"Today, we're here to have a little chat with the most successful leader of the national basketball team, our beloved captain Kim Taehyung."
"You're praising me beyond my worth, but I would like to thank all of you for your appreciation and support for our team. If it was not for your continued support and inspiration, I'm afraid we could never come this far. So, we're grateful to you."
This is the first interview Tae is attending, after quite a long time. He's now the captain of the South Korea Basketball Team, the face of the nation.
"Today we arranged a public Q/A session for you. That means you have to answer to the question your fans asks. Are you ready, Captain?"
Tae nodded. The Q/A session started.
"Why are you so handsome, Oppa?"
Well, it was the easiest question as it's not the first time someone asked this question.
"I owe it all to my father. He was goddamn handsome when he was alive, you know? Mom used to call him handsome hubby."
The whole auditorium was echoing the the voice of the fans, "Aw"
Next question, "Do you have a girlfriend, Oppa?"
Tae smiled, "Not yet" and here comes another scream.
"Oppa, how many kids do you wanna have?"
This one was not a common one, "How about having five of them?"
"Would you like to have Rameyon with me?"
|| Yan: It's comparative meaning in Korean is, "Will you date me?" ||
Tae smiled and said, "Not that hungry yet."
Most of the question was like these. Besides, there were many fans asking professional questions too. Tae answered each of those questions sincerely. Tae quite loves to interact with his fans. He's the captain with a lot of responsibilities. When someone reaches at that position, he starts to get busy with his team most of the time. The number of friends might not decrease, but interaction with them starts to drop and he starts to become lonelier, just like the king of the forest, the mighty lion.

So at one point, his admirers, supporters and fans become his everything. Moreover Tae is someone who's professional, yet sincere. The people who's inspiration pushed him up to this very peak of success, Tae could never forget to show his sincerity to them.
"OK, the last question", said the MC. It was a little girl in a pinkish brown rabbit hoodie asking the very last question.

"Where is Jungkookie Oppa? Didn't he say he started playing basketball only because of you? He was an amazing player. Why didn't he join you to the national team too?"
That's the moment his heart felt so tight, "I don't know. We... We don't talk anymore."
There was a pin drop silence inside the auditorium for a whole minute. Tae looked down and started playing with the cap he was holding in one hand, probably as a way to calm himself down, or it might be an instinctual reaction of his nervousness.

It's been more than 4 years since he met Jungkook. But that memory is still stuck in his brain like a tumor, a troublesome one. The pain is unbearable. Still, he can't even move it aside, let alone getting rid of it. It's as if it's the only piece of his torn heart that's keeping him alive still now.
He might pretend to forget everything. But still, those memories with that jackass Jeon, every moment spent with him, every smile, every fight, every text, every call, every help, every prank, again, every second of that day when Jeon broke his heart into pieces without any hesitation, all of them were tangled up inside him.
There are thousands of times he looked at the picture of Jungkook saved in his private collection, and said, "You called me pathetic, didn't you? But let me tell you one thing. You don't know a single shit about me, Jeon!"
Playing basketball was his passion. Being a professional player became his dream. To prove those words wrong, joining the national team became his goal. His efforts and persistence made his today's beloved captain.
Tae still wonders every single day. Has he ever thought of Tae, even if once in a blue moon? Has he ever felt guilty of hurting him? Has he ever wondered how Tae had been living his days? Would he ever know how many nights Tae spent blaming himself for everything?
He's naturally a sensitive person. For a jerk like Goff, whom he liked once, he blamed himself more than he should have. Later, he realized, Goff was not the person he loved, instead, was just a person who ever treated him specially when his headache, his rival left his life for few months. Tae mistook it as love.
But in reality, he came to know the meaning of love after Jungkook came back to his life again. Sometimes, he wonders, did he fall for him during college days? Or was it even earlier? But alas, these things are not important anymore cause this time, Jungkook really left him alone for good. Would he ever get to know how much Tae loved him and still loves him? He won't, Tae is sure of it. Why would he even care? He never loved Tae anyway.

"Then why the f*ck did you keep acting like lost puppy whenever you were around me, huh? Everyone I repeat, every single person around us actually thought you were courting me. Even I.... I started to get habituated with your silly jokes, but of course, unwillingly. From the moment I opened my eyes to the second I went to bed, even in dreams, there was you to chase after me, making me laugh, sometimes angry, frustrated too. But in between all these laughs, anger, holding hands and stolen pecks, I fall in love, God! I fell really hard."
That meeting before leaving Florida was not the last meeting of them. Tae went there five times more, and Jungkook didn't even agree to meet him once. And about his family, they kind of disappear in the air. Even their neighbors didn't seem to know how, when and why the Jeon family moved out.
He couldn't reach Jimin over phone. As if they already planned for everything. There are many times Tae thought, would he spare a glance at Tae if he gets the news of his death? Will he have to give up on his life to get to see Jungkook once? Only once?
"But again, I can't really blame you, right? After all, I was the one ignoring your feelings for all these time. Still, how could you leave me alone after making habituated with your forceful morning kisses, your way of feeding me every single day, way of showing off our so called bromance, way of taking care of my every troubles and queries in silent?
Then why, Kookie, why? Why did it have to end like that even before starting? I know you since we were kids. Friends might not know everything about each other but we? We were SWORN ENEMIES! Every little details about each other, we memorized them like the first five words of our English vocabulary.
From the schedule of each other to food habits, was there anything we didn't know about each other? Then what on earth did happen when you went to USA that you turned into a drug supplier? Even if you were, there's no way you would leave for SK, without taking care of it properly. You never leave anything incomplete, it's not your style at all.
I might have missed that period of your life but I still know you well. Something must have happened that day that forced you to supply those drugs again. But if that's the truth, why did you push me away? I didn't see Jimin after I came back in SK. Was it you behind it too? Or was it all my wishful thinking?"
Tae came out of his deep thought when he felt a gentle but firm grip on his shoulder.
"Are you thinking about that MF Kookie again, Tae?"
Smile appeared on Tae's lips seeing his one of the closest friend right in front of his eyes.
"Gosh! Umi?? How come a great American singer like you is in South Korea?"
Tae hugged her warmly. He really needed a friend at this moment. He's more than happy as he knows Umi would definitely find a way to distract his mind from Jungkook.
Umi: To join the Pride Parade. And I would appreciate if you guide me around the venue of Seoul Queer Culture Festival.
Tae: Ah shit, this matter totally slipped out of my mind. I can't believe I didn't realize it's June 15th already. Probably because I never joined the parade.
Umi: I wonder how you're surviving your days as a f*cking captain of the national team.
Tae: Ya! Are you questioning the capability of your own coach? Don't forget who was the one to teach you basketball.