♚ | sixteen
2938 Words
"MAINTAIN five-feet distance between one another at all times?” Jungkook laughed. “Come on, baby girl. You can’t be serious.”
"I’ve never been more serious in my life. I am not having you touch me whenever and wherever you want. I’m your roommate,” I stressed, “not your weekly fix.”
"Of course not. You’re my daily fix.”
Good grief. There seemed to be no middle ground with this boy. It was either extreme hostility or ardent attempts at intimacy.
"I’m going to add another rule to the list. No suggestive language.”
"You know, it’s not a problem unless you’re affected by it. Are you?” Jungkook asked, sly.
Damn right, you are. “No. I just don’t like it. Last I recalled, we hate each others guts, so I don’t understand what you’re trying to pull by acting close.”
"Humans change, baby girl." Jungkook held up his hands in an admission of peace. “Alright. How about this? I’ll respect your boundaries, including that five-feet distance parameter. But those parameters are out of the window once I’ve obtained your consent.”
"What do you mean?”
"It means I’m going to keep trying to get into your pants,” Jungkook said bluntly, and I blanched. “You know that’s who I am, baby girl, and I’m not going to lie to you – the fact that we are literally sleeping together in the same room, but we’re not sleeping together is driving me crazy. Also I don’t usually dig chicks with short hair . . . but f**k, your pixie cut is the bomb.”
Did the fan in the room suddenly turned off? Why was it so unbearably hot in here? I stammered, not knowing quite what to say with his - frankly, crude – confession.
"I – you weren’t saying that when you thought I was a guy.”
"Keyword being I thought you were a guy. So naturally I wouldn’t think that way about you.” Jungkook licked his lips lightly. “But now that I know better . . .”
I pulled my arms against my chest tightly. “You can keep trying that. But it’s not going to work.”
Something in his eyes darkened. "Game on.”
♚
Jungkook kept his word. He never breached the five-meter radius around me. But his presence was enough. The slight husky color he adopted just before he was about to drop a suggestive line, the way he couldn't seem to keep his eyes off of me when I walked out of the shower. All traits of a potential creep on anyone else, but not with Jungkook. Never with Jungkook.
Stop thinking about it, I scolded myself, as I worked through physical exercise class. You have a cosplay competition to get prepared for tonight.
When the final lesson of the day ended, Yugi walked over to me. He'd been fidgeting all day, hardly able to keep still as he bounced around on his toes.
"Ohh I can feel it, Haneul. Can you feel it? Can you taste it?”
"Indeed I can,” said Isaiah smoothly. “I can feel the ache in my body from all that goddamn stretching, and taste the bitterness of disappointment as I, once again, failed to execute a perfect split.”
I snorted. Isaiah was training for professional ballet, but as we’d discovered, along with the rest of his class, he wasn’t the most flexible of persons out there. It’d never stopped him from trying though.
“I have to warn you though,” Isaiah went on. “Those Dorm C boys have been really agitated since this morning. And right now, they’re standing over there, behind the pillar – land’s sakes, don’t be so obvious, Yugi – muttering devilish words under their breath as they plot how to kill us.”
Standing on tip-toes, I reached for the zipper on Isaiah’s bag, which he’d forgotten to close. "It’s just a competition. They won’t do anything extreme. Right, Yugi?”
"Uhh,” Yugi began.
"Crouch, Isaiah, you’re too tall, I can’t get it.”
Isaiah crouched.
"We-ell,” Yugi was saying, “last year there was a senior who went all out to win the cosplay competition. The prize was a pretty popular anime figurine, so I guess that’s why he spent more than 100,000 won on his costume – as well as had a fistfight with another participant who he thought to be his biggest rival.”
My face popped out from behind Isaiah’s bag like a jack-in-the-box. “Excuse me?”
“But I’m not sure nothing like that will happen this year!” Yugi hurried on. “I mean, it’s food. It’s a, uh, less notable prize. They won’t be so hostile. I think.”
He glanced at his watch. “Less than two hours until the competition! We gotta shower and take dinner, quick. Meet us in the grand hall when you’re done, Haneul!”
“Okay!” I yelled, as we separated to our rooms.
It was a quick shower, and when I exited the bathroom Jungkook was tossing a ball into the air and hitting it off the wall.
“Getting ready for the gig now, are we?”
“Yeap,” I said, unwrapping the small kimbap I’d brought from the café on my way back. Taking a large mouthful I looked at my watch. s**t.
“I gotta go,” I muttered, grabbing my bag where the costume was inside.
As I opened the room door, belatedly I remembered what day it was. I cast a warning look at Jungkook.
“Jungkook,” I started.
He cut me off with a wave of the hand. “I won’t be bringing a girl back tonight. So you can save the leave-my-bed-alone warning.”
I stared. “You’re not getting your Friday fix?”
His chair swivelled around as he faced me, that trademark smirk present on his lips. “I told you, baby girl. For you – anything.”
“How sweet. In that case, I’d like an order of Eternal Celibacy, please, for you.” Without waiting for his response, I took off.
♚
The grand hall was packed. Boys lingered around, excited, and I could see a few of them already dressed up and taking photos. I distinctly spotted Goku, with a hair far more outrageous than the anime, L - two Ls, in fact, it seemed like a popular choice. There was also a Kaneki, and a character from a really old anime - Yusuke Urameshi of the Yu Yu Hakusho fame, completed with his faithful spirit beast perched on his head, Puu.
Yugi had been right, none of them cosplayed as a girl.
As I entered the hall, Yugi leapt on me. "Hurry, hurry, we haven't got any time!"
He pointed at a little door just beside the grand hall's stage. "That goes backstage, where the changing room is. I gotta go handle your registration, those damn fools in the committee messed it up. Isaiah will meet you soon. Probably."
"Oh okay." I looked around, realizing for the first time it was rather chaotic. "What's going on?"
"The committee left their computer open, and someone went and deleted the file with the pre-registration details. So it's all hectic, now."
My eyes widened. "Wow. They - they take this really seriously, don't they?"
"Told you. Now go get changed, or we'll be late!"
Yugi rushed off and I headed for the little door by the stage. Just before I was about to place my fingers around the handle however, a boy popped out of nowhere.
"You can't go in there!"
I looked at him. I'd never seen him before; he was small and snivelly, with a perpetual nervous flicker in the eyes.
"What do you mean? Aren't the cosplayers supposed to change in here?"
"Uh. There's been a slight problem. So all the participants need to change in the toilets, now."
"The toilet?" I thought about my maid cafe costume. "But cosplay costumes are complicated things, how are we supposed to change them in the toilet? It's not convenient."
The boy shrugged. "Sorry. Rules are, uh, rules. I'm just a leg man, I don't know anything."
I frowned. Well, this is terrible organizing.
"Okay then. Where's the toilet?"
♚
“Another maekju, please.”
The owner of the pojangmacha, Korea’s tented street stalls, nodded and bustled off. Dressed in his favorite leather hoodie and a plain white T-shirt, Jungkook took a bite of the chicken feet and pulled the skin off.
“Alone? That’s not like you.”
He looked up. Dressed in a dark blue silk shirt with floral prints, Tae looked a little out of place among the night crowd.
Jungkook didn’t say anything for a moment. “I could say the same for you. What’s Ryuk-il’s residential prince doing here?”
Tae gestured at an empty chair. “May I sit?”
Jungkook wavered for a second, and it seemed as if he might say no. Then – “Why not? Just don’t throw me off my game.”
Tae sat. “What game?”
The stall owner came over with a new bottle of beer and Tae ordered stir-fried pork. Jungkook cracked the cap of the bottle open and took a swig.
“Miniskirt, your 7 o’clock.”
Casually Tae looked around, while adjusting his seat. “That is a looker. Unfortunately, taken.”
“How do you know?”
Tae sampled the chicken feet. His fingers were delicate and slender, and unlike Jungkook who ripped the skin straight off, his bites were gentle.
“Too much food for one person on her table.”
“She could be a big eater.”
“With our current extreme beauty standards? I don’t think so. Besides, she’s wearing a promise ring.”
As if on cue, a guy with a snapback entered the tent and sat down next to the girl. He kissed her on the cheek and she lit up happily.
“Damn,” Jungkook muttered.
The plate of stir-fried pork arrived and Tae inhaled, deep. Picking up a piece, he chewed on it leisurely and swallowed, before going on,
“You don’t usually make such a mistake. Losing your touch?”
“Just distracted.”
“Wanna try your luck somewhere else? I know there’s a club somewhere here.”
The beer bottle hit the table with a decisive thud. “Right. Why are you here?”
“What do you mean? I was just passing by, and saw a friend I once knew. So I came over to say hi.”
Jungkook looked extremely cynical. “Really now?”
Tae sighed. “I know since we graduated high school, we haven’t spoken much. What with our dads being business rivals and all. But that’s their business, and I don’t understand why it has to affect us.”
The beer bottle returned to Jungkook’s lips. “It’s been six months since Griffin snatched the contract away from Yonhwa Corp. It took you six months to decide our friendship is stronger than a business deal?”
Tae opened his hands. “What can I say? I’m sorry. My dad told me we couldn’t be friends so I cut you off. That was my fault.”
“You’re f*****g nineteen, Tae. You still listen to what your dad tells you to do?” Jungkook let out a derisive snort that was almost laced with anger. “Oh wait, I forgot. You’re the f*****g perfect son.”
“I’m not here for a fight, Jungkook.”
“Yea, cos we had that six months ago, didn’t we? When you told me you couldn’t be friends with me anymore because your dad’s company was more important, and your family didn’t fraternize with low-class scallywags.”
Silence fell like a heavy blanket on the two of them.
“I’m sorry,” Tae said quietly.
“Whatever.”
More silence. Tae finished the stir-fried pork with a miserable expression, and the beer in Jungkook’s mouth left behind a sour taste.
There was a loud roar, and two motorbikes pulled up. The cyclists unbuckled their helmets and killed the engines before walking over.
“Yo, Jungkook,” Jay greeted.
Siwoo opened his mouth to say something similar, but then his eyes caught sight of Tae. The blonde’s eyes hardened immediately.
“Well if it isn’t Mr f*****g Perfect. Does your dada know you’re here? I’m sure it'll be a right scandal if he did.”
Tae ignored Siwoo and stood up. “I should leave. Let me buy your meal, Jungkook. As a sign of an apology.”
“Trying to get his friendship back with money, Jung Tae the Honourable?” Siwoo taunted. “We’re rapidly descending to new lows now, are we?”
Tae didn’t say anything in reply, but his jaw clenched. “Bye, Jungkook.”
He left.
“f*****g loser,” Siwoo growled.
Jay looked between Siwoo and Jungkook. “No idea what just happened, but yeah. Whatever he said.”
“He has got the nerve to come and talk to you after – ”
A frustrated exhalation from Jungkook cut Siwoo off. “Drop it. Let’s hit the bars.”
Jay whooped. “Ay ay captain!”
♚
The toilet stank. I looked gingerly inside; there were only two cubicles and it seemed as if no student, let alone a cleaner, had stepped in here for a long, long time.
“Are you sure this is where all the cosplayers are supposed to go? Cos there’s no one around and the space is really not doable.”
The boy who had led me there kept looking over his shoulder like someone was after him.
“Hello?” I said, waving my hand in front of his face when he didn’t reply.
The boy jumped. “Ah! Yeah, yeah this is where you’re supposed to be. The other cosplayers are, uh, done with their costumes. You’re running late.”
"Don't remind me.” I took a look at my watch. The costume itself wasn’t hard to put on, but apparently Yugi had a whole bunch of other stuff he was planning to do to my face and nails and hair and whatnot. It would take time.“Okay. I’m going to change.”
“Right. I’ll uh, go tell them you’re here then.” The boy paused. “Tell the committee, I mean. Who might be looking for you.”
I gave him a weird look. “Sure.”
He scurried off like he had been wanting to do that for his whole life and I entered the first toilet cubicle, locking the door.
The cubicle was narrow and there were no clothes hooks. As expected. Trying not to be disgusted by the state of the hygiene – or rather, the obscene lack of it – I draped my maid café costume over the top of the toilet door.
As I stripped off my shirt and hung it just next to the costume, I thought I heard the sound of footsteps scuffling. I stopped.
“Hello?” I called out. “Yugi, is that you?”
Silence.
Then the maid café costume vanished out of sight.
My eyes widened as my shirt followed suit in disappearance. There was no mistaking it now, more than one person were knocking about on the other side of the door, whispering and grunting as if lifting something heavy.
An edge of panic crept into my voice. “Who is that?”
I didn’t know what to do – if I unlocked the door I might be able to get back my costume and shirt, but then whoever it was would see that I was clad in just a bra. But if I stayed here I would both lose the costume and my shirt, rendering me pretty much unable to come out, if I wanted to protected my identity.
I was caught.
“Guys!” My voice raised in pitch and volume. “Guys, this isn’t funny!”
A second of quietness. Then a disembodied voice replied, “Oh, we know.”
And a deluge of sticky fluid rained down from the top, right on my head.
❈
Oh. Tae and Jungkook knew each other? Now that is interesting.
I'm afraid the taste of having readers is like an opium addiction, may I request for more?
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Yours in seduction,
Lady Godiva.
- Writer
