singularity.

As much as it excites Hyunjin to see Taehyung again (his shiny newfound friend from the last evaluation), it would be a lie to say that part of his excitement didn’t stem from the opportunity to pet Taehyung’s dogs. Of course, Hyunjin doesn’t think any dog can replace Jei’s own Wrinkles - a special dog with a special spot in Hyunjin’s heart reserved especially for him. However, regardless of where one dog stood in his heart versus the other, Hwang Hyunjin’s heart was overall immoderately dedicated to dogs.

Tiny dogs that he could hold in his lap, big dogs that he could practically spoon, big dogs that he could practically spoon and hold in his lap. All dogs of any sizes left Hyunjin just a little bit enamored. But really, who could blame him? Dogs were just so friendly, and cute on top of that. They’d give you kisses when you were down, and were more than willing to cuddle up to you for a movie night. (Hyunjin, is decidedly, a dog person).

So when Taehyung envelops Hyunjin in a hug, the dancer is quick to return it, but also equally as quick to pull back and crouch before the shiba at the door, grin wide as he reaches forward with both hands to pet the dog. “Is this the Daegu I’ve heard so much about?” Peering around the dog to sneak a glance at its tail, Hyunjin’s heart practically melts, “Their tails really do look like bread rolls…. That’s adorable”.

taehyung isn’t surprised with how fast hyunjin seems to pull away from him and crouch for daegu. that’s most reactions he gets when it comes to people seeing his dogs ( especially yeontan, who is now busy yapping from the living room ). still, the dogs need more attention even with taehyung and his boyfriend being home a decent amount. and socialization is especially important for yeontan, who clearly needs it with the amount of barking he’s doing from inside.

“yes! this is daegu, i got him when i first moved here a couple years ago... he’s two and a half years old now, i think? he’s grown so much,” taehyung comments, fake sobbing at the thought of his first child all grown up. crouching down with them, he throws his arms around daegu’s neck and fake cries into his fur. the pup, clearly not having it, pulls out of his arms and licks at taehyung’s face once before turning his attention back to hyunjin, leaving taehyung to play with his curly tail.

“isn’t it precious? maybe i could try some of that pet fur dye someday and try and make his tail look like a cinnamon roll or something...” the cogs are clearly turning in taehyung’s mind at the thought, but he quickly diverts his attention back to hyunjin. “we should get out of the doorway, yeontan barks if the door’s open, i’m still trying to get him to calm down around visitors...”

standing, taehyung ushers his friend and his dog back inside before closing the door. yeontan finally stops yapping, happily hopping off of his bed in the living room to tumble over to taehyung and hyunjin, prancing around hyunjin’s feet to sniff at him.

the difference between the taehyung she met on the first day of her training and now is like night and day.  she’s watched the sun creep back into his smiles and how he lives his life with excitement, and inwardly sua wonders what it was that made taehyung so … unhappy before.  she never really got an answer; she’s not really sure she even wants one at this point.

it’s just nice to see the turn around.

she doesn’t offer a smile but instead, a slight nod of her head as he skips over to her in his excitement to see her.  “ good morning.”  she says finally, tightening her grip on the bag in her hand.  there’s three presents inside; perhaps she took it literally when they said that the trainees were supposed to bond.  what better way than games, right?

the nintendo switch is not something that she ever saw getting for herself, but in the spirit of .. doing her job  (  even if it’s hard to understand why bonding is part of her job  )  sua decides it’s best to bring together the people she’s grown closest to within trc since her first days here.  pulling out taehyung’s switch, she hands it to him unceremoniously.  “ here.  i thought we could play a game together or something with the others if things get too boring in the woods.”

it’s become easier for taehyung to put on a smile, and actually have it feel genuine. there are days where it’s not, where he still struggles with feeling awful about this or that ( all usually relating to his skills--or lack thereof--or the company ). it’s hard, but it’s getting better. easier. the people he’s met slowly bring happiness back into his life, and being around them nearly everyday helps with that.

her lack of a smile doesn’t deter him, as he waits patiently for her to continue, and show him what she got. in fact, it’s the gift itself which deters him, the smile disappearing and being replaced with his jaw dropping, eyes widening in absolute shock. a nintendo switch... it’s absolutely too much, how could taehyung accept this? but at the same time the kid in him is losing his mind, and without even realizing tears are rolling down his cheeks.

“w-what? are you serious? i’ve been wanting one for such a long time but i... never would have imagined anyone would get one for me!” taehyung takes the box gently from her, gripping it firmly so he doesn’t drop his now prized possession. he doesn’t look at it though, his eyes focused back on her.

changminxrk‌: 

rkwoong‌: 

he eventually settles on bowser jr. and says, “he looks like a turtle—i like turtles!” it isn’t as cool of a reason as taehyung gives for picking his character, but woong is satisfied with his choice.

“one second! i’m stuck between two characters…” furrowing his brows, the tip of his tongue slipping out slightly from his lips, changmin mulls over the two characters on the screen, moving his cursor between the two of them and following it with his gaze. he’s only had the switch for a very short while, now, and had decided to put off playing with it until he could meet with sua and the others, meaning that the last time he’s played mario kart was probably a couple months ago at a friend’s house.

he’s already incredibly grateful that sua had gifted him such a new and hot piece of technology – it makes him happy enough knowing that she had been thinking of him, which is why he takes extra care not to put it anywhere too tight or cram it into his bag like he usually does for the other things that he owns. now, in their little group with taehyung, woong, and sua, he can feel himself grinning in satisfaction as he finally finishes the eenie meenie miney mo he had been playing in his head, settling on the character. 

“okay, i got it! baby peach!” indeed, he had been deciding between the two baby princesses, daisy and peach – why wouldn’t he, considering how cute and powerful the characters were? it’s always fascinating how elegant the cartoon characters seemed whenever moving around. craning his neck to see what characters his friends had chosen, changmin’s lips part in awe as he sees bowser jr. and link on their screens. turning to look at sua, he tilts his head, before asking, “what about you, noona? who did you choose?”

she lets out a sigh as the boys deliberate on their characters.  perhaps sua should have taken more time to choose her own character, but the ghost with the crown on it caught her eye before anything else so it was easy to go with it.  especially since she has no idea how to play this game, and doesn’t really have a strategy.  mostly, she bought the switches for the four of them just so they could play something together.  it’s not about winning  -  it’s just about the time.

(  she’s competitive, yes.  but this time, it doesn’t matter if she wins or not.  )

that doesn’t mean she doesn’t get impatient, though.  while she can put off her feelings of competitiveness, patience was never her virtue.  “ is choosing a character really that important?” she asks dully, glancing around at the three boys with a sigh.  “ i just picked one that caught my eye.  i’ve never played the game before, so i didn’t think it mattered that much ..”  she shrugs.  

at least it only takes them a few more minutes, and changmin is the last to choose his character.  somehow, sua’s not the slightest bit surprised by this.  “ oh .. the ghost with the crown on it.  king boo?” sua lifts her brow and stares down at the screen of her switch.  “ is he any good?”

taehyung scrolls through his phone for tips and guides on the game while the others finish picking their characters, making quiet hums to show he’s listening and looking up to see each character that gets picked. his thumb swipes across his screen as he continues to read a guide about the individual characters and different parts for the karts, and the stats. there’s a lot of information and it’s a bit too much for taehyung to handle, as it’s mostly numbers he doesn’t have any context to.

woong’s reason of liking turtles makes him burst into laughter, while changmin’s choice made him coo fondly.

then, sua...

“apparently it’s important! this is weird to read but i think the bigger the character is the better they are? king boo looks like he’s pretty big, right? certainly bigger than the rest of ours!” he shows sua his phone with a smile, a picture on screen with the characters ranked from lightest to heaviest, with king boo on the heavier end of the scale.

she never thought she’d be spending an evening like this, but days at trc are surprising.

the system feels strange in her hands, but at the very least jei has gotten used to the controls and the buttons.  that’s about all that she’s managed to do with at least some coaching from the other boys, even though she’s not so sure any of them really know what they’re doing with a switch either.  not that it matters; this trip is about bonding, and what better way to bond than to .. play a game with people that you’ve become friends with. 

right?

her lips purse as she looks around the small group gathered around and sitting around on some of the tables outside.  she wouldn’t openly admit it, but perhaps these three boys are the closest friends she’s made in trc since she first signed on.  it’s a little strange to think about, but life is funny that way.  days at trc are surprising that way.  (  but no sooner does she think it does jei completely wave it away  -  it’s far too sentimental for her tastes.  )  “ have you three chosen your characters yet? i’ve been waiting for five minutes.”

˟ ▀  &. @rkxtae  ,  ˟ ▀  &. @rkwoong  ,  ˟ ▀  &. @changminxrk

taehyung honestly hasn’t had enough of playing with his new switch. he’s hardly put it down, like a little kid who’s been given a shiny new toy to play with. only the activities for their vacation have been able to tear him away from the clutches of intense mario racing games, and continuously falling off the sides of maps. okay, so maybe taehyung isn’t amazing at console games. it’s not his fault! he’s a pc gamer at heart, and certainly not a racing lover. still, he’s found he loves this switch a lot, and he’s very grateful for jei gifting it to him.

that’s something he still can’t really get over, that’s for sure.

“there are so many characters though! how am i supposed to choose? oh, i really love tanooki mario, isn’t he cute, noona?” taehyung holds the switch out to her to look for only a split second before his attention is dragged away to another character. “but dry bones is also really cool! there’s also so much customization for the karts... wow.”

she really hopes that the boys show up soon because she’s tired of carrying four large bags when three of them aren’t even hers.  honestly, jei truly thinks that this so called “ glamping” trip is going to be a nightmare, but she figures she’ll get through it well enough if she spends all her time with the people she’s  (  somehow  )  managed to grow close to in her time in trc.

that still doesn’t mean she’s not annoyed that she has to carry all of these bags for them until they arrive on location for the bus.  she allows a frustrated sigh to escape her lips, pushing up her sunglasses even though it’s still just early morning.  it takes a little while but at least taehyung finally manages to show.

“ taehyung.” she calls, gesturing him over with a nod and a wave of her hand.  “ i have something for you.  come here and get it so i can stop carrying all these bags.”

˟ ▀  &. @rkxtae

taehyung struggles with overpacking. a lot. his entire morning is spent deciding whether or not q-tips would be a good idea to bring with him, as well as a winter jacket just in case it gets cold.

( “it’s the middle of the summer,” jeonghan reminds him.

this is quickly followed by a soft “oh” and jeonghan’s resulting sigh as he puts the jacket away for him. )

that’s certainly not the only useless, unnecessary thing he attempts to bring with him, running around the apartment and even packing some of his dogs’ treats in case he sees a dog while he’s out. jeonghan’s convinced taehyung eats them himself.

eventually, he manages to make it out to the bus, fumbling around to look for his friends when his eyes land on jei with a wide, excited smile. he waves back as he skips over, other hand gripping at his backpack strap along with the strap to a duffel bag bumping against his hip as he makes his way over to jei.

her eyebrows raise at his reaction, and it’s so cute– she can’t help but smile back in a fond way. “uh, thanks, i guess. i’ll start looking at it like it’s cute, and not, y'know. like a monster.” she switches easily between the languages, feeling more and more at ease as she can filter back and forth between her commonly used one and her native language.

“ah, you’re fine! people just thought they could bully me with it sometimes. it’s okay, though. i promise. just don’t be too teasing or too mean to me, okay?” she narrows her eyes and purses her lips in a playfully stern manner, but she can’t hold it for very long and she cracks a grin. “ah, sorry. sorry. no offense, but you don’t seem like you could have a mean bone in your body. you’re very sweet and thoughtful.”

vanessa hums, nodding her head slowly. she gets that– no one really expects what they’re going to get into when they become a trainee. she definitely hadn’t when she had joined sweet tea when she was nineteen, and certainly not when she joined trc in 2017. “it’s okay to cry. it’s okay to be overwhelmed.” she says again, smiling softly. “it’s pretty scary. i cried a lot being here– don’t tell anyone though. i’m a tough girl. that could ruin my rep.” she can’t help but add onto, nudging him gently with her elbow as she laughs softly.

“boston?” she says, and then it clicks in her head. “oh! that’s ooh. mass…massachusetts? sorry, my states knowledge is lacking.” isn’t there a sports team affiliated with the area? vanessa can’t remember. “that’s okay. it happens, really. if you don’t want to forget, just find me! i’ll be happy to practice it with you.” she beams. “i was born in australia! i only moved to korea a few years ago.” she scratches the side of her cheek, humming.

she waves a hand in the air in dismissal. “it’s fine! i’m sure they won’t miss me for just one day.” she usually sits with one of the girls, mostly sohee or sejeong usually– and they live together at this point. she’s sure they wouldn’t miss her. “if they wanna sit with me that badly, they can sit with us too! but let’s just focus on getting you and me some grub, yeah?”

“good! i only mean it cutely,” taehyung grins, glad he could atleast attempt to make her feel better about a nickname that had been used in a mean way. he genuinely finds it to be cute. his voice comes a bit quicker as he gets more comfortable, and his words start to slur more than they were before. his accent also comes out as well, the tension in taehyung’s shoulders rolling off of him nicely. he feels good, so much better than before. hopefully he doesn’t cry again in front of his new acquaintance ( and hopefully friend, he thinks )! “it doesn’t sound monster-like at all to me anyways! i think the lochness is cute, maybe someday i’ll be able to see one and tell it myself--”

“oh, wait! i can right now,” the younger boy tilts his head towards ness like he was going to lean his head on her shoulder, but he doesn’t ( he knows some boundaries thankfully ) and makes a little humming noise. “you’re cute! mm, maybe i shouldn’t say that? you’re very pretty, noona,” hopefully his playfulness doesn’t come off as overbearing, or creepy. but he really means it as a nice gesture, and another attempt to get her to like the nickname more. maybe it could be considered teasing, though?

“i promise too! i won’t be mean or teasing, i wouldn’t do that to someone who’s been so nice to me,” he sniffs, appreciation in his tone. “thank you, that means a lot to me honestly! i haven’t felt very sweet or thoughtful lately.” no, he’s felt a lot of bitterness and it makes him atleast a little bit happy that there’s more than that left in him.

“you’ve cried being here? really?” he asks in a surprised, hushed voice, shocked that someone so cool could cry like him. he felt so terrible about it... but knowing that he’s not the only one feels better. it makes him feel like he can relate to ness. “it sounds like you have a lot of stories to tell, noona... i’d love to hear about them someday, if you’re okay with sharing! but until then my lips are sealed~” taehyung gestures zipping his lips, and then throwing the key away. a lot of good that did, because he’s quick to get back to talking. “i think you’re very tough,” he leans in close to whisper like people around them would hear, “even knowing you’ve cried,” before pulling away with a soft smile.

“yes, massachusetts! and oh wow, australia? that’s so cool, noona! are animals over there as crazy as i hear they are? i hear the spiders are massive... that’s scary! and just a few years ago? have you been speaking korean since you were young? my english is still so accented... but yours is nice! and so is your korean! thank you for being willing to help me practice, i have a long way to go...”

she’s not really sure why taehyung is trying to be so damn loud in a game that obviously requires stealth and skill.  either that, or a good group of teammates but jei knows better than to trust anyone.  a game like this leads to the inevitable pitting of one against the other, and she’d rather not take the time to feel guilty if it ends up being her against a squad member.

taehyung obviously doesn’t seem to care about anything, though.  laughing like an idiot, shoes slapping on the floors, it’s like he’s lapsed back into being a child rather than taking this seriously.  it takes her a minute to realize that maybe she’s the weird one for taking a game seriously.  then again, this is an evaluation and that makes it part of work.  no matter how excitable the other trainees get about it, they’re still going to be graded on their skill level.

that makes her way of thinking right in her eyes.  but that doesn’t mean that she’s right in the slightest.

her lips purse when taehyung catches her sneaking up on him and she backs away quickly so that he can’t reach out to grab her own tag, clicking her tongue.  “ because you’re running around like an idiot and can’t hear anything going on around you.” she says blandly, shaking her hair out of her eyes.  “ or maybe i’m just good at stealth games.  you’ll probably never know.”

jei is almost scary in the way she’d been sneaking up on taehyung. she’d been within his arms length, and the boy hadn’t noticed a thing until he randomly decided to turn around. that’s terrifying. taehyung almost lost, and he finds himself pouting again at her. he’s just trying to have fun! and when he has fun, it tends to get followed by fits of laughter. especially when he hasn’t had this much fun in a long, long time.

“i’m an innocent, noona, i haven’t even pulled anyone’s name tag!” and it’s not a lie. “i can’t believe you were going to sneak up on me like that, i thought we had something special.” his lower lip juts out as he stands up straight and this is where he’s been trying to psych people out, trying to play innocent and coy to get someone’s guard down. he can only hope it works with her.

it’s interesting to see the way that taehyung brightens up in comparison to the way he was when she first met him.  it wasn’t hard to spot him when she first signed to trc, and it definitely wasn’t hard to recognize him.  everything she’s suffered has been so far engrained into her memory that it was easy to find him in the crowd, even if he didn’t have blue hair at the time.  back then, he was a hesitant and quiet boy who couldn’t remember her name.

today, he calls her noona with a smile.  it’s almost amazing what a little time can do.  she wishes that she could recover in a few months, that she could change this much in a few months.  but this isn’t something that matters at the moment.  it’s not something that jei needs to focus on.

what matters right now is the evaluation, and how excited taehyung is to show her his little talent.  even if it does make jei stare at him blankly, unable to process what she’s just seen.  " did you just … pinch your skin? to make the elephant?“ the words that hang in the air are truly that’s it?? but she doesn’t say them aloud.  inwardly, she’s thinking to herself: is this really what variety is about? even the tiniest things can be seen as a talent?

if this was always the case, maybe variety wouldn’t be so hard for her to suffer through after all.  ” it’s cute.  i just wasn’t expecting something like that, i guess -“

the change in him sadly came from fear of being removed, and the desire to be better and move on. he’s not fully moved on from his experiences, and jeonghan still gets an earful of his crying on occasion, but it’s little steps. he tries to smile more and atleast pretend to be that person he was before, even if that taehyung feels so much different than the taehyung he is today.

“yes?” he asks, blinking in confusion like it was one of the coolest things he’s ever done. considering the silly things taehyung has done, it very well might be. besides rapping and dancing in heels of course. those are definitely the coolest in his eyes. “it’s cute!” taehyung’s judgment has always been shot, but he can tell she’s not very impressed with it. that’s okay, it’s not the most impressive skill. but it’s an elephant! he remembers his parents’ stories about how he would always ask for an elephant on his birthday every year, and one year they finally showed him his elephant on his arm. it’s a cute story, but taehyung suddenly understands that it’s... a little strange.

“i can also dance in heels!” he says with a wide grin, confident. “not a lot of guys can do that, right?” the boy asks before tilting his head curiously, rubbing at the skin of his arm from where he’d pinched it maybe a bit too hard.

honestly? running around and playing games was not on jei’s list of things to do today, but schedules at trc can be surprising.  running man had never really interested her, and it was hardly on her top things to watch whenever she had the chance to watch television.  but considering the topic of evaluations of the month, perhaps it was inevitable that one of the most popular variety shows would end up a hot topic of one of their focused weeks.  she should have known better than to think otherwise.

the thing about jei is though, that once she starts something  (  or in this case, when she’s forced into it  )  she does her best at it.  perhaps it’s her stubborn nature, or maybe jei is just really competitive at heart and likes to win after a life of losing things she didn’t want to.  so she’s already managed to grab two name tags by sneaking around on quiet feet.  her eyes catch taehyung, already bouncing around like the oddly excitable pup he is and she shakes her head.  this would be too easy.

that means she should go for it, doesn’t it?

˟ ▀  &. @rkxtae

with how much is said about trc being the most strict company and how hard it is to get into, taehyung never expected to play games for an evaluation. maybe he should’ve, with how much he idolizes tiger jk and his casual attitude for many things. and honestly, taehyung appreciates it. he needs some lighthearted fun after the last month he’s had to endure.

maybe he’s a little too loud as he bounds down the hallways, giggling and shoes slapping on the hard floors. he’s pulled a grand total of zero name tags, and has done mostly a lot of running away ( just because he’s fast ) and trying to psyche out other trainees. he wants to win, he really does, but he can’t stop giggling long enough to pull a name tag.

and right now is no different really. he’s grinning ear to ear as he peeks out from behind a corner, left hand tucked behind his own back so he could hold his own name tag to protect it. there are shouts and other clamoring in the distance, but taehyung doesn’t see anyone. he looks back behind him to make sure he’s only, before spotting jei way too close. the boy yelps and jumps in shock, turning on his heels to face her and spluttering.

he’s glad taehyung doesn’t seem to need the bank note to wipe his tears anymore—not that chanyeol needs it—and is glad to see him smiling brightly. he’s never been good with others crying; he never knows how to react, and it’s been so long since he’s shed tears himself that he doesn’t know what people would want others to do when tears are shed. if the crying hadn’t stopped, he probably would have reached out and embraced the kid, and he’s pretty sure that would have just made the awkwardness even worse.

“you’re right!” he exclaims, as if the answer should have been clear all along. he’s glad taehyung is going along with his antics; people don’t always do. there have been plenty of times that he’s gotten blank or judgmental stares, and while it’s happened so much that he’s gotten used to it already, it’s still always nice when he can already joke around with someone he’s just met (even though technically they’ve met before, a long time ago). “i’ll definitely name drop you. it’ll give me so much clout. maybe they’ll make me co-ceo!” he chuckles, knowing that’s something he can only dream about.

“aw man, that’s no good!” he says, throwing his head back and letting out a groan. “i mean, learning how to swim is important and all, but that’s why you’ve got friends like me who will throw you an inflatable donut when you need it, ya know?” he grins, making a throwing motion as if he’s throwing mentioned item into a lake. “we gotta get something going!” he checks his watch as if he hadn’t checked it earlier once they were released from training for the day. “you got somewhere to be? let’s go out and give you the celebration you deserve!”

honestly, if chanyeol had hugged him, the awkwardness would have disappeared immediately for taehyung. he’s physically affectionate by heart, and there’s nothing he loves more. although, he might’ve taken it as a sign to go hug chanyeol whenever he feels like it in the future, and he’s not sure if chanyeol would want that. the boy can be overbearing at time, and he knows it.

taehyung’s always willing to have a fun time, even when he’s still recovering from tears. he sniffles between little bursts of laughter, a smile growing on his face so easily at chanyeol’s words. “co-ceo? can i be like, co-co-ceo then? do i get my own office and a fancy work phone? the first thing i’d do is allow dogs to be brought into the building. wouldn’t that be fun?” he babbles on a bit too much, easily imagining the scenario in his head once he’s prompted to give it some thought. his imagination really runs wild, as well as his mouth, when given the chance.

“that’s true... i should have fun while learning to swim, right? what’s the point if i’m not enjoying it? surviving is one thing... but living is another,” he muses, a thoughtful look on his face, eyebrows knitted together and a slip pout in his lips. “wait, right now? i don’t have anywhere to be,” he thinks of jeonghan at home guiltily, but jeonghan was going to have friends over tonight, he shouldn’t mind if taehyung stays out a bit longer than usual. hopefully.

even though their first interaction was admittedly a little awkward, slowly things have been getting better with time.  jei can’t do anything but blame their situation after all  -  the mgas were horrible for them both.  of course they’d be awkward remembering everything whenever they looked at each other.  

but as time went on and they managed to see each other more as time passed, that feeling slowly dissipated  -  for jei, at least.  she’d like to think it’s starting to pass for taehyung too, because it’s already tiring enough being in trc without having to remember all the things that happened to them both in a situation they had no control over.  she makes attempts to talk every so often and it’s becoming easier and easier.  this is one of those times.

“ so … you wanna tell me what your special skill is? for this variety thing.” jei waves a hand, then rests her chin in her palm as she looks at taehyung.  “ i’m sure you must have something by now.”

˟ ▀  &. @rkxtae

it’s been four months since taehyung was offered his contract to trc. it’s been a month and a half since he got into trouble and had to take workshops and a stern lecture to correct him. that and the details surrounding his contract offer have made for a hard time for taehyung, but he wants to do better. he wants so desperately to prove himself, putting his all into his evaluations from then on. 

but alas, he’s still a kid at heart.

“oh, noona! i have a really good one i think,” taehyung grins, eyes shining. he likes being able to interact with jei without thinking too much about the past, and finds himself in good company when he’s with her and able to ignore everything else. “one of them will be dancing in heels, but...”

vanessa feels more at ease once she’s seen his crying dull down a bit. she smiles encouragingly, nodding her head. she resists the urge to pat his head like a child (though she does coo, and she doesn’t regret that one bit), and hums as he nods her head slowly. she rubs a hand on his shoulder soothingly, her smile never faltering as she stares him down. it’s the older sibling in her– devoid of having noel around to bother, she’s projecting on one of the newer trainees.

“did i?” vanessa muses, raising her brows at the response. her smile turns crooked, and she scratches her cheek with a thoughtful noise. “i’m used to just– telling my brother to man the fuck up, or something like that.” the curse leaves her mouth uncaringly, her shoulders shrugging as she scrunches her nose up in thought. “thanks for, uh. letting me know. i’m glad you don’t feel as bad– but even if you did, that’s okay too, y'know?” vanessa thinks it’s okay to be overwhelmed and let emotions take control. they’re human, it happens– and she’s been the victim to her volatile emotions for years. she doesn’t fault anyone else for it, either.

“cute? the lochness monster is cute?” she snorts, amusement curling at the corner of her smile. “do you? i guess…it’s kinda creative. people used to call me that all the time in school, and it would make me mad. now…it’s not so bad.” she shrugs one shoulder, reaching up to toss her hair over her shoulder. the english makes her feel at ease, and she flashes her teeth in a wide grin at the comfortable sound of it.

“there is, now that i think about it.” vanessa muses, a thoughtful look crossing her face. she knows at least a good half of the girls can speak it– which always shocks her, but it makes it feel a bit more comfortable for her. “i’m glad it’s nice! it’s pretty…overwhelming at once. it’s trc, after all.” trc is overwhelming. vanessa will say that until she’s dead– but she wouldn’t have it any other way.

vanessa thinks taehyung is cute. very, very cute– to the point where her fingers are twitching– because she’s gotta do something. pinch his cheeks, ruffle his hair– instead, she purses her lips to hide her smile. “yeah, kinda figured that. it’s fine– you speak very well! where’d you learn?” her eyes are curious, and her hands shoot to steer him in the right direction, entering the cafeteria. “oh, do you have someone to sit with?” she asks, but gives little room for him to respond. “wanna sit with me?”

the hand on his shoulder is a welcome presence, keeping him grounded as she rubs his shoulder. her smile is also infectious, causing taylor to smile back even if the smile doesn’t entirely reach his eyes just yet. soon, though.

“yes, it’s very cute! i like the joke,” he tells her, although the right word was probably ‘pun’ rather than ‘joke’. “mad? oh, is it not a good nickname? i just like it so much! i promise i wouldn’t be teasing or mean about it.” taehyung sniffs and pouts, eyes still a bit shiny and adding to the whole begging puppy look. it doesn’t keep up for long as he finds himself copying her actions unconsciously, tossing his head gently to flick the bangs out of his eyes. his hair’s getting long, but he’s always liked it a little shaggy.

just hearing that there are more english speakers gets him a bit more excited, and further away from the overwhelming helplessness he’d been feeling only moments ago. “really? i can’t wait to meet more!”

“i don’t think... two years has prepared me enough,” he shrugs, that feeling of self doubt still surrounding him, “but i am still very happy even if it’s overwhelming enough to make me cry... multiple times,” taylor whispers the last two words, pouting. it vanishes as quickly as it came, as taylor eagerly jumps on to the next topic in an effort to escape this one.

“i lived in boston for high school! i learned it there, but only a few years of practice. i think i’m forgetting it. slowly,” the boy explains, taking multiple pauses to sift through long unused grammar. “i don’t think that will be an issue anymore though, now that i’m here! where did you learn?”

it’s almost hard to talk to taehyung.  since he’s not someone that she became friends with, whenever she looks at him the only thing that she can remember is the mgas.  she doesn’t have the ability to replace that memory with something else, because that’s really all that she knows him from.  it’s honestly a problem, but jei is trying her best to ignore it.  she’s trying her best to give taehyung his own memory that isn’t clouded by her judgment of the mgas.

after all, he had just as much of a hard time there as she did.  perhaps he had an even harder time.  she wouldn’t know  -  she never got the chance to talk to him on the show or outside of it.

“ mm.  it’s fine, i never really expected you’d keep in contact with someone you never spoke to.” she shrugs her shoulders and sits down next to him, tucking hair behind her ear.  she pauses for a moment, not really sure where to go from here.  " maybe i’m just good at remembering names and faces.“  jei turns her head with a quizzical raise of her brow, eyes narrowed slightly.  ” why do you have to change your hair? did they tell you to?“

taehyung feels bad. he’s usually much more talkative than this, but he’s also struggling with separating her from the mgas. they shouldn’t be summed up to just their feelings and hardships about the mgas, though, so taehyung doesn’t want to keep thinking of her in that way. although, taehyung doesn’t feel like much of a different person now than then, and he wonders if she feels the same.

“well, we can keep in touch now, right? what’s... what’s your name again?” he asks almost shyly, ashamed he has to ask that question. the mgas really did a number on him if kim taehyung can’t remember a name and a face. “maybe,” taehyung tries to smile, but he’s a little more shy now that she’s sitting next to him.