Everything had happened so quickly.
The final groupings were complete:
Team 1: Taehyung, Byulyi, Jennie, Yoojung, Jimin, Doyeon
Team 2: Sejeong, Jackson, Hoseok, Chungha, Seokjin, Jisoo
Team 3: Jungkook, Jieun, Daniel, Heeyeon, Jisung, Yongsun
Team 4: Lisa, Seongwoo, Minhyun, Jaehwan, Sohye, Chaeyoung
"So now, we'll have Team 1 versus Team 2 and Team 3 versus Team 4. Let's begin!" Mr Bang shouted.
As they turned to face their opponents, there was a mix of reactions from the players. Byulyi looked up from the ground and lo and behold, her opponents were literally her worst nightmare.
Seokjin and Jisoo.
Byulyi looked at the ground again, avoiding eye contact.
On the other hand, Jieun was almost equally horrified to find out that she was up against Lisa. Despite her skinny frame, she was really good at sports. And she was competitive. And right now, she looked as if she was ready to eat Jieun alive.
Jieun couldn't understand why. Was she jealous that Jungkook had chosen her first? Or that he had chosen her at all? Why did she suddenly hate her overnight?
Beep! Mr Bang blew the whistle.
Lisa held the ball in her hands, tossing it between her hands. Then whoosh! She flung it at Jieun's team with all her might. Jieun felt like the ball was whizzing towards her at a billion metres per second.
A miss.
Back and forth, the ball was thrown. As the gane progressed, all the more aggressive both sides seemed to get, especially amongst the jocks who were now shouting at each other to pass the ball or throw harder. At this point, Jisung and Yongsun had already been eliminated from Jungkook's team, while jaehwan, Minhyun, Sohye and Chaeyoung had been eliminated from Lisa's team.
However, there was a pattern Jieun had been noticing.
Whenever the ball was in Lisa's hands, she seemed to be aiming at Jieun no matter what. Whether she was near the net, far away or even in an awkward corner of the court, Lisa would he aiming at her somehow. But Jungkook fended off the ball with his bare hands.
What happened next happened within a split second.
Jieun's shoelaces were undone, so she had put up her hand to pause the game, bending down to tie her shoelace. But as she was typing her shoelaces... wham!
Something hard hit her directly in the head, causing her to tumble over, twisting her leg in the process. Jieun felt a sharp pain suddenly shoot through her leg and winced, clutching her ankle immediately. It felt like she had just twisted her ankle.
"Oh my god, Jieun!" Yoojung stopped the game over on her court at once, running over towards Jieun, looking awfully concerned. She reached by Jieun's side quickly, holding her hand tight. "Are you okay? Is it very painful?"
"Mmgh." Jieun mumbled.
Yoojung's worry turned into anger almost immediately. She stood up, glaring at Lisa with the scariest expression Jieun had ever seen, pointing directly at her. "You... You did that on purpose, didn't you?!"
Jieun glanced up and saw Lisa, looking slightly apologetic, but more shocked at what had just happened. "I- No, I didn't!"
"Don't try to fool me right now, you hear me?! I saw you aiming the ball at her the whole time earlier, okay?" Yoojung looked really, really upset. The class watched on quietly. "What's your problem? You have something against Jieun, don't you?! Why don't you say it out loud right now for all of us to hear?"
"I really-" Tears welled up in Lisa's eyes.
"Don't use your tears on me - I'm not even a guy, I won't fall for that." Yoojung snapped. "You didn't even stick to the rules! Apologise to Jieun, right now!"
"I'm sorry, Jieun." Lisa pursed her lips, shifting her eyes to look at Jieun, who was still sitting on the floor, with Mr Bang checking whether her foot was fine. Even Mr Bang kept didn't dare to butt in when Yoojung was mad.
She did look sorry. Jieun forced a smile, which turned out to be more of a wince. "It's alright, it's not that bad." She chuckled softly. "Just be more careful next time, alright?"
"Can you stand?" Mr Bang asked Jieun gently.
Jieun nodded. Her leg felt better already. She tried standing up with Yoojung's help, but suddenly, the pain came rushing back and her leg gave way almost immediately. Jieun felt like she was going to fall, but she suddenly felt a muscular hand grab onto her arm, keeping her upright. She looked up.
It was Jungkook.
~
"T-thanks." Jieun mumbled as Jungkook steadied her. His body was literally inches away from hers, making her heart pound twice as fast.
"Can you walk?" Jungkook asked gently, not letting go of her arm. "I'll bring you to the nurse's office."
Yoojung let out a small chuckle. As quick-witted as always, she took a few steps backward, leaving the two alone.
"I think I can." Jieun said, simultaneously taking a step forward and almost falling flat on her face if not for Jungkook who was still holding her. She grunted. "I guess not."
"There's no choice then."
Before Jieun knew it, she was lifted off from the ground, Jungkook's left around her shoulders and right arm around her knees. He had just picked her up, princess-style, and his face was now inches away from hers.
The class went wild.
"Jungkook- What are you doing?" Jieun's face turned red again as she tried to filter out the sound of her classmates poking fun at them. She avoided looking into Jungkook's eyes because of how shy and embarrassed she was.
"You can't walk, so I'm carrying you there." Jungkook said, very matter-of-factly. "Do you have any problem?"
Well, he was right. She couldn't walk, so someone had to carry her anyway. Imagine if Mr Bang carried her... she'd rather Jungkook.
Jieun shook her head. "Thank you..."
Jungkook laughed. "Then hold on tight."
Jieun put her arms around Jungkook's next, putting their bodies even closer together. She could literally feel Jungkook's heart thumping against her arm. Jungkook bowed to Mr Bang, then began to walk slowly out of the court.
They walked in silence for a while.
"Jungkook."
"Hmm?"
"Do you feel like Lisa..." Jieun said tentatively. "...did it on purpose?"
A moment's silence.
"There's not reason why she would. But if it's really on purpose, she's not in the right mind."
"Right."
More silence.
Jieun's eyes shifted slightly and suddenly made eye contact with Jungkook. But this time, she didn't avoid it immediately. This was her first time seeinf Jungkook's face this upclose. His big round eyes, his perfectly smooth skin, his cute little mouth, even down to the tiny moles all over his face - Jieun could see them all. He was... he was stunning.
"Why's your heart beating so fast?" It was now Jungkook's turn to speak.
Jieun's face turned bright red and she looked away hurriedly. "No, I'm not! Look - you're the one who wanted to carry me and I was trying so hard to avoid Lisa's killershots so of course my heart is beating really fast you know how when you do a lot of cardio your heart beats really fast so like it's the same thing it's not because of what you think it's because-"
Jieun stopped, realising that she was beginning to sound like Taehyung with his machine gun language. Jungkook was grinning at her.
"Why are you laughing?" Jieun frowned.
"You sure have a lot to say."
She sure did. Jieun pursed her lips. The two of them walked in silence once again. They were now reaching the exit of the hall.
"Lee Jieun."
"What?"
"You're heavier than I thought." Jungkook laughed.
For the first time in his life, Jieun knew when he was joking. She glared at him jokingly, hitting him lightly on the shoulder.
"Jeon Jungkook."
"Hm?"
"Shut up."
Jungkook laughed and carried her through the doorway.
The class watched on excitedly as the two of them left the hall. Yoojung, Jimin and Taehyung were grinning from ear to ear. Yoojung turned to Taehyung and Jimin.
"Someone hold me - quick, I think I'm gonna die from diabetes."
~
"Her ankle's fine. It just got twisted, so she'll have to rest it a bit. No strenuous activities for the next two weeks at least." The school nurse told Jungkook before leaving the room, after bandaging Jieun's ankle. She smiled at Jieun. "Take care!" Then she left the room.
Jungkook took a seat next to Jieun, who was lying on the bed. "You feeling better?"
"Way better." Jieun smiled slightly. "Thanks for... you know, carrying me all the way here."
Jungkook smiled slightly. "I called Yoojung, she said they're on their way here. Mr Bang let them off early to come see you."
"Thanks, Jungkook."
The two sat in silence for a while. It was getting pretty awkward, so Jieun decided to fill the silence.
"Could you help me prop up my pillow? It feels a bit weird lying down while talking."
Jungkook stood up, leaning over to reach for the pillow behind Jieun's head. Their eyes met for a split second, and Jieun's eyes darted away quickly. As Jungkook adjusted her pillow, Jieun saw a flash of silver peek out of his neck.
She looked closer - it was a small silver heart-shaped locket, with the letter "S" carved on it. She was about to take a closer look, but at that moment, Jungkook was done with adjusting her pillow, so Jieun retracted quickly.
"Is it better?"
Jieun leaned back. "Way better." She smiled.
Now that that was out of the way, there was nothing left to talk about. It was all silent.
Jieun couldn't help but think of the necklace. The letter "S"? Plus a heart? Jieun froze. No way... Could Jungkook possibly already have a girlfriend that none of them knew about? If it were an ex, he wouldn't still wear it, would he? That must be it. Who else-
"What are you thinking about?"
Jieun snapped back to reality, only to realise that Jungkook was staring directly at her. "Oh, nothing."
"You sure?"
Should she ask? Would that be prying? But they were close enough now, right? Perhaps he would tell her everything?
"Um..." Jieun hesitated. "I do have a question... but I don't know if it's too personal."
"Since you're injured, I'll give you a chance to ask me one question. But if it's too personal, I won't answer."
"Really?" Jieun asked tentatively.
Jungkook nodded and smiled slightly.
"Um... How should I put this..." Jieun bit her lower lip. "Just now when you were arranging my pillows, I kind of saw a necklace hanging around your neck-" Jieun stopped at the look on Jungkook's face.
Jungkook's expression had changed totally. His smile disappeared, his eyes turned glassy and his whole body froze. It was as if he had just watched a horror movie. He hid his silver necklace inside his shirt immediately.
"What's wrong?" Jieun asked carefully.
Jungkook swallowed hard and Jieun saw that his eyes had turned red. He bit his lip.
Jieun frowned. "Did I... say something wrong?"
"No, you didn't." Jungkook was breathing heavily at this point, but he took a deep breath and continued. "It's not your fault."
The two of them sat there in silence for a while. Jieun sat on the bed, staring at Jungkook, who was staring at the ground.
"I'm sorry, I really gotta go." Jungkook stood up immediately and left the room, leaving a shocked and confused Jieun sitting on the bed.
Was there something more to the necklace?
A while later, the door burst open. Jieun turned her head expectantly, thinking that it was Jungkook, but Yoojung, Jimin and Taehyung burst into the room.
"Are you alright, Jieun?" Yoojung grabbed onto Jieun's hand tightly.
"We were really worried..." Taehyung frowned.
"Mmhmm." Jimin added.
Jieun nodded silently, still thinking about what had just happened with Jungkook. She was sure she had said something wrong, but what exactly made him so upset?
"-was like telling them how cute y'all looked as y'all walked out of that door but did you see Lisa's face? She was totally pissed! Ah, anyway, serve her right. If she ever does such a thing to you again, I'll give it back to her ten times worse! Don't be scared, alright? Jieun? Jieun-" Yoojung waved a hand in front of Jieun's face. "Are you listening to me?"
Jieun snapped back to reality. "Oh, sorry. What did you say?"
Yoojung frowned, taking a seat on the bed next to Jieun. "You seem distracted. The incident must have really traumatised you, didn't it?"
Jieun shook her head. "It's not that... It's just-"
"What is it?" Yoojung took Jieun's hands in hers. "What's wrong? Tell me!"
Jieun bit her lower lip. "Something's off with Jungkook."
"Huh? Why? Why? Why?" Yoojung was getting more and more curious by the second. "What? What happened? Why?"
Jieun sighed. "I don't even know how I triggered him! I simply asked him about the necklace around his-"
"You what?!" Yoojung let go of Jieun's hands and jumped up, looking alarmed. She sat back down on the bed, holding on to Jieun's hands again and letting out a loud sigh. "Oh, Jieun. You really triggered him, huh."
"Huh?" Jieun frowned. She couldn't understand a single thing Yoojung was saying. She triggered him? "What do you mean?"
"Jieun, no one ever asks him about that necklace of his."
~
"But... why?" Jieun frowned. "Is the silver necklace very important to him or something...?"
"It's not just important..." Yoojung sighed, glancing at Jimin and Taehyung, who's faces were equally serious. She turned back to Jieun. "It contains memories of someone who's really important to him."
Someone who's really important to him? Who could it be? Jieun frowned, wondering if she should ask Yoojung about something Jungkook didn't even want to answer.
Yoojung seemed to read her mind like a book. "I still think it isn't right for us to tell you something so personal to Jungkook, Jieun." Yoojung placed a hand on Jieun's shoulder. "I'm sure the time will come when he thinks it's right to tell you about it. Don't feel too bad about it, okay?"
But Jieun did feel bad. The fact that she asked such a personal question... The fact that she was so insensitive about his feelings... She was asking completely because she was nosy, too... It was all her fault...
"You must be thinking that it's all your fault, huh, Jieun." Yoojung squeezed Jieun's hand slightly. "But listen to me.... don't."
"How did you know?" Jieun frowned. "I literally feel like this is all my fault."
"Shh." Yoojung smiled assuringly. "It isn't, alright? I used to think just like you, always blaming myself when something goes wrong... That's good sometimes, when it's really your fault. But in this case, it really isn't, so don't feel bad."
"Why isn't it my fault?" Jieun felt like her tears were threatening to fall. "I shouldn't have asked him about necklace, I really shouldn't have..."
"It's something you didn't know about, Jieun." Taehyung added, taking a seat next to her as well. "You wouldn't have been able to tell that it would affect him so badly."
"Yeah." Jimin took a seat next to Taehyung. "If you knew what the necklace meant to him and still asked, that would really make it your fault. But you wouldn't, Jieun. You're a good person."
I'm really not.
"See?" Yoojung held onto Jieun's hand. "Even they think so. So don't feel bad anymore! I'm sure he doesn't blame you either."
I'm sure he hates me now.
Yoojung read Jieun's expression and patted her head. "Come on, silly. Stop thinking about it. Have some rest now, we'll give you some space."
Yoojung pulled Taehyung by the shirt and glanced at Jimin, who stood up as well.
"Wait, wait, wait!" Taehyung pushed Yoojung's hand away. "You guys go first, I need to talk to Jieun for a while."
Yoojung exchanged awkward glances with Jimin, before turning back to Taehyung. "Alright, make it quick. We'll wait here for you."
"Um..." Taehyung hesitated. "I want to talk to her alone though? You guys go ahead."
"Oh, well-" Yoojung was so flustered she almost bumped into Jimin. "Alright, we'll go back to class first then."
Jimin held open the door, motioning awkwardly for Yoojung to go out first.
Yoojung hesitated at first, but mumbled a soft "thank you" and left.
Jimin waved goodbye to Jieun and Taehyung, and left the room, closing the door behind him.
"Ah, the two of them..." Taehyung sighed after Jimin and Yoojung had left. "Still as awkward as ever."
Jieun laughed. "It's already much better than before."
Taehyung recalled the situation about a month ans a half ago, when it was as if Jimin and Yoojung had swapped souls, and shivered. "Never again." He glanced at Jieun who was smiling. "You're finally smiling."
Jieun chuckled. "You guys made me feel better. Anyway, what did you wanna ask me?"
Taehyung shrugged. "Nothing much. Just wanted to tell you that Byulyi pulled out from going for my mom's birthday with me tomorrow."
"Oh, man." Jieun frowned. "But I guess she has her reasons."
Taehyung nodded. "Exactly, I was the one who told her not to force herself as well. So I decided to ask Jennie if she wanted to come along, but she rejected me as well."
"Aw, man." Jieun put her hand on Taehyung's shoulder. "Why do you need someone to follow you along, though? Is it compulsory or something?"
"It's not..." Taehyung sighed. "It's just that Seokjin is bringing Jisoo and... well, I'm not particularly fond of Jisoo so I wanted to bring someone along."
Jieun thought for a while. "Why didn't you ask me, then?"
"I was going to!" Taehyung frowned. "But now you're injured, you really should rest."
"I'm sorry, Taehyung," Jieun gave Taehyung's shoulder a light squeeze. "I would have gone too, if not for my injury."
"I understand," Taehyung sighed. "Now my last hope is Yoojung. If she disagrees, I'm done for."