SONG JI-WON'S POV
"YAH!! ALL OF YOU SHUT UP BEFORE I GIVE THE ENITRE CLASS REFERALS!!" Ms. Lee screamed over the insane classroom. I looked to her sympathetically, feeling bad for my friend. She has to deal with all these animals on a daily basis.
Everyone finally stopped yelling with her threat. She smiled painfully. "Thank you. Now I can explain what we're doing today. You're working in groups of 3. I will read a description of an event in history that we've learned, and you'll discuss with your peers which year you remember it to be. Yell it out as soon as you figure it out and I'll give your team a point. The winning team doesn't have to do today's homework."
When she was finished explaining, everyone trampled over each other to get to their friends. I, on the other hand, didn't have to move since I already sat next to J-Hope.
Jungkook suddenly comes over to us. "Hoseok, let's find a third-"
I clear my throat. "If you were going to say find a third partner, I'm right here." I said with a tight smile, much like Ms. Lee's.
Jungkook frowned. "Oh, you're here."
"Okay, this is our group." Hobi said smiling. Jungkook sighed in annoyance but sat down next to him anyways. Why did I have to spend class time with him too? I already have to see him after school anyway for our first day of tutoring.
After everyone was settled, before the competition started, Ms. Lee came to our group.
"Yah, Ji-won, I know you're gonna know the answer immediately to every question, but I want these two idiots to learn something too." She said, gesturing to Hobi looking a bit offended and Jungkook texting someone. "Also, we want to give the other teams a slight chance to win, so for those purposes I'm giving you the challenge on not being able to say the answer. You can only ask these two questions to lead them to the answer, got it?" She said as she snatched Jungkook's phone away. He groaned as she smiled and walked back to her desk.
I looked back at them in disbelief. I have to lead them to the answers?
Before I could even complain to Ms. Lee, the challenge began.
"Let's start off easy- What year did the North invade South Korea when the Korean War began?"
"Wasn't that in the 1800's or something?" Jungkook asked to the both of us. I clenched my fists and wanted to punch him hard for his stupidity.
"No, you idiot, it happened in the 1980's!" J-hope scolded him. I face palmed.
By then other groups had already yelled "1950" and gotten a point. I smiled sarcastically. "You guys were so close! Jungkook was just a century off, and Hoseok was only 3 decades!!" I squealed in fake pride. Jungkook shot me a dirty look and Hobi laughed.
"What year did the Vietnam War end?"
Before they could give their stupid guesses, I tried helping them. "It began soon after the Korean War ended!" I said, attempting to give them hints.
"1951?" Jungkook asked stupidly. I rolled my eyes.
"No!! The Korean war lasted 3 years!!!" I yelled. "Okay, I'll make this super easy, if it started in 1955, and it lasted about 20 years, when did it end??" I asked impatiently.
Hoseok and Jungkook both started counting with their fingers. I let out an aggravated groan and put my head in my hands. Of course another team beat us to the answer.
The competition continued on just like that- me trying so damn hard to steer them to an obvious answer that they couldn't remember. We ended with 3 points, 2 of which Hoseok scored and the last one because I whispered the answer out of impatience.
The bell rang and I scurried out of the classroom, ashamed of our defeat. Hobi caught up to me and we walked out of the classroom.
"You dumbasses need a miracle to graduate highschool." I said under my breath to J-Hope. Just then, someone behind us started screaming.
"WHOA WHOA WHOA, WHAT THE FUCK?!" Jungkook yelled, staring directly at me. I looked at him questioningly, not even bothering to comment on his foul language. He stared back at me with disbelief, a grin pulling at his lips. He started laughing. "Did you... Did I just hear you cuss???"
My face heated up. I gasped. "No! Of course not, good lord, I would never commit such a sin!" I yelled back at him, trying hard to make it believable. It didn't help when Hoseok started laughing. I discreetly pinched him hard on the arm till he shut up, now stifling his giggles.
Jungkook still stared at me. "No, I'm sure I just heard you say dumba-" He insisted.
I kept a straight face. "He must be delusional." I said to Hoseok as I turned to walk away.
"Yeah, he's gone insane." Hobi agreed with me.
"Yah, Ji-won wait!" Jungkook yelled after me. Suddenly, be grabbed my wrist and pulled me back. When he pulled me closer, I felt my cheeks heat up. What more could he possibly want? He looked around for a moment and quickly let go of my arm. "We have tutoring." He whispered, not wanting to be heard for some reason.
"Oh, I already forgot..." I muttered. I turned to J-Hope. "Sorry, but we have math to learn." I told him.
"Good luck." He said to me. We did our super-fast-super-cool-looking handshake, which ends with slapping each other on the forehead, before he left. With that, I was left with Jungkook.
He put his hands in his pockets awkwardly. "Um, where should we go?"
"The library, obviously." I tell him, trying to make him feel stupid. I started walking to our destination. He followed me but from a few feet behind, not wanting to be seen walking together or something. It annoyed me only a tiny bit.
We make our way there and settle our stuff- I got out the textbooks and scratch paper, ready to begin our lesson. Jungkook sat down with an already bored expression. He got some texts on his phone, but before he could even check them I snatched the devise away.
"I'm not going to waste my time trying to tutor you if you don't pay attention. No cell phones." I said strictly.
He stared back at me. "You're kidding, right?"
"Why would I be joking? I'm not laughing, am I?"
All he could do was stare back at me with disbelief.
"No way, you're not a teacher, give it back." He said, grabbing my wrist and trying to get it back. I stretched my arm far back and he leaned over me to try to get it.
"Ji-won seriously this is so fucking annoying just give me my phone!" He yelled. His torso was pressed against me, my face practically smooshed on his chest.
"I'll drop it if you don't stop." I said with a warning tone. He instantly sat down.
"Ji-won, I swear to god, just give me back my-"
"Ask again, politely." I demand.
He scoffs. After a few seconds he rolls his eyes, giving in. "Song Ji-won, may I please have my devise back to use as a calculator?" He asked with a tight, forced smile.
"No, but that didn't sound too bad." I told him, pocketing the phone. He groans loudly, but before he can further argue, we hear people laughing as they enter the library. Jungkook looks to see who came in and his face goes pale.
He stands up form his seat and forcefully grabs my wrist and drags my behind the nearest bookshelf. He threw his arm over my shoulders and pulled me down with him into a squatting position so we couldn't be seen over the bookshelf.
"What are you-"
He smacks his hands over my mouth, his eyes wide. "Sana and Taehyung just walked in!" He whisper screamed. I fought the urge to roll my eyes.
"That's it?" I mumble even though his hasn't removed his hand.
Before he can reply, we hear them coming closer to our bookshelf. Jungkook panics and tries to crawl away, trampling me. He grabs my upper arm and rushes to hide behind another book shelf. "Jungkook, why are we even hiding from them?" I ask quietly, but I'm sure he still heard the irritation in my voice.
He looks at me like I'm stupid. "I can't let Sana see me with you, obviously. Even less in the library."
I'm so used to hearing things like this but I still feel angry. "Why do you care anyway? We're just tutoring." I snap, not bothering to keep my voice down.
He's about to shut me up with his hand again, but I grab his wrist before he can smack it on my mouth. I speak loudly on purpose. "You're paranoia is interrupting our mandatory-"
Suddenly, Jungkook pushes me all the way to the wall, and we're now fully standing up in a corner next to a taller bookshelf. He is standing so close to me that his nose almost touches mine. His elbows lean against the wall, blocking my exits. He looks me dead in the eye. "Please," he whispers, and I feel his breath. I'm too nervous to say anything.
Sana and Taehyung seem to still be walking our way, but since we're in a corner there's no where else to go. Jungkook just shifts closer to me, fully pressing his body against me. His face slides passed my cheek, he's trying to be as close to the wall as possible in hopes that his friends will walk by without seeing us. I feel his chest rise and fall as he breathes and I'm suddenly very uncomfortable.
His cheek is literally touching my cheek, what the hell is this? We hold our breath as the two walk by, and I honestly hope they don't see us so we won't have to explain this awkward position. They walk past us, too busy talking to notice our presence. They head towards the student-staff area, and Jungkook sighs with relief, putting some space between us.
By some space, I mean a merely few inches.
Now he's looking deep in my eyes with a tiny smirk, still having me trapped on the wall.
I clear my throat awkwardly. "I, um, don't think this is quite appropriate..." I said, getting quieter with each word.
He leans in a tiny bit and I shut my eyes very tightly and turn my head to the side, bracing for the worst.
Just then, I feel his hand slide into my pocket and swiftly scoop up his phone. With that, he finally laughs proudly and actually puts a normal amount of space between us. I'm blushing furiously.
"You're face!" He chuckled. "Did you think I was gonna kiss you or some shit?" He asks, cocking his head to the side.
"I would've filed an assault report if you had." I said quickly, walking passed him and back to our table. He followed me but instead of sitting down to finally start tutoring, he began putting things back into his backpack. "W-what are you doing?" I ask as he swings it over his shoulder.
Again, he looks at me like I'm dumber than him. "Didn't you see? Apparently they are student staff in the library. What if they walk by and see us? We need to relocate." With that, he walks out of the library. I quickly pack up my things, irritated with his stupid crush, and run to catch up with him.
We are walking side by side, but he doesn't seem to care this time since the halls are mostly empty. "Where are we going?" I ask as we make our way to the exit of the school.
He keeps facing forward as he speaks. "I don't know, somewhere private. Your house or mine?"
I almost choke on air. "Excuse me?"
He looks at me with an amused face. "Yeah, we're just tutoring anyway." He says mockingly.
He has a point. After some hesitation, I finally say "My house." I felt safer in a familiar environment.
He nodded. "Lead the way."
With that, I was officially walking home from school, to my house, with Jungkook, a dumbass I hated more than bad grades.
Huh.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
JEON JUNGKOOK'S POV
It's weird, cuz Ji-won has been to my place many times during parties that Hoseok makes her go to, but I've never even seen hers. We walk in uncomfortable silence to her house, but luckily it's not far from the school. It's in my neighborhood, I notice.
She unlocks the front door and we walk in. "Eomma, Appa, I'm home! Jungkook is here too, we're gonna-"
Her parents both suddenly rush out of the kitchen at the sound of my name.
"A boy?!"
"What is a guy besides Hoseok doing here?!"
They yell at the same time. I smile very awkwardly as they stare me down.
"Annyeonghaseo," I greeted with a brief bow. "I'm Jungkook, your lovely daughter is tutoring me. Unfortunately the library wasn't available for our use, so coming here was last resort, I'm very sorry if I'm disturbing something."
Her parents' eyes softened I glanced to Ji-won. She was looking at me with a confused expression, probably wondering if I was even the same person. I pressed my lips together to keep from chuckling. The formality even sounded weird to me, I always skip that stuff. I guess I wanted to make a decent impression so I would be allowed to study with her here.
Suddenly her father frowned. "Oh right, you're that boy we met in the office the other day." He grunted. I nodded, feeling slightly embarrassed. I didn't make the best impression that day.
There was some tense silence as her parents glared at me.
"Well, we should start our lesson now, right?"
"Yeah, good idea."
Me and Ji-won jog up the stairs in mental agreement that it was too awkward down there. I saw her walking towards her room, which was odd. I would've expected her to say it was inappropriate or something. Nonetheless I followed her in. She shut the door behind her.
Oh.
She sat on the ground, criss cross and pulled out her textbook. I took a quick look around her room before sitting down. It's so fucking clean!
"Okay," she said, getting straight to business. "Since we have a math test tomorrow, let's start with reviewing that material." I yawned as she started firing problems at me to solve, explaining how to do shit and why you should use that shit method rather than the other one, and when to do shit and what this and that shit means.
Finally, after she nonstop talked for the past 35 minutes, she got a phone call. I got a glimpse at the contact name and it read "Hoe-Suck" with a middle finger and a heart emoji. Before I could even question it, she sighed with relief and walked out of the room, answering the call.
"Ohmyfuckinggod, he's so stupid you don't even know how hard it is to tutor him!" I heard her say on the other door. I felt my heart skip a beat. Wait, what??
They continued talking for about a minute, and I actually heard her laugh, something extremely rare. When she walked back into the room, talking about smart stuff and math with high vocabulary again, acting just like she had before, I couldn't do anything but stare at her.
First she acts like a different person at lunch a few days ago, I swear I heard her say dumbasses earlier today, and now I hear her talking trash and cussing and laughing like an actual highschooler, with that great contact name for Hoseok.
Instead of processing all this nerdy information, all I can do is wonder...
Who really are you, Ji-won?