SONG JI-WON'S POV
"Annndddd.... GO!!"
Jungkook didn't waste a second before starting to work on the problem. He still failed his math test last time, but just barely at a 69%, which is an improvement at least. I insist that even though the unit is over, we can't continue till he really understands. So far, he's barely been able to complete a problem in the time limit, and if he does the answer is wrong. I've explained it so many times, how could this still be difficult?
Suddenly, he shouts "I'm done!!"
He smacks the paper in my lap. I'm in shock. "You finished with a whole minute to spare??" He smiles proudly as he waits for me to check it.
I look through his steps, somehow managing to read his shitty handwriting. I go through the whole thing, and the answer.... No, this can't be...
"So? Is it wrong?" Jungkook asks, expected me to say yes. I hush him and check over it again.
My head snaps up and I look him dead in the eye, a wide grin making its way to my lips. "It's right!"
He stares back at me with a blank expression. "It's right??"
"IT'S RIGHT!!" I squeal. Jungkook gasps and jumps up and starts screaming in his accomplishment, sort of like Hoseok had been when he beat me during video games. I stand up too and applaud loudly, proud of his efforts and my teaching. I laugh at how excited he is.
Suddenly, my door swings open and I see Hobi. "I brought- oh wow!" He says when he sees Jungkook screaming like an idiot and me beaming proudly while yelling congratulations.
Jungkook turns to see Hoseok at the door, screams louder, runs to him, and jumps. He wraps his arms around J-Hope's neck and his legs around his waist. "I GOT THE ANSWER RIGHT AND I DID IT WITHIN THE TIME PERIOD!!!!!!"
Hoseok gasps, knowing how stupid Jungkook is and what an unusual phenomenon this is. "FOR REAL?! THAT'S SO GREAT!" He yells, hugging Jungkook back. They both look so stupid, clinging to each other with wide smiles, spinning in circles and jumping and screaming. I double over laughing at the scene.
Suddenly my mom walks into my room too. "What in the world is going on?!" She yells over us. We all instantly shut up and Hobi drops Jungkook like he was a sack of potatoes. Even though falling on his ass must've been painful, we all pull straight and serious faces.
"Good afternoon, Ms. Song." Hoseok and Jungkook say at the exact same time, which makes me stifle more laughter.
There's a few moments of silence as my mother just stares us down. When we thought we were in trouble, she cracks a smile. "I'll get your father out of the house so you can scream all you want." She says with a wink before walking out, closing the door. Of course, my mom loves it when I am having fun. Even though she strongly believes in education, she's always telling me to live a little. The second the door closes, we're all laughing again.
Is it weird that I've been enjoying myself while tutoring?
Once we die down and recover, I sit on my bed while the two boys get comfortable on my floor. "Anyway, what I was saying before, I brought food." He says, picking up a large brown paper bag on the floor he must've dropped when Jungkook jumped on him. Jungkook was already reaching for it when Hobi spoke again. "I didn't know you would be here, so I only brought enough for two people." Jungkook was about to start whining before Hoseok looked to me with a smirk. "I guess Ji-won will have to starve."
I gasp as the boys start digging in to the meal. "Yah! Whose house are we in? Who got Jungkook to get an answer right?" I yell, moving down to the floor with them and grabbing chopsticks. We end up all sitting in a little circle and sharing it all.
Hoseok starts talking about something funny that happened in his swim meet the other day, and we're all kinda just laughing in a group conversation. I felt so casual and relaxed that I didn't really realize how weird this was till after we finished eating. I'm hanging out with Hobi and Jungkook at the same time, and I'm having a good time... You're supposed to be in a bad mood when you're around someone you hate, right? And I've been speaking so informally, as if I'm close to him or something. I'm wondering what has gotten into me, letting my guard down like that, but I decide it's just because Hoseok is here and I'm always relaxed and happy around him.
But lately, I've been feeling a little more than that.
I don't know what to call it, but there's this bubbly feeling I get around Hoseok theses days that wasn't their before. I wouldn't say nervous, or excited, it's a tingly feeling that makes me want to see Hoseok more often than I usually do.
I don't really ever think about when I'm going to see Hoseok, or have a strong sensation of wanting to see him when he's not around because I see him so often that I don't need to think about those things. But recently, I find myself thinking of random things that have happened between us, like when he back hugs me or plays with my feet or watches movies with me or calls me at night, or that day in the halls...
And then when I snap back to reality, I'm blushing.
As I get up to go to the bathroom, I think to myself, what's going on with me?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
JEON JUNGKOOK'S POV
These days in class I think I pay even less attention, because whatever I miss, Ji-Won reteaches throughout the week. If I'm being brutally honest, she's okay at explaining things. It's just easier to go through the lesson with her than my teachers, so what's the point of wasting that energy during school?
I haven't raised my hand again since that day in History, even though sometimes I want to. But I don't need tutoring sessions changing me or whatever, nothing but my grades, hopefully.
If I've learned anything, though, it's that Ji-Won is really not who I thought she was. I don't have her all figured out yet since we barely started tutoring two weeks ago, but in those days I can already tell there's a part of her that she's hiding from everyone else.
Don't get me wrong, she's still a stuck up bitch who won't stop telling me to pay attention in class and comments on my profanities, which will forever piss me off, but during sessions she acts sort of differently.
She still uses her high vocabulary and all, and she still makes me really mad most of the time, but there's something off. It was especially noticeable that day with Hoseok. She was really casual, which should be expected since they're best friends, but it was still weird to see.
I keep finding hints that she isn't who she seems to be at school, and sometimes I think maybe she's not so bad? But then I remember all the extra detentions she's gotten me for snitching to teachers for everything I do wrong, and I take the thought back. Ji-won is still Ji-won, no matter how confusing that statement may seem to me right now.
After school on Friday, she's walking away with Hoseok and I jog to catch up. "Your house again?" I ask.
She stops talking mid sentence to J-Hope and looks at me peculiarly. "Neither. We already did 4 times this week."
"O-oh, right, thank god." I say quickly, a sense of embarrassment washing over me. How come I didn't realize, if I'd been going over there every day this week so far? "See you," I say solely to Hoseok, punching him in the shoulder before walking away.
Why is it that I feel slightly disappointed?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
JUNG HOSEOK'S POV, NEXT DAY
It's finally the Saturday of the party, which I've been mostly excited for yet also dreading.
This entire week I've been really confused, and today is the day I'll try to clear it up.
My mind keeps wandering back to when Ji-won asked me to the party, which always unconsciously makes me smile. "W-well, aren't I?"
I wonder- did she say that as a joke or literally? What did she mean when she agreed?
So it is a real date, because we agreed on that in the end, but it still doesn't feel real. Probably because we haven't brought it up all week. Sometimes I think Ji-won knows I like her, sometimes I think she doesn't like me back, sometimes it seems like she does, and it's just so confusing. Why can't she just send me a clear message? Just say it to my face? Why does everything need to be so mysterious?
I'm one to talk though, since I still haven't confessed.
But this date... What will happen after? Will we go on another one? Would I maybe have the courage to ask her again? Will we even treat this like a date?
I keep thinking of new questions, and tonight I'll hopefully get most of them answered. They all depend on how Ji-won reacts.
But when I say "treat it like a date", I don't even know what I mean by that. We already act like we're dating, if you think about it. We're always hugging and messing around and going places together- nothing would really change, would it?
Unless we kiss.
Or hold hands.
I would be happy with either.
In honesty, I like Ji-won so much that I don't really want much from her. I don't expect her to act different or do things to impress me, and I don't want that anyway. All I want, really, is to know whether she feels the same way or not. It's that simple.
I guess I'd figure out tonight? And even if I didn't, it's not all a big deal, because at the end of the day, at least I know she at least loves me one way, even if it's not what I hope for.
I shower and shave, get dressed in my suit, and gel my hair. It's already dark outside, and I know the party is going to start soon.
"JUNG HOSEOK I WANT YOU OUT THE DOOR AND IN THE CAR RIGHT NOW!!!" My mother screams as I hear her heels rush down the stairs. My parents are both in a pissy mood since we're almost running late, but it won't last long. I jog out to the car and we drive.
I feel nervous, but I can't wait to see Ji-won when we get there. I wonder what her dress looks like, and how she did her hair.
After a 20 minute drive to the country club where the party is being hosted, we finally arrive. The second we step out of the vehicle we're bowing and greeting people, all smiles.
"Does your lovely son have a date tonight?" One lady asks with a parental chuckle. Before I can awkwardly announce she's running late, I see her parents' car pull up. She steps out... and wow. I admire her for a few moments with a faint smile before turning back to the lady.
"She just arrived. If you'll excuse me." I said with a winning smile as I walk away towards Ji-won, I hear them sigh happily and say "such a nice boy..."
I come up behind Ji-won, but since this place is too fancy for our usual back hug, I just lean in near her ear. "You look gorgeous." I say without hesitation, because I really mean it. She's wearing a long, black gown made from a thin, silky material. It has a high, elegant boat neck with a low back, but not too low or her parents would kill her. It has a cut in the leg, so I catch a glimpse of her heels, which are not too tall since she would trip. Her hair is curled and parted to the side, and she has light makeup on.
She gasps softly, startled by my sudden appearance. She's turns around to speak but when she sees me her mouth falls slightly open in a grin. "Such a classy man!" She says with a laugh. "And thank you."
While her father is socializing with some others, I see her mother beaming at us. I wave and she sighs happily, turning back to her husband.
"Shall we?" I ask in a fancy formal tone, offering my arm.
She smiles. "We shall."
She takes my arm and we head inside, walking right into our first date.