It was an hour later. The man at the counter, Seokjin, had knocked on their room and dropped off a couple beers, as well as lamb skewers and sushi Taehyung had bought them.

"O-Oh, uh—I don't drink.." Jeongguk had said in a small voice as Taehyung poured the alcoholic beverage into a glass for him.

"Mm?" he hummed, and his glance towards the boy made him want to clarify further.

"Well, I... I mean, I've never really had alcohol before, I..." he fiddled with his thumbs. "I tasted it once, when I turned 18. But that was only because my mom told me I should know how it tastes before I go off to college."

Taehyung looked somewhat amused. "And how old are you now?"

"Nineteen..."

The man placed the bottle of beer down on the coffee table in front of them while belting out a laugh. "That's the perfect age to drink like there's no tomorrow, Jeon," he slid the glass towards Jeongguk. "If you want to, that is." Jeongguk stared at the honey colored drink, then back at Taehyung. "Go on," he signaled towards the table with a tilt of his head. "Try it."

"Well, it—it wasn't all that good, from what I remember," Jeongguk's lips pursed in a pout while he dug his hands on his lap between his knees. He wasn't used to this. Sure, he had friends who drank alcohol and smoked among other things. But Jeongguk had been a well behaved, innocent boy his entire life. Rather than chugging a cup of beer down, a glass of banana milk sounded moreso right up his alley.

"Mm yeah? Why don't you try it?" Taehyung repeated, and Jeongguk could see how he stared at him with evident mirth. He wasn't sure if he was testing him, but for some reason Jeongguk felt as though not doing what the man wanted would make him lose his interest in him. He didn't want to frustrate anyone, or ruin Taehyung's fun. So after another pause of hesitation, Jeongguk reached forward and grabbed the glass of beer.

Taehyung watched him with his eagle eyes, knees apart in a manspreading position on the cushioned blue seating. It wasn't long before Jeongguk closed his eyes and began to chug down the beverage a bit too quickly, and the man's lips curled to a grin.

"You don't have to drink it like that, you know," he chuckled heftily, grabbing Jeongguk's wrist and pulling it towards him. He tilted the bottle and poured more beer into the other's half empty glass. "Try again. Slower. Slow down."

Jeongguk coughed twice to clear his throat and wiped his lips, a swift exhale leaving him while he noticed his cup was full once again. When he looked at Taehyung the man had his eyes fixated on him, or maybe his lips. Jeongguk couldn't tell. "O-Okay.." he complied, lifting the glass towards his mouth. Taehyung leaned back and whistled, not stopping the boy this time while he downed the whole drink.

"Good?" he grinned.

Jeongguk burped out a shy laugh. "Mm.. M'still tastes weird.."

※ ※

The two boys took turns singing karaoke songs. While Taehyung shouted out lyrics to his selected tracks, Jeongguk ate, and vice versa. They've had a couple drinks by now, enough so that they laughed together, teased each other on the other's music tastes, although Jeongguk would admit Taehyung was a man full of surprises. If he wasn't putting old American 80's music, he was choosing Japanese rock, or Korean trot songs.

It was clear the two were fooling around when it came to actual singing, but even so Taehyung had complimented the boy's voice.

"Pretty," he said, before claiming Jeongguk had lied to him about not being much of a singer.

Taehyung had a pretty voice too, Jeongguk thought. It was deep, mesmerizing, and so so unique. Like venturing into a realm unknown, unlike anything one's ever seen or heard before. Perhaps like the bottomless ocean—full of mystery, deep, yet boisterous with life. He wanted to dive in, swim in its waters, get washed away by its vigorous waves. Frankly he felt he could listen to it all night.

Yet there reached a point where the two guys fell exhausted against the couch seating, their meal mostly eaten and a couple more beers remaining on the many refills Taehyung had asked for.

Jeongguk stretched his arms out tiredly and landed one hand down on the cushion. At least, that's what he thought until he realized his hand was on Taehyung's thigh. His eyes opened widely and he moved to retreat the hand quickly before Taehyung grabbed his wrist, keeping it there.

"Jeon Jeongguk.." he said out slowly, and Jeongguk could hear loud pounding in his own chest. Taehyung's voice was somehow raspier, despite the surprising gentle tone he had called his name out in. And good god, was it a luxury to hear his own name being spoken out so precisely by a man like that. "Why were you crying back there...? Alone, in the middle of the street, hm?"

Jeongguk gulped, feeling Taehyung's warm grip on him. If his cheeks weren't already flushed from the alcohol he was sure they resembled a fiery tomato by now. But this time, he couldn't bring himself not to answer the man who had led him here. Bought him food, drinks, a fun time. Made him forget all about Seojun.

"That's.." he sighed out softly and turned to look at Taehyung, who was now sitting much closer to him. "I just.. broke up with my boyfriend of over four years." Taehyung stared in silence, allowing him to continue. "I just went to his apartment earlier tonight and... I walked in on him fucking some girl. I'm very impulsive with my emotions sometimes, so I... I didn't really think on it. I just ran out and broke up with him when he called me."

Taehyung blinked, his hold on Jeongguk loosening until he let go of him. The boy shyly retreated his hand to his own lap and waited for the man to say something, anything. But Taehyung quietly finished his beer, looking to the tv screen on the wall displaying an ad for Abyss Karaoke.

"Some people are... hard to let go of, Jeon." The man suddenly said, Jeongguk's gaze down at the carpeted flooring. "Even though they don't deserve you wasting your heart on them." Jeongguk remained quiet, his head just a bit dizzy from drinking too much. "Hey, you know what helps though?" Taehyung sat up and made a sudden jolt forward to grab the mic beside him. "Writing a message to someone—with your voice." He stood up with a stumble, a grin showing on his lips. "Then you yell it out with all your might, yeah? Really get your feelings across. If you don't put your all into it, the person won't receive your letter. So you have to really make sure they hear you, you know?"

The man cleared his throat and raised the mic to his lips. "Hyung!!" he shouted out, the mic picking up his voice and amplifying it times ten, an echo resonating his words through the boom speakers. Jeongguk flinched in surprise, startled at the sudden brashness. "I let you borrow my fucking jacket!!! You never returned it, damn it!!!"

Jeongguk burst out into giggles, watching the veins in Taehyung's neck emerge as he continued to yell. "Even tore a hole through it!! You fucking asshole, that shit was expensive!!!" He let out a couple deep breaths and exhaled slowly, then opened his eyes, turning to blink innocently down at the seated male. "M'see? Like that," he returned to his more quiet, raspy deep voice. "Now you try it."

The boy quieted his laughs and furiously shook his head, brows knitting together while his lips began to pout as he spoke. "Are you crazy? That's-... embarrassing. What if someone hears?" Jeongguk waved him off with pink cheeks.

"No one's going to hear, they're busy whining out lyrics to their shitty taste in music," he scoffed, leaning over to grab Jeongguk's arm and pull him up to his feet. "C'mon." He handed him his mic and crossed his arms expectantly. "Try it."

Jeongguk shifted his weight to one foot. "Okay, u-uhm.." He clutched the microphone tightly to his fist and took a deep breath. "Ahem.." the word echoed through the speakers in static waves. "S-Seojun!" he squeaked out, and Taehyung let out a tsk in disapproval.

"Not like that, bun." He patted Jeongguk's chest with force. "Use your core. Yell it loud. I want to feel my ear drums shatter. Make him really hear your words so he can't ignore them."

Jeongguk nodded hesitantly and closed his eyes, brows tightening in concentration. He thought about what he would say—the kinds of things he'd put down on a letter to his ex boyfriend. He pictured him above that random woman on his couch, the way he had walked in on them just hours ago. How he wore that same pleasured expression he always showed Jeongguk.

The anger began to boil. There was a fire suddenly igniting inside of him. He was betrayed tonight. The love he held taken advantage of; and before he knew it the words were leaving Jeongguk seamlessly, booming into the mic and out the confined room.

"You said you loved me!! You said you saw me in your future!!! Lying piece of shit—I hope you never achieve your dreams, never achieve happiness. Hope someone saws your dick off in your sleep, you disloyal backstabbing assface!!! Traitor!! Liar!! Good for nothing excuse of a man!!!"

Taehyung's eyes grew with amusement, a restrained chuckle leaving his lips while he watched the boy slowly flutter his eyes open, face red from all the yelling, his chest heaving in rugged breaths. He raised his hands up and clapped vigorously in front of him. "Ha! Good one, good job, Jeon!" The man continued to clap, and Jeongguk's lips widened to a grin.

"That felt... really really good," he laughed gently, lowering the microphone as he admired the look on Taehyung's face.

"Bet it did. You're a natural, darling," the male smirked wildly, and Jeongguk saw the intensity in his eyes as they gazed at each other, the boy suddenly falling silent.

It was then that Jeongguk had once again taken note of how excruciatingly handsome Taehyung was. Everything about him. His face, his hair, the way he stood, spoke, smiled. His very spirit. Jeongguk's senses were heightened somehow. Maybe it was all the beer he'd swallowed, but he felt entirely captive to the other man's presence.

He wanted to learn more about him—what he liked, what he didn't. What made him feel good.

✱ ✱ ✱

{ A / N }

out of curiosity, how are you guys enjoying the story so far? :)