For Phoenixbear!

“Can you believe it? Y/N is hanging out with her boyfriend again,” Mi Yeonsoo tittered to the other as you walked past, arm in arm with your best friend, Amber.

Amber flinched as you shot the offending girl a glare, daring her to come and say that to your face.

“Ignore her,” you whispered to Amber, who shot you a pained smile.

You bared your teeth at the girl menacingly, causing her to back off from your best friend.

You hated the people in this school. Full of trash-talkers and syncophants, it was worse than a pigsty. People like Mi Yeonsoo littered the school hallways, acting as if high school was the only part of their lives which mattered.

You scoffed. These idiots didn’t realise how dumb they were.

They treated people like you and Amber as if you were pariahs, infected with social leprosy. Who were they to decide how a girl should dress and act? If Amber wanted to cut her hair short and wear the boys’ uniform instead of the girls’, what did it matter? If you wanted to focus on your studies and work hard to do something useful with your life, why should they be allowed to curse and swear at you? So what if you weren’t like a normal girl who obsessed over boys and nails and makeup? Life was too short to worry about trivialities like that.

The people at school were self-absorbed, vain, trivial. They cared nothing about people who actually mattered.

And the worst person here was none other than Kim Taehyung.

“Y/N watch out!” Amber yelled and tugged you away but it was too late.

You walked straight into a solid wall. The force of impact knocked you backwards, causing you to fall onto the floor.

The hallway quieted as you concentrated on your own breathing, ignoring the pain shooting up the bottom of your spine. Pin-drop silence as your eyes focused on the black polished shoes slowing to a stop in front of you, your heart dropping as you recognised the reflection beaming off the surface.

“Yah,” his impossibly deep voice called as you flinched.

The hallway quieted as you concentrated on your own breathing, ignoring the pain shooting up the bottom of your spine. Pin-drop silence as your eyes focused on the black polished shoes slowing to a stop in front of you, your heart dropping as you recognised the reflection beaming off the surface.

“Yah,” his impossibly deep voice called as you flinched in terror.

Kim Taehyung squatted, grabbing you by the chin.

“Watch where you’re going,” he said, cocking an arrogant smirk. “Or I might have to do something about it.”

You could hardly answer, your heart was in your mouth. If Kim Taehyung decided your was meat, you were dead.

And then your guardian angel came to save the day.

“Excuse me, Taehyung-ssi,” a voice called, another set of polished shoes stepping into view.

You looked up, feeling blood rush to your cheeks.

The only angel in this school, Park Jimin, stood right in front of you, holding onto Kim Taehyung’s arm gently but firmly.

“Let’s play nice around here,” he warned, as your heart fluttered.

Was Park Jimin actually… saving you?

“ off, Jimin,” Kim Taehyung growled. “She’s the one who bumped into me and scuffed my shoes.”

But Park Jimin refused to budge.

“Well, if she did that, I’m sure she will apologise,” he replied, before holding out a hand to you, smiling gently. “Come on, I’ll help you up.”

You stared at his hand mutely, your heart thumping a thousand beats a minute before hesitantly, you placed your hand in his. It was warm and soft, like a hug. He pulled you up, steadying you to your feet.

You stood eye to eye with Kim Taehyung, the boy looking at you with sudden predatory interest.

The look in his eye threw you off. You weren’t an idiot, and you knew something was up with this guy. Why did he suddenly look at you this way?

“Come on, you should apologise,” Park Jimin leaned in and whispered in your ear, electricity zigzagging up your spine as his breath blew past your sensitive earlobes.

“S-s-s-s-sorry,” you stuttered, barely making eye contact with you. “Kim T-Taehyung-ssi.”

There was silence.

And then Kim Taehyung threw out a bark of laughter, before baring his teeth at you. He shouldered past you and Park Jimin, swaggering off.

You stared after him, heart in your stomach.

What did he mean by that?

---

If this school was earth, there were two mighty forces at play, the leaders of heaven and hell.

Heaven was simple, easy to decipher. It was the student council, which was full of people who actually gave two s about the school. They were made of the smartest and the kindest people, and you had actually wanted to be in it but they had rejected you. Everyone called them “the angels”, because they were the do-gooders and the rule-setters. And the most angelic of them all, was Park Jimin, the student council president. He was good looking, sweet, smart and caring. No one cared that he was strict about the rules because he was so nice and wonderful. Girls had crushes on him… including you. He was the kindest person here, and he had a great future. He was an all-around good guy.

But if there is a heaven, there must be a hell.

The boys of BTS ruled the school with an iron fist. Their parents were rich and part of the school board, so the boys could do whatever they wanted. No matter the efforts of the student council, they had never managed to successfully get rid of the influence of the group, comprised of six powerful and handsome individuals. And the most powerful and handsome of them all was Kim Taehyung. The son of a wealthy businessman, Kim Taehyung spent time splurging on luxury goods and clubbing at various hot nightclubs. It was rumoured that the boy had joined a gang once. You had no taste for people like that, who wasted money frivolously even when they had pots of it.

You hated Kim Taehyung, and loved Park Jimin. You were an angel after all.

---

Amber slid into the seat next to you, eliciting a loud groan.

“I’m so sorry that happened just now,” she sighed, giving you mournful puppy eyes. “I should’ve pulled you out of that guy’s way. I know how much you hate him.”

“S’okay,” you smiled toothily at your best friend. “Nothing happened anyway.”

You know Murphy’s law? It states that “Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong.”

Well, lucky you.

The classroom door slammed open, before two members of BTS strode in. The girls in your class started whispering to each other, some squealing as the boys shot them cool glances, gazing around the classroom until their eyes settled on you.

You gulped, hoping, praying that-

They strolled towards you, similar Chesire grins on their faces.

“You,” they stated clearly.

You stared at them in trepidation. What did they want with you?

“Taehyung wants you,” the taller of the boys, Kim Namjoon, said.

You felt your eyes go wide. Why would he want you?

Before you could say anything though, the two boys looped their arms through yours and carried you off, silencing your protests with a sharp glance.

You could feel your heart sink further and further as you were dragged from your classroom, the hopes of ever getting out of this alive becoming smaller and smaller.

---

“We brought her,” Kim Namjoon announced coolly, opening the door.

He pushed you into the dimly lit room as you glanced back at the door which was quickly locked by Jeon Jungkook, who smirked at you, as if knowing about your fear.

You glanced about in terror. The classroom looked abandoned, but was furnished comfortably. Two leather sofas. A plasma screen TV was showing a football game. The rest of BTS were littered about the room.

Kim Seokjin was at the dining table, slurping up a bowl of ramen. Jeon Jungkook, who had left the door, joined Kim Namjoon and Jung Hoseok at the sofa where they watched the football game. Min Yoongi was lying on the other couch, a magazine placed on top of his face.

Where was Kim Taehyung, and what did he want with you?

A thump on the ground behind you alerted you to a new presence. You turned around slowly, meeting eyes with the dreaded person.

“Hey,” the boy bared his teeth in a menacing grin, eyes calculative and looking you up and down like a lion surveying a piece of steak.

The boy had jumped from a bookshelf (what was he doing perched on a bookshelf?) and was now facing you. Up close, you realised how exotic his features were, like they had been drawn with Egyptian kohl back in the times of the pyramids.

But you knew even the devil had good looks.

You felt yourself quavering in your boots.

“You seem a little plain, but you’ll do alright,” the boy hummed, rocking back and forth on his heels.

“W-w-what do you want from me?” you mumbled, finally finding your voice.

“I want revenge,” the boy chuckled darkly, causing your blood to run cold.

“W-with who?”

“Park Jimin,” came the answer as the boy glared at the ground.

You stared at him in morbid curiosity. What had happened between the two of them?

“A sweet little lamb like you will have him running to me in no time,” the boy sneered evilly.

You stifled a gasp of shock.. What did this guy want to do with Park Jimin?

“W-what if I don’t cooperate?” you asked, trying to stop yourself from shaking.

“Well then,” he smiled sweetly at you. “I’ll have to crush you and your little friend.”

You instantly paled.

You didn’t mind if the guy did anything to you, but Amber was already having enough of a hard time at school with people mocking her and calling her all sorts of names. She couldn’t go through anymore, especially not with this bully.

Slowly you nodded your assent, as the boy cracked a smirk, your heart sinking like quicksand.

What were you getting yourself into?

---

“Glad to have your cooperation, Y/N,” Jung Hoseok smiled cheerfully at you as he escorted you out the door. “Remember not to say anything about this mission.”

You nodded your head, casting a glance behind the boy’s back. The rest of BTS was playing and laughing around while Kim Taehyung sat on the sofa alone, brooding over something.

You felt a twinge of concern, but shook it away. Who cared if a bully was feeling sad? Definitely not you.

You turned to go, thoughts racing in your head.

You had just been inducted as a “friend” of BTS, though everyone knew that that was just a moniker for slave. Specifically, Kim Taehyung’s slave. You had to answer to him, and him alone, because according to Kim Seokjin, one of the only two nice ones, he was someone who didn’t like to share.

If you were publicly a slave, Park Jimin would probably get notice of it, and he would come running to save you, which would initiate Step 2, which wasn’t made known to you.

You sighed despondently. First you had to step on Kim Taehyung’s foot, causing you to be embroiled in this mess. And now they’d even involved your crush too.

You just hoped Park Jimin would be smart enough to not get involved.

---

Your phone buzzed, the name “Demon” displayed on the screen. You frowned.

Since when did he ever call you? He’d always send Jungkook to come fetch you from the classroom, and you had to go on a wild goose chase to find him all over the school.

The phone continued to trill.

You groaned and picked up the call.

There seemed to be… sniffling? You frowned quizzically.

“Are you okay?” you asked worriedly, as the sniffling continued.

“Rooftop,” the voice said gruffly, before ending the call.

You sighed worriedly, hoping the boy was okay. Why was he crying? With a heavy heart, you jogged to the rooftop, still worried about Kim Taehyung of all people.

So far, he had gotten you to run to and from the school everywhere, to the cafeteria, to the bookstore, to his classroom, to your classroom… Even to the water fountains.

The boy had made relentless use of you, and you absolutely hated it. You hated everything the guy did to you.

He’d forced you to eat with the boys, causing the other girls to look you up in the girls’ locker room and shove you in the toilet. He’d forced you to write notes for him while he dozed in class, and do his homework even though you yourself weren’t exactly an A student. He’d made you cross entire halls just to get him food that he wanted.

But somehow he had cemented his place in your life, and you kinda appreciated him sometimes too. He did genuinely enjoy his group of friends, though he treated you pretty much like dust. But sometimes when he glanced over to you with that rectangular smile on his face, you felt your heart beat a little faster for some reason.

You soon reached the rooftop, and you caught sight of the boy’s tawny head.

You tiptoed over, scared to startle him. The boy had his had between his knees, sobbing painfully for some reason.

You sat down quietly next to him, heart in your mouth. Why was he crying? What was happening?

You glanced over his body, noticing a picture clasped tightly in his hands. You frowned, wondering what it was, but you decided that it wasn’t your business.

You instead leaned back against the wall, keeping quiet, though you felt painfully awkward.

You didn’t know what was going on with the boy, but you desperately wanted to make him feel better. But you just didn’t know how, so you hoped that your presence would be enough.

Then you caught sight of his limp hand laying by his side. Without a second thought, you placed your hand over his, then clasped it lightly.

The boy made no attempt to pull away.

The two of you sat like that until the bell rang.

---

After that encounter, something between the two of you changed. He stopped being so hostile to you, and you started to appreciate his existence a bit more.

You never questioned him about that day, even though you were curious. You thought he’d deserved his privacy.

He called on you more and more, but it wasn’t to do things anymore. Instead, he would spend the time staring off into the distance with you seated quietly next to him, but your hands would always be clasped together.

Slowly he started to open up a bit.

First he started telling you his hobbies, and you told him yours.

He loved watching the clouds, while you loved sunsets. He liked dogs, but you preferred cats, though he liked both. He loved basketball, while you preferred not to play sports at all. He liked coffee, while you liked tea more. You told him about your ridiculous love for Super Junior, one of your best kept secrets. And he confessed about how much he liked Big Bang, and you spent the entire day arguing about who was better.

He started to smile more around you, and would often tease you and ruffle your hair in front of his friends. You were no longer treated as a slave, but as a part of the group. There was no more talk about Park Jimin, and he no longer expected you to do anything for him.

He also started to do small things for you. First it was helping you pick up something you dropped. Then he started asking you to do your homework together, and even started to study properly when you scolded him for sleeping during your study sessions.

You got closer and closer, and the thoughts of Park Jimin floated away, being replaced by Kim Taehyung’s serious eyes framed by long straight lashes.

Your heart would start to thump when he looked at you, and you would look away with a flush on your cheeks. Your fingers grew tingly when you held onto his hand, and you couldn’t hide the smile when you were in his presence.

And before you knew it, to your horror, you were in love with Kim Taehyung.

---

“It’s not that bad,” Amber reassured as you paced around her room, throwing your hands in the air.

“What do you mean it’s not that bad?!” you wailed. “He’s Kim Taehyung. He’s evil. I can’t be in love with him!”

“Look, he seems like a nice guy underneath all those thorns,” she said. “You wouldn’t fall in love with just any guy would you?”

“But he’s… he’s… He tortured me for so long!” you cried.

“But he doesn’t do it anymore right?” she encouraged. “What do you like about him anyway?”

“I don’t know,” you groaned. “I just feel so… at ease with him. I always feel so fake around other people but it’s different with you and him. With him I feel like I can be myself and not some plastic version of myself.”

“I think you should tell him how you feel,” Amber said decisively. “He deserves to know.”

“But what if he doesn’t like me back?” you whined, but the fear in your heart was real.

“He still deserves the truth,” Amber smiled at you encouragingly. “Tell him tomorrow.”

You sighed and wondered if you really should.

---

It was soon tomorrow, to your chagrin. You were supposed to meet him for a study session at the usual place.

“H-hey,” you said as you approached the table.

The boy turned around and beamed at you, reaching out and ruffling your hair. You felt your heart speed up a little at the contact.

“Hey!” he greeted and pulled you down to sit with him. “Guess what I got you!”

You looked surprised, until he pulled out a little keychain of your bias Kyuhyun.

“Tadah! I bought it at the store, cos it reminded me of you!” he grinned cheekily.

You felt your heart explode as he slipped the keychain into your hand and patted your head.

“I like you,” you blurted out suddenly, before slapping your hands over your mouth in horror.

The boy stared at you googly eyed for a few terrible seconds.

Then he smiled gently and leaned in, hugging you tightly.

“I like you too,” he whispered into your ear. “I’ve liked you since that day.”

“What day?” you asked, still in shock.

“I’ll bring you to see her,” he told you, smiling.

---

“Hi Eomma!” Taehyung greeted, pulling you along by hand. “Meet Y/N!”

“Hi Mrs Kim,” you greeted, your brain finally putting the pieces together. You stared at the memorial plate, feeling your heart break.

“The reason why I disliked Jimin so much was because he was the one who encouraged me to forgive the person who killed her,” Taehyung looked onto the floor gloomily. “But that day with you, suddenly I didn’t feel judged anymore. I was free to be myself. I was free to be sad. I was free to cry because I missed her so much. I was free to hate the person who ran her over six years ago.

“And ironically, being able to hate that guy allowed me to move on and finally forgive him. I was so thankful that I had you, you who didn’t judge me, by my side. Without you, I think I would have continued to hate Jimin and everyone in the world, but it was only thanks to you that I managed to put my past behind me.”

He turned to you, tucking your hair behind your ear.

“Thank you, Y/N,” he smiled, before leaning in and placing his lips on yours, and you smiled before responding back to his kiss.