LOVEGAME OVER

40 - One vs All

"Hey, Tae, wake up, buddy."

The young boy opens one tired eye to look up at Hoseok, who is lying right next to him. His friend has made everything he could so Taehyung would have a little room in his single bed. Hoseok smiles and adds, "I'll make you breakfast. That okay?" The other student thanks him in a mumble and stretches lightly, as his host leaves the bed they have shared.

The previous night, Taehyung has come running to Hoseok's door – which was roughly an hour's walk away from the park where he had encountered Jimin. His friend had welcomed him in his parents' tiny apartment, even though it was indeed much smaller than at the Kims', and even if the boy had disturbed him without warning in the middle of the night. That is just who Hoseok is.

Taehyung sighs. He still hopes what he has lived the night before was just a dream. But when he unlocks his phone to check his Instagram account, the million messages he had been sending Jungkook are still the same, all unanswered – almost all.

He could never have fallen for a fake person. He knew how to tell if people were real. Didn't he? Or had he just been fooled by the catfish of his own best friend, whom he thought he knew so well? Apparently, he did not. They may have grown that far apart from each other. Was it Taehyung's fault? No, it could never. It was all Jimin's fault. Taehyung had never asked for anything. But had he pushed him to do so? He did not want to know.

Hoseok's head pops in the small bedroom. "All done. Eggs and toasts are okay?"

Taehyung gets up to go to the kitchen, which also functions as a dining- and living-room. Hoseok's parents have already gone to work, and there is only his little sister eating there, watching cartoons. She politely greets her brother's friend, and Hoseok pets her hair fondly. He then serves food to Taehyung and asks, "Did you sleep well? I'm sorry about the bed, I would've unfolded the sofa bed, but I didn't want to wake my parents..."

"Yeah, it's fine."

Hoseok glances at his sister, who is completely absorbed in the TV, and asks in a low voice, "So, what's happened, exactly? You didn't really specify, and I didn't want to pressure you."

"I kinda argued with Jimin." Taehyung's mouth hurts just saying his name.

"Over...?"

"Jungkook."

Hoseok sighs and nods knowingly, "Yeah, he could get jealous over him, but I always told him that–"

"No, he wasn't jealous of Jungkook. He fuckin' was Jungkook."

Hoseok starts at the bad word and begs Taehyung to watch his language, but frowns afterwards. "What do you mean, he was Jungkook?"

"He bought a Play Station to manage to talk to me again and sorta win me back. That dumbass even created a fake Instagram profile." Taehyung takes a bite on his toast and mutters, "I swear I hate him more than anyone else right now."

Hoseok looks down and ventures shyly, "More than–"

"Don't mention him." Taehyung is now glaring at his friend, lips curled in a disgusted expression. "There's no one I don't hate right now, aside from you. But be it my parents, and most of all my mother, or Yoongi, I just– I have murder impulses, you know. It's just as if they had all agreed to make a nightmare out of my life."

"I don't think so, Tae. I just think that, in their own ways, they were all trying to be... happy? Your mom and Yoongi sought love, Jimin only wanted to mean something to you again... Can we fully blame them?"

"You're always finding them excuses," Taehyung sourly comments. "When will you ever be on my side?"

"I'm just trying to understand. Something you don't do enough." Hoseok swallows a bit of egg and adds cautiously, "Are you considering texting Jimin? In order to underst–"

"I'm never talking to that fool again."

"Okay. I'm not asking about Yoongi, or your parents, then." He quickly looks at his watch and asks, "Do they even know you're here?"

"They're worrying. But I let them." Taehyung smirks. He might be enjoying this too much.