not what you think

ix: n-1

"Five minutes left! I'd rather have you all get ready to hand me your papers!", a sonorous voice resounds in the mammoth hall Joonki placed himself in, nearly three hours ago.

Pen put to paper, the time-poor hand scrawling, psyche galloping in anxiety at the velocity of a horse, also accompanied by repose. To be emancipated from the grisly four year long studies. The scuffle with his own mind and heart rendered it rather resilient to let down and be it well ordered, but here he is.

Animated albeit churlish with himself. All the way to the finish line.

"Time's up! Put your pen down!"

Joonki stows the pen rather crudely on the desk, jaded and famished from a lengthy agitation of a fraughtful event. Rather than stranding any more time contemplating his effectuation, he stands and outreach for the humongous door, accentuated by the others in the cubicle, conjuring their way onto the Siberian temperature of late December afternoon.

The entire infrastructure is underscored with glacial snow, whilst snowflakes pirouette, cascading to the ever growing pile, also accentuating any living being in its way. Impassioned buzz of undecipherable exchange drifts into the airspace, the center being spending holidays with their beloved, sending their workmates off for the year.

Joonki leers at the snowflakes convening on his head and efforts to levitate his forelimbs and decipher the feeling. The floating dots conjure blemishes along his outfit and dissolve in the palm of his hands. Levering onto the beanie stowed on his head, he efforts to shroud his ears from being ice-bound, whilst reaching for the main exit.

"Joonki!", a rather pitchy, light vocal resounds from his rear.

Joonki twirls to see it being the person who had set off to be the only confidant he could speak to in length and width of the opulent placement.

"Jungkook," Joonki regards the other whilst the other forms brief, heavy breaths from the sprint, puffs of smoke dissipating as soon.

Jeon Jungkook. Photography and film major, being in the same year as Joonki.

"Were you planning to go home already? Without bidding your farewells?", Jungkook quizzes, still huffing.

"Jungkook, I haven't met enough people who go beyond study hours, except you," he gesticulates at the other, "I don't have any obligation, you know it," Joonki twirls and stomps towards the exit, knee high shoes sousing in the white snowpack with each footing.

Jungkook forges heavy steps to pick up the pace.

"Last two years, you bailed on me from hanging out in breaks as well as my birthday this year. I'm not letting you go without us making a trip somewhere. I won't bring my other friends if it makes you feel comfortable," Jungkook offers, halting in front of Joonki.

Joonki turns reticent for a few seconds before conjuring an answer, "I'm not sure. I want to get a good job and get hyung out of that mess of a-"

"Joonki, it can wait."

Joonki views Jungkook in incredulity, albeit attempting to shroud with callousness, perceiving a sense of anger searing through his veins bit by bit, forging a flicker, ready to detonate any conscious moment.

"What do you mean wait, Jungkook?", he inquires through scraping teeth, doing his utmost to bury the scintillating feeling throughout his physique.

"What I mean is, take time for yourself. You have burned yourself out for a long time. A change in scenery won't hurt you. I'm sure Yeosang-ssi would understand if you ever brought it up," Jungkook asserts, unsuspecting of the other's perception about the scheme.

"How do you know that I need a change of scenery? You might be wrong about this," Joonki voices, averse to glaring daggers at the other.

He just wants to help you.