;;

jeongguk sat a respectable
distance away from his
teacher.

doe eyes wide and
awaiting, small hands
braced on his knees
as he remained seated
patiently with his legs
beneath him.

he wondered what he
was going to say.
what correlation this
man had with his dream
university.

jeongguk had discovered
that there was more to his
teacher than he'd initially
thought. this man was
strange, in a good way.

unpredictable.

jeongguk liked it.

"i was just looking
at summer courses
that the campus holds.."
taehyung trailed off,
placing a palm on the
laptop as his gaze
flickered over the
dusty, bleak coal in
jeongguk's antique
fireplace. they were
as dark as ever, the
younger was sure that
he could light the fire with
his burning eyes.
"and i came across the
admissions sector."

ah yes, the admissions.
if jeongguk was lucky,
he'd get to apply, though
he highly doubted that
would ever happen in
his life.

"i've checked it countless
times mr kim, i'm aware."
the boy replied quietly,
tracing a small finger across
the fabric of his trousers.

it was true, jeongguk
kept up to date with
all of the university open
days and what not. he would
never miss his chance with
anything if he thought he had
the capability to achieve something
of a standard such as that.
he read the student forums and
the the newsletters, he
checked for recently displayed
portraits and work from current
students, he could only admire
them from behind his screen.

"jeongguk.." why was
he so reluctant? taehyung
cleared his throat and
let his voice dip yet another
octave lower. his fingers
drummed away on his
lap, the smaller could
practically hear him thinking.
jeongguk wanted to reach
out and brush his hair
out of his face, he wanted him
to look at him, to watch him,
to keep his gaze fixated on
him. why was he so needy?
he had to stop.
"i don't know if you'd
be interested but.. they have
an extended qualification
project for the programme."

oh.

he'd heard about those.
never really looked into them
in detail because, frankly,
it didn't concern him in the
slightest. to tell the truth,
jeongguk was slowly giving
up on aiming so brutally high,
giving up on aiming for his
dream.

"under seventeens can't
enter." the teen whispered,
disappointment settling in the
pit of his stomach. really,
he'd tried, he'd tried everything
to get in but there was no way,
he'd just have to wait.

"i was thinking of submitting
a sample of your work." sinful and
forbidden, his tongue slid
across his plump bottom lip
as he turned to capture
jeongguk's gaze.

the teen's heart stopped
in his chest.

"i'm not good enough-"

"i beg to differ."

"i'm too young-"

"so was i."

what?!

taehyung-

what did he mean?
there wasn't the slightest
chance that he could get
in, his work was lacking in
all aspects, nothing would
impress them, nothing
would stand out, nothing
could ever grab their
attention and keep it transfixed.
he'd just have to wait the most
of a year for his brain to mature.

so he could think of some
fresh ideas and start a new.

he wasn't good enough for them.

and what did taehyung mean-
'so was i."

that didn't make any sense.

and oh, the extension
required an essay submitted
with your final pieces, your
inspiration and motivation and
the artist that you most looked
up to. jeongguk really wasn't
that good with his words, things
would have to stay on the
standstill till his birthday rolled
around. and even then, he'd
be privileged to even be
considered for such a prestige.

"you think age really matters?"
his teacher furrowed his brows
at him.

"well yes, those are the rules-"

"fuck the rules." his teacher
let out an incredulous
laugh, deep irises flickering
with a certain anger flashing
in his eyes.

something stirred in the
the depth of jeongguk's
tummy, a brewing storm.
heat rushed to his cheeks
as the mere words left
the older's lips.

he swore.

shit taehyung swore.

that was hot.

"wh-what do you mean?"
the boy mumbled. there wasn't
any way around this. if there was,
jeongguk would have taken a
step forward. he felt his breath
hitch in his throat from the
rawness of taehyung's intense
gaze, eyes flickering under
his thick, furrowed brows.

"age," the older
breathed a gentle sigh.
"such a barrier to this,
i hated it then and i hate
it now. nothing's changed."
jeongguk watched as
taehyung's hand curled
into a tight fist, the veins
and his knuckles prominent
against his tan skin.

"it's there as guidance.."
jeongguk trailed off when
he sensed his growing
agitation.

"they don't understand."
he scoffed, in his eyes,
he held the anger of the
world. "if they only saw
what i did."

"that's the thing about
art, mr kim. everyone's
perceptions are different,
it's pleasantly frustrating
but the uniqueness; it
brings up together as a
community, a society where
we can convey ourselves
in our own eyes. incredible
don't you think?" jeongguk
smiled softly, a blush on his
cheek.

taehyung put the laptop
down on the coffee table
before them, leaning back
to look at the smaller boy.

he was thinking something,
jeongguk always wanted to know
what he was thinking about but
this time it was different, he was
different. everything about him
was crafted perfection, only
achievable by the almighty,
he was seeing taehyung
in a new found light.
so, so beautiful.

"christ, where did i
find you." he exhaled, another
large hand weaved itself
through his silver locks,
fingers tugging as a
deep chuckle spilled
like sweet honey from
his thick lips.

jeongguk
only crumbled under
his stare, shifting
slightly where he sat.
the room was getting
hot or maybe it was
just jeongguk, who knew.
all he knew was that his
cheeks were burning because
of taehyung.

"age," he began, tracing
a smooth hand on the arm
of the sofa.
"age never matters where
talent prevails."

but they couldn't
possibly consider him.

"you're
breathtaking, ggukie. you
don't see it, you don't
see it in your work but i
do and i want you to
acknowledge how unconsciously
aware you are, of everything you
do. everything you show me,
everything you tell me. it seems
as though it doesn't matter to
you when i tell you how good
you are so i want someone
else to reinforce it."

it does matter.

he wanted to tell him
so much, he wanted to show
him how much his words of
gentle praise meant to him,
what it did too him, how much of a daze
he was permanently under every
second he was with him.

"i'm entering
you in this, i will email the
college and they have to
accept me, they will.
if they don't, they're
missing out on something
exquisite." he smirked,
lord, he had to stop doing
that.

"okay mr kim," the
boy mumbled, averting
his gaze to the floor.
it dawned upon him that
he had no idea how his
teacher would do such a
thing. "how do you-"

"i graduated from there."
he said it so nonchalantly,
as though he hadn't just revealed
how much of how strikingly
talented he was.

"y-you what?"

"i graduated from
the royal college of art a year
and a bit ago."

"but the degrees are-"

"i was accepted when i
was sixteen."

holy shit.

"that's insane."

"possible though."

"and you think-"

"i know you're capable."

jeongguk guessed
that that was all he needed.
taehyung's approval
and his trust.

taehyung.. dear god
taehyung was remarkable.
he didn't think he could
get any better as a person.
how on earth had he met him,
what had he done to deserve
him?

the smile dancing on his
soft red lips never ceased,
he loved it, loved watching
him smile, loved
watching every crease on his
face shift as emotion adorned
it, painted across his features.
he could watch it for an eternity,
just watching taehyung's
perfection unfold before his
very eyes.

"so.. will you let me?"
he titled his head as he
asked the question, locks
failing over his intricate
face.

"yeah," jeongguk nodded.
he didn't know where this
was going but he did
know that taehyung knew what
he was doing. "okay."

_________

this book has been going on forever??
also i love the new cover 👉👈💜