https://youtu.be/pgD8kiYqC7k

Ye Meera Divanapan Hai - Susheela Raman

Taehyung

Nights seemed like fragrances of my favorite and best-smelling shower gels and days were like my favorite breakfast. He was always around at night, wandering out, looking at us. But since when I introduced him to my friend, Wolfgang, and he has gotten into the sports club, it has become easier to approach him.

I still got offers from people, but the all-consuming desire for Jungkook has been unbeatable. No one could remedy that, no one but Jungkook. I have come to realize that for good.

Unlike Jimin, and despite his warnings, I didn't care much about the decorum. The Asian community here has been on the receiving end of hate often. In my case, I had become more popular than the locals and faster.

As soon as we started here, we learned how an Asian girl in the senior batch was restricted and accused of cheating on her finals. She was surely a legend, a perfect-score kinda student, but she made the mistake of thinking she was invincible. The thing about the meager insects is that they always strike when we least expect them, behind our backs. When everyone planted evidence on her, she had no one standing with her. She was kicked out. I've heard she now works in an asylum as an assistant back in Korea, even after probably knowing more than the experienced doctors there.

That's where being famous came in handy. It became a necessity to seize control. It allowed me and my friends to protect our own, and for that, we needed to strategize, to form partnerships with the locals because even if I and my friends gained popularity quickly, there was no guarantee that we wouldn't meet the same fate as that girl, or worse. We were always under the hanging threat.

Our arrangement with locals was practical, and everyone was aware of it, except no one knew that true friendship was going to bloom amongst us.

Jimin found his potential — and we all feel — future life partner there. She was as German as they came, but she was also kind, talented, hardworking, and against racism.

Christoph's father was in the military and had secured himself a senior position before retiring. As a result, we got to party at his house, the safest location in the city. No one lived there, so it was open for us or any friendly seniors at any time.

Anja's family came from a traditional line of enologists. As a result, we always had our 'store of trust' where no one asked us our age and papers to buy liquors anywhere in the city.

Then, Rosenow belonged to a family that was all doctors. His father, mother, grandparents, and every single one of them was in healthcare. It definitely helped us pave the way in the University for other Asians.

If there was a group people thought twice to go against, it was ours.

Like I said, we wanted to protect our own.

Every class had an understanding of sorts. We didn't intervene with our seniors, and similarly, our juniors didn't really have a say in our affairs. In a way, we were an exception to even be in an inner circle of the locals who were in the game of dominance and power. The professors here were all aware of drugs being brought in, the secret parties, and the sneaking of girls in the boys' dormitories, but everything worked like well-oiled machinery. We always turned a blind eye to others, and that was why Jimin has been worried lately because of my interest in Jungkook.

Ulrich was different. His involvement with us looked reasonable to everyone, because one, his father was Rosenow's father's baby brother. Rosenow treated him like her own sibling because her real brother was a druggie and a twat, and two, Ulrich was a local, which Jungkook was not.

People ignored discrepancies in the system if it was them, but when it came to us, many of them were supposed to have opinions because, one, Jungkook was a first-year student, and two... It was obvious.

Most of the fifth and sixth-year students were gutsy enough to break the rules, and all of them were locals who had big shots backing them up. They were also too focused on school to give a shit about other people's lives. The juniors were the real stingy bitches with still some free time to be the little whores in heat. If they saw any junior mingling with a senior, they automatically formed a biased opinion about the young student, thinking they must be doing 'favors' for us and we must be returning them in 'some way' or the other.

Ignorance is bliss. I understand it well now. And I wanted it for Jungkook.

It was a statement that I made after bringing him to the party all those weeks ago. I was risking it. Jimin was unhappy, saying "You are inviting unnecessary trouble. There are many model students in the first year who could all attack the boy" to which I replied that I didn't care who their rich fathers were. Jungkook was mine to protect.

My mood had gone for the toss that night. Jimin had left after arguing and I stumbled upon Andre, the asshole of my classmate. He had apparently caught Jungkook walking in the dormitories. Thank goodness Jimin was there. If he wasn't, I didn't know what would have happened, and it boiled my head off in fury to even think about it. I had a foul mood the entire ride, but it wasn't wise to direct my anger at Jungkook when I wanted to get close to him.

I didn't know what had happened right before Rosenow came rushing to me at that party. She had said that Jungkook was throwing up and when I ran upstairs, I saw Jimin reeling.

He has been acting strange lately. I knew he was looking out not only for me but for the whole group. He worries. But something has been troubling him, which is something other than the university racism and shit. He hasn't spoken to me yet, and that was why I had planned today's picnic to talk.

We were in the big city, but it was admirable how there was so much green where people loved to picnic, mostly college students. It was the cheapest and the most fun way to have a good time, especially for students. People here did more picnicking than in other countries.

Christoph and Anja were sitting on one sheet as the latter was setting up the glasses for wine and the former was helping her. I was lying on the grass. Rosenow was looking behind me at a tree with a fixed gaze as if she was learning the shape of leaves, and Hoseok was leaning against a tree with a book.

Jimin sat beside me. We had our shoes lined up on the grass a little ahead. "Wanna tell me what's going on?" I asked him.

He looked confused for a beat. "About what?"

"You know... There's something happening... With Jungkook."

The name was enough to make Jimin uncomfortable. "Look," I held his hand and Christoph started grumbling like an ogre. He was a big man, and he spoke like one too. While people's attention went to him, Including Rose's, Jimin remained focused. "I know you worry that his classmates might bully him, but I've got it covered. And you know no one will point at us, at least not directly. We have to be cautious, and we are, but I want Jungkook and I want him to know that too."

"What if he's not into you?" Jimin asked, his brows coming together and his voice low, careful, cautious, afraid of hurting me.

"He... mightn't be, but he'll never find anyone better than me, and you know it."

Jimin laughed at that and nodded his head while slapping my shoulder. "True that, but sometimes... Being perfect is also not enough."

I thought he was wrong. "The feelings have to be made realized sometimes if they don't come naturally." I rebounded.

"I hope you find something there. I seriously wish it. But your timing couldn't be shittier." He chuckled, his eyes now shining.

"Why is that?" I leaned back and fell on the grass, keeping my eyes on him.

"I don't know... I hope you can manage your studies with difficulty level going up and a relationship if that's what you are looking for."

I sighed, turning my gaze to the clear sky. "What happened that night?" The question slipped my tongue.

"When?" He was now looking away at an elderly couple. When I traced his line of sight, I caught them eating ice cream.

"At the party."

"Which one?" He asked. "In case you didn't notice, we do that a lot."

I shifted on my elbow and turned my frame towards him. "I am talking about the one where I brought Jungkook."

"Why? Did he say something?"

No. He didn't say anything. But the way Jungkook always got around Jimin didn't sit well somewhere deep in my belly. He was doing fine, happy, drinking with me, giggling at me, and then he looked desperate to leave and disappeared, only for me to find him with Jimin. It wasn't the only time I had this thought. Even on the ferry the first time I saw him, he was looking at Jimin with fascination. The following dinner was so out of hand that I even asked Jimin to behave with Jungkook.

Then there were all too many coincidences where Jungkook was around and Jimin looked out of it. Like in his room whenever Jungkook came with Ulrich, during Soccer, in locker rooms, or the gym two nights ago. At first, I shrugged it off, thinking it was maybe a Busan thing, but that couldn't be it. I wanted to clear the air. "Nothing troublesome, but I think he's afraid of you... Or when you are around." I answered his question.

Jimin laughed a hearty one. "That kid is everything but not afraid of me. You have to trust me on that."

"I should hope so. If you scare my baby away, I am kicking your ass."

"Baby. We are already there, huh?" He teased.

"Where?" Rosenow slipped into our conversation with a plate of fresh strawberries.

"Tell your boyfriend to behave, Rose. He is scaring Jungkook."

"I don't think he is scared of Jimin," Rose contradicted naturally, and I felt an understanding passing between them. They seemed to have had a discussion on it before to reach a similar conclusion.

"So I guess he has some problem with Jungkook," I shrugged.

"He doesn't," She answered and I noticed Jimin didn't deny it.

"You won't mind if I call him here then? Do you?" I asked, holding the phone, set to dial. No, I still didn't have Jungkook's number. Yes, it's been two months since I've known him, but I was working on it.

"Sure, we wouldn't mind," Rosenow smiled and looked at Jimin for confirmation. "Wouldn't we?"

"You all will only put Jungkook on a hot seat. It will become a problem for him if he continues to hang out with us, but sure. If Taehyung thinks he can protect him even after we will have left after three more years while the boy will still be in the uni, by all means."

"Learn to live in the present, Jimin," I got up from the grass and dusted my clothes. "He'll become capable to care of himself in three years. I'll make sure of it."

"Where are you going, fucker?! It was your idea to picnic!" Jimin screamed after me.

I flipped him off without turning around and continued to walk, only realizing that I didn't bring the car and that I'd have to hail a cab.

As I exited the park, I looked at one side, and then at the other. My eyes fell on two people who looked familiar around the corner, but then I felt my body humming with energy when I realized they were Jungkook and Ulrich.

"Jungkook!"

The boys flinched and I smiled my easy smile at them. They were already jumpy around me, even when I tried to be my charmful self, as always. But maybe they have heard stories about me. "What's going on here?" I looked at them both suspiciously because they were acting awry.

"He wanted to drink," Jungkook pointed his finger at Ulrich and the other boy's face turned red.

"Relax," I put my arm over Ulrich's shoulder. "Come, I'll buy you myself. It will be easier to get it past the uni security guard if I am carrying it."

Jungkook's eyes were filled with something akin to awe. He was impressed by me and he had questions. I could tell. "By the way," I asked, walking inside the liquor shop and showing my ID to the guy. "How were you guys planning to get it inside?"

"We were thinking of throwing the liquor off the wall first." Ulrich seemed ashamed of his idea as he told me. My eyes went to Jungkook's, whose face was also turning red.

"Give me your phone," I demanded.

"Huh?" His eyes widened, brows lifting, but then he trailed his gaze at my outstretched hand and pulled out his phone to hand it over.

I saved my number in it. "Text me if you ever need this kind of help."

"Really?" Jungkook asked, looking like a happy kid.

"Yes," I smiled, my heart thumping against my chest. "But drink responsibly when you are on campus. I don't want to see either of you getting in trouble." My voice turned scratchy as I pointed my finger.

"Yes, sir."

"Yes, Hyung."

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27 Feb, 2023