Taehyung's pov, 

Money. 

A medium of exchange for anything that humans use to buy goods and services. Nobody can survive here on earth without a pocket full of those currency papers. And I was seriously in need of them. 

It had been twelve days since I came to earth.  Nothing much happened other than the limited money I got to spend on the basic indispensables reached to the bottom. Shooky was using his share wisely, also he'd gotten his first month's salary yesterday, but that grumpy refused to give me more than just some bucks. His reason—  'I'm paying your college fees, books and other things. And you're wasting unnecessarily on food and garments! Why do you have to buy expensive pastries and burgers three times a day, where you could survive on carrots and boiled pumpkin or potatoes without getting sick before our departure!' —left me utterly befuddled. I would be a fool to expect that frozen hearted sonta would treat me better. I was disappointed but didn't argue. It would be a waste of time and my energy. Better if we had switched our roles from the very beginning— where I would be the professor, earning all that good stuff, living a respectful life and he, Shooky would be the student, living under my mercy, 

I shook my head, turned off the gurgling sound of the transparent electric kettle, as my carrots seemed well cooked from outside, then poured them out in a medium sized bowl, and placed them carefully on the empty side of my little study table. Now I just had to sprinkle some salt and sugar to make it a meal. 

I'd planned to eat this until it became unappetizing, then switch it with pumpkins. 

  "Are you going to have that again?" Jimin asked the moment he came out of the bathroom with just his towels. He had got muscles, not as much as Jungkook, but his body was well toned and curvy. Seeing him half-naked wasn't bothering me anymore as I was pretty much used to living in an all boys dormitory. Not only my roommates, male humans wearing underwear or ultra short shorts could be spotted outside the corridor, on the terrace, smoking, singing, painting or just partying to celebrate their little achievements. 

  "Carrots are delicious." I show him my best fakest smile. 

  "Yeah, but you're eating this everyday.  Are you going vegan or something?" Jimin half-smiled. Because of Sunday we didn't have classes today, so Jimin was taking a significant amount of time setting his hair with gel.

  "What's wrong with being a vegan?" I mumbled what I read on the internet. "They had a 15% lower risk of dying prematurely from all causes. That means vegan people live longer."

  Jimin turned, "Is that so? 

  "It is. I have quitted meat and eggs. They're expensive and unhealthy."

  "Really? But you don't look happy eating this." 

  "Who says that?" I quickly stuffed my mouth with a big chunk of carrot and faked a foodorgasm in an attempt to show that I was more than happy now. Jimin chuckled and softly ruffled my hair with the tips of his small fingers. I liked it when he did that. 

  "Well, good luck then." 

  "Thanks." I turned my eyes back to my carrot soup. It tested bland. But ok. 

A knock at the door. 

Jungkook, my subject, walked in a second later, holding a fat plastic bag in one hand and an unsealed packet of banana milk in the other. His dark hair was ruffled, and he wore a white shirt, loosely hanging around his narrow waist.  "Jiminie, can you help me put the table in the center so we could have our lunch together?" 

  "Yeah hold on." Jimin then raised his arms and slid down his favorite red T-shirt which he said was a gift from Hoseok. hurried his hands putting on his shorts and quickly hung the wet towel over a laundry hanger. Then dragged the table to the center and placed their chairs across each other. 

  The mouthwatering aroma hammered my nostrils when the cooked items Jungkook brought were put one by one on the table. Stealing a glance, I saw that Jungkook had brought all his favourite foods that I came to know from Jimin. There were hamburgers, chicken pizzas, bibimbap, ramens, bulgogi with spiced vegetables on the side. And a soft drink named coke. 

Biting my lip, I held the chopsticks tightly. I really needed to close my eyes and let those appetizing aromas take over my senses, so that I could imagine having them instead of my carrots which were now mocking me in a sweet manner. 

Then again something unexpected happened.

  "Taehyung," I snapped my eyes open when Jungkook called me by my earth name, "Come here, have lunch with us."

Blinking rapidly I confirmed that it wasn't my depressed stomach's fantasy. Jungkook, the weirdest human on earth, the moody human who always ran away whenever I tried going near him to study his mental and physical statistics, his likes-dislikes, thoughts on certain things and all the things that was needed for my assignment;  was waiting for me at the table to have lunch together! 

  Seeing me confused, Jimin told me, "He just got his paycheck yesterday. That's why he's treating us." 

How generous! 

  Before I could go and sit there having the most delicious food I was going to have and feel myself filling up my heart and stomach, Jimin spoke up again, "Oh right, Taehyung decided to quit non-veg from now on. He can't eat all of these. You should have asked him before Jungkook-ah."

'Life is anything that grows and eventually dies,' —I read it somewhere, but I could now relate it with my hope. It died. 

  "Oh I see." Jungkook eyed the food, pressed his lips together as he assumed a large portion was going to get wasted because we didn't have a refrigerator to store the leftovers. He nodded, looking at me. "It's ok. Enjoy your meal."

  "Thanks for asking anyway. You too enjoy your food." I had to act unbothered because I could not make another excuse tomorrow, or the day after, and not everyday Jungkook would get his paycheck and treat us. If only I had those green pieces of paper, I thought, if only I had a pretty paycheck like Jungkook! If only I had a job like Jungkook! 

Wait! A sudden thought knocked at my skull— If jungkook could work outside, why couldn't I? 

  "Jungkook,"

Jungkook's dark doe eyes were on me now. 

  "May I ask how much you earn?"

Jimin frowned, turned his head to his friend for the answer. I wondered if Jungkook had ever told anyone before. 

  "Not enough to live in an expensive city like Seoul," Jungkook peeled the wrapper of his thick cheese hamburger and took the first bite, closing his eyes, shrinking his little pink lips, chewing slowly, blessing his taste buds with all the cheese and spices. 

  "Pardon," Gulping down the overflowing water extracting under my tongue, I asked,  "I have asked for the amount. Digit."

  The reply came leisurely,  "250 K won. Why?" 

A quick calculation later I came to the conclusion that the salary was not enough to have those shiny black shoes and bags that caught my eyes in the departmental store near our dorm I visited with Jimin, but at least I could buy desserts and all the things Jungkook had bought today. And I could buy some medicines made by humans for my personal experiment. Less than eleven months had left for me on earth, I wanted to spend everyday my way. 

The decision was made. 

  "Jungkook," I dragged my chair, dragging his attention, and sat extremely close to him. Our knees touched before he moved some centimeters away. "I want to do this job. I want to work with you." 

  Jungkook stopped munching, stared at me, those dark eyes so close. "You can't."

  "I can." I wasn't backing away. By hook or by crook I was determined to convince him. "I can do everything that you can. Or better." 

A casual reminder: I was a year older than him in earth time. 

  Jimin looked at me with a worryingly surprised face, "Tae, babe, this is not as easy as you think. Have you seen Jungkook? He hardly studies these days, gets irritated easily, and always sleeps during lectures. Can you see the dark circles under his eyes, they are the receipt of his sleepless nights."

  "But he is earning nah? All his hard work is paying off when he brings home money." Humans couldn't imagine the pressure of work we did on BT. And I was not a student there, I was a full time employee of our Pharmaceutical laboratory.  "Also,  I want to have a cellphone. Not an expensive one like you Jimin, but at least I can listen to the music or play games with it while waiting for the next class. I want to join our college group chat and read all the gossip together with you. I want to go shopping with you. Not that window shopping we did yesterday, but the actual shopping. And I want to buy food, a lot of food everyday and sometimes treat my roomies."

Gosh! Say something— they were just staring at me weirdly. 

  Jimin decided to speak first, "You never said that you want to join our GC!" 

  "Because I didn't have a smartphone."

  "Hey Jungkook," Jimin tapped the other human's shoulder who had averted his attention to the food ignoring me, concentrating on the chicken pizza now. "You said one of your colleagues resigned a few days ago and you're having work pressure because of that?"

  "Yeah so?" 

  "So take Taehyung with you and ask your boss to give him that job. He wants a job, you want a colleague. It will be a win-win for both of you."

Some balloon of hope popped inside my mind, making my heart pounding. 

  "You're suggesting that I should take him there to G-pub?" Jungkook stopped munching for a moment. "Can he do anything without being dramatic?" 

  I had an objection. "I am not dramatic." 

  Jungkook glanced at me, "Not dramatic but a dumbo. You are like a walking disaster. Can't do anything without making it a big deal."

  "I will do everything that you would say. Please, take me with you." It left me with no other choice than begging. 

  "Everything like," Taking a big bite of his pizza, Jungkook threw me an are-you-sure look. "Will you shift to another room?" 

What was he saying? I could not change my subject after spending a whole week on him. My labour would get wasted. 

  "No, I can't." I clearly told him. 

  "Can you stop following me everywhere like my shadow?" 

  I shook my head, "I can't do that either, because I like you-"

  Jungkook made a harsh, choked sound in the back of his throat, then spurted out the half-chewed pizza over his plate, eyes rounded, coughing vigorously. 

  "Jungkook!"  Jimin quickly filled a glass with water and made him drink while violently patting his back, calming him down. 

  "-As a friend." He reacted before letting me finish my sentence. "I wanted to be your friend since the first day but I messed everything up. Now I can't undo my actions that made you embarrassed in the class, nor can I erase the memory from Mr Bang's head and bring your attendance back. But still I want to be your friend."

  "Stop it Tae, let him breathe first?" Jimin mildly rebuked before sitting on his chair. To Jungkook he said, "Do you need more water?"

  His friend shook his head when sobered up and coldly looked at me. 

  "Sorry." I whispered. 

  "Well sorry from both sides." When Jungkook spoke, his cadence had changed. His words were cold, firm and to the point. "I don't have any vacancies for new friends"

  "Jungkook, don't be mean. He just wants to be your friend." Jimin told him. 

  "I am not a great person, you know that Jimin." 

  "I only know that you're softie inside. Just like a tender coconut."

  "Stop comparing me with coconuts, dammit!" Jungkook growled. 

  "Ok I won't. But just look at his eyes," Jimin pointed out my eyes. I fluttered my eyelids. "He's begging you." I nodded. 

 Glancing at my eyes, Jungkook steeled for a moment. There must be something in my eyes that made him turn 180 perfect degrees.

"Alright." He sounded defeated. "I am taking him with me tonight. And shall talk to my boss for him, but I have a condition." He sighed. Probably trying to calm himself. "Tell him to get this into his Neanderthal brain that if he ever try to do something stupid again, I won't let him breathe in peace."

  "Of course I won't do anything stupid." I laughed, waving my hand over him in a what-are-you-saying gesture. "You can trust me."  His expression didn't change. Eyes not moving. 

Was trusting me that difficult? 

Anyway, it was difficult for me to hold back anymore. I picked up a thin slice of the pizza and took the biggest bite, almost entirely shoved it in my mouth. Just like its aroma, it tasted awesome. 

  "Hey," Jimin pinned me with a confused stare, "You said you've quit meat and gone vegan?"

  “Now I'm quitting being a vegan." I managed to speak in between chomping, "Thanks for the food."

________________

Isn't our alien cute?

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