Fated Foes ||toptae||

23

The day of the fresher’s party dawned, and the senior students were in chaos. Jungkook was pacing around the hall, checklist in hand, while Taehyung sat on a ladder, leisurely munching on a sandwich.

“Taehyung, get down and help!” Jungkook barked, glaring up at him.

“Chill,” Taehyung replied, waving a half-eaten sandwich. “I’m supervising.”

“Supervising?” Jungkook scoffed. “You’ve been supervising that sandwich for the last twenty minutes!”

Seojin walked in, carrying a box of fairy lights. “Jungkook, tell Taehyung to stop hanging random objects on the lights.”

“What random objects?” Jungkook asked suspiciously.

Seojin sighed and pointed to the ceiling. Dangling from the fairy lights was... a potato.

Jungkook’s jaw dropped. “Why... why is there a potato hanging from the lights?!”

“It’s art,” Taehyung said with a smug grin. “Adds character.”

“Adds—” Jungkook took a deep breath, visibly restraining himself. “Get. It. Down.”

“Fine, Mr. Perfectionist.” Taehyung hopped off the ladder, muttering, “No one appreciates creativity these days.”

Meanwhile, Hoseok was busy testing the smoke machine. Or, at least, he was supposed to be testing it. Instead, thick clouds of fog were pouring into the room, reducing visibility to zero.

“Turn it off, Hoseok!” Jungkook yelled, waving his arms frantically.

Hoseok’s voice echoed through the fog. “I’m trying! I can’t find the button!”

By the time the fog cleared, Seojin was sprawled on the floor, having tripped over a pile of streamers, and Jungkook was holding his head in despair.

“This party is going to be a disaster,” he muttered.

“Relax,” Taehyung said, clapping him on the back. “It’s all about the vibes. Nobody’s going to notice the potato.”

“They’re going to notice the potato!” Jungkook snapped.

Just then, one of the juniors walked in, looked up at the ceiling, and said, “Oh cool, is this a potato-themed party?”

Taehyung smirked. “See? I’m a trendsetter.”

Jungkook groaned and marched off to fix another disaster, muttering under his breath, “Why me? Why always me?”

“Because you’re fun to mess with!” Taehyung called after him, grinning.

By the time the party started, the hall actually looked amazing, despite all the chaos. The potato was mysteriously missing (Jungkook had thrown it into the trash when no one was looking), the fog machine was under control, and the fairy lights glowed beautifully.

“See?” Taehyung said, nudging Jungkook. “Told you it would all come together.”

Jungkook sighed, rubbing his temples. “Let’s just hope nobody trips over the potato.”

“What potato?” Taehyung asked innocently, holding a plate of carrot cake.

Jungkook stared at him, defeated. “You’re impossible.”

The evening buzzed with energy as students moved between stalls, chatting and laughing. Taehyung’s food stall was easily the most crowded, thanks to his charm and occasional antics of juggling oranges (which didn’t always end well).

“Come for the dumplings, stay for the show!” Taehyung shouted, grinning as one orange went rogue and rolled under a table.

Jungkook, who was manning the stationery stall across the way, rolled his eyes but couldn’t stop his lips from twitching into a smile. “Clown,” he muttered, focusing on organizing pens into neat rows.

Just as the photo session was announced, the air shifted. The two rivals froze as they spotted someone walking toward them: Lia, their old high school friend, looking effortlessly stunning in a sleek jumpsuit.

Jungkook straightened up, and Taehyung's smile faltered for a moment. Her. The girl at the center of their broken friendship.

“Jungkook! Taehyung!” Lia’s voice was bright, unaware of the storm brewing beneath the surface. “Wow, you both look so... grown-up!”

She was about to say their names together again when Taehyung quickly stepped in, putting a casual arm around her shoulder and guiding her toward the food stall.

“Hey, Lia, have you tried my dumplings? Best in the uni,” he said, his tone light but calculated.

Jungkook watched the scene unfold, his jaw tightening. He gripped a pen so hard it snapped in half. Why did it still bother him? He couldn’t figure it out, but watching Taehyung with Lia stirred something sharp and unwelcome.

“Oh, no, I haven’t,” Lia replied, oblivious to the tension. “But I’d love to!”

Taehyung glanced over his shoulder and caught Jungkook’s stormy expression. He smirked, as if daring Jungkook to do something about it.

Jungkook did nothing. He turned away and busied himself with a stack of notebooks, trying to ignore the uneasy twist in his chest. She was the reason everything fell apart, anyway. Why should he care now?

But the knot in his stomach didn’t unravel, and as the night went on, the rivalry simmered hotter than ever.

Tmi of the day
One day, I don’t know what possessed me, but while applying lipstick, my brain whispered, "Why not put it on your whole face?" Naturally, I said, “Great idea!” and went full clown mode. Fast forward 30 minutes, and there I was, scrubbing my face like it owed me money. Never again.