Work Text:
Jiung knows Choi Taeyang.
Not personally, only on the surface level as Intak’s ex of some sort, but it was a short relationship though. Only lasted a few weeks? A month at most? Then, Jiung didn’t see him near his circle at all, until today.
Jiung awkwardly sits down in front of Taeyang who lets out a small smile to him as an act of acknowledgement while they both listen to their professor talk in front, explaining their weekly group essay where they have to submit a short essay over topics that will be given periodically. Jiung can see one of his group members not paying attention, giggling over something on their phone so he sighs. Group projects are the bane of his existence, he just knows this is going to stress him out.
The class ends but Jiung asks if any of them are free to discuss this project as soon as possible to chase the deadline but the other 3 people who are in the group immediately rush out.
“Sorry, dude! I have work but just tell me my part later,”
Jiung sighs because he can’t be mad at that.
“Yea, I have things to do. You divide the work, team leader. I will just follow.”
Jiung clicks his tongue as he feels his anger start to rise up to his chest. Since when was he the team leader?
“...”
Jiung groans, forgetting that the last guy wasn’t even in the class.
He is about to opt to leave the class himself as he groans into his crossed arms, face planted on the table before he hears someone clearing their throat. Jiung looks up and is flustered to see Choi Taeyang just staring at him, his cheek resting on his palm.
“Well, there are two of us. If they don’t want to contribute then we should only put our names. We will be Choi One and Choi Two,” he laughs to himself. Jiung immediately sits straight and opens his tab to start writing down and show Taeyang his idea that he immediately thought of after the professor assigned them their topic for the week. Taeyang hums as he follows the movement of Jiung’s hands, slowly building up contents for them to do.
Jiung stops before he lifts his head up to look at Taeyang, feeling like he took over the project so he puts down his stylus pen and pushes the tab to Taeyang. “What do you think? Didn’t mean to talk over you.” Taeyang just brushes it off and takes Jiung’s stylus from his hand and starts jotting down his thoughts, with Jiung peeking to see what he has written before he puts down the pen and smiles at Jiung.
“Done, I think your ideas are good. I just added some points that will go more in depth about the jazz rap genre so we can get more marks.”
Jiung nods, taking in the points before he saves the discussion inside his tab. “Yea, I think we are all set. The parts that we’re leaving out for the other three though, if they don’t participate, I will take the origin and conclusion, and you can take the introduction.” Taeyang hums an okay before he zips up his bag and stands up.
“Just text me if you have anything else to share, or you can make a group chat. Whichever you prefer, bye Jiung!” which makes Jiung halt before he reaches out and holds onto Taeyang’s arm.
“Wait,” He immediately lets go and scratches his head, “Sorry, but your number…” Jiung mumbles. Taeyang just tilts his head sideways before laughing, shaking his head and asks for Jiung’s phone that is on the table. Jiung slides it off to Taeyang’s hand as his nimble fingers start filling out his details before he passes it back to Jiung.
“Here you go, tell Intak I said hi, by the way,” Taeyang says that and immediately walks away, not minding Jiung who is still holding his phone and reads the contact name that Taeyang has saved into his phone.
Sunny ☀️
A wordplay on his name? Why is that cute?
🍪
“Hyung, I am going out later but someone will come and drop off my stuff. Just letting you know,” Intak says right as Jiung throws himself onto the bed and plants his face into his pillows. Jiung just signs an OK to him, sleepiness almost takes over his body before he remembers Taeyang’s words.
“Intak, Choi Taeyang said hi. We are in the same group project, so yea,” Jiung says carefully as he slowly sits up, curious to see Intak’s expression but instead of looking pitiful or angry, Intak just grins, with not a single care in his bones and exclaims, “Taeyang hyung? Haven’t heard from him for a while. That’s nice. Tell him I said hi back if you see him again.”
Jiung just sits there, taking in Intak’s word because he is confused over the relationship these two have. Considering Jiung only has had bad breakups, he couldn’t imagine being friendly to your own ex but having that kind of short relationship isn’t normal either so Jiung really doesn’t know what to make of it.
But he is grateful that at least, he knows that Taeyang isn’t a bad person to be around.
He immediately throws his head back into his pillows and falls asleep, not even realizing the click of the door when Intak left or when his friend came over to drop off Intak’s speaker he borrowed.
🍪
Taeyang:
Hey, Jiung
Do you mind checking my part on Google Docs?
My brain is too muddled at this point
I am not sure I can handle reading
Jiung:
Sure!
While it drew from these disparate threads, jazz rap did not coalesce as a genre until the late 1980s. At this time, the jazz community was divided between those who appreciated traditional styles and others who embraced newer forms like smooth jazz. AAAA I HAVE NO IDEA ON ELABORATION. Influential figures like Wynton Marsalis played a pivotal role in this transformation, advocating for a return to traditional jazz values.
Jiung giggles upon seeing this before he adds another sentence below the paragraph Taeyang has written.
Taeyang-ah, I think you forgot to write this part 🤣
Oh my god this is so embarrassing
I forgot I wrote that
Thank you Jiung
Anytime ^^
🍪
“Jiung, hi,” Jiung looks up and sees Taeyang. “Do you mind if I sit here?” Jiung just shakes his head. Taeyang sees the music sheets Jiung has and asks, “What instrument do you play?”
“Guitar and piano, but I focus on guitar,” Jiung replies, eyeing the books Taeyang brought with him for their essay. Taeyang visibly lights up at this as he grins, “Oh my god, me too but don’t tell my cellist teacher that, she’s going to hate to know this.”
“You don’t like playing cello?” Jiung moves his attention from his laptop screen to Taeyang who is fiddling with the page of the book he is researching from. “Hm, cello feels like an obligation to my career while guitar and piano feel more like a hobby. I love both, obviously,” Taeyang smiles. Jiung remembers from somewhere in the corner of his brain that Intak has told him once about this, saying something like the guy I’m seeing is a classical music student. Isn’t that fucking cool? But Jiung doesn’t tell him that. Instead, he just nods in acknowledgement.
They have decided that they work better when together after 3 weeks of struggling to match each other’s time to properly check their essay before submitting their work so they meet up every Friday at 3 p.m in the library as it’s the only day they are free at the same time.
There, Jiung has learned that Taeyang gets chilly easily but refuses to bring any jacket as layering takes too much of his time when it’s not even winter and wears his glasses while doing his work. He also always skips lunch because, again, takes too much of his time. So, Jiung, who also wonders why he does this, brings a jacket with him every time and a pack of chocolate chip cookies that he always buys from the cafeteria to the library. It doesn’t bother him to lend a helping hand to Taeyang so they formed an unspoken norm between them.
Taeyang will sit in front of Jiung then they work, then he will complain that he’s cold. Jiung will slowly slide his jacket towards Taeyang and gesture for him to wear it. Taeyang will accept it and focus back on his work before he complains under his breath that he is hungry. Jiung will point at the pocket of the jacket and put his pointer finger in front of his lips to make sure Taeyang opens the paper wrapper slowly before eating the cookies.
Taeyang told him once,
“You always buy these, it must be your favorite.”
Jiung contemplated before he shrugged, he really only buys those because it’s cheap and doesn’t hurt his pocket. Besides, it’s in a paper wrapper so it is way easier to open one in the library. Before this, he buys it when he is craving for sweets but it became a habit for him to grab one for Taeyang every Friday, at 2.50 p.m because it takes him approximately 7 minutes to walk to the library from the cafeteria.
This time, they are working on the topic of The Evolution of K-POP As A Genre.
Taeyang is focused on his part of the essay, comfortable in Jiung’s jacket with an empty wrapper inside his pocket and Jiung too, is busy typing on the Google Docs page he has opened, adding more points to his essay before a sentence pops up under the paragraph he is currently writing.
Modern K-pop "idol" culture began in the 1990s, as K-pop idol music grew into a subculture of South Korean culture and amassed enormous fandoms of teenagers and young adults. The more modern form of the genre, originally termed "rap dance", emerged with the formation of the hip hop boy band Seo Taiji and Boys, in 1992.
Choi Jiung
What?
Is Intak seeing anyone?
Suddenly?
Curious.
Jiung looks up from his laptop at the same time as Taeyang who giggled as their eyes met each other.
Some guy named Keeho, it’s been going on for quite some time
Are you not over him?
Taeyang snorts.
I have been over him since a looooong time ago
Can’t a guy be curious?
“You can,” Jiung whispers, which makes Taeyang look up from his own laptop and crinkles his eyes as he bursts into laughter. That earns a stern shush from the librarian but Taeyang just laughs even more.
Cute.
Backspace.
🍪
Jiung thinks Taeyang and him are cordial enough but he doesn’t know if they are close enough for him to greet him outside campus when he sees Taeyang sitting inside a cafe with his laptop open and a cup of hot chocolate in front of him. He doesn’t know if it iss pure coincidental, or Taeyang has a spidey sense, or he just has been staring at Taeyang for a long time that Taeyang lifts his head up and smiles when he sees Jiung.
Jiung feels warmth spread inside his chest as he steps into the cafe and sees that Taeyang is removing his bag from the chair beside him and gestures for Jiung to sit with him. Jiung follows Taeyang’s direction and sits right next to Taeyang, his laptop screen showing that he is studying music history.
“You’re alone?” Jiung asks which Taeyang just nods at before he switches off his laptop and takes off his glasses. “Yes, I needed somewhere other than my room and the library to work on my assignment because my brain is not cooperating and I have to submit this by midnight,” he answers before he adds, “You’re also alone?”
Jiung nods, “I was just walking around the park outside, touching grass and everything.” Taeyang snorts before he sips on his hot chocolate, licking his upper lips along the foam from the drink that’s there.
“Is there no news at all from our other group members?” Taeyang asks. Jiung just sighs and shakes his head before showing Taeyang the unanswered chatroom between Jiung and the other three. Taeyang just rolls his eyes, unimpressed, and asks Jiung for his phone to read the messages properly.
“So, it really is Choi One and Choi Two now? We should inform the professor to just take their names off rather than telling him weekly that the other three aren’t joining,” Taeyang suggests, which Jiung agrees with, noting it in the corner of his brain to do it later.
Taeyang suddenly pushes his laptop towards Jiung, a page full of just words staring right back at Jiung, “Do you mind reading the third paragraph if it makes sense? I have been struggling over it for quite some time,” Jiung squints his eyes and starts reading the whole thing carefully. He is too focused, he doesn’t realize anything until he hears Taeyang giggling over something.
When he looks up, Taeyang is still giggling but he points at Jiung’s phone, not so subtly asking him to check. Jiung picks up his phone and sees that he has a notification from Taeyang on KakaoTalk. He quickly opens it and it’s a picture of Jiung with messily drawn mouse ears over his hair with whiskers and big teeth.
“You really looked like a mouse here,” Taeyang says, with a big smile on his face. Jiung doesn’t like to have people take his pictures, and finds it particularly annoying if people take one in secret but the smile on Taeyang’s face tugs something from his heart, which also tugs the corner of his lips.
“I am curious though, do you not put any profile picture on your KakaoTalk?” Taeyang asks while tilting his head, his big eyes glistening under the lights. Jiung shrugs before he pushes Taeyang’s laptop back at him, “Too lazy. Your paragraph is just fine, by the way. You have nothing to worry about.”
Taeyang gasps at that, before he asks for Jiung’s phone, “Give me your phone.” Jiung says nothing but he slips his phone to Taeyang and lets Taeyang use it while Jiung just watches as he clicks on some things before giving it back to Jiung.
“Done,” he grins in satisfaction.
“What did you do?” Jiung asks as he unlocks his phone, seeing nothing different than usual which Taeyang just quips, “You can check.” Jiung just stares at Taeyang who is still smiling cheekily, not breaking the eye contact between them before Jiung relents. He puts his phone inside his pocket and rests his cheek against his palm, “Lazy.”
“Everything is lazy with you,” Taeyang shakes his head as he shuts his laptop down, happy with his now finished work that he only has to submit once he gets back.
“Have you eaten?” Jiung asks, as he only sees Taeyang sipping on the cup the entire time with no plate in sight. “Yea, I just don’t feel like it,” Taeyang shrugs. Jiung pulls a face before he stands up and comes back with a plate of croissant with chicken salad and a chocolate chip cookie for Taeyang. Taeyang laughs as Jiung puts the plate down, pointing at the chocolate chip cookie, “Again? Is this your favorite?”
“It’s a safe flavor, if your chocochip cookie isn’t good than anything else isn’t good either,” Jiung replies. He pushes the plate to Taeyang and waits for Taeyang to take his bite.
“Thank you, Jiung.” Taeyang smiles, hand reaching out to grab on Jiung’s hand only for a second before biting on the chocolate chip cookie.
Jiung:
Hey, i am at the convenience store
Do you want anything
Intak:
Melona ice cream
You finally put a profile picture huh
“Huh?” Jiung looks at his profile and there it is, the picture that Taeyang took of Jiung earlier, with no drawn mouse ears or big teeth though. He smiles to himself as he leaves Intak on read and opens the chatroom between Taeyang and him.
Jiung:
Taeyang
Taeyang:
Now I finally feel like I am not talking to a bot
Jiung can’t help but to laugh.
🍪
Jiung knows how gaining a crush on someone works, and he can’t help but to feel that it’s happening to him as he finds himself looking forward to Taeyang's messages, their Google Docs documents full of conversations between them when they work on their essays together. Jiung has also changed Taeyang’s contact name to Taenyangie, because he can’t help but to think that Taeyang acts just like one. He also discovered that his contact name on Taeyang’s phone is just the mouse emoji.
Jiung thinks and smiles to himself, cat and mouse.
That’s what they are,
A pair of cat and mouse, not chasing each other, Instead, chasing the deadline of their assignments. He wishes they were chasing each other though, that way, it’s not only him in this race of how fast he is going to fall for Taeyang.
Jiung feels guilty, though.
He thinks of Intak and Taeyang’s previous relationship and sighs.
Isn't this some sort of breaking the bro code?
The semester is almost over, and the essay that Jiung and Taeyang are working on is coming to an end. Jiung bites on his pen and thinks of the future between Taeyang and him. Will they continue to talk to each other or will their chat room turn dry the moment they submit this?
Oi
Yes?
We should celebrate that we are finally free from this together
What are you thinking of?
I’m not sure yet but I will tell you later
Okay
See you soon Choi Jiung
“I’m right here,” Jiung breaks the silence between them. Taeyang lifts his head and grins, mouth busy munching on some cookies.
I know
🍪
Taeyang:
[Location]
Saturday, 12 p.m
It’s a nice restaurant, cozy and homey, with sunlight filtering through their sheer curtains, it’s obvious that it is a bit upscaled so Jiung dresses up just a tiny bit better than he usually does and goes there with light steps from his dorm until his foot steps inside the shop, with a bell ring accompanying him.
(“You look like you’re in a good mood, hyung,” Intak points out as Jiung is buckling up his belt.
Jiung glances towards Intak and shrugs with a big smile decorating his face, “Am I?”)
Jiung almost falls to his knees seeing Choi Taeyang outside of his hoodie and jeans, his breath getting knocked out of his lungs when the sunlight hits the dangly earrings Taeyang is wearing, his lips redder than usual and his fair skin and collarbone staring right at Jiung as the shirt he’s wearing is unbuttoned for the first few buttons.
Taeyang looks up when the bell rings and puts down his phone, his attention now fully on Jiung. “Sorry if it’s a bit far from campus. I want to treat you to something better than just croissants and coffees,” he says. Jiung sits down and shakes his head, “You know you don’t have to.”
Taeyang just says nothing and just gestures for Jiung to take the menu as the waitress comes to their table. Taeyang starts telling Jiung of a concert he is currently preparing. Jiung has heard of it, of course, he cares a tiny bit about what the classical music kids are doing these days.
“You have to come,” Taeyang tells him. “You’re my guest, don’t cancel on me at the last minute or I will come knocking on your door,” Taeyang jokingly threatens, with his foot kicking on Jiung’s shin playfully. Jiung hasn't said yes yet but he thinks Taeyang knows that saying no to him isn’t in Jiung’s vocabulary so Jiung just nods and accepts the invitation, writing it down on his calendar to not let any schedule clash with the concert.
Jiung stares at Taeyang who is in front of him, the sunlight hitting his face on the right edges, highlighting his soft features with Chopin playing in the background. Taeyang is still kicking his shin under the table, this time, rhythmically as he is enjoying the music. Jiung can’t help when his palms get sweaty, with his heart beating hard against his chest as he looks around to see couples around them.
“Are you going somewhere after this?” Taeyang asks. Jiung clears his throat and slowly taps on the table.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
Almost like the rhythm of his own heart.
“After this date?”
Jiung feels the world comes to a still as he accidentally slips up the word that keeps lingering in his mind in front of Taeyang who freezes and slowly lifts his head from resting on his palm to look at Jiung properly. Jiung doesn’t know if it has been 30 seconds or 30 minutes since Jiung suddenly put an elephant, not in the room, in fact, it’s on to the table, in between them right before the food they ordered arrived as the waitress served it nicely on the damn elephant.
“Let’s eat first.”
Oh no.
Only the sound of cutleries against the porcelain is heard from the table as both Taeyang and Jiung eat in silence. In fact, both of them say nothing as the waitress takes their plates away and they wait for dessert. Jiung fishes out his phone and starts opening random apps, just to make him feel less awkward about this before he hears the sound of a plate being put on the table.
He can’t help but to laugh and shake his head.
“Chocolate chip cookies?”
Taeyang takes one and puts it in his mouth, munching it slowly and wipes the crumbs away from the corner of his lips.
“Tradition.”
The elephant that Jiung put has apparently left the room as the tension between them dissolves the moment Jiung reaches out to grab a cookie. Taeyang continues kicking his shin before he hugs himself and rubs his arms, “It’s cold in here,” he complains.
Jiung raises his eyebrow at this before he feels a sense of familiarity when he peels off his leather jacket and slides it forward to Taeyang. For the first time in Jiung’s history, he sees Taeyang’s cheeks slowly turning pink as he takes the jacket and carefully wears it. Jiung can’t help himself so he parrots what Taeyang said earlier.
“Tradition.”
Jiung feels a sense of triumph when Taeyang giggles at his words right before Taeyang takes the last piece of the cookies.
Taeyang keeps his promise to pay for the lunch as Jiung waits outside for it to settle. Taeyang walks towards Jiung and wraps the jacket tightly around his body as they both walk out.
Only a few seconds afterwards, Taeyang breathes out, “If you want this to be a date, then you should have said so,” Jiung freezes before he turns to Taeyang who’s watching him intently, looking handsome with Jiung’s jacket around him.
Jiung thinks of the decisions he can make, all the choices he has in the world before he opens his mouth.
“I want this to be a date.”
The truth.
Taeyang tilts his head, his hair framing his face in a new angle as he holds up his hand, free and empty for Jiung to take. Jiung wipes his hands on his pants causing Taeyang to snort before he slots their fingers together and intertwines it.
“I have been waiting.”
Taeyang pulls Jiung closer, landing a peck on Jiung’s cheek which causes it to burn .
Jiung doesn’t even know why it took him this long when he thinks of how long he has had this crush going on. Was it when Taeyang fell asleep in the library? But he had been interested in Taeyang long before that. He thinks of the class they shared, and how he was surprised to see Taeyang there because… oh.
He remembers why it took so long.
Taeyang is Intak’s ex.
“Intak–” Jiung suddenly says, making Taeyang stop his steps to glare at him. “I should tell him,” Jiung says. He thinks of the bro code he just broke and starts to panic, “Taeyang, maybe this isn’t right, we–” he whispers.
Taeyang lets out an exasperated sigh before he pulls Jiung towards him so they stand face to face, “Didn’t he tell you why our arrangement ended?” he asks. Jiung shakes his head, thumb busy caressing Taeyang’s knuckle before he looks up, “No, not really.”
Taeyang immediately smiles and laughs, before shaking his head. His laughter rings across the sidewalk as he starts walking again, dragging Jiung into walking with him with their intertwined hands, “No wonder you’re so worried. I was hoping for you to use your resource, who is your roommate before asking me out.”
“How do you know I wanted to ask you out?” Jiung jokes which causes Taeyang to send one glance at him and breaks their hand holding. Jiung panics so he grabs Taeyang’s hand again and interlocks it, with Taeyang still glaring at him. “You’re the most obvious but oblivious guy ever, do you know that? You’re even worse than Intak.”
“Stop comparing!”
“Seriously, though. You have to ask Intak later.”
The date was fun. And they shared a kiss or two. Jiung also stayed the night at Taeyang’s.
🍪
“Intak, I have to be honest with you,” Jiung says as he sits on the bed, watching Intak who turned his head around to look at Jiung, “What?” he asks.
“I am… dating Choi Taeyang.” Jiung says in one breath, nervous over Intak’s reaction as he stands up and walks towards Jiung. He ends up sitting crossed legged in front of Jiung as he looks at his older roommate in fascination.
Jiung feels his nerves bubbling out from his body when he couldn’t read the blank expression Intak is making so he inmediately jumps to explain himself, “It’s new and I am sorry for not telling you and for breaking bro code because I can’t imagine my friend dating one of my exes but like–”
“Hyung, calm down. It’s okay, he’s not my ex,” Intak says before he continues, “I am not mad at you at all.”
“What do you mean he is not your ex? You brought him around?” Jiung asks, with confusion evident on his face while he tries to wrap his head around this new revelation that Taeyang is not Intak’s ex. Intak scratches his head and clears his throat, letting Jiung know that he wants to add more.
“We went on a few dates, yes. You saw him during one of it but it didn’t work, wouldn’t ever work out because we aren’t… compatible.”
“But you told me that he was a fun guy to be around before?” Jiung frowns, feeling more confused now than before.
Intak sighs, with a flustered face and red cheeks, rubbing his hands on his face, “Do you really want me to say it?”
“Yes,” unyielding.
A moment of silence.
“We both like to bottom.”
Oh.
Oh.
“Sorry.”
“No, it’s fine. And I kind of know your role during sex now. Sorry, too, I guess.”