The Truth Untold | TaeJin

17. I am not leaving...

The walk back from the sauna's pool to the private room, where they had been hiding since that morning, took hardly two minutes to cross. But to Seokjin, it felt like forever. His steps halted right in front of the door to their room, as the soft sniffles from the inside reached his ears. He didn't have to think much to know who it was coming from. Seokjin could recognize Taehyung's voice even from a mile away, and the distress he heard in his favorite student's pitiful cries wrenched his heart painfully. He leaned against the door shakily, feeling the weight of a hundred boulders being stacked over his chest.

A helpless sigh escaped his lips, as Seokjin couldn't help but constantly blame himself for the mishap, no matter how many times Yoongi told him otherwise. Hesitantly, he knocked on the door to make his presence known to the people who were talking inside the room. He counted to ten, giving enough time for his student to compose himself. He then opened the door after schooling his face to sport a neutral expression. The said student was sitting in front of his physics teacher on the same bed, with his head hanging low and a pout grazing his lips.

Namjoon jumped up from the bed hastily and greeted Seokjin with a respectful bow, which Seokjin returned purely on reflex. Namjoon was still in his work clothes and looked agitated as he glanced awkwardly between Seokjin and Taehyung once before giving a guilty smile.

"Hmmmm, I was... I was just having a small talk with Taehyung, Teacher Kim. You know, just teacher-student talk...", Namjoon explained himself voluntarily, while Taehyung remained stiff on the bed.

It was evident that Namjoon had been disciplining Taehyung again. The slight wetness on Taehyung's cheeks was a clear indication of it, and Seokjin was tempted to run to his student and hide him from every possible confrontation. But Yoongi's words rang loudly inside his ears like a warning bell and stopped him from acting rashly. Also, he knew that Namjoon meant only well for Taehyung. Hence, with a slight shake of his head, Seokjin walked past them without acknowledging the youngest.

Seokjin settled on an empty bed, while Namjoon took his seat next to Taehyung again. He noticed his colleague handing over his handkerchief to Taehyung, who accepted it gratefully and cleaned his face. Seokjin felt a slight twinge in his chest to see Taehyung being comforted by someone else other than himself. But he knew it was neither the time nor his place to get possessive over his student, especially when the feelings he had developed for the young teenager had become unclear and indistinguishable. He couldn't figure out if he was obsessed over Taehyung as a student like Yoongi had claimed or if he genuinely found Taehyung to be adorable and loveable as a person.

"Ahemm...."

The distinct sound of Namjoon clearing his throat caught Seokjin's attention, and he realized that he had been staring blatantly at Taehyung for some time now. He looked away flustered, when the door to their private room opened. Yoongi and Hoseok walked hand in hand, and Seokjin's chest swelled with warmth, seeing the lazy smile on his friend's face.

'At least one of us is happy', Seokjin sighed internally.

"Hyung, I asked you to wait for us", Hoseok complained, flopping down next to Seokjin.

"You did?", Seokjin blinked in bewilderment.

Hoseok nodded eagerly, "I wanted to inform you that your request has been taken care of, but I needed a minute with Yoongi before that. I hope you didn't mind."