Bobba Tae

🧋 3 ☕

It was a normal Thursday afternoon in Seoul, and Jungkook found himself wandering the bustling streets with his usual bubble tea in hand, craving something sweet and simple - bananas. As usual, his mind was racing with random thoughts of how many things could be made from the humble fruit. Banana smoothies, banana bread, banana pancakes... his list was endless.

Spying a small street shop selling fresh produce, Jungkook's eyes lit up when he spotted a glorious stack of perfectly ripe bananas. With a hop in his step, he hurried over to the stand.

"Yes! Bananas!" he muttered to himself with a grin, grabbing a bunch. "Banana smoothies tomorrow, maybe banana bread later? No, banana pancakes first! That sounds amazing!"

Approaching the foreigner shopkeeper, who looked slightly out of place in the middle of Seoul's local street markets, Jungkook confidently set the bananas down and prepared to pay. "This should be... 520 won, right?" he asked in Korean, his head filled with thoughts of all the banana-based dishes he could make.

The shopkeeper, a middle-aged man with a gentle smile, responded in heavily accented English, "No, no, my friend. It is 499 won. Look."

Jungkook blinked, tilting his head as if the man had just spoken in an alien language. English was not his forte, and he had completely missed the message. "Wait, what? No, no! Last time I bought these bananas, they were 520 won. I remember it exactly! I even had the perfect change for it!" He pouted, crossing his arms.

The foreign shopkeeper looked baffled and, after a moment, pointed to the price tag, trying again, "Four-nine-nine won."

Jungkook frowned, scratching his head. "What is this... foreign language? Last time, I definitely paid 520 won! What kind of trickery is this?" He puffed his cheeks in frustration, not backing down. "How can bananas suddenly be costlier? Did they gain more value overnight or something?"

As the foreign shopkeeper tried and failed to explain once again in his broken English, Jungkook continued rambling to himself, growing more animated. "It just doesn't make sense! Why would you sell them for that much than what they're worth? Bananas are practically golden treasures. You can make so many things with them! Banana bread, banana milkshakes, banana splits... and don't even get me started on banana pancakes!"

He continued, lost in his nonsensical monologue, completely ignoring the poor shopkeeper who was beginning to look more and more confused. At this rate, he'd have to pull out a calculator to explain.

Suddenly, a familiar deep voice interrupted Jungkook's rambling. "It's 499 won."

Jungkook froze mid-rant. He knew that voice. Slowly, he turned around, and sure enough, standing just a few feet behind him was Kim Taehyung, the quiet, masked senior from his university.

"T-T-Taehyung?" Jungkook stammered, his face immediately flushing with embarrassment. Of all people to witness his banana meltdown, it had to be Taehyung, the very same Taehyung he had a crush on.

Taehyung's eyes, slightly visible above his mask, seemed to sparkle with amusement. "The sign says 499 won," he repeated, pointing to the price tag. "You're arguing to pay more when it's actually cheaper now."

Jungkook's eyes widened in realization. "Wait... what? Cheaper?!" He spun around to check the price again and saw the sign clearly for the first time. "499 won... that's less than 520?"

Taehyung, still slightly amused, nodded slowly. "Yeah. That's how numbers work."

Jungkook gasped dramatically, his mouth hanging open. "Oh my gosh! I've been arguing to pay more! What was I thinking? I'm an idiot!"

The foreign shopkeeper, though still puzzled by the situation, looked grateful to Taehyung for clearing things up. He smiled and handed Jungkook his bananas. "Here. 499 won."

Jungkook, still feeling thoroughly embarrassed, quickly paid the man, bowing deeply. "Thank you! I'm so sorry for the misunderstanding. I'll make sure to get my numbers right next time!"

As he turned to leave, bananas in hand, he glanced nervously at Taehyung, who was still watching him with an amused yet unreadable expression. "Thanks for saving me back there," Jungkook said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. "I don't know what got into me. Bananas make me act crazy, I guess."

Taehyung tilted his head, his eyes softening. "Entertaining, though."

Jungkook's heart flipped in his chest. Was Taehyung... smiling under that mask? He couldn't be sure, but the faint crinkle at the corners of his eyes made him think so.

"Entertaining?" Jungkook echoed, grinning nervously. "Well, I'm glad my banana crisis could provide some amusement. But in my defense, bananas are serious business! You can make so many things with them. Banana milk, banana smoothies, banana bread..."

Jungkook rambled on, losing himself in his usual enthusiastic nonsense, while Taehyung listened quietly, his eyes fixed on the boy with the doe-like eyes and boundless energy.

"And really, bananas are the perfect fruit!" Jungkook continued, completely in his element now. "They're portable, healthy, and delicious. I could probably survive on bananas alone if I had to! What about you, Taehyung? Are you a banana fan?"

Taehyung blinked, slightly caught off guard by the sudden question. "I... don't eat them often."

Jungkook gasped, placing a hand dramatically over his chest. "What? That's tragic! I'm going to change your life. I'll make you a banana milkshake sometime, and you'll be a banana fanatic in no time. You have to try it!"

Taehyung's lips twitched behind the mask, and Jungkook's heart fluttered at the sight. There it was again - that almost smile.

"Okay," Taehyung said, his voice soft.

Jungkook blinked in surprise. "Wait... really? You'll let me make you a banana milkshake?"

Taehyung nodded, the crinkle at the corner of his eyes growing slightly more pronounced. "Sure."

Jungkook beamed, feeling like he'd just won the lottery. "Oh my gosh! I'm totally going to make the best banana milkshake ever! You won't regret it, I promise!"

Taehyung watched quietly as Jungkook practically bounced in excitement, his eyes soft with amusement.

"Alright, I should go before I make an even bigger fool of myself," Jungkook said with a sheepish laugh, waving his bananas in the air. "But I'll see you around, yeah? And don't forget! Banana milkshake!"

Taehyung nodded, his eyes following Jungkook as the younger boy disappeared down the street, still chattering to himself about bananas.

As Jungkook vanished from view, Taehyung let out a quiet chuckle, shaking his head in disbelief.

The boy named Boba, with his endless rambling and boundless energy, had somehow made his day a little brighter.