Trouble Next Door

TROUBLE #20: Red-Eared Jungkook

"So, am I going to be the only answering these questions or are you going to be helping me?" Yoona asks the guy sitting beside her as she looks at the seatwork that their professor asked them to answer. As if fate wanted to play with her as a day after she made up with the seven boys, she's partnered up with the guy who started all the misunderstandings between her and the group.

"If you're not aware I have a brain, but I don't use it too much. It's too tiring." Jungkook says in a matter-of-fact manner, making Yoona grin a bit. "Let's just start with the work. I want to get off early."

"Oddly enough, you haven't picked up a fight me eversince you found out that I'm going to be your partner." Yoona asks with a raised brow, quite bothered by the behavior of the supposed-to-be troublemaker beside her.

When their professor said their names together as the new pair for the seatwork, Yoona glances at Jungkook's direction but he does not bother to look at her. If her memory serves her right, the guy has always made sure to get into her nerves whenever they meet and him not doing anything makes her wonder if he ate anything unusual today.

On the other hand, Jungkook bites his inner cheek as he tries to dodge Yoona's question by staying quiet. He does not even know why he's not doing anything to annoy her when he has been itching to prank her first thing in the morning when he woke up. However, when he sees her in person, his tongue refuses to say anything and he sits on the farthest end of the room to avoid her.

What on earth is he doing, really?

Yoona looks at Jungkook but seeing as how he avoids her glances, she just shrugs and reads the first question, putting the paper in between them so Jungkook can take a look if he's ever interested in helping her with the seatwork.

"Would you like us to do alternate numbers, so we'll finish fast?" Yoona asks as she tries to solve the equation. She cannot stand the awkward silence between them, and it's strange for her to have this kind of atmosphere with him. He never shuts his mouth up, and she thinks of the things that could be bothering him this morning.

"I'll do the even ones." Jungkook answers and takes a paper from his bag. He groans inwardly, cursing the professor for giving them 10 difficult equations. This just means that he might have to spend the whole course period with her, which is tough for him as he's not aware of what is wrong with him.

Separately, the two of them were some of the few pairs who are working quietly. Across the room, Shin Hye can be heard lecturing Lee Min Ho for not actually knowing how to do the equations because he's often not around, and Yoona can only shake her head. Her friend loathes the fact that she often gets the strangest partners, and she can hear her ranting later.

Not minding the time, the duo finishes their seatwork quick enough. Some pairs have passed their works already and as Yoona rewrites their equations in a clean paper, she decides that it might be the best time for her to ask Jungkook what's wrong.

"Are you not feeling well?" Jungkook is taken aback by Yoona's sudden question. He has just finished fixing his things so he can get out immediately once they pass their paper, and he isn't expecting that Yoona might have noticed his strange behavior.

"Since when did you care?" Yoona smiles lightly at Jungkook's response, heaving a sigh in relief as she finishes their seatwork and Jungkook finally going back to his old self.

"You know, the good guy image does not fit you." Yoona jokes and glances at Jungkook, but her eyebrows furrow as she sees his ears burn bright red. She worries that he might have been sick but being Jungkook, he does not open up about it. "Are you sure that you're really feeling okay?"

Jungkook's mind is hazy as Yoona stares at him directly on the eyes. Usually, he will not feel anything when he looks at his big doe eyes but right now, he's feeling strangely hot and he can feel his ears burn because of embarrassment (which he does not know where that sensation came from).

"I-I need to go –" Jungkook cannot finish his sentence as Yoona holds his shoulders firmly and one of her hand makes it way to his forehead then to his neck as she tries to check his temperature.

"You're hot."

"Thanks."

Yoona emits a chuckle as she hears Jungkook's involuntary narcissistic response, and removes her hands from his face. He has turned bright red now, and she really wonders if it's time for her to call his friends (who have not attended the lecture for unknown reasons) because his situation's worrying her now.

"Seriously, I think it's time for you to go to the clinic. You scare me when you're sick because you're somewhat nice." She stands up and takes her bag, and looks at Jungkook who's still taking his sweet time while sitting. "You know, I won't be able to go out if you're still there."

Jungkooks blinks back into reality once he sees that she's standing up now, and has grown more embarrassed. He cannot find the right words to make a good comeback but there's something inside him that's stopping him from speaking.

Immediately, he stands up as well and faces her.

"I'm not really guilty for pranking you and most importantly, I'm not sick." He blurts out quickly and is about to turn around to go out when he hears Yoona laughing softly so he glares at her. "What are you laughing at?"

"I did not expect that you can still feel guilty!" Yoona exclaims, and Jungkook's eyes widen. "You know, I genuinely worried for you because I thought you were sick but turns out that you're feeling guilty for what you did to me, so right now, I'm forgiving you. Act normal around me because your awkward side makes me uncomfortable."

Jungkook's jaw almost drops at her statement and feels irritable at the moment. He's totally clueless as to why he became defensive about being guilty when she's not even asking, and he loathes himself even more for becoming a dumbass as he is right now.

"Ugh, whatever! I don't need your forgiveness!" Jungkook storms off from their spot, making Yoona laugh once again. She follows him and stifles her giggles when their professor asks him for his paper before going out, making him groan and point at her. She hands the professor their paper and when he waves them off, they go out of the room together.

"Do you want to grab lunch with me?" Yoona asks in a joking manner and walks even closer to Jungkook so she can annoy him more. She notices his burning ears once again, and she lets another carefree chuckle escape from her mouth. "You look cute when you're embarrassed!"

Jungkook stops his tracks and glares at her, not finding any insult to throw at the grinning doe-eyed girl. Despite feeling greatly annoyed by the latter, there's something in his heart that feels light as he is able to see that mischievous grin on her face again, making him smirk.

"I will make sure that you will not have peaceful days once more, Im Yoona. Watch me."