The (in)Discreet

I. Swim part 1

Swim, Chase Atlantic.

❝ Probably should've f****d on the first night. ❞

The afternoon heat was palpable between the walls of the room. Jeon had spent most of his morning buried in tasks given by his stepmother, and now he found himself holed up in his room, scrolling through his phone like any other bored teenager. On a quiet Sunday, what else could he do besides nothing? He feared she might hear this thought and assign him a thousand more chores; the woman was so crazy that he wouldn’t doubt it for a second.

He lightly pressed his finger against the phone screen as his mind worked to solve the puzzle of the game that currently consumed all his time. His furrowed brow and the pout of frustration on his lips clearly showed his annoyance. He had been trying to solve that puzzle for several minutes with no success. He felt stupid with how many times the game offered him hints, only for him to refuse them. He thought even the game pitied his low intellect.

Frustrated and irritated, he decided he would try again later. If he continued like this, he would end up searching for the answer online, and he had a reputation to uphold—never seeking answers for a game, always solving it alone. Well, except for those three times, but they didn’t count for him because, as he said:

“This is so specific; do they think I have a crystal ball inside my ass?”

He changed his position on the bed, tired of lying down for so long. With a sigh, he sat up, resting his back against the headboard while gently pushing aside the short strands that fell over his face. Although his casual attire and fatigue were evident, his beauty couldn't be underestimated. Even without caring about his appearance, he remained dazzling. It was an extravagant and uncommon beauty that drew the attention of everyone who saw him. The few blue streaks in his black hair contrasted subtly with the paleness of his skin, and the dark tones in his clothes seemed perfectly tailored for him.

Jeongguk yawned as he unlocked his phone and opened the i********: app. The first image that appeared on his feed was of his childhood friend, Park Jimin, accompanied by his newest boyfriend. Looking at the photo, Jeongguk could deduce the location: Two Whales, a diner he and his friends often visited. A pang of jealousy hit the boy’s chest, as that place was special to him, and seeing Jimin take his new boyfriend there bothered him. Despite trying to push these feelings away, it was hard to ignore the sensation of something that used to be just theirs now being shared with someone else.

But then, upon observing more closely and analyzing the boy beside his friend, his curiosity was piqued to get to know the guy better and discover what kind of person he was. Jeon already had a formed opinion about the blonde, but it was based only on assumptions—guesses and taking on his friend’s pains. When he entered the other’s profile page with the intention of checking it out, he noticed there were few photos of his face. Most were drawings, pictures of him in museums, at the Eiffel Tower, and with his dog, nothing more. There wasn’t even a picture with Jimin. The highlights told a different story from his posts. The first photo he saw was of the French guy in front of a mirror with his shirt open, and for a moment, Jeon’s mind wandered as he admired the boy’s beauty. He stared at that same photo for a few more seconds until he remembered who it was and started mentally cursing himself. When he moved on to the next photo, he began to look for flaws in the Frenchman—in his appearance, his music, and even in the small details. The more sensual photos were the ones he criticized the most, but this was just an unconscious way of masking the attraction he felt when seeing them.

In the following highlights, he saw even more photos of his dog, which pleased the boy greatly. The animal seemed very cute and pleasant, and he would love to shower it with affection.

The last highlight was of the drawings the French guy had done, and that was the peak of his judgments. He pointed out flaws in everything. He was fully convinced he could do much better than Kim and that he does better than him, which made him feel superior to the other.

Jeongguk didn’t feel any affection for the guy because of how much Jimin talked about him. Park could only praise the Frenchman, describing him as incredible and perfect, not to mention the times he cried over him. Jimin met Kim in an online game, and since then, the two had been talking frequently. The problem was that Taehyung lived on the other side of the world, in France, making a relationship difficult. Despite this, Jimin was already completely in love and wanted to date the Frenchman. However, the boy didn’t seem interested in a long-distance relationship, leading Jimin to cry and lament several times to Jeon, the only one who could bear listening to his laments.

But fortunately, Kim's wealthy parents decided it was time for their son to connect with his Korean roots. And so, the Frenchman finally arrived in the country. As far as Jeon knows, that’s the story. And two days ago, Taehyung had arrived from his trip.

Kim decided to try to have something more with Jimin, and as a result, his friend was more radiant than ever. He sent Jeongguk thousands of voice messages, but Jeongguk had no interest in listening to them and simply ignored them. For him, this relationship wouldn’t last anyway. Jimin had a habit of falling in love quickly and falling out of love even faster, and the harder it seemed, the more he liked it. Now that Taehyung had become accessible, Jeongguk believed this relationship wouldn’t last long.

He was about to leave the other’s profile when he accidentally liked one of his photos. He was going to remove the like at that moment, but a notification popped up:

"k.vante liked your post."

"k.vante started following you."

— Were you stalking me? — Jeongguk muttered to himself, trying to process the information. The panic that had gripped him earlier dissipated, leaving only a sense of doubt. Like the puzzle in the game, he decided to ignore the issue for now, hoping to find a more viable answer later.

Another notification appeared on his screen: "message from little yellow chick." When he opened the message, Jeongguk realized it was a two-and-a-half-minute audio. Not having the head or patience to listen to it all, as he knew what the topic would be, he decided to speed it up to hear it all:

— Ah! He’s even more handsome in person, Jeongguk!! I’m freaking out. He just left, and wow, wow! — the boy let out squeals of joy, his voice breathless, with the sounds of cars in the background. He was walking down the street. — He was super nice and sweet; it was so good spending the day with him. But I think he expected more, I don’t know, it seemed like he was a little disappointed when he saw me, and he said he thought I was taller. I asked if he liked taller guys and joked that I’d buy heels to win him over. He just changed the subject and laughed, saying it wasn’t necessary. And he kept messing with his phone a lot, which really annoyed me... — a heavy sigh escaped his lips as he recalled this, but soon his excitement returned to his voice. — Butttt, I think he was just shy, and later he talked to me a lot, laughed, and didn’t touch his phone anymore. Oh, he likes that painter, Van Gogh, just like you, and he also likes that show with the magic stones, you know? The Steph... no! Steven Universe. I think you two will get along! Seriously, he kisses damn well! The French really know how to kiss! You should try it. — the audio ended with a laugh from the other.

Jeongguk decided to respond to his friend's enthusiasm with the same intensity. He actually found it amusing to hear his friend so happy like that. He just hoped it would last.

— If I’d only heard the beginning of the audio, I’d swear he’s a total jerk. I’m glad you’re happy, and I can guarantee I kiss better than any French guy, but one day I’ll try it just to be sure. Wanna do a comparison? Eh, eh? — a dragged laugh escaped his lips at the end of the audio. It was common for the friends to joke this way, they had said much worse things to each other before, but never seriously. They had known each other for so long that they saw each other more like brothers.

Park only replied with a: “f**k off lol. Watch out, I might, but I’m already on Team French. You and your mouth have been around more than Pennywise’s sewer, gross.”

The conversation stretched on for a while, and it ended up brightening up his quiet Sunday, leaving him ready to face Monday.