Don't Worry About It
*Sang-Hee's POV*
Although it's my favorite subject in school, art class seemed to drag on and on. I'm thankful that I made some new friends, but now my curiosity is peaked.
Why did Jennie's face sink in so much when I mentioned Felix? Is there some other kind of drama I don't know about?
I mean, sure.
When I first saw him here, he was in a pretty poor position. But I also have no clue what the so-called "victim" did. Maybe I can find out.
What was that kid's name again?
Johnny?
Jay?
Jackson?
Yes! That's it!
Jackson.
Jackson...Wang, right?
Hmmm. If I can just find him before next period.
RING!
"Alright, class. Don't forget to start working on your own individual pieces. Remember. You can use any medium you want. Including music."
Huh. Music? Hmmm. That gives me an idea.
I gathered all my things and started to head out.
"Oh, Sang-Hee!"
I snapped around at the mention of my name. Jennie waved me over to her.
"These are the other members of Blackpink. That's Lisa."
The smiling girl she pointed to waved a little at the mention of her name.
"And that's Jisoo."
The other girl nodded. I smiled to them both.
"Oh! Hello. I'm Sang-Hee."
"We know." They both said together. They looked at each other and giggled.
"Jinx! Jinx again!"
I laughed. "It's very nice to meet you all. Unfortunately, I have to get going. Um. See you after school?"
The girls nodded and giggled short little goodbyes as I left.
Now. . .Jackson.
Where are you?
As if on cue, he and his little bestie came swaggering out of the classroom across from mine. He started to turn away from me, probably heading to his next class. I ran after him, not even thinking twice of how weird I probably look and sound.
"Jackson! Hey, Jackson!"
He spun around at mention of his name.
"Sang-Hee?"
I stopped running. "You. . .know me?"
He nodded. "Who wouldn't know the new girl around school. Not to mention, the hottest girl here."
Ahhh. He's a player, huh?
I dismissed the flirtatious remark.
"Anyways-"
He slung his arm around my shoulders. "What can I do for ya, babe?"
I shook out of his grip. "Actually. I have a few questions to ask you."
"Anything for you, babe."
Stop.
Calling.
Me.
Babe.
Ya sicko.
I cleared my throat and looked between Jackson and Henry, who had stayed pretty quiet.
"I actually was wondering. Why were you and Felix going at it yesterday?"
His smolder faded into a small frown.
"Oh."
The two boys began to walk again. I walked with them. After a line of quiet, I piped up.
"Well?"
Jackson sighed. "He pounded me because I threatened to snitch."
I felt my face draw in in confusion.
"Snitch? Snitch for what?"
He shook his head. "It's irrelevant to you."
He stopped walking and looked hard at me. "Why do you wanna know anyways?"
I shrugged. "I...uh. Well, you see? He's kind of my boyfriend. And every time I say his name, people stop talking and start walking around like they're pinching quarters with their buttcheeks."
Jackson's face grew pale.
"I just want to know why."
Henry finally spoke. "Sang-Hee. You need to be careful. Felix may seem like a cool guy or whatever, but-"
He sighed. "You seem like a really sweet girl. I'd hate to see him hurt you by betraying your trust."
My confusion only dug deeper. "He would never hurt me." I said quietly, more to myself than to anyone.
"I'm just saying. Take our advice and keep him on a short leash. Just...don't put all your trust in him."
I nodded solemnly. Jackson seemed to have changed on the spot. He pulled out his phone.
"Here. Let me give you my number. If something happens and you need me to beat him up, call me."
I gingerly handed him my phone.
"Same for me." Henry commented.
Awww. He's an Aussie, too.
I mentally shook my head.
Not the time. Something's seriously going on. And I need to find out what.
Once both boys had my information, I took my phone back.
"Sorry if we freaked you out."
I shook my head. "No, no. Thank you. Although, I still think you may be seeing too far into this. He's really a sweet guy. I've known him almost my whole life."
Jackson rubbed the back of his neck. "He's changed since he's been here. And not for the better."
Felix?
My Felix?
No.
"Anyways, we gotta get to class before the final bell rings." Henry interrupted.
"Oh....okay."
"See you around, Sang-Hee." Jackson gave me a friendly nod and ran off into one of the classrooms, leaving me alone in the empty hallway.
*Deep mental sigh*
Why do I always put myself in such dramatic situations?
I took a deep breath and ventured into my second to last class.
Cultural arts.
Yet again, a super small class without a single one of my friends.
I sat down in the back, folded my arms on my desk, and rested my head on my arms whilst waiting for the class to start.
*Jimin's POV*
The cold metal of the circular ring, stung my fingertips.
I've spent the entire sixth and seventh class periods, rotating this silver object around my fingers.
Why?
Because for some odd reason, it's comforting to me.
I know my homework's piling up, but I just can't stop thinking about Sang-Hee.
She's like some kind of drug.
Once you've got a taste, you want more and more until you've totally overdosed.
She's killing me.
Slowly, but surely.
I don't like the weird look in the eyes of her little boyfriend. He looks malicious and just downright evil.
And this is coming from me.
I need to make sure she's safe. If only I had told her everything sooner. . .
She's been in school TWO DAYS and she's already got a boyfriend. And a poor choice of one at that.
I would have been a better pick for her.
At least I know she would be safe.
Safe and sound.
Secure in my arms.
All day.
And all night long.
Stop wishing for things that were never meant to be in the first place.
If she loved you, she would have waited for you.
I groaned as the bell rang, signaling the end of 7th period. Now it's time for Literature with Sang-Hee.
Aish.
Cheer up, Jimin.
Maybe she'll just brush off everything you said to her earlier.
Wishful thinking, eh?
"Jiminie!"
I was given about 0.0000947 seconds of warning before I felt two arms basically crush my ribs from behind.
"Yowww! Sang-Hee! You scared me."
She giggled and let go of me, straightening herself out.
"How were your classes?"
She sighed deeply in obvious boredom. "Well. In Cultural Arts, I had an hour-long nap."
I chuckled at her blatant honesty.
"Aaaaand in Art? I made 3 new friends who are gonna come over after school to help me with homework."
O-oh.
"But. . .I thought I was gonna come over and help you with homework?"
She placed her hands on my cheeks and forced me to smile. "Who says you can't still come over?"
"I..."
She brought her hands down to rest against my chest. "Oh, come on, Jimin. It'll be fun. And if you don't want to stay with a bunch of girls - remember you live right nextdoor. And instead, I'll come and visit you after they leave. Sounds like a plan?"
My heart did a thing.
"O-okay."
She smiled and grabbed my sleeve. "C'mon! It's our last class for the day. Let's fight through it."
I followed closely after her. But I stopped walking once we approached the door. Sang-Hee continued walking forward and threw her arms around the boy in the doorway.
She's so fluffy and innocent.
I can't handle it.
I looked away from her, into Felix's face.
That look he's giving me.
I remember it.
I. . .I remember him now.
How dangerous he is.
How toxic he can be.
Why didn't I remember him from before?
Before he got with Sang-Hee.
Oh no.
No, nO, NO!
"Baby! I missed you so much!"
Sang-Hee peeled herself away from Felix.
"You literally just saw me at lunch." She giggled. He took her hand.
"Yeah. But that's still WAY too long."
The door shut behind the two of them with a click!
They left me.
She left me.
She abandoned me in the hallway.
Just open the damn door, you overly dramatic dipwad.
Gosh, is the world just supposed to bow to your every command?
Who are you?
Thor?
As if!
Get it together.
I blinked and narrowed my eyes as I thrust the door open.
"OWWW!"
My fingers tightened and grew pale around the doorknob at the sudden shriek of pain. I shut my eyes and silently prayed.
Please, don't let it be serious.
Please, don't let it be serious!
I slowly opened an eye to see Sang-Hee cupping a hand securely over her nose, a look of horror and pain on her face.
"Ohmygod, Sang-Hee. I am SO sorry."
I cautiously lifted her hand away from her nose.
Oh no. That is definitely broken.
I heard footsteps end right behind me.
"Mr. Park? Miss Choi? Again?"
I relaxed only a little at the familiar voice.
"Mr. Kim! It's not what it looks like!"
I looked down at my loosened fist that now had a line of Sang-Hee's blood running down my knuckles. Mr. Kim saw my fist before I could hide it. His eyebrows narrowed down at me before he moved his gaze over to the bloody Sang-Hee.
"Miss Choi, are you alright?"
Through her misty eyes, I could tell she was faking being okay.
"Um, yes, Mr. Kim. I'll be fine."
Thankfully, Mr. Kim noticed she was lying. He marched over to the front of the class.
"Mr. Park? Please take her to the school nurse as this was partly your doing."
Sang-Hee shook her head. "Oh, he didn't-"
"I said go, Miss."
She paused and bowed before moving towards me. I held the door open for her. She started out and then turned around with a frown line very prominent.
I traced her line of vision to an unfazed Felix.
He never even looked back at her.
He didn't even care.
She slowly slugged her way out. My heart dropped at her failure to hide her feelings.
"I'm so, so sorry."
She shook her head.
"I'm fine."
But her tear-stained cheeks said otherwise.
Her quivering lip told another story.
One with a deeper meaning than an accidental door faceplant.
She looked. . .ruined.
*Sang-Hee's POV*
"I'm so, so sorry." Jimin pleaded.
I shook my head of all the thoughts rolling through my head. In a hoarse voice, I squeaked out, "I'm fine."
After a full minute of silence between us, I stopped walking in no specific direction.
"Sang-Hee?"
He was closer than I thought he was. I spun around and wrapped my arms tightly around his neck in a warm embrace, making my sniffles calm down. He rested his hands gently on top of my hips.
Our short, sweet moment came and went.
I let go of him and calmed myself down. Rosé and Jennie were right, weren't they? He has changed. But has he REALLY?
This is all so stupid.
"Are you gonna be alright?"
I nodded and faked a smile. "Yeah. Let's just go to the nurse."
He nodded in agreement and waited for me to start walking. As we continued walking to the other end of the school, he laced his fingers into mine.
Something sparked inside of me.
I'm not sure what it was.
Maybe hope?
Or. . .maybe. . .
Just maybe. . .true love?
Nonsense. . .right?
*Felix's POV*
Did I hear her shriek?
Yes.
Did I run to her?
N-no.
It's all too familiar.
She pleads for help and I just sit back motionless.
Oblivious to the things going on around me.
And then I leave.
Or in this case, she leaves.
When will I learn to chase after the ones I love before they escape?
The answer is simple: never.
Because they'll always come running back.
They never can continue living without me.
This is all just a part of my new favorite little chess game to ensure that I get right back on top where I deserved to be in the first place.
My turn to prove to her father who's truly worthy of running the agency when the time comes.
Playing with Sang-Hee as my chosen pawn.
And I as her king.
She's in my control now, whether she likes it or not.
*Jimin's POV*
"You know you can leave, right?" Sang-Hee said whilst sitting crisscross-applesauce on the little makeshift bed, staring across the airtight room at me.
I shrugged and got up from my chair as she ripped the bandage off her nose.
"Don't wanna."
"And why not?"
"I did this to you."
"But I told you, I feel fine!"
"Yeah, well, you don't act fine!"
"Maybe it's because everything bad that's happened thus far has been solely my fault!"
I swear I heard crickets begin chirping.
I neared Sang-Hee's bedside. She turned her head to look away from me.
"It's not your-"
"Park Jimin, don't you DARE say it's not my fault!"
I shut my open mouth.
She huffed in the silence.
The silence became too much to bare.
I slowly trudged towards the closed door. I placed my hand on the doorknob and turned it, opening the door a small crack.
"Maybe she was right."
That peeked my interest.
"Who was right? About what?"
More silence.
I stared at the vast, empty space dividing Sang-Hee from the partly opened door.
I sighed and shut the door again, still facing the door as I silently pressed the lock button.
"This girl from Art. She told me he had changed."
I angled my head over to hear her a little better.
"Who changed?"
"Felix. She said he changed for the worse when he got here."
"And you believed her?"
Quiet fell again momentarily.
"Not at first. He was too sweet and good-natured."
"And now?"
She sighed. "He's not the Felix I fell in love with all those years ago. He's different. He never told me he loved me. He would always say ditto. He doesn't love me back now. Actually, now that I think about it. . .I don't think he ever did."
She grew quiet again and mumbled something beneath her breath.
"No one ever does."
My face grew red and I spun around quickly.
"I do."
She glanced up into my tomato-red face with the same clear, fearless eyes I have seen so many times before.
She clenched her jaw. "Wh-what?"
"I love you. I thought that by now, you'd know that."
Her cheeks flushed. "Jimin, I-"
I cut her off.
"I know. Look, I'm sorry, but I cannot stand seeing you get so hurt every splitting second. And all over this stupid guy. If a boy causes you this many tears, was he really the one for you in the first place?"
Her expression froze.
"Sang-Hee. I made a promise that I'd be right here for you whenever you need me. But if you're gonna keep running away from your shallow problems, how are you ever gonna face the all consuming ones?"
I stood right in front of her, my hands on each side of her.
"You're gonna face them with me. Because I actually love you, Sang-Hee. Truly. I do."
She leaned back a little onto her bed, the closer that I got.
"P-p-prove it." She hiccupped as my body was leaning right over hers.
I froze at her words.
Suddenly, like a light switch, I pulled myself back and straightened myself up.
"That's the thing. I don't have to. Because I could have kissed you right then.
But what would that have proved?
Lust or love?
No.
You see, you've got it all wrong.
Love isn't something you prove.
It's something you promise.
Lust is the opposite.
Now.
Which one do you believe in?
Promises or proofs?"
She sat dumbfounded on her bed.
I returned to the door and unlocked it before returning to my own seat beside it.
I smirked at the obvious look of shock on her face.
Mission: accomplished.
Well...not exactly.
*Sang-Hee's POV*
"Do I really have to go back to class?"
I pleaded with Jimin after being released from the school nurse's office.
"There's only 15 minutes of class left."
Jimin huffed. "You're the genius who left her backpack inside with Felix."
She sighed in complaint. "Can we just please not talk about him right now?"
I stared at her sternly. "Fine. Your wish is my command."
I sensed his sarcasm and sent him a short, piercing glare. We walked together in awkward silence all the way back down to Literature class.
Luckily, Mr. Kim had put on some kind of video for the students so Jimin could sneak in, grab my stuff, and duck out.
He did just so.
I'm pretty sure Mr. Kim saw him, but he didn't say anything or call us out.
"Go! Go! Go!" Jimin whisper yelled to me as he crawled out of the room, glancing profusely behind himself.
We ran off to our lockers to grab the remainder of our things.
We almost made it out of the school.
Almost.
But not quite.
"Sang-Hee?"
I froze and cursed at myself. Slowly, like a microwave, I rotated to face whoever it was with a false smile appearing on my face. I spoke through slightly clenched teeth.
"Oh. Hey, Jackson!"
Jimin quickly stepped in front of me, protecting me like a human shield.
"Jackson. What are you doing out here?" He snarled.
Jackson slowly backed away. "I was using the restroom and saw you two leaving. I was just gonna say a quick goodbye to Sang-Hee. Relax, man."
I rolled my eyes at my best friend's overprotective reaction. "Yeah, Jimin. Relax. He's cool."
Jimin scoffed and stood his ground. "Cool's not exactly the word I'd use to describe him."
I pushed Jimin roughly out of the way. "I'll see you later, Jackson." I told him.
"Sure thing. Text me and Henry sometime. We're always free to talk."
I smiled at him before dragging Jimin with me by his elbow out of the school.
"Come on, Jiminie. Let's go before someone else catches us and we're forced to stay here longer than we anticipated."
I jerked my backpack on over both my shoulders as Jimin did the same.
"So where are we off to?" He asked, lacing his fingers tightly into mine.
My face grew pale. "I don't know." I turned my head towards him. "Any ideas?"
He thought long and hard for a moment.
A defeated look overcame his face.
Suddenly, his eyes lit up and a smile enveloped his lips.
"I've got a few ideas. But I need to make a quick trip home first."
His grip on my hand tightened before he let go completely.
"Come on! I'll race you!" And he took off.
"Yah! No fair! I have smaller stamina than you!"
Jimin called over his shoulder. "And I have smaller legs than you!"
I picked up my pace and raced after him.
"At least I appreciate the little things in my life." I said, passing him up. He came into sight again shortly.
"How do you know it's small?" And he passed by me again, leaving me dumbfounded.
"Park Jimin! You dirty-minded CHILD! I will beat you as soon as we get home!"
"NOT IF I BEAT YOU FIRST!"
"OH, PLEASE DO! I BEG OF YOU. PLEASE!"
Jimin and I were neck-and-neck at this point, lurching forward every so often to get our points across to each other.
At this point, we were no longer quietly bickering.
We were full-on screaming at one another.
"YOU'RE GONNA BEG ME TO STOP!"
"AS IF YOU WOULD EVEN START!"
"BET!"
"FAT BET!"
We were now just a few yards away from our houses. As we neared, Jimin and I pushed against each other to get to Jimin's house first.
My hands were pressed against his cheek and one of my hands was in his mouth to throw him off.
His hands kept finding ways to tickle me, making me loosen my hold on him.
"Aish! Why do you gotta play dirty?!" I called him out.
"I'm always playing dirty."
"Ugh!"
I pressed onwards with a disgusted look on my face.
"I'm gonna win!" Jimin screeched.
"NOPE!" I growled from the pit of my empty stomach.
Jimin and I emitted our own personal screams to get closer to the door. My screams low and gut-like, as if going to war.
Jimin's?
I don't know what the heck Jimin was doing. He sounded like a dying pterodactyl giving birth to the noisest group of little baby monsters.
"SQUEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!"
We nearly reached the finish line.
We were so close.
But we totally forgot about the curb.
Jimin and I both screamed as we tripped over the concrete curb, our bodies flying headlong towards the soft, green grass.
It was as if we were moving in slow motion through the air.
Jimin grabbed my waist to turn himself underneath me and soften the blow that we would both receive as soon as we hit the turf.
Jimin hit the ground first with a small grunt of pain released from his parted lips.
I landed on top of him with a small thud.
I pressed my palms into the ground on either side of his head and looked down into his smiling face.
I grinned back.
I felt him snake his right hand up my stomach and hook around my dainty waist.
Without fully thinking, I fell into his pulls as his smile turned into a devilish smirk.
He suddenly flipped me over onto my backside and straddled my waist, nosing his way along my neck.
"Jiminie?" I squeaked.
Jimin purred back silkily. "Mhmm?"
I tensed as I felt his hips align with mine. "W-what do you think you're doing?"
I felt his soft, plump lips press softly against my heavyset jawline.
"Mm. Don't worry about it." He said between gentle kisses. "Just go with it."
I shuddered in excitement as his lips began to press in deeper to my skin until I realized he had reached my lips.
He kind of just dangled right there above my mouth.
Each time he would lower himself down, I felt myself lift up to meet him in the middle. But every single time, he would pull himself back away from me.
I frowned.
What a tease.
"If you're gonna kiss me, kiss me."
His smile returned.
I tensed up again as he started to lean down close again. My eyes shut gingerly the closer I felt him get to me.
My world stopped.
And then suddenly.
It started again.
His lips brushed against my ear.
"Told you I'd beat you."
Like, woah. Wait up! Uh....noooOOO!
My eyes shot open like a firecracker's pop, with fire racing through my bulging veins.
Jimin bolted to the front door. I quickly brushed myself off and chased after him.
"Park Jimin! You cheated!"
He quickly ran inside the house, laughing like a fool.
I trailed right behind him, already removing my shoe with which to beat his ass.
WC: 3,954