Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

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Chasé97:
I would actually like to come and say these things to your face, but even though you have written the book of gentlemanliness, my damn shyness would not allow it.
That's why I'm going to make my confession here and subject myself to tossing and turning in bed.
Every time you enter the classroom, the jasmine-scented perfume you spread around, which looks beautiful only on you, that divine voice that comes out when you laugh, and your bright eyes with a childlike spirit that show you still haven't lost it in this world, take me away from myself every day.
I really like you.
Actually no, even though we are only 19 years old and the elders say that high school loves are temporary, I am really in love with you.
I don't know if you can reciprocate my love that I confessed anonymously, but I am writing from here so that I don't regret it in the future and say that I wish I had explained it earlier.
Allow me to talk to you for a few months. Then I will come before you.
(Seen✔✔)

VJook97:
I can't believe I'm getting a love confession from you right now.
But I use early grey perfume...
Wait, did you take drugs from someone? Are you high and hitting on me or what?
Because just today you poured your 100 degree hot coffee on me, just because I called you a squirrel?

Chasé97:
I didn't spill anything on you-
Wait, aren't you Taehyung?

VJook97:
What Taehyung Chae? I'm Jungkook. Also, are you going to forget that my number is saved on my phone and say that you were going to text Taehyung now?
As for the love confession...
(Typing...)

Chasé97:
Oh crap, I sent a message to the wrong number.
Chaeyoung is going to kill me!
Jungkook, these things didn't happen. Quickly delete the messages from yourself and forget what was written, otherwise Chaeyoung will cut me to pieces.

VJook97:
Hmm, you wrote quite sensibly, so you didn't use drugs
Don't worry, I won't make fun of you for not being able to make an anonymous confession =)
Also I...
(Typing..)

Chasé97:
Jungkook, don't be ridiculous! The only thing Chae and you can be side by side is the aid in the North and South Korean war, what love are you talking about?!
Ughhh, I'm done for.

VJook97:
Wait a minute..Are you really NOT Chaeyoung?

Chasé97:
No, I'm Lisa, you fool!
Oh no, I was supposed to make a secret love confession to Tae!
Instead, I wrote it to a rabbit!

VJook97:
It's not nice, calling me rabbit and stuff?

Chasé97:
Well,the butcher is thinking of meat, and the sheep is thinking of its life!
Anyway! If you don't want a second 100 degree hot coffee to be poured on you, don't tell this confession to Taehyung or Chaeyoung.
You know, with my eagle-sharp claws, I wouldn't hesitate to hunt a rabbit.

VJook97:
I'm sorry Lalalalalisa, but in these numbered days of our 19-year-old bratty selves, I was open to anything that would add action to the memories I will tell my grandchildren, and you literally gave it to me.
And I have a big trump card in my hand to understand if you are really Chae, and even if you are not, to annoy that squirrel.

Chasé97:
Jeon Jungkook!

VJook97 is offline.,

Chasé97:
Uff, I'm done for.

END OF CHAPTER
It will be a mini fic. I'm thinking of 20 episodes, but it may increase.
Instagram: jeonsexual97

Chapter Text

Enjoy Reading ♡

"It's so unfair to other people that he's this handsome, I swear!"

It was 7 PM on a Friday, in the school canteen where we had come to eat, just like any typical high school senior when we had a chance to lift our heads from our studies. My dear platonic friend and lifelong tormentor, Lisa, was leaning her head on her hand, staring longingly and angrily at Taehyung, one of the popular boy at school, sitting three tables away.

I lifted my head from the blackberry muffin I was nibbling on and looked at Lisa as she muttered angrily in her usual lovesick voice. "When do you think your lovesick mood and words will end for today? I'll decide to communicate with you then." Ignoring the fact that my mouth was full, I spoke, and Lisa took a deep, heartfelt breath.

Wasn't it just like her to look at Taehyung as if all the problems of the world rested on her shoulders? Uhm, anyway that sight was too much for Jisoo, who was sitting next to me, freshening her nails, so she rolled her eyes and hiy Lisa with the 10,000 won algebra test book instead of hitting her on the neck with her hand.

When Lisa lunged forward and quickly snapped out of her love atmosphere, she turned to Jisoo. "Hey! That hurt!"

"Not as much as you've been hurting my ears, Lisa, believe me. And enough is enough! I swear I'm sick of you! Every day you look at Taehyung with lovesick eyes, and because of you, our eyes occasionally drift there, and Namjoon, who seems ready to respond, gives me suggestive looks. We're constantly attracting attention! Just confess your love and let us be free, for goodness' sake!"

Jennie grumbled in agreement, not lifting her head from her phone for a second. I guess she got inspired for a song she couldn't finish while studying and didn't want to miss the chance to write during our short break. However, Jisoo, making a lot of noise in the mostly empty canteen with her book-whacking incident, hadn't calculated that we might draw attention. As I looked around, I caught the eye of Jungkook, one of the people turning their gaze our way. He winked at me with a grin, and I rolled my eyes away from him and returned to the table.

Idiot.

I mean, why had my mom been best friends with Jungkook's mom for 30 years? And why was I neighbors with this idiot? And why did I go to the same school as him!? There wasn't a single moment when he didn't infuriate me, and the fact that this brat from the school's popular boy group was always picking on me meant that people saw us as bickering lovers. Everyday is a challange and I'm afraid, I'm going to end up in prison for hitting people with a shovel and getting a murder sentence because of him!

My period only increased my anger towards him, and when they come over for dinner next week, as they do EVERY WEEK, I made a mental note to add thyme to his soup, which he was allergic to, to turn him into a balloon.

You're a real devil, Chae!

Thanks, inner voice, you can write that in your diary with tears.

Then I focused on Lisa, who had started talking again. "Okay, let's talk about how I'll feel like an idiot if he rejects me, Jichu? I want to confess too, but we've had less communication with him for the past two years. Look, I'll even list it for you." As she continued speaking, she showed her fingers. "We made eye contact twice, bumped into each other three times, and every time I did it on purpose, he didn't react. I left a note in his locker, and when he was putting his books away, the paper flew in front of me and went under the metal lockers. And finally, there was a brief moment when we were alone during a physical education class when our classes combined, and the teacher grouped us together-"

As she mentioned the incident, I couldn't help but laugh, having just finished my muffin. Even Jennie lifted her head from her phone and joined Jisoo in laughing with me.

Honestly, I shouldn't have laughed, but the incident she mentioned was a complete disaster, and I was sure it would be a topic of mockery for the rest of my life among us. Lisa, with her mouth open, looked at us, then rolled her eyes and began to push her cheeks with her tongue, crossing her arms and leaning back. In her language, this meant: I'm mad at you, bitches, and you have only 3 minutes to apologize, or I'll make you live through unimaginable embarrassments!

Noticing this, I reluctantly stopped laughing and mimed zipping my mouth shut. Finally, Jennie and Jisoo, who had caught on to Lisa's sulking wave on their radar, stopped. I reached out to Lisa's arm and gently patted it. She turned her eyes away, sulking. I chuckled. "Lili, okay, we're sorry for laughing. But, just to help you, when we advised you to tell him how beautiful his eyes are, and then you looked him in the eye and said...," I bit my lip hard to stop myself from laughing again and continued, "I have very beautiful eyes was a bit funny and unexpected, darling."

Despite trying not to laugh, Jennie and Jisoo couldn't hold back any longer and pretended to drop something on the floor, bending down to laugh. To avoid Lisa feeling worse, I kept my composure, but the situation was genuinely funny. I knew she was acting like this because she was a love-struck fool. Otherwise, Lisa was really smart. Her GPA was 99.0 even though she was a foreign student from Thailand! No matter how much I studied, I could only finish the first semester with a GPA of 94.76. As I still looked at her, Lisa glared at Jennie and Jisoo, but she couldn't maintain her tough-girl role any longer and admitted we were right to laugh with a small chuckle.

She shyly scratched her forehead through her bangs and shrugged. "What can I do? When Taehyung opened his deer-like eyes and looked at me, my mind went blank, my heart raced. I'm grateful I didn't say something gibberish, but it was really embarrassing when he said yes, yes, your eyes are indeed beautiful, and then awkwardly turned back to his book."

"I think this guy is an idiot."

When Jisoo bluntly said this after Lisa's complaint, we all looked at her in disbelief. She raised her eyebrows when she noticed us looking at her. "What? I'm already dealing with an idiot who behaves the same way towards me. I mean, Kim Namjoon, Taehyung's dear friend. If a guy doesn't understand when a girl acts this way, it's his stupidity. Sorry, Lisa, but the guy you like might have failed in the IQ department. Look, I'm telling you, let me set you up with Hyunjin-"

"No, I want Kim Taehyung."

Lisa suddenly cut off Jisoo's remark with a whiny voice. Jisoo gave her a "you're such an idiot" look, rolled her eyes, and inserted her pinky finger into the blue LED-lit nail dryer she had powered with a power strip she swiped from the canteen.

Yes, since it was our senior year, school was practically our second home. This is why we could comfortably bring things like kettles, pots, mini stoves, hair dryers, laser nail dryers, poufs, quilts, pillows, etc. Because why not? The school was a private one, but we cried our eyes out during study sessions due to strict teachers. Every night I only got home by midnight during the school week. And sometimes, since we had to come back after just 7 hours, we stayed in the pillow-and-quilt area we had set up at school.

Other kids would have sleepovers at their friends' houses, but we stay in the school's heating corners just to sleep an extra 15 minutes... Damn!

It was an extremely luxurious school, but the situation of the senior year students was no different from a refugee camp.

Fortunately, there were only three months left. After that that school can go hell, I swear.

"Do whatever you want, I'm not interfering anymore, you brat!"

I felt sorry for Lisa when she slightly pursed her lips. She really loved Taehyung. She had been in love with him for like 2 years, and even though we had some minimal communication with that group, it wasn't enough to bring them together.

Actually, we had been attending the same schools since middle school. Our families knew each other because our fathers worked in the same jobs.

My dad and the dad of that unnecessary rabbit were partners in the LSV company in Korea. Jennie and Yoongi's father had a private textile factory. It wasn't big, but they were a bit above average. Lisa and Namjoon's families were partners in Celine, while Jisoo and Taehyung's families were partners in Dior.

In short, we were a bunch of rich kids, but no amount of money our families had was enough to change the reality that we were still struggling and studying here.

Maybe I wanted to live off my husband's or father's money? But no, my family told me that I had to stand on my own feet because we never know what life will bring us tomorrow. It wasn't that I disagreed with my dear mom and dad. They were very valuable to me, but their attitude towards my studies was generally suffocating me. At least they hadn't objected to my choice of profession.

I wanted to be a model. For Prada.

My dad was a bit hurt because it was a rival company, but I was very aware that if I worked for my father's company, I would be seen as having connections. No one could say that if I worked at a rival company.

Sure, people would still talk, but I didn't think their words would be as hurtful or as important as being labeled as having connections. Anyway.

"What if you tried something different, Lisa?"

This time, it was Jennie who pulled me out of my daydreaming, and we all turned to her curiously. Lisa straightened up with excitement. "Like what?- Oh! Is it something mature? I can't get him drunk and take him to bed, my mom will kill me if I do that before I turn 18, and I have two months left until my birthday. Otherwise, I have no problem-"

"Stop it, girl! You're so naughty!" I silently sided with Jennie, who wrinkled her face like a cat, and gave Lisa a scolding look. She really looked like the most innocent among us, and people always pointed that out, but she was actually quite cheeky. If I opened the library app on her phone, I was sure half of my innocent mind would turn into a dark world.

"Okay, fine! I'm quiet now. Go ahead and tell us. What kind of different?"

Jennie looked around for a moment, and despite seeing that everyone was occupied with their own business, she leaned towards the table. We also leaned in as if the FBI was listening to us. "What if you confessed your love anonymously, keep it anonymous for a few months, and then gathered the courage to confront him?"

I exhaled and leaned back. It wasn't that I was expecting something spectacular, but hearing this cliché idea from Jennie, who usually didn't care about love, honestly surprised me. I mean, what drama were we filming? An Indian drama? Where were the cameras? I'd wave.

"And here i am,actually leaning in and listening." Jisoo grumbled, voicing exactly what I was thinking, and I murmured in agreement.

However, when Lisa, who had gone into a trance-like state, whispered, "Of course!" and the sound of her chair loudly scraping against the floor echoed around, once again causing everyone to turn towards us. Unbothered, Lisa practically sat on Jennie's lap, who disliked physical contact, and started hugging her.

"YOU'RE A GENIUS! MY CAT GIRL!"

Lisa didn't notice Taehyung's gaze among the group of boys watching her with surprise as she transferred all her serious love to Jennie through physical contact. I didn't know when she would realize while she was practically trying to assault Jennie, whom she called a cat, but I would just pretend not to know them. Like Jisoo.

However, the fact that we were at the same table hit me quite hard, so I exhaled and fake-smiled.

We were embarrassing ourselves.

And with Lisa's current behavior, she might have appeared like a lesbian to Taehyung. I mean, she would come to us crying later that she had no chance anymore, but explaining this to someone who is a love bug - especially someone whose love language is physical touch! - was difficult.

My love language was food, for example. I would eat and cook for the people I loved. I took after my brother Seokjin...

"Ew, get off me, you creep! Move away, your rawboned! You are poking me everywhere!"

As I expected, Jennie used her slightly long and matte-painted nails to push Lisa off her and finally succeeded in freeing herself from Lisa. Even though Lisa normally didn't like being called a rawboned, she must have ignored it because she was so thrilled with Jennie's suggestion.

"Are you really going to write to him anonymously?"

Jisoo asked, and Lisa, with a wide grin showing all 32 teeth, nodded her head as she returned to her seat. "In the book I read, this method worked perfectly. The girl confessed her love and, by talking to the boy, made him fall in love with her. Why shouldn't it work for me?"

"Lisa, correct me if I'm wrong, darling. The books you read are erotic and far from vanilla sex. In those texting books, the girl's method to impress the boy is to send him lingerie photos to make a desperate start. Am I wrong?"

Lisa then had a mild coughing fit. We just gave her a tired look. "W-where do you know the books I read f-from!" she stammered. Jisoo laughed mockingly. "While we were taking pictures at the holiday house we went to together, a notification suddenly came from the app. It said new chapter update. The book's title was 'You're Punished If You Don't Call Me Daddy.'"

As Lisa started coughing again, I interrupted. "I borrowed your phone to use your calculator last class because my battery died. The notification that came said 'My Sweet but Obsessed Psychopath Mafia Lover.'" Lisa choked even more, and Jennie started talking. I wondered if I should give her some water since she seemed to be choking.

"I also saw a notification today while talking to my mom because my internet ran out. It said 'Click here for the new chapter of Moan!'"

Lisa's coughing suddenly stopped, and she waved her hands defensively. "I swear I've never heard of that book! Sometimes it sends these notifications without my knowledge!" She defended herself, and I took a sip of my still-hot coffee from the thermos in front of me. If she was so embarrassed, why did she read them?

Oh, she was really cheeky, but I didn't want her to think we were judging her, so I opened my mouth as if to speak. "Let's say it's just one book. What about the others? If you're reading them, at least stand by it and admit you read them, girl. Have some dignity. We're not judging you, but honestly, you'd be better off learning about advanced relationships from a documentary than from these books."

"I was just curious," She murmured. I laughed at her childish demeanor. There was no point in embarrassing her further. After all, we were teenagers. It wasn't her fault that we weren't as interested in these things as she was; she just read about them. She could have been one of those girls who experienced these things and fell for stupid boys.

Instead, she liked Kim Taehyung, who didn't interact with many people except Yoongi, Namjoon, and that unnecessary rabbit. For example, if she liked the unnecessary one, I would be upset. He couldn't walk down the street without winking at every girl he saw. Honestly, I didn't care what he did, but the girls he winked at would fall over themselves and then spread rumors that we were dating. Are they crazy or what!?

When the girls buried themselves in their phones as Lisa returned to her usual self and started planning her anonymous scheme, I looked around again. Then I made eye contact with the unnecessary rabbit again, but this time he waved his phone in the air, signaling me to look at mine. Normally, I wouldn't have looked out of spite, but that idiot would come over and tell me what he wrote to my face, solidifying the rumors.

He was the kind of guy who probably left his brain in his mom's womb.

I grabbed my phone and opened KakaoTalk. My phone had two SIM card slots, and I had two separate SIM cards. I got one a few months ago because of a stupid incident and didn't give the number to many people. The other one was for school groups, teachers, etc. Unfortunately, that unnecessary rabbit knew about my second SIM card—thanks to my mom—and he had written to me there even though I told him not to!

BRAT!

Chyngrsé97:

What do you want?

VJook97:

Oh, calm down, beautiful, why are you so mad?

I just wanted to ask two things =)

Chyngrsé97:

First, stop calling me beautiful.

Also, ask quickly and leave me alone, Jungkook.

VJook97:

This simple anger of yours only amuses me more, my dear Chaeyoung.

You're getting too feisty, don't you think?

Chyngrsé97:

What. Do. You. Want. Jungkook?

VJook97:

Okay, okay.

Why is Lisa so happy? She practically sat on Jennie, who hates physical contact. Is there a juicy story?

Share it with your man :D

Chyngrsé97:

God... Did you seriously write to me just for this, you idiot? And why do you care about our conversations?

AND MY MAN? Your imagination is vast, but it's best for you to keep me out of it.

VJook97:

Yes? Oh, of course, there's something else I wanted to ask. I'll get to that next :D

And calling me an idiot hurts my feelings. If you want to make it up to me, we can go somewhere private :D

Chyngrsé97:

That smiley emoji can go somewhere private in you 😍

VJook97:

That would hurt :(

Chyngrsé97:

I'm three seconds away from blocking you. So ask your next useless question and get back to your crew.

VJook97:

Geez, you can't even gossip for two minutes.

Anyway, here's my second question, are you ready? :D

Chyngrsé97:

I'm not, but will that stop you from asking?

VJook97:

Oh hell no.:D

Chyngrsé97:

Spill it then, troublemaker.

Chaeyoung?"

I looked up when I heard Jisoo's voice while waiting for a message from Jungkook. The girls had already gotten up. "Yes?"

"Come on, we're leaving. There's only about 3 minutes left until the break ends. Let's get to class quickly. Lisa is already stressed about how she'll find a fake but also real number. Let's not be late and end up with standing penalties."

Nodding quickly, I finished tidying up with my phone still open, wiped my hands with a wet wipe, and threw the food scraps into the nearby trash can. I picked up my thermos, and as we walked, Namjoon and his group stood up. Just as we got close to them, my phone vibrated.

Thinking of the message Jungkook might send, I rolled my eyes and decided to check it while walking past him. Maybe if I gave him a harsher response to his face, he wouldn't ask me such idiotic questions again. But if he did, I'd put rat poison instead of thyme in his soup and rid my life of the pest who annoyed me every chance he got and unnecessarily flirted with me.

While thanking my left devil for this idea, I lifted my phone to my face and looked at the message he sent.

VJook97:

Has anyone ever told you that you look like a chipmunk, my dear squirrel?

(While eating a muffin)

Seeing the gif message, I looked at Jungkook in shock. His grin was so wide that it seemed like his mouth would tear. Realizing I had been too lenient with him today, I got angry with myself.

Without thinking, I directed my steps toward him.

"Chaeyoung, where are you-"

Jisoo spoke as we got close to Namjoon's group, but I had already reached Jungkook. I opened the lid of my thermos and threw the still-hot coffee, of which there were only a few sips left, at his manhood.

"AH CHAEYOUNG, I'M BURNING!"

His cheerful grin instantly vanished, and he bent down in pain as his friends turned to us in shock. I wrinkled my face and started yelling nastily. "That's not even enough for you! Squirrel? My ass, you idiot! Also, delete that gif immediately, or I'll publish your braces photo from middle school in the national news!" Then, without waiting for his response, I walked over to the girls, who were watching in shock but laughing at what I did.

"I won't be able to have children because of you, Chaeyoung!"

Seeing him still bent over, holding his dignity place, and shouting at me made me feel satisfied. I leaned over the railing of the stairs and blew him a kiss before continuing up with the girls, leaving him and his three friends behind.

"So, you mean I've done something that deserves an honor award for preventing your genes from spreading, Jungkook!"

END OF CHAPTER

LOL fierce Chaeyoung and flirtatious JK

Classic high school drama, huh? 😆

Things will change a lot, by the way.

Can I get your thoughts on the first chapter?

I hope you enjoyed the chapter.

follow and like plz! 💋

Chapter Text

Enjoy Reading ♡

After the incident where I spilled coffee on the inappropriate place of that unnecessary XY Chromozone, I entered the classroom laughing with the girls, but this time I was really angry because he had crossed the line.

He knew very well that I hated having my exposures taken, but the fact that he never hesitated to use it against me made me hate him even more.

Uhm..Okay, hate was a bit of a strong emotion, and I knew I was using it to express my anger, but I don't care! If he didn't bother me for a day, I'd break my tooth, but if he didn't bother me, I'd take action, GOD FORBID!

Luckily, my anger had subsided a bit when I spilled that coffee, and it seemed they were still in the physical education room since they hadn't come to the classroom yet. He needed to change his clothes and apply ice to his precious part, after all. I had no regrets. He deserved it.

"We had a good laugh, but why haven't you told us why you spilled hot coffee on Jungkook's manhood, Chae?"

Jisoo and Jennie took the row in front of us, and Lisa and I sat behind them. When Jisoo turned around and spoke, I laughed hysterically and rolled my eyes. "That idiot took a picture of my exposure while I was eating a muffin. And he said I looked like a squirrel. Hah, a squirrel! What's squirrel-like about me? If anything, I could be Aphrodite. Idiot, fool, chromosomal mutant!"

While the girls listened to the insults I hurled at him in surprise, Lisa bit her lips suggestively. Damn, I knew what that look meant. Just as I was about to raise my hand and say, "Don't you dare voice those devilish whispers," she ignored me, as always, and opened her lips to say the last thing I wanted to hear.

"For some reason, you get so worked up whenever Jungkook is involved, Chaeyoung. Do you think it's normal that everything he does bothers you this much?"

There it is. She had made her insinuation. Seeing the girls' suggestive looks after Lisa's words, I widened my tired eyes. I thought if I remained silent, they would understand and drop the subject. Since when had we shifted to this serious atmosphere, anyway?!

"Don't be ridiculous, girls! Never mind what he says or does, even his breathing bothers me because he's an amoeba-brained jerk who has been annoying me ritually since childhood with his damn ego! Get those suggestive eyes off me right now."

The sharp and angry way I spoke didn't seem to convince them, causing me to roll my eyes for the second time. Oh, dear God!... After witnessing my clashes with that rabbit for so long, was it now that they decided to look at me with insinuation?

"Alright then," Lisa finally said after my confident look. "If you say so, then it is, my friend." I nodded.

"Of course, if I say so, then it is."

Since the teacher hadn't arrived yet, I was about to open the geography test I had intended to continue in the canteen but hadn't even started when Lisa, who was sitting next to me, suddenly took my phone. When I was about to ask what she was doing, she said, "Let's also take a look at this exposure," And since she already knew my password, she opened my KakaoTalk despite my attempts to take the phone back. Letting out a loud sigh, I leaned back. This effort was futile. Plus, Jennie and Jisoo were leaning over my phone with curiosity, so even if I wanted to, they wouldn't give it back until they had satisfied their curiosity with the photo. I mean, I didn't come out looking bad. So it couldn't be considered a full exposure. Still, Jungkook had taken this photo without my knowledge. The rest was just details to me.

"Honestly, I expected an actual exposure when you said that. You look really cute, Chae. And no offense, but you do look like a squirrel," Jennie's gentle voice said, making me scoff. "Nini, what do I have in common with a squirrel, for God's sake? Also," I mimed filing my nails and wrinkled my nose. "I'm always cute. My ugliest photo would be the best one any other person could take."

"Seriously..." Jisoo said, looking at me in surprise. "Don't show that you resemble your brother so much. Watching your ego rub against the ceiling after being with that ego god for so long." I chuckled. Honestly, even though my mom and dad were humble people, neither my brother nor I were like that at all. And I didn't see anything wrong with it. Just for the sake of politeness and humility, why would I lie and say I'm average if I'm not? Am I beautiful? Yes. Then what harm or benefit was there in hiding it? None.

"We coexist together, darling. Neither I nor my ego can live without each other." After giving me a look that screamed 'You're an impossible girl,'  Lisa returned to my phone and furrowed her eyebrows, "Chaeyoung?" she said in a questioning voice.

I couldn't understand why, so I straightened up in my seat. "What happened?" I murmured, as Lisa took my phone from my hand and pointed out my name in the conversations I had with someone named 'unnecessary.' Of course! Now I understood what she meant.

"Your name in the groups you're with us in and the name here are different. Why? Did you change your name?" Said Jisso. And after a brief pause, she looked at my profile picture. "Actually, your profile picture has changed too."

Wow. This girl really had a detective's eye. Well, considering she wanted to be a prosecutor, I think she made the right career choice for her future. However, the fact that the girls didn't know I had two SIM cards sent me into a brief swallowing session, which was an inevitable truth.

Because they didn't know why I had gotten a second SIM card three months ago.

Damn it, why was my token so sharp!

"Uhmm," I said with a forced smile. "The thing is, I actually have two SIM cards, girls. I got the other one three months ago. Before the second term started, I mean."

After the sentences I mumbled and rounded in my mouth, their eyebrows all shot up, rightfully so. This teacher really couldn't come.

"So, would you like to explain why we didn't know about this SIM card? Because last I checked, we were your closest friends? Or why do you have two SIM cards?"

Well, the answers to these questions were a bit annoying and, fortunately, I hadn't told the girls about this second SIM card because I didn't want to share this annoying topic from the past with anyone. But I guess I had to tell them now because the sharp gazes of three pairs of eyes made me stand up like I had swallowed a stick.

"The thing is..." I said and stopped. I was trying to gather my thoughts because I was sure the insinuating looks would return after this story. Still, I didn't want to brush them off or lie.

"Yes? What is it?" Jennie raised an eyebrow. And there she said she wasn't a cat. Pfft! God must have added some cat dust when creating her. She was looking at me like she was about to purr and reveal the claws in her paws!

"Ugh, you dragged it out, Chaeyoung!" Lisa finally snapped, and I started to speak quickly to avoid prolonging it further.

"Oh, come on, you didn't stop talking so I could explain properly! During the first term holiday, I got some absurdly inappropriate messages from a boy in class C. His name was Kang Tae or something. Of course, I couldn't just let such things slide and remain silent. So I texted the boy back, telling him not to bother me, but he didn't listen, and things started to get serious. The idiot kept calling. I thought about telling my parents, but then I thought if I got a new number and blocked him, he wouldn't be able to reach me."

When I paused to catch my breath, they were watching me like they were watching a movie. "So, what happened next?" Jennie said in shock. Then, flicking my forehead, she continued as I groaned. "And why didn't you tell us about that jerk? We would have made him regret it!"

While the girls quickly agreed with her, I was still grimacing and rubbing my forehead. They really knew everything! As if I hadn't thought of that.

"Come on, stop it! I thought of that too, and the boy did regret it, and he withdrew from school and went back to his hometown."

"What did you do?" When they spoke in unison, it was so funny that I laughed involuntarily and shrugged. I wasn't scared at the time, but I did feel a bit nauseous because I thought my headache would linger.

"Actually, I didn't do anything. I mean, I was going to, but someone else did it before I could..." Crossing my arms, I rolled my eyes for the umpteenth time today. I hoped I wouldn't end up cross-eyed from all the rolling. Honestly, I'd never heard of anyone becoming cross-eyed from it, but I was just quoting my mom's warning, 'Don't roll your eyes, you'll stay that way.'

"Who did it then? Did you tell your dad? Oh, Uncle Tae Min is usually very calm, but I'm sure he wouldn't hesitate to teach that pervert a lesson." Lisa said, and I shook my head. "They never found out." Before she could open her mouth again, I cut her off.

"Anyway, let me continue. Even though I wanted to change my number, I kept it to myself because I thought the school groups would find out, and I blocked him. After the school term ended, I planned to get rid of my old number and live with my new one. I actually thought of telling yall then, but one day that idiot had the nerve to come to my house, and that's when everything happened..."

"What happened?" they said in unison again. Then Jisoo continued angrily. "Look at that bastard! How could he come to your door so casually? That's blatant verbal harassment and physical threat!" Telling her such things made me a bit nervous because after breaking up with her ex-boyfriend for cheating, she hated all men except her dad.

I mean... in terms of love.

Other than that, she was the one who got along best with Jackson, whom we were all close with. And for God's sake, we were talking about Jackson. He was the only young man I could trust blindly in love, friendship, and security. My brother was six years older than me, so he didn't count as a young man but as an adult man.

Jackson was a wingless angel who accidentally fell into this world, and I sometimes couldn't help but feel a bit jealous of his girlfriend Irene. It's true that I only saw Jackson as my closest male friend, but that didn't stop me from being a bit jealous of Irene.

After a few seconds, I muttered in agreement with what Jisoo said as I snapped out of my thoughts. Even though I was nervous when that idiot showed such blind courage, our houses had security, and he wouldn't even see my face unless I wanted him to.

"Let me continue.." I said, refocusing them. "It was 9 PM. My parents were at a business dinner that day, and I was home alone, but we had three security guards in our garden. So I was safe. I got dressed and went downstairs. I planned to talk to him and put him in his place, and if he still didn't leave me alone, I would call our guards. But trying to reason with a guy whose IQ was equal to his shoe size was a big mistake. He made ridiculous comments and insisted on how serious he was about his disgusting requests from the messages. I got very angry and started yelling. I told him to leave me alone, but instead of listening, he tried to get even closer to me."

To be honest, I was a bit stressed at that moment. But we were in my neighborhood. It would have only taken a scream to gather familiar faces and our muscular guards around me. But as I said, I was under the delusion that I could solve it by talking and acting tough. To be fair, I'm not that kind of person, but the point was: I didn't want to cause trouble for my family or become the gossip of the media.

"Let me guess, you kicked him, and your most handsome but coldest guard Wonho came and rearranged his face?" Lisa excitedly chimed in, and I pouted, thinking that such a scenario might have been much better.

"No. Jungkook, for some reason, happened to come back from basketball practice at that hour, saw us, and as Kang Tae started to approach me, he threw his bag to the ground as if he was in an action series and attacked him."

"NO WAY!" I flinched at what they said in unison again. God... We should have been idols. With this synchronization, the girls would never make mistakes in songs or dances!

I widened my eyes and nodded. "Yeah... no way, right? A person should come and ask what's going on, then threaten him like I would. What kind of treatment is that, beating up the guy in front of me like a weak 'pick me' girl?" My grumbling made the girls stare at me in shock.

"What?" I said, raising an eyebrow. I didn't think I'd said anything wrong. At that moment, I didn't need Jungkook and his unnecessary eight-pack muscles. I could have protected myself and asked the guards for help. Was it up to him to handle my problem?!

How do you know he has an eight-pack?

Inner voice... We saw him in the locker room when the gym teacher sent me to call him during practice, remember? Ew, and the girls were drooling over his body. He had an eight-pack but weighed only 69 kilograms. With his 1.82-meter height, he should have weighed 75 kilograms.

Anyway, who cares?

"Girl, that boy protected you and helped you get rid of that jerk. I hope you didn't tell him the things you JUST told us." Jennie said in a serious tone. I silently coughed and shrugged. "I thanked him, but I might have said something similar to those sentences." As my voice gradually faded, I, who had always thought I was right, began to doubt myself because of the girls' looks.

"What did you say exactly?"

I sighed. How many months had passed? Was I supposed to remember those sentences? "I told him that I was uncomfortable with him being present in every moment of my life and that I was upset because of those messages, so if something like that happened again, he should call the guards instead of showing off. But I did thank him."

"You really are dumb, girl." Jisoo said in a tone full of astonishment. The girl who was inclined to conduct research to wipe out the existence of men like her saying this astonishmened ME as well. "No matter how annoying Jungkook was, he helped you. Is that all you told him? Seriously, unbelievable!"

"That spineless guy isn't the type to take it to heart!" I said, leaning forward as if to protect myself. And I was right! "After I thanked him and said those things, that jerk grinned and told me not to make it so obvious that I was worried about my man's safety."

Then I realized what I said and bit my tongue. But it was too late. Damn it! I needed to skip this part to avoid those insinuating looks, but I had spoken without thinking to protect myself.

The insinuating looks I had expected instantly settled into their eyes, and the tense atmosphere was gone, but I would have preferred those serious looks from earlier!

"Hmmm," Lisa said as she began to smirk. "So, your man(!), huh?"

"No," I said firmly, tired of the topic. "That rabbit can be neither my man nor my friend. After he hospitalized that boy, he made sure he withdrew from school and left the city. And he somehow started messaging me from the other number he learned from my mom. And here we are. If the interrogation is over, I'd like my phone back."

I took the phone before they could speak and deleted all the conversations and contacts of him from this SIM card, then put the phone in the large, zippered pocket of my skirt that I had tailored. Just then, the four horsemen of the apocalypse and the teacher entered the room.

"This matter isn't closed, but we'll leave it here for now, Chaeyoung."

After Lisa whispered in my ear, she stood up to greet the teacher like everyone else.

As I despondently dropped my shoulders and stood up, Mr. Unnecessary was heading to his seat right next to mine. He was wearing his gym tracksuit. I averted my eyes from him to avoid ruining my visual pleasure any further, but Mr. Unnecessary got so close that I could smell his cologne, and once again, again, and again, he managed to infuriate me with his cheeky remarks.

"Junior Jeon is still intact and healthy. So, you can be sure that we'll easily hold our future children in our arms, baby."

God is my witness... I'm going to put that thyme in that damn soup.

END OF CHAPTER

 I really love this duo. How about you?

Personally, I couldn't stand someone who acts like Jungkook, though Chae can't stand him either, but anyway, the kid is just... carefree? lmao

I hope you enjoyed the chapter, my babies.

Follow and like plz 😼💕

Chapter Text

Enjoy Reading ♡

"At last, we've come to the end of another Chinese-like torture."

I sighed in exasperation while acknowledging Jennie, busy packing my stuff. Our 3-hour study session that started after returning from the canteen was over. Just like me!

For instance, right now I couldn't feel my brain. If you asked me my name, I'd say it's the result of dividing the x and y values by two and multiplying half by the value of pi. But for real..What was my name again?

"Chaeyoung?"

Ah! Right. It was Roseanne Park Chaeyoung!

"Yes, Lisa?" Our fast paced, who always packs her bag early, smiled with all her 32 teeth and suddenly grabbed my arm. "I had a brilliant idea during class. And I've decided to share it with you." My eyebrows furrowed suddenly. Yes, she had lifted her head as if a light bulb went off when the teacher moved on to the 15th algebra question, and she had fallen silent after receiving a warning from our teacher.

I thought it was because she added a new theory to the ones she was waiting for updates from one of the books she read again. But she didn't share such things in an asking manner. She would suddenly jump into the conversation. I didn't understand why she was giving me prior notice, but I knew I wouldn't like the result.

Still, I said, "Oh, really?" in a sarcastic tone. At that moment, I had gathered my lighter blonde hair to my left side. "What is this brilliant idea?" As we headed to the classroom exit, Lisa leaned into my ear. "I decided to use your second sim card anonymously. How's that? I'm brilliant, right?"

I suddenly stopped when I heard those words at the door. "What!" With my shocked question, Jisoo and Jennie, who were a little ahead of us, looked at us, wondering what was going on. "Are you out of your mind, girl? Of course not, I don't allow it!"

"Please, could you give it to me for 1-2 months? Pretty please!"

"Get those snake eyes off me right now, Lisa! I said no."

"What's going on?" asked Jennie, turning to us with curiosity. I pointed at Lisa in shock. "This genius wants to use my sim card to text her platonic crush! Can you believe this nonsense?" When I raised my voice as I thought necessary, the eye-popping effect I wanted didn't happen. On top of that, with Jisoo saying, "Why not?" now I was about to faint!

"Are you guys kidding me! What if Taehyung finds out this number belongs to me? And then, while trying to clear up this misunderstanding, what would Jungkook say!?"

"Hmm.." said Lisa, still holding my arm. She started moving me forward at that moment. The corridors weren't very crowded. And if I were here alone at midnight, I'd probably lose my mind from fear. "It came back to Jungkook again. Is the issue about making him have such a thought, ordo you really not want to deal with his sarcastic attitude?"

Okay. That was the last straw. I freed my arm from Lisa's grip and looked at the trio who stopped because I stopped.

"Look, your insinuations are starting to leave a bitter taste. I'm telling you there's no such thing, if I couldn't explain it in Korean, I can do it in English or French?"

After my stern voice, Lisa stuck out her tongue and grabbed my arm again, starting to move me forward once more. God, give me patience... "Girl, don't get so angry, we're just messing with you. Whether or not you like Jungkook is up to you. And if you say there's no such thing, okay, but you really act differently when his name comes up-"

"Because I don't like him!" I cut her off. It was true! His presence bothered me a lot. He had always been somewhere in my life since I knew myself. He was there without my permission, and as long as our families continued to be so close, his unnecessary name would continue to be in my life. Though if I became a Prada model, maybe I'd move to live in Europe. That way, he'd be out of my life, but I didn't want to leave the girls either. Damn! "Okay Lisa, don't push the girl any further." Jennie murmured, stepping in. When she suddenly continued, I pressed my parted lips together as I was about to thank her. "But Chaeyoung, I don't see any problem with Lisa using your sim card. Taehyung doesn't have much technical intelligence. I mean, even if he researches the sim card owner, he wouldn't find out. I suggest you don't stress too much about it."

Her calm and straightforward voice made me silent. Meanwhile, Lisa was looking at me like a cat that had seen a liver. I was a bit torn now. Jennie would warn us extremely neutrally when we were heading for trouble, but she wouldn't mind getting into that trouble or problem together. And now, the idea of Lisa using my anonymous sim card that no one at school - except that XY chromosome! - knew about for 1-2 months didn't sound as terrifying as it did a moment ago. I couldn't be sure-

"You ruined my shoe, you bitch! Clean it up now!"

The shrill voice we heard directed our gaze to the end of the corridor, and I rolled my eyes in irritation at the scene I saw. School's bully Mina and her equally disgusting boyfriend Ki Woo had started to harass a scholarship student again. Idiots!

"I-I didn't d-do anything. Y-you tripped me, and my coffee s-spilled on your s-shoe." Layla, who was in the top class, explained the situation fearfully, making my heart ache. The fact that someone with such a bright future was being toyed with by such trashy people was a testament to life's unfairness. But of course, I would prevent such things, and I was about to do so now.

I had just taken a step forward when Mina pushed Layla to the ground. Layla's skirt was completely ruined as she fell where the coffee had spilled. As I ground my teeth, suddenly there was a rapid movement beside me. I didn't need to turn my head to see that Jennie had moved forward, knowing that this incident wouldn't end with just a few words. Jennie's mouth was good at talking, but if her hands started to itch, no force could keep her paws inside-

And now that she had thrown the juice she was holding on Mina, it confirmed how right I was in my thoughts. Mina, taking a step back in surprise at the unexpected attack, used her shrill voice to shout and momentarily made everyone frown. She loved to draw attention with her voice.

"What are you doing?! Are you out of your mind?!"

Her brain must have stopped functioning temporarily because after her boyfriend grabbed her while she was backing away, then she slipped out of his arms and took two angry steps towards Jennie. And now they were nose to nose.

"You think you're something special and bullying people weaker than you is your right? If that's case, then should I be the nemesis to put an end to your insolence?" Jennie ignored her questions and, as always, jumped right into the situation with words. This girl was my idol.

Mina snickered in astonishment and pushed Jennie's shoulder with her index finger. "Mind your own business! I'll do whatever I want. And this retarded ruined my shoe! Did you think she would go unpunished?" Jennie tilted her head and ruffled her hair angrily. Right now, she looked extremely sexy. The girl always looked like a model whether she was sad, happy, or angry. But I guess I should think about this later.

"Normally, I would laugh at an idiot from class 12-F, whose IQ is equal to today's temperature (-it was 20 degrees) insulting someone who holds the top position in class 12-A+. But today, I woke up on the wrong side of the bed. So, apologize to Layla and then get lost with your perverted boyfriend whose eyes can't stay off my legs."

As my eyes went to Ki Woo, realizing an unnoticed detail, I saw that his eyes were indeed on Jennie's skirt. Pervert, disgusting guy. When he realized my gaze turned to him, he quickly averted his eyes and looked elsewhere. As a silence fell over the scene due to Mina's face starting to turn purple, I noticed the group of four, watching the scene from the side like me. Normally Jungkook would feel me looking at him and turn to look at me, but this didn't happen for the first time now. When my eyes went down, I saw that he was tightly holding Yoongi's arm. My eyebrows furrowed because I couldn't understand why.

But it seemed like he was preventing Yoongi from moving?

"Cat got your tongue? I said apologize and leave." Mina's fierce demeanor faded with Jennie's authoritative, stern voice, and she squinted her eyes mockingly.

"No, I won't apologize. And besides..." She was definitely about to say something bad. The fire of jealousy and anger in her eyes was about to make her say something horrible and that would come with serious consequences-

"You couldn't even protect your own sibling, Kim Jennie. Isn't it pathetic and weak to try to protect a girl who has nothing to do with you? Is it because you couldn't protect your sibling that you're-"

"I'll kill you!" As the fight unfolded before my eyes, Jennie grabbed Mina by the hair, threw her to the ground, and started hitting her. As Jisoo, Lisa, and I moved forward and reached them, we just began watching the fight from a closer distance. No, I wouldn't stop her. If Mina got on top – which was impossible – I'd intervene, but right now, Jennie was on top. Plus, even though we were diligent students who tried to stay out of trouble, Mina deserved this beating.

Jennie's greatest sensitivity was her sibling who died due to anxiety. She found out about the bullying after her sibling passed away. And she had gone into depression for a long time because she couldn't do anything about it. Later, she decided to accomplish everything her sibling wanted to do but couldn't, to ease her conscience a bit.

Mina, of course, knew about this incident because she was from the rich society, but instead of taking it to the grave, it was definitely her mistake to mention it in a way that would dig her own grave. "Get off me- oh my hair!" Mina screamed while Jennie hit her as if hypnotized. She mostly aimed for her face, but I wished she would hit her body.

Discipline usually caused trouble when you damaged the face. Silly Korean beauty standards..

"I'll kill you with the most terrifying tortures and leave permanent scars on that beloved face of yours with my black-polished nails, do you hear me?! Who the hell are you to mention my sibling with that filthy mouth of yours! I'll destroy you!"

As Mina still struggled to get away from her, something unexpected happened. Actually, two things happened.

Ki Woo suddenly grabbed Jennie by the waist to pull her away from Mina, but before he could fully lift her, Yoongi, who freed himself from Jungkook's grip, pushed Ki Woo away harshly and gently took Jennie behind him. "If you touch Jennie with those filthy hands of yours again, you'll spend two months in the hospital sipping soup."

Wow...Okay, this was definitely(!) not an attack I expected from the usually sleepy Yoongi.

What was happening to him? And why was Jennie holding onto Yoongi's school shirt to prevent him from going after Ki Woo instead of saying, 'I can protect myself, this isn't your business?'

Lisa and Jisoo must have been just as suspicious as I was since they crossed their arms and raised an eyebrow. Well, at least I wasn't the only one standing here like a villager who saw a UFO!

"First Jennie, who lost her sibling, protects Layla, then Yoongi, whose sibling is disabled, protects Jennie. What kind of drama have we fallen into?"

After Ki Woo pushed her and laughed hysterically while muttering, Jennie couldn't hold Yoongi back any longer. Yoongi grabbed Ki Woo by the collar and slammed him against the wall. "What the hell did you just say? Say it out loud! Don't mumble like a cowardly pimp!"

Ki Woo, ignoring the hands on his collar, rolled his eyes and said shamelessly, "Aish, let go of me! Shibal.." (F-ck..)

Did he really have guts for lunch today? This idiot was challenging Yoongi!

Also, as the tension in the atmosphere rose, a bunch of students were watching as if they were at the movies, and surprisingly, no teacher had shown up yet. Well, it was almost 11 o'clock. Everyone must have left except for security. Yoongi pulled one hand away from his collar and pointed a finger at him. "I'm not a calm person at all, Ki Woo. If you do anything to piss me or Jennie off again, you'll find yourself emasculated in the Seoul City Forest, eyes open like a dead fish. And believe me, my threats are never jokes."

After slamming him against the wall once more, he walked back to Jennie and asked if she was okay. Jennie, in a surprisingly gentle(?) voice, said she was fine, and my lips parted in surprise. Had there been an interaction between them that we hadn't noticed until now, or was I just connecting normal classroom relationships to a K-drama?

"What are yall looking for! Is this a circus? Go home!" As Yoongi's harsh voice sent everyone away, Jennie lifted Layla and wrapped the jacket she always carried in her bag around her waist, asked about her condition, and then said goodbye.

Finally, she came to us as if nothing had happened and said, "Let's go home now. I'll probably have enough headaches in detention on Monday."

With the added chaos after 12 hours of classes, we decided not to question her for now. As we were leaving school to go home, Lisa managed to get my sim card on the way. My mind was filled with the thought that we urgently needed to talk to Jennie, so I handed over the sim card quickly. I wasn't sure if anything would come out of the Jennie and Yoongi incident yet, but I hadn't realized that the events I would experience in the future with the sim card I gave were just the small beginning of a butterfly effect.

Neither did Jungkook.

END OF CHAPTER

Chapter Text

Happy Reading ♡

“Mom, I’d rather eat raw bloody meat than do this, seriously!”

“Chaeyoung, you don’t talk back to your mother! You’re going to get that statue with Jungkook, and that’s final!”

As I rolled my eyes and let out a frustrated scream, I heard her footsteps getting closer, and when she called out again, “Did you just scream at me?” I realized she was heading straight for me. Fearing her heeled slipper would soon meet my head, I quickly jumped off the bed and rushed to lock the door.

“No! I just sneezed!”

When she tried to open the door, she asked, “Then why is this door locked, Chaeyoung?” I immediately threw myself in front of my closet.

“I’m getting dressed, Mom! You told me to go get the statue, remember?”

When her shadow started to move away from behind the door, I let out a deep breath. “Good. Jungkook should be here in fifteen minutes, don’t keep him waiting.”

I pulled my hair in frustration and let out a silent scream. I was out of breath. My mom adored Jungkook so much that she was completely blind to my hatred for him and my desperate attempts to avoid him! He must’ve cast some kind of spell on my family. How else could they ignore his obnoxious behavior and unbearable personality?

Or maybe... he only shows that side to you, Chaeyoung?

True... That was also within the realm of possibility.

We’d been neighbors for as long as I could remember, and according to our families, we were childhood friends. But to me, he was nothing more than a malfunctioning XY chromosome who only existed to annoy me. I had never seen him as a friend.

Friend? Let alone that—he wasn’t even human in my eyes!

Now, I had to go with him to pick up a Medusa statue my mom ordered for her art gallery, because apparently—it was heavy, expensive, and needed to be handled with care. Even though I said I could manage it, she insisted: “Just go with Jungkook, he’ll carry it, and you can keep an eye on it.”

Seriously, how heavy could a small statue be? Ten kilos at most! Even though I only weighed 45 kilos, I worked out. Ten kilos was nothing to me!

But since Mom would never accept that and literally threatened me with her slipper, I had no choice but to go with that amoeba and get the statue!

Damn it. Curse it all!

Curse Jungkook especially!

“Chae! Jungkook’s here! Come down, sweetie!”

Just as I finished pulling on my crop top, I heard Mom’s muffled voice from downstairs.

“Coming!”

I shouted back with exaggerated volume—hoping to maybe annoy Jungkook’s eardrums a little—then grabbed my black leather jacket from the hanger and slipped it on. The weather hadn’t warmed up yet, but it wasn’t too cold either. Better safe than sorry.

Also, just in case that idiot suddenly tried to act all manly and offer me his jacket or coat—I didn’t want to lose my temper unprepared.

Besides, they were coming over for dinner tonight, and if either our parents—or worse, my best friends—saw me with his jacket, I’d want to hang myself then and there!

Ugh… Living my life trying to avoid Jungkook-related disasters was exhausting.

But at least I’d calm my nerves today by adding some thyme to his soup.

Yeah, I’d probably have to go to the hospital with him, but it was worth it to see him squirm in front of me in agony. Mwahaha! His allergy to thyme wasn’t that serious anyway—just a little rash and itching. If it were something dangerous like breathing problems, I wouldn’t do it. I was cruel, but not that cruel!

When I got downstairs, Jungkook was laughing and chatting with my mom. He was wearing a white T-shirt, blue jeans, and a chain necklace. His hair was parted on both sides, and even before I finished descending the stairs, I could already smell his overpowering cologne invading my nose.

As if he weren’t enough trouble, now I had to deal with his fragrance too. And what the hell was so funny, anyway? What were they giggling about—kakaka kikiki—seriously!?

I rolled my eyes again and mockingly mimicked his laughing face. But just then, Jungkook turned and caught me. He probably saw me mocking him.

Damn my luck!

“Let’s go. Now,” I muttered, walking right between them like a black cat, putting distance between us and heading out the open door. Jungkook said goodbye to my mom and followed me.

He was a few months older than me and legally allowed to drive, so we were taking his car. Not that I wanted to get in a car with him. One time, he tricked me into thinking we were going to get dessert and then convinced me to stay quiet while he “borrowed” the car. We were twelve—and we crashed into a pole before even getting out of the parking lot.

It wasn’t that I was traumatized, but I had vowed never to go anywhere with him again after that.

When I got in the car, I noticed him giving me that annoying smirk and sneaking glances at me. What was he plotting this time?

I mean, we were already going to end up in the hospital today—thanks to the thyme in his soup—but I’d rather not end the night in jail because I accidentally used rat poison instead!

Still, I couldn’t hold back and snapped at him as he started the engine. “What? Is a bear dancing or something? Why are you staring at me?”

He chuckled and leaned toward me unexpectedly. There were barely ten centimeters between us. My eyes widened in shock, and they locked onto the moon-shaped earring swinging from his ear. “Hey!” I shoved his shoulder. “Back off, what are you doing?”

“Making sure you get a good whiff of my cologne. Don’t go thinking it’s vanilla like last time, squirrel.”

What the hell was he talking about? My brows furrowed. “Cologne? Vanilla? What?”

And did he just call me squirrel again? I smacked his arm one more time. “How many times do I have to burn you with coffee before you stop calling me squirrel, Jungkook?!”

He wasn’t fazed at all and kept analyzing me with those eyes. I swear I was about to smack his face next!

“So it really wasn’t you who sent those messages?”

He muttered that quietly, and I frowned in confusion. “What messages?”

Normally, I didn’t bother trying to understand the weird little things that went on in his tiny brain, but something about his tone this time felt different.

“Nothing,” he said. “But maybe be a little more careful about who you share your stuff with. You’ll be hearing a lot more from me about that, babe.”

“Jungkook,” I snapped, my tone growing colder. “Stop speaking in riddles or chewing your words. Say what you mean, and let’s get this damn statue already!”

His gaze didn’t change—still that same annoying look—but he shifted his words. “Right now, my only concern is…” Without letting me interrupt, he leaned over and buckled my seatbelt. “...making sure your seatbelt is fastened. Now that it’s done, we can go.”

I just stared at him like a deer in headlights as he started the car and pulled out of the driveway.

Underneath this fake thoughtfulness, I was sure he was hiding something that would ruin my day—but I didn’t feel like digging into it right now. The later I found out, the longer I could stay in peace.

Though… maybe I should have asked sooner. Because once the thyme did its job and burned away the rage in me, if he pulled something, my revenge might get cut short…

...

“Please give your mother my regards, Miss Chaeyoung. This valuable piece will look perfect in your home.”

I gave the man handing me the carefully wrapped statue a fake smile and reached out for it. But Jungkook stepped in front of me and took it instead.

“We appreciate it. Have a good day,” He said, quickly wrapping things up as we headed for the exit. The man followed us all the way out and shoved a catalog into my hand—one listing other sculptures to be auctioned—before we finally stepped outside.

Just as I’d expected, it was a quick errand. But good God, the man had drained our souls before we even got to the statue. How could someone talk that much?! And I didn’t care one bit about statues or auctions. From the way Jungkook started giving him vague, dismissive answers, I could tell he was over it too.

At the car, Jungkook opened the back seat of his black Jeep and carefully placed the statue inside, securing it with a strap. On his way to the driver’s seat, he noticed I was still standing there.

“Aren’t you getting in?” he asked.

But I was focused on the row of shops across the street. “You go ahead,” I said casually. “There were a few things I wanted from those stores. I’ll grab them and take a taxi home.”

“Didn’t your mom send you here with me? If I go back without you, she’ll be mad—at both of us,” he said, clearly thinking this explanation would convince me.

I shrugged and turned toward the shops. “If I bring her back a few things, she won’t say anything. She loves shopping almost as much as I do. Especially skincare products.”

This place wasn’t exactly close to our house, but their marketing was good, and I’d had it on my radar. I’d heard some new skincare items were out, and this was the only place that sold them. I hadn’t had time to come here before with all the studying, and now that I was so close, I couldn’t just go home empty-handed.

“Well, I’m off then!”

As I carefully prepared to cross the street, a shadow fell beside me, and I turned my head.

Jungkook had put his car keys in his pocket and was now waiting to cross the street with me.

I rolled my eyes and folded my arms. “What is your problem? Are you going to butt into my solo shopping time too?!”

Seriously, he was a world-class expert at pissing me off!

“Just look at how crowded that street is, Chae,” Jungkook said, sticking his hands into his back pockets. “This is Gangnam. It’s almost evening. You never know what could happen to a girl walking around alone.”

He almost never spoke in such a serious tone, so I didn’t argue and took a moment to look around.

The light turned green, and we started walking. Okay... it was a madhouse out here. And even though the stores were all high-end, the surrounding area wasn’t exactly the safest. Besides, I usually ordered from these brands online or bought them near home—I wasn’t familiar with this particular location.

“Fine. Come then. Whatever. What’s done is done,” I muttered, making it clear I still wasn’t happy about the situation, but letting him tag along anyway. I didn’t need his protection, but no woman in her right mind would ever say “nothing bad can ever happen to me.” I wasn’t looking to get into trouble, so just this once—I repeat, just this once—I’d let it slide.

“What were you going to buy?”

In front of the GreenLi store, I pointed to the roll-on sunscreen products. “These are highly recommended. I came to get them.”

He nodded like he would actually understood, then started browsing the shelves, pretending to look interested in other products.

Sure. Like he knew what any of this stuff was.

I went inside and spent the next thirty minutes checking every detail of the new products I’d been wanting. I was super thorough. The poor store assistant—who had started out excited to help—ended up just staring at me, probably praying for me to leave. I was certain she was going to curse me out the moment I walked out.

But come on! Everything could have carcinogenic ingredients!

Once I was done bombarding the poor girl with questions, I headed to the register. I hadn’t noticed what Jungkook was up to during that time, but now that I was at the checkout and saw a basket in his hands, I was genuinely surprised.

“What did you buy?”

He placed his basket next to mine. “Whatever you bought for yourself and your mom—I got the same stuff for my mom. She doesn’t have a daughter, so she usually comes to places like this alone. I figured, maybe for once, she could have a son who buys her stuff like this.”

To someone who didn’t know Jungkook, he’d seem like a sweet, caring, ideal son.

But I’d known this parasite for years.

Not a single muscle moved on my face at his words. “You did something to upset your mom before coming here, didn’t you? You’re only buying this stuff to avoid slipper torture.”

He immediately slouched a bit, his earlier pride vanishing like air from a popped balloon. “My brother and I broke one of her favorite vases while arm wrestling at the table. And I’m pretty sure the moment I walked out the door, he threw me under the bus.”

Hopeless. Men were hopeless cases.

I shook my head and tossed a lip balm into his basket—the one I knew his mom liked, sitting right by the cashier. “Take this too, just to guarantee minimum damage.”

His expression shifted instantly, lighting up with joy. “Wait… Are you worried about me?”

Well, considering I was already going to torture him with thyme tonight, there was no need for him to take another hit from his mom. That would only dilute my revenge—and I couldn’t allow that.

I gave him a fake, all-teeth smile. “Of course I was…” Lie!

“Excuse me? Will you two be paying together?”

The cashier’s voice snapped us out of our little moment. I immediately pulled out my card. “No—”

“Yes.” Beep.

Before I even understood what had happened, Jungkook had paid for my stuff too.

I gave him a dull stare. “I’ve told you to stop doing that. I don’t need your money.”

No matter where we went, as long as he was with me, he paid for everything—even the smallest thing I picked up. And I had told him, like, a million times to quit it!

The cashier handed over the bagged items, and Jungkook grabbed them with a polite nod, then gently pulled me outside.

“It’s not that you need my money,” he said. “But if there’s a guy around, he’s the one who pays. That’s how I was raised.”

I fake-gagged. “You really need to let go of these caveman-era values. Otherwise, you’re gonna have major issues with your future girlfriend. And besides, that card has your dad’s money on it, not yours!”

He tilted his head and grinned with pride. “Chaeyoung, I’ve been earning my own allowance working at the company since I was sixteen. So no, sweetheart, the money I spend is all mine. And whether it’s the Stone Age or the Renaissance, paying isn’t about making the woman feel lesser. It’s about making sure the woman beside me feels at ease. I don’t care what other guys think—and neither should you, because…” He leaned closer to my ear. “…I’m the one beside you, carrying your bags baby.”

I instantly pulled away and rubbed my ear, irritated by his breath. “Don’t get all teenage-dramatic and piss me off, brat!” I tossed my hair back, my body heating up from stress. “Let’s just go the hell home already!”

He pressed his lips together, trying not to laugh, which made me roll my eyes again. Just wait, Jeon Jungkook. Tonight, you’ll be writhing in pain!

As we retraced our steps back, I looked around, hoping to cool my nerves and bring down my internal temperature. My face had to be bright red, and Jungkook clearly took immense pleasure in thinking he was the reason.

My gaze drifted toward a nearby alley, and I furrowed my brows when I saw two all-too-familiar faces—Mina and Ki Woo. They were clearly in a heated argument.

“What the hell are they doing here?” I muttered under my breath. Jungkook must’ve heard me because he stopped too and glanced into the alley.

Right then, the couple noticed us watching them.

I didn’t care that they saw us. I’d even considered yelling something sassy like “What are you staring at?!”

What I didn’t expect was for them to storm over and yell, “Was it you who sent those messages, huh?!”

Before I could even process what was happening, they were already in front of us. Jungkook instinctively stepped in front of me and stopped Ki Woo with a firm shove to the chest.

“Hey, slow the hell down,” he said sharply. “Who do you think you’re coming at?”

His playful expression was long gone, replaced by cold steel. The muscles in his arm tensed as he held Ki Woo back.

But neither Ki Woo nor Mina seemed fazed. I was stunned by Jungkook’s protective stance—it reminded me of how he’d acted toward that creep who had made me uncomfortable once before.

“You—you!” Mina spat. “Did you send that message? Delete that video now!”

Were they drunk or something?

I scrunched my nose. Had a sex tape of them gotten into someone’s hands?

“You’re talking nonsense,” I snapped. “But if you don’t want me to get really pissed, I suggest you back the hell off.”

Jungkook responded just as harshly, and Mina grabbed Ki Woo’s arm, trembling. “If it was them, we would’ve known. Guess it’s not them,” she whispered, trying to pull him back.

But Ki Woo didn’t move.

“How can we know they’re telling the truth?” he said, turning his unsettling gaze on me. And I had to admit—I was grateful Jungkook was there. That look… it didn’t belong to someone in their right mind.

“Maybe Jungkook doesn’t know… but Chaeyoung does.”

He tried to push past Jungkook and step toward me, but Jungkook cursed loudly, dropped the shopping bags, and slammed Ki Woo against a dirty, grimy wall.

“Listen to me, asshole. You’re obviously drunk—or high—but if you ever look at Chaeyoung like that again, or even think about saying something like that, I swear I’ll make good on Yoongi’s threat myself. Got it?”

Ki Woo’s temple was throbbing with rage, but he didn’t speak. Jungkook shoved him one last time before grabbing the bags like they were about to be shredded, then reached for my hand and pulled me away protectively.

“Who the hell do you think you are, talking like that—”

I couldn’t remember ever seeing him this angry. It scared me. It was like something wild had been unleashed. I didn’t like angry people. I hated violence. Honestly, if I wasn’t sure my body would collapse without it, I’d have gone vegetarian just because I felt bad for animals. And Jungkook knew that about me. So if he still hadn’t calmed down, I needed to step away.

“Jungkook, that’s enough,” I said gently, stroking his arm. I wanted him to calm down. “It’s done. They were probably drunk, or someone filmed them at a bar. They won’t bother us again.”

He squeezed my hand tighter—but not painfully—like he needed to know I was still there. I could tell he wasn’t just angry. He was protective. I was annoyed too, sure. But this level of anger was over the top. We reached a red light and waited to cross. Jungkook turned those fiery eyes on me.

“It’s not ‘done,’” he muttered. “No one talks to you—or me—like that. I’ll deal with that idiot in gym class on Monday.”

His voice and intense gaze made me deeply uncomfortable. I tried to pull my hand away and stepped back. I didn’t like this. Angry people scared me. I didn’t want to be near anyone who let their temper control them. He didn’t let go, though. Instead, he closed his eyes for a few seconds and took deep breaths.

Little by little, the grip on my hand loosened—not like he was letting go, but more like he wanted to say, “I’m trying.”

“I’m sorry,” he said, voice lower now. “I just… lost it for a second. Their attitude was so disgusting, I couldn’t hold it in. But if I scared you, I’m sorry. Just… try to stay away from them at school, okay?”

That softer tone pushed my own creeping anxiety away, and I nodded. When he opened his eyes, the light had turned green. His gaze wasn’t as fiery anymore, so I didn’t pull away again. I let him hold my hand until we reached the car.

Not that...I could never let him drink thyme soup after this angry moment.

Damn it!

END OF CHAPTER