Everything about school was making Jaera feel sick.

The bell rang and, dismissing everything else, she headed home as quickly as possible. She grabbed her headphones out of her bag, plugged them into her phone and let the music surround her. She was already feeling ten times better. Music just had that effect on her. Finally stepping out of the school grounds, Jaera’s pace relaxed. She admired the warmth on her skin and the fresh, non-educational air.

It was all going so well until she felt something bounce off the back of her head with forceful impact. She tore her headphones out and spun around, rubbing her head.

“What the ?!”

Jungkook was walking towards her, slightly chuckling, while his idiotic friend, Taehyung was fetching the basketball from where it had rolled.

“Do you have a death wish or something?” she growled, approaching him furiously.

“Well if you weren’t so deaf I wouldn’t have had to resort to such measures.”

“Ugh, you’re such an !”

Jaera turned to walk away but Jungkook yanked her back into place. She quickly shook his hand off and sent him a strong glare.

“Jesus Christ, woman! Would you just listen for once?”

“Why the hell would I listen to you of all people?!”

Taehyung was lingering behind Jungkook, an awkward look on his face. “Uh, Jaera?” he intervened. “It’s kind of important, so…”

Her hateful glare travelled to Taehyung and he automatically shut his mouth. The boys stood silent, eyeing her carefully and waiting for her next move.

“Well?” Jaera finally snapped. “What is it?”

Jungkook rolled his eyes at the girl’s impatience. “Maybe you’re  just acting dumb or you were dropped on your head as a kid, but if you’ve forgotten, we have to become friends by the end of this semester. Remember?”

“As if,” Jaera scoffed. “There’s no way I’m becoming friends with you.”

“Just do it, okay!” he yelled, stepping closer to her. “There’s a load on the line for me if I don’t get that ing bastard off my back!”

Jaera just shook her head. Was Jungkook seriously begging her to be his friend just so he wouldn’t lose his scholarship? How selfish could he get?

“That’s all the more reason for me to NOT become your friend, Jungkook. Knowing that you’ll be suffering when you get that basketball career snatched off you will be the happiest day of my life.”

With that, she hurriedly walked off. Jungkook clenched his teeth, feeling an intense urge to rip the girl’s hair off.

“Lim Jaera! I swear to God, I will make you pay if you don’t do this,” he called out.

She flipped him the bird and continued walking. He can’t make her do anything.

Jaera knew what she had said to Jungkook was irrational. Not only was Jungkook’s future on the line, but so was hers. How would her mom react if she found out she’d been kicked out of school? Mr. Kim had the complete authority to do it; her and Jungkook’s fighting had been really disruptive and it was getting more frequent lately. Usually students who behaved like that would have been expelled long ago so she was lucky Mr. Kim was giving her a chance to redeem herself. If only the conditions were less… impossible.

She hadn’t had a proper conversation with Jungkook since she was thirteen. How on earth were they supposed to become friends? Her mind was started to hurt thinking about it and she was thankful when a cooling breeze rushed past her, weaving its way through her hair. Glancing up for a second, her attention was caught by a bright gold store across the road.

The words ‘Sooman Records’ hung above it in ceramic white letters. Jaera hummed to herself in curiosity, making a detour to check it out. Her jaw dropped when she stepped inside. Hundreds upon hundreds of CDs, vinyls and cassettes lined the shelves of the store. It was like music paradise.

A cheery worker greeted her at the door, his auburn hair nestled neatly on his head. “Hello, miss. Do you need any assistance?”

His bright smile put her off at first but she returned it hesitantly.

“No thanks, I’m just looking,” she replied. “I didn’t even know this place existed.”

“Yeah, well we haven’t been open for long so feel free to check it all out. If you need anything, I’ll be right here.”

“Thanks, er…” She checked his name badge and grinned. “Chanyeol?”

His smile seemed to widen and he bowed shyly, making Jaera giggle. Even though he was a little strange, his friendliness was both comforting and welcoming.

She spent a good forty-five minutes sifting through the CD collections, awing at some of the vinyls and listening to the music they had on display. Time seemed to elude her when she was there. All the problems that had once been hoarding her mind had disappeared almost instantly. All that existed was her and the music.

It was no surprise where Jaera got her love of music from. Before her father was a gardener, he played in a band with his high school friends. They didn’t make it big or anything but Jaera’s childhood had been abundant with music when he was alive. Guitarists like Jo Satriani were a dominant part of the soundtrack to her life. She herself had a love of singing, and she tried to learn to play guitar but she didn’t have enough patience. Music was just a hobby for her and sometimes it was the only way she felt connected to her dad anymore.

One time, she had walked in on her dad sitting  in his room, a guitar and notepad propped on his knees and a pen in his mouth. His fingers seemed to dance effortlessly along each string, causing a beautiful melody to float through the air. As soon as Jaera walked in, his face lit up, the wrinkles around his eyes deepening.

“Jaera,” he mumbled, taking the pen out of his mouth and setting the guitar down beside him.

“Daddy,” she grinned, climbing on to his now vacant lap. He her hair gently as she cuddled closer to him.

“What was that you were playing?” she asked, looking up at him. His skin was like leather, rough and worn, but she loved running her fingers along it.

His calloused hands held her tighter. “I was just writing a song… but I can’t think of anything to sing about.”

“Why can’t you think of anything?”

He sighed. “I don’t know. It’s just one of those days, Jae. I need to find some inspiration.”

“Ins… Inspiration?”

He hummed in approval. “Yep. I’ve run out of inspiration.”

“Maybe you can go buy some more?”

Her father chuckled deeply and Jaera smiled at the sensation. “Okay. You can help me find some. Will you do that for daddy?”

Jaera’s eyes brightened. “Of course! We can go get some tomorrow.”

“Alright, honey.”

He cradled her in his arms and hummed a gentle tune, a peaceful smile dancing across his lips.

“Jaera.”

“Yes, daddy.”

“You are the best song I’ve ever written.”

At that, Jaera gradually fell asleep on her father’s arms, embraced in his loving warmth and music.

A tap on Jaera’s shoulder shocked her back into reality. She opened her eyes to see she was still in the record store, with Chanyeol standing beside her. Removing her headphones, she tilted her head to look at him in confusion.

“You must have been really enjoying the music.” He laughed.

She blinked a few times and nodded, putting the store’s headphones back in their place. “Yeah, sorry I get like that sometimes,” she replied.

“No problem. I’m like that, too. That’s why I started working here.”

“Seems like a pretty sweet job,” she agreed.

“Yeah, you should apply… there’s a vacancy at the moment. I think you’d fit in well.”

She took a second to consider it but shook her head. “I don’t know. I’ve got school to worry about and…”

“That’s fine. Just think about it. Like you said, it’s a pretty sweet job.”

“True. Well, I’d better head home. Nice meeting you Chanyeol.”

“You too… um…”

“Jaera.”

He offered her a giant smile and bowed. “Bye, Jaera.”

Laughing at his weirdness, she waved before exiting the store. I think I’ll be visiting this place more often, she thought.

***

“What the ?”

Jaera’s mother rolled her eyes, resting a hand on her hip. “That’s not very polite, Jaera.”

“Sorry, let me rephrase that… What the actual , mom?!”

“You know what, Jaera!” Jaehee began to shout. “I’ve had just about enough of your – “

“It’s okay, Miss Lim,” Jungkook intervened. “I can understand this must be a shock to Jaera. I haven’t been here in a while.”

“Shut your fake mouth, Jeon Jungkook!”

“JAERA!” Her mother’s face was growing redder by the second, so Jaera immediately shut up.

“Fine, I don’t wanna be in the same house as… that,” she quoted his words from earlier. “So I’ll be down at the park or whatever. Don’t wait up.”

She swiftly the balls of her feet, making a beeline for the door, when Jungkook dashed in front of her. She instantly jumped back.

“Move, before I break your skinny, little legs!”

“Now, now, Jaera.” Jungkook smirked. “That’s no way to talk to your new roommate.”

“MY WHAT?! Get the out of my way!”

“Jaera, honey… Come sit down. Please.”

Jaera was still glaring at Jungkook as her mother guided her to the couch by her shoulders, setting her down gently.

“What the hell is going on?” she asked, frustrated.

Jungkook took a seat across from her, next to Jaehee.

“Well,” her mother began. “Jungkook told me about what happened at school… I can’t believe you’ve been bullying him for so long, Jaera! I’m really disappointed in you.”

“Me? Bullying him?! This must be a joke, mom.”

Jungkook was sitting there the whole time with a smug look on his face. He loved how persuasive he could be sometimes. He was just lucky he’d reached Jaera’s house before her, otherwise he wouldn’t have been able to tell her mom ‘his side’ of the story without Jaera interrupting.

“It’s not a joke.” Jaehee sighed. “You two have known each other for far too long, so I can’t understand why you don’t just put your differences aside for once.”

“Because I hate him.”

“No, you don’t.”

“How the hell would you know, mom? I’ve hated him since the moment I met him.”

“Well, after what’s happened at school and both you and Jungkook’s conditions… You have no choice, Jaera. We’re going to sort this out as soon as we can. I don’t want you getting expelled.”

Seriously? He told her about that. She glared at Jungkook, her face burning. “Argh! Why can’t you just keep your mouth shut for once in y – “

“I’m not finished, Jaera,” her mother growled. Jungkook’s smirk deepened as Jaera cowered back a little. “Once you turn eighteen you can start making decisions for yourself, but for the time being, this is my house and you abide by my rules. Starting tomorrow, Jungkook will be staying here until you two can stand to be in the same room without fighting.”

Jaera could feel each cell in her body freeze. It was like someone had thrown a bucket of ice water over her head. She didn’t know what she was feeling at that moment. Anger? Resentment? Regret? Maybe it was a mixture of all those things and more. Rage was burning inside her as she slowly dragged her gaze to Jungkook’s stupid face.

“You’re so dead.”

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