Inside the Exam Hall

Seokjin sat in the front row, the stark fluorescent lights buzzing softly overhead. The silence was thick, broken only by the occasional rustle of paper and the scratching of pens. The exam paper lay before him, a set of questions he had already memorized, mentally prepared for over the past week, despite tutoring Taehyung. It was impressive enough that Seokjin was able to make a schedule for himself to study.

His eyes skimmed the first question, then the second. Each answer came fluidly, almost mechanically, as if the knowledge had been drilled into muscle memory. His hand moved steadily, methodically, pen gliding across the page.

Others around him furrowed brows, hesitated, glanced nervously at their watches. But Seokjin's expression remained calm, cool and focused, as if he were merely ticking off items on a checklist.

Within thirty minutes, Seokjin was done. He reviewed his answers once, twice and finding no errors, no doubts. With practiced ease, he closed his exam booklet and slid it across the desk.

The proctor nodded, eyes briefly meeting his with a hint of respect mixed with surprise. Seokjin stood, chair scraping softly on the floor, and made his way to the front.

He handed his paper to the professor without a word, his gaze steady and unyielding.

Without waiting for acknowledgement or instruction, Seokjin turned on his heel and walked out of the classroom, leaving a trail of whispered curiosity and envious glances behind him.

One student mumbled with envy, "I wish I was that smart..."

Campus Garden

The garden was quiet, the wind rustling gently through the trees. Seokjin sat alone on the bench under the tree, his usual spot, his legs crossed, a book resting idly in his lap. His exam paper had been turned in barely thirty minutes after the bell rang. It wasn't rushed, it was simply easy for him and now he was just waiting, anticipating that Taehyung would come running towards him with that beautiful box smile of his.

Seokjin nearly burst into laughter at the thought of Taehyung running toward him and tripping over his own feet. He quickly covered his mouth, glancing around to check if anyone had seen his moment of weakness. Thankfully, no one saw him and he let out a quiet sigh of relief.

He hadn't looked up when footsteps approached, it was light but angry, he could feel the heat of the glare before he heard the voice.

"I guess the rumors were true."

He slowly looked up. Yuri stood just a few feet away, arms folded tightly, jaw clenched.

Seokjin raised a brow. "Rumors?"

"You and Taehyung." She spat the name like it tasted bitter. "I didn't want to believe it. But you—sitting here like this....waiting for him like some lovesick fool? loving another man? It's pathetic."

Seokjin didn't flinch. "You sound jealous."

She scoffed. "Of you? Oh please, I've known Taehyung for years, he tells me everything, I've been there when he cried and when he doubted himself. Where were you then?"

A breeze swept through the garden, carrying petals to the ground.

"I don't need to be in every chapter of his past to matter in his present," Seokjin replied quietly, eyes on her now cool, unreadable. "People change. So do priorities."

Yuri took a step forward, voice rising. "You don't deserve him, you're cold and you look at people like they're beneath you. I bet you're just playing with him because you're bored, that's what you people do...treat everyone like pawns."

Seokjin stood, slow and deliberate. The book in his hand dropped back into his bag with a soft thud.

"I never claimed to deserve him," he said, voice even. "But I don't lie to him and I don't manipulate him with guilt, and I sure as hell don't insult the people he cares about just because they threaten my place."

Yuri's face twisted, something between wounded and furious. "Don't talk like you understand him." Yuri clenched her fist, she was trembling in anger, Yuri thought if he confronted Seokjin, insulted him. She would at least get a reaction from him but she underestimated Seokjin and that was her mistake.

"I don't." Seokjin's lips twitched into a humorless smile. "Not fully, but I'm learning, slowly , and carefully. Without entitlement."

"You think you're better than me?" Yuri spat back and glared at him.

"No," he said, voice turning sharp. "I just know when I'm not wanted. You should try it sometime."

Yuri blinked, caught off guard. Yuri knew he was referring to her and it hurt her pride but Seokjin wasn't done.

"You keep throwing yourself at him like affection is something owed for history," he said, quieter now. "But love doesn't work that way, Taehyung said no, over and over. And you just keep coming back, thinking if you shout loud enough, he'll forget what he wants."

Yuri's throat bobbed. Her eyes glistened.

"Here's the difference between you and me, Yuri," Seokjin finished, stepping closer. "I don't beg for space in his life. He gives it to me willingly."

Yuri's breath caught.

And then, the final blow.

"I used to think you were just persistent," Seokjin murmured and lets out a small laugh in a mocking way "But now I realize, you're just terrified of being irrelevant."

She didn't answer. Couldn't. Her lip trembled before she turned abruptly and walked away, fists clenched so tight her knuckles were white.

Seokjin sat back down, heart steady but heavy.

He exhaled through his nose, calm and unsympathetic.

Then, under his breath, a barely audible, but just loud enough for the wind to carry after her retreating figure, he muttered:

"Sorry you heard it like that. Not sorry I said it."

He sat back down, picked up his book again, and let the silence settle around him like armor. The leaves of the tree drifted slowly to the ground.

As if nothing had happened at all.

Meanwhile, Taehyung had just finished his exams, unlike before, nervousness filled his mind but now it was confidence and positivity.

The last question felt easy.

Not because it was simple, but because the answer just... flowed. Like it had always been there in his mind, just waiting for him to reach in and grab it. His pencil scribbled the final words, hand steady, heart full.

Taehyung leaned back, let out a deep breath, and looked around. The classroom was still mostly full of students hunched over their desks, brows furrowed in deep concentration. Some were chewing their pens, others flipping pages with increasing panic.

He was done.

He glanced at the clock. Thirty-five minutes in.

With a small smile tugging at his lips, he stood, gathered his papers neatly, and walked to the front of the room. His professor glanced up from the attendance sheet, momentarily surprised.

"You're done already?"

Taehyung nodded. "Yes, sir."

There was no cockiness in his voice it was just calm confidence. He handed over his paper with both hands and gave a small bow. The professor took it, blinked once, and gave a nod of approval.

Taehyung turned and exited the room quietly, but inside, his chest felt light and giddy, even.

"I did it! I really did it." Taehyung thought.

And there was only one person he wanted to tell first.

Seokjin.

The thought alone made his heart skip a beat. He could already imagine the proud smile Seokjin would try to hide behind that annoyingly smug façade. The way he'd look away just to avoid eye contact. Maybe if Taehyung hugged him fast enough he could catch the warmth in his chest before Seokjin buried it under that perfect, practiced coldness.

With a small bounce in his step, he turned the corner out of the building toward the garden path, eyes scanning the crowd, searching for that familiar, tall figure. But before he could make it halfway, a voice cut through his thoughts.

"Yuri, please calm down. you know he didn't mean it like that..."

"No, Jinwoo! he said it like he meant every word!"

Taehyung stopped mid-step.

A group had gathered under the shade of a tree just near the garden's edge. Yuri sat on a bench, her shoulders trembling, face buried in her hands. Jinwoo was crouched in front of her, trying to soothe her, while two of their classmates stood nearby, glancing at one another nervously.

Taehyung blinked, taking a slow step forward.

"What's happening over there?" he muttered under his breath, walking over.

Jinwoo was the first to notice him.

"Hey," Taehyung greeted cautiously.

Jinwoo stood up. "Hey Taehyung, You just finished your exams?"

"Yeah..." he replied, eyes flicking to Yuri. Her face was blotchy red, mascara smudged under her eyes, and she sniffled loudly into a tissue. "What happened?"

There was a long pause. Jinwoo hesitated. The two other students exchanged looks.

Yuri finally lifted her head and looked at Taehyung. Her eyes were bloodshot. Her jaw clenched.

"I confronted him," she said bitterly.

Taehyung's brows furrowed and a confused expression "Confronted who?"

"Seokjin." Her voice cracked on the name. "Because I saw the way he was always near you, how you smiled at him and how he looked at you like he—" She cut herself off, swallowing hard.

Taehyung's heart sank. "Yuri..."

"I just asked him to back off," she said, voice trembling. "I told him it was disgusting. That... that he should be ashamed for feeling that way about another guy. About you. I didn't mean it to come out that cruel but—"

"You said what?" Taehyung asked, his tone sharpening immediately. The warmth in his chest from earlier began to twist into something cold and bitter.

"I—" Yuri looked up at him, eyes pleading. "I just thought I could protect you! I've known you longer, Taehyung, and you're just... you're not like that. I didn't want you to get confused or—"

"Yuri," he interrupted, jaw tight. "Did you really think I needed protection from Seokjin? Or was it just your pride talking?"

She froze.

Taehyung stepped back a little, gaze hardening. "He's the one who helped me study for all these exams. The one who stayed up while I complained, made me laugh when I wanted to give up. And you...you call that disgusting?"

Yuri's lip trembled. "I didn't mean to—"

"Yes, you did," he said softly, but it hurt more than shouting ever could.

The silence between them rang out, loud and raw.

"You don't get to hide behind years of friendship to justify hurting someone I care about," he added.

Yuri looked like she'd been slapped. Her tears started again, but this time, Taehyung didn't offer comfort.

Instead, he gave her one last look, it was a mixture of disappointment and quiet anger before turning away.

He walked toward the garden, his steps heavier now. The image of Seokjin, alone, stoic, probably pretending none of it fazed him, it was all he could think about.

But Taehyung knew better.

Seokjin felt everything. He just didn't know how to show it.

"And if he said something that hurt Yuri like that... then he must've been pushed too far."

Taehyung clenched his fists and walked faster.

Taehyung's retreating figure disappeared down the garden path, leaving behind a silence thick with discomfort. The two other classmates standing nearby awkwardly exchanged glances, unsure whether to stay or go.

Yuri stared at the ground, breath shuddering, tears still streaking down her face. Her hands clutched the crumpled tissue in her lap like it was the only thing keeping her grounded.

Then Jinwoo's voice broke through, low and controlled but sharp as glass.

"Are you done now?"

Yuri blinked, slowly lifting her head. "What?"

"I said are you done acting like a child?" he asked, stepping in front of her, his eyes no longer soft.

Her face crumpled further. "Jinwoo, please....don't turn on me too."

"I'm not turning on you," he said, tone rising just a little. "I'm calling you out because someone has to."

She opened her mouth to speak, but he didn't let her.

"You said all that to Seokjin like you were entitled to Taehyung's affection. Like his life was supposed to revolve around your feelings." He shook his head in disbelief. "And now you're crying like you're the one who got hurt?"

"I—" Her voice cracked. "I was trying to protect him."

"No, you weren't, you were trying to keep him in a box you built years ago. A version of Taehyung that wouldn't chnge, that wouldn't look at anyone else the way he used to look at you."

Yuri flinched.

Jinwoo crouched in front of her again, softer this time but no less firm.

"People change, Yuri. That's not betrayal, it's growth. You knew how close Seokjin and Taehyung were getting. You saw it, and instead of trying to understand, you lashed out."

Tears rolled silently down her cheeks.

"And what did you expect?" he asked quietly. "That Seokjin would take the insult, smile, and bow like always? That Taehyung would choose silence over someone who actually made him happy?"

"I didn't mean it to go this far," she whispered, voice hoarse.

Jinwoo exhaled, standing again. "Intentions don't erase damage."

She sobbed into her hands again, and this time, Jinwoo didn't comfort her.

"I'm your friend, Yuri," he said. "But if you ever want to fix this, then stop crying and own what you did."

And with that, he walked away, leaving her on the bench beneath the swaying trees, alone, unraveling under the weight of her own consequences.

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The sunlight had dulled beneath the canopy of clouds, the wind brushing softly through the leaves as if trying to soothe Seokjin's frayed nerves. He sat stiffly on the garden bench, hands clenched into fists against his thighs, eyes staring blankly at the gravel path ahead.

He had been sitting there for what felt like forever, the echo of Yuri's voice and his own sharp words still bouncing around in his skull. His chest felt tight not out of guilt, but from the weight of everything. From how much he'd held back over the years. From how exhausting it was to always be the composed, untouchable version of himself everyone expected.

He hated how the confrontation had shaken him. He hated how much he wanted to cry, or scream, or disappear.

A breeze passed, and with it came a distant murmur of footsteps on gravel. Seokjin slowly exhaled and began to rise from the bench. He didn't want to be seen like this unsteady, vulnerable. He wasn't supposed to crack like this.

But just as he pushed himself up.

"Seokjin!"

He froze.

The voice was unmistakable. Even after hours of studying together, of mocking and teasing and learning each other's rhythms, Seokjin could still feel the way Taehyung's voice settled into the quiet places of his mind like it belonged there.

Seokjin turned around slowly.

Taehyung stood just a few paces away, slightly out of breath, his hair tousled, exam pass still sticking out of his pocket. There was a wide smile on his face until he saw Seokjin's expression.

"Hey," Taehyung said, tone softening. "You okay?"

Seokjin forced a small smile, the kind he used when he wanted to seem fine. "I was just leaving."

"No, don't." Taehyung stepped closer. "Please."

Seokjin swallowed but didn't move and felt his heart skip a beat.

"I was looking for you," Taehyung said, still catching his breath. "I think I aced those exams. Like actually aced. And all I could think about when I walked out was... finding you."

His voice was steady, but laced with something raw. Hope, maybe. Relief. Affection, too obvious to ignore.

Seokjin blinked slowly. "You did well?"

Taehyung beamed. "I think so! hehe, you made it feel like breathing."

Seokjin looked away, heart thudding, a dull ache pressing behind his ribs.

"Taehyung..." he started, but the words faltered. "I'm not really... in the best shape right now."

"I saw Yuri crying," Taehyung admitted quietly. "And Jinwoo looked like he was ready to slap someone." He paused. "Did she say something to you?"

Seokjin didn't answer right away. His jaw tensed.

"I handled it," he finally said.

Taehyung stepped even closer. "Did she hurt you?"

A beat of silence.

Seokjin met his eyes. "She tried."

"And?"

"I hurt her back."

Taehyung blinked, surprised by the honesty, but he didn't flinch. "Good," he said softly, surprising Seokjin again. "If she crossed a line... she deserved it."

Seokjin looked away, eyes fixed on the tree trunk nearby. "I'm not proud of what I said."

"You don't have to be proud. You just had to protect yourself."

Another long pause, the kind that wasn't empty but full of unspoken things, of feelings stirring at the edge of something inevitable.

Seokjin's voice broke the silence first. "You still want that hug?"

Taehyung smiled, stepping forward, arms already open. "Only if it's from you."

And Seokjin let himself fall forward into the safety of Taehyung's arms, into the quiet hum of acceptance, into the warmth that didn't demand anything from him except to simply be.

For once, he let the weight slip from his shoulders. Just for a moment.

Seokjin remained in Taehyung's arms for a moment longer, his forehead resting against the other's shoulder, letting the quiet surround them. The tension in his body slowly unraveled, bit by bit, like tightly knotted thread finally giving way.

"You smell like pencils," Seokjin mumbled.

Taehyung chuckled softly. "Exam pencils. The lucky kind."

Seokjin pulled back just enough to meet his gaze, his face still unreadable, but softer now. "You really did well?"

"I think so. I even remembered all the practice tests you drilled into me at 3AM."

A small smile tugged at the corner of Seokjin's lips. "Then I guess... I owe you a reward."

Taehyung blinked. "Wasn't the hug the reward?"

"That was the emotional compensation," Seokjin said smoothly, brushing his hair back like he was returning to his usual composed self. "The real reward is something else."

"Oh?" Taehyung leaned in curiously. "Is it food? Please say it's food. Or a nap. Or food and a nap—"

"A trip."

Taehyung paused. "Wait, what?"

Seokjin raised a brow. "Jeju Island."

For a moment, Taehyung looked at him as if he'd misheard. "Like... Jeju Jeju? The island? With beaches and tangerine trees and... actual peace?"

"The very one," Seokjin said. "I've already booked it last night. Two days, one night. You and me, finals are done and it's also the start of the semester break so why not?."

Taehyung gaped at him. "You planned this?"

"You needed something to look forward to. I figured... so did I."

Something softened in Taehyung's chest. His heart flipped in the most ridiculous way, and he couldn't help the grin breaking across his face.

"You're unreal," Taehyung whispered, he was surprised, no, maybe shocked? that's definitely what Taehyung felt.

Seokjin looked away, suddenly bashful. "I just thought you deserved something good."

Taehyung stepped close again, forehead almost touching Seokjin's. "I already got something good," he murmured. "But fine, Jeju sounds like heaven with you."

Seokjin cleared his throat and took a step back, fumbling inside his neatly pressed coat pocket. "Well, I may as well show you this now," he said, pulling out a sleek, matte-black card and holding it up between two fingers like it was no big deal. The minimalist letters gleamed subtly under the sun.

Taehyung blinked. basking in the glory of that sleek black card. "Wait, is that...?"

"Black card. Infinite limit," Seokjin said casually, slipping it back into his wallet as if it were just a grocery receipt. "Booked the flights, we'll use my grandma's villa, and a private van for us. I even made sure there's a beach-view room. And yes," he added, rolling his eyes playfully, "I used points."

Taehyung stared at him. "You used... a black card to book a reward trip for me?"

"Don't be dramatic," Seokjin said. "It's just Jeju."

"You used a black card to say 'it's just Jeju'—Seokjin!" Taehyung threw his hands up in disbelief but deep inside he was happy, truly happy. "I eat instant ramyeon with two sausages and call that luxury."

"Well, now you can eat tangerines in a silk robe overlooking the sea." Seokjin smirked, crossing his arms. "Consider it a well-deserved upgrade."

Taehyung just stared, baffled and fond at the same time. "You really are a chaebol, huh?"

Seokjin tilted his head. "I prefer the term 'well-funded genius.'"

Taehyung lunged forward and hugged him again, tightly this time, laughing into his chest. "I can't believe you. You actually planned a rich-boy getaway for me."

Seokjin just smiled, tucking his chin lightly over Taehyung's shoulder. "Don't read too much into it."

But Taehyung already was, Seokjin giggled and pinched Taehyung's soft cheeks.

"Now go home and get ready for that trip! Or I swear, I'll leave you behind," Seokjin said, and he wasn't joking about that last part.

Taehyung gave him a playful salute. "Yes, sir!" he said, then turned and rushed off, disappearing into the crowd.

Seokjin burst into laughter, watching him go. His smile lingered as he whispered to himself, "I can't wait..."

The wind brushed gently against his skin as he closed his eyes, a quiet hum of joy slipping from his lips.