Taehyung rides the train and bus to campus and back every day.
Jeongguk knows this because he watches Taehyung wait at the bus stop while sitting in his car. His obsession with the man started during his second week in school, the day he got the last taco salad bowl, leaving his senior to pout at the empty compartment through the display glass. The dining hall was particularly full that afternoon, and Taehyung unknowingly had a line of hungry and annoyed students waiting. So he hands over the bowl to Taehyung and instantly falls in love with the bright smile he receives.
Taehyung is a bubbly person, animated and lively. He's always moving around when he speaks, lending a helping hand, and participating in school events. He never misses class and spends time at the library, studying or helping another student. He even brings baked goods occasionally. He skips around in loud sweaters and colorful shoes, and today, they happen to get drenched by the rain and mud at the bus stop.
His umbrella is clear and decorated with little yellow smiley faces in contrast to Taehyung's frown. The bus is running behind schedule. And if the bus is running behind schedule, he'll miss his train. It would be late by the time he gets home, and Jeongguk knows for a fact that Taehyung is afraid of walking home alone in the dark. He knows because one day, Jeongguk forwent driving to school and at the end of the day, he waited at the bus stop with Taehyung.
Jeongguk wasn't a big fan of small talk, but when Taehyung greeted him, he found himself replying just to keep those pretty lips moving. He told Taehyung he was a freshman and learned that the other man was in his third year. They talked about meaningless things until the bus arrived, and as much as he wanted to, he didn't sit beside Taehyung on the bus. He sat in the far back and watched Taehyung make conversation with a woman he probably befriended since that was just the type of person he was.
Then, Taehyung was getting off the bus, and Jeongguk followed him, only to be surprised when he made a turn to the station. Jeongguk threw on his hood and followed him again, taking the same train, until Taehyung got off and made his way to an apartment complex. It was too easy to trail after Taehyung and it honestly worried Jeongguk. Which is why he's determined to give Taehyung a ride home.
He pulls up in front of the man and rolls down his window, "Um, hi."
"Hi! Jeongguk, was it?" Taehyung raises his voice to be heard over the rain.
"Yeah, that's me," Jeongguk replies hurriedly, hoping the bus doesn't arrive while they're speaking. "Uh, I noticed the bus is a little late... Would you like a ride home?"
Taehyung's eyes brighten, his frown disappearing easily. "Really?"
"Really," he says, wiping at the raindrops on his cheek.
Taehyung grins and runs around the car to the passenger side, closing his umbrella and getting inside. It's scary how easy it was, but Jeongguk gladly takes advantage of it.
The next day, Jeongguk approaches Taehyung on campus.
Taehyung sits in an armchair with his feet tucked underneath him at the far corner of the library. A book is splayed open on his lap, and he writes vigorously on a notebook balanced on the arm of the chair. Jeongguk clears his throat, points to the empty chair beside Taehyung's, and speaks. "Is this seat taken?"
Taehyung eagerly welcomes him, and there's a pang of sadness in his chest when he thinks about the way Taehyung is always alone when he's not helping someone. Even at school events, he sits by himself when he isn't actively participating.
It's quiet. Taehyung lets him work in peace and as Jeongguk watches Taehyung peek at him frequently from the corner of his eye, he realizes that he must be making him nervous. Or maybe he's afraid Jeongguk will leave after inviting himself to Taehyung's solo study date.
