Friday Fix

♚ | five

JUNGKOOK was pissed. It had been three days since the new kid had moved in. He had nothing against gays, though he couldn’t quite fathom why anyone would be interested in men when there were women around. Women had soft skin and smooth curves one could caress. Men were all hard ridges and well-defined lines. Those that he knew anyway.

Still, wasn’t this new kid being a bit too . . . blatant? This morning they’d gotten into a quarrel over the shower. He was used to taking his time and enjoying the luxury of knowing he didn’t have to share. So when the shower room door had started banging and the new kid had demanded he get out because he had been in there for “a whole eternity” – it was only half an hour and ugh, why was his voice so effeminate – Jungkook had chosen to ignore it, and instead turned up the volume of the anime he had been watching.

Why else do you think he was spending half an hour in there for?

Still the volume hadn’t been loud enough, for he clearly heard Haneul’s next words – “If you don’t come out within the next ten minutes, I’ll knock the door down and get in the shower with you.” A sly undertone. “I gotta tell you, I kinda relish the prospect.”

Jungkook seriously doubted that that slim frame could knock down a sapling, let alone the shower room door, but he was taking no chances.

Worst of all was the fact that the new kid seemed to be enjoying it. Way too much.

He glared at the desk opposite his side of the room that used to be empty but now no longer was. Jungkook was itching to throw something hard and large at it.

Whatever. He glanced at his phone, noticing the date.

Friday.

A lazy smirk spread, slow at first, then wide. His anger dimmed rapidly.

After all, tonight he was getting his Friday fix, and nothing on Earth could ruin his good mood as he thought of that.

♚

When I finished my class and got back to my room, I got a call from Ha Yul. His voice crackled over the phone.

“Sup, lil bro?”

I rolled my eyes. “It’s not like anyone is tapping our phones. You don’t have to pretend.”

"But it’s fun.” The sound of papers rustling. “Today’s Friday, right?”

“Yeap.”

“So tomorrow’s the weekend?”

“Last I checked that was how the calendar went.”

“So no classes tomorrow?”

“Uh-huh.”

“So you can stay out late tonight?”

My eyes brightened. “Are you taking me somewhere?”

“Since you’re in Seoul now, you might as well do some exploring. Considering how you’ve spent the better part of life in Busan” – our home – “I think you’ll find Seoul rather delightful. Oh, and Hyeong-gon asked you to use the stuff he gave you.”

The sound of something heavy dropping and a loud curse. “Meet you at 7?”

“Deal.” I couldn’t help the cheerful chirp that snuck into my voice. “See you then, Ha Yul!”

I hung up. Smiling happily to myself, I drummed my fingers on the table and hummed lightly.

“You going out?”

I nearly jumped out of my skin. I hadn’t even noticed Jungkook had gotten out of the shower – I was expecting him to take longer, considering he was in there for a whole eternity this morning. My heart picked up speed as I wondered just how much of the conversation he had overheard. But I’ve said nothing compromising.

So my heart calmed back down again – until I noticed he was without his shirt. And wrapped only in his towel. And his hair was drenched and clinging to his face which looked so fresh and clean and goddamn, that jawline –

Jungkook’s eyes narrowed and he took a visible step back. “Are you f*****g checking me out now?”

Yes. “No.”

“You were. That’s f*****g creepy, dude.”

I rolled my eyes and turned back to my laptop. “You know, the size of your ego could trip someone up.”

I heard more than saw Jungkook walking back to his side of the room. His voice was surly as he said,

“I have company tonight, so you better be going out.” A pause. “And stay out. As late as you can. Come back after 2 – on second thought, just don’t come back at all. Makes things a lot easier for the both of us.”

“Makes things a lot easier for you, you mean,” I shot back. “And whether I’m going out or not is none of your business.”

“It is. This is my room.”

I spun around in my chair until I could see him eye to eye. Or at least as much as I could with that six feet distance between us. “And also mine, even though you seem to like forgetting it.”

“Just f*****g go out and stay out tonight, okay?” Jungkook said, clearly frustrated. “You won’t like it if you stay in.”

What – is he going to have a drug party in here? I eyed the tattoos that shifted under his biceps. Or is he going to murder someone?

Miffed, I caught sight of the clock on my table. s**t, I’m meeting Ha Yul in 50 minutes. I stood up.

“I am going out. But I’m warning you, whatever you do you had better keep it to your side of the room.”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever.” Jungkook was already turning back to his laptop. “As long as I don’t have to see your face around.”

“As if you provide pleasant company,” I scoffed. As I left I slammed the door, hard, and was rewarded with the audible sound of Jungkook swearing.

Jerk.

♚

Hyeong-gon hadn’t been lying, he had given me the tools to turn back to a girl if I had wanted to.

Now I stared at myself in the mirror. The wig was similar to my old hair, and as I played with the locks I let out a wistful smile. Dressed in a blouse and skirt, with the male makeup rubbed off, I liked how I looked. Although being a boy gave me freedom to pursue my dreams, it was tiring having to remember the appropriate mannerisms, the change in behaviour and a dozen other little things.

I’d showered and changed in a nearby sauna, and now my brothers waited for me outside. When Hyeong-gon saw me he gave a teasing smile.

“Aww, back to being a princess so soon? The boy was cuter.”

I whacked him on the arm. “I’m still the same person. Where are we going?”

Ha Yul tapped his chin. “How do you feel about barbecue?”

My eyes gleamed. “Ecstatic.”

He snapped his fingers. “Right. Ramen and soju it is.”

As I groaned, he laughed and wrapped an arm around my shoulders. “I’m kidding. Let’s go!”

We had dinner at a fancy restaurant, and then we spend two hours walking aimlessly around. Perhaps my brothers noticed how stressed I was, because not once did the topic of my new school came up. Instead we talked about mum and dad, with Hyeong-gon remarking that a week was almost up, ergo the last day of my “visit” with Ha Yul was nearing, and when was mum and dad going to realize I wasn’t coming home? I speculated that they would begin suspecting two hours after my train had supposedly pulled out of the station. After all, it took only one and a half hour for me to reach home by subway. Ha Yul said I was being too optimistic; mum and dad had work and probably would not return home until past evening, which meant they would only notice then. But Hyeong-gon said mum sometimes had a habit of calling to check up on us, which then turned into a debate on whether I should pick up the phone or not? If I didn’t she would immediately worry, but if I did then I might give the game away.

We had tteokbokki from a street vendor, and in between bites Hyeong-gon asked, casually, “Everything okay there, sis?”

I looked up from a mouthful. Ha Yul was busy eating, or maybe he was pretending. Hyeong-gon’s eyes were kind.

Suddenly there was a large lump in my throat. I’m not sure. That was the answer. I’m not sure if I can stand up to it, because the first week has been really hard – not just in terms of Jungkook, but also the curriculum. It’s intense. I’m not sure if I can make it.

“You know,” Ha Yul suddenly said, “I just read up on a really surprisingly survey. It said that ten out of ten people who are amazing usually think they can’t do it.”

“Really?” Hyeong-gon asked. “Why?”

“Because they put on too much pressure on themselves to perform. They strive for the best, so they’re always pushing their limits, and then they get all these doubts in their head telling them they can’t make it.” Ha Yul’s eyes fell on me. “What they don’t know though, is that they’re already awesome.”

I couldn’t help the smile. “Are you really sure those figures are right?”

Ha Yul looked offended. “Excuse me? I have a degree in maths. Don’t doubt me, peasant.”

“A degree in meth more likely,” Hyeong-gon muttered.

Ha Yul hit him over the head with a paper cup. I tried to hide my laughter, and failed.

God, I love my brothers.

After sometime I started yawning my head off, which made Hyeong-gon yawned in turn, and next thing we knew we were all yawning. So Ha Yul decided it was time to turn in, and dropped me off at the sauna where I reverted back to the opposite gender. Then we headed for the university entrance.

“Don’t worry too much,” he murmured in my ear as he gave me a firm hug. “You’ll be fine.”

“Say hi to the hot dudes for me!” Hyeong-gon yelled from inside the car.

“There are no hot dudes here, Hyeong-gon,” I replied, with a sigh.

A pause. Actually, untrue –

My brothers waved, and the car drove off. As I walked back into the university and through its hallowed halls to my room, I realized it was only 1 am.

Jungkook had said to come back after 2.

Who is he to think he can be the boss of me, anyway? an angry inner voice fumed. Do I have to do whatever he tells me to do? I think not. I had said I was going out, and I had – I never promised him I would come back late.

So I marched right up to the room door and didn’t think twice before turning the key and opening it. Admittedly I did do it softly, but it was more out of the consideration that it was late and he might be sleeping than any feeling of guilt.

The first thing I saw when I entered the room was darkness. The first thing I heard however, was moaning.

And then I made the mistake of turning on the lights.

“What the hell?” I screeched.

Jungkook and a girl I had never seen before in my entire life were staring at me, eyes shocked and bodies frozen, with a certain degree of nudity and positioning that left no room for doubt that they had been in the midst of some seriously heavy fornication.

And the worst part of it all was that they were doing it on my bed.

❈

Oh my. Though I'm not quite sure who would turned out to be more embarrassed by this whole affair.

By the way - six followers? You people are wonderful.

I must reward you in turn.

Soon.

Yours in seduction,

Lady Godiva.