UNDER HIS SPELL { taekook }

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"The uhm... The umbrella you lent me.." Jeongguk brought up shyly. "I can return it to you tomorrow in English class, if you want?" The two boys walked down the polished hall of the arts department building in leisure steps, the spacious corridor nearly empty due to the timing; people whose schedule fell around class time during this hour. Jeongguk was currently hyper aware of the man beside him. Despite the amiable conversation they've had thanks to Junior, the black kitten, Taehyung seemed much quieter now. The reserved, blank look on his face was how the boy always remembered him, contrary to the friendly smile he'd given him just minutes ago. Jeongguk began to wonder if maybe he'd said something wrong somewhere along the way.

"Keep it," Taehyung hummed, an unlit cigarette placed at his lips while his focus seemed to be directed heavily on his phone. Jeongguk glanced at him and scratched behind his ear.

"No, it's-... I'd rather return it. I already have one of my own at home, and so..." the boy trailed off, unsure if Taehyung was even listening to him. The remainder of the walk towards the meeting room was silent, and Jeongguk began to hum the tune of a song, the one he'd sung prior to their encounter, a bounce in his step while they walked. Taehyung's eyes glanced to his right, watching the younger in newfound amusement.

"Coldplay," he commented in response, eyes then redirecting back to his phone. Jungkook's brows rose as he turned to look at the man again, his cheeks flushing a cute pink.

"Y-Yeah," the younger cracked a smile, pausing his hums. "Song name?"

"Hymn for the Weekend," Taehyung replied, rubbing the side of his neck. "A classic."

He looked at Jeongguk, who stared back. The glow in his eyes with that darn pretty smile on his face. The man found him cute. Adorable, even. Taehyung smirked back, his dark eyes locked on the boy as he responded.

"Yeah. Classic."

When they reached the art studio where the club meeting was supposedly taking place, Jeongguk looked around the large classroom and saw the canvas easels stacked on the side, an island table near the back covered in old paint marks, and a collection of stools gathered in a circle, some occupied by those who've arrived earlier than them. The classroom was naturally well lit, thanks to the blazing sunlight having seemingly no trouble seeping through the massive glass window in front of them. Upon walking in, a woman's voice greeted them without even looking up from the stack of papers she was flipping through, and Jeongguk noticed all eyes settle on him. Well, on him and Taehyung, in particular. And they kept staring, murmurs coming left and right even as they strolled over to take their seats on two empty stools at the back.

"Pass this down," the woman who greeted them said, slipping two pieces of paper to be handed over towards the two boys. Jeongguk figured she was the leader of the art club, and took a good look at her. She had long, straight shiny black hair that fell down just below her waist, along with cute blunt bangs that curtained her round face perfectly. She was undeniably beautiful, that much was obvious. And although Jeongguk didn't take any particular interest in women, even he could tell this girl was probably desired by many guys.

"Hey—just one," Taehyung spoke up, "I'm not here to join."

The woman looked up as she retrieved one of the sheets of paper, then her eyes widened upon spotting Taehyung. "Oh, now what do we have here? Kim Taehyung, what brings you here to my club meeting?"

Jeongguk blinked. Did they know each other? He shouldn't really be surprised if that were the case. It seemed Taehyung knew everyone, and everyone knew of him. It had only been Jeongguk himself who had fallen ignorant to his existence altogether, until the night they had met by mere chance. Besides, why wouldn't this gorgeous girl be acquaintances with someone like Taehyung? In terms of the looks department the two went well together, complimented each other's features. Maybe they even had some sort of partnership Jeongguk had also failed to recognize.