Snow and Ice || 태국

Courage and drive (1)

Jungkook ran over.

Taehyung did not expect him to arrive so quickly. He was squatting by the road and people watching mindlessly when Jungkook suddenly called him from the side. "Hey."

Taehyung twisted his head and looked at him. As he was squatting, his worm's eye-view was dominated by Jungkook's pair of legs.

Jungkook looked down at Taehyung, panting from his run. Beads of sweat covered his forehead and glimmered under the soft street light.

Taehyung felt that Jungkook might have grown wings. Otherwise, how could he have reached him so quickly?

Jungkook bent down and look at him. "What are you doing, squatting like a beggar?" He pulled Taehyung up without giving him a chance to reply.

Using his strength, he hauled Taehyung up by his arm like a duck. Kim had no choice but to stand up regardless of whether he was willing or not.

After he was pulled up by Jungkook, Taehyung saw that he was wearing a black t-shirt that exposed his firm and muscular arms.

April nights in Seoul were still relatively cold. Taehyung asked, "Aren't you cold?"

"No." Jungkook released him. "Tell me, what's wrong?"

Taehyung was about to speak when a few girls engaged in lively conversation passed by. When one of them saw Jungkook, she exclaimed in surprise, "Ah! Jungkook? Are you Jeon Jungkook? Ahhhhh!"

Jungkook looked at the girl with a puzzled face. "Who's Jungkook? My name is Eunwoo."

"Eh... I'm sorry..." The girl left awkwardly with her friends. As she walked off, she whispered, "He's so attractive! And they look so similar! But Jungkook is at RCU now so how could he be here in Seoul. My brain must have been fried hahaha..."

At the side, Taehyung snorted, somewhat disdainful and amazed. He hated to admit it but he was a little envious as well.

Jungkook's lips curved. He nudged Taehyung's shoulder gently. "Let's go. Tell me what's up."

The two of them took a stroll nearby. Taehyung narrated the day's unexpected turn of events to Jungkook as they walked.

After listening to his story, Jungkook commented, "For any competition, there's always a contingency plan. Coach Jung must have her reasons for choosing you. They weighed the odds before this."

"Jungkook I'm not confident." Though Taehyung was embarrassed when he finally confessed what was bothering him, he felt much better after admitting it.

"Taehyung, do you remember when we were young, I always went to Canada for training and to participate in their local competitions during the holidays every year?"

"Of course. You always came back with loads of prizes." Taehyung pressed his lips, a little aggrieved. How was this meant to comfort him? Jungkook seemed more like he was bragging.

When Jungkook heard Taehyung put it this way, he lowered his head and smiled. "That was in primary school. Things were completely different after that."

"Oh?"

For those learning ice hockey in North America, the age of 12 marked a turning point. Before they were 12, body contact was not allowed, and excelling on the rink was a matter of skills. Jungkook had excellent techniques and was like a fish in water when he played against others of the same age. He used sheer skills to suppress his opponents and with this advantage, won more than he lost.

However, this smooth sailing journey ended the year he turned 12.

When he turned 12, the rink started allowing reasonable body contact. Then, Jungkook discovered that all his skills and tactics were thoroughly suppressed by what seemed to be rampant and mindless collisions. He was unable to utilize his skills and could no longer use them to dominate the rink. The rink ceased to be the same competition grounds that he was so familiar with.