ᴄʜᴀsɪɴɢ ʀᴀɪɴʙᴏᴡ

8. Inviting embarrassment lingers

SAKIMA - Daddy

Jungkook

I sniffed the faint fragrance wafting off Jimin's bed. The notes of Tonka beans with Dahlia — it was mesmerizing. "What is this?" I cocked my head at Ulrich, who was inching closer to a Chinese good luck charm on his table.

"Don't snoop!"

He looked at me with a bewildered look. "You were the one who found condoms."

The irony wasn't lost on me. We both panicked at the same time when we heard the footsteps. I caressed my satin black shirt to crease it out and Taehyung Hyung walked in. My hands were behind my ears as I tucked away some hair. They stopped when my eyes took in the smiling man. "You've made it."

Gulping my throat, I followed him out immediately when he ushered us towards a door. On the other side were stairs. We followed him silently. He was much easier to talk to. I thought if I was ever on the verge of failing, I'd definitely talk to him. "Where are we going?" I asked, hearing only three sets of footsteps as we descended stairs by stairs.

"You'll see."

Before we knew it, we were outside the campus, looking at the big gate and a building standing proudly in the dark. Fear was creeping into my nerves too, but looking at Ulrich, I had to pretend like it wasn't bothering me.

"Get in, Jungkook," he opened the car door for me, and I realized that I was staring at the university. Snapping out of it, I jumped inside the car when another realization dawned on me. This was an expensive vehicle.

Ulrich had sat on the front passenger seat, his tenuous grasp on emotions wasn't exactly an enigma. His eyes were wide and he looked adorable. "So," I spoke, stretching my arms on the spacious, long backseat when the car started moving. I had two options. To worry that we might get caught, or to forget about the first option to enjoy the night. "Is this your car?"

"Don't be silly," Taehyung Hyung rasped, focusing on the road and driving fast. His tone brought my head back from the clouds. The authority and the supremacy that came from being a senior were insurmountable. I also couldn't wait to speak in the same manner as him with my juniors three years down the line.

Shutting my mouth and glancing at Ulrich in the rearview mirror, I found him smirking. "Where's Jimin, sir?" He asked, turning to Taehyung Hyung.

"He already left."

Hyung answered with the same grumble in his voice that told us not to disturb him for the rest of the ride.

**

The moment the door to the bungalow was opened, I heard howls and shrieks of ecstasy and fun. It was a two-story building in the military cantonment, entirely white and with tinted windows. Judging by the glass, I reckoned that these were soundproof doors.

Taehyung Hyung continued to walk, but he had a little grasp on my sleeve, which told me to follow him.

A few students waved at him and a few stopped him to exchange a few words. I had Ulrich's hand in my clammy palm. All I could do was look around until he pulled me ahead, his hand resting on my back. "He is Jungkook."

He was introducing me to a man with auburn hair. He had a muscular build and I couldn't help but adore his body. I wanted to know what he was drinking because no one had built muscles like that by glugging alcohol in the evenings. "Hi," he extended his arm to me and I grabbed it, feeling the cool condensation from the drink he was holding earlier that he had shifted to his other hand. "I am Wolfgang."