Effect

⑦You Don't Have To Do That

 
Upon returning to his room, he caught Taehyung peeking at his drawings that were scattered on his desk. A surge of panic flashed through him as he rushed to the desk and gathered his drawings in haste.

A tiny pout swept across Taehyung's lips as he watched Jeongguk shove the drawings into the drawer, puzzlement swirling in his eyes. "Why can't I see them?"

The younger trudged towards his bed and sat on the edge. "I don't like people seeing my drawings."

"Why? They're really good," Taehyung said softly as he sat next to him.

"There are a lot of people who draw better than me. My drawings are just okay."

"And there are a lot of people who dance better than me and you. That doesn't mean we're not good at what we do. It doesn't matter that there are people who can draw better than you. There always will be someone better than us in everything. The point is that it's your drawing. It's something you created. And not everyone can do that, you know."

"But what's the point? We strive to become something, only to see that someone else is already better," Jeongguk uttered under his breath, feeling the heaviness of his words twist his heart brutally.

"Then what, we shouldn't do anything just because someone has done something before us or because there's already someone who can do something better? That's not how life is supposed to work, Jeongguk. Work hard in what you want to do and become something you are proud of. Don't care about others."

Silence prevailed over them as Jeongguk let his words wash over him. He never had a conversation like this with someone before, and it felt good, soothing. His eyes drifted to the man beside him, noticing he was already staring at him. Uneasy under Taehyung's unrelenting but sweet stare, he wanted to glance away, but then he spotted drops of water trickling down his temples and forehead.

"You didn't dry your hair," he murmured as he grabbed Taehyung's towel and scooted an inch closer. He placed it on his head and began rubbing smooth circles, not forgetting to wipe the beads of water from his gorgeous face.

"You don't have to do that," Taehyung drawled, his deep and mellow voice sending a tingling wave through the younger's limbs. His eyes were anchored on his concentrated face, and he tried — he tried his best not to let the tiny smile that dangled on his lips grow bigger at Jeongguk's caring ministrations.

"I don't mind," Jeongguk whispered, timid. "Unless you d-don't want me to."

Taehyung peeled his gaze away as if he was brought back from whatever reverie he was drowned into, the smile hovering on his lips now long gone. "I don't think you should be doing that."

Jeongguk halted every movement at the soft statement and retracted his hands a moment later. "You're right." He tittered as he handed him the towel.

After Taehyung dried his hair as much as he could, he glanced at the boy, who was quietly sitting beside him, staring at his hands fiddling with his shirt. "I want to apologize for what I said. It was completely wrong of me to say something like this to you because you're nowhere near that and because I'm your teacher of course."

Jeongguk inhaled deeply in an attempt to gather his courage to set his gaze on him. "But why did y-you get so angry a-at me?"

The question tensed Taehyung up visibly, but he shifted in his seat and composed himself soon enough. "Don't ask me for an explanation. I don't have one. I'm really sorry about what I said. And it won't happen again."

He didn't say why. Does this mean that what Jimin heard is true? Jeongguk thought to himself as he lowered his gaze.

"You're still mad, huh?"