GIRL GROUP | jjk

Chapter 31

"Is that really necessary?" Jungkook asks. He follows me down the stairs, even though I made it clear that I want to be alone—probably for the next hundred hours.

Nabi and Jesstina stay inside, and I think they are well aware of the explosion to follow.

Honestly, I don't explode very often. I'd like to think that I'm not the type to fight—I rather sit back and wait for my anger to fade. I don't shout or go on tantrums, because almost all of the time, it's a waste. I wish I could retreat to a closet and sit down in complete darkness with my kindle.

But the dorm is too stuffy, especially since Kristine is visiting and Jungkook's cameraman is still there, so silent that it drives me crazy.

"I want to be alone," I say, not bothering to look over my shoulder. My sneakers smack against the stairs, even when I'm not consciously trying to put extra force into it.

"No, we need to talk," Jungkook says, his voice edging into high-emotion territory.

I know we're both in trouble. After the meeting, we had a team photoshoot and a group interview—both of them were painful to endure. And now that it's twilight, our team decided to give us the rest of the night off as we figure out what to do with the Jungkook-Karma scandal.

Tomorrow, we have a performance at another school festival. I can't even envision that as being in the near future.

I race down the steps, not caring that my oily hair is brushing against my shoulders and probably causing breakouts. The July night is sticky, even when the sun has said goodbye for quite a while. I'm still dressed in my usual practice outfit—maximized for comfort—but the day hasn't been kind to them. I smell like an onion.

Once I reach the ground floor, I race toward the nearest park—a small little area for kids and their families, only about half a block in width and length. I don't even know its proper name, but the girls and I call it our green zone. Whenever we want a hint of nature in our lives, we go there to eat ice cream or escape the concrete landscape that is Seoul.

"Go back to the dorm," I say, glad that the street is mostly empty. I can't have Jungkook and my breakdown broadcasted for everyone to see.

"No," Jungkook says. He races up to me and places a gentle hand on my shoulder. I don't know how he can be gentle, when he's running at this speed.

"Yes," I say, pulling away.

Once I reach the park, I plop down on the nearest bench. The green zone has about a dozen exercise machines that elders like to use, along with a playground with plastic swings and benches. In the twilight, it looks like a monster can burrow out of the sandy ground and haunt me and Jungkook for a lifetime.

Jungkook remains standing. The artists at HYBE took out his extensions—both eyelashes and hair—along with his pastel pink gel nails. He looks like himself, and suddenly the solution to all of this rises in my throat. I don't want to say it, to face the reality so soon.

I let myself simmer.

"Why are you being like this?" Jungkook asks, glancing up at the one other park goer—a lady in her twenties walking her Pomeranian.

"Like this?" I say. "I thought you've seen what's been happening online too. You may be used to things like this, but I'm most definitely not."

He sweeps his hair back, his eyes going hard. I recall our month as trainees—when it felt like my world was darkening whenever we were together. "We're a team," he says. "We have to go through this together."

"We may be a team," I say. "But that's only temporary. It was always meant to be temporary."

Jungkook quiets at that, like he knows what's on the tip of my tongue. Then suddenly, he bellows. "All of this was for you and the girls! I wanted to be a member that you all could rely on!"

My skin prickles. "This was not for us! This was for you. You wanted to prove that you could debut again, that you are the perfect golden maknae who could do no wrong."

Jungkook flinches at that, and I almost regret my words. "That's really what you think?" he says.

"That's the truth," I say, even as doubt washes across my face.

"I can't believe I joined the Fates for the leader to think that I'm just in it for my own selfish reasons." Jungkook kicks at the ground. A burst of sand and dirt rises like a miniature dust tornado.

The lady and her Pomeranian skip away. It's easy now to argue without any reserve. "It doesn't matter anymore. I think we both know the solution."

Jungkook glares at me, his eyebrows furrowed. "What are you talking about?"

The whole two months when we were tied together in fate flashes before me. But the future is wildly different. I can't let Jungkook fully into my life, knowing that one day we will separate for good. "You're out of the group," I say. "It was temporary for a reason."

"What?" Jungkook stares at me like I stabbed him in the foot with a dagger. "You're telling me to quit?"

"It's not quitting," I say. "I'm going to do everything in my power to make sure CEO Kimmy takes you out of the Fates."

Jungkook quiets, not even moving a finger as he lets my words marinate, turning the shadows in the park more sinister. He stills for quite a while, like he's waiting for me to go back on my words. When he speaks, his voice is a low bass. "Karma, I can't believe that's what you think. You think that everything will be okay if I just leave."

"Not everything," I say, trying to force the pressure behind my eyeballs to settle. "But it will be the first step in making things right. I can't go on like this. Jungkook, you can't be a member of the Fates. It was never meant to be—this scandal just proves that it was only a temporary arrangement."

He waits a few seconds longer, a tic in his jaw telling me that he probably wants to yell at me. But he doesn't. He turns around, leaving me in the shadows. The green zone turns into a ghostly zone as I simmer by myself, trying to ignore all the flavors of regret dancing on my tongue.

A/N: Imagine kicking Jungkook out of your dorm! 

I wanted to ask, if the Fates were a real girl group, which member would be your bias? I'm leaning towards Nabi with Jesstina being my bias wrecker. Love you too, Karma and Jungkook!