Begin: A Jungkook Story ✔

Chapter Seven: Mr. Kim is an Asshole

Jungkook:

It was a new experience for him, having math homework to present when the teacher walked around to check it. His teacher raised his eyebrows in surprise as he glanced at Jungkook's homework.

Jungkook found his heart pounding. Why was he more nervous to show his homework done than to show it undone? And why was the teacher looking at him more suspiciously than when he didn't do it?

He stared at the paper, eyes frozen.

"How did you do your homework, Jungkook?" Mr. Kim was asking him.

Jungkook felt the words of the question come into his brain but he felt frozen to speak or move, or even look at the teacher. A million different thoughts came to his brain at once. First.. awareness of all the kids staring at him. Everyone knowing he did his homework so rarely that he was being interviewed about how it was even possible. How his Dad showed him how to do perspective drawings. How his Dad had showed him a different way to do the problems. How his Dad had patiently sat with him as he worked and kept him company. Understanding that the angles of the Taekwondo turns were the same degrees in the book, how his body talked to him, told him the answers if he could move his body.. All the thoughts came at once and he wasn't sure which one was the answer Mr. Kim wanted.

"Jungkook-shi! Answer me!" His voice was scolding now.

Fear iced over his heart, he couldn't make any words come out, he started to feel rising panic that he couldn't make any words come out, and finally just forced out: "I don't know."

The teacher raised an eyebrow quizzically but finally started to walk away. Jungkook started to breathe hard as he left, heart pounding in his chest, somehow feeling much more awful than if he hadn't even done his homework.

The rest of the week, his Dad helped him with his math homework, every problem. But Jungkook didn't hand it in again. The teacher was much more accepting of no work and he didn't have to endure uncomfortable questions.....

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Friday was the unit test. Jungkook wasn't sure what to expect, if he would do well...or not. It's true that when his Dad explained it, he was able to learn math much more easily...

He sat nervously in his desk, watching the paper pass toward him.

He was almost afraid to look at the paper...

        1.  Find the area of the shapes pictured below

Jungkook found the answers in his brain: triangles add to 180 degrees....half a turn... and rectangles add to 360, a full turn... it's just adding... he put his pencil to the paper and started to write.

Jungkook found himself done with the problems before the test ended. He leaned back in his chair. Once again, he felt even more nervous at the idea that he had done well than at the idea that he hadn't... why was that?

And yet when he handed in his test, his face was filled with how surprised his teacher would be, and he smiled. I will show him. I will show him I'm not stupid.

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"So, Jungkookah, did the test go okay, today?" His Dad asked him at dinner.

Jungkook's face broke into a smile, he couldn't even help it.