"F××k..."
(×foot...)
I had no one to ask for help. The only person I knew well was Kim Seokjin. But even he wasn't that close. To talk about this... Ah, I miss Park Jimin. My only shadow. Even though he was just there for me, that act itself brought me comfort.
Well, there's no way I can tell my problems to anyone else. Wherever I am,
"Pel? What are you doing?"
"It's time for a mobile class. To the science lab..."
Seokjin approached me step by step. He quickly hid his trembling hands behind his back. Ah, I really don't like this. The hand holding the medicine bottle tightened.
"Um, I'm going to the bathroom."
"Really? If I'm late, I'll tell the teacher I went to the bathroom."
Fortunately, Seokjin seemed to leave without any suspicion. The door slammed shut, and the medicine bottle he was holding fell to the floor. The sound of the empty bottle crashing to the floor felt like a sharp scrape against his eardrums. Pel covered his face with both hands and washed his face dry. Creepy.
That day, Pell was not seen after the fourth period.
Six. You I Don't Know
The next day, Pel showed up with a pale face.
The first person to tease her about the dark circles under her eyes was none other than Taehyung.
"You left work early yesterday and now you've become a zombie in one day~"
"zombi?"
"What, you're from America and you don't know about zombies? You know those things that move even when they're dead."
"Zombie, are you talking?"
"Wow... I'm sick of native speaker pronunciation. But if you know zombies, why are you pretending not to know when I tell you?"
Taehyung asked mischievously, messing up Fel's hair. Fel grabbed Taehyung's hand that was messing with his hair and smiled brightly.
"I couldn't understand you because your pronunciation was so bad."
"What? My pronunciation is bad?"
At Pel's words, Taehyung tossed his hair again. Despite Pel's scolding, "Hey, my hair's all tangled!", Taehyung clung to Pel and continued to harass him, showing no signs of stopping. Finally, in a desperate bid, Pel grabbed Taehyung's hair in return, and only then did Taehyung surrender.
"It's a small thing, but it's strong."
Taehyung shot at Pel, who was 168cm tall.
"What? Does 168 look small to you?"
Of course, Pell wasn't particularly tall. But that was by American standards, and Pell knew full well that he was considered quite tall in Korea.
"Even so, he's 10cm shorter than me~~"
Taehyung, who had chuckled and patted Fel's head once before running out of the classroom, ran down the hallway at full speed, even with his arms rolled up, to catch him.
"What the... Are you kidding me?!"
(What the... are you kidding me?!)
I was so excited that I forgot that I had to speak in Korean to understand.
***
"Shit, it cause all of you."
(Damn it, it's all your fault.)
"what?"
"If you don't hit me..."
(If only you hadn't hit me...)
"Oh, come on! Speak Korean!"
"Why?"
(why?)
"Why?"
"Nothing, just shut up. I just chill out now."
(It's nothing. Just shut up. I just need to rest right now.)
"Oh my god, you're so annoying!"
Taehyung answered nervously, stomping on the poor floor. Pel was still sitting on the playground bench next to him, breathing heavily.
"Hey, but can you not go to the store? You look like you're having a hard time right now."
Taehyung, who had stopped thumping and leaned back, looked at Pel, who was still panting, and asked. Pel waved his hand in the air in response to Taehyung's worry.
"Whose fault is it all?"
"So you're buying me a drink?"
"it's okay."
"Oh, you're really stubborn."
Taehyung, feeling like he didn't know what to do, lay down on the bench and looked up at the sky. The hot sunlight was beating down on his entire body. "Wow, the sky is clear," Pel chuckled as he watched Taehyung mutter to himself.
"Isn't summer nice?"
"It's really good. But Kim Seokjin hates it."
"seokjin kim?"
"Oh, he and I have been friends for 18 years, right?"
"Has it been that long?"
"Yeah. Why, is it weird that Nallari and Beomsaeng are friends?"
Taehyung answered with a smile, one corner of his mouth raised. His gaze remained fixed on the sky. "I guess he knows he looks like a nymph." Fel smiled faintly at Taehyung's words. And of course, Taehyung's hair was a bright cherry red. But that didn't make him a nymph. In America, no one cares what hair color you have or what age you wear makeup. It's simply a matter of personal freedom.
The real reason why Fel felt like Kim Taehyung was like a punk was because of the smell of cigarettes mixed with the perfume he sprayed on. He was eighteen in Korean age... but only seventeen in American age.
"They both have one thing in common: they're both handsome."
"Two hansome guys~"
Fel noticed Taehyung's slightly hardened expression and made a sly joke.
"Phew, what is that? You're so funny."
Pel's eyes were filled with the image of Taehyung smiling happily.
"It's nice to see you smiling like that."
***
It was late after school, the time when the sun, which was high in the sky, was about to lower itself and disappear into the sky.
Tang tang-
Seokjin dribbled brilliantly, leaving Taehyung behind as he headed toward the goal. His quick throw, barely glancing past the goal, failed to enter, spinning around the edge before bouncing out. It wanted to go in, but couldn't. Pell thought the ball, falling to the ground, felt just like himself.
"What, Kim Seokjin misses shots?"
"Somehow, you've been studying for a while. Did Kim Seokjin die a lot?"
Taehyung playfully patted Seokjin on the shoulder and said. Kim Taehyung and Kim Seokjin. The kids at school called their combination a feast for the eyes. They were both handsome, but if you had to be specific, they were polar opposites. If Taehyung felt like a friendly kitten, Seokjin felt like an unapproachable deer in the forest. In any case, they were always together, but because of their thrilling combination, many people stayed in the playground even after school to watch them. Of course, Pel was one of them.
Phew. My whole body was clammy from playing basketball without stopping, even while panting heavily. Sweat was even dripping down my hair. I definitely thought Pel was my closest friend. But seeing him sticking close to Kim Taehyung all day today, it seemed like that wasn't always the case. It's annoying. Even when I first saw him,
After that too.
I helped you.
BANG!
I shot a three-pointer, but as expected, it bounced off the backboard. I couldn't concentrate at all. Was Kim Taehyung, whom I'd known for a long time, upset that he had a close friend other than me? No, Kim Taehyung was always surrounded by people. Or was it because basketball wasn't going well today? Because I hadn't played games in a while? Because midterms were coming up? I couldn't figure out the answer. It just made my thoughts more complicated.
I picked up the basketball with a feeling of unease. The bench that had been empty was now quite full of students.
"Kim Taehyung, let's go to my house."
How nice it would be if all the questions were multiple choice. A stupid thought flashed through my mind, seemingly without answering. It was a day when nothing seemed to be working.
---
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