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Kim Taehyung often wondered what it would be like if he was a rock.
That’s right. A rock.
Why, you ask?
Kim Taehyung doesn’t have many things he wants in life. He’s quite simple. He lives in a home not too close and not too far from the heart of the district, he lives with only his grandmother whom he loves dearly, he has his dream hoverboard in the palm of his hand, and he’s the captain of his Drift team. What else could he ask for when he has all these good things, some of which he once dreamt of having?
Still, Taehyung continues to wonder what life would be like if he was a rock. Rocks don’t have anything yet they seem so content in life; just sitting there, doing nothing, just…
you know
… being a rock. Taehyung finds it rather fascinating how rocks have a lot of things to them—there are different types, different sizes, and different uniqueness to it but it all comes down to the fact that it’s just a rock.
Taehyung wonders what life would be like if he were an asteroid—a space rock. Unfortunately for him, he’s never seen one with his bare eyes, only caught a glimpse of it through the children’s books tucked in the bookshelves of Pluto Spacecare, a shelter for parents to bring their children for the day when they can’t watch over them. The only thing Taehyung knows about asteroids is that they just continuously float through space with the force of whatever energy is out there pulling them through different directions and taking them anywhere. Taehyung, as much as he likes to lead, would like to know the feeling of being led with no thought in mind, and maybe that’s why he wonders what life would be like if he were an asteroid.
There’s a story about a famous asteroid that almost everybody in all of the districts knows of. The story is about Asteroid G-0B, a rock so massive it destroyed a whole planet. Taehyung has heard countless stories about this asteroid, always so fascinated by them. There was a version of it with the backstory involving an alien; apparently, the alien got so fed up with Planet Earth blocking its view on the moon that it threw Asteroid G-0B straight at it, making it explode. Another version was about Asteroid G-0B being a fragment of yet another destroyed planet so basically, it’s a planet that killed one of its own. And then the most unsought-out version of the asteroid story involved evil humans who wanted to wipe out all of humanity therefore they made a machine that looked like an asteroid and named it Asteroid G-0B. That version didn’t make a lot of sense for people living in the districts so they ought not to share it with anyone. It was too unrealistic, too fictional.
Going back… out of all the kinds of rocks out there, Taehyung would choose to be an asteroid (that is if he was given a choice) for reasons he can’t quite point out. Maybe he prefers asteroids ‘cause other rocks are too far from space and asteroids get to see the stars like humans see their neighbors. Maybe he prefers asteroids ‘cause instead of just lying down on the dirty ground, asteroids get to go wherever without needing to move ‘cause all they do is float. And maybe he prefers asteroids ‘cause, unlike ordinary rocks, people make stories about asteroids, people get interested in asteroids, and people get fascinated by asteroids.
Kim Taehyung often wondered what it would be like if he was a rock.
But he also wonders if rocks can wonder what would they be like if they can move. Would they try to be friends with one another? Would they try to be friends with humans? And would they try to stop Asteroid G-0B from colliding with Planet Earth?
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
What is Drift?
Drift is an anti-gravity sport that consists of two teams, two goals, and one ball. Each team has seven players, with all of them having their own roles to play. Drift is almost like the mix of Planet Earth sports called Football and Volleyball.
Drift Team Roles:
Striker - A Striker is known to be the most important role in Drift. Strikers are in charge of striking the ball to the goal and as much as possible, get many points for the team.
Attacker - Attackers, just like Strikers, are focused on getting points. They have two main goals: hit the ball to the goal and bring the ball to the Striker so the Striker can strike it to the goal.
Sweeper - Sweepers are focused on defending their side of the field. They have to make sure that the opposing team does not cross them. They also make sure that the opposing team does not attack their teammates.
Keeper - Keepers are in charge of protecting the team’s goal. They are the goal-keeper, per se.
Drift Ball
The drift ball is a simple ball that is colored bright white. It has neon lights on it which changes to the representing color of the Drift team who currently has it. It is very light so the player can easily hit it without injuring themselves.
Who is S30UL District’s Representative Drift Team?
Like the other districts, S30UL has their very own representative Drift team. They are known to be Space Rebels. The members consist of Kim Namjoon (Captain and Keeper), Lee Dino or Lee Chan (Striker), Jung Hoseok (Sweeper), Park Seojoon (Sweeper), Kim Yugyeom (Sweeper), Jackson Wang (Attacker), Mark Tuan (Attacker). They have been playing against other districts and have won a lot of trophies for S30UL.
Other well-known Drift teams in S30UL
Galactica - Consists of Kim Taehyung (Captain and Striker), Yoon Jeonghan (Keeper), Jung Sungchan (Sweeper), Min Yoongi (Sweeper), Bae Irene (Sweeper), Park Jimin (Attacker), Kang Seulgi (Attacker).
Universtar - Consists of Jeon Jungkook (Captain and Striker), Kim Seokjin (Keeper), Kim Mingyu (Sweeper), Lee Haechan (Sweeper), Cha Eunwoo (Sweeper), Kwon Hoshi or Kwon Soonyoung (Attacker), Lee Jaehyun (Attacker).
What do you need to play Drift?
Drift Hoverboard - Very vital equipment. Without this, you cannot play Drift as the game requires playing a few feet high above the ground. There are different kinds of hoverboards from different brands, it keeps the options open for all Drift players.
iLog - iLogs are to be worn 24/7, especially during Drift matches as these are aslo known as health monitors. It keeps track of the player’s heart rate and oxygen levels while they are playing.
Drift Ball - You can’t play Drift without the ball.
Headgear - The Drift headgear is another piece of vital equipment. It’s shaped like a headphone to be placed on top of the player’s head, and it has a screen attached to cover the player’s face; this is to ensure that the player’s face is safe if ever the ball hits them. Attached to the earpiece of the headgear is a mic; this is for communication in the field among the team.
Famous Drift Hoverboard Brands
Sonic Series - Most famous and highly recommended Drift hoverboard brand, though quite pricey. Has three kinds in the series: Sonic, Megasonic, and Ultrasonic (the best kind and most recent).
KickZ Series - Second most famous and also highly recommended Drift hoverboard brand. It’s quite cheaper than the Sonic Series. Has five kinds in the series: KickZ, KickZ 1.0, KickZ 1.5, KickZ 2.0, and KickZ 2.5 (the most recent version).
Rocket Blades - Cheapest Drift hoverboard brand. Not really recommended for professional Drift players but recommended for those who play occasionally. Has two kinds in the series: Rocket Blades the First, and Rocket Blades the Second.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Floating vehicles, holographic cellphones turned watches, robotic helpers, and an entire civilization living in space. It’s the year 6031 and humans have evolved—to their very best.
Humans from thousands of years ago probably imagined that the future would consist of a lot of fun things; fun things like floating vehicles, holographic cellphones turned watches, robotic helpers, and living in—
You get the gist.
Simply put, the humans from then were right about their predictions and their imaginations which have come to life in the year 6031. You imagine roads of all kinds (loops, high hills, low hills, zig-zags… you name it) with no cars on them because they’re driving right above? They have it. You imagine fancy-looking buildings built in space with automatic sliding doors and bulletproof windows for walls? They have it. You imagine people on green fields, playing games and sports like
Basketball?
They… don’t have it.
Okay
. Maybe the year 6031 isn’t perfect but nonetheless, nothing is perfect anyway.
In the year 6031, almost everything that came from Planet Earth is no longer a
thing.
No more blue skies, no more pretty nature, and no more real soil, sadly. Out of all the many things from Planet Earth, only a few were preserved, one of which is the happiness that sports bring to humans. If you go around visiting any of the districts, you might come across stores that sell almost the same things—hoverboards of different colors, sizes, and designs, and with matching boots to come with it; suits made of latex that cling on tight to the skin; and you’d probably catch a lot of balls in a whole basket, most of which colored in white but the edges of all of it wrapped in what seems to be neon lights. The things these fancy shops sell are items needed to play
Drift
, the one and only sport in all of the districts. And in fact, everybody’s favorite.
Drift is the most famous sport all across the universe, it’s an anti-gravity sport that includes one ball, two teams, and two goals. Before the asteroid destroyed Planet Earth, the humans living there played a similar sport like Drift but called it
Football, Futsal,
or
Soccer
, and it was played in either a depressing covered court with barely any air to breathe or in a patchy field of wet green grass that could potentially make you slip and die. It also didn’t include hoverboards covered in neon lights that can carry humans through the no-gravity field nor did it include wearing cool uniforms with cool headphones and health monitors. The humans from Planet Earth also played that game with eleven players who were all forced to play under the blaring heat of the sun. It’s moments like this wherein the district Drift players are so glad they’re living during Year 6031 and not when Planet Earth was still a thing. They’d rather play Drift in worn-out Rocket Blades (the cheapest and the first hoverboard brand to ever exist) than play the boring version of it with the biggest star blasting its rays right at them. Drift is somehow like another Planet Earth sport called
Volleyball
, with only six players hitting balls over a net and making sure it hits the ground once and within the court. The only difference is that the Drift players, instead of playing with a net, play with two goals on each end of the space field. To put it simply, Drift is like playing Planet Earth’s
Football
but instead of kicking the ball to the goal, you use your hands like you’re playing
Volleyball
.
Just like the other districts, S30UL is very loud about its love for the sport. During Drift matches, almost the entire district is covered in festive banners and bright lights which could surely blind aliens and other fascinating creatures unknown to mankind from outer space who take a look at what’s happening inside the large dome protecting S30UL. Almost every single human living in the district plays the sport, or if not playing, they’re looking up to the players who’re known for being greatly talented and skilled at it. One of the known Drift players in S30UL goes by the name of Kim Taehyung, a twenty-five years old young man who’s tall in height and has dark hair sitting on top of his head, slightly curly and mostly tousled whenever he doesn’t bother to brush it. No one ever knows what goes on in his life except for the fact that he’s a great Drift player and also the one and only grandson of Madam Kim, the main caretaker in S30UL’s one and only babysitting shelter,
Pluto Spacecare
. She raised almost every kid in the district which is why everybody loves her.
Living with Madam Kim for almost all twenty years of his life isn’t always a good thing, Taehyung realizes. Since he was at the ripe age of five, right when his father had taken off to be with the stars and his mother had traveled far to earn more than she could in S30UL, Taehyung began living with his grandmother. His perfect grandmother. Madam Kim was a short and slim woman who had long white hair which was a sign of her fascinating long life but despite this, she still looked rather youthful. She was very good at cooking, still is a matter of factly, and she is very diligent when it comes to her household chores and work as a caretaker in Pluto Spacecare. She taught Taehyung to do the same and lectured him in the nicest way possible (the only way she knows how) when he cannot do it. Everybody in S30UL knew that Madam Kim knows her shit. She has a whole schedule and daily routine she follows and Taehyung is bound to do something similar so his life would be put together, or at least seem to look like it. Living with her meant that you have to live
like
her and she lived to the fullest, meanwhile, Taehyung tries his very best to keep up. He too wants to live life perfectly, just like Madam Kim does.
Being the captain of the Drift team Galactica meant a lot of things. First, it meant huge responsibilities. Second, it meant great honor. And third, it meant Taehyung has to be better. Every single day, he
has
to be better. It’s not because he gets forced to be better or he’s told he has to be better, considering Coach Eun already thinks he’s above excellent in the sport which is why she chose him to be captain, but because
he
forces himself to be better and
he
tells himself he has to be better. Kim Taehyung is not perfect and he doesn’t like that. No matter how many people tell him he’s the best Drift player ever and his talent is not like the other players, his mind couldn’t seem to wrap around it and keep it there. As quickly as the words enter his ear, as quickly they exit. It’s just so easy for him to find a flaw in his skill that it bothers him on end.
Kim Taehyung is not perfect and he doesn’t like that, especially when it shows for other people to see. Like today.
Taehyung’s Monday isn’t
Monday-ing
like it usually does. In his perfectly planned out routine, Taehyung has to be awake and away from his bed by 6:00, at 6:15 he should already be finished with his quick warm shower and is starting breakfast with Madam Kim, at 7:30 he should be finished eating and should be washing the plates since it’s his turn to do so, and then by 7:50 he should have left the house to meet at wherever place Galactica will be training at. Taehyung’s perfectly planned out routine got ruined the moment his alarm didn’t ring. It was stupid, his iLog (a device that looks like Planet Earth’s watch but when you tap on the screen, a holographic screen shows up) is already the latest version and it still fails to do what it’s supposed to do. Taehyung, who should be awake and away from his bed by 6:00, woke up at 7:15 instead. The panic in his system has fully got all the gears in his head turning and all his muscles moving. He rushed to shower, rushed to prepare his training things, and he rushed to help Madam Kim with the early morning chores. But then no matter how fast he rushed and rushed, Taehyung still left the house not at 7:50 but at exactly 8:00. It takes about ten minutes to get to the space field they reserved for the day, minus the traffic, and unfortunately for Taehyung, most of the roads were closed and he had to take a longer route. By the time he got to the space field, he was already late. Exactly thirty minutes late to his own training.
Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays are training days for Galactica. It’s a training schedule Taehyung and his team created together since they couldn’t settle with the original training schedule other Drift teams have; it didn’t fit their life schedules. Their call time is always at 8:00,
sharp
, and late-comers would have to run around the space field three times, no excuses even for captains.
Taehyung arrives at the empty space field where a few of his teammates are already seated by the bleachers, with their things all placed on one end. It was a new sight to see—his teammates putting their things altogether since they often have them scattered on different rows and columns of the bleachers. Taehyung runs up to them to place his things too whilst apologizing for his tardiness, and he looks around in search of a familiar short woman as he also takes in the vision of the space field they reserved today. They’d been here before, already reserved this quite a few times for when the other space fields aren’t available, but Taehyung still liked to look at it as if it was the first time he’s been here. It’s his favorite place. Space fields were mostly used by a lot of younglings—toddlers running around with their parents keeping an eye on them, or
at least
pretending to; teenagers no less than twelve hanging around the very corner with fewer people to notice them just so they can hold hands or kiss; and growing adolescents whose feet are clad in comfortable boots that stay secured on their Drift hoverboards. Public space fields are almost the same as the space fields professional Drift players play in, given that it’s also anti-gravity, the only difference is that public space fields are a bit smaller and they’re actually placed within the dome that keeps the entire district safe and sound. The space field for strictly professional Drift matches only is in another area and is not found within the dome as it requires open space,
literally
. The public space field is also often jam-packed with youth and their families but obviously today it wasn’t since Galactica reserved the whole of it for a few hours. They have a match this weekend against another great team from S30UL namely Universtar, but you wouldn’t catch Taehyung or any of the members of Galactica admitting that.
“Taehyung!” a voice calls from behind him and Taehyung turns towards a blond man who’s running to him with his duffel bag hanging on his shoulder. It was Park Jimin, his best friend, and he was looking rather annoyed if the frown on his face was any clear indication. “I thought you said we reserved the field today?”
Taehyung’s eyebrows furrow, confusion written all over his face. “We did, why?”
“Then tell me why
Univershit
is here?” Jimin asks, his eyes moving from Taehyung to something behind Taehyung, or more like
someone
. Taehyung turns around to see what Jimin’s seeing for himself and catches sight of the person he dreads meeting the most. With a teasing grin on his lips, Jeon Jungkook, the captain of Univershit—
Universtar
, is walking towards Taehyung and the rest of Galactica with his own teammates trailing behind him, wearing the same arrogant looks.
“You must be kidding me,” Taehyung says under his breath, his sour mood turning sourer just at the sight of the other team’s captain. He was looking forward to training day despite his already messed up morning as he was excited to show the newly finished strategy he’s cooked up with their coach who was somewhere around. Jungkook is close now and Taehyung tries his best not to land a punch straight to his face. “What the fuck are you doing here?”
Jungkook blinks, unfazed by the other already cursing him. “What am I doing here? I should be asking you, what are
you
doing here?”
“This is our field!” Taehyung barks, setting his foot on the ground of artificial grass. Living in space doesn’t really make it possible to grow fresh grass on real soil, even if there’s oxygen and water, so the builders behind the space field projects resorted to using fake ones instead.
Jungkook began looking around the field and Taehyung grows even more furious, clearly knowing what he was doing. “Your field? I don’t see your name anywhere,
pretty
.” The nickname, oh so familiar, makes Taehyung’s stomach twist and not in a good way. It makes him want to disregard sportsmanship and all the other good moral shit sports people often discuss and punch Jungkook then and there. Seriously, why is he so good at pissing Taehyung off?
“Shut it Jeon, we reserved the field today now get out!”
“Oh well… we reserved it too.” Jungkook then takes out a slip from the pocket of his fitted black jacket, the same damn slip Taehyung has inside his own duffel bag. If Taehyung was already furious, he’s ten times more now because Jungkook is a piece of shit, and could it be possible for someone to become
double
piece of shit?
Taehyung notices his feet are moving before he could even think of moving them but really, Taehyung couldn’t think straight at all whenever Jungkook is around. The younger just has the talent to get Taehyung so worked up that his brain cells just evaporate. “You really got some nerve, don’t you? Doing too much just to piss me off.” Taehyung walks closer, or more like stomps, he finds it crazy how Jungkook could go so overboard this time. Does he hate him so much too that he
faked
a reservation slip? Taehyung tries to take the piece of paper but the younger captain was too quick, his free hand already grabbing Taehyung’s wrist making his head turn quickly to look at the younger’s hand clearly wrapped around his.
“Not too fast pretty, your big head might just get whiplash,” Jungkook says, his breath fanning against Taehyung.
Taehyung tries to break free. “Let. Go. Of. Me.”
Jungkook just smiles at him. “The world doesn’t revolve around you, Kim, and as much as I like to do my best in everything I do, I wouldn’t like to waste my time and best efforts in faking a slip now if you may excuse me, my team and I have training to do.” Jungkook walks ahead but then he turns back again, yet another smirk playing on his lips. “Right… y’all better get started too if you want to win against us on Saturday. But either way, no amount of training can make you beat Universtar.” He finally walks to the other side of the field, ignoring Taehyung’s grunts and groans, he doesn’t look back anymore.
“If I can castrate him right now oh I would do it,” Taehyung says through gritted teeth and Jung Sungchan, Galactica’s Sweeper, snorts beside him.
“Don’t think you can, Cap. You might just regret it.” Taehyung turns towards him with furrowed eyebrows, wondering what he meant by that but before he could ask, Coach Eun finally arrives and blows her whistle. Taehyung jogs towards her, a sour look still written on his face, and the older woman also frowns upon seeing him.
“What’s wrong with you?” She asks, looking him up and down.
“What’s wrong with them? I thought we got the whole field reserved for us today?” Taehyung crosses his arms over his chest after glancing at Universtar on the other side of the field, they were already starting on their stretches. He notices Jungkook look his way too and though there’s a large distance between them, Taehyung can see damn well the younger winking and grinning at him. He scoffs as he looks away.
“Ah.” Coach Eun clicks her tongue. “The free field they were supposed to take was reserved, there’s a whole project the District Leader is planning and he’s using that field.” The other members of Galactica have surrounded Coach Eun and Taehyung now, they were all wearing their training suits and have their hoverboards ready by their sides. Yoon Jeonghan, the Keeper, has his hands covered in protective gloves, vital safety gear for goal-keepers like him (it’s to protect their hands and wrists from breaking due to the force of the ball). “Explains why most of us are late today too, the roads around the other space field are blocked. District Leader’s orders.”
“I thought you can’t reserve a field twice?” This time it was Bae Irene talking, Galactica’s second Sweeper. She has her long raven hair freely resting on her shoulders today instead of keeping it up in a tight ponytail as she usually does.
“You can, if it’s needed.” Coach Eun answers, placing her hands on her hips. She’s watching Universtar with her eyes squinted, as if doing so would magically turn her eyes into binoculars so she can see closer.
“Well if you can have two people reserving one field then why didn’t they just reserve the other one instead of this?” Sungchan asks and the other team members nod in agreement, all wondering the same. Taehyung doesn’t say a word, too busy sending daggers straight at Jungkook who’s oblivious to all of it. Jimin, who was next to him, noticed this and he was trying not to snicker. Suddenly, another figure shows up in the little circle Galactica has formed around Coach Eun and Taehyung, the figure was short (shorter than Jimin) and his dark mullet hair was a mess on top of his head. Coach Eun sees him first before anybody and she calls him. “Late night?”
The other members of Galactica finally take notice of Min Yoongi, another one of Galactica’s Sweepers. He’s much older than all of them, almost in the same age range as Coach Eun which is why the way they converse with each other needs no formalities. Yoongi grunts as he settles next to Jeonghan. “Too many customers, I had to work overtime.”
“You can take a break today, hyung, if you need it,” Taehyung says, throwing a smile at the Sweeper who nods his head but waves him off. Yoongi works at a pub just by the heart of the district. Some days he’s a bartender, other days he plays the piano, and most days he’s a server. Last night he was
all
of it.
“It’s fine. We have a match this weekend.”
Right.
The match. Taehyung was too distracted by his anger towards Jeon Jungkook that he almost forgot the reason why they were in the field in the first place. Coach Eun also got distracted but the two of them were quick to recover and finally get the team ready for their training, disregarding the whole late-comers rule since everybody was late and they couldn’t really do tracks with the opposing team watching their every move like they were predators hunting their prey.
—
The match on Saturday is a very important match for Taehyung. It’s not that the previous matches he’s had weren’t important, ‘cause they were, it’s just that this specific one on Saturday determines which between him and Jungkook is the better captain and Drift player.
Galactica and Universtar aren’t the only Drift teams in the district of S30UL. Amidst all the other teams found in high schools and universities, the greatest Drift team almost everyone who plays the sport looks up to is Space Rebels. Space Rebels has been a thing ever since Drift became a thing and the team consists of only the seven best of the best Drift players in the district. It’s a sad thing though that some of the members don’t really last long due to injuries that prohibit them from playing any longer or because they’ve chosen a different path, nevertheless, Space Rebels continue to be legendary. With the recent departure of the team’s Attackers Jackson Wang and Mark Tuan, Space Rebels have opened recruitment season for the two open positions. It’s done either through a personal formal invitation from the coach of Space Rebels himself (also former Space Rebels member) or through a strictly tight application process. Luckily for Taehyung and Jungkook, they’ve been sent an invitation to participate without needing to send a perfectly written application or going through the basics of Drift again in the tryouts. It would be an entirely different process for them. Instead of the basic tryouts and submission of applications, Space Rebels is going to choose between the two captains by holding an actual Drift match between Galactica and Universtar. The team who wins will have their captain win the spot of Attacker.
It sounds quite challenging but Taehyung and Jungkook want that spot as much as the other that they’re willing to do whatever it takes just to get the position. Endless training, more hours spent at the gym, and even sacrificing cutting off some of their favorite foods for a few weeks, Taehyung and Jungkook are willing to do it all if it meant they’ll win the match.
Taehyung and the rest of Galactica are now in the comfort of Coach Eun’s home which is also somehow like the team’s headquarters. After the whole space field fiasco with Universtar, the two teams managed to continue with their own training. Taehyung though, couldn’t really stop throwing daggers as he stares right at Jungkook because the other captain keeps teasing him whenever he comes a bit close to their side. He would whistle to catch his attention and Taehyung would fumble, missing the ball he needs to hit or getting hit by it instead. Coach Eun had to call for a timeout and Taehyung angrily drifted toward Universtar’s side to throw the finger at their captain, who would only smile to himself, finding Taehyung’s reactions hilarious. After that, Jungkook stopped being a bother and continued being serious when it comes to his own training. It was a relief ‘cause Taehyung’s finally back to his normal self which is being the best Striker there is and safe to say, the two teams managed to stay civil for the entire morning.
Coach Eun’s living room is currently filled with talkative young adults who are stuffing their faces with food and yelling at each other. You can definitely tell that it’s a normal day for Galactica with the members being so gleeful despite spending so many hours working their muscles out in the field earlier today. Coach Eun’s living room is interconnected to her kitchen which gives the players easier access to the snacks she has prepared for them, and there’s a hallway next to it which leads to the restricted area AKA Coach Eun’s personal spaces. The team wanted to have a small party just before the big match and Taehyung being Taehyung agreed to it and so did Coach Eun. He didn’t think he’d be like this though, feeling a bit clouded as he looks at his dearest teammates, who are also his dearest friends, enjoying themselves. He thinks maybe it’s because he’s tired due to the training they did earlier that morning but it couldn’t be, Taehyung never gets tired after Drift practice. And plus, he took a short nap on the way to Coach Eun’s home so why does he feel that way?
Taehyung is currently sitting on the orange bean bag placed by the glass walls which shows the view of S30UL when Coach Eun approaches him. She’s holding onto two red party cups filled with booze ‘cause the team deserved it for working so hard. She hands the other cup to Taehyung who gladly takes it. “Are you ready for the match?”
Taehyung doesn’t really know if he’s ready for the match so he shrugs before taking a sip of what he now knows to be a concoction of gin and juice. It was odd, if he were to be honest, ‘cause Taehyung is always ready for his matches and he always has answers to Coach Eun’s questions. The woman, a bit worried, takes her other bean bag and pulls it closer to Taehyung before sitting. She’s leaning against her knees with her hands together. “Why? Is there something in your mind?”
“I don’t know, Coach,” Taehyung starts and Coach Eun nods her head, listening as she too sips from her own cup. “I just… I really
really
want to win this.”
“But…?” Coach Eun asks and Taehyung sighs heavily. From his peripheral vision, he can see his best friend and their Sweeper, Yoongi, going at it by the corner of the room. The smile that was about to show quickly disappeared though when he remembered what he was feeling.
“I feel like everything would change if I do get the spot in Space Rebels.”
“Don’t you want that though? A change?” Taehyung’s eyebrows furrow.
“I think? But change is scary.” Change is,
in fact
, terrifying. For people like Taehyung—people who grew up trying to match the definition of perfection, change is a terrible, terrible thing to come across. Experiencing change when you’re almost at the finish line of something you’ve been polishing to perfection is just as similar to failing it. You have to start all over and when you’re about to get perfect at something again, you’ll have to wish and hope so badly that there wouldn’t be another thing that would ruin what you just started. Taehyung is scared that when Galactica wins and he gets the spot of Attacker in Space Rebels, he’d have to start from the very beginning again. He’d have to rebuild all he had built himself because when he wins, he’ll no longer be the captain of Galactica and he’ll no longer be a Striker.
Coach Eun gives him a smile as he places her hand on his shoulder. “Change always happens, Taehyung. You can’t run away from it. And sometimes, change isn’t always bad.”
“Taehyung!” Taehyung turns his head towards Jimin, who’s waddling over to him with a happy face. Taehyung looks behind Jimin to find Yoongi looking so stunned, not moving at all. It’s the Jimin effect. Coach Eun greets the blond before she walks off to talk to another Galactica member and leave privacy for the two. “You look so serious, it’s ugly.”
“Oh please,” Taehyung chuckles, chugging the entire contents of his cup and Jimin shows a surprised look. “You look too in love, it’s sickening.”
“Easy there, tiger.” Jimin laughs as he pulls on Taehyung’s arm with his free hand. “You wanna head out for a while?”
“Sure.”
S30UL at night looks just as mesmerizing as it is during the day, but that’s because it completely looks the same. Taehyung could almost laugh at that fact but he doesn’t because that’s how life is in the year 6031.
The pair are walking side by side just outside Coach Eun’s home, letting silence engulf them in a hug. Coach Eun’s neighborhood is very peaceful just as she likes it and the only noise to ever disrupt it is Galactica during victory parties and Drift trainings on her very own space field.
“How’s you and Yoongi?” Taehyung asks as he kicks on the tiny rocks by the pavement.
Jimin feels his cheeks heat up at the question and Taehyung laughs at the reaction. “Seriously? Not even a warning? Jumping straight to it?”
“What? You’d rather I be direct with my question?" Taehyung playfully rolls his eyes and Jimin laughs. “Fine then. How was the tongue-fighting and exchanging saliva session with Min Yoongi?”
“Tae!” Jimin calls out in between his laughter and Taehyung follows, the two clutching hard onto their stomachs in the middle of the road. “Well… it’s nice.”
“It’ll be nicer if you do it somewhere more private, Coach Eun was in the room, my friend!”
“Well,” The neighborhood really is peaceful, maybe too peaceful. “I really like him.” Jimin breathes out after a while of silence and Taehyung heavily sighs.
“I like him for you too, to be honest.” Jimin turns towards his best friend, his eyes shining. Ever since the
thing
between Yoongi and Jimin started (which was like, months ago), Taehyung has been there to watch it all unfold but he was never the type to blurt out his own thoughts about it no matter how many times Jimin asks for his input. It’s not that he doesn’t give a damn about his best friend and his relationships but Taehyung likes to give Jimin his privacy and wouldn’t want to get in the way of what could be a lovely budding romance. Besides, Jimin deserves to have something and not miss out on the good things in life and love just because his best friend doesn’t like it. “It’s nice to see you so happy, why not take it to the next level?”
“Um…”
“You both already know your feelings for each other, right? What’s stopping you then?” Taehyung asks and it’s Jimin who sighs this time. The two of them start slowing down with every step they take and Jimin begins to hug his jacket closer.
“I don’t think I’m ready for that part yet. Can’t we just keep making out?” A nervous laugh leaves Jimin’s lips and Taehyung pauses. Taehyung may not know a thing or two about love but he has watched several romcoms and read a few romantic novels to know that this isn’t a good sign. He knows his best friend well enough to know just how he acts when he’s in a relationship and when he’s not but is on the verge of getting to it.
“Min, you do know he’ll expect it one day right?”
“Yeah I know and I want that too but like—” Taehyung finds it funny how today is going so far. Maybe it’s because he’s truly soulmates with Jimin that they’re completely similar even with the situations they’re currently in. But that’s what makes great friendships right? Experiencing the same things, suffering the same way, and enjoying life together either way. “I don’t know…”
Another minute of silence takes over the air, just the two best friends walking next to each other to god knows where. Jimin has his arm wrapped around Taehyung’s now. “Coach Eun told me I need change,” Taehyung says after a while, his eyes settling on the road ahead.
“Maybe I need change too,” Jimin purses his lips and Taehyung hums. “Maybe I can start by telling Yoongi.”
“Telling him what? That you don’t want a relationship? You can’t commit? Drift is too important for you?”
Jimin nudges Taehyung’s side. “No!”
“What then?”
“Don’t know yet, don’t want to think about it.” Taehyung feels his best friend’s head lean against his shoulder, his hand intertwining with his and slowly swaying it between them. Jimin feels comfortable and so does Taehyung. “Good luck to us, I really hope we win so you can be a Space Rebel.”
A small smile forms on Taehyung’s lips. “Do you think I’ll fit in?”
“Of course you would! You’re the best captain ever and you’ll make a good Space Rebels Attacker,” Somehow just the words of Jimin were enough to put Taehyung’s mind at ease. All his worries from earlier that day and the burdens weighing on his shoulders after having such an unfortunate morning completely vanished. Maybe Taehyung isn’t fully ready for the change that’s about to hit him, but he knows he’ll be willing to face it.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Taehyung wakes up a bit earlier than usual, with the light inside his room still shut close as it always turns on when it’s morning. Living in space makes it different to tell when it is night and when it is day as, unlike Planet Earth, the districts aren’t little planets that revolve around the sun. Though to make things easier for the district folk, they have created a whole light device that automatically switches on when it’s day and slowly dims itself as it eventually turns to night. Taehyung sits against the headboard of his bed, rubbing the sleep off of his eyes as he takes a look at the iLog wrapped around his wrist. He taps on it to see the holographic screen which dictates the time. 3:43 AM. Taehyung would want to sleep in and catch some more zzz s right before the big game but the thought of what today is wakes him better than Madam Kim’s voice does on a normal morning. Rising from his bed, excitement courses through Taehyung’s veins as he dusts off the mattress, fluffs up his pillows, and folds his thick duvet. All he could think about was the match to take place later and the possibility of winning the position of Attacker for Space Rebels. Just the thought of him being a member of the popular Drift team sends electricity pulsing through his skin. He’s ecstatic, that’s what he is. He then turns all that energy in him to good work by rushing off downstairs after fixing his bed and running around the kitchen whilst preparing breakfast whilst watching some of the previous matches of Universtar in the holographic screen of his iLog. Coach Eun always tells Taehyung to study the enemy so he’ll know how they play and then learn how to work with it. He tries not to scowl every time Jeon Jungkook appears on the screen, choosing to focus on the other’s movement just in case he tries pulling the same tactic for the match later. Taehyung was too immersed in his short study session that he didn’t notice Madam Kim slip into the kitchen. “Morning,” She says as he taps on the coffee machine, turning it on. Taehyung, from where he was seated on the kitchen island, turns around and smiles at his grandmother who has her arms folded over her chest. “What time did you wake up?” “Three,” Taehyung answers, shoving a spoonful of scrambled eggs in his mouth. He pushes a plate of breakfast toward Madam Kim. “I couldn’t sleep anymore so I just made food.” He watches as Madam Kim nods her head after taking a bite of everything. “Is it Madam Kim approved?” A laugh erupts from Madam Kim’s mouth. “Yeah, I taught you well,” She says, moving back to pay attention to her coffee machine which just finished creating her coffee. “Want caffeine?” “I don’t like coffee, remember? You can never make me like it,” Taehyung reminds her. He was never a fan of coffee, he hates the taste of it no matter how many amounts of sugar and milk you add to it, he’ll never find it delicious. “You’re just like your mother,” She shakes her head at him before taking a sip of the scorching liquid. “Ah right, have you sent her a message?” “No.” “Why not? I think she’d rather hear the news of her only son making it to Space Rebels directly from him and not anybody else—” “Not yet in the team, Nana!” Taehyung tells her in a sing-song tone. “You get my point dear.” Madam Kim sends him a small smile and she walks closer, leaning against the island. Taehyung already knows what she’s about to say next—something about his mother and whatnot. “I know you’re still upset with her because of what happened but she’s still your mother… at least talk to her.” Before Taehyung’s 25th birthday, his mother had promised to visit him in S30UL. She sent him so many messages telling him about her plans for when she comes, hinting about the gifts she’d already got for him, and repeatedly saying how much she misses him. They both even had a shared countdown on their iLogs to remind them of how much time they have left until they reunite, only for Taehyung to end up disappointed as she never showed. He knows he should be understanding (surely he was) given that there could be circumstances that lead to Mrs. Kim not going through with her visit, but Taehyung couldn’t help but feel upset about it. It’s been months already since December but he still feels the same as he did. He has all the right to be, right? “She was messaging me again,” Taehyung started to say, shutting off the screen of his iLog. “She was saying she’ll visit this summer.” “Well that’s good news isn’t it?” Madam Kim asks, her eyes turning to crescents. She is happy her daughter will finally come around this time, she knows she will. “That is if she doesn’t bail again, but it’s fine,” Taehyung mutters under his breath, giving all his attention to his food and thinking about Drift again so he wouldn’t have to deal with the same feelings of disappointment he felt before. “Will you come to watch the match later? Coach Eun says we can invite family.” Madam Kim ignores how Taehyung quickly changed the subject, she doesn’t dare comment on it either as she’s afraid she’ll only end up upsetting Taehyung even more. He shouldn’t feel bad today, he has a match and he should only be happy! So she entertains him by chatting about it. “Yes dearie, you’ll catch me in the bleachers cheering for you.” “Will Pluto be closed?” “No no… I’ll have someone else to cover for me today. I want to watch your game and I’m quite curious about someone…” Taehyung’s eyebrows furrow at this, the gears in his head suddenly turning as he’s gotten curious too. Someone? “Who?” He asks and Madam Kim hums, propping her arm on the island and resting her chin on top of her palm. “Jimin always tells me about a boy when he comes home with you after training. His name is Jeon, I think? Is that his name?” No way. Taehyung does a double take as he heard the familiar name roll off of Madam Kim’s tongue. Jeon? No fucking way. Madam Kim sees the look on his face and she chuckles. “Is this Jeon important to you, dearie? Is he a boyfriend?” “Hell no, Nana!” Taehyung quickly answers whilst making such a funny face that it catches Madam Kim off-guard, laughing so hard. The thought of Jungkook being his boyfriend makes Taehyung’s stomach churn in the worst way possible. Him? And Jungkook? Together? Doing couple-y things and being in love? No fucking way. He could almost vomit at the thought. “He’s the worst ever, no way in hell will I date him!” “Sure sure,” Madam Kim continues laughing. After breakfast, Taehyung helped Madam Kim with cleaning, just like they always do, and then he goes back to his room to prepare for the match that’s about to change his life. For the better or for the worst, only time would tell. — “Which do you think suits me better? Up or down?” The members of Galactica are found inside one of the locker rooms in the space field reserved for the match in the afternoon. Irene, Seulgi, Jeonghan, and Sungchan are the only ones who arrived earlier than the call time. The four of them were huddled up by the benches situated in the middle of the lockers, Irene and Seulgi leaning against the opened lockers with a mirror on them. Irene was fixing her hair and Seulgi was putting on lip balm. “I think up would be cute. Look at Jeonghan, he has his up,” Seulgi points with her lips towards Jeonghan, who was seated on the benches fixing his protective glove. His light blond hair was indeed tied up into a ponytail, a hairstyle he frequently has on during game days. “Hmm… you’re right. Okay, how about this, pigtails or just a ponytail?” Irene asks once again and Seulgi starts humming in thought, looking at Irene’s hair and deciding which would be better appearance-wise and practicality-wise. When it comes to Drift matches, the players should also take into consideration their attires and overall looks which includes hairstyles as nobody would want strands of hair all over their face as they play. “Jeonghan should try pigtails,” Sungchan butts in the conversation with a grin etched on his face. He’s seated on the other end of the bench next to Jeonghan with his legs crossed and he’s tapping away on his iLog, playing a dinosaur game to pass time. Jeonghan turns towards him with a glare and Sungchan laughs harder, the girls doing the same. “Fuck no!” “Why not? It’d be cute,” “Why don’t you do it then?” Jeonghan says and Sungchan looked as if he’s considering it. “Hyung,” He calls, turning around so he’s face to face with Jeonghan now. There’s a playful glint in his eyes that matches the grin on his lips and Jeonghan’s not too sure if he should take what he’s about to say seriously or not. “What if we play rock, paper, and scissors, and the loser does pigtails?” Jeonghan knew it, Sungchan is thinking silly things again. But he’s not one to be a killjoy so he nods his head at the younger, making the grin on his lips grow bigger. Now, the two are playing rock, paper, and scissors with serious looks on their faces, taking the game so seriously as if it’s Drift. Irene and Seulgi have moved closer to the benches so they can have a closer look at the close game. Sungchan has won three times already and it’s a game of five. Jeonghan wins the next two games and Sungchan was on the verge of winning when Jeonghan suddenly goes on a winning streak. Finally, the last point. Sungchan shifted on his side of the bench, wiping invisible sweat on his forehead, making Irene and Seulgi, and even his opponent, Jeonghan, chuckle at his antics. “You ready to lose, hyung?” Jeonghan smirks at that. “Really now?” And then the air turns serious again. “Rock, paper, scissors, SHOOT!” The two young men placed their hands in front of each other, Sungchan throwing a fist and Jeonghan throwing his winning palm—paper. Suddenly, the room is full of loud screams of glee coming from Jeonghan, Irene, and Seulgi, meanwhile, Sungchan is groaning in disappointment for losing the game. Just as they finished, the large doors to the locker room burst open revealing Coach Eun with Taehyung, Jimin, and Yoongi trailing behind her. The three of them aren’t dressed in the proper Galactica Drift suits yet, sticking to their loungewear for now. Seeing how the other members are enjoying themselves, the four who’ve just arrived grew curious about the reason behind the loud commotion; their cheers and yells may have been heard from outside of the locker room. “What’s going on?” Coach Eun asks, a smile forming on her lips as she looks over at Jeonghan who’s cheering with his fits to the ceiling, and Sungchan who’s faking his cries as Irene and Seulgi brush his hair. Both of them are working on tying his light brown locks into pigtails. “Nice hair, Chan.” Yoongi snickers at the youngest who looks up with a pout. Jimin points towards him and laughs harder with Taehyung. “I lost the bet I made!” Sungchan wails and the other members of Galactica, including Coach Eun, burst into huge fits of laughter. “You look cute, Sungchan,” Coach Eun says amidst the laughter leaving her mouth. Seulgi then hands a mirror to Sungchan after they’ve finished with his hair and he takes a look, raising the mirror up so he can get a closer look at what they’ve done to him. Surprisingly, the pout on his lips has etched up into a smile. “Oh!” His eyes widen. “I do look cute,” and the other members laugh again. “Yes you do,” Jimin tells him as he walks by, patting the back of his head gently before walking away to the changing area. Sungchan’s the dearest baby of Galactica as he’s the youngest, almost everything he does is endearing to them even if he’s towering over them due to his tall height. Taehyung follows him, also planning to change into his suit. The match starts in exactly an hour. To say that Taehyung is feeling all jittery due to nervousness and excitement is an understatement. A big understatement. He’s feeling as if he’s about to throw up but he also feels as if he’s about to soar high just by thinking of going out into the space field again for another game of Drift. He couldn’t even imagine how the game would turn out today but he was sure he couldn’t wait to win it, he was so ready to win it. If he loses then… he loses. Surely it would hurt him a lot but failure is part of the learning experience… Okay, maybe Taehyung is lying on that part. He couldn’t really think of what kind of emotions will take over him if they do lose. Yes, he’ll be sad, and maybe he’ll be angry, but definitely, that anger will not be directed at the team but more toward himself. Taehyung knows himself. When Galactica loses a match, he always points the blame toward him even if it was no one’s fault. ‘I didn’t strike the ball hard enough’, ‘I wasn’t able to hit it for defense!’, "‘I didn’t see the ball come that way’, and perhaps many more reasons he can think of just so he can say it’s his fault for losing. One thing’s for sure though—Taehyung should stop thinking about losing because Galactica won’t lose. Not today and definitely not this game. With 30 minutes left on the clock, Taehyung finds himself pacing around the locker room while his teammates are all on the bench, talking to each other and looking at their iLogs. Sungchan still has his hair in pigtails since he lost the bet and he can’t remove them until the end of the match. He’s not complaining though, if him looking at himself in the mirror every five seconds is not enough to show that. Coach Eun is seated on another bench, her clipboard on her lap with her fingers wrapped around a pen. She’s doing some work things Taehyung’s not too sure what exactly she’s working on but he knows they’re not to bother her while she’s busy. With 10 minutes left on the clock, the air inside the locker room has gotten tense, stiff . Everyone is starting to feel the match now, they can feel how real it actually is. The room has gone silent, only the sound of Coach Eun’s pen meeting the paper and the ticking of the clock’s arms can be heard. It doesn’t make them feel any better as with every tick and every tock , they feel their hairs stand up. It’s a common experience during game day, the experience of reality suddenly hitting them like a truck. It’s crazy how all of them feel the same shivers running down their spine upon hearing the commotion outside; commotion that was caused by the arrival of the small audience and the members of Space Rebels. With 5 minutes left on the clock, Coach Eun is asking Galactica to huddle a little closer so they can begin with their pre-match ritual—saying final reminders about their strategies and doing the Galactica chant (their lucky charm) together. Their short messages for each other were very warm and supportive that it eases the weight resting on their shoulders. Coach Eun nudges Taehyung so he can say his last few words for the team and Taehyung clears his throat. “I’ll keep it short,” He says as he looks over at his teammates who were already listening attentively. “Universtar is very vigilant and strong, we need to use that to our advantage. They would most likely have their Attackers on full attack and will try to get the ball from you, so stay alert. As much as possible, don’t back out when they charge at you, you can always charge back, they’d get the hint to back off. No one would want a collision to actually happen. That’s an offense and we can get a penalty for it.” The two Attackers, Jimin and Seulgi nod their heads when Taehyung looks their way. “Sweepers, you know how to clean our side of the field off of Universtar players, yeah? Do your best to keep them away and get the ball if they have it.” The Sweepers nod their heads too, a determined look on their faces. When Taehyung drifts his attention to Jeonghan, he notices that the Keeper is fiddling with his protective gloves. “Don’t think much about it, Han, you’re the best goalkeeper ever and you’ll do great out there.” One of the things Coach Eun has considered when it came to choosing the captain for Galactica is making sure that said captain honed leadership skills. The captain had to make sure that they were capable of keeping a strong front at all times, that they were capable of working the gears in their brain even during tough moments when thinking isn’t easy to do, and the captain had to be, most importantly , good with using their words. No one wants a captain who can’t say their thoughts out loud and can’t make it simple enough for everyone on the team to understand. Taehyung, once Coach Eun met him, had easily ticked off all the boxes on the Dream Captain checklist. So now, while she’s looking and listening to Galactica do their pre-match ritual and seeing Taehyung easily collect all their worries and throw them away to a far galaxy, Coach Eun gets reminded of how much she doesn’t regret ever choosing Taehyung. With 1 minute left on the clock, the Drift team Galactica is exiting the locker room with their hoverboards clutched by their arms on their sides. Universtar is on the other side of the field, all their hoverboards beside them too. Taehyung takes a good look at them and spots Jungkook who’s, surprise! already looking at him. He’s wearing the Universtar suit which clings on to his skin so tight, the dark blue latex hugging his biceps and his thighs, and his jet black hair is tied back into a half ponytail. His head, along with every other Drift player on the field as of the moment, is wrapped in the custom-made team helmet which isn’t actually a helmet. It was more like a headphone with a protective screen over their faces so they wouldn’t get hurt if the Drift ball were to approach their heads. This headgear helps them hear each other through the field as they’ll be playing with distance; it guides them to properly give callouts to their teammates. Taehyung ignores Jungkook and his annoying antics, keeping his stance serious as he listens to Coach Eun’s final final words. As he listens, he fixes his hold on his hoverboard, a sweet hoverboard coming from the famous series called Sonic . It’s not exactly the latest version (the latest version in the Sonic Series is the Ultrasonic meanwhile Taehyung has the Megasonic hoverboard) but Taehyung loves it greatly as it was a gift from his mother. His teammates had the same hoverboards too except for Sungchan who has a different one. He has the latest version of the KickZ hoverboard, KickZ 2.5 , which is said to be the fastest hoverboard in the KickZ series yet. Sungchan needs it as he’s a Sweeper, a defender in the field who need all the speed he can get. "Listen, I need y’all to just have fun up there, okay?” Coach Eun says, her eyebrows raising and her face showing a look of determination, which can also be seen in the faces of the members of Galactica. “Winning this match is good not only for our dear captain, Taehyung but also for us, Galactica. We can enter many matches across districts if we win this.” “Do we still get the same benefit even if we lose?” Sungchan asks and his voice rings through the headphones against the ears of the Galactica members. It sounds a bit robotic and loud but it makes them know that their headgears work perfectly. Coach Eun turns towards him, blinking as if she can’t believe he’s asking that question. “W-Well, if we lose then it’s fine. I guess if you play greatly then we’d still be able to play matches against other districts’ teams…just not in the big matches.” “Like the Drift District Cup? ” Coach Eun blinks again. “Yes… like the Drift District Cup.” The loud blow of the whistle captures the attention of both Galactica and Universtar. The referee, who’s actually the coach of Space Rebels named Coach Hyunbin, is on his own hoverboard (an Ultrasonic ) and he’s drifting up to the center of the field. On his hands was the Drift ball, the lights on it colored white at the moment as neither Galactica nor Universtar has it. The Drift ball changes to the color of the team who currently has it on their side. The Drift players watch as he presses something on his headgear and he began to speak, his voice heard by all of the Drift players through their own headgear and by the audience, as the mic on his headgear is also connected to the speakers. “Good afternoon to all! Today’s Drift match is between two of the best Drift teams in S30UL, Galactica vs. Universtar!” Coach Hyunbin says and the small crowd which consists of the Drift teams’ family members and the members of Space Rebels began yelling their hearts out. From where Taehyung was floating on his hoverboard, he catches sight of Kim Namjoon, the captain of Space Rebels, looking over between him and Jeon Jungkook. It was obvious he was keeping an eye on the two as either of them will be taking a spot as Space Rebels’ new member by the end of the day. He looks further up the bleachers and finally spots his grandmother, Madam Kim, who’s holding a large banner saying GO GALACTICA! in bold purple ink. It’s Galactica’s signature color along with silver. “The winning team of this match will win lots of benefits! And the winning captain will get a spot as Space Rebels’ new Attacker. May the best Drift team and captain win!” Just from hearing the last words of Coach Hyunbin, Taehyung’s felt all his energy course through his system, electrifying him in such a way that he now wants to bolt up the field and start with the game. He takes a look at Jungkook whose face shows that of his raging competitiveness and of course, cockiness. A smirk is on his lips, one that Taehyung can see though he’s far away, and Taehyung wishes the match goes well today so he can wipe that off of the other’s face. As soon as the first horns blared, the members of Galactica climbed their hoverboards and took flight, drifting high above the space field but just on the same level as Coach Hyunbin who was still holding onto the Drift ball. Taehyung leads his teammates to the center of the field, except for Jeonghan who’s already where he’s supposed to be; by the goal. Universtar’s Keeper, Kim Seokjin, is also in position, his pink protective gloves so bright and eye-catching from where he stands. Galactica and Universtar settled at the center with Taehyung and Jungkook in front of each other and Coach Hyunbin right beside them, standing in between. His eyes are going from Universtar then to Galactica, waiting patiently for all members to be in their proper positions. Once they’ve all settled, Coach Hyunbin raises his hands with the ball above his head, and when the second horn blares, the Drift ball is thrown high up to space. Coach Hyunbin, with his hoverboard, dives back down to the space field to watch as the match between Universtar and Galactica has just started. Taehyung and Jungkook both look at the Drift ball that has been sent too high above and they closely watch as it descends down quickly. For a second, the two captains catch each other’s eyes which sent daggers at one another. Moving fast, Taehyung was the first to place his hands on the ball, the lights on it turning purpler. He drifts quickly toward Universtar’s side so he can strike the ball toward their goal and he sends a wink Jungkook’s way as he drifts and Jungkook, annoyed that he wasn’t able to get the ball first, chases after him. Jimin and Seulgi are moving ahead of Taehyung, getting into position for when he hits the ball to either of them. “Too many Sweepers are on me—” Taehyung says once he notices the number of Universtar members trailing him. All three Sweepers were surrounding him and Taehyung feels a bit stuck as he flies in a zig-zag way to try and get them uncoordinated. Universtar’s Sweepers were Mingyu, Haechan, and Eunwoo, three defenders who sometimes play dirty on the field. “Jimin heads up!” Taehyung calls as he throws the Drift ball and hits it as hard as he can with his palm right at Jimin who catches it with ease. “Nice!” “Got the ball, the Sweepers are with you Tae, Seul and I are near the Keeper,” Jimin’s voice rings in Taehyung’s ear, and keeping the callouts in mind, he dives down on his hoverboard, speeding up as he looks above, watching the other Drift players try to catch Jimin and take the ball from him. Once he’s right below the position where he wants to be, Taehyung flies back up again. Sungchan is right beside him now and so is Seulgi, meanwhile Irene and Yoongi were with Jimin, protecting him from Universtar’s Sweepers and Attackers. “I’ll throw it back to you Tae!” “I’ll catch!” Taehyung says and he looks ahead at where Jimin is, eyeing the ball which he hits in Taehyung’s direction. As quick as the ball lands on Taehyung’s hands, as quick as he throws it above his head and strikes it right at the goal, with Kim Seokjin completely missing to block it. “Ten points for Galactica!” Coach Hyunbin announces through the speakers and the entire Galactica and their supporters cheer, throwing their fists in the air and clapping loud. But this wasn’t time for any kind of celebration as the match is still ongoing and the Drift ball is now being spiked back to the center of the field by Kim Seokjin. Jungkook got his hands on it right away and his hoverboard, an Ultrasonic, took him toward their goal. He takes full advantage of barely any Galactica members on their side except for Jeonghan, who’s guarding the goal. Jungkook turns his head, glancing at Taehyung as he snickers, before looking ahead with the Drift ball in his hands, now in the color of blue and yellow. Taehyung groans as he speeds up to Jungkook, his eyes focused on the other captain. Jeonghan is watching closely at Jungkook who only smirks at him before he throws the ball towards Jaehyun, Universtar’s Attacker, and his focus switches to him instead. But then Jaehyun throws the ball back to Jungkook and Jeonghan, confused, was too late to see Jungkook already spiking the ball toward the goal. “Fuck no!” “Ten points for Universtar!” the speakers blare and now it’s Universtar’s time to celebrate. Jeonghan sends a look of genuine regret at Taehyung and he mumbles a sorry to his headgear’s mic. Taehyung shakes his head. “It’s okay, Han. Let’s get a point next,” And they do get a point after Irene and Yoongi dash through all of the Universtar’s Attackers, distracting them from looking at Jimin who was passing the other side with the Drift ball wrapped by his arms. Kim Seokjin had his eyes on him though, watching his every move, and he’s in position for when he’s about to block the ball. Jimin takes this as a challenge, squinting his eyes at the other team’s Keeper who’s glaring. Jimin throws the ball above his head and Seokjin watches, fully ready to block it when Jimin suddenly shouts, “Taehyung!” And he hits the ball to Taehyung, who was on the opposite end of the field right by the goal. The ball was too fast for Seokjin to catch it was already with Taehyung who strikes it toward the side of the goal which Seokjin isn’t blocking properly. “Another ten points for Galactica! Galactica is leading, twenty to ten.” “Nice strike Tae!” Taehyung hears the voice of his teammates, complimenting him and Jimin for the sick gameplay they just did. It was crazy how well they pulled it off but it’s Jimin and Taehyung, the plays they do together always, always, earn points for Galactica. The game goes by slowly after that as Universtar earned another ten points. Taehyung could tell that Jeonghan’s starting to feel the heavy weight on his shoulders and that doesn’t mean well at all. A timeout is requested by the coaches of both Universtar and Galactica, and the teams dived down to the bottom of the field. Jeonghan was the last to arrive, sweat trickling down his forehead and to his neck and he’s wiping excessively. “You okay, Jeonghan?” Seulgi asks, worried, and Jeonghan nods his head as he takes a long swig of water. Coach Eun approaches the team and she clasps her hands together. “Alright, alright. You guys are doing well so far!” “Except me,” Jeonghan mutters under his breath and Taehyung sighs as he walks towards him. “I’m sorry. I don’t know why I keep missing the blocks!” “It’s okay, Han—” “But it isn’t. I’m sorry guys, I’ll block better when we get back on the field. I’ll make sure to block it real good this time,” Jeonghan says and the team nods. “Yeah hyung! Block it real good the ball bounces back to their hands! Or heads!” Sungchan exclaims and the whole of Galactica laughs together. The pigtails resting on top of his head aren’t helping them calm their laughter down either, even Sungchan finds himself chuckling. Taehyung steps forward now, his hand resting on top of Jeonghan’s shoulder. “We got this guys, you’re all very good at Drift, let’s bring home the trophy today.” The team began cheering once again and the horn blared, indicating the end of the timeout. Universtar and Galactica are back on their hoverboards, flying up to the field. Jeonghan has a stronger look on his face as he settles on his position and Taehyung smiles at that. He’s so sure they’ll win it. Coach Hyunbin is on the field again, Drift ball in hand. He throws it high up to space and leaves the field, taking a close eye on Jungkook whose hand found the ball first, making it turn the colors blue and yellow again. Taehyung chases after the younger captain and Galactica’s Attackers began surrounding him. Jungkook would look behind and to his side from time to time, but he stays focused on moving to be in position near the goal. Taehyung glances at Jeonghan who’s keeping a close eye on Jungkook who strikes it towards the goal and Jeonghan misses again, the ball grazing his hand but it slid and fell right to the goal. “Ten points for Universtar! Universtar is now on the lead, thirty to twenty.” Jeonghan looks defeated again after missing to block, yet again . Taehyung moves to the center of the field and speaks to his mic as he watches Jeonghan prepare himself to spike the ball. “Han, don’t think much about it. You’re good at this. You got it, alright?” Even from a far distance, Taehyung could see Jeonghan change his demeanor. He spikes the ball hard to the center and Yoongi catches it before throwing it toward Seulgi who successfully hits the ball to the goal. Thirty to thirty. There are only twenty points and thirty minutes left until the match officially ends and Taehyung’s feeling the buzz again. He looks at Jungkook who’s by the corner of the field, watching the scene before him too. It makes Taehyung think of what’s going on inside the captain’s mind; if they both share the same thoughts at the moment or if Jungkook is truly an asshole and is thinking of beating Galactica to a pulp instead. Twenty minutes left and neither team has gotten points as their Keepers have been working extra hard with blocking their goals. Jeonghan has been getting flooded with heartwarming compliments and loud cheers from their family every time he successfully blocked. Fifteen minutes left and Universtar got ten points but a little later, so did Galactica. Forty to forty. Both teams only need ten points left to win the game and Taehyung’s mind is going hazy as he thinks about what’s going to happen next. He wants to win so badly but then Universtar is playing better than they did when the game just started. It’s making him grow worried. Jimin seems to take notice of this and Taehyung began to hear his voice in his headgear. It was a direct line—only Taehyung can hear what he was saying. “Change, Taehyung,” Jimin says and the corners of Taehyung’s lips pull upward. “Change is good for you.” Winning this match meant change for Taehyung, and also for the entire Galactica team. If they win, Taehyung would be an Attacker for Space Rebels and he would no longer have the title and position of captain of Galactica. Jimin would most likely take his position but he doesn’t know that as of now as Coach Eun and Taehyung don’t want to announce it yet. They don’t want to jinx it. Change for Taehyung meant so much change to everything. Madam Kim would probably act differently as her one and only grandson would be part of the district’s representative Drift team, Mrs. Kim might do the same too and might even come home to personally congratulate Taehyung, Jungkook would be cockier and would obviously hate Taehyung more, and Space Rebels would have a new Attacker. It’s a whole lot of change overnight if Galactica were to win and Taehyung, now that he thinks about it whilst he’s in the middle of the field with his feet glued on tight to his hoverboard, is starting to feel a bit overwhelmed. It’s not good to feel overwhelmed, especially not when you’re in the middle of a very important game that you’ve been looking forward to ever since you got the letter from Coach Hyunbin. Taehyung shouldn’t feel this way, he knows he shouldn’t. But he can’t brush those thoughts off his head, even when everybody on the field is moving as the Drift ball has been thrown and Jungkook has caught it. Taehyung couldn’t brush those thoughts and the heavy feelings even when he was the only one left on the side with Seokjin looking at him rather worriedly despite being his opponent. Taehyung couldn’t stop despite the yelling he can hear in his ear because it was getting blocked off until it was only background noise to him. The only thing Taehyung could hear is a light ringing and he couldn’t bring himself to move. “Taehyung! What the fuck are you doing?!” Taehyung only snaps out of it when he hears Coach Eun’s voice from his headgear, screaming at him to move as Jungkook’s already near the goal, about to hit the ball to it. Everything comes crashing down on him as he snaps back to reality, his vision clearing and so does his hearing. He sees Jimin and Yoongi trying to block Jungkook’s way, Irene and Seulgi trying to keep Universtar’s Attackers from attacking Jimin and Yoongi, and Sungchan is sneaking his way by the very side, trying his best to get a go at Jungkook who’s oblivious to his positioning. Taehyung finally moves when Coach Eun yells at him again. His Megasonic takes him blasting to the other side of the field, his arms on his side with his fists clenched tight. He wouldn’t let Jungkook strike that ball to the goal, he wouldn’t. Even if he feels that change is too scary, that change is too overwhelming, and that change may not be for him at all, Taehyung wouldn’t allow Jungkook to get the winning points for Universtar. He just can’t. And so Taehyung rushes in the middle of Sungchan and Yoongi, just in front of Jeonghan, and stays in position, catching Jungkook off-guard. He still has the Drift ball in hand and his eyes are moving from Taehyung to the two Sweepers next to him, all on full defense and the gears in his brain are turning. He’s thinking of what he should do and Taehyung is preparing himself for whatever it is. “Ready,” Taehyung says to Jeonghan to which the other responds with a yes. Just as they expected, Jungkook ends up throwing the ball and Taehyung starts moving. He drifts up, making it seem as though he will be the one to block the ball (he can’t do that, only Keepers can block the ball from the goal) but when Jungkook finally hits it, his hoverboard takes him to the side in a flash, allowing the ball to go past him to hit the goal where Jeonghan stands. And Jeonghan blocks it, his palms hitting the Drift ball high up in the air. “Yes!” Galactica’s members scream together at the successful block but then the horn suddenly blares loud and Taehyung’s face drops with horror. “Ten points for Universtar!” The members of Galactica look around, wondering what the hell just happened and Taehyung feels his heart sink to his stomach. “What?” By the center of the field, he sees Jungkook drifting toward his teammates, all of them hugging their Striker for the fantastic play he did. What? Taehyung stays still, ignoring how his teammates are going to him and forming a circle. He’s stunned. Lost. And so so confused. What the fuck just happened? “Jungkook hit the ball back to the goal again and Jeonghan was too far to reach and block it—” Yoongi states. “That can’t be… isn’t that not allowed?” Jimin asks and the other members share a knowing look. One that says they don’t know. Taehyung is still silent as he looks at Universtar cheering, their feet on the ground, while Coach Hyunbin hands them the trophy and a very special envelope just for Jungkook alone. Taehyung couldn’t feel anything. It’s like he’s back to the corner of the field, feeling everything crash down on him. He couldn’t seem to grasp the fact that they lost the match. Galactica lost and Universtar won. Jungkook won. Thinking that Jungkook won the Attacker spot makes his stomach twist, and seeing him down there with his hands clinging onto the trophy and the envelope makes him feel angry. But he can’t be angry, he knows he can’t be angry. This is how the match turned out to be and maybe this is what is meant to be. Maybe change isn’t for Taehyung yet. Or maybe not at all. “Tae,” Jimin calls, his hand gently touching Taehyung’s wrist. The other members of Galactica are on the ground too, walking back to the locker rooms with gloomy looks on their faces. Coach Eun was waiting for the two to come down by the bleachers and Taehyung notices Madam Kim next to her. “Tae we need to go,” Taehyung finally looks at his best friend and Jimin feels his heart crack at the sight before him. Taehyung is crying. “We lost, Min…” Taehyung says softly, his voice breaking and Jimin’s eyebrows furrow as he places his hands on Taehyung’s cheek, wiping the tears that have fallen.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
As soon as Madam Kim and Taehyung got home after the game, Taehyung locked himself up inside his room. He was sad, of course he’d want time for himself, so Madam Kim never bothered him except for when it was time to eat. Taehyung didn’t really do anything inside his personal space aside from just moping and coping. He seems to have also found joy in playing the dinosaur game that helps ease Sungchan’s nerves before Drift matches, and he’s begun enjoying watching these restored films from Planet Earth that he found while shopping in the market. But despite all of the things Taehyung does to distract himself from ever remembering the match that happened and how he failed himself and his whole team, the heavy burden still manages to come crawling over his back and laying on his shoulders.
Taehyung honestly couldn’t remember the last time he felt this visibly upset. He doesn’t even know if it’s comparable to the lingering feeling of
upsetness
that he felt on his birthday last year when his mother didn’t come to visit. He hated it. He hated the feeling so bad because it got him to hide his hoverboard, his
baby
, at the back of his closet as the sight of it alone could almost bring him to tears. He also hid his duffel bag which he uses to store his Drift suit and other Drift equipment in the very top drawer of his closet, away from his vision. He’s completely shut off his socials in his iLog, not feeling like watching Drift videos and stumbling upon clips from the match which some family members of other teams may have shared in the community forum. He hated seeing how badly he lost and he was so sure there are people out there already making fun of him. Taehyung hated how that feeling he keeps feeling is so close to making him grow huge hatred for the one and only thing he loves the most in the world, Drift.
One evening, while Taehyung and Madam Kim were eating dinner on the kitchen island (a delicious pot of beef kimchi stew and a bowl of steamed eggs), Madam Kim suggested that Taehyung should come help out in Pluto Spacecare, just so he can keep his mind off of what happened in a better and productive way. Madam Kim saw him in those few days when he turned his room into his escape cave. She can hear the loud sound of the television playing whatever drama Taehyung is watching down the hall towards her room, and she knows Taehyung isn’t feeling very well, she just didn’t say a single word about it. She kept silent but deep inside she wanted to put a stop to it. As long as she wants her grandson to embrace his emotions, she wants him to heal too. Nothing could be gained if he kept moping and nothing would change if he continued acting like that, which is why she did what she had to do.
Taehyung thinks heavily about Madam Kim’s suggestion as he eats, each spoonful of rice mixed with soup gets his brain working. Even after all these years of living with Madam Kim, Taehyung only realized now how he’s never really involved himself with his grandmother’s full-time job. Sure, when he was younger he would be taken to Pluto Spacecare while Madam Kim does her shifts but in the years after that? Taehyung couldn’t recall the last time he’s been there just to go there. Maybe there were times wherein he came to visit Madam Kim, but he only reached the entrance or the lobby as he couldn’t really go inside due to his schedule (Drift keeps him
really
busy) and because he’s restricted despite being a family member of the owner. He couldn’t risk interacting with the kids when he’s got adult germs from outside and Madam Kim couldn’t do the same too as rules are rules; only caretakers can take care of the kids.
According to Madam Kim, the only thing Taehyung needed to do is to make sure that the kids who are sent there for a day are happy, fed, and safe. Three things. Taehyung could do those three things. So he accepts the suggestion and starts preparing himself for his first day as one of Pluto Spacecare’s new caretakers.
“Wear colors. It’s important you wear bright ones so the kids’ brains get stimulated and they learn about it. Trust me, they’d ask about it.” Madam Kim tells him during breakfast the next day. They spent their entire morning talking about the spacecare (Planet Earth people called it daycare) with Madam Kim informing Taehyung about the rules the caretakers have to follow while working. Taehyung makes a mental note to remember each and every word she just said and
thankfully
, does remember her tips and tricks a few hours later. Regardless of his head being full of Drift and sadness as he rummages through his closet, Taehyung tries his very best to look for a colorful shirt and colorful pants that would hopefully make the kids happy. It took him quite a while to find an outfit he likes as he was also actively ignoring the Megasonic laying by the back of the closet (or he tries to), and also because his closet is filled with mostly neutral and toned-down colored fabrics; don’t blame him, he doesn’t like to be too flashy. A couple of minutes later, he ends up picking a plain white shirt to wear underneath a large cardigan Madam Kim had made for him. It was a cardigan that had patches in different colors—red, blue, green, and yellow, and it looks perfect and very kid-appropriate if you ask him. He matches this with just a simple pair of baggy denim jeans and his comfortable white sneakers.
When Taehyung arrived at the foot of the stairs, he finds Madam Kim eyeing him and his outfit. “What?”
Madam Kim smiles at him as she moves forward, gently patting the cardigan she made. “Looks good on you, dear.”
“Thanks, Nana.”
—
Taehyung could say that he is familiar with Pluto Spacecare. Or not.
But the thing is, he
was
familiar with the place.
Having spent most of his childhood hanging out and playing there, Taehyung is so confident he’d be able to navigate the entire building easily. That was until he finally entered.
Through the years, there have been a lot of changes that happened to Pluto Spacecare, one of which is the sudden change in interiors. The once plain white walls have been painted a different one per room—there are pink walls, blue walls, yellow walls, and other colors you can think of. Back when Taehyung was still running past these halls, the first floor was filled with play areas for children to hang out in. Now, the play areas on the first floor are nowhere in sight, instead, the walls that were separating those rooms have been put down to give space to what Pluto Spacecare now calls the lobby and snacks area. There seems to be a newly opened library too, a room Taehyung has never visited before as it is…
well
… new. It was situated by the far end of the hall, right next to the staircase leading to the second floor where the play areas Taehyung was desperately looking for were. It was nice to see how great the place looks despite its changes but Taehyung somehow still hoped he’d see the same Pluto Spacecare as twenty years ago.
After being given a tour around, Madam Kim tasked Taehyung to take care of the kids that were recently dropped off by their parents. The children are separated into different batches to ensure they don’t all crowd into one room. Madam Kim also said that he can do whatever he wants with the little ones as long as they are safe and well by the end of the day and Taehyung felt delighted as he had already planned what kind of activities he’ll have the kids do since the previous night. He takes this task seriously as he wants these kids to have a fun day while their parents are busy making money for their futures and above everything else, he only wishes for the happiness of these kids.
So with a huge smile on his lips and a bright look painted over his face, Taehyung walks inside one of the spacious rooms of Pluto Spacecare, the automatic sliding doors opening before him and revealing a dozen pairs of eyes looking back at him with curiosity.
“Hi!” Taehyung greets them, his smile growing bigger as he looks at the faces of these young ones. Some of them are a bit older than seven but the others are not younger than three, which is good ‘cause Taehyung isn’t too good with toddlers who cry all day. He’d rather spend the day with pre-schoolers and try to ignore their sassiness than deal with tears and blaring cries that he won’t be able to control unless he’s the parent. The curious eyes only look at him, their little bodies staying put on the cushions placed on the floor. Taehyung is kind of wondering why they aren’t moving, if these are even real children and Madam Kim is not messing with him, but then one kid approaches him out of nowhere, his tiny hands tugging onto the hem of his cardigan. “Hi.”
“Hello…” The little boy whispers, shyly looking up at Taehyung and then looking back down. “Are you… are you our new hyung?”
Taehyung blinks at the kid who does the same back and he inhales before letting out a slightly high-pitched yes. The boy ends up smiling then and Taehyung smiles too, feeling the little boy put his tiny hands around his fingers, pulling him deeper into the room where the other children are now surrounding him. He guesses the little boy is somewhat their “leader” or just the kid everybody is friends with but either way, Taehyung is glad the other kids are coming over to him now. Little girls and little boys pulled him to sit down on the largest cushion, it was a blue one, and with their tiny hands, they pulled their own tiny cushions right next to Taehyung’s. And then they all began to speak all at once, making Taehyung’s head turn everywhere.
“Mommy said we can’t speak to strangers.”
“Madam Kim says too! But since you’re our new hyung then you are not a stranger.”
“Did you make this cardigan yourself, hyung?”
“I want one for me too!”
“Sola come play family with me, I will be husband and you will be—”
“Junho! I keep saying I don’t want to be your wife! I’m already married to Hanie!”
“But Han is ugly! I’m handsome! Why not be my wife?”
Taehyung gets surprised at that as he tries his very best not to giggle at what he just heard. The two children who seem to be making a soap opera near him get approached by another child. A little boy.
“Did you just say I’m ugly?” The little boy asks and the other little boy raises a brow at him, placing his hand on his hip rather sassily.
“Yes, I did. What will you do about it?”
Taehyung thinks he should step forward now before war among the three little ones ensue. Rising from the cushion, Taehyung smiles at the children who were talking to him and says
‘I’ll be back’
before he leaves to walk towards the trio. Han and Junho, the two little boys, were in the middle of a staring contest meanwhile Sola, the little girl, was tightly holding onto Han’s hand with a sullen look on her face.
“Hey… what are we playing, you guys?” Taehyung asks, looking between the two boys who are still staring at each other sharply. “Hello?”
“Oppa, they’re fighting because of me,” Sola walks towards him, her voice soft. “I don’t want them to fight oppa… what if I just become no one’s wife? I’ll be your wife instead!”
Apparently, Sola saying she’d rather be Taehyung’s wife was the trigger to get Han and Junho to stop throwing daggers at each other with their eyes. But instead of throwing it at each other, the two boys are teaming up and staring at Taehyung now.
“A-Ah no no!” Taehyung shakes his head too fast along with his hand. Sola looks at him with a tilted head and her eyes start welling up.
“Oppa doesn’t want me to be h-his wife?” Sola began to sob and Han, glaring at Taehyung, takes her to his side and pats her head.
“It’s okay Sola, you’ll be my wife, okay?” Taehyung wanted to laugh. He really does. But there’s a kid crying and he couldn’t laugh or else he’d get fired right away. He hasn’t even lasted a full five minutes in the room and there’s already a kid upset. Taehyung takes Sola’s hands and sighs.
“Sola, you can’t be my wife because…” Taehyung starts to think hard. What could be a good reason to tell a kid they can’t get married without making them cry harder? Think, Taehyung, think! "Because I…”
“Maybe hyung is already married, Sola,” Junho says out of the blue and Taehyung’s eyes widened at that. How did Taehyung not think of that first? Kids are truly bright.
“Yes! Yes that! I uh… I’m married.” Taehyung exclaims and Sola blinks back at him, her tears rolling down her cheeks which both Han and Junho wipe vigorously with their thumbs. It was her last tears as after they’d come out of her eyes, she was no longer crying.
“But who’s your wife, oppa? Is she pretty? Or do you have a husband?” Taehyung’s lips form into a thin line. He can’t believe he’s about to lie to a child right now but Madam Kim said he needs to make these kids
not
upset and for sure, if he says something wrong, he’ll make Sola cry harder. So he lies about having a husband and Sola, fortunately, buys it. “Wow! Happy marriage to you and your husband oppa! But I have a question,”
Taehyung leans in close to hear her. “What’s your question?”
“Can I have two husbands? I don’t want Junho to be sad,”
Taehyung looks at her with his mouth agape, completely stunned by the question. What the hell are kids up to nowadays? Why are they thinking of this? Taehyung’s not sure but he’s completely surprised. Sola, Junho, and Han are looking at him with curious and eager eyes. They were patiently waiting for his response and Taehyung’s kind of feeling a bit pressured now. What does he even answer to that question? If he says no then Sola would cry and maybe Junho too, but if he says yes then that’d be bad ‘cause he’ll be teaching them something they might interpret wrong.
Taehyung takes a deep breath before he speaks. He hesitates for a few seconds, thinking if what he’s doing is right, and then he goes for it. “Well, Sola… you can have two husbands—”
Sola’s face brightens.
“—but only if both of the boys would like it too,” Sola hums in response as he turns to Han.
“Hey Hanie, are you okay with me being Junho’s wife too?” Han nods his head, surprising Taehyung. Sola looks unfazed but she is happy.
Sola turns to Junho. “What about you? Are you okay with me being Hanie’s wife?”
Junho’s lips form into a pout. “Only if you call me a cute nickname too,”
And Sola cheers happily. “Okay then! Han is Hanie and you’re Junie!”
Taehyung heaves a sigh of relief seeing that the three kids who were fighting and crying earlier have now made up and are currently holding hands. It was funny, so funny, but Taehyung still tries to keep his laughter stifled.
About ten minutes later, Madam Kim pays a visit to the play area. Taehyung was oblivious to her presence as he was completely immersed in bonding with a few of the kids, three of which included the soap opera trio Han, Junho, and Sola. They were seated by the corner of the room where the bookshelves were and Taehyung had a storybook opened in his hands. Madam Kim watches fondly at Taehyung telling a story to the kids, the sight almost making her tear up as she gets reminded of a faint memory of being the one in Taehyung’s position, her telling a story to a group of kids which included the young man when he was younger. Now he’s out there being in her place and it makes her feel ten times happier.
“The end,” Taehyung says after he finished reading a book called
The Giving Tree
to the children who were listening attentively. “Did you guys enjoy that?”
“We did! We did!” One of the little girls yells excitedly, jumping on her seat.
“Can we get another story oppa?”
“Please! Tell us one more story!”
Taehyung chuckles. “What have you guys not heard of yet? I feel like most of you read everything on this shelf.” Taehyung looked at the books on the shelf behind him and the kids were all humming, minds wandering as they thought about what story they wanted to hear next.
“Hyung, we want to hear a story from you! Not from these books,” a little boy says and the others all nod in agreement, some of them even cheering. Taehyung fixes his seat on his cushion. A story from him? Taehyung hasn’t really thought much about making his own stories. He’s more of a sporty athlete (technically he is) and he’s definitely not a writer.
“Well, let me try to get a story from my brain,” Taehyung says, thinking hard now. He tries to pull out a kid-appropriate story from the crevices of his brain but all that comes up in his head are Jimin’s crazy gossips which aren’t exactly kid-appropriate. He tries to think again as he reminisces those moments wherein Madam Kim herself would tuck Taehyung to bed and share a bedtime story of her creation with him while he drifts off to sleep. But that story was ages ago and he couldn’t even remember anything about it.
And then it dawns on him. Looking at the kids’ faces one by one, Taehyung starts to ask, “Have you guys heard about this one asteroid?”
“What asteroid?” Junho asks, raising a brow at Taehyung, whose lips form into a big smile.
“Once upon a time, there was a space rock,” Taehyung starts. “It was large, really large! Almost as big as the planets we see through the windows!”
Pairs of different eyes shine back at him as he talks.
“It moved quick too… it moved quick that it landed on the blue and green colored planet and BOOM!” Taehyung makes an exploding sound with his mouth, and his hands also recreate the explosion. Some of the kids sitting close to him mimicked his actions, tiny voices imitating the way he said
boom
. It makes the smile form bigger on his lips, glee evident in the look on his face.
“The planet exploded, breaking into large bits and small… small bits…”
The children seated around him were still looking with amusement written all over their faces. Their mouths were wide, agape, and some of them were already half-standing, leaning closer to hear the story better, to hear more. They were too deep into listening, so interested and so pure. Taehyung could see the soap opera trio standing at the sides, the three of them looking so astonished at the story he just shared.
“What kind of rock was it, hyung?” One of the children asks and Taehyung turns towards her, the corners of his lips pulling into a grin.
“Asteroid G-0B.” He answers and the children let out loud gasps full of wonder and merriment.
“Asteroid G-0B? It sounds like a toy,”
“Asteroid
gob
? What does
gob
mean? It sounds weird.”
“I think
gob
means girls over boys.”
“Nuh-uh! It should be
bog!
”
“
Bog
sounds weirder. You’re trying too hard.”
“Asteroid G-0B sounds like a robot name! So cool!”
“I love robots.”
Han walks closer to Taehyung and sits down by his side. “Is the asteroid still roaming in space, hyung?”
Taehyung’s lips form into a firm line. “Hmm… no one really knows. I think it wandered off so far after it destroyed Planet Earth,”
“But why?”
“Maybe it felt guilty… or sad that it destroyed something,” Taehyung shrugs.
“But if it destroyed a planet then shouldn’t it say sorry?” Han asks innocently and Taehyung almost coos. He looks at him for a few seconds before pulling him up to sit on his lap.
“Yes it should. When you hurt someone you should always say sorry but sometimes, people get scared to do it.” Taehyung tells him before looking at the other kids. “That’s why you little ones should be brave okay? Apologizing and owning up to your mistake is the best form of bravery.”
Suddenly, the automatic sliding doors to the room open loudly. All the attention that was once on Taehyung has drifted over to Madam Kim and all the children greet her happily. “Alright, fun time’s over children, your parents have come to take you home.”
There were a couple of sad cries belonging to children who wished to stay a little longer just to hear more of Taehyung’s stories and to simply play with him, and there were others who were already jumping to their feet, leaving the room to be with their parents who were waiting in the lobby. Some kids were rather sweet, wrapping their short arms around Taehyung, who returned it just as tight, as their last greeting, and there were those who even planted a chaste kiss on his cheek, thanking him for the incredible day they had with him. Madam Kim smiles fondly at the interactions her grandson had with the little ones and waits by the door for all of the kids to exit. Once they were all done, he calls Taehyung.
“Someone’s in the lobby, asking for you,” Madam Kim says, and Taehyung’s eyebrows furrow.
“Do you know who it is, Nana?”
“No, dearie. He looks a bit familiar though, you should see for yourself.” Taehyung places the storybooks back on the shelf before he strides out of the room too, with Madam Kim following.
The person he didn’t expect to see at all, nor find in a place like Pluto Spacecare, is the captain of Space Rebels.
Standing just a few steps away from the frontman’s desk, Coach Hyunbin is waiting patiently as he looks around the area, obviously in search of someone. Madam Kim nudges Taehyung and Taehyung nods his head, making his way toward the older man who finally saw him.
“Ah! Kim Taehyung!” Coach Hyunbin calls and Taehyung approaches with a huge boxy smile on his lips. “Been quite a few days, huh?”
“Yes Coach. How may I help you? You brought your kid here?” Taehyung asks and Coach Hyunbin turns around to point toward a tall woman with long light brown hair over her back. Wrapped in her arms is a familiar-looking little boy whom Taehyung realizes to be Sola’s
Hanie
. “Oh! You’re Han’s dad!”
“Right I am,” Coach Hyunbin says and then he sighs. “The match last week was—”
Taehyung should’ve known the older man came for this. He should’ve seen it coming but he didn’t and he’s not so sure if talking about the match would end up well. Taehyung was trying so hard to forget about it, hence why he’s in Pluto Spacecare. He didn’t even think he’d ever talk about Drift with
the
Coach Hyunbin right here, in the place that’s supposed to take all of anyone’s worries away.
“It was cool,” Taehyung cuts off Coach Hyunbin who just gives a small smile at him.
“Yes indeed it was cool, and I was pretty amazed by the play you did there,” Coach Hyunbin starts and Taehyung slightly furrows his brows. He has no idea where the older man’s words are going. “It’s not like anything I’ve ever seen before, not in this day and age.”
“Coach I—”
“You have a talent, Taehyung,” now it was Coach Hyunbin who cuts him off. “You have a unique talent and you’re a very skilled athlete, which is why I want you on my team. In Space Rebels.”
Taehyung couldn’t find the words to say, it’s like every single thing he wishes to say just got stuck in his throat and none of it could get out. He blinks at Coach Hyunbin whose smile grows wider seeing his reaction. Taehyung looked stunned,
he is
stunned, he’s so stunned to suddenly hear those words from the coach of S30UL’s representative Drift team. This is insane. This is crazy! This couldn’t be real.
Of course.
This couldn’t be real. No way in hell this is happening right?
Right?
“Coach this must be a joke—” Coach Hyunbin shakes his head and Taehyung watches as his hand disappears inside the pocket of his dark blue windbreaker—his signature Space Rebels Coach jacket. He then pulls out an envelope, a familiar envelope made out of fine paper colored cream and Taehyung feels his heart start to beat rapidly. It was the same envelope Coach Hyunbin handed to Jungkook when Universtar won the match. It was the exact same envelope.
Coach Hyunbin places the envelope inside Taehyung’s hands and the younger only looks at it. “Think about it.”
The voice of Han rings in Taehyung’s ear and he snaps out of his slight daze. The little boy was waving goodbye at him as he was being carried by his father. Han and Coach Hyunbin have the same smile and Taehyung feels so light. “Hyung was very nice to me today, Papa! He told us a nice story!”
“Did he now?” Han nods his head at Coach Hyunbin and Taehyung just watches, his grip on the piece of envelope firm. “Well, if Taehyung hyung decides on something then maybe you two can talk about more stories soon, how does that sound?”
“Woah! More asteroid stories!” Han cheers making Coach Hyunbin laugh. Taehyung finds himself chuckling too, feeling his heart soar as he told a phenomenal space rock story to a six-year-old and received an envelope from the coach of S30UL’s greatest Drift team.
The envelope that’s inviting him to be a member of Space Rebels.
He couldn’t be any happier.
—
“Open it,” Jimin says to Taehyung, his eyes all set on the paper lying on the ground.
After Coach Hyunbin and his family left Pluto Spacecare, Taehyung rang Jimin up as quickly as he could through his iLog and told him the good news. The older of the two screamed to his ear so loud via voice message that it kind of surprised the adults and the kids in the lobby. Madam Kim made Taehyung go home after that and Taehyung followed, not wanting to cause any more panic and confusion in the spacecare.
So now here he is inside his room, his back against the side of his bed with Jimin seated across him, and the envelope from Coach Hyunbin lay flat between them.
“Seriously open it,” Jimin says again and Taehyung groans.
“I can’t!”
“What do you mean you can’t? Yes you can!”
Taehyung groans once more. “No really, I can’t.”
“It’s just opening an envelope—”
“Not just any envelope—” The door to Taehyung’s room pushes open, revealing Min Yoongi. Taehyung also invited him because Jimin said so and because Yoongi is an important person to Jimin now (no they aren’t boyfriends yet but what’s where they’re headed). Jimin kept saying it’s important to have people to support you during milestones like this. ‘
It's a special moment meant to be shared!’
,
‘The more the merrier!’,
and all that shenanigans.
“What are we doing?” Yoongi asks as he sits down next to Jimin, planting a kiss on his cheek after he’s settled.
“Opening an envelope,” Taehyung says, unbothered.
“Not just any envelope,” Jimin mutters and Yoongi raises a brow at him. “It’s from Space Rebels’ coach.”
Yoongi’s eyes widened and Taehyung groans for the nth time. “Well, open it,”
“I can’t,” Taehyung huffs, and now it was Jimin’s turn to groan.
“Why can’t you open it? You’ll never know what’s inside if you don’t check it out—”
“This is change, Min!” Taehyung yells all of a sudden, exasperated. It’s just dawning on him what this envelope meant and by the wide-eyed look on Jimin’s face, it must’ve dawned on him too.
“Shit.” Jimin sighs.
“Exactly,” Taehyung also sighs. “
Shit.
”
Yoongi doesn’t know what’s going on. “Why is it shit?”
“Taehyung doesn’t know if change is for him,”
“It isn’t—”
“It is! Look! The envelope literally says it!” Jimin points towards the paper still in the center, still left untouched.
Yoongi leans close to examine the envelope. “It doesn’t say anything,”
Jimin scowls at him.
“Maybe it’s a mistake,” Taehyung starts. “Maybe it’s meant for someone else and Coach mistook me for
that
someone else and—”
“Just fucking open it Kim Taehyung before I open it myself,” Jimin takes the envelope and gently hands it over to Taehyung who hesitates. Hours ago, he was feeling delighted to have felt the piece of paper on his skin. It felt so nice to have his fingers wrapped around it, clutching on it so tight as if it would easily slip out of his grasp. But now it felt as if Taehyung would crumble when he opened it and not the other way around. He’s scared and he knows he shouldn’t be. But change is a fickle thing and no one really knows what it’ll do to you unless you embrace it.
Taehyung takes a deep breath before he snatches the envelope from Jimin, who began grinning from ear to ear as he watches his best friend rip apart the seams of the paper. The way he pulls out the thicker parchment tucked neatly inside was gentle. He pulls it out slowly, his eyes wide as he looks at the ink coming to sight, and when the words finally present themselves, Taehyung pulls it out completely.
—
Dear Kim Taehyung,
Congratulations!
Due to your excellent and astounding performance in the preliminary match between Galactica and Universtar, I, Kim Hyunbin, am greatly pleased to offer you the position of Attacker for S30UL’s Representative Drift Team, Space Rebels.
I, along with the official members of Space Rebels, were amused by your great play and would be pleased if you were to accept this invitation to be part of the team. We believe that you would be a significant addition to our Drift family.
The first official Drift training for Space Rebels’ new and old members will be this Saturday at the Ganghan Village’s Space Field. Training starts at 8 AM, sharp.
We hope to see you there and once again, congratulations!
Sincerely,
Kim Hyunbin
Coach of Space Rebels
—
“Holy cow,” Taehyung breathes out after he’s finished reading all of the contents on the paper. Jimin crawls over to him, looks too, and Yoongi does the same, going over to the other side of Taehyung so he can read what the letter says.
“Oh my god!” Jimin squeals once he was done, wrapping his arms around Taehyung so tight. “You’re a Space Rebel!”
“Taehyung, this is huge! Congrats man!” Yoongi joins in, wrapping his arms around Taehyung too. It was a bit of a surprise considering Yoongi is not the type to be so touchy and feely with anyone, but maybe Jimin worked his magic and now it’s showing its effectiveness. The three of them began screaming at one another, so happy and so full of life. They couldn’t give a damn about anything else in the world, Taehyung is a Space Rebel, nothing else really matters. The door bursts open once again, this time it was Madam Kim, and there’s a look of horror all over her face.
“What happened?! Why’s there screaming?!” She asks frantically and Taehyung smiles warmly up at her. “Dearie? Are you okay?”
“Nana,” Taehyung calls, extending his hand out which Madam Kim takes, and then Taehyung pulls her down to the ground, making her join the hug. “Nana, I’m a Space Rebel.”
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Taehyung has dreamt of this moment since he was young. He’s dreamt about it for
forever.
Ever since he was a tiny young boy like the ones in Pluto Spacecare, Taehyung already knew he would become a Drift player. It was during the moment he came across a Drift match being broadcasted on Madam Kim’s television that Taehyung realized how much he liked Drift. He could remember the amusement lingering in his eyes and the way his mouth was agape the entire time he watched the live match between the old Space Rebels and this one Drift team from another district. Taehyung could remember how awestruck he was whilst watching, how he found it so cool that the Drift ball would change colors when a certain team member has it, and the hoverboards…
oh the hoverboards
… Taehyung loved it the very first time he’s seen it. From that day onwards, Taehyung wanted to know everything about the sport. He wanted to involve himself in it, immerse himself in this new world he’s found.
Drift became his safe space.
On the morning of his first training as a Space Rebels member, Taehyung woke up right on time. Not earlier, not later, but just right. He woke up of his own accord, without Madam Kim yelling from the kitchen and without the help of his alarm blaring too loudly a couple of times because he didn’t wake up the first time. Taehyung knew today would be a great day.
He does his morning routine as he usually does it— following his sacred morning schedule and eating breakfast with Madam Kim who could almost talk Taehyung’s ear off because she couldn’t, for the life of her, stop talking about the envelope. The envelope that is currently ripped apart and hidden inside one of the drawers of Taehyung’s nightstand. She talks about how excited she feels for Taehyung as she adds more stew to his bowl and more chicken breasts—
for protein and more energy!
—and Taehyung indulges it, letting her do whatever she wants because he knows she’s happy. He’s happy too, ecstatic even, he couldn’t imagine how today would play out but he knows it would play out well.
Taehyung taps on the screen of his iLog and a holographic screen shows up before him. He swipes at this to check his messages which were showing a lot of chats from his former teammates in the Galactica group chat. Taehyung is still not kicked out, not that he would want to be of course, and he figures his teammates don’t want him out of the group chat too. Congratulatory messages, numerous crying emojis everywhere, and Sungchan’s sobbing pictures flood the chat room and Taehyung laughs out loud. The youngest member of Galactica never fails to make him laugh.
—
GaLaCtiCazz
Sungchan:
*
sobbing picture
Sungchan:
*
more sobbing picture
Taehyung:
oh channie:((( ILL MISS U SO MUCH
Sungchan:
MY TAEHYUNG HYUNG T________T DONT LEAVE US PLZ
Sungchan:
MY LIFE IS GOING TO BE OVER
Sungchan:
WHO WILL DEFEND ME WHEN JEONGHAN HYUNG FIGHTS ME
Sungchan:
im so sad
Sungchan:
IM SO SAD HYUNG
Sungchan:
*
another sobbing picture
Jeonghan:
wow
Jeonghan:
look at him
Irene:
taehyung pls make him stop his face is an eyesore
Sungchan:
u call this?? THIS???? handsome face an eyesore????????? HEY BAE IRENE
Irene:
THATS NOONA TO U BITCH
Sungchan:
HEY BAE IRENE NOONA
Yoongi:
you guys are too loud
Yoongi:
my ilog is blowing up
Seulgi:
turn it off then
Jimin:
OUR TAEHYUNG IS HERE
Jimin:
OUR SPACE REBEL
Jimin:
IM SO PROUD OF U BEST FRIEND
Sungchan:
immmmm sooooooooooo saaaaaaaaaaaaaddddddddddd
Sungchan:
but im so happy for u hyung OMG A SPACE REBEL
Sungchan:
will u promise us ull keep talking in this gc T______T
Sungchan:
pls promise or ill cry harder
Sungchan:
my eyes are ready
Irene:
oh god
Taehyung:
yes i promise channie
Taehyung:
now don’t cry
Taehyung:
ill come visit lots too! if coach eun allows hehe
Jimin:
if she doesn’t allow ILL FORCE HER
Seulgi:
YEAH WE WILL
Jeonghan:
speaking of coach eun
Jeonghan:
shes choosing the new captain this weekend
Jeonghan:
i know jimins getting it wink wink
Jimin:
oh plz i don’t think so
Taehyung:
i think same as hanie too
Sungchan:
YES SAME
Sungchan:
jimin hyung is the best
Sungchan:
ull make a great captain !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Sungchan:
FIGHTING !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Yoongi:
i vote jimin too
Irene:
coach eun says u cant vote cuz ure his boyfriend
Jimin:
not my boyfriend
Yoongi:
say that again right now
Jimin:
no
Yoongi:
really huh
Jimin:
yes really
Seulgi:
not the lovers’ quarrel
Seulgi:
ITS SEVEN IN THE MORNING
Yoongi:
we are not lovers cause jimin said we arent boyfriends
Yoongi:
so it isnt a lovers’ quarrel
Jimin:
hyung!
Taehyung:
u two shut up plz WE GET IT WE R SINGLE
Sungchan:
yeah hyungs no need to hide ur relationship
Sungchan:
its not like u guys are forbidden to date each other
J
eonghan:
i agree dudes,,
Jeonghan:
its not like ure doing a good job at hiding your relationship either
Irene:
u guys suck at it
Seulgi:
literally the whole team and coach eun knows that ure sucking faces
Seulgi:
congrats btw
Yoongi:
wow
Jimin:
fine
Jimin:
we r boyfriends now (last few days we weren’t but i don’t need to explain further)
Jimin:
and no
Jimin:
i wont be captain
Jimin:
the end
Taehyung:
sure
Jeonghan:
sure (2)
Irene:
sure (3)
Yoongi:
sure (4)
Jimin:
srsly
Seulgi:
sure (5)
Sungchan:
LOLLLL
Sungchan:
sure (6)
Jimin:
-_-
—
Taehyung feels jittery. Jittery yes, but happy. He’s so happy.
Madam Kim took the honor to send Taehyung off to his first Drift training as a member of Space Rebel. She asked for an hour off of her shift at Pluto Spacecare so she can spend it with her dearest grandson, who’s currently on the verge of tears. Jimin wanted to tag along so he can witness this monumental moment his best friend is about to experience but he cancelled, wanting this moment for only Madam Kim and Taehyung to share. Besides, he’s already gotten to experience another monumental moment with Taehyung and that was opening the envelope with him. Taehyung couldn’t believe it. He’s right there, right in front of the large gates leading to the space field of Ganghan village, all he needs to do is to open it up and walk past it but his feet remained glued to the ground as his eyes were set on the gates. He can hear the hoverboards from where he stands and he feels his heart race. The hand that lands on his shoulder was soft and gentle, and he turns to see Madam Kim smiling at him.
“You got this, dearie,” She says. “Your first day… oh I’m so happy for you.”
Taehyung finds himself smiling too. He leans in close to Madam Kim, wrapping his arms around her as she did the same, resting her chin on top of Taehyung’s shoulder. “Thank you, Nana.”
Madam Kim pulls away, her fingers brushing back the stray hairs away from Taehyung’s eyes. She looks at him with a look so full of warmth and love and Taehyung revels in it. He needs it. He needs it so much to get through this day. Taehyung checks his iLog to see the time and he knew it was it. This was it. Taehyung takes a deep breath as he turns around, facing the gate again. He heaves a sigh and says his goodbyes to Madam Kim, who watches him take his steps towards the gate, entering it and leaving her sight.
The first thing Taehyung sees as he slipped past the gate is the view of the space field. The artificial green grass covering the ground was a bit lighter than the other space fields he’s seen. The grass looks healthier despite it being fake, and it was trimmed perfectly with no tall pieces. It was a given that this space field would look like this as it is the space field of the richest village in the district, surely a lot of money was put into creating it. As he walks closer by the sides and towards the bleachers, he catches sight of the five members of Space Rebels. Standing still on their hoverboards about a couple of feet above ground are Kim Namjoon, the Captain and Keeper, Lee Dino, the Striker, and Jung Hoseok, Park Seojoon, and Kim Yugyeom, the Seekers. Taehyung takes deeper breaths as he tries to calm himself down. Right before his eyes were his idols! The men he looks up to, the men who inspire him every day to play better—they’re right here and they’re his new teammates.
As soon as Taehyung finally approaches the bleachers with his eyes still focused on the members of Space Rebels, a voice calls out to him. “Why are you here?”
With a frown, Taehyung turns his head to find the person he dreads seeing the most. He had almost forgotten that Jeon Jungkook is also a member now and he hopes he did completely forget him and his whole existence. “I’m a member.”
Jungkook chuckles, pushing his long curly hair back with his fingers. He’s seated on the bench, fully geared up in his training clothes (a grey set of windbreaker and parachute pants) and his Ultrasonic hoverboard is lying close next to him on the ground. “You? A Space Rebel? Must be a mistake,”
“Unfortunately for you, it’s not a mistake. I got a letter,” Taehyung pulls out the ripped envelope from the outer pocket of his duffel bag and shows it to the younger. Jungkook only stares at it, an amused look all over his face.
“You lost though so it really must’ve been a mistake,” the younger looks up at him, a smirk on his lips.
“It has my name on it,”
“Well news flash,
pretty
, you’re not the only Kim Taehyung in the world—” Taehyung feels his jaw clench at that. First, the nickname, and now this? He’s blatantly disrespecting him and it hasn’t even been a full five minutes of them meeting again.
“Taehyung! Jungkook! Glad to see both of your faces here!” Coach Hyunbin shouts as he approaches the two, completely oblivious to the thick tension lingering in the air. “How are you both feeling? Excited? Nervous? Scared?”
Taehyung chuckles, already loving the energy of the coach. He tries his best not to let Jungkook and his words get to him. He’s not important right now. “I’m very happy to be here, coach.”
“And I’m very happy to hear that!” Coach Hyunbin exclaims. “Ah right, Jungkook, Taehyung will also be an Attacker for the team so it’s best for you two to communicate well from this day forward!”
Taehyung lets out a giggle seeing the tense look on Jungkook’s face. The younger glances at him and he takes this moment to show him his tongue, teasing, and Jungkook glares at him for a second before he turns and smiles at Coach Hyunbin who pats their shoulders before walking away.
“Well hello there, teammate!” Taehyung teases again and Jungkook scoffs, his tongue poking at his cheek as he rolls his eyes. Before he could reply, Coach Hyunbin blows on his whistle, calling all the members to head to the field. One by one, the members of Space Rebels approach.
“Good morning team!” Coach Hyunbin greets them, smiling from ear to ear. The members who were on their hoverboards are back on their feet and surrounding the older male. Taehyung and Jungkook have come too, keeping their distance from each other. “Before we begin our first training as a new team, I would like to welcome two new members. Jeon Jungkook and Kim Taehyung, please greet them and treat them nicely,”
Jungkook and Taehyung step forward at the same time, ignoring each other’s presence, and bowing whilst saying their own greetings. “Please take care of us well,”
The members all greet them kindly, crescent eyes making themselves known along with cheerful smiles. Taehyung feels warm all over but he couldn’t help but notice one member who seemed to act indifferent. While the others were shaking his hands and introducing themselves too, there was one member who stayed away from Taehyung. It was Kim Yugyeom. He was looking at him with an expression Taehyung couldn’t name and he was not sure what it is or what it could be. Taehyung shakes his head at this, thinking to himself that maybe he was just overthinking it. He turns his attention towards Jungkook, who is now face to face with the Space Rebels captain.
“Hi, I’m Kim Namjoon,” Taehyung watches as Namjoon extends his hand forward for Jungkook to take and he tries to conceal his laughter when he catches Jungkook looking like he’s about to pee himself. The boy is blushing! And it’s so obvious he was squealing inside. Taehyung wishes he has his iLog’s camera on at the moment, he wants to capture this and use it against Jungkook if he tries to piss him off again. “Nice to meet you.”
“Y-Yes I know!” Jungkook says
way too
enthusiastically that Taehyung swears he saw Namjoon flinch as the two shake their hands. Namjoon laughs at the younger’s reaction and Taehyung snortles out loud, not on purpose, and Jungkook glares at him. He then looks back at Namjoon and shyly bows his head. “Nice to meet you too!”
Namjoon now walks over to Taehyung and Taehyung holds his breath. He couldn’t really think of anything in mind, not even Jungkook’s crazy angry face directed right at him. All he was focused on was Namjoon’s tall and buff ass build and those fantastic dimples poking at his cheeks.
Oh lord.
“Hi. I’m Namjoon,”
“Hi…” Taehyung breathes out as Namjoon takes his hand and shakes it, his attention so focused on their hands clasped together and the feel of Namjoon’s skin against his. Okay. Maybe he too is fanboying like Jungkook is. But who wouldn’t fanboy over
the
Kim Namjoon? The only ever greatest, most
handsomest
, most talented Drift player across S30UL? Namjoon seems to also take notice of Taehyung’s starstruck-ness (it was quite obvious if he were to be honest) but he doesn’t say a single word about it, instead, he only ruffles his hair as he walks back to where he was standing before.
“Yes yes, thank you team,” Coach Hyunbin says once everyone is done getting to know each other. “As we all know, the Drift District Cup is just around the corner,” there are cheers from the members except for Taehyung and Jungkook who were just smiling as they try not to fight each other because of their encounters with Kim Namjoon. Jungkook wants to kick Taehyung’s ass ‘cause how did he stay calm during that amazing moment of being face to face with the Space Rebels captain and Keeper? And Jungkook also wants to kick his own ass for acting like a blushing little school girl right when Namjoon walked up to him.
“As usual, we will be going against the other districts to get to the semi-finals which will be taking place in exactly six months.” Taehyung began to hear some ringing in his ear. Six months? That’s quite a lot of time for others but for Drift players like him, it’s definitely not. That’s a short amount of time! And as if Coach Hyunbin had heard him, he continues “It is a short amount of time but we trust that by then we have already worked on the team’s synergy.
“With that, I introduce our new training method.” Coach Hyunbin presses on his iLog and a holographic screen suddenly shows up for the members of Space Rebels to see. On the screen was a whole strategic plan for how Space Rebels will play and there are about twenty slides to it. Taehyung leans on his other foot as he’s now on full alert, ready for whatever Coach Hyunbin will say next in relation to the assignments and positions on the field. Jungkook seems to be doing the same, judging by the way he had his arms crossed over his chest and the hard look on his face. “Our newest members, Taehyung and Jungkook, are going to be the new Attackers. The two of them have different sets of skills. abilities, and playstyles as Attackers so we will be switching things up.
“Based on the match they had against each other with their old teams, we’ve seen that these two are good with their attacks and their speed which are two vital things as Attackers. So, we will be maximizing such assets.” Coach Hyunbin swipes on the holographic screen and a new slide shows up. It was a slide that showed the assigned positions during a match. The members of Space Rebels are represented by a circle with their initials on it. “This is a sample of the positions, it’s not yet finalized as we’ll still have to test it out during our training. Namjoon will stay at the same place as he’s the Keeper, Hoseok and Seojoon will be switching sides so Hoseok will take the left and Seojoon will now take the right. Yugyeom will be staying with Dino at most times and Taehyung and Jungkook will play ahead to make space for Dino. Taehyung will take the right and Jungkook will take the left. How does that sound?” Namjoon is nodding his head as he takes a closer look at the screen, he has his thinking cap on and he doesn’t have much to say regarding the new positions. They still need to test out the new strategies and positions before he says his piece. The others though are a bit confused, one of which is Yugyeom.
“Stay with Dino at all times? What is he, a kid?” Yugyeom says in a rather bratty tone and Taehyung almost winces at it. He couldn’t think of speaking and acting in such a way towards their coach ever, how does he do it? “I’ve always played on my own and ahead, I’m a Sweeper, I’m supposed to defend.”
“And that’s what you’re doing. You’re defending our Striker.” Coach Hyunbin says, not at all phased by Yugyeom’s tone. “And besides, you’re not playing on your own, Yugyeom. We’re a team and as a team, we play together.”
Taehyung catches Yugyeom rolling his eyes as he rests his weight on his other foot, looking away from the coach now. Coach Hyunbin clears his throat. “So, are we ready to try it out?”
—
Coach Hyunbin had a lot of expectations when it comes to the new additions to the team. As Taehyung and Jungkook were both captains and Strikers before, Coach Hyunbin already expected both of them to play their very best in every match, including practice matches.
But then the two started playing terribly.
Coach Hyunbin blows his whistle to call the team to the ground. It’s just been five minutes into the practice match and he’s already seen how the team isn’t doing so well against the practice robots, and he hates to say it but it’s mostly because of the two new members. Taehyung and Jungkook are greatly talented in Drift, both so agile and determined to win but they are so keen on getting the ball that they kept bumping into the Sweepers, resulting in said Sweepers being attacked by the robots and messing up the momentum of the game. Coach Hyunbin ignored this at first, telling them to restart again as it could be a silly mistake until it happened again, and again
… and again.
The members of Space Rebels go down from their hoverboards and Coach Hyunbin crosses his arms over his chest. “What’s happening? None of you have scored a single point. You’re losing to robots.”
“Sorry coach, we’re still getting used to the new positions,” Dino says softly and Coach Hyunbin nods his head.
“We’ll do better on the next round,” Seojoon says after bowing apologetically to the older man.
“Okay go,” Coach Hyunbin blows his whistle and watches as the members climb their hoverboards again and soared up high. He takes a closer look at Taehyung and Jungkook and nods to himself seeing that they were both in their proper places. His goal, for now, is to make sure these two adjust quickly to their new team. It would be tough but he knows that both Taehyung and Jungkook are capable of doing great things. Big things, even.
After a few hours, the first training for Space Rebels has officially ended.
Taehyung could say that he feels tired, so tired. The training style for the representative Drift team is so much different from Galactica’s and it’s messing him up a little. Galactica is so used to short warm-ups (that does its job by the way) and they always focus on team synergy and actually working with Drift balls. The training Space Rebels does on the other hand is way too focused on team power and immersion and not on the basic things. He tries his best to not be so bothered by it because he knows this training is so effective, considering the team has won against so many opposing teams from other Districts, but it still kind of irks him in a way. Jeon Jungkook isn’t being of help either. The younger one keeps annoying him with his snarky looks and obnoxious remarks. His breathing is also annoying. He always gets in his way and Taehyung hates that. As Attackers, they should know when and when not to attack but Jungkook
keeps
on attacking every chance he gets. As a result, Taehyung gets blocked before he could even nudge Dino to help the team get a point.
Change, Taehyung, change.
Taehyung reminds himself. He also reminds himself that change brings a lot of things to the table and Taehyung should embrace it. So this is what he’s doing,
embracing it
.
As he takes a short bath in the space field’s locker room showers, he tries to embrace it. As he puts on comfortable clothes and does his after-bath routines, he tries to embrace it. As Jungkook annoys him the second time by talking to him about how badly he played in the training match, he tries to embrace it. And as he was on his way home with Madam Kim who came to pick him up, he is still trying to embrace it.
On the second training though, Taehyung stopped trying to embrace it. He stopped giving an effort to embrace whatever the hell this change is because he’s had enough. All because of Jeon Jungkook.
For some apparent reason, the younger has chosen to be an extra asshole today. Taehyung told himself he’ll be playing well and will do his best to be civil with Jungkook as they have to play together forever now, but Jungkook seems to think differently. After Coach Hyunbin blew his whistle and the members moved to their positions, Taehyung sees Jungkook look at him from the opposite side of the field with the same annoying look on his face that obviously means trouble. He was smirking and there’s a glint in those eyes that Taehyung is so familiar seeing. He’s seen it during their matches against each other before. Taehyung’s hunches were then confirmed to be right when Jungkook suddenly played weirdly. His hoverboard was moving way too close to his and they were playing side by side instead of on opposite ends to make way for Dino to get a strike, and Jungkook is being too…
competitive
… like he was racing Taehyung to get to the Drift ball. Taehyung frowns at this because this isn’t how it’s supposed to go, this isn’t how they were supposed to play as Attackers. It gets even weirder when Jungkook is on the other side of the field, holding on tight to the Drift ball and Taehyung is across him and closer to the goal, and obviously, other Attackers would throw the ball to Taehyung since Dino is farther and Taehyung is nearer, but then Jungkook decided to throw it to a Sweeper, to Yugyeom, who indulges this newfound responsibility which his assigned position doesn’t have, and hits the ball towards the goal, getting a point.
Taehyung huffs as he glares at Jungkook, who was glancing at him too and winking as he high-fives Yugyeom while complimenting his nice hit. Taehyung wished he could hit the Drift ball straight at Jungkook’s face but he knows better. He wouldn’t let his personal issue with the other Attacker get in the way of the game.
Jungkook’s small celebration was then interrupted, thankfully, by Coach Hyunbin’s whistle and his loud voice saying, “Nice hit Yugyeom but please, next time throw it to an Attacker. The same advice goes to you Jeon Jungkook.”
Taehyung chuckles to himself and pokes his tongue out, teasing Jungkook who now has a frown on his face.
Unfortunately for Taehyung, the whole teasing thing he did towards Jungkook just opened a door for the other to play more tricks on him. On the second training match against the same set of robots (this time with different skills and playstyles), Jungkook was doing his job properly. Keyword,
was.
He was making way for Dino just like Taehyung is doing, and he’s
finally
throwing the Drift ball to Taehyung when he was near the goal. But then that short amount of peace when playing was indeed a short while only as when Taehyung got the Drift ball and was about to throw it to Dino, Jungkook suddenly crashes into him, making him drop the Drift ball for the enemy robots to catch.
“Jeon!” Taehyung clamors, anger coursing through him as he recovers from the push that almost knocked him off of his hoverboard. “What the hell are you doing?!”
“Sorry,” Taehyung expected an apologetic look from the younger but of course, Jungkook being a little piece of shit, only grins at him before his face contorts to a sad look which he shows to the other members and Coach Hyunbin.
“Sorry! I lost balance!” Jungkook lies and Taehyung huffs, seeing what he was doing. He was lying and trying to piss him off again.
Taehyung turns his head to Coach Hyunbin who was waving at them. “Be careful next time Jungkook, no more collisions—”
“It wasn’t an accident Coach!” Taehyung yells loud enough for the older man to hear. “He was doing it on purpose!”
“Oh please, get your head out of your ass Kim. Why would I collide with you on purpose and lose a point for the team?” Jungkook says, moving closer to Taehyung. There’s that same glint on his eyes again and Taehyung knows he’s going to have a harder time training with this guy. So he ought to do revenge.
It’s quite childish,
okay
, maybe it is more than quite… it is
very
childish. But he can no longer take Jeon Jungkook being such a rude fucker on the field. Taehyung thinks the younger needs to be humbled. Jungkook needs reminding that they’re a team now whether he likes it or not, they have to play together. And what better way to do that than play a trick against him too?
When the whole colliding incident has been forgotten and Taehyung and Jungkook got back to their positions, the next round then started. It was playing smoothly, very smoothly, and Taehyung is swiftly drifting to go near the goal. He aims for the Drift ball to get to his hands. He watches as Jungkook is on the other side, closer to the goal than he is, and Dino is clutching the Drift ball with his arm.
“Dino! Throw here! I’ll hit it to Jungkook!” Taehyung says to the mic of his headgear and he watches as Dino, who was at the center of the space field, pauses and throws the ball high up and hits it to Taehyung. Taehyung catches it easily and he motions for Jungkook. “Jeon catch!” Taehyung doesn’t give Jungkook time to adjust, which is what he wants, and hits the Drift ball hard to Jungkook. With a small smile on his lips, Taehyung watches as Jungkook’s eyes widen seeing the Drift ball going towards him way too quickly he brings his arms over his face. He misses catching the ball as it ended up hitting his arms. He hears their teammates groan a little at that and Taehyung could almost chuckle.
Coach Hyunbin blows his whistle. “Jungkook! You’re supposed to catch it!”
Jungkook lowers his head and bows a couple of times as an apology. Once he was done, he looks at Taehyung and squints his eyes at him. Taehyung does his celebratory dance inside his head and pokes another tongue at Jungkook.
“And Taehyung! We do not hit our teammates!”
Taehyung jolts upon hearing his name. He looks at Coach Hyunbin. “I did say I’ll hit it, it’s his fault he didn’t catch it, Coach.” Taehyung reasons out.
“You’re not supposed to hit it that hard if you want me to catch it!” Jungkook retorts.
“Oh so it’s my fault you couldn’t take a hard ball?”
“You should only do hard ball when you’re striking! You’re not a striker anymore!”
“That’s crazy coming from you! You kept playing by yourself today! Have you forgotten we’re both Attackers?”
The two couldn’t hear the blow of Coach Hyunbin’s whistle due to the loudness of their bickering, they were too deep in their argument that they didn’t even catch their teammates have already descended to the ground.
“Now you’re turning this on me? You were the one who wouldn’t play nicely!”
“Me? Not play nicely?! You must be joking—”
“Enough.” Taehyung and Jungkook both turn their heads to Coach Hyunbin, who’s facing them both and is on his hoverboard. There’s a stern look on his face and the two find themselves gulping. “You two keep fighting, this is not what being a team is like.”
“You say that to Taehyung, Coach—” Jungkook starts to speak, crossing his arms over his chest.
“No, I’m saying it to both of you.” Coach Hyunbin continues. “We need to work on you two’s teamwork and this training match doesn’t seem to be of any help.”
“What do you suggest we do then, Coach? I tried reasoning with him but all he does is piss me off!” Taehyung says angrily and Jungkook scoffs next to him.
“Well if you weren’t such an annoying fucker then I wouldn’t be pissed off either!”
“Enough!” Coach Hyunbin shouts and Taehyung and Jungkook cower their heads once again. “You two will be training on Sunday at my house. Five PM sharp. Understood?”
Taehyung and Jungkook nod their heads. “Yes, Coach.”
“By then I expect the both of you to be on your best behavior. This means no more fighting, bickering, arguing, colliding with each other, and playing dodgeball. This is Drift we’re playing and you two are Drift players. Is this understood?”
“Yes, Coach.”
“Well then. Training is over, you two can go home and rest up. Don’t forget Sunday okay?”
“Yes, Coach.” Taehyung and Jungkook watch Coach Hyunbin descend to the ground and walk out of the space field. Then they both turn towards each other with a look of annoyance.
“Fuck you, Kim.” Jungkook says, angrily moving down to the ground.
Taehyung rolls his eyes as he too goes down. “Fuck you too.”
They both couldn’t wait for Sunday.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Taehyung knew for a fact that Coach Hyunbin is a pretty… well-off guy. Ever since his Space Rebels days, almost every single one of his fans knew that he came from a rich family, it was pretty obvious in the way that he had the latest Drift equipment from the very moment it first dropped (Taehyung knew this as he looked up to the old members of Space Rebels when he was younger) but standing right in front of the three-story mansion with a luxurious car (the latest model of the Hover Rover; Planet Earth folks would call this a futuristic version of a car minus the wheels) sitting inside the garage, all of which belonged to Coach Hyunbin, still left him in shock and in awe.
“Close your mouth, a fly will go inside,” Taehyung hears the familiar voice next to him and he frowns, knowing well who it belonged to. “But if I was the fly, I wouldn’t want to go inside that filthy mouth of yours.”
“No one asked, Jeon.” Taehyung rolled his eyes, ignoring Jungkook who was chuckling next to him. The two of them were right on time, 5 PM sharp just as Coach Hyunbin said. Taehyung had spent his entire morning preparing for this private training with their coach, his mind going haywire as he thought about what kind of training Coach Hyunbin will make him and Jungkook do. He prays Coach Hyunbin wouldn’t be too harsh with whatever he’s got planned, he wouldn’t be able to take doing hard training with the person he loathes in the entire universe. They might as well have a part two to the training fiasco they had a few days ago. Taehyung stepped closer to press on the doorbell and in less than a minute, the large doors pushed open revealing Coach Hyunbin in a formal black suit. A suit.
Why is he wearing a suit?
Taehyung looks at Coach Hyunbin’s outfit once again to make sure his eyes weren’t playing with him and he wanted to ask if he was actually going to wear what he was wearing for training.
Who wears suits to Drift?
“Good evening gentlemen!” Coach Hyunbin greets with a large smile, his arms opening as he steps aside so that the two younger males can come in. Both Taehyung and Jungkook’s attention were now fixated on the interiors of the house as soon as they entered. It was large in space, very clean, had plain beige walls with wooden accents, and the ceilings were high. The older man leads them to the living room where a flat-screen TV is mounted on the wall, just above a makeshift fireplace which was merely a screen showing digital fire. It was amusing though ‘cause it actually emits heat like a real fire does. Technology is amazing. “Are you both ready for your training?”
“Yes, Coach.” Taehyung and Jungkook say in unison. Both males brought with them their hoverboards and their training duffel bags filled with their Drift suits, headgear, and clothes for change, and they were very prepared for the training despite the unusual time Coach Hyunbin had allotted for the training hours. For Coach Hyunbin and the other Space Rebels members, night training isn’t quite unusual as they sometimes hold this for days wherein morning training couldn’t be scheduled, or when the entire team just feels like playing Drift at night (it happens, believe it or not).
“Good, ‘cause I am too.” Coach Hyunbin says and Jungkook raises a brow at him, his eyes going over the older’s outfit. He wasn’t quite used to Drift players wearing suits to training, as opposed to the usual latex suit or a simple large shirt, windbreaker, and baggy shorts combination. Coach Hyunbin takes notice of this and he laughs. “Now you must be wondering why I’m wearing a suit when we’re supposed to be training right?”
“Well not really… it seems to me that you would like to train in formal wear tonight?” Taehyung says, sounding unsure himself. Jungkook snorts beside him and he throws a glare his way.
“Don’t you get it? We’re not training today, at least not in the way we usually do,” Jungkook says as if it was obvious, and maybe it was, just not to Taehyung. Taehyung rolls his eyes at the other who only winks at him playfully. Taehyung wishes he could retort back but he wouldn’t want to start another argument with the younger when Coach Hyunbin is right there. He admits it, it was embarrassing to fight like children in front of such an important figure in their Drift careers, but Jungkook is so annoying and he couldn’t manage his nerves whenever he’s around.
“Jungkook is right,” Coach Hyunbin states with an amused grin on his lips. “You two will be training but not in the way we usually do. I’m training you both for your teamwork,”
Teamwork?
Taehyung wonders why he needs to do that with Jungkook alone but then memories of the previous training flash inside his brain and he gets reminded. The whole foul play and sick jokes he and Jungkook were playing at for sure made Coach Hyunbin decide that this is the training they needed. A small part of Taehyung kind of agrees with the older man too. Maybe this would be the perfect chance to resolve all the issues between him and Jungkook. But then the thought of making amends with Jungkook makes him shudder.
“What’s the training then, Coach?” Jungkook asks and Coach Hyunbin takes a look at the flight of stairs placed by the corner of the room; this leads to the second and third floors of the large house. The sound of heels clicking against the wooden floor was suddenly heard and both Taehyung and Jungkook turn their heads to see who it belonged to. A woman in a dark blue off-shoulder dress emerges down the steps, her arms wrapped tight around a little boy who looked way too familiar for Taehyung. It was when they were face to face with them that Taehyung realizes who the little boy is. It’s Han! Han from Pluto Spacecare! Taehyung almost forgot that Coach Hyunbin actually has a wife and a son.
“Hanie! Hello!” Taehyung greets, cooing at the little boy who easily recognized him too. He was making grabby hands and Coach Hyunbin’s wife happily gives the boy to him. Taehyung places his duffel bag on the ground before he holds Han, who quickly wrapped his short arms around Taehyung’s neck, hugging him so tightly. Jungkook just looks at the two with his lips pressed into a thin line.
“Training for today is taking care of our son, Han.” Coach Hyunbin announces and Taehyung cheers, so excited to spend the rest of the night with the dearest boy he’s fond of. Jungkook, on the other hand, doesn’t seem to share the same sentiments as believe it or not, he’s not too fond of children, but he just smiles and nods, not wanting to leave a bad impression on Coach Hyunbin and his wife. Besides, no matter how much he likes to practice playing Drift, Jungkook would rather be on babysitting duty at this time of the day. “Yejin and I will be having dinner tonight as it’s our anniversary so we trust that you’ll watch over our Han?”
“Yes, we’ll take good care of him!” Taehyung exclaims and Jungkook just nods. He doesn’t really know what to say.
“Our Hanie eats dinner at seven and his food is in the fridge, you just need to heat it up in the microwave,” Yejin speaks and Taehyung and Jungkook listen attentively. “We’re quite strict with what he eats recently since his stomach is a bit sensitive. He really, really likes apple juice but we’re refraining him from drinking too much of it.”
“If he asks if he can have, say no,” Coach Hyunbin says in a whisper so Han wouldn’t hear.
“Hanie sleeps at nine, he can easily sleep as long as he has someone next to him.” Yejin continues and Taehyung takes a mental note of everything she said. “He also needs to wash up before bed, just his body is fine as he showers in the morning too, and his pajamas are in the lowest drawer of his closet. He knows where it is.”
“Got it,” Taehyung says and Yejin gives him a warm smile.
“We’ll be back by eleven for sure, is that alright?” Coach Hyunbin asks and this time, it was Jungkook who answered.
“Yes Coach, we got it all covered.”
“Good. We’ll see you in a few hours then,” Coach Hyunbin turns towards Han and plants a soft kiss on his forehead, patting his side gently as he says his goodbyes. Yejin does the same but a little longer. She was a bit hesitant to embrace this one night where she’ll be away from her child, having been used to Han glued to her side since he was the size of a jelly bean inside her belly. It was quite tough to persuade her to leave Han with the two boys, considering how they don’t know them well enough, but Taehyung’s record as caretaker in Pluto Spacecare and Coach Hyunbin mentioning his grandson-grandmother relations with Madam Kim played a part in changing her mind. After that, they said their goodbyes again and Taehyung and Jungkook greet them a ‘
happy anniversary!’
before the couple walks away and out of the house, leaving the two alone with Han.
“Taehyungie hyung,” Han calls as soon as the front doors were shut closed. Taehyung hums as he walks around the living room and sits down on the couch with Han on top of his lap. Jungkook follows suit, placing his duffel bag on the ground too, and sitting next to the two but with space in between. “Who is that?”
“Oh him? Why don’t you ask his name, Hanie?” Taehyung suggests and Han nods his head, turning towards Jungkook now.
“Excuse me
Ahjussi
—” Taehyung snorts and Jungkook gasps in horror.
Ahjussi? Old man?
Jungkook couldn’t believe what he just heard that he was stunned, so stunned. Han, oblivious to what kind of emotion he just unleashed inside Jungkook, continues speaking innocently. “What’s your name?”
“Haha… I’m not an ahjussi, Han… my name is Jungkook though,” Jungkook explains and Han’s eyes widen.
“Jungkookie hyung!” Han calls and Jungkook nods excitedly, feeling the warmth spread all over his chest at the little boy’s cuteness. He’s so glad that the ahjussi thing is thrown out of the window quickly, he couldn’t imagine spending the entire night with Han calling him an old man. It makes him wonder if he looks too old for his age. He’s twenty-three for god’s sake, what’s so ahjussi about him? Han turns to Taehyung again and his small hands press on the older’s cheeks. “Taehyungie hyung, is Jungkookie hyung your husband?”
Taehyung and Jungkook both choke on air, both their eyes widening in surprise upon hearing the question. “Wha—no! He is not! Never! Over my dead body!”
Jungkook snaps his head at Taehyung and his eyebrows furrow. “Over your dead body? Seriously? You don’t know it but I’d be a good husband.”
Taehyung turns to look at him too, his eyebrow raising. “Yeah no way, you have stinky feet, who would marry someone with stinky feet?” Taehyung leans close to Han’s feet and whispers loudly, “He has stinky feet, Han.”
“I do not have stinky feet!” Jungkook cries, defensive.
“He does,” Taehyung nods his head at Han, making him giggle and Jungkook glares harder.
“My feet smell nice for your information! It’s very…
husband-y
—why are we even talking about feet?”
“Why are you defending your feet so bad? Maybe you want to be my husband.” Taehyung teases, wiggling his eyebrows and leaning close to Jungkook’s side. Jungkook was leaning back, trying to avoid him and Han was giggling harder the entire time, enjoying the little scene he was watching.
“I do not want to be your husband!”
Han stops giggling and asks with a pout, “But why? Taehyungie hyung is nice and handsome! Even my wife wanted him to be her husband.”
Jungkook is confused now.
Wife? Han has a wife? What is this kid talking about?
He glances at Taehyung and throws a confused look and Taehyung just shrugs at him, a smug expression written on his face. “No way someone wants to get married to him.”
“I’m not lying though hyungie! You can ask Taehyungie hyung how my wife asked him to marry her!”
“Yeah, he’s not lying, Jeon. Kids don’t lie.” Taehyung began to smirk and Jungkook groans. “I’m very husband material, you know? My entire outfit is made out of it.” Jungkook sighs as he watches Taehyung dust off the fine material of his large shirt, his eyes still on him and his eyebrows still doing the weird wiggling thing.
“Just shut up, will you? We literally hate each other so we shouldn’t talk about husbanding each other around.”
“You guys hate each other? Why?” Han asks, tilting his head, and Jungkook huffs, not wanting to talk about his hatred for Taehyung. Taehyung doesn’t want to talk about it either which is why he doesn’t say a word regarding it.
“We won’t talk about it okay, Han? Now no more questions about that.” Jungkook says in the nicest way possible and thankfully, Han lets go of it, not pushing further to know more. Taehyung takes this as a chance to ask the child what he wants to do and Han was eager as he says all the things he can think of doing with his hyungs. Jungkook swears he heard Han talk about riding a spaceship which was a bit funny since Taehyung couldn’t find the right words to tell him that they couldn’t ride a spaceship. Han was then talking about going to Pluto Spacecare and Taehyung, much to his dismay, had to say they can’t go again since they have to stay at home. Han, later on, says he wants to give Taehyung and Jungkook a house tour and finally, Taehyung heaves a sigh of relief as he says he’s cool with that. Jungkook also says he’s cool with it and now the little boy is dragging the older males to another room as he starts his house tour. First, he brings them to the kitchen where they were told where all the cooking equipment is. He even shows them the pantry which was a smaller room by the side. Inside of it were the shelves containing all kinds of food and snacks that Han likes to eat—cereals, biscuits, chips. There was even a small kid ladder and Taehyung and Jungkook figured it was for Han to use. After the kitchen tour, Han brings the two to the back of the house which leads to Coach Hyunbin’s very own space field. Just like Coach Eun, it was smaller than the usual public space fields but it does its job and Drift is very playable here. Han then brought them to the garage where Han’s very own Drift equipment is stored and Taehyung and Jungkook were surprised to see that the little boy has his very own Ultrasonic hoverboard, but then they both realize it shouldn’t be quite a surprise as Han’s father is literally a former Space Rebels member. And plus, Coach Hyunbin literally has a Hover Rover sitting nicely in the garage so of course they can afford the best Drift equipment out there. As Han continued showing the two older ones around his house, Taehyung began to realize how different this Han is from the Han he knows from Pluto Spacecare.
When Taehyung first met Han, his first impression was that the little boy was very timid and quiet. He was right about it though as Han was indeed timid and quiet at Pluto Spacecare, keeping to himself most of the time or hanging out with his wife, Sola, and the other kid, Junho, who were also just as timid and quiet as he is (well except for the whole marriage fight they had).
Right now though? Eh. Not so much.
During his amazing house tour on the second floor, Han has been adamant about Taehyung and Jungkook holding both of his hands at all times as he said, “I don’t want my hyungies to get lost!”
Sure, the house was big but Taehyung and Jungkook are also big enough to find their way around the mansion. Taehyung and Jungkook had to bend their backs a lot as Han is tiny and he’s still holding onto their hands as they enter the different rooms on the second floor. There were some rooms Han didn’t enter as it was not allowed such as Coach Hyunbin’s office, Yejin’s office, and the married couple’s room. After the house tour, Han brought his hyungs to his room which was larger than Taehyung’s room and probably Jungkook’s too, considering how surprised he looked when they got in. Han’s bed was wide, placed by the wall. Right next to it was a desk with kid-friendly electronics and some books on top of it, and then on the opposite side was a bookshelf placed beside a cat tower. Taehyung asked Han if he has a cat that’s hiding because of the cat tower, only to be left in shock by the child’s answer.
“I want a cat but Papa says I can’t have one yet. But I asked him to buy a cat tower for me so I’ll be ready for when I get a kitten!” Han explains as he walks around his room, showing the two his toys and his walk-in closet where Taehyung easily points out which drawer had his pajamas. He needs to familiarize himself to make things easier before bedtime.
After settling in the room, Taehyung and Jungkook decided to play with Han to keep him from doing other things and getting distracted. Taehyung suggested they play with Han’s toy car set but Jungkook suggested they play with puzzles to “stimulate” Han’s brain and help him learn while having fun. By the end of their short bickering on what to do with Han, Taehyung and Jungkook finally settled on forming a Lego set that was hidden inside a box under Han’s bed.
“Dad said I should play with this already but it’s so boring!” Han wails when the three of them pulled the box of Lego from behind the cat tower. They were seated in the middle of Han’s room, underneath the soft carpet. Jungkook is opening the box gently and Taehyung is holding Han on his lap, the two of them watching the other.
“When we work on it you’ll realize that it’s really not boring,” Taehyung says to Han who frowns, not believing him.
“Look, Han,” Jungkook calls once he was done taking out the Legos from the box. The Lego set was actually a space field with the old Space Rebels members playing on it. “Hold this, it’s your dad.” Jungkook hands Han a small Lego version of Coach Hyunbin and Han chuckles, finding it funny how his dad became a Lego.
“Papa looks funny!” He laughs as he moves Lego Coach Hyunbin’s arms and legs. Taehyung and Jungkook find themselves laughing too, finding the little boy endearing as he plays with the toy. “Jungkookie hyung, can I help you make the space field?”
“Of course, come here, let’s build the goals.” Han rises from Taehyung’s lap and moves to sit on Jungkook’s instead. Jungkook smirks at Taehyung who rolls his eyes playfully, too unbothered at the moment to argue again. As much as he hates seeing Jungkook look like that and tease him, he prefers to have some peace since Han’s around.
“Can I help?” Taehyung asks after a while of watching the two and Jungkook raises a brow at him.
“No,” Han giggles and Jungkook smiles. Taehyung though, frowns.
“Why not? I want to help build the field.”
Jungkook leans close to Han’s ears, whispering something, and Han was nodding his head, snickering and smiling so widely at Taehyung. Han also does the same, whispering in Jungkook’s ear after and Jungkook nods his head in approval at whatever the kid just said. Taehyung may be patient but right now, his patience is short. His patience also cuts shorter especially whenever Jeon Jungkook is around.
“Okay. You can help us build the field,” Jungkook starts and he nudges Han who clears his throat.
“But on one condition,” Han announces and Taehyung sighs.
“What condition?”
“Taehyungie hyung has to admit that Jungkookie hyung is husband material too!”
“Seriously?” Taehyung asks, unfazed. Jungkook is grinning at him and he shrugs.
“It was Han’s idea,” Jungkook says and Taehyung huffs.
“Fine. Jungkook is husband material. Is that okay? Can I help now?” Han frowns and he stops Taehyung from moving closer to the Lego set.
“No! You have to say it like you mean it hyungie!”
“But what if I do mean it?” Taehyung lies. It sucks that Han can tell what a lie is. He’s the one raising a brow at Taehyung this time and Taehyung groans as he rolls his eyes. “Jeon Jungkook is husband material and he does not have stinky feet. If I could, I’d marry him. That’s how husband material he is.” Taehyung says it with no emotion dripping from his voice. Honestly, he sounded like a robot.
“No, again!”
Taehyung sighs, looking at Jungkook with pleading eyes. It was funny on Jungkook’s end but so humiliating on Taehyung’s. He can’t believe he’s doing this for a kid! Just to play with some Lego! Where is his dignity?! Taehyung takes in a deep breath and speaks in the most believable tone, with matching batting lashes and a charming smile. “I want to marry Jeon Jungkook ‘cause he’s very husband material!”
“Woah, Taehyungie hyung wants to marry you!” Han exclaims as he turns towards Jungkook, his mouth shaped like an ‘o’ and he fake gasps. Jungkook just grins at him, Taehyung missing how there’s a faint pink dusting the younger’s ears.
“Han, will you let me join now?” Taehyung asks, not wanting to be left out for real, and Han and Jungkook laugh.
“Okay! Play with us!” Han cheers and Taehyung moves closer to them, helping them set up the Lego space field. Jungkook leans close to Taehyung and Taehyung sends him a look; a look that says
what the hell are you doing?!
“So you’d marry me, huh?” Jungkook teased and Taehyung could almost smack him with the Lego hoverboard he had just built. It was an Ultrasonic hoverboard.
“Get your face away from me or I’ll stick this hoverboard up your nose!” Taehyung hisses and Jungkook laughs harder as he leans back, finally leaving Taehyung alone to finish working on the Lego set.
It took Taehyung, Jungkook, and Han, about an hour to finish the space field Lego set. It was quick and easy as they didn’t have to build the Lego versions of the Space Rebels members as they were already pre-built, and the Lego pieces of the space field weren’t so difficult to put together either. The three happily placed their finished product on top of Han’s desk, Taehyung and Jungkook both snapping pictures of their awesome creation for memories’ sake. Han also does the same and later on, tells Taehyung and Jungkook that he sent the pictures to his parents who replied with heart eyes and kiss emoticons. It was all cute.
When the clock struck 7 PM, Taehyung carried Han downstairs to the kitchen to start preparing for dinner.
Just as Yejin said, Han’s dinner was already prepared in the fridge, it just needs to be reheated. So he does as told and grabs the plate of fried rice mixed with vegetables and eggs and another plate of fried chicken from the fridge, and puts it inside the microwave, reheating it. Just as he was doing that, Jungkook was also preparing their dinner. Coach Hyunbin sent a message to Jungkook and Taehyung that they could cook anything they want and that they were free to use the kitchen appliances as long as they be careful with them. Taehyung, though experienced with cooking, gives Jungkook the job to cook for them both as he was busy with Han. He was preparing Han’s seat in the dining area, placed him down, and got him a glass of water. After the table was set, Taehyung ended up carrying Han once again as he was moving too much on his seat and whining about being bored, so Taehyung brought him closer to Jungkook so they can watch him.
“What are you cooking, hyungie?” Han asks and Jungkook hums, turning his head to look behind him. Taehyung was leaning against the kitchen island where Han was seated on top, his legs dangling and swaying.
“Oh just sweet and sour chicken,” Jungkok answers and Han makes an ‘o’ with his mouth. “You want some?”
Han’s eyes sparkled “Can I?”
“Of course you can,”
“You sure you know what you’re doing?” Taehyung asks after a while of watching Jungkook stirfry the pieces of chicken. His eyebrows were raised as he watches, making it seem like he was full-on doubting Jungkook’s cooking skills. Well… maybe he really was but judging the way the other man has not used measuring cups and instead, eyeballed the ingredients for the sweet and sour sauce, made Taehyung realize he has nothing to worry about. He wouldn’t admit that out loud though; Jungkook’s head would only grow bigger.
“I know what I’m doing,” Jungkook tells him as he transfers the sweet and sour chicken from the pan to a large plate. “Be ready to eat the best sweet and sour chicken in all of S30UL.”
Taehyung playfully rolls his eyes at that, carrying Han in his arms again, and followed Jungkook to the dining area where he placed the plate at the center. Taehyung then put Han on his seat before he went to take Han’s dinner from the microwave to place it on the table too.
It was all going well for the three of them… until they began to eat.
Neither Taehyung nor Jungkook was told that Han gets fussy with his food. Fussy in the way that all of Taehyung’s thoughts about the kid being quiet and timid get thrown out of the window. Han, seated on his chair, starts lashing out when he sees the food on his plate. He starts yelling and kicking and Jungkook had to leave his chair and hold him so he won’t be able to knock out the contents of the table.
“Han! What’s wrong?” Taehyung asks as he hushes him, he went to his side too and his eyes were laced with worry as he watches the young boy do a tantrum. Jungkook’s hold on Han tightens as the child tries to resist more, his glass of water on the table shaking whenever he tries to get out of Jungkook’s arms. “What’s wrong? Do you not like the food?”
Han continues yelling and after a few seconds, he pointed towards his glass of water. Taehyung frowns as he realizes what Han wanted. “Apple juice? Is that what you want?”
Han nods his head and Taehyung was about to walk towards the fridge when Jungkook grabs his wrist. “Coach said we can’t,”
“But he’ll keep acting that way if we don’t give it to him,” Taehyung says, taking a look at Han who’s almost settled down in his seat. Jungkook’s eyebrows furrow.
“That’ll only make him think that he can act that way to get what he wants.”
Taehyung sighs. “Fine. What do you want us to do then?”
Jungkook lets go of Taehyung’s wrist and walks closer to Han. He crouches next to him so he can be at eye level with him and he glances at Taehyung before looking back at the child. “Han, I know you want your apple juice but your Papa said we can’t give it to you—”
Han starts wailing again and Taehyung rolls his eyes. He takes a small step forward to handle the situation himself when Jungkook sends him a look, a look that was asking him to stay still where he is. "Look, you see this?” Jungkook takes his glass of water and shows it to Han. The child’s wailing is toned down as he nods his head. “You know what this is right?” Han nods again. “Can you tell me what it is?”
“It’s water, hyungie.” Han answers and a smile shows on Jungkook’s lips as he cheers upon Han getting it right.
“Yeah, that’s right Han, it’s water. And you know your favorite apple juice too right?” Han nods once more. “Your favorite apple juice has water in it but this one is so much better for you.”
“But apple juice has apples in it, wouldn’t it be better than water then?” Han asks, curious. Taehyung is watching the two’s exchange with a look of wonder on his face. He may not like Jungkook as much but he’s glad the other knows how to handle a child. He should definitely learn how to handle his temper on the field though. Jungkook, on the other hand, is quite shocked by his own actions. Growing up as the youngest in his family, he didn’t really have much experience with young kids as he’s only got his older brother with him since he was born. His younger cousins weren’t so young either. So with the way he’s being so gentle as he talks to Han, like he’s been doing this for so long, leaves him surprised.
“Hmm… some apple juice has other stuff in it which makes it a bit unhealthy. It’s fine to continue drinking it but not so much, you know? Which is why your Mama and Papa told us we can’t give you more apple juice.” Panic starts to arise inside Taehyung when he notices Han started sniffling again. His eyes were watering and it was obvious he was a little bit close to crying again if Jungkook says another wrong word. “But look, water is good. Did you know water has better stuff in it compared to apple juice? It can make us strong and taller!”
“Are you t-tall because you drink water?” Han asks innocently and Jungkook nods at him.
“Yeah! So if you drink this, you’ll grow taller.”
“Taller than Papa?”
“Taller than your Papa,” Han smiles at that, his tiny hands moving up to his face so he can wipe his eyes. Taehyung heaves a sigh of relief, seeing the little kid slowly feel better. “Will this make me a good Drift player too? I want to be a good Drift player when I grow up.”
Taehyung starts to speak then. “Of course it will, Jungkookie hyung and I drink lots of water which is why we play Drift well. It’s good fuel.” Jungkook turns to look at him and for once, in all the years they spent throwing daggers at each other and bickering with no end, he gives him a smile. It’s a first that Taehyung doesn’t think of him as a pain in the ass at the moment. Maybe Jungkook isn’t so bad after all.
“Taehyungie hyung has to drink more though so he can be better than me,” Jungkook says with a grin, glancing at Taehyung.
Okay
. Maybe Jungkook is still a pain in the ass. Taehyung sends him a look of annoyance and Han catches it, making him giggle at the older males’ interaction. “Drink up now, Han. We can test the power of the water in the field later once you’re done eating.”
After Jungkook mentioned playing Drift in the space field after dinner, Han dove straight to finishing the contents of his plate. All the pieces of chicken along with the rice have been wiped clean as he devoured it all, his cheeks puffing out as he shoved it all in his mouth. His glass of water, the one he was so reluctant to drink, was completely empty after he took large gulps to bring down his dinner and surprisingly, the kid asked for two more glasses as he said, “I want to be a better Drift player than you two!” pertaining to Taehyung and Jungkook.
Taehyung and Jungkook then brought Han to the space field after resting for a while, fulfilling their promise of playing Drift together. Han, just like his father, was very knowledgeable when it came to Drift. When Taehyung handed him his Ultrasonic hoverboard, Han rode it like a champ, even doing flips that both Taehyung and Jungkook are hesitant to do. The three of them settled above ground, feet glued to their very own hoverboards. Jungkook and Han were teamed together against Taehyung who was guarding the goal. The two were watching the kid diligently, keeping a close eye on him just in case but Han was so good at Drift that it left Jungkook and Taehyung amused; Han had the greatest balance on his hoverboard despite the speedy travel around the field, and he knew how to hit a Drift ball. It came to the point wherein Han had to ask his hyungs to play fair, to treat him as though he was a Drift player of their age. Taehyung and Jungkook didn’t want to do it at first as Han’s only a kid, also smaller than them if that wasn’t obvious. They’re still babysitting and they need to make sure Han is safe and sound but then Han is persistent and though he’s very young, he knows his Drift.
“Okay fine, if you say so. Show us your best strike,” Jungkook responds once he and Taehyung have come to the same conclusion; they’ll give Han what he wants but will be extra careful. Han, determined, drifts a little higher as he threw the Drift ball above his head, his eyes looking at it closely as it falls and he hits it to the goal with ease, the ball grazing Taehyung’s fingers. Both Taehyung and Jungkook let out loud cheers and yells upon seeing that attack and they both knew that Han would indeed be a good Drift player when he grows older.
Unlike dinner time, bedtime was a lot easier. Han was sticking to his night routine the entire time—he heads straight to his closet, pulls open his pajama drawer, and takes out a pajama set with golden stars printed all over the blue fabric. Taehyung just watches him waddle around his room as he places his pajamas on top of his nightstand, and then he follows him to the bathroom where Han pushes a stool in front of the sink and climbs on top of it. Taehyung helps him stand on the stool, his arms by his sides if ever Han would lose his balance and fall off of it (thankfully he didn’t though), Han brushes his teeth and gargles a fruity mouthwash, and then he climbs inside the shower, washing by himself with Taehyung on guard next to him. It was crazy how independent Han is right now, it made Taehyung think about how Coach Hyunbin and Yejin really did a great job raising him. Once they left the bathroom, Han runs over to his nightstand and wears his pajamas with the help of Taehyung (more like Taehyung wanted to help him even if Han didn’t need it).
“Mama reads me a bedtime story before I sleep,” Han states once he climbs over his bed, Taehyung tucking him in.
“Okay, I’ll read you one.” Taehyung walks over to the bookshelf Han has by the corner of his room. His eyes wander over the titles, most of which were familiar as they’re also in Pluto Spacecare and some of which weren’t. Taehyung pulls a book from the shelf and Han speaks.
“Mama read that to me already.” Taehyung puts the book back and pulls another, only to hear Han say the same thing again. And again.
And again
. Apparently, Yejin has read all of these books for her dearest son and now Taehyung has no idea what to do to help Han fall asleep. “Can you stay next to me though? Mama lays next to me and it makes me sleep fast.”
Taehyung smiles at this. The thought of Han snuggling in close to his mother reminds him so much of the days when he was younger and Madam Kim would coddle him close, humming a lullaby and caressing his head. Taehyung thought he should do the same to Han so he pulls over the side of the duvet and climbs under it, Han moving to him instinctively. Much to his surprise, Han wraps his tiny arm over Taehyung’s chest and the older feels warmth bloom over him. Taehyung tucks his arm under Han’s head, his hand moving over to the child’s hair, massaging his scalp like how Madam Kim did when he was little too.
“Do you really have no stories to tell me hyung?” Han asks, his voice soft.
Taehyung thinks for a while, hoping for some story to just pop inside his head so he can tell it to Han. “I’ll go think of stories.”
The kid hums and silence takes over the room for a few seconds until Han starts speaking again. “Did the asteroid ever come back?”
Taehyung’s eyes widen, realizing what Han is talking about; the asteroid story he told the kids at Pluto Spacecare. “I’m not sure, Hanie… do you want it to come back?”
Taehyung watches Han look up at the ceiling, deep in thought. “Well
yeah
of course. The asteroid needs to say sorry to the planet it destroyed. Didn’t you say we should say sorry to the people we hurt?”
A smile forms on Taehyung’s lips, so amused by Han’s own words. The two didn’t notice the door to Han’s room had opened, Jungkook slipping inside. He was in the kitchen, cleaning up their mess from earlier. “Yes, I did say that.”
“Then the asteroid really should go back,” Han says, fiddling with his fingers. Jungkook looks over at Taehyung and mouths ‘what’s happening’, to which Taehyung didn’t respond. Jungkook easily understood it though, despite the no words exchanged, he chose to settle down on the chair placed by Han’s desk, listening to their conversation. “It’s very rude to just walk out after all that damage.”
“You’re right, Hanie. You’re a very smart kid,” Taehyung continues to massage his head, watching closely as Han’s eyelids slowly drift close. The kid was so close to sleeping but he opens his eyes again to look at Jungkook, who was watching them in peace with no thought in mind.
“Jungkookie hyung,” Han calls, a bit slurred. “Can you lay next to me too? Mama and Papa lay next to me so I can sleep.”
Taehyung nods his head when Jungkook looked at him, the look in his eyes asking him for permission. Jungkook says yes to Han and walks over to the other side of the bed, climbing under the covers too. Unfortunately for Taehyung, Han scooted over to Jungkook, his short arm now over Jungkook’s chest. Taehyung scowls when Jungkook grins at him, teasing.
“He likes me more than you!” He whispers and Taehyung rolls his eyes, muttering a ‘shut up’.
As the sun falls deeper, replaced by the moon, and the call of slumber fully takes over Han, Taehyung and Jungkook find themselves growing sleepy with their eyelids falling heavy too, begging to shut close. Taehyung shifts on the bed, moving close to Han as he too closes his eyes, letting sleep wash over him through the warmth of the thick blanket. He sighs contentedly, not giving a single care that his worst enemy is just a few inches away from him. He was also oblivious to the doe eyes glancing at him, waiting for him to fall asleep, and when he finally does, Jungkook lets himself be pulled in by his own sleepiness.
When the clock strikes twelve and Coach Hyunbin and Yejin arrive, the quiet mansion then turns alive. The two, later on, climb up the stairs to check in on their son, only to find him already awake and walking by the door, probably awoken by the sound of their Hover Rover entering the garage.
And when they finally catch sight of the two figures laying on Han’s bed, their limbs all tangled as they rested close to each other with Taehyung’s head on the crook of Jungkook’s neck and Jungkook’s chin on top of the other’s head, fast asleep, a smile forms on Coach Hyunbin and Yejin’s faces. The two wouldn’t know how cozy they looked then and there, cuddling so tight as if they were each other’s safest place, but Coach Hyunbin, Yejin, and Han would as a photo was snapped through muffled coos and giggles—for memories’ sake.