon as she stepped in, Ji Eun and Sooyoung gave her smirks as they began to talk about their encounter with the bunny. And how they felt about it all.

 

But Hyun couldn’t seem to pay attention to them. Her mind was clearly on the bunny they were discussing, wondering what had gotten into him. Yes, he was still his clingy, baby self, but he definitely wasn’t as bad as the night before. Maybe he was finally starting to grow up, like Hyun had hoped. Maybe he had begun to see that she and him were just childhood pals and nothing more. Maybe he was on his way to becoming less and less possessive towards her and their relationship. 

But “maybe” meant there was a possibility for all that to be false. 

 

In fact, maybe this small change actually meant Jungkook’s pursuit towards Hyun in trying to make her completely his was just about to get worse.

 

 

And Hyun just had no idea.

 

 

 

***

 

 

 

“Good morning everyone. We’re going to dive right into our first topic: the purpose of rhetoric.”

 

It didn’t help that Hyun had the man of her dreams walking back and forth in front of the smart board ahead of her and the man she was the dream of sitting right next to her. Professor Kim Seokjin had a navy blue shirt on with dark slacks and hair gelled up, revealing his magnificent forehead. And if that wasn’t enough, his soothing voice began to lecture and Hyun had to try extra hard to pay attention. 

 

Because this time, she had Jeon Jungkook poking her arm and leaning in towards her once every five minutes or so.

Seokjin noticed the two of them sitting side by side, but didn’t give much thought to them. He wanted to focus on his lecture...and forget about the strange feelings that lingered inside of him the past couple of days.

 

In contrast to the professional Kim Seokjin, Jungkook himself had thrown on an oversized T-shirt with some baggy pants, and yet that didn’t quite cover up his good looks that turned the heads of several female students around him. Man, it was quite the class with two walking—and sitting—eye candies.

 

 

“Aristotle highlighted three main types of persuasive speech: judicial, demonstrative, and deliberative. What do those mean? Well, thanks for asking; I can tell you all are dying to know,” Seokjin gripped the sides of the podium off to the front left of the room. He smiled as he heard students chuckle.

“To put it simply, the three types of persuasive speech deal with the three tenses, or times we often discuss: past, present, and future. Judicial rhetoric looks at just or unjust accusations by bringing evidence of the past. Demonstrative rhetoric, often used in wedding or retirement speeches, is more about making a declaration on the present. And finally, deliberative rhetoric deals with persuading the audience to see a possible future and take action accordingly. And I’m sure previous history classes have taught you a lot about speeches utilizing deliberative rhetoric during various movements.”

 

Hyun and the rest of the class listened intently, ears alert with taking in Seokjin’s words and hands busy with writing them. Well, everyone except Jungkook who just rested his head on a palm with his eyes fixed on the concentrated side profile of Do Hyun. He clearly didn’t care what his professor had to say.

 

“So why do we use rhetoric? What’s the purpose of those types in the first place? Why do we study the art of rhetoric?” Seokjin looked at his students. “Any ideas?”

 

“To persuade,” someone blurted out.

“Good,” Seokjin nodded, despite the rather obvious, basic answer. “Any other thoughts?”

“To win arguments,” someone else answered.

“Okay.”

“To get a girlfriend,” another person said, making the whole class burst out laughing.

“Very good,” Seokjin smirked, pointing at the student who so boldly spoke. After all, Seokjin himself had mentioned how rhetoric could make one a five-star flirter the first day. Hyun almost rolled her eyes and Jungkook’s attention was now on what was going on in class, especially at hearing the word “girlfriend.”

 

“Those are all fantastic answers. Thanks to all of you who contributed,” Seokjin continued once the class had calmed down. “But if you notice, all those answers really boil down to one thing, and that is to get something that benefits mainly ourselves, or the rhetor. And that’s somewhat accurate, but there’s more to it.”

 

“When I say rhetoric is an art, I’m talking about how much skill and practice are required to master it. And I’m here to tell you that the purpose of rhetoric has a fairly wide spectrum. Like I said on the first day of class, rhetoric is really used in our everyday lives. But it’s not just an effective communication skill,” Seokjin looked around at his students, who all had their eyes on him. Not one student seemed to be distracted, even Jungkook. 

 

“It builds one’s reputation, maintains or builds relationships, and sparks wisdom within an individual, allowing them to know what to say when and where. Let me explain,” Seokjin walked in front of the smart board.

 

 

“Let’s say someone asks how your summer break was. Depending on who asks, you might choose to include certain details and omit others because what you say affects how they see you and thus might affect your relationship with that person. If I asked how your summer went, you might say, ‘It went well. I read a bit and worked most of the time.’ But if your close friend whom you haven’t seen all summer asked, you might give a longer answer, with more details about what you did with who and how you went to parties or such. Of course, you wouldn’t want to tell me, your professor, all of those details you’d tell your friend because first of all I don’t care, but second of all, it would be hard for me to see you as a diligent, hard working student if you told me your latest gossips or how you party a lot.”

 

But what if I want to tell you everything so we can see different sides to each other and get to know each other better? Hyun thought with a pout. She was certain she’d tell Seokjin all the details of how her summer went if only he’d ask. After all, she was going all in with her crush. She eyed Seokjin with narrowed eyes and was startled when he made brief eye contact with her.

 

“Can you see why it’s so important to know how to master the art of rhetoric? That was just one minor example, but I’m sure you all can acknowledge how many scenarios you go through on a daily basis where you have to strategically communicate. You’re constantly utilizing rhetoric as you meet and communicate with others to deepen or reduce relationships, and build a decent reputation for yourself. But remember, rhetoric might be more than just about benefiting ourselves,” Seokjin smiled.

 

“The third type of persuasive speech we discussed briefly was deliberative. That’s the type that tries to get the audience or listeners to take action by seeing a possible future. So going back to me asking why we study rhetoric, what if we go more in depth with the answer one of our lovely students here voiced out: how rhetoric can get one a significant other?” Seokjin could already notice his students’ faces lighting up, showing how even more intrigued they were.

“We’re in a society where dating culture is huge. I mean, walk the streets of Seoul on a rainy day, sunny day, weekday, weekend day, holiday, etc. and see what you’re surrounded with. Couples. And so if you’re alone, you ,” Seokjin shrugged nonchalantly and students let out an admitting laugh. “At least that’s what our society seems to tell us.”

“Now I’m not against dating. And I do believe that by studying rhetoric through this course, you might indeed find strategic ways in winning someone over. And I’m confident you will, because this course is taught by me,” he winked before continuing. “But what if I told you that there are other things that we should consider prior to looking for a partner? Like finding unity with productive work first instead of with another person?”

 

The faces of the students fell, not really liking where Professor Kim seemed to be going with this. Hyun frowned, not really liking it either. But they all decided to give their professor a chance to explain himself. He had already won their respect in many ways.

 

“So many young people just want to date because they’re lonely, want a status boost, or they feel passionate emotions towards someone without realizing that their feelings are actually quite shallow. We’re all afraid to be isolated or separated, because we want to belong somewhere. Belong with someone.”

 

Hyun flinched when Seokjin looked straight at her, and soon she felt a fire burn inside of her. Why was he looking at her? What was he trying to tell her? 

 

“But instead of attaching ourselves to another person, it’s rather important to attach ourselves to our work and feel a sense of accomplishment and belonging through that first. Creative work that requires one to plan, produce, and become one with an element helps individuals realize the value of working hard in a given field, which is necessary in order for them to later successfully unite with another person. It shows them that just like the process of creating something, creating a loving relationship with someone requires much planning, hard work, and diligence as well.”

 

Hyun bit her lip, but she found herself persuaded enough with what Seokjin was saying. In fact, all the students seemed to gradually nod their heads, taking in what he was presenting to them. Professor Kim Seokjin was quite the master in the very concept of rhetoric he was teaching.

 

“And you’d be surprised to see how much of a sense of belonging you feel when you do become one with your work. So that’s why I want to tell you all right now that as college students, you shouldn’t be so concerned about dating. You most likely won’t be able to succeed in maintaining your relationship even if you did find a partner now anyway. You ought to make studying a priority first. And once you know how to attach yourselves to your work, you’ll become quite the attractive individuals ready to attach yourselves to another person healthily, because by knowing the value of working, you’ll also keep that up and not become too dependent on the other person,” Seokjin went on.

 “Wow, don’t you love how you signed up for a rhetoric course but you’re getting free life advice and words of wisdom on the side? Like I said on the first day, you guys might really come and thank me for helping you not only find a significant other, but teaching you how to maintain that relationship.”

 

Students laughed at that, now completely soaked in Seokjin’s words. In a way, his words were not new. Even their parents could tell them how important it was to place studying over dating. But the way he pointed out how studying now will help them with dating in the long run was quite the news. There was no guarantee they were all going to succeed in dating of course, but Professor Kim almost seemed to assure them not to worry about that so much...at least in the present moment.

 

“But now you saw what I did, right? I basically used demonstrative rhetoric to state what’s going on in the present and what I believe about dating to then transition to deliberative rhetoric, where I tried to persuade you all to become students who prioritize working hard over romantic relationships. Because again, investing in your studies now will lead to successful relationships in the future. And maybe you all can be the start of changing our romance-stressing society.”

Silence followed for a brief moment before Seokjin opened his mouth again.

 

“Rhetoric is life changing and influential. It’s not just something that benefits whoever is using it like I said. It’s something that’s key to understand so that we can create a positively communicating and influencing community,” Seokjin walked back to the podium and looked around. “Any questions?”

Another round of silence fell upon the lecture hall and Seokjin chuckled.

 

“Well, if there are no questions, I’m going to now talk about some of the terminology that falls under our topic today that will be helpful for your future project,” he adjusted his notes on the podium.

 

Hyun listened to the rest of the lecture with crossed arms. She couldn’t take her eyes off of Seokjin but her ears were no longer listening. 

 

Make studying a priority? Passionate emotions that are actually shallow? her mind just repeated Seokjin’s previous words and a part of her was angry at how he had looked straight at her when stating them. It was as if he was telling her to stop.

Stop liking him. Stop pursuing him. Stop everything. 

 

Well, this wasn’t the first time and Hyun knew she shouldn’t be so affected. But she couldn’t help but feel annoyed at how Seokjin seemed to confuse her countless times. Why was he so nice to her, buying her drinks and coming to say ‘hello’ in public, and then draw the line whenever she felt hope? Kim Seokjin was indeed a man with a bitter aftertaste, and Hyun clenched her fists at how her heart ignored that by stupidly beating faster at the sight of him.

 

“Noona,” Jungkook whispered, making Hyun jump. She looked at him with her eyebrows raised.

 

“You okay?” Jungkook raised his own eyebrows and Hyun smiled, nodding. 

 

“Yeah,” she whispered back. Jungkook frowned, doubting her answer. He had noticed her stiff posture and scowling expression for a while now. 

 

“What’s wrong?” he reached over and grabbed one of her hands, making her uncross her arms. He interlaced his fingers with hers, and she felt his warmth. 

 

“Nothing, Kook-ah. Don’t worry about it,” Hyun smiled again, trying to assure him of her answer. Jungkook didn’t say anything else after that, except rub his thumb against the back of her hand. That was enough to distract Hyun from thinking so much about Seokjin’s words. 

 

 

“...so simply put we can say rhetoric is to inform, persuade, and motivate,” Seokjin was saying when his eyes landed on Hyun. His eyes became cold as he took in her hand...connected to the guy’s next to her. Seokjin had no trouble recognizing him to be the guy he thought was her boyfriend, but turned out to be not.

The guy that held Hyun’s hand even though he was not.

The guy that had her full attention at the current moment when Kim Seokjin was the one that ought to have it...because he was the one lecturing of course. 

 

It wasn’t like Seokjin was blind though. As soon as he had walked into the lecture hall earlier, he was surprised to find the very guy sitting in his class. But it wasn’t a surprise the guy was seated next to Hyun. With his attention solely fixed on her alone, Seokjin couldn’t help but feel a little displeased. A little unsettled. And going through roll call again in the beginning of class, he learned his name was...Jeon Jungkook. The very guy who didn’t show up on the first day. That was rather unpleasannt too. 

It was going to be quite the interesting semester. Without a doubt.

 

 

“That’s it for today. Please read the assigned reading for next class I posted on our class forum. See you all,” Seokjin ended his class and walked out, not giving anyone a second glance. His long legs carried him swiftly out the door and Hyun’s irritation only increased. She was determined to go find him and talk to him. She had so many things to tell him.

 

“Noona, can you come over tonight? I want to make you dinner,” Jungkook grabbed his bag without letting go of Hyun’s hand and waited for her to pack her own bag as well. With one hand, of course.

 

“Um sure,” Hyun nodded vaguely as her gaze was still on the door Seokjin had strode out moments ago.

 

“What are you looking at? Look at me noona,” Jungkook squeezed her hand, forcing her to turn. He grinned at her, “Then come to my dorm at around six okay?”

 

“Will do,” she returned his smile and the two of them finally made their way out. Then something occurred to Hyun.

 

“Wait, what about practice? Do you have time to cook tonight?” she asked.

“I finish at around four, so yes, I do have time,” he replied.

“Won’t you be tired?” Hyun asked another question, concerned.

“Nope,” Jungkook shook his head. He giggled, “Just the thought of feeding you makes me already energized.”

“Funny you,” Hyun let out a laugh, shaking her own head. It was weird to hear that from Jungkook when clearly he was the baby she should be feeding. But she was curious about Jungkook’s cooking skills, remembering how his fridge was so abundantly stocked with all sorts of fresh produce and condiments she herself had never even seen before. 

 

“I’ll look forward to it then. See you at six Kook-ah,” she broke away from Jungkook’s grasp  so she could make a bee-line to her advisor’s office. 

 

 

“I want a hug before we go,” Jungkook pouted, stretching his arms out.

 

 

“Here?” Hyun looked at him mortified. They were in the middle of an academic building with students passing by. And it didn’t help that Jungkook was so “famous” at school, already drawing much attention from girls passing by either.

 

“Come on,” Jungkook begged, his lips stretching farther out and his arms still open wide.

 

“Oh my goodness,” Hyun shook her head, wanting to believe he was joking but knew better to know he was most definitely not. She looked around and made sure no one’s eyes were on them at the moment before stepping towards him to give him a hug.

 

“Have a good day and I’ll see you in the evening noona,” the bunny smiled, squeezing Hyun and burying his face in her shoulder. He felt like he was getting charged for the rest of the day just by holding her in his arms. Hyun was the battery he had missed over the past half a decade after all.

“You too. Good luck with practice,” Hyun patted his back, returning his embrace. But she wanted to break away as soon as possible, already sensing people’s attention on them.

 

“Alright, I’m going to go now! Don’t want to make you late for your next class,” Jungkook finally stepped back, putting up his hand to wave goodbye. Gosh, he hated having to leave Hyun. Even if it was for just a number of hours.

 

“Okay, okay. You shouldn’t be late either. Bye,” Hyun mirrored his wave as she began to walk away. And then it occurred to her that she really did have class in...nearly five minutes.

Frick, she groaned internally.

 

She was so focused on going to Seokjin’s office that she totally forgot she had back to back classes that day. If it weren’t for Jungkook, she would’ve missed her second class, and that wouldn’t have been so great.

 

Jeon Jungkook was indeed quite the distraction for Hyun, snapping her out of things and holding her down at the same time. 

So Kim Seokjin would have to wait.

But hopefully not for too long.

After all, Hyun had lots to say to him. 

 

And she was determined to use the so-called “rhetoric” her professor seemed to love to express her own love.

For him.

 

 

 

***

 

 

 

 

“Does Hyun have a boyfriend?” Yoongi asked as soon as he stepped into his shared office, books in his hand.

 

Seokjin almost spit the coffee he was drinking.

 

“Why?” he asked back, his brows already knitting in displeasure.

 

“I don’t know; I just saw her and some kid hugging as if there was nobody else in the halls,” Yoongi smirked, walking over to his desk now.

 

“...”

 

Seokjin’s fists tightened around the mug he was holding, his knuckles turning white. It had been less than five minutes since his class had ended, and his mind was rather filled with images of Hyun and the Jeon Jungkook sitting next to her ever since. He had poured himself a nice, hot cup of coffee to shoo such thoughts away, but of course now his mind was bothered again...thanks to Yoongi’s comment.

He wasn’t quite so sure why he was so bothered or occupied with Hyun. He wasn’t sure why he felt so...upset at the fact that the “kid” Professor Min mentioned just now was most likely that Jeon Jungkook. He really wasn’t used to anything he was feeling at the moment.

And he didn’t quite like it.

 

 

“Well, I’m glad she’s moved on then. That makes things less awkward between you two, right?” Yoongi set his books down on the side of the desk and grinned at Seokjin when he remained silent.

 

“I don’t think he’s her boyfriend,” Seokjin said, his voice calm. 

“How do you know?” Yoongi raised a brow. 

 

“I…” Seokjin couldn’t seem to respond to that. He knew because of what Hyun said at the restaurant the night before, but he didn’t necessarily want to tell Yoongi that. 

 

“What’s wrong?” Yoongi broke his thoughts, his brow still raised. “Wait, are you not glad that Hyun’s moved on?”

 

“I would be glad if she has,” Seokjin cleared his throat, now making eye contact with the professor sitting at the desk across from his. “I don’t think she has, that’s why.”

 

“Hm…” Yoongi his chin as he set his elbows on his desk. He narrowed his eyes, and a smile took over his lips. Ever since the restaurant, Yoongi noticed Seokjin’s change in behavior. He noticed his defensiveness over Hyun moving on, when he clearly said he wanted her to “move on,” and he noticed his slight uneasiness whenever Hyun’s name was mentioned.

Something was going on, and whether Seokjin was aware of that or not, it didn’t matter because Yoongi clearly saw it.

 

“Well, if you say so,” Yoongi ended up moving his eyes to his computer screen. “You’re absolutely sure she’s just a student to you though, right?”

“Obviously,” Seokjin chuckled.

“Okay,” Yoongi shrugged, his hands now on his keyboard, ready to work. He then curled his lips upward again, a mischievous smile creeping over his mouth. 

 

 

“Then I’m going to ship Hyun with that kid she was hugging. I only got a glimpse, but they were cute together.”

 

 

The look on Seokjin’s face in response to that was hidden behind his own computer screen, but Yoongi didn’t have to see it to know that it was probably extremely sour.

 

And it was.

 

 

 

 

***

 

 

 

“You made all of this?” Hyun’s jaw dropped as she froze before the dining table in front of her.

 

It turned out she had a full day of classes and by the time she was ready to march into her rhetoric professor’s office, it was already time to go to Jungkook’s place. So Kim Seokjin would have to wait a little longer.

But Kim Seokjin wasn’t even on her mind at the moment as her eyes took in the feast laid before her. From galbi-jjim to doenjang jjigae to neatly rolled eggs, she thought she was in some five-star Korean cuisine restaurant. She hadn’t expected Jungkook to be this capable of cooking. It was shocking.

In a good way. 

 

 

“Yup! Sit down noona!” Jungkook gestured to a seat with his chin as his two hands carried two glasses of water. He quickly set them down and sat in the seat across from the one Hyun took. 

 

“Wow…” Hyun couldn’t take her eyes off of all the food taking over the small dining table, unable to believe this was all made by Jeon Jungkook himself. Her nose was taking in the mouth-watering smell too.

 

“It’s not much but dig in,” Jungkook reached over and placed the chopsticks by Hyun into her hand. Then he waited for Hyun to take a bite, his doe eyes sparkling.

 

“Are you kidding? This is incredible Kook-ah,” Hyun shook her head, still in awe as her chopsticks hovered about, wondering what it should grab first. She ended up reaching for a piece of meat.

 

“This is delectable,” Hyun said in between bites, furrowing her brows as she felt the tenderness of the meat fill , juicy and savory.

 

“Really? I’m glad,” Jungkook placed one hand on his chest, letting out a sigh in relief. He then grabbed his own chopsticks and began to eat as well, his grin reaching ear to ear and not leaving his face.

 

“How was practice and everything? I can’t believe you had time to make all of this. Were you always this good at cooking?” Hyun rambled on, still amazed by Jungkook’s unexpected cooking skills. It made him seem...not so much like a baby.

At least, at the moment.

 

“Yeah, I helped mom cook a lot back in Busan, because she was busy with work herself,” Jungkook nodded, scooping up some rice with his chopsticks. “And I like making food. It’s fun.”

“That’s awesome,” Hyun commented, her eyes fixed on the meal in front of her. She shook her head, “I didn’t know you were this much better than me at cooking. I bet my omurice the other day made you laugh inside.”

 

“No! I loved it noona!” Jungkook raised his voice, aggressively shaking his head. He looked sincerely into Hyun’s eyes, “How could I not? It was the first meal you made me since you left. If anything, I wish I saved a bit of it to cherish forever.”

 

“Um, that would be gross but thanks for the appreciation,” Hyun laughed, now used to Jungkook being so extra. She smiled, “I’ll make more for you whenever you want, ‘kay? No need to save anything.”

 

“Okay,” Jungkook grinned, happy to hear that Hyun’s food would be something he could look forward to now. The two then munched in relative silence, and before long, the food before their eyes all ended up in their stomachs—no longer in sight.

 

 

“I’ll do the dishes this time,” Hyun stood up to begin clearing the table. Jungkook grabbed her wrist in protest. “No noona, don’t worry about it. I’ll do them later. Just watch TV or something; I even have dessert prepared.”

“What? I can just do them Kook-ah. I feel bad,” Hyun looked at him, raising her brows.

“Don’t worry about it. Seriously noona, just go sit,” he pushed her towards the living room and being the buff bunny he was, Hyun couldn’t do anything to fight back besides just being led. A part of her was annoyed that Jungkook never let her do anything, but the other part of her was grateful he was so caring. She still felt bad though.

 

 

“Ta-da!” Jungkook came towards Hyun, setting a plate of strawberries and a tub of ice cream on the coffee table in front of his couch where she was sitting. 

“Oh my, you really know how to treat your guests huh?” Hyun smiled at the sight of more food. What a host Jeon Jungkook was, preparing such a fine, five-star course meal with dessert included! Not to mention, clearing the table and doing all the dishes too. If anything, he went further than just treating Hyun like a guest; he was a pro at treating her like a princess.

 

Full bellies, entertaining TV shows, sweet ice cream and strawberries—what could possibly be a more perfect way to finish the day? Hyun reached for a spoon and scooped up some ice cream before filling with sweetness overload.

 

“...”

 

But the sweetness failed to completely enter , leaving some ice cream on the side of her lips.

And Jungkook noticed right away.

 

“Noona come here,” he reached over and grabbed Hyun’s face, forcing her to look at him. She blankly stared at him, waiting for him to explain why he made her avert her attention from the TV.. Jungkook smiled as he began to brush his thumb against her lips, about to remove the ice cream stain.

But he stopped.

 

His doe eyes landed on Hyun’s lips, full and glossy—red like the strawberries on the coffee table. He gulped, and couldn’t bring his finger to do the job he intended. Hyun lifted an eyebrow, curious as to what he was doing.

 

“Um, what are you doing? Do I have something on my face?” Hyun began to bring her own hand to her lips, about to wipe off the ice cream she didn’t know was there.

 

 

But this time, Hyun stopped.

 

Or froze, actually.

 

Her other eyebrow shot up as well, her eyes large and breath cut short.

 

 

Because Jungkook unfroze and wiped off the ice cream on her lips.

 

 

 

With his own lips.

 

 

 

And Hyun couldn’t even scream.

 

 

It turns out not everyone screams for ice cream.

 

 

***

---

Author's Notes:

OMG Guess who decided to show up after three months of not writing or posting and just being the terrible author I am? MEEEEEEEEEEEE<3

 

Hahahaha hello everyone; are you all alive? Doing well? Staying safe? Not going to read this chapter because I'm literally the worst and haven't come in so long?

I am so so sorry to anyone (if there's anyone even) who waited for the next part of this long forgotten tale; school is literally no joke and I just had a lot going on in general... but to make up for it a little, I came back with an extremely long and ummm boring chapter! HAHAHA

Well....I still dunno what's happening but I did see some of y'all's comments and those made my day soooo muchhhhhhhh like THANK YOU GUYSSSSSSS

 

Every read, sub, comment, etc. really does help and I am so grateful for any of you still taking the time to read this!!!!!!

 

And it really looks like Kookie be making some moves here while Seokjinnie so confused lololol

 

 

AHHHHH plz take care of yourselves and stay safe! I really missed you guys and hope you have a good day!

Y'all are wonderful <3

 

Much love,

@blonde_cup_of_joe