VMINKOOK / THE ART OF BEEKEEPING

03

― PART THREE.

Taehyung peddles till his lungs begin to fold in on each other, their components gravitating toward one another and merging together in a nauseating gestalt of rotten tissue. They stutter dramatically, desperate to provide him with enough room for respiration, but being too preoccupied with his intense cycling to do so in time. Aching muscles tightened his skin, as his unceasing bombarding against his mint-green bicycle began to grow tiresome. Due to the combination of the vast summer's swarth of heat and the intense spout of bodily exercise, the brunette could feel rosaries of sweat rolling down from his hairline and within his armpits ― lord, he was thankful for deodorant.

As he observes his destination decreasing in distance, he attempts to slow down in order to steady his breaths, pausing briefly to spray himself with a body spray that may prove futile in removing the forming odour of sweat sweltering the rest of his body. There's now a arduous effluvia seeping from his skin of sickened creed, expostulating the hazy hues of aphrodisiacal sunshine that leaks out across the expanse of houses. He detours down the dusty mound of sand that led to the beach below, overcome with the intruding sight of bustling crowds.

Taehyung had already adapted to the cacophonous yells of provocative exhilaration that came from the beach, as you could hear them from miles back, but that didn't stop the anxiety toiling with his fast-paced heart as he entered the same area as the bustles of people. Ditching his bike, he attempts to swallow down his trepidation, clasping his badge-stamped backpack and camera and melting into them — allowing himself to fall into their credence of perniciousness.

Today, he had decided to stick to his teacher's advice and actually turn up to the surf tournament, although, he hadn't realised it was to be held during the earlier parts of the day, and thus meant he had struggled to make it before everything was over.

A pink splash of watercolour drenches the sky, informing the haze beneath it that the day was nearing it's death, leaving its pretty flowers of fuchsia in it's wake. This didn't alter the demeaning ambience of heat, though, as the summer had proven to be an unyieldingly hot one.

"Taehyung, you tank, you've almost missed all the actual surfing."

Said boy peers up at the sound of the voice, faintly making out the conjoined silhouettes of two friendly beings. Hyojong and Hyuna were the only two other members of the journalism club, though they only agreed to join because all school clubs required at least three members and it gave them a free space to make out during school hours ― thus it benefitted both Taehyung and them. They were decent enough people, anyhow, and often provided company to the lonely boy if he was ever in need of it.

"Oh hush, babe, the best bit is the night surfing, we all know that." Hyuna chortles prettily, a dainty hand tracing plain circles across her boyfriend's chest, eyes alight with the hues of romance.

"Isn't surfing at night kinda dangerous?" Taehyung inquires, not one to be knowledgable of the concept of surfing, but just putting his logistics to use.

"Well, duh, that's why it's not part of the official tournament. It's like the after-party-bit." Hyojong nods enthusiastically, appearing as jubilant as always, "it's probably gonna be the most interesting part of your article; the only thing that's happened so far is Park Jimin practically drowning his opponents with the huge waves he caught."

"Yeah, the kid's like a water-whisperer, I swear."

Taehyung can't help but chuckle at this, finding Hyojong's playful eye roll at the girl's comment both adorable and hilarious, "I've never been to one of these things."

"We know, hun." Hyuna laughs, whilst flicking her significant other for the eye roll, keeping her gaze on Taehyung, "Jimin makes it through every heat every year, but he's never gone through to a national competition, for whatever reason, even though he'd ace them all, he just never wants to do it."

"Hm, how odd."

"Odd indeed." Hyuna nods, "oh! But I'd keep that camera about, Taehyung, 'pparenlty Jeon Jeongguk's coming down to sing with his band during the night activities ― everyone'd go wild for a school paper featuring the PJs, huh?"

"Yeah, I'm sure." Taehyung nods, trying to mask the fact he's struggling with the sudden swelling of his throat, as it becomes unforgivably dry; his heart splattered against his rib cage, a spur of guts and gore dripping down from his ensemble of star-woven bones, at the mention of that name. He barely even registers bidding farewell to the couple, because his body had just been forced into a tranquil frenzy of worry.

Taehyung makes a mental note to escape before the male showed up, as there was nobody that terrified him more than the archetypal bad boy of a guitarist named Jeon Jeongguk.

For now though, he settles for stealing pictures of the surfers finishing off the last heat, finding his way to a relatively spacious area that allowed him the ability to breathe in the solacing stench of sea water. Even through the intangible mess of ocean and insignificant surf boards, Taehyung could instantly discern the slim deity, with fireflies beseeching his hair and spritzing about his forehead in a dance that marvelled even the stars, and a rind of enamoured glitter, which seemed as though a beacon for sunshine, lapping up all the hues of vehemence and contorting the intense components of himself into a seraphim of ultramarine, that went by Park Jimin.

He doesn't quite comprehend just how many pictures he'd subconsciously taken of the perfect teen before him, until the heat is over and the surfers safely turn back to shore. Taehyung gulps at the sight of the many, many pictures that occupy his camera's memory, deleting most of them before someone may see and claim him stalker-ish. Again.

&&&

By the time the winners had been announced and Taehyung had successfully stolen pictures undetected, the night began to roll over and the sky dimmed. The clouds transmogrified to sponge, soaking up all the sunshine and leaving bleached blackness, whilst splotches of incandescent white shone through the arena of mismatched pollution and nature.

He had managed to go relatively unnoticed, much to his delight (it was relatively fun having no one remember your name). However, he knew this may not remain the same for long, as the bonfire started to be made and a white van screeched to a halt in the middle of the sands. Enthusiasm grew into cloudy delirium as the school band emerged from the van, crowds of youths beginning to clog up the beach, while general townspeople fled, leaving the younger generations to their celebrations.

Though dipped with intrigue and somewhat perplexed, Taehyung didn't have the audacity to stick around long enough for the band's performance, with lead vocal and guitarist, Jeon Jeongguk, centre stage. Before the rate of his heart could increase any further at the prospect of hanging around the sidelines for longer than necessary, he attempted to make his departure.

Key word being attempted.

As he was about to reach his discarded bike that rested beside a sand-dune, his eyes cast toward the ground in an attempt to keep his footing in the dark, he felt a gaggle of intertwined presences atop the dune. His eyes felt even more tethered to the ground, as he crouched to grab his bike, thinking he could successfully scuttle away undetected. Oh, how naive.

Just as he was about to commit to his wish, the presences bustled down the lump of sand, so they were nearer to Taehyung, said boy freezing slightly as the majority brushed past him, his eyes still keenly watching his bike.

About to breathe a sigh of relief, he was stopped as a pair of floral Doc Martens appeared before his line of vision, a painstakingly familiar aura clouding his mind, as he couldn't help but look up.

"Taehyung! Where are you going? The party's just begun."

___

AN.
if you're wondering wtf i meant by 'the PJs' i'll explain in a later chapter lmao. it'll be severely underwhelming but for plot purposes ig its better to explain later.

okey have a nice day!! imma see endgame tomorrow even though i should be revising coz i have some mock exams next week .. oops