Well, yeah! It was Jungkook.
Taehyung started moving. Looking at those black doe eyes, surprised face, Taehyung forgot to mind his steps and tripped. Jungkook was quick enough to catch him but he still hurt his left palm.
Tae's face twisted slightly and he was about to lose the balance again.
Jungkook glared, "Don't move!"
Tae didn't dare to move any farther. Jungkook caged him in his arm and lifted him up in a second. Paying no attention to the food that fell on the floor just now, Jungkook took Tae to his room.
Placing him carefully in bed, Jungkook brought the fast aid box from his own room. He gently held Taehyung's hand and cleaned the wound. Applying external medicine, he walked away. Taehyung himself was at a loss of words and couldn't utter a single word so far.
Walking out of the room, Jungkook took care of the glasses scattered on the floor. He was shocked as hell. He knew a young teacher had joined as a coach of the basketball team. But even at the end of heaven and earth he didn't expect it to be the Captain of the National Basketball Team. And judging from Taetae's expression, he's most certainly unaware of it too. Just how the hell could there be such a ridiculous coincidence?
Cleaning up the mess created by the shock of their meet, Jungkook took a painkiller for Taehyung. He knocked on the door before he entered.
"May I come in?"
He received a short hum in return. When he entered, Taehyung was lying on the bed with a phone in his hand.
"Didn't your coach tell you not to use your hands after an injury?"
Taehyung pretended to hear nothing. He asked instead,"When did you come back?"
"Last year", said Jungkook helping Taehyung up.
"What about Jimin and others?" Taehyung said hesitantly.
"They.... they're fine. Here, take the painkiller and rest."
Taehyung took the medicine obediently. Jungkook passed him the big scarf he often used as a blanket and walked away, with an intention to exit. But his legs stopped in the mid track when he heard a recording of his voice. It was the recording of that very day he got himself arrested.
It started with "Don't touch him" and ended with, "About him Taehyung, I'll never."
In a moment, Jungkook's shoulder started to shake slightly. When he turned around, he looked mortified. His voice was trembling.
"You.... Where did you find it?"
"Is that important?" Tae stood up from the bed and started to move forward.
"Don't you think you owe me an explanation, Jeon f******* Jungkook! Do you think of yourself as Iron Man or do you think I'm a weak little princess waiting for a hero to save me?"
"It...it was philanthropy."
Taehyung was enraged, "Don't you dare to walk away before telling me exactly what happened that day. Philanthropy my foot. The Jungkook I know was never that kind. You still dare to keep it from me?"
"There's nothing to explain."
"Fine, then. Could you please explain what's with that "can't play basketball" shit, Mr Kim!"
Jungkook looked up at loss of words. Then suddenly grabbed the scotch tape kept on the table and put it on Tae's mouth. The next thing he did was to tie Taehyung up with that very scotch tape. Then pushing him onto the bed, Jungkook grabbed the pen recorder and walked out.
Taehyung was totally speechless. He knows well how Jungkook's brain works but it was really unbelievable tonight. Taehyung didn't know either he should laugh or cry. But he was so pissed off discovering the fact that Jungkook became so strong to overpower him in a few seconds. He kept struggling for a long time but all went in vain. Maybe from that struggle, or probably as an effect of the painkiller, he falls asleep eventually.
The next morning, to his surprise, when he woke up, the scotch tape around his ankles, wrists and mouth was gone. He stormed out to find Jungkook. Even his room door was locked. It seemed like he had already left. But why? Taehyung looked at the clock and understood the reason. Only 10 minutes left for school.
Taehyung rushed to the washroom and took a shower. Coming out wearing the uniform, he found a sandwich on the table.
Is that for me? Ah, can't care too much. I'm running out of time.
Thus stuffing the sandwich in his mouth, Taehyung rushed out. He definitely missed the bell but the headmaster standing in front of the school building took him away while scolding. It was just a show in front of the students. Later he let him go when no one was watching. Taehyung thanked him sincerely and went to his class.
The first half that day was PE class. During PE class, two so-called ex rivals met again. This time it was Jungkook's turn to get a surprise again. As far as he knew, Taehyung came here as a teacher and coach to help the kids learn basketball professionally. But here Taehyung was standing alongside the other students as a student himself, wearing the school uniform of the senior most class.
Suddenly the idea of playing against Taehyung took over him.
That's probably the best way I could make him distant. Let him hate me, better than hating himself.
Jungkook commanded the students to go run for two hours straight without any rest. Those who'll slack off will be punished with frog jumps.
The students started screaming inaudibly. It was literally a physical and psychological torture.
Taehyung knew what was going on. He spoke out, "Sir, yesterday it was me who offended you. Please don't punish my classmates. I'll run for three hours instead. But please let them go."
Jungkook could feel himself go crazy in jealousy suddenly. He sneered, "Your old disease of philanthropy hasn't died out yet, huh? Fine, go run all alone. I'll be watching from the shed."
The class was dismissed but the students refused to leave the ground before Taehyung. Some of them even accompanied him from time to time. Yeonjun was the first to run beside him.
"Hyung, how on earth did you offend Mr Kim? He's quite a calm person."
"That stinky piece of rotten dumpling!!! Do you think any reason is needed to make him all fired up?"
Jack joined too, "It seems more like he's the one who offended you. Coz you're not the type to pick on fights. What did he do to you, hyung? Don't tell me the wound on your hand was caused by him!!"
Taehyung rolled his eyes, "Ah.... Don't ask. If I tell you, you'll definitely beat him up. Leave it. I'll just endure for now and get back at him later."
After three hours, Taehyung finally got his freedom. But he didn't have any energy left to deal with Jungkook. He was exhausted to his bones. The boys took him to the canteen but he seemed to have neither energy nor interest to have food. The words of requests didn't pass through his ear at all. They had no other way left. So they stopped pleading and started to feed him instead.
Taehyung's mind is in a mess right now. He felt like he was really brought back to his school days when he and Jungkook would find thousands of ways to get each other punished. But in the end, the one who caused the punishment will end up feeding the one who got punishment during lunch break. Recalling the jealous face of that silly brat when he declared the punishment, Taehyung couldn't help but smile.
"Hyung, you finally smiled! Do you like the food?"
Taehyung couldn't possibly tell them he was smiling recalling jealous Jungkook. So he nodded in affirmation, "Ah..mm, I like it."
Taehyung kept thinking about their hatred as well as caring for each other. If that relationship was to be called RIVALRY, then he's willing to be the rival of Jeon Jungkook for a lifetime.
After punishing Taehyung, Jungkook suddenly started to feel guilty when he saw Tae didn't even have the energy to feed himself. He observed earlier that Yeonjun and others in the basketball team were calling him captain hyung. They probably knew well about the identity of Taehyung. Hopefully they would take good care of him.
He took the food from the counter and sat at a distance. The taste of the food changed somehow. The present chef seemed to be better than the previous one. But still something didn't feel right. Probably because he got used to the food of the previous chef. Jungkook kept thinking about Taehyung while eating. The raged face he hid well under that "savior hyung" impression, he hasn't seen it for years. But again, punishing him like that was a bit too much. While thinking and eating, he subconsciously started to separate the beans from the vegetables. He smiled at himself. During school days, it was always him who separated the beans from the vegetables as Taehyung was a picky eater and he hated beans. Now, as Taehyung is back in his life again, his mind has brought back the habit again.
Looking at the beans Jungkook smiled again and decided to put it back on the plate. That's the moment he understood what felt wrong. The vegetables didn't only contain beans, but also pumpkins. And Taehyung was severely allergic to the pumpkins. No longer than he realized, he could hear a thug behind him.