Days of Grace | vkook

°37: The Fesival of Leaves pt. 3

   Much to Taehyung's entertainment, Guk's 'first tries' went a bit off the rails.

The chain of events started with his first taste of Tteokbokki*. The undercover soldier had barely taken a bite of the sweet and spicy rice cake when the garlicky sauce hit his taste buds in an unpleasant way, causing him to spit it all back into a handkerchief. Taehyung watched him try to remove the sauce from his tongue by hastily swallowing the remains, and it took him some self-composure to not yell at him for wasting food. Only Guk's obvious shame prevented him from doing so, and instead, he offered to switch their dishes.

Jungkook apologized for his rude behavior, and a minute later, he found himself enjoying the bowl of fried chicken. Taehyung had just eaten half of the rice cakes when the other's bowl was empty, and before he had the chance to waste one of his six remaining stamps on another batch, the blonde pressed a set of dumplings into his hand and watched with satisfaction as Guk devoured them just as quickly.

"What're they filled with?" he asked as he held a half-bitten dumpling in the air and examined the contents. Cautiously, he smelled it.

"Shrimp," Taehyung replied, continuing his explanation when he saw the other pull a perplexed face. "It's a crustacean that lives in the sea. They must've been delivered especially for the festival. Seafood doesn't come around that often in this area. Or it's far too expensive to afford."

Jungkook acknowledged the words with a nod and found even more pleasure in eating, now that he had been taught about the culinary rarity.

"They taste even better dipped in soy sauce. But depending on your previous reaction to flavorful sauces, we better leave it at that."

The words had a much more teasing effect than Taehyung had intended, as they caused the other to blush with embarrassment and turn his head in the opposite direction to spare himself further comments.

Mind your own business, Jungkook thought quietly and kept the manners of his counterpart in mind.

The blonde's unwavering appetite had taken Jungkook completely by surprise because, judging by his body shape, he concluded he wasn't much of a big eater. All the while, Taehyung's ten fingers were occupied with various street foods, and he certainly didn't mince words as he animated the vendors to pour as much as they could into his bowls, earning disgusted looks from the men as they did as they were asked. Taehyung knew no shame when it came to stuffing his belly, and especially today, he didn't want to set any limits.

Having already used five out of seven stamps, the blonde suggested checking out the game and artist booths so their stomachs would've some time to digest, and the last free meals would be saved for later. After all, the festival wasn't all about glorious food.

Jungkook just shrugged and obediently followed him through the crowd, a sachet filled with either mochis or honey pastries in their hands.

When they came upon a group of children cheering each other on, Jungkook recognized one of the boys as Nabi's son. His dark curls bounced in the air as he jumped on his friend's back and raised his fist in the air triumphantly. The game maker only rolled his eyes at the screaming brats, and there wasn't the slightest trace of Sana.

"Spinning top," said Taehyung, who had also noticed his brother's presence. "The first prize is a tiger kite. His wife makes them every year, only for them to lie dusty in someone's corner one day."

"Then why do they play?"

"Probably the boyish urge to prove you're the greatest among your group. Back then, I used to play with and against the kids from my neighborhood too, just to compare our strengths and talents in a friendly way."