Snow and Ice || 태국

The most familiar pervert

When Taehyung headed back, his mood was like rain—clouded, damp and downcast. He bought some beer back to his dorm to drink with Nayeon.

Nayeon laid out a huge pile of snacks but at a time like this, Taehyung still kept to his diet. He did not take a single bite of the assorted snacks and merely drank while sitting on the floor.

"My king, what's wrong with you?" Nayeon asked him.

Taehyung let out a sigh. "I feel sorry for him."

Said without any context, this reply made Nayeon thoroughly confused. She asked, "Who?"

Taehyung did not reply. He shook his head and let out another sigh. His heavy expression was like an old man performing in the street who has weathered the storms of life. He asked Nayeon, "Tell me, what do you think it's like to like someone?"

"Mm..." Nayeon thought for a moment and answered, "I think it's the sensation of your pounding heart. Ba dum, ba dum..."

Taehyung shot her a glance and saw that her animated face was like the unfurling petals of a delicate blossom. Taehyung was tickled. "Oho, you seem to be an expert?"

"Cough." Nayeon was a bit embarrassed and turned away to drink a mouthful of beer. She reached for a deep-fried little yellow croaker and gnawed on it.

Taehyung's expression had some trace of sadness. He said, "To be honest, I don't feel the same heart-pounding feeling—the one you said—towards Yukhei as I did towards Jaehyun."

"So you don't like him?"

"I do like him, it's just that this 'like' is not the heart-pounding kind. Sigh, I don't know how to explain this. Let's just continue drinking."

He did not manage to explain it clearly but Nayeon had clearly understood what he was trying to say. "So you like him, but only a little and not that much."

Taehyung nodded. "You're right. I thought that I'll be able to like him more and more as long as we spend time together. Who knew that time ran out for us. "

——

Taehyung did not have much time to recover from his feelings of heartbreak. This was because finals had arrived. He had to juggle revising for exams and attending training. At night, his desk lamp would be lit as he studied studiously as if he was a top student.

Jungkook and the rest had long flown to Poland for the competition. As there was a six hours difference between their time zones, he no longer joined Kim's for revision. Taehyung was extremely busy and had no time to contact Jungkook either. However, he would still click on Jeon's profile and like his posts without fail every night before sleeping. This was to reciprocate him for all the times he previously tutored him on his schoolwork.

Even though Taehyung's contact with Jungkook had lessened, the frequency at which Jungkook's name was mentioned in front of him had increased rather than decreased. As Jungkook was participating in an international competition, there were numerous people at RCU closely following his news. Ice hockey was originally not a mainstream sport. However, it now had a large following at RCU due to Jungkook.

Even Taehyung's roommates were keeping themselves updated with Jungkook's progress in the competition. Sometimes, they would even watch the live broadcast. The first time his roommates watched the live broadcast of Jungkook's competition, Taehyung just so happened to return from training. Seeing the three girls crowded in front of the computer, he walked over curiously to see what was on the screen. The computer was broadcasting the match between Korea and Iceland and the screen currently displayed a wide shot with no close-ups.

At that moment, he heard Hyojung ask, "Which one is Jungkook?"

Taehyung was speechless. He pointed at a figure and followed it with his finger. He said, "This one." When the figure turned and revealed the number on the back of his shirt, Taehyung continued, "The one wearing shirt number 19... All of you need to get your eyes checked."

All three roommates stopped watching the match and turned their heads to look at him.

His roommates had looks of amazement on their faces. This caused Taehyung to feel extremely baffled. "What?"

Nayeon asked, "My king, how did you recognize him? This is such a wide shot and everyone's build looks the same with the thick layers of protective gear."

Taehyung extended his index and middle fingers and pointed at his eyes. "He naturally comes with a dog head in my eyes."

His roommates were dumbfounded.

Taehyung left after this act and did not stay to watch the match. He returned to his desk, put down his bag, and fished out his textbook. As he sat, he geared himself for the pleasant task of revising.

Nayeon rose and scooted over. Holding on to the back of Taehyung's chair, he said enigmatically, "My king, I think that Jungkook and you are pretty suitable."

"Suitable for what?" Taehyung twisted his head and looked at her.

"To be together! Don't you think that you know him very well?"

Taehyung shrugged. "I know every single rat in the laboratory very well. Does this mean that I have to get married to a rat?"

Nayeon was swayed by his words. She gave a heartfelt sigh. "My king, with your eloquence, it's a pity that you're not doing sales."

.....

During the entire examination period, Taehyung only spoke with Jungkook once. It was a video call that Jungkook made to ask Taehyung if he wanted him to help Kim buy some amber. Poland is known for it and Jeon could help him to bring some back from abroad, be it the original gemstone or amber accessories.

"Is there any plastic amber? I'll take half a kg of it." This was Taehyung's reply.

"No. Only real ones. So do you want it or not?"

"Boss—"

Before Taehyung could finish speaking, Jungkook immediately took advantage of his words and acknowledged how he addressed him with an "mm".

"—do you think I'm made of gold? Buy real amber? What do I buy it with? Do I sell myself for it?"

"You mean you're willing to sell yourself in exchange?"

"Say, Jungkook, why do I find you resembling a beast more and more. What in the world have you learned from foreigners after being out for such a short period?"

Jungkook lowered his head and grinned without saying another word.

After not hearing his voice for so many days, the longing in Jungkook's heart was as thick as wine. Even if Taehyung was to scold him now, he would only feel sweetness. He felt that he was beyond hopeless.

Taehyung looked at Jungkook's face and felt that he was looking more and more like a pervert. Kim's heart squirmed and he lost all motivation to scold him...