Remedy (TaeJin)

Spotlight

Song: Call me maybe (Carly Rae Jepsen)

It was 8:35 by the time Tae and Jimin found their class.

"Why are we like this?", Tae questioned Jimin as they reached the door.

"Please, I am just trying to NOT trip over air.", Jimin whimpered.

They walked to the door and waited for the teacher to excuse them.

Jimin stared hard at the ground, while Tae glanced at the seats to see which ones were left to be occupied, when he noticed something else. A lot of them seemed to not look at the teacher but stare at Jimin. And, they all looked surprised? Some of them looked at Tae and Jimin and started to whisper among one another.

"Get in.", they heard and that snapped Tae's attention back to the teacher. They slightly bowed and were about to get it when the teacher spoke again.

"Can you take the mask off now that you are in the classroom?"

Tae gulped and nodded. He shifted his bag to his left hand and pulled the mask off.

He was certain he that heard a collective gasp from the class. He nervously followed Jimin avoiding any eye contact.

Jimin continued walking to the two seats in the last row but couldn't stop smiling because of the reaction he just witnessed. Tae was about to shoot up the popularity ladder faster than one could say mochi.

...

Time waltzed by and it was already 1:00. Tae and Jimin walked to the cafeteria.

"Is it me or is everyone staring at us?", Jimin asked looking around quizzically.

"Right?! Even in the class, I felt like everyone is talking about us or looking at us!", Tae reacted, his voice a little sharper.

"I can kind of get used to the attention, though", Jimin said smiling at Tae.

Tae just sighed in response. Attention isn't always good, he thought to himself.

...

The cafeteria was more crowded than what Tae and Jimin were used to.

"Ah. Seniors.", Tae realized.

"Huh?"

"I forgot that our lunch timings were different in the first year. Cafeteria seems more crowded now." Tae explained.

Jimin spotted a vacant table at the farther end. He dragged Tae towards it when he saw someone wave to him from the corner of his eye.

Who would even bother to acknowledge that they knew us? That too in public?

He stopped and turned back to see.

His heart dropped. It was the girl he ran into in the morning.

Tae shamelessly waved back to her and the girl smiled bigger, motioning them to come join her.

"Should we? I mean, I like having food in peace." He pleaded Tae.

Tae was already walking towards the table that Rose and her friend were at. He turned back and smirked at Jimin, "I thought you liked the attention, Jimin-ah.".

I hate you, Tae.

...

"Hi.", Rose said as she settled back into her seat. Her friend mimicked.

Tae and Jimin took the seats opposite to theirs.

"Kim Taehyung.", Tae introduced himself.

Rose chuckled. "Of course. I know. This is Jisoo.", she added.

Tae smiled at her and kicked Jimin who sat motionless.

"Park Jimin", he uttered finally in Jisoo's direction.

"I am sorry about what happened in the morning. I wasn't looking.", Jimin apologized again for the millionth time that day.

Rose smiled at him. "I wasn't looking either. And, I am rather clumsy."

"You'd make great partners then.", Jisoo snickered.

Tae couldn't help but laugh after looking at Jimin's flustered face.

Rose's cheeks flushed that pretty pink again. "Never mind her. What classes are you planning to choose?" she added.

They ate their food as they discussed about their electives.

Jisoo clicked her phone on. "It is 1:50 already!", she squeaked, making her eyes pop ever so slightly.

"The induction!", the other three chorused as they packed away their bags.

....