Ecstacy of Love (vsoo)

9. Who really are you beautiful lady.

Edited

Jisoo's POV

It was another weekend in the military camp, and the day seemed peaceful enough as all forty of us young recruits gathered for lunch. I sat with my roommates, Min-seok and Sehun, enjoying my favorite food—chicken. The day had been good so far, especially since I’d already spent the morning visiting my precious horse, Gomma.

Between bites, Min-seok hesitated before speaking. "Jian... can I ask you something? If you’re not comfortable, just drop it," he said cautiously. His tone made me curious, so I nodded without hesitation.

"Go ahead," I mumbled, still chewing, completely unprepared for what came next.

"Is something going on between you and Gunju? I mean... why does he always call you for individual meetings? Is he not straight... or are you—"

I choked on my food, coughing uncontrollably as his words hit me like a slap in the face. Sehun glared daggers at Min-seok, who immediately looked guilty and stammered out an apology.

"Take this, Jian," Sehun said, handing me a glass of water. I gulped it down, trying to calm myself, though my face was already burning with embarrassment and frustration. I noticed that others in the hall had caught wind of our conversation. Many of them were now staring, clearly waiting for my reaction.

"Your question wasn’t wrong, though," another soldier piped up, smirking. "Jian does seem pretty close to Gunju Taehyung."

His comment was enough to set the room buzzing with murmurs and snickers. I felt the stares of several soldiers as they whispered among themselves, and one of them even got up, walking over with a mocking smirk. His lackeys followed close behind, their expressions dripping with mischief.

"Yeah, Jian," one of them sneered, his eyes scanning me from head to toe. "Why does Gunju know your name so well? I’ve never seen him act like that with anyone else." He leaned closer, his gaze unnerving, as his lackey chimed in mockingly, "Maybe Gunju has a soft spot for Jian... or should I say, a crush."

I clenched my fists under the table, holding back my rising temper. I didn’t want to cause a scene, but their words were testing my patience.

"Min-seok didn’t mean it like that, Jian," Sehun said, glaring at the group. "Don’t take it personally." But the other soldiers weren’t backing down.

"I mean, look at him," one of the troublemakers said, gesturing to me with a smirk. "He’s so fair-skinned, almost like a girl. No wonder Gunju keeps calling him."

The laughter around the room grated on my nerves. I took a deep breath, trying to maintain my composure. Fighting here would only make things worse, but they seemed determined to provoke me.

"Maybe Gunju is queer," another one taunted. "I caught him staring at Jian the other day. If he’s got a thing for him, he should at least try to keep it low-key instead of flaunting it."

That was it. My patience snapped.

Before I could say anything, Sehun and Min-seok were on their feet, fists clenched, ready to fight. I shook my head, silently telling them to stop, but it was too late.

"Leave him alone," Sehun growled, stepping forward.

I stood up abruptly, glaring at the troublemakers with all the anger I’d been holding back. Their mocking smirks faded slightly under my intense gaze.

"I’m fair-skinned because I don’t get tanned," I said coldly, my voice steady despite the rage boiling inside me. "It’s genetics. And as for Gunju, I’m just an ordinary soldier like the rest of you. The only difference is that I’m far more productive and appreciable than you lot, who waste time spreading rumors and gossiping like children."