Chapter Text
One morning, Taehyung woke up in a room full of band posters his brother likes, a stack of snacks in a corner, and a shelf of music theory books. He felt his hair was longer and darker than it should, touched his face and pinched his nose, not recognizing the shape as well as his lips, so he wobbly stood up to check himself in the mirror. He proceeded to scream on top of his lungs once he saw who he was.
In turn, he heard his voice screaming as well so he followed that sound and opened the door to his room.
And when they faced each other, it was utterly jarring.
They stared at themselves for a long second in bewilderment; the short air of silence was filled with thousands of unspoken questions. And like a can in a microwave, they had exploded.
“HYUNG?! What the fuck?!” So that was what it sounded like when he screamed. No wonder some people are terrified of him.
With a shaky voice, he asked, “Is that you in there, Beom-ah?”
“YES, IT’S ME!” The younger placed his hands on his head in absolute distraught, “Oh my fucking god. What happened?!”
“I don’t know! Stop screaming!”
“Did one of your haters put a curse on you?!”
“WHAT?! What kind of nonsense is that?!”
“Well, what kind of nonsense is this?!” He gestures to both of them.
He was pacing back and forth in the room, “I have no clue how this happened. I don’t even know where to start. This is something that I can’t wrap my mind around, Beomgyu-yah!”
“This is so fucked up,” his brother shaking head with wide frantic eyes, “We’re not dreaming, are we, hyung?”
“I wish we were, but,” he came closer to Beomgyu and pinched his cheeks.
“Ow! What was that for?” The younger glared at him while soothing his face.
“Just making sure.”
“Doesn’t hurt to warn me first.” Beomgyu complained as he sat on his bed. Not for long, he sat up straight, “Oh shit! I have classes today! And there’s one with my major prof!”
“Are you kidding me? Now’s not the time to worry about that!”
“No, you don’t understand. I want perfect attendance for my major. So you need to attend those lessons, hyung!”
“Are you even hearing yourself? Are we supposed to shrug off what’s happening right now?!”
“Do you think we can be back to normal right away? Tell me, hyung, I’d be happy to hear your plans on resolving this now.”
He grumbled in defeat, “Fine. I guess I’ll just have to act like you for an entire hour? Smile and nod at your prof?”
“A day,” Beomgyu corrected.
“And how am I supposed to do that?!”
“You’re a musician as well, hyung. Heck, you just released an album so it should be easy for you,” He sighed and pleaded, “Please just do this for me, hyung. I’ll volunteer to do your chores for a month whenever our moms ask, no exceptions. I just want to make sure my prof will still be proud of me, okay? Pretty please?”
Taehyung huffed, “I thought you were just talking about one class here, Beom-ah. I’m pretty sure your friends can figure me out.”
“No, I don’t think so. I hate to admit this, but we are similar in some ways,” Beomgyu’s words trailed softly. “A day won’t raise any suspicions from them so don’t worry, hyung.” A lightbulb lit up in the younger’s head, “We should exchange phones, so I can still contact them, then you can also update anything to me whatever’s happening when you’re with them. I think that can help lower any suspicions.”
Hesitantly, he nodded, “Okay. I’ll try my best, Beom-ah.” He widened his eyes, “Wait, I have a photoshoot later!”
“What.” Beomgyu flatly said.
He returned the same energy his brother had given him seconds ago, “You have to do that for me, Beom-ah.”
“Fine,” his brother dramatically grumbled. “You don’t need to talk much when you pose for the cameras, right? No one knows you well enough there?”
“Yes, you’ll just have to follow their directions and whatnot. Are you fine with that?”
“Yeah, I think it’s bearable. It’s just half of the day, right? Besides, I did just ask a favor from you so we’re even.”
He grinned, “My chores are still your chores, right?”
He saw his face contorted in betrayal, “Uhm, no?!”
“Touch move! No takesy-backsies! Thank you for this wonderful transaction, Beomgyu-yah!” He rushed to Beomgyu’s room to prepare for the day while he heard the muffled screaming from his own room after he slammed the door.
So that’s what happened the entire morning.
🎶
Taehyung walks in the hallways of the conservatory, acting as normal as he can, because as his brother reassured, they are quite similar. So he’s encouraged to be himself even a little. Besides, thankfully, his brother was merciful enough to brief him with everything he needed to know before coming here.
He sees Beomgyu’s friends so he waves them hello and gets greeted back to his relief. You can do this, Kim Taehyung. Don’t sweat it. You’re calm, cool, and collected.
Soobin welcomes him with a teasing remark, “Overslept again, Gyu?”
“Yeah, but I’m right on time, hyung.” Man, it feels weird to address someone younger as hyung.
Yeonjun comments, “Eh, you’re lucky Solfège hasn’t started yet. You practiced, right?” Thanks to the angels above, Taehyung can sight-read. He crams some of his gigs thanks to this gift, and Beomgyu knows that.
“Nothing that I can’t handle,” he says smugly.
Kai is taken aback, “Woah, really? Damn, I thought we were in this together, hyung. I practiced only for piano exams instead.”
Taehyung raises a brow, “You can just sight-read them anyways. Don’t be humble.”
“Yeah, Kai. Don’t go saying that then get the highest grade among us afterwards. That's what we call betrayal in this household.” Soobin quips.
“See? Besides, I just skimmed the assignment. So we are still in this together, Hueningie. Don’t worry your genius head.” He ruffles his hair and earns a pout from the youngest while the other two laugh and agree.
Maybe he’s getting a hang of this. Taehyung has blended in already. Hell yeah, he’s a natural.
Meanwhile, his brother’s friends have their heads turned and so Taehyung follows their line of sight.
“Taehyun-ah! Over here!” Kai shouts while the other students passing by get startled.
The said young man walks to them, “Hey, you nerds. I got your drinks.” He turns to Taehyung with the fondest smile and hands him something, “Here’s your coffee, hyung.”
“Oh, thanks, Tyun-ah.” And at that moment, he hears a record scratch — Taehyung’s world crashes. He suddenly remembers his brother’s preference for coffee and it has to be Iced Americano of all things. We’re similar, my ass. Choi Beomgyu, what have you done?! He sips the drink, trying his best to emulate his poker face, but he can tell that it’s not very effective.
“Don’t you like it, hyung?” Taehyun pouts with his big boba eyes that remind him of Jungkook’s – and both pairs of those eyes historically have Taehyung’s unbotheredness stumble. He, too, has weaknesses, okay?
Taehyung grimaces at the tone of his voice, trying his best to ease the worries radiating on Taehyun, “No, no. It’s fine; I like it, Tyun-ah. Thank you for this.” He gestures at his drink, sips again for reassurance and inwardly blanches at the flavor.
“If you say so,” he mutters petulantly, which is weird, at least, for Taehyung. He has known Taehyun to be the most level-headed one amongst them – the polar opposite of his brother.
As the professor arrives, they go inside the classroom and Taehyung sits wherever he sees vacant. He opens his Dannhauser book and checks for any sort of bookmark but gives up as soon as he notices all of the pages have annotations and doodles. He notices that Taehyun is beside him so he asks for their assignment.
“It’s number 54.”
Nice; he remembers he should probably cuss from time to time since he’s Beomgyu right now. “Fuck yeah, it’s just Andantino.”
When the professor calls out each of their class’ names, Taehyung closely observes how they recite the assignment. Looks like today’s recitation is about transposition. Luckily, he’s into learning the viola these days so it’s pretty easy to sight-read the piece.
After he’s done, he receives an approving nod from the professor and smiles at that. When he sits down, he hears whispers of compliments and he shyly bows his head.
Remembering his seatmate, he leans closer to him and asks “How did I do?”
“Perfect as always, hyung,” the voice major replies, and it’s nice to hear it from a fellow singer.
When it’s Taehyun’s turn to recite, he looks at Taehyung for a while, waiting for some sort of response from him out of nowhere. That, of course, makes him confused so he stares at him waiting for a hint. The voice major turns away from him to focus on his recitation, and Taehyung doesn’t miss the way he slouches his shoulders.
…What did he do?
Until the class ends, Taehyung can’t help but stay on guard because of a certain someone.
As far as he knows, he’s been acting great as Beomgyu, and most of his friends don’t question his facade. But that’s the thing, the keyword is “most” because there’s an exception. And he’s afraid to conclude that Taehyun already figured him out because that’s just impossible.
Taehyung knows Taehyun is smart. He has witnessed the display of his wits before whenever the voice major visits their house. But it doesn’t mean he’s a genius on everything. He can’t just decide Beomgyu isn’t himself because of assumed coffee dispreference. People don’t know their friends to this extent as far as he’s concerned.
But each passing hour might have proven him wrong, because Taehyung swears he feels the daggers coming at him, stabbing him in different angles, from how Taehyun looks in his direction every time their eyes meet. That’s why he’s afraid of coming closer to him. Next thing he knows, he’s gonna be sheathed with a sword if they face each other closer.
He’s sure that he knows what he’s been saying, though. He breathes music the same way as Beomgyu. Despite being a singer, he can still keep up with the topics thrown at him in each class because he and his brother have listened to the same kind of music since they were kids. They listen to the same vinyl player with their moms because they’re a family of old souls. In this environment, he’s very much just nerding it out; he is in his element.
But nonetheless, Taehyun is stressing him out. He’s the very reason why he’s not relaxed anymore, and that he’s going the extra mile to act like Beomgyu despite his brother’s advice to stay true to himself.
He doesn’t know which genes to blame but he has been sweating so much as he deals with this cold war mindfuckery. Maybe he’s being paranoid, but his intuition never fails him. That’s the reason he’s calm, cool and collected most of his life; he usually has the upper hand.
With that, he maintains his best to distance himself from Taehyun and talks to Soobin and Kai instead. These two are the easiest to talk to so far. The conducting major’s preference for Beethoven and Rachmaninoff is something Taehyung can get by, while the piano major’s knowledge on different instruments is something Taehyung can relate to. He’d talk to Yeonjun if he can, but the theater major has been busy talking to Taehyun, and he won’t interrupt them to avoid interacting with the latter.
As soon as they walk inside the MIDI Basics class, Taehyung is in awe. He assumes by the name of the subject, they’re going to explore using digital audio softwares and that’s his kind of forte.
Each student settles to their own stations, and Taehyung deliberately chooses a spot that’s away from the voice major. Who knows what he can gather from Taehyung’s typing or something. Too bad for the voice major, Taehyung types as fast as Beomgyu.
All of them face their professor as he instructs them about having to encode the piece he has handed out copies of. It’s an old version of Mendelssohn’s work, and it’s a quartet so it looks pretty basic. It’ll take just four sound layers for this one.
He turns to his computer and opens his monitor to see a software he rarely uses. When the screen loads, he gulps at what he sees.
Crap, not Sibelius. He notices the MIDI keyboard is stashed on the side, and none of the students are using theirs. This is something he didn’t get to learn because DAWs and MIDI keyboards conveniently exist in this modern age. So naturally, he’s a sound layer kind of guy when it comes to producing. Does the conservatory not know about them? Why do they need to go through this?
Unfortunately, he doesn’t type as fast as he always does. But he is learning the software fast enough to keep up and get out of class early enough.
Noticing that Beomgyu’s friends are waiting outside, he heads to them. They’re talking about their upcoming performances in their respective subjects while they all wait for Taehyun (who seemed to be struggling to finish when he passed by him).
Kai notices the script Yeonjun is reading, “Why are you reading Miss Saigon?”
The theater major shares, “I plan on doing Miss Saigon for my graduation recital.”
Soobin asks, “What? How? Even if you genderbend Kim, how can you explain the existence of her kid in the story?”
“Mpreg, duh,” Yeonjun answers nonchalantly.
The youngest butts in, “Please don’t tell me you’re planning to make Miss Saigon an omegaverse. Can’t you just go for Anastasia the Broadway instead?”
“I badly wanted that too but I don’t think I can grab that many dancers to do ballet. Besides, I want to strut, Hyuka!”
“You already did for Kinky Boots,” the conducting major factually states.
“But, Mpreg!”
Soobin exasperatedly slaps his big hand over his face, “Oh my god, you horny asexual. I can’t believe I lost my virginity to you.”
The piano major pleads, “Just go for Anastasia, hyung, or make Jekyll and Hyde a slut version. I’m begging you, to avoid sacrilege in the conservatory.”
The theater major contemplates and considers, “A slut version of Jekyll and Hyde does sound nice. Thanks, Kai!”
Taehyung internally gapes at their conversation. What kind of friends Beomgyu hangs out with? To think his best friends are Jimin and Jungkook and that says a lot.
When the door opens, all of them turn their heads to see Taehyun walking towards their direction, grumbling about how they’re chronically online — whatever that means.
Taehyung doesn’t know if he’s thankful for the change of topic or not because he jolts at the voice major’s presence beside him.
“Hyung, it’s just me,” Taehyun surprisingly smiles a bit, which makes Taehyung a bit relieved.
“Sorry, I didn’t hear you walk beside me.” With that, Taehyun furrows his brows in disappointment and Taehyung is back to being stressed again. What did he even say wrong with that?
He wants to talk to Soobin and Kai again to avoid further conversation with the voice major but the two are nuzzling noses then have their arms linked while walking and no one in the campus bats an eye.
…Are these two dating? The more you know.
The five of them walk outside the building and settle on one of the circular picnic tables just by the trees. Taehyung volunteers to buy their lunch to get some breather.
He is about to head off when he feels a tug on his sleeve. “...Do you want me to go with you, hyung?” Taehyun whispers.
Of course, no way. He’s probably plotting to interrogate him and Taehyung is not up for it. “There’s no need, Tyun-ah. I can handle this,” he gives the younger the most reassuring smile he can muster. He salutes at them and turns around to focus on the task at hand.
Trusting his stellar memory, Taehyung walks to the food stalls and orders their lunch with no hesitation, but forgets to ask about their drinks. He shrugs and tells the cashier to punch in five cans of colas – besides, who doesn’t like colas? Taehyung can attest that colas are a common favorite, and he’s not an exception to that.
Once the orders are complete, he happily prances going back to their table. Easy, peasy.
When he returns to their spot, he distributes their meals and drinks. When he hands Taehyun a can, he’s met with a judging glare and Taehyung tries not to sweat on the spot.
Despite giving his attention to Kai where he shares a bit of what he knows in the music industry, he doesn’t know what to do with all the daggers thrown his way via Taehyun’s death glare express the entire half of the day, he texts Beomgyu in defeat.
to: vavy vro
Beom-ah, can you calm Taehyun down? I think he’s upset with me even though I didn’t do anything wrong. 😭
from: vavy vro
What did you do? 😒
to: vavy vro
Again, none! I’m just acting like you as much as I can, alright?
from: vavy vro
Okaaaay, if you say so. 😒
Don’t worry, I’ll text him something. Once I text you with “go”, look at his direction and smile in a comforting way.
Make sure you mean it. Don’t be scared of him. He’s just a meow meow.
When he gets the green light, he faces Taehyun and smiles as gentle as he can, remembering how his brother does it and makes sure he emulates it.
Fortunately, it works. Taehyun’s mood seemingly lifts up, and with that, Taehyung internally thanks Beomgyu for whatever he did, and agrees that Taehyun can be a meow meow. For now.
🎶
Thankfully, their lunch break is done and they don’t have shared classes anymore. So, Taehyung doesn’t have to pretend as Beomgyu full-force and just continue nerding it out in his classes.
As the universe is on his side for once, he manages to attend the classes with no sweat since none of the professors give activities that are heavily graded; so far it’s just the Solfège one. As much as he can pretend to be his brother, he doesn’t want to taint his academic records despite enjoying them.
The conservatory is such a nice scene to be in, especially in Large Ensemble class because Soobin is their student conductor of the day, and the same professor from Music Literature is there to guide him. He gets to be in the choir, and the pieces assigned are Handel’s Hallelujah Chorus as run through and the Tutti part of Beethoven’s Ninth. He belts the heck out of the baritone part, of course. It’s his time to shine.
The experience is outright majestic, and Taehyung can’t help but be in awe with what his brother’s life has been like.
When the class is over, he goes to Soobin and congratulates him with a shoulder hug, “You were awesome back there, Maestro Soobin-ah!” He receives a glare from the taller and corrects himself cheekily, “Maestro Soobin-hyung!”
The conducting major grins shyly and bemoans rather cutely, “Glad to know I’m not a nervous wreck. Prof. Kim was just watching silently the whole time. I'm lucky my knees didn’t give up on me or accidentally break my baton with all the fortississimos. Good thing he told me I did great, or else I’m just gonna think about it the entire day and repent.”
He giggles at the incessant yappering, “There, there. You really did great! I got chills. You gave both Handel and Beethoven justice!”
“Thanks, Beomgyu-yah. You were great, too. You practically lead the basses. I didn’t know you had that in you, Mr. Too-Introvert-I-Became-A-Composition-Major,” he amusedly remarked.
“Sometimes, I have to let loose and let go, y’know?” He shrugs in a smug way.
Soobin rolls his eyes, “Of course, just you being you.” With that, Taehyung grins wider. Can’t believe he feels validated for acing the Beomgyu act.
As he still wants to walk with Soobin, his phone rings and excuses himself. He apologetically eyes the conducting major and bids a hurried see you later. Once he’s away from the crowd, he answers his phone.
Beomgyu rushedly greets without a hello, “Hyung, why didn’t you tell me Jimin-hyung is going to be here?”
That’s odd, and quite dangerous. Jimin knows him like an open book since he’s his platonic soulmate. “What? He didn’t text me anything about it. Plus, he told me yesterday that he has a date with Jungkook.”
“News flash, hyung. They’re not on good terms right now!”
“What?! When did that happen?”
“Just this morning, something about Jungkook-hyung refusing to do what he requested,” he then hears more panic in Beomgyu’s voice, “Oh my god, what do I do?”
“Comfort him. Hug him, he needs hugs. Can you cuddle him?”
“Sure, I think I can do that. Anything else I need to know?”
“Well, talk to him, of course. Just distract him!”
“Please specify, hyung. Because I don’t know him as much as you do.” That’s true. But a heartbroken Jimin has tunnel vision specific to his boyfriend, and won’t see much of a difference between him and his brother anymore. Lucky for Beomgyu, he doesn’t need to sweat as much.
So he shrugs, “You can give some love advice. Mend their relationship.”
“Hyung, I don’t think I can do that. Be realistic.”
“Do you not give advice to Soobin?”
“Huh?”
“Isn’t he dating Huening Kai, or something?”
“Huh? Since when did that happen?”
“I mean, aren’t they?” He can hear the silent confusion from the other line. “Anyway, fine. Just go for karaoke and drink with him. You don’t have to drink as much; remember, you’re me. Just let him vent.”
“Okay, sounds doable. Thanks, hyung! Oh, by the way, after Prof. Min’s class, can you meet up with Taehyun, please? I’ll text you all the details of what you need to talk about.”
His blood runs cold at the request, “Wait, Beomgyu—“
“Oh shit, I’ll call you back. Jimin-hyung is looking for me already. Bye!”
No freaking way. Why does he have to be alone with Taehyun? His ass is gonna be on fire.
He shakes his head to clear his mind but the length of his hair is not helping. He steadies himself and slowly breathes in and out.
He should focus on the now, and maybe he can somehow cancel the dreaded appointment with the voice major. All his fingers and toes are crossed.
He briskly walks to the third floor and checks each studio’s door since there are schedules pasted on them. Once he sees the name “Prof. Min Yoongi” and then spots “Choi Beomgyu” on the current time slot, he sighs in relief.
Thanks to Beomgyu, Taehyung knows that being enrolled in a conservatory means there’ll be one-on-one lessons with your assigned professor of the department you’re in. So he knows that he’s gonna be stuck with an old man who’s gonna teach him all sorts of complicated music theories he hasn’t probably heard of since he’s more of a pop singer that heavily biases tonal music.
Although he loves jazz and classical music with all his heart that he can absolutely yap how incredible they are and drop some fun facts here and there, but not to an extent that he specifically knows how they’re analyzed like mathematical formulas. He’s more of a performer than a composer, even though he has tried to be the latter – hence his self-produced album. It’s fun, but singing has always been more fun for him.
But Beomgyu would have ought to give him a heads up because as he opens the door to the studio slash mini-library, expecting an old geezer by his brother’s way of describing his personality, but lo and behold, he’s met with the prettiest man alive.
No wonder his brother wants to impress him. Taehyung would want to impress him too, but in a different aspect.
This bespectacled man is just wearing a black turtleneck, donned in black blazer, and plain black pants, but Taehyung is hardly breathing. His eyes remind him of a patient cat, and his lips are so pink and dainty. He looks so soft, he wants to pet his hair, squish him, caress his cheeks and kiss the hell out of him. Romance him, and maybe vore him.
Suddenly, he understands why people would want mpreg to exist. He’s gonna be stuck with this pretty face while pretending to be someone else. Lord, give him strength, and an additional set of strong morals.
“Hey Beomgyu, always on time,” his gummy smile blinds him, “Come sit here,” and his voice melts against his skin like honey. How he wishes he hears him say Taehyung’s name instead.
He follows the professor’s instruction and retrieves his laptop to open Beomgyu’s file. He lets the piece play, trying his best to understand it more despite his brother already having explained what it is about this morning. Yoongi is just relaxing and listening, while he nods at some parts that are seemingly pleasing to him.
Once it’s done, Yoongi presses play to observe again, and Taehyung simply watches him keenly analyzing each measure. He pauses the piece when the first part is done.
“Did you use bitonal here? What are the modes you used here?”
“Uhm, mixolydian in C and lydian in F, sir.” He hopes that his memory doesn’t fail him.
“Interesting. That’s basically cheating from an atonal view, but it still makes sense from a post-tonal view. Since mixolydian in C is basically the F major with C as the tonal center, and lydian in F is C major starting with F.
But when you structure it that way, it still achieves the unbiased sound of post-tonal despite almost acting like tonal, since the tonal centers present are two,” Yoongi turns away from the screen and acknowledges him. “Good job with that part, Beomgyu-yah. Seemingly simple but tricky to exhibit.”
He nods and smiles. Not gonna lie, but Taehyung cannot follow all of that, and the only takeaway is that Yoongi is so sexy talking all that jargon.
The professor presses play again to continue the piece, and pauses whenever he has something to say with the segments.
He witnesses the professor in his element — the passion for music is radiating off him and he gets why Beomgyu gives off that same energy. He’s utterly inspiring.
And downright stupid hot.
“…and the quartal harmonies make sense here, because the keys you chose are set with the same interval…”
He telepathically apologizes to Beomgyu because his head is now in the gutter, unable to absorb anything but the purring sound of Yoongi’s voice.
When the professor is done with the commentary, he advises him, “There are parts that are too good to be short so work on expounding that. Play around with the given compositional devices, and explore more modes. You can transpose them to other modes or maybe move on to quintal harmonies. Up to you.”
Taehyung tries his best to jot all of that down, and hopes that whatever he’s writing makes sense. He then stares at Yoongi, contemplating if it’s fine to ask but does it anyway, “What if what I come up with is not as good as what’s originally there?”
“Just keep composing, even if you don’t think it isn’t better now. Different versions of you can be present in any day or any hour. Eventually, the less critical version of you will tell you to work on it further.”
Taehyung’s heart warms at that optimistic approach but he sheepishly admits and scratches his head, “Guilty as charged. I delete drafts that I don’t think have potential.”
Yoongi softly scolds, “Don’t do that from now on. Anything has potential, even if they're just four notes of a motif. One day, they can grow into a full piano piece, a string quartet piece, or maybe a stanza of another piece you’re already working on. Composing is all about putting together elements, and it can also be about putting together ideas from versions of you or your music. Don’t throw away things that are worth it.
In composing music, everything has purpose and beauty inside them if you put your mind into bringing those out. Just like how we put ourselves together with good ideas and philosophies to be better. Always seize the moment as a composer, okay?”
He stares at Yoongi in admiration, embedding everything the professor said in his head, surely stashed forever in every corner of his brain. “I’ll keep that in mind. You have no idea how much you helped me,” he leans against his chair and combs through his bangs, “I have been in a rut lately.”
“You are? You just presented your work a while ago.”
“I mean, uh, I do have a side project. I’m working on a song I wanted to release but I’m stuck on coming up with another verse.”
“Don’t we all?” Yoongi humors him, “And interesting, mind if you let me hear the song?”
Taehyung gulps at his request. He doesn’t let any people know any of his work in progress due to the risk of being plagiarized, but of course this is Yoongi so that doesn’t matter anymore.
He clears his throat cartoonishly loud enough to make Yoongi snort in amusement. He inhales in a deep breath, and exhales the song, singing deeply while he watches for the professor’s reaction.
“Where is my angel?
Someone come and save me, please.
A weary sigh of a tiring day. But I guess everyone's happy.
Can you look at me? 'Cause I am blue and grey.
The meaning of the tears reflected in the mirror
My color is hidden with a smile, blue and grey.”
Yoongi is looking at him earnestly, and Taehyung wants to tear up; he almost forgets to continue. Why does his presence feel so comforting? Why does his tiny yet proud smile exude assurance so naturally?
“I just wanna be happier. Melt me, I'm cold.
I've reached out my hand countless times. The echo is colorless.
Oh, this ground feels so heavier; I am singing by myself.
I just wanna be happier. Am I being too greedy?”
The professor nods in approval, “I get why this is a side project. That’s flat out tonal, suitable for a pop ballad. You can add guitar plucking or a synth could work too,” Taehyung blinks at that, “But, it’s beautiful, Beomgyu-yah, even your voice since it’s full of soul. The lyrics can reach out to a person’s heart in a soothing way, and the melody wrings out a certain pain to it. The kind of necessary pain that promises healing.”
He tries to drink and drown in the compliment but he falters at the false name. He badly wants to believe the soul of said voice is his, and not Beomgyu’s. But that will be greedy of him.
Why does he have to be so perfect? Why does he know what to say? Why does he greatly motivate Taehyung to become a better man? It’s admirable how easy it is for Yoongi to say the right things. Taehyung wants to listen to more of what he can say, and to have him in so many ways.
He tries not to appear overly emotional despite otherwise, “Thank you, sir. That truly means so much to me.”
“As long as you keep it existing, it can be more beautiful. Don’t delete it, okay? For now, just keep composing anything. Trust yourself that you can go back to that song whenever you’re ready.”
“Okay,” he promises without hesitation. Determination filling his eyes. He feels replenished, wanting to face the music again and finish his song.
“Looks like that’s it for today. See you next class, Beomgyu-yah.” He smiles, his eyes crinkle and Taehyung wants to tear up at the sight. Why is he so precious? The professor proceeds to check his tablet and grabs the pen to write something on his planner.
Taehyung awkwardly stashes his things into his bag, and proceeds to stand up. He walks away slowly, as if he wants to stay here longer even if there’s no reason. His hand is stuck on the doorknob, stalling for nothing. He turns around for one final glance and is surprised to see Yoongi near him, hardly reaching for a book on the topmost shelf.
Without thinking, he clumsily offers to help Yoongi reach out for the book since he’s taller than him, while the professor is still facing the bookshelf as he keeps on tiptoeing to reach for the same book.
Because of his carelessness, he trips himself and instinctively places his hands on the shelves so he won’t squish Yoongi. Taehyung feels the time slowing down as he stares at the man who mistakenly turns around underneath him.
No one dares utter a word as both of them are in a trance. The air becomes electrifying, and Taehyung doesn’t mean to look at his lips but in the end of course he does.
Gulping, he lets gravity pull and allure him until Yoongi clears his throat.
“Beomgyu?” And in an instant, Taehyung freezes. Has he lost himself?
Taehyung straightens himself up and scratches his head, “Sorry, sir. I was getting dizzy.”
“Tsk, are you eating well? You do need to eat more, kiddo.”
He grimaces, “Ah, I did barely eat lunch.” Wow, he’s suddenly downgraded to kiddo. He mentally smacks himself and reminds that he’s Beomgyu right now.
“If that’s the case, then make sure to have a snack before Orchestration class. Got it?”
“Yes, sir,” he salutes in a childish way to sell the kiddo thing despite the phantom pain stirring in his heart. He goes to the door and bids the professor farewell.
When he walks out of the studio, he slams himself on a wall and presses his hand on his chest, the palpitations running wild. It’s so unfair that Beomgyu gets to see this man up close, gets his daily dose of wisdom probably, and has a valid reason to be here.
Meanwhile, Taehyung is a stranger to him. Yoongi probably has heard of him, but he doesn’t know Taehyung the way he knows Beomgyu like this. He can never see Yoongi give him life-changing advice on a random Thursday. He only gets to experience this because he’s Beomgyu right now.
He never felt more pathetic than ever.
🎶
He checks his phone to see Beomgyu’s instructions on meeting Taehyun and follows them. When he arrives at the given rendezvous, the voice major is nowhere to be found. Since it’s past the meeting time, it’s a sign that Taehyun decides to move on and with that, he breathes a sigh of relief. At least he has a moment of reprieve.
He texts his brother to update that he fails to meet up with Taehyun, but doesn’t get a reply. Looks like he’s still busy dealing with Jimin.
His mind is getting weary with the situation they’re in. For how long do they need to do this?
He sorely misses being himself. He hopes Beomgyu’s holding himself fine, and doesn’t feel as down as Taehyung right now.
Going to the last class, he drags his feet until he catches Yoongi arriving with a couple of students helping him out to push the apparatus by the corridor. Suddenly, the ground feels lighter. He’s awfully aware it’s ridiculous being so whipped like this. He blames the professor for not wearing his blazer anymore.
It’s simply unfair to meet someone like him this way. He doesn’t want to pretend anymore when Yoongi gives him reason to be vulnerable with his emotions. He needs to know how far their conversations can go, but he can’t and will never know.
So he’ll just have to make it last while he can.
He sees Beomgyu’s friends already seated, and of course, the universe has to put Taehyun beside a vacant seat so Taehyung has no choice but to sit beside him.
Yoongi starts the class with a small recap and proceeds to play one of the homeworks anonymously through the projector as the light hits the whiteboard for them to follow the notation.
When he hits pause, he grabs a marker and encircles the notes that cause the dissonances. But Taehyung swears he tries his best not to swerve his attention to Yoongi’s ass.
Looks like the lord is truly testing him because Yoongi plays the piano without bothering to use the chair so this particular angle is now presenting his glorious ass and it’s enticing as hell, and Taehyung subconsciously licks his lips at the sight.
As the professor drones about tonic, subdominant, and dominant chords, all Taehyung can think about is how dominant Yoongi can be in bed. And he totally blames the incessant use of the word “dominant” throughout this class, and not to mention the goddamn turtleneck.
Not noticing the time, the last homework is done and presented. Taehyung has been nothing but focused not at the class, but at the professor speaking with that pretty mouth of his.
When the class is dismissed, Yoongi asks if the previous students can help him return the apparatus. Taehyung doesn’t hesitate to volunteer but remembers that he may have people waiting for him. “Hey guys, I’ll just help Prof. Min with these stuff. Go on without me.”
“We can help, y’know.” Soobin, bless his soul, volunteers, but he doesn’t understand that he needs Yoongi for himself.
So he devises an improv, “Sure. You can push the projector cart back there. And Kai, you go ahead and turn the speakers off properly. And you two, help me erase the board.”
Yoongi clicks his tongue rather sexily, fulfilling Taehyung’s sub fantasies, “You don’t really have to do all those.”
“Don’t worry, sir. I got you.” He adds a wink.
“Suit yourself.” Yoongi scoffs in amusement, earning a wider grin from Taehyung.
He tries speeding up his task, but man, Yoongi wrote a lot on the board and his handwriting is too pretty to erase.
Not for long he hears the professor say, “I’ll leave you guys to it.”
Taehyung stops and turns around to see Yoongi leaving and he’s not having that. In a rush, he reaches out to the professor and takes his hand in desperation. He can feel the callouses and veins and starts memorizing them, squeezing it tight.
Yoongi stares at their hands clasped together and raises a brow at Taehyung, his expression unreadable.
He gulps, “Sir, uhm. Do you need help with anything else?”
“I can handle myself, kiddo.” Yoongi chides in that tone again, letting his hand go, and the weight in his chest gets heavier.
But he can’t give up. It’s now or never; Taehyung has to shoot his shot, “Do you want me to walk you home?”
Yoongi shifts his eyes away from Taehyung then returns to him, “I don’t think your friends would appreciate that. Besides, I can do that on my own. Thank you for the offer.”
“I insist. They can go on without me, right, guys?” When he turns and sees them nod and agree, it’s enough for Taehyung to go forth and live his dream.
Yeonjun reminds, “Don’t forget we need to practice for our group project.”
Taehyung mindlessly nods and grins at Yoongi in victory, “So?”
Yoongi rolls his eyes affectionately, “Yeah, let’s head to the faculty office first.” He regards Beomgyu’s friends, “Sorry, your friend is too stubborn for his own good. I’ll take care of him while you guys take care, alright?”
They politely smile at them as the two of them leave. Yoongi leads the way while Taehyung takes a whiff of his perfume. He even smells good.
As they get inside the faculty room, the professors are in their own spots, some are preparing to go home as well. Soobin’s major professor greets them, “Hey, Yoongi-hyung, and Beomgyu-yah? What brings you here?”
He politely greets back, ”Hi sir, I’m just accompanying Prof. Min on his way home.”
Prof. Kim raises a brow, “That’s nice of you.” Taehyung doesn’t miss the suspicious tone in his voice.
”He’s kidding, Namjoon-ah. He’s just inquiring about his forum recital piece. Right, Choi?” He eyes Taehyung as if he’s threatening him to play along. It’s pretty hot if not for the implied rejection. “Besides, I did promise that we’re going to the music store we were talking about earlier with Hoseok.”
“Oh, I thought you forgot.” There’s relief in his voice. “If that’s the case, then I can go ahead so I can leave you two. Just text me when you’re done; I’ll head to the convenience store first.”
When they watch Namjoon leave, Yoongi huffs as he regards him, “Sorry about that. As much as I want to indulge you, I do have plans. But somehow, I couldn't say no to you a while ago. I’ll let you know whenever I’m free, Beomgyu-yah.”
“It’s fine. Thank you for humoring me, sir.”
“Don’t mention it. You do need to meet your friends, right? We can hang on the weekend instead. Deal?”
Taehyung ecstatically nods, “Deal.”
They walk together to the convenience store as Taehyung treasures every second of it. When they bid each other farewell, he can’t take off the smile on his face, he becomes high on happiness enough to click his heels, uncaring of the people judging him.
With that, he hopes to stay as Beomgyu until that fateful weekend.
As planned, Taehyung goes to Soobin’s house and is greeted by Yeonjun in the entrance, “Hey, BG! You’re just in time!”
He smiles wide at them, still in the good mood, “Hey, hyung, hey guys! Sorry, I didn’t get to say goodbye earlier,” he purses his lips, giddiness consuming him, “You know how it is, Prof. Min needed me with something.”
When he removes his shoes and places them amongst the others’, he checks out the interior of Soobin’s house since it’s his first time being here and it’s cozy to look at.
Distracted by the paintings on the walls, Kai appears beside him to Taehyung’s surprise, “Hueningie, you scared me.”
Out of all things that he expects the younger to do, it’s definitely not being smothered by a chloroform-doused handkerchief.
Taehyung’s mind couldn’t catch up with what’s happening, he doesn’t notice how his consciousness drifts away.
🎶
Taehyung blearily opens his eyes, squints through the darkness. He sees candles surrounding him, and realizes the itchy feeling of being constricted, “…Where am I?”
Soobin comes forward, his demeanor different. He lowers his voice and says, “Hey there, demon. It’s me, ya boy.”
Is this a prank? “Guys, why am I tied to a chair? Why is Soobin being spooky? Or attempts to, at least.”
“That’s Soobin-hyung to you,” Kai corrects, “Unless, you forget Beomgyu-hyung’s younger than him?”
Taehyung shrugs, “What? Can’t I disrespect him from time to time since he’s my bestie? And I am Beomgyu, for your information.”
“Hell no, you aren’t,” Taehyun reacts in full offense, “You may have his face, but you suck at pretending to be him.”
Frankly, he’s surprised by the boldness, but his adrenaline kicks in and doesn’t hesitate to defend himself, “I don’t need to pretend because I am Beomgyu!”
“Yeah?” Yeonjun foolishly challenges, “What’s his childhood name?”
Taehyung smirks at the simple question, “Cookie, duh. That’s what my Ma calls me because I ate too many cookies.”
Soobin asks with arms crossed, “What about his other parent, then? What do they call Beomgyu when he was a kid?”
He casually shrugs, “Bear, because I sleep like a bear according to my Mom.”
He witnesses them losing the battle as Yeonjun retaliates with a weak argument, “Stop using ‘I’ when you’re not him.”
“Yeah? Prove it until you guys stop feeling ridiculous, then.” This is just too easy for him.
Taehyun steps closer at an agonizingly slow pace, “What do you do when I feel nervous?” And with those words, Taehyung knows he has fucked up.
That moment of conceitedness is embarrassingly short-lived as he gulps at Taehyun’s question. He goes for the safest answer, “I’ll try to calm you down.”
Taehyun’s face is blank and it’s scaring him, “How, exactly?”
He’s definitely done for. “…I give you a hug?”
“You’re wrong. Beomgyu holds my hand before I recite or perform. Which you didn’t do this morning, by the way.”
What.
“I’m allowed to squeeze his hand like a stress ball, and he lets me hold his hand even if he falls asleep watching horror movies.”
Huh?
“This is why you suck at pretending to be him.”
That is probably the most insane and gayest info drop he has ever heard in his entire life. What kind of relationship Taehyun has with Beomgyu? What the hell are they? “…Are we dating?”
Taehyun hums cryptically, “I don’t know. Are we?”
That question does not answer his question. This voice major is going to be the main cause of his white hairs. And Beomgyu can’t blame him if they start growing now.
Soobin interrupts his internal conflict, “Do you get why you’re here, demon? It’s either we do this the hard way, or give our friend back. What do you say?”
What?! Is that why he’s in a weird-ass circle of candles? Are they seriously about to exorcise him? “Hey! No, I’m not a demon. What the? Just because I don’t know exactly where me and Taehyun are doesn’t mean I am one?!”
Yeonjun gives his spiel, “That’s what you’d think. They have a deep mutual understanding you can’t just decipher; they have their own love language.”
Kai adds, “It’s kinda annoying to acknowledge, but Taehyun is his most-favorite person among us.”
Taehyung’s head is spinning with what he’s hearing. Beomgyu owes him a full explanation and a massage.
Soobin pointedly says, “And to hammer the final nail of your coffin, Beomgyu is never into Prof. Min, and Prof. Min will never be into you.”
And in that final sentence, Taehyung hears the crashing sound of his heart in pieces. The reality sinks in, and his dreams vanish into thin air.
He’s been meeting Yoongi as someone else, and he doubts he can have a chance despite the promised day.
And this tall kid is right; Yoongi will never be into him. The truth absolutely hurts the worst now.
Soobin brutally continues, “So now that we got you tongue-tied, can we proceed to exorcise you since you’re not leaving his body yet?” He hovers his hand over him and chants a language he has never heard of and he now genuinely fears for his life.
The overwhelming light takes over his vision as his body loses sensation and feels his fingertips getting colder. The air in his lungs is being sucked out and maybe his goddamn soul.
He’s going to die for real.
A faint ringing in his ear, and he gasps when he regains control. He coughs out, “Oh my god! What the hell was that?! You guys are so mean! I swear, this is so unnecessary!”
Soobin, the disrespectful child, turns and talks to his friend instead, “Taehyun, what’s going on?”
He sees Taehyun looking him straight in the eye. “He’s not a doppelgänger. And he’s not a demon nor a ghost who possessed Beomgyu. They swapped bodies instead.”
Holy hell, this guy really has him figured out. It doesn’t help that his blank expression is terrifying.
Taehyun continues, “All this time, you’ve been in contact with him. I noticed you’re somehow in the know with whatever conversation we have, yet there’s still a disconnect between your actions and his words.”
His mouth is completely shut but his mind is whirring at the accuracy. Taehyun’s observational skills are no joke.
“I know you know I’m right,” Taehyun continues, “I noticed your phone is different, and you type a bit slowly. Beomgyu-hyung types way faster than you. I’ve been texting him this entire afternoon and he replies quickly, so it won’t make sense that you’d be the one doing the typing.”
He takes what he said about his observational skills back. He’s just awfully biased towards Beomgyu, and Taehyung is so sick of these gays.
“Just say it. You’re not him; you can just admit it. And I know what you want now. You want to score a date with our professor, right? I can set you up when you return to your body.”
Taehyung’s ears perk up at the offer. That is actually tempting, but he remembers that he’s being interrogated right now. Goddammit, this guy knows how to use his cards, but Taehyung shall not yield. He’s stronger than this. He’s a calm, cool, and collected man.
To his surprise, Taehyun kneels in front of him, and uses his boba-eyes as his final weapon, “Please. Whoever you are. Just… Just tell him to get here, so I know he’s alright, no matter what he looks like right now.”
Oh no… Beomgyu is right. He is just a meow meow, and Taehyung can’t believe he metaphorically kicked this poor gay cat.
”I want him to know he can trust us, and that we’ll figure this out together. There’s no point in hiding this anymore. Don’t you want to return to your old self? Both of you would want that, right?”
Taehyung bites his lips, his eyes shifting left and right. He remembers the potential date he asked Yoongi as Beomgyu earlier, but he also remembers Taehyun’s offer to let him meet Yoongi as himself. Isn’t that a thousand times better?
He almost doesn’t pick up the whisper Taehyun has uttered, “Just please bring him back to me.” Taehyung wants to tear up how tender it sounds. Beomgyu is just so lucky to have someone who cares this much.
He softens his gaze at the younger, finally giving in. “Give me my phone; go call him.” He hears the group gasp and he inwardly chuckles at their reaction.
This has been officially the oddest day he’s ever experienced.
Yeonjun gets his phone from his pocket and asks for his password. Taehyung enumerates the code while the young man types it. He seemingly searches for Beomgyu’s number and dials.
He then places his phone by Taehyung’s ear. “Hyung?”
“Beomgyu-yah. Can you go to Soobin’s house now?”
“What? Why?”
“Just come here as soon as you can.”
“Remember the situation I’m currently in? I’m dealing with a drunk Jimin-hyung.”
“This is code red, Beomgyu-yah. Just call his boyfriend to carry his ass home. Time for them to talk like the adults they are.”
“…Okay. I’ll be there.” He hears his brother hang up.
“He says he’ll be here, happy?”
Taehyun sighs and sniffs, “Yes. Again, thank you,” he ponders a bit and says, “Taehyung-hyung.”
Taehyung is no more or less stunned and impressed, “How did you…?”
The younger chuckles, “I just realized something. Beomgyu envies you a lot, especially having perfect pitch. He has relative pitch instead, right? I noticed you didn’t hum A as reference unlike him. He always hums that note since that’s the only note he can hum right away, like he’s listening to a tuning fork.
Earlier today, you recited in Solfège by sight-reading, which is something he has always envied. He mentioned you have it easy whenever you have your gigs.”
Hearing all that, Taehyung is a little more scared by Taehyun but mostly endeared for Beomgyu. He’ll have to remind his brother that he’s the most talented person he’s ever known, and his unconditional love for music is one of the things Taehyung gets inspired from.
And for Beomgyu to have someone like Taehyun knowing him in the deepest way possible. And that’s something he’s envying right now. His mind wanders who he has closest to that and his heart yearns for Yoongi, hoping he’d be the Taehyun to his Beomgyu.
Taehyung sighs, “He’s an idiot. He doesn’t need to be envious when he’s an amazing musician already.” And he has someone who loves him like you do.
Taehyun smiles proudly at his words, while the others are still in awe that the one they’re speaking to is not a demon, but Beomgyu’s older brother that they’ve met multiple times whenever they visit their home.
All of them hear the doorbell repeatedly ringing as Soobin steps out to see their visitor.
🎶
Beomgyu appears disheveled, looking like he ran a marathon and lost a lung on the way, “Hyu—Beom-ah! What have they done to you?!”
“Woah, Beomgyu-hyung? Is that really you?” Kai asks in amazement.
He looks at the youngest nervously, “Uhm, no. What are you talking about? Haha, it’s me, Taehyung, Beomgyu’s brother. Don’t you remember me, Kai-yah?”
Soobin says, “Beomgyu, it’s fine. We already know.”
“Huh?” He scans the room and sees him in the center, “W-What’s going on? Why is he tied up in a chair?”
“Wow, this is so weird,” Yeonjun observes the two brothers with utmost fascination, “You guys really switched bodies. I can hear and see it now.”
“Uhm, could you guys untie me now, please? The cat’s out of the bag already. I’m not gonna escape or anything while my body’s right there.”
“Oh shit, sorry, Taehyung-hyung,” Yeonjun panics and hurriedly goes to undo the knots. Kai and Soobin follow.
While he’s getting untied by Beomgyu’s friends, he notices a tender moment happening in his peripheral vision and turns his head to see it clearer.
There they are, Taehyun embracing Beomgyu like the latter has been gone for a year.
It doesn’t help that his brother is reciprocating the hug with the same tightness, having his head resting on the younger’s shoulder while caressing his back as if trying to remember how the younger felt like in his embrace. So it seems like they’re equally obsessed with each other. Noted.
Honestly, if Taehyung didn’t know better, he’d think these two were dating, but he’ll have to interrogate his brother about that later. Because as far as how their morning briefing went, Beomgyu did discuss how close he is to Taehyun, but not this close.
Although he has to admit it’s his fault for overlooking the fact that his brother discussed Taehyun the longest and in more detail that Taehyung cannot possibly keep up anymore. It was unnecessary for Beomgyu to point out where each of Taehyun’s moles are located, and that he’s an Aquarius. It would’ve been nice if his brother remembered to mention Taehyun's cider preference instead of those.
When Beomgyu finally remembers where and how they all are, he addresses Taehyung, “Hyung, what the hell just happened here?”
“Not gonna lie, Beomgyu-yah, we didn’t notice that you…” Soobin gestures to Taehyung, “…are acting differently. But Taehyun has been suspicious of him since this morning. We didn’t believe him, but he’s been right all this time.”
Taehyung pipes up at that, “Yeah, I thought I could survive this day but I was fighting for my life trying not to get caught. He knows you too well, Beom-ah,” He squints at Taehyun, “Too well if I may say.”
“Huh?” His brother tilts his head rather cutely, if it wasn’t for his cluelessness.
The voice major interjects, “Taehyung-hyung. Before you continue that thought, do you want to share something with Beomgyu-hyung?”
Taehyung jolts and shuts his mouth. He does not want to disclose all the gay panics of this day, but it seems like it’s Taehyun’s mission to stress the hell out of him.
Beomgyu turns to Taehyun and hums at that, “What’s up?”
Again, Taehyung is a calm, cool and collected man, but not at this moment, “No! Don’t you dare, Kang Taehyun. Or else I won’t let you date my brother!”
The younger grits his teeth, “Then that date with Prof. Min is not gonna happen, Taehyung-hyung.”
With that, he then sees Beomgyu’s gears turn in his head at lightspeed. “Hyung,” Beomgyu interrupts them and glares at him, his voice low and deeper, “Could you enlighten me what exactly happened to your day, specifically the parts you didn’t tell me?”
He gulps at the way his brother speaks; he feels small even though he’s the older one. It’s jarring to see his face with that scary expression. His eyes shift to anywhere but him. He then remembers why he’s done what he has done and huffs as he looks straight in his eyes, “Beomgyu-yah, it’s your fault you didn’t warn me your professor is such a husband material.”
In a blink of an eye, Beomgyu is about to strangle him but gets stopped by Yeonjun and Kai. He screams, “What did you do to Prof. Min, huh? Did you forget the entire day that you’re me, a student?! He’s my professor!” He pauses for a bit and his eyes get wider, “Please don’t tell me you kissed him or I’ll murder you!”
“Hey, relax! We just held hands!” Hearing Kai’s laughter is not helping any of them, except Soobin probably.
“I’m a student, hyung. A student!” Beomgyu angrily reminds, “Just flirt with him when you’re not me, the fuck?!”
He has to defend his faith, “You have to understand that he’s The One! I had to take chances!”
“Didn’t you think what it’d look like from an outsider’s perspective?! The conservatory is a smallass world, hyung! I know them and they know me!” Beomgyu scolds, “Our deal’s off! I am soooo not gonna do your chores anymore! Heck, I won’t let you come close to Prof. Min! Ever!”
“NO! TAKE THAT BACK!” Taehyung erupts, and Beomgyu answers with a pterodactyl screech as they proceed to throttle each other.
In the background, Soobin is already rummaging through his shelves while Yeonjun asks him what he can do to help. Kai is still watching the two brothers brawl amusedly while Taehyun is just stunned at the scene – the poor guy has his heart vulnerable since moments ago and now has to witness whatever this juvenile sibling fight is.
When Soobin finally finds what he’s searching for, he addresses the two and clears his throat, “Are you guys done? Do you guys still want to return to your bodies or not?”
Beomgyu nods enthusiastically, “Please. I need to disown him right away.”
Appalled, Taehyung reacts, “Beom-ah! Have some respect!”
“Did you even think of that when you’re me with Prof. Min?” Beomgyu sasses.
“Shush you two, inside voices please,” Soobin requests and massages his head, “Gosh, it feels like dealing with two Beomgyus, my head hurts.”
“I’m still older than you,” Taehyung petulantly comments.
Soobin flatly says, “Taehyung-hyung, I highly respected you until you made a move on our professor while being in Beomgyu’s body. Totally not cool.”
“We just held hands!” Soobin eyes him judgmentally so he whispers, “…we just held hands.” Damn, these kids are ganging up on him. Oh, the things he endures for Min Yoongi.
“Who knows what you'd have done if we didn’t catch you at the crime scene,” Soobin notes, “Anyway, as I was saying, this is a simple curse so it’s pretty easy to break. But not by me. I haven’t learned how to do that yet,” he bites his lips as if he’s about to enter hell, “We’ll have to go to my mentor.”
“Sounds good,” Beomgyu remarks while he glances at Taehyun longingly. Geez, his brother’s also smitten beyond all reason. It’s also weird to see his own face with heart eyes aimed at the person who has been scaring the living daylights out of him throughout the entire day.
The conducting major claps his hands to call their attention, “Okay guys, let’s go clean my room first, then let’s head to my mentor’s.”
“Can’t you do your magic to do that instead?” Kai asks jokingly.
Soobin answers thoughtfully, “I’d want to, but I’m not good yet. I’ll work hard to get there so I can do that for you.”
Kai grins saccharinely sweet it’s sickening, even more so when Soobin pinches his cheek affectionately.
Taehyung raises a brow and checks to see what Beomgyu can pick up on that blatant display of gay but unfortunately, he’s also busy with his own blatant display of gay with Taehyun, their eyes full of yearning as they stand at an awkward distance, seemingly hesitant to talk.
“There, there, Taehyung-hyung.” Yeonjun pats his back, “I’ve seen worse; consider yourself lucky. Anyway, let’s clean up the room. Hey Soobin! Can we scrub off the circle? We won’t be cursed or anything?”
Soobin blinks at Yeonjun’s call, “Oh, yeah, let me just,” he snaps his fingers and all the flames in the candles are gone. “It shouldn’t hurt anyone. It’s not completely active anymore.”
Once they’re done cleaning up Soobin’s room, all of them drive to the wizard’s house with Taehyung’s car.
🎶
When they get closer to the location, Taehyung can’t help but shift his eyes on every corner of the street as Soobin instructs the directions. “Uhm, are we going to our house?”
The apprentice shrugs, “I’m just following what he sent me.”
Yeonjun voices out what’s in everyone’s minds, “Why can’t he just send the address like a normal person?”
“He speaks in riddles, or in dad jokes,” Soobin explains as if that answers the question.
Beomgyu comments, ”So, like Yeonjun-hyung?”
Yeonjun glares at him, ”Excuse you, but my jokes are Mother.”
”Keep telling that to yourself,” he sees his brother sticking out his tongue childishly through the rearview mirror and snorts.
As Soobin announces that they’ve arrived, all of them stare at the house beside their destination. Beomgyu breaks the silence, “Soobin-hyung, your mentor is our neighbor…?”
“I guess so? We don’t usually meet here though. This is my first time visiting here.” The apprentice is the first to open the door and the rest of them follow him by the entrance.
“How did you exactly meet this wizard?” Kai asks curiously while all of them attentively listen.
“We met online,” he shares, “I beat him in LOL once, then he offered me to be his apprentice.” He knocks on the door and it opens immediately. It’s unsettling that the lights are turned off.
“Get inside, losers,” a voice echoes and Taehyun, the scaredy cat, immediately hugs Taehyung, thinking he’s Beomgyu, and eventually realizes he’s not so he unlatches himself and goes beside Beomgyu instead.
He can see from his peripheral vision that the younger holds his brother’s hand as they navigate through the dark. He can’t help but roll his eyes at these two amidst the pitch black room.
The tall pink swivel chair spins and reveals a handsome man seated cross-legged, illuminated by the moon casted biasedly through the tall window. He pulls the switch of the fancy tall lamp beside him causing all of them to squint, “Who disturbs my beauty introspection time?”
“Hi Seokjin-hyung,” Soobin meekly greets, “My friend and his brother switched bodies for an unknown reason. It looks like someone cursed them.”
The wizard regards them with a bored yet haughty expression, scanning Taehyung and Beomgyu from top to bottom, “Ah, so it’s these two. Yeah, that’s on me, Soobin-ah.”
“WHAT?!” Taehyung and Beomgyu shouted at the same time, and his friends immediately covers their ears.
“See?” Seokjin gestures to both of them, “Do you disaster gays watch the volume of your voices? You two have been disturbing my peace for days. Once is fine, twice is forgivable, but thrice?! So I got carried away and had a slip of tongue. Manifested a random curse, apparently.”
“Then, bring us back to normal?” Beomgyu demands then remembers to add, “Please?”
“Not until you both apologize. Why are you two even screaming at ass o’ clock in the who-knows morning? Did you know you and your brother almost ended the world? I was brewing a highly-precarious potion during these past midnights since actual normal people sleep at that hour. My roommate is even mad at me that I had to rent this place instead so I don’t disturb him. Do you see how incredibly considerate I am? You two should learn a lesson from le moi!” The wizard says all of that in one breath, Taehyung is amazed he’s not a known rapper at some point.
Taehyung and Beomgyu, and the rest of them, are too stunned to speak. Both of them catch each other with guilty expressions, knowing that they’ve been playing Overcooked as if their life is on the line during those hours.
None dares to reply until there’s a knock on the door followed by a familiar voice, “Jin-hyung, could you quiet down there, please? Who are you even talking to?”
“Prof. Min?!” Beomgyu bewilderedly reacts while Taehyung tears up at his presence once the door opens. Oh, how he misses him and his beautiful face. It doesn’t help that his pajamas make him look extra cuddly.
Yoongi looks at him, confused and a bit starstruck, “…V? You know me?”
Taehyung feels his lips wobble so he can’t help but correct him, “You can call me by my real name, you know.”
The professor then turns to him, “Beomgyu?” The confusion in his eyes grows while he scans the room, “What the, where the hell are we exactly?”
“Yoongi-chi, your timing is impeccable,” Seokjin sarcastically says. “I’m in the middle of something here.”
“I literally opened the door to your room and now we’re in some sort of mansion. In my defense, I can hear you yapping from my office.” He scans the place and sees all the people in the room, “What are you guys doing here?”
“Hi sir, well, how to even explain this…” Kai scratches his head.
“Oh, Huening,” Yoongi waves his hand dismissing his worries, “I know Jin-hyung is a wizard. I can handle any crazy truth thrown at me.”
Yeonjun responds on behalf of them, “Sir, Beomgyu isn’t Beomgyu today. V-hyung is in Beomgyu’s body, and Beomgyu is in his.”
Taehyun adds, “And V-hyung is Beomgyu’s brother. Just letting you know, sir.”
Yoongi’s starstruckness disappears and is replaced by something Taehyung can’t identify, “Wait, Beomgyu, why didn’t you tell me your brother is…” his pauses are worrisome, “And you…” he squints at Taehyung, epiphany slowly sets in his eyes, “ …are something else.”
“I-I can explain,” he can absolutely not explain. “I’m just… your smile is everything I’ve ever needed in my life.”
Beomgyu pipes up, “Hyung, why are you like this? You’re so hopeless!”
He turns to his brother in disbelief, “Says you?! At least I know I’m in love!” He doesn’t notice the blush on Yoongi’s cheeks.
Taehyun visibly palms his face with a loud smack, while Beomgyu’s gears in his head are slowing down. His brother asks, “What the heck is that correlation, even?”
Seokjin laughs rather irritatingly, it reminds Taehyung of a wind-shield wiper, “Wow, Yoongi-chi. What did you do to this guy?”
“Alright, I’m outta here,” Yoongi concedes and turns around with his ears going red. “Have mercy on them and change them back already.” The professor looks at him one last time, “It’s …interesting meeting you, V.”
Seokjin wipes his tears, still chuckling, “Sorry, don’t mind him. He’s been a stan of yours, and he was not prepared and gay-panicked away,” Taehyung dumbly gapes at his revelation, “Anyway, you two, go sit there on that sofa.”
Weak in the knees by all sorts of thoughts running through his mind, Taehyung follows his instruction with Beomgyu, as Seokjin stands in front of them while the others are watching quietly, anticipation thrumming in the room. No setting up of magic circles, no books on either of the wizard’s hands, no wands, no eerie candles, nor anything.
Seokjin simply breathes in then bumps their heads, hitting their temples with both his hands in a karate chop.
Taehyung feels his spirit slipping away amidst the numbing headache.
His vision fades to black.
Beomgyu jolts up, and instantly soothes his temples when he sees the room spinning. He checks himself by patting his face and his hair — which is now longer and no longer blonde — while his vision stabilizes. He looks around his room lit by morning sunlight and sees that their friends are here, except one.
“Beomgyu?” Yeonjun calls him, “Is that you now?”
He frantically turns to the oldest, “Where’s Taehyun?”
Yeonjun rolls his eyes albeit amused, “At least pretend you miss us too. You even said the same thing while you were asleep. Four times.”
Kai smiles sweetly at him, “He’s just in the restroom. It’s good to have you back, Beomgyu-hyung.”
He notices that his friends have bags under their eyes, and their clothes are the same as yesterday. They have been watching him over to see if he’s back.
Beomgyu guiltily stares at each of them and blinks his upcoming tears away, “Sorry, I feel shitty for what happened. I should’ve just told you guys, instead of having you all worried.”
“It’s fine,” Soobin waves his hand, “I mean, understandable. It’s not everyday you can casually tell us that you swapped bodies with your brother. I know how it feels to keep a secret that sounds ridiculous.”
Beomgyu’s tears didn’t shy away from Soobin's genuineness. He should have truly trusted his best friends more. “I owe you guys a lot. Especially you, Soobin-hyung,” he wipes his tears and chuckles, “Can’t believe my best friend is a wizard.”
Soobin corrects him, “Just an apprentice, and you should probably give all the credit to Taehyun. He’s the one who figured out your secret.”
“Speak of the devil,” Yeonjun says when he hears footsteps.
As the door opens, he’s met with the face that he misses the most. Those wide eyes that've been always shimmering just for him. “Beomgyu-hyung?”
He melts at the sound of his name coming from his favorite voice, “Taehyun-ah, you’re here.”
He barely registers the hurried steps moving toward his way when he’s engulfed by an embrace, followed by a pressure against his shoulder. He jolts at the fist softly hitting his chest repeatedly, and chuckles at how the younger is acting in a tantrum.
When Taehyun hears his laughter, he faces him in offense, “You’re not allowed to laugh,” he taunts with the cutest pout, “You should receive the consequences of your actions.”
He giggles and boops his nose with his, “What the hell are you talking about?”
Annoyed, Taehyun grabs him by the shoulders to pull him from the bed then pushes him harshly, and wrestles him while Beomgyu screams for help.
“I guess this is our cue to leave. Have fun, you two,” Kai herds his hyungs to the door, then links his arms to Soobin.
“DON’T LEAVE ME HERE?! I SAID HELP?!” He crawls away from Taehyun and gets thrown to the bed. He wilts at the sound of the door being shut.
Meanwhile, Taehyun is still not done locking his legs with Beomgyu’s arm. He tries to wriggle himself free but ends up getting folded in half; Beomgyu wonders when did he even get this flexible and remembers that it’s probably because they’ve done this too many times to count.
He feels like a sandbag being tossed around. (He’s into it, though.)
Now that his other arm is free, he has to resort to violence — he tickles Taehyun’s weakest spot in precisely light pressure: his literal Achilles heel.
That causes more mayhem, as Taehyun squeals rather high-pitched than his normal range and realizes what Beomgyu has done. The younger expertly straddles Beomgyu’s waist with his legs and grabs his wrists to pin them above his head.
He’s met with a gorgeous face leaning closer despite the angry look. Taehyun stops feigning anger and softly says in an exhausted huff, “Beomgyu-hyung, did you know how much I miss you?”
Beomgyu melts at that, “I have an idea, yeah. And the feeling is mutual, Taehyun-ah,” he bit his lips in guilt, “I’m sorry I made you worried.”
He feels the grip on his wrists loosen, “I want to understand why you can’t trust me enough with that kind of secret. There’s a reason why you’re my everyday hyung, you know. You’re basically my diary at this point. You know I can be yours, right? You can tell me anything, no matter how it sounds.”
He reaches for Taehyun’s hand and squeezes it, “I know,” he says with so much regret, “I want to ask that myself, too. I guess I underestimated how much we can understand each other, no matter how bizarre things can be.”
They’ve always been on the same page, same line, same letter, until yesterday. And he can’t believe it has tainted their record.
He sets his eyes on him, “I’m sorry, I should’ve been more certain just like I know you’re my tomorrow. I promise I’ll tell you everything so you can rest your weary head, okay?”
Taehyun smiles in full contentment, “Okay.” Beomgyu can sense the relief radiating from him; it is unfailingly infectious. It doesn’t help that his eyes twinkle like the stars they watch together from time to time.
The urge, to kiss him, to have that smile embedded against his, is brewing tremendously. He doesn’t notice the way Taehyun observes him closely despite the small distance between their faces.
None of them hear the knock as Taehyung opens the door. “Beom-ah, are you awake—WHAT ARE YOU GUYS DOING?!”
Beomgyu straightens up while Taehyun scrambles to sit beside him, “Nothing that your dirty mind is thinking!”
“Be honest,” his brother says in a stern voice, “Are you guys dating?”
“W-We were just talking!” Beomgyu stutters.
“Who talks in that position?!” He can even hear the indignant crack of his brother’s voice, in which he inwardly laughs at that.
Taehyun argues, “Says you who cornered Prof. Min—“
“Okay, bye! Don’t forget to use protection!” His brother immediately exits and shuts the door. They hear a muffled “Why am I single?!” from his brother stomping down the stairs.
“He’s so annoying I swear,” Beomgyu feels his face burning as he mumbles and turns to Taehyun, “What were you saying about him cornering Prof. Min?”
Taehyun replies, “I think you’ll have to hear it from your brother first.”
He whines, “Hey, what happened to telling each other everything?”
“I think you haven’t done your part yet.”
He dumbly replies, “Huh?”
“What were you thinking earlier, Beomgyu?” The younger lowly says, his eyes darker than he ever witnessed. It doesn’t help that the way he calls him does funny things in his chest.
A chill trails in his spine, realizing how much Taehyun can read his face like an open book. A stray thought of kissing him is enough to give him away. He gulps but challenges him, “You know me better, right? Then prove it.”
With no second being wasted, Taehyun’s hand caresses his cheek and claims his lips as Beomgyu closes his eyes to heighten the sensation, wanting it to burn inside his head.
Instinctively, Beomgyu snakes his hand on Taehyun’s waist to come closer as he puts more pressure on the younger’s lips and licks and nips them from time to time. Wanting to memorize Taehyun as he maps his toned back with his hands.
He feels Taehyun’s tongue swiping against his lower lip and that encourages Beomgyu to slide his own inside the younger’s mouth, earning a moan while he’s doing his best to breathe through his nose, not wanting to stop. He badly wants this to last, but he sure feels lightheaded.
As if he read his mind, Taehyun slowly pushes him on the bed while they keep their lips locked. His arms caging Beomgyu’s head on the pillow, his knees settled by his waist. While Beomgyu keeps his hand on the younger’s waist and feels the contour of his abs with his thumb, the other on his nape to feel his hair with his fingers.
Funny enough, he feels Taehyun’s body relaxes by the way Beomgyu brushes his hair, since he knows that’s what makes the younger drowsy.
He feels the pause in their kiss, no longer feeling the warm lips on his and Beomgyu pouts at that. He opens his eyes to be met by hazy ones. Without preamble, he rolls them over so he’s now the one on top, while the one beneath him sighs in relief, gladly laying his head on the pillow. He continues what they’re doing as he lazily kisses Taehyun again, both of them smiling giddily.
After a clicking smack of their lips, Beomgyu exhales and grins at the younger’s reddening and puffier lips, and his entire flushed face.
Taehyun, ever the straightforward one, now asks the question everyone’s been asking, “Are we dating?”
Beomgyu blinks, thinking about all the signs blaring at him since the beginning but never bothered to hear them since he’s focused on Taehyun himself the entire time. He’s been busy stashing and curating every Taehyun information in his Taehyun museum, he forgets what it would look like from the outside.
Since the beginning, both of them have been enjoying every discovery of the differences they have, and it grows into a competitive thing to see who knows more of the other. And now, it blooms into something else. Now, he simply loves knowing Taehyun, his mind, his body, and his soul.
And maybe he does love him. For to know is to love, as they say. And he’s glad that he knows Taehyun is in the same boat and can never leave; it’s just funny that all that’s left is realizing that they practically do date already, and so he softens his gaze.
It’s so nice to see that they’ve been charting constellations in their scattered stars together.
Beomgyu finally gives him a toothy grin and whispers, “I think we’re more than that, Taehyun-ah.”
Taehyun’s eyes glimmer in tears of joy despite the sultry look, “Then, can I leave a mark on you?” He points by tracing his neck with his thumb, “Here?”
He chuckles lowly, “To stress everyone out? Go ahead.”
Once he gets his answer, Taehyun goes straight to the spot he suggested, gracing his neck enough to leave a hickey, eliciting a shivering moan from Beomgyu. Even though he stated only a specific spot, it doesn’t stop him from adding more, making Beomgyu weak in the knees, and ends up pressing his body on his — his canvas now easier to paint on.
When he can’t take it any longer, Beomgyu decides to return the favor tenfold. He feels the younger squirm beneath him, hears his tiny pants against his ear the more he leaves hickeys, mimicking the places where Taehyun left his.
He feels Taehyun’s hands roaming around his back then presses him harder when he gets ticklish. He can’t help but coo and smile, and of course, Taehyun can feel him laughing even inwardly, so he slaps his back. Beomgyu snorts at his reaction, and eventually laughs out loud.
The younger pushes off him slightly to face him in pout, “Stop laughing, it’s pissing me off.”
“I know, sorry. But you’re so cute,” he receives a glare, “Come on, just one more so we match. Fight it, Tyun-ah.”
Taehyun huffs, “Then don’t laugh. Or I’ll make your lips bleed.”
“Can’t tell if you’re going to punch me or kiss me more.”
“If you push your luck, then I’ll go for the first one.”
He rolls his eyes while grinning, “Fine, I’ll try my best.” He dives on the unmarked spot, causing Taehyun to inhale sharply. He makes sure to suck it hard enough to bruise the most and earns a hitch of breath from the younger, a new favorite sound.
Beomgyu records everything in head, stashes it inside his Taehyun library for him to reread and reenact later.
Busy being stuck inside their own universe, unfortunately, Taehyun’s phone rings and that causes both of them to stop and sigh in irritation.
Taehyun reaches for his phone while Beomgyu is still on top of him peppering kisses, which he knows the younger is totally fine with.
Begrudgingly, Taehyun checks the caller ID and answers, “Hello?” He can see the younger struggling to keep the noises in.
“Hey, loverboy, do I have to remind you that you’re a college student who still needs to attend classes?” They can hear Yeonjun’s eyes rolling from the speaker, “Yunjin asked me if you’re sick since you’re not in Opera class.”
“Oh shit, Prof. Kwon is gonna kill me.” Taehyun bites his lip and looks up to him, “Sorry, Beomgyu, but get off me. Let's just do this later.”
“I’m still on a call with you, Taehyun-ah,” Yeonjun monotonously complains while Kai and Soobin are giggling from a distance.
Beomgyu grins and interjects, “Sorry, Jjunie-hyung, we’ll be there.” He hangs up the call while Taehyun scoffs at him in amusement. He gets up and lends a hand to help his Taehyun get up as well.
He goes to his closet and checks Taehyun to see which outfit from his wardrobe suits him. Once he’s done picking, he hands them over to the younger, and without any word, Taehyun strips in front of him and Beomgyu suddenly doesn’t know how to act.
Calm down, Beomgyu. Taehyun has done this in front of you too many times to count. Heck, they shower together from time to time to see who’s faster. Does being aware of one’s feelings make everything amplified? His heart now constantly makes itself known with how loud its beat is.
“…Are you literally drooling?” Taehyung cheekily asks while his very toned everything is staring at Beomgyu shamelessly. He has always been a fan of his muscles. Sue him.
Beomgyu wipes his mouth and turns around, flustered. “Shut up.” He removes his shirt, sensing the stare behind him but fights the tingling to focus on changing his clothes.
Once they’re done fixing themselves, they go downstairs and are met with a sulking brother who’s eating strawberry ice cream while watching a performance of Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 2 Op. 18 on TV, tearing up, which is valid.
When he sees the two of them, his brother, of course, has to be dramatic as hell, overly-scandalized at their marked necks. “Did you guys forget you have classes today because you were busy boinking? Frickle frackling?! Doing the do?!”
“The fuck?! No! We didn’t do whatever those are?!” Beomgyu screams back.
Taehyun, the little shit, decides to stress his brother furthermore and adds, “Yet!”
Both of them run while holding hands, giggling while his brother chases them like a dad with a shotgun.
They hurriedly hop inside the bus, pulling each other closely in safety as they bump their foreheads softly, giggling like rebellious teenagers, not caring about the world that surrounds them.
The morning light always looks good on Taehyun; he has that fact noted down since they first met, but today, the younger looks divine with his skin glowing like the sunshine is present in his veins.
His smile torturously has Beomgyu’s heart in a chokehold, especially his dimple. And now he misses feeling that fang against his lips.
Those knowing eyes where all galaxies are stored for Beomgyu to stargaze at any time, those eyes that he can peek through like a window on a first snowfall like they shared, where its soul has been always warm for him, oh how he can’t get tired of them.
He has been so used to seeing Taehyun everyday, that missing just one day feels like a sin.
His yesterday has been the worst because his tomorrow felt so far away.
But now with Taehyun so close to him, Beomgyu, for sure, knows that he feels like himself more.