HOUSE OF CARDS | VMINKOOK

20

{Changing}

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"Will it hurt?"

"Probably at first."

"Tae!" Jimin scolds. "Don't scare him!"

"I'm just being honest. Besides, he has a high pain tolerance. He'll be fine." Taehyung leans down to pinch Jeongguk's cheeks, smiling brightly. "He's our tough boy."

Jeongguk slaps Taehyung's hand away with a blush.

"So which ones do you want, Gukkie?" Jimin asks, and Jeongguk turns to look at the array of earrings.

He sees dangly chains, eyeing them for longer than he should.

He can't.

So he shifts his eyes, seeing a bunch of silver and black hoops. They're small, and meant for men.

But still— his parents would freak.

He's already getting his ears pierced without their permission. He can't even imagine if he showed up in "feminine" styled earrings.

So he settles for a small pair of silver studs.

The jewelry lady smiles and gets the piercing gun ready, marking a small dot on each of Jeongguk's earlobes.

He shifts in the seat, fidgeting with his hands, but instantly relaxes when he sees Jimin and Taehyung smiling at him. Jeongguk takes a deep breath, smiling back at them.

"You'll just feel a little pinch, okay?" the lady says, her voice sweet, and Jeongguk nods.

Jimin walks up to stand beside Jeongguk, grabbing one of his hands and taking it into his own smaller one. "In case you need to squeeze something."

"Okay, here we go."

Jeongguk hears a click, followed by a sting, his hand clenching around Jimin's.

"And this one."

Another click and another sting.

But then it's gone, only a dull pain left behind. A mirror is held out to him and he looks at the little piercings, his lobes a little red from the initial pain. He smiles to himself, fixing his brown hair a little.

"You look beautiful, bun," Taehyung suddenly says, startling him.

"I-I'm a boy," Jeongguk pouts and looks back his reflection. "I shouldn't be b-beautiful."

"Well, if it helps, you're super hot as well."

Jeongguk giggles, handing the mirror back to the lady, who's grinning with her eyebrows raised. She sets the mirror down and turns to Jeongguk. "Men can be beautiful as well," she says before walking off back behind the counter.

Jeongguk watches her walk away and sighs.

How could this possibly be normal? He's always heard his parents say how indecent and sinful it is for a man to be too feminine, and especially for two men or two women to be together. He can't even imagine what his father would say about a relationship between three people.

He should probably stop worrying...

"You'll look so good for the dance tonight," Jimin squeals, Jeongguk sending him a small smile.

"My parents are going to be so mad—"

"Baby, you're an adult," Taehyung cuts in. "And simple ear piercings aren't anything bad."