Staegma ✧ taejin

19

Seokjin doesn't want to talk about it.

He didn't want to talk about the game.

Or the universes thing.

Or Taehyung.

But most importantly, he didn't want to talk about his personal guilt of actually hurting someone who was, theoretically, alive.

Since they met up with Park Jimin, the atmosphere in the apartment had tilted slightly. Yoongi locked himself up in his studio-slash-room most of the time, and he'd only come out to use the bathroom or pick up money. He had paid the rent already.

And that was the first sentence Yoongi told him after a while of silence.

Then they were back to being quiet.

The meeting and the aftermath had been similar to an adrenaline rush. When they were in the situation itself, they were taking it so lightly. However, once it was over, that was when they felt the exhaustion of the entire situation.

It had been a day since they were "exhausted." Maybe Yoongi was disappointed for the truth and plot twist he was desperately drowning himself in, but Seokjin was tired knowing that there was a reality in Taehyung's existence.

He exists. And that's all Seokjin regretted not knowing.

-

"I brought ramen if you want," Seokjin announced after his shift at the cafe, when it was nearly midnight. "Are you hungry?"

Yoongi timidly opened the door. He stepped outside, covered in a blanket, but the other decided not to question it.

They decided to eat their supposed dinner, ramen, in front of the television where the late night news is playing. There were no sounds other than the ones from the TV, or from the small noises produced from eating.

It was a quiet Tuesday night.

-

The next morning, just as Seokjin was leaving for work, he met Jeongguk in the hallway, holding a textbook in his hand. He caught a glimpse of the title: An Introduction to Astronomy. Surely, the book must have had a proper explanation to what was happening. Jeongguk noticed him first and waved hi.

"Hi hyung! Leaving for work?"

"Yep," Seokjin replied in a cheerful tone, as he walked nearer to where the younger was. "Are you going to-"

"Oh, no, I just came home. Astronomy classes are finally fucking over."

"What's with astronomy? If you don't like it, why are you taking it up?"

Jeongguk took out the keys to his apartment. "It's interesting, until they got to the part about stupid multi-universes or whatever they are. I don't even believe half of what's written here, but I need to pass the subject—" he struggled with the keys for a short while, "—it's boring and they lack enough evidence. But maybe evidences aren't everything."

"Why do you say that?"

"It's because whatever the standard knowledge there is in the world, it's based on social construct. Social constructs are constructed by human beings, the most superior creatures in the planet. And we look for evidence to accept a claim. But — you know, just because we're the most superior doesn't always mean we're right. We aren't superior, but we act like one."

The door clicked when it opened, and the two bid goodbye to each other before going on their way.