It's been a couple of months since Taehyung and Hoseok got married. The only time was weekend when he could meet his cousins. But they too were very busy nowadays. He was bored as Taehyung was always at the office. Even when he was at home, Tae would be glued to his laptop. At times, he would lock himself in a room. Hoseok wanted to ask him but he controlled himself. He thought that changing the house would do some good in their relationship but that didn't do much apparently.
He loved glass painting. So, one Monday morning after Taehyung left, he gave a hand in trying to paint the doors and windows of their apartment. For him, it looked quite bland. Unfortunately, he locked himself out in the balcony. He looked around for his phone but sadly, he had left it on the coffee table in the hall. "Dammit." He mentally cursed himself.
"Hey....!!! Helloooo......" He was screaming when his neighbor appeared on their balcony.
"Anyohaseyo" Hoseok bowed to the neighbor. He was a man in his 50s. "Anyohaseyo..what happened, son?". The old man asked.
"Uncle, I locked myself. Can you help me get a screwdriver?"
"Oh... Sure."
The old man went inside and within seconds gave him the tool. Within a few minutes, Hoseok pried open the door and was able to help himself out of the situation.
"Thank you, uncle."
"Welcome son. Say I haven't seen you around. Are you a friend of Taehyung?"
"Uncle. I am his husband."
"What? When did he get married?"
"We just got married 2 months back."
The old man just nodded as Hoseok continued, "Uncle. Thank you so much. If it's okay with you, can I invite you for a cup of coffee? I don't know anyone here and would like to meet everyone."
Within a few minutes, Taehyung's whole apartment was filled with people.
Taehyung was walking towards his apartment when he heard loud noises. He was welcomed with loads of shoes on their floor that he had to shove it to walk through them. He looked around and his eyes went wide. Oh No...the loud noises are coming from the main hall of his apartment. There were people who were chattering. A group of them were enjoying Football on TV while others were munching on foods. He looked for Hoseok who was talking to a bunch of people. Hoseok noticed him and smiled. "Hey, everyone Taehyung is here."
"Taehyung...
"Hi..."
"Hello...."
Taehyung smiled and bowed to the people who were hovering around in his house.
"Taehyung, you have been here for so many years and never even spoke or invited us to your home....and look at your husband Hoseok, he is so friendly and outgoing."
*******
The house was messy and was filled with smell of coffee, drinks and different types of food. Taehyung sat down on the couch. He was staring at Hoseok who was clearing up the table while rambling the day's incident to Taehyung. But it fell on deaf ears.
"Hoseok?" Tae called him.
"Hoseok?. No response as Hoseok was busy talking lost in his world.
"Jung Hoseok....!!!!" Taehyung's voice went an octave higher that made Hoseok jump scare in shock and shut up.
"Hoseok, this is my private space. Look at this mess. This is my home, not a public park."
Hoseok tried to explain again. "As I told you, I got locked in the balcony Tae and they helped me."
"I understand.....But why do you find yourself in these situations? And why do you have to draw on windows and doors? If you want to draw, why don't do you do it on some freaking canvas? Do you have to scribble it on windows? Just grow up, Hoseok."
He got up from the couch furiously and went to the room he always finds comfort in. Hoseok looked at Taehyung dejectedly. He never intended to hurt Taehyung. He was just trying to talk to people. He felt lonely in this house. He wanted around like a ghost at times lurking around not knowing what to do. But Taehyung was unaware of it. He wanted to talk to his cousins but he knew Jungkook is not the one to simply stand and let Hoseok suffer. He will respond immediately which won't end well for Taehyung.
Honestly, he didn't know what to do. This was not something he signed for in this marriage. He had hoped for a happy life with his husband and his cousins. When did he become like a bird in a cage?
He silently cleaned up all the mess and went back to the bedroom letting sleep and tiredness take over. Somewhere around midnight, Tae came out of the room and walked towards his bedroom. He saw Hoseok sleeping peacefully. His mind was a mess. He cannot get over the past and he knew it's affecting his future. He knew he had hurt Hoseok. It is something he created himself. Build a wall around himself so that no one could get past it. He couldn't bring himself to sleep near Hoseok....at least not tonight. He walked into the hall and plonked himself on the couch.
The next morning Taehyung woke up with colorful rays illuminating his face. He looked up and saw the early morning sunrays hitting through the door. He smiled unconsciously thinking of Hoseok. He looked at the sun that reminded him of Hoseok. His husband is truly creative.
He took a peak and saw Hoseok still sleeping peacefully. He made a cup of hot coffee and placed a note near it keeping it neatly beside Hoseok's bed and left for office.
"Thank you for the colors."
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"Jungkook........how are you feeling at our empire?"
Jungkook took a deep breath as he scanned the mechanic shop. Lots of cars and bikes stood in front of him. He had always wanted to be an ace racer and it was this driving force that made him follow his dream and passion. For him, it was not just about repairing cars or bikes...it was so much more than that. "Thank you Kai, I am truly grateful. This is so amazing."
Since he joined, he had already modified certain bikes, taught several amateur bikers how to hold the gear, twist the throttle. The sound of machine further fueled the fire to become the best racer.
All the workers of Kai's garage quickly became friends with Jungkook. They were all bonded with the love for racing.
"Guys, let's go." Jungkook was admiring at the graffiti painted at the walls of an open café nearby the mechanic store/race track where they all hung out after their work or at times whenever they needed a break. They sat on a bench when one of them spoke.
"Jungkook , do you know that this café, the garage and that motor cross track is all Kai's? He is our boss and leader."
Kai smiled. "Na, I am not the boss Jungkook . That would be "V"...He was an all-time champion." Kai smiled sadly as he remembered his friend.
The other member spoke. "I have never seen him but Kai tells that there is no one who can beat V in racing."
Jungkook hummed. "I would like to meet him someday".
"Kai...." They turned around to see who it was. It was a man in his 40s. He was walking towards them.
"Aah...David", Kai smiled and introduced him to Jungkook.
"Jungkook , meet David our best coach. He trains amateur bike racers." David looked at Jungkook as if sizing him up. Kai clarified that Jungkook joined as a mechanic in the garage to which David simply nodded.
"So, Jungkook , Kai said you modified some bikes? Can I see them", David asked.
"Its in the track. Let's go", Jungkook said proudly as they went back to the track.
The moment Jungkook 's eyes brimmed with pride. He knew this is where he belonged and he has the right people with him.
As the days go by Jungkook quickly became David's favorite. It was one of those days when he was fixing the bikes. He was observing some new amateur racers who were trying to ace each other in the track. David was training them how to handle the gears but nothing was working. It's like walking blindfolded through a minefield. He was pissed off.
"No matter how much you train them, they will never learn correctly."
"Why are you stressing up so much, David?"
"Coz I am their freaking coach and these idiots can't even get it right?"
"Isn't that part of the coach's training to ensure that they do it right?"
Kai and the others came by to watch. "Ohh, come on David, they will do well. Trust is everything, right?"
"Shut up, Kai. If this goes on, we may have to shut down", David barked and walked away to grab a cup of coffee. All this stress was giving him a headache.
One of the racers sat at the bike which Jungkook had just fixed. "This is so cool, Jungkook. The speed is all set now, right?"
"Yes."
The racer was about to start when Jungkook said. "Change the way you sit. You see that dip in the front. That's the sweet spot. Sit on it. And your chin should be always parallel to the handle bar. Let me show you."
The racer got down and Jungkook sat on it. He sat on the bike and felt his body connecting with the bike's. His body automatically geared up with the bike as he took off.
All the racers including the Kai and David looked in awe. He is not an ordinary guy and he is definitely not meant to be just a bike mechanic. The kid's got more skills than that. They looked at each other and nodded. The Seoul Superbike Championship will be held this year....and who else will be perfect for it?
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TBC........
Happy weekend...!!!!