Jaera stayed back in school that day, hassling Hyesoon to no end. Ever since her best friend and Jimin had made an agreement to break into the security room, she’d been trying to convince her otherwise. She really didn’t want to see it ending badly. They were still standing by Hyesoon’s locker, engaged in a useless debate, when Jaera felt a shadow approach her from behind. Hyesoon’s face went stone cold.

“Hello ladies.” Mr. Kim’s voice always had the ability to make Jaera freeze.

“Afternoon, sir,” Hyesoon greeted politely. It was the second time in one day that he had spoken to her and she felt as though she was being targeted for no reason.

“How has your day been?” Mr. Kim asked, almost sounding amiable.

“Good, fine,” Jaera answered abruptly.

“Well, I just thought I’d pop by to remind you there are only seven weeks left until this semester ends.”

“I know.”

“I just hope Jungkook has been treating you well. It would be a shame to see him lose that scholarship because of this.”

“Wouldn’t it just,” Jaera replied boredly.

Mr. Kim’s expression remained stoic before a small smile appeared on his lips. “Well, I’ll see you later. Behave yourselves.”

“We will,” Jaera called out as he stalked off down the corridor.

“Man, he gives me the serious creeps,” Hyesoon said, shuddering overdramatically.

“Me too. Maybe now you’ll reconsider breaking his rules?”

Hyesoon shook her head. “No way. If anything, now I’m even more sure about this. I’m gonna bring him down if it’s the last thing I do.”

A calm wind greeted Jaera as she left school. Her mind was still running over everything that had happened that day. To think, only a week ago her life was close to normal, and now she was having to deal with more than she was capable of. It took her a while to realize that somebody was calling her name.

“Jaera!”

She glanced up and saw Chanyeol waving out to her from his store. Even though she may have looked angry, she was more than relieved about this distraction and quickly crossed the street.

“You alright?” Chanyeol asked in his usual cheery tone. “You seem a bit upset.”

“Nah, I’m fine,” Jaera replied, brushing a hand through her hair. “Just school stuff.”

“Hmm, sounds stressful. Hopefully this can brighten your mood up a bit. My boss wants to hire you.”

Jaera’s eyes widened. “For real? Even though I have no experience?”

“Yeah. He thinks you’d suit the store well. So if you’re still keen...”

“Yes! I’d love to,” Jaera exclaimed. “I mean, of course I’m still keen.”

“Great, great. I’ll call you so I can let you know when to come in for an interview – don’t worry, it’s just procedure. You’ve definitely got the job.”

“Thank you so much, Chanyeol!”

Chanyeol chuckled and patted her shoulder. “No problem. Now go home and tell your mom the good news.”

“Sure thing. Thanks again.”

Jaera couldn’t chase the smile away from her face as she practically skipped home. This was the best thing to come her way in days.

She was looking forward to seeing her mom when she walked through her front door, but she was greeted by Jungkook’s presence instead. Even that couldn’t dampen her mood, surprisingly. She bounded upstairs to her room so she could change and relax a little. Nothing else was clouding her mind except for the fact that she’d gotten the job. It was the perfect opportunity for her to distract herself and also earn a little extra money.

She was busy scrolling through an online shopping site, when someone knocked on her door.

“Come in,” she replied absentmindedly.

The door opened, almost in slow motion, and Jaera looked up to see Jungkook standing there. Her face dropped.

“What do you want?” She tried to keep her tone casual, seeing as it was the first time she’d spoken to him since Saturday.

Jungkook’s face was unreadable. He stood quite awkwardly, avoiding Jaera’s gaze. It was clear that he was uncomfortable being there.

“Well?” Jaera persisted.

“I don’t think... our friends breaking into the security room is a good idea.”

Jaera rolled her eyes. “Neither do I. Why are you telling me this?”

“Well, it’s you friend’s stupid idea. Can’t you get her to change her mind? Jimin’s actually going to do it and if he gets caught, it’ll be all Hyesoon’s fault.”

She sighed. “First of all, nobody can change Hyesoon’s mind, especially when it comes to these things. When she wants to do something, she’ll do it, so there’s no point in trying. And second of all, if your idiot of a friend gets caught that’s his own damn fault for going through with it. Nobody’s forcing him.”

“Why is she so desperate to get in there anyways?”

“That’s none of your business.”

“Just tell me,” he half-demanded. He didn’t know why he was so interested in Hyesoon’s intentions anyways, but for some reason he wanted to know.

“I really don’t have to tell you anything.”

“Jaera.”

She hated it when he said her name like that. It reminded her of times that she’d rather forget from her childhood.

“Why do you care, Jungkook?”

“I don’t,” he replied simply. “But I still want to know.”

“For ’s sake, if you really wanna know so badly.” She sat up properly, crossing her legs. “Last week, I was hanging around the gym when I heard Mr. Kim talking to someone.”

“Mr. Kim?” She suddenly had his full attention. Without even realizing it, he walked over to where she was sitting on the bed. “Who was he talking to?”

“That’s what Hyesoon’s trying to find out. They sounded pretty dodgy, though. She thinks it’ll be the perfect story for the school paper so she really wants to know who it is..”

“Okay, I guess your friend doesn’t seem as crazy now, but how does she think there’s even enough for a legit story? All it sounds like is Mr. Kim was talking to one of his old friends or one of the teachers behind the gym. That’s hardly interesting.”

“I know, but I caught a glimpse of the guy he was talking to. He wasn’t a teacher and he definitely wasn’t old. I would even say he was around our age.”

“That’s still nothing,” Jungkook insisted.

“Well, I don’t know. It’s more about what they were saying. I didn’t hear much but it was enough for me to figure that Mr. Kim’s got it in for somebody bad. And he and this guy are gonna find a way to get back at whoever that is.”

“Really...”

“Yep. In his words exactly: ‘soon he’ll be wishing he never crossed us’.”

***

Jaera’s mother got home quite late that night. She worked at a local restaurant as an executive chef and sometimes her roster called for difficult hours. Feeling especially drained, she dragged herself into her house, slipped off her shoes, turned the kettle on and slumped into the couch. She assumed the kids were asleep by then, judging by how quiet the house was. After making some chamomile tea, she flicked on the TV to see what was on.

To be honest, she wasn’t really paying attention to the show. She just needed some background noise to help her unwind after a stressful day. A sound from the hallway sparked her attention and she glanced up from her tea to see Jungkook wander into the room. He looked exhausted, dark bags hanging under his eyes and disheveled hair framing his face.

“Jungkook, honey. Are you alright?”

Jungkook slightly stumbled over to the sofa next to her and shrugged. “I can’t sleep.”

“That makes two of us.” Jaehee clutched her tea and a small smile fell upon her lips. “What’s keeping you up? I hope my daughter hasn’t been causing more problems.”

“Nah. For once, it’s not Jaera.”

“Well, that’s a good thing, at least.” She eyed the boy carefully. “You know you can talk to me, right?”

“Yeah.” He sighed. “It’s just... I don’t even know what there is to be talking about.”

Jaehee hummed. “I see. Has it got something to do with school? I heard Mr. Kim isn’t the greatest principal in the world, despite what he thinks.”

“It’s partly that and some other things, too.”

“Well, whatever it is, just try to focus on what’s important,” Jaehee advised. “What is it that you want most?”

Jungkook huffed in frustration. “I want Mr. Kim off my back, that’s for sure. And I want my basketball scholarship.”

“Then I suggest focusing on that. As long as you stick to what you love, everything else will fall into place. At least that’s how things go for me.”

Jaehee smiled as Jungkook nodded in understanding.

“Thanks Mrs. Lim.” He thought silently for a moment. “I wanted to ask you something.”

“Yeah?”

“I know why you let me stay here and all, because you thought it would help me and Jaera stop fighting or whatever. But do you think it’ll actually work? Everything was fine before, but now she’s the only thing stopping me from losing my scholarship. I didn’t even think the whole fighting thing was a big deal until Mr. Kim got involved... It’s just that I don’t know if seven weeks is long enough to sort things out.”

“That is quite a lot to take in, but I think you two can do it. She might be stubborn as hell most of the time, but she has her good moments. It just takes a little longer to get there with her.”

“I know. But, don’t take this the wrong way, I can’t really be bothered putting in all that effort just to be friends with her. For one, she’s impossible. She has the shortest temper in the world and everything she does just annoys me. I’ve hated her since I was a kid, and after ten years, nothing’s changed. What makes you think it’ll happen in seven weeks?”

Jaehee sighed. “The truth is, I don’t actually know if it is possible. I’ve watched you two grow up, with all the fighting, scratches and tears, so I know it’s going to be a challenge, but that’s what challenges are there for. To overcome and conquer. Take it from me, if life was meant to be easy, we’d all be millionaires by now. But it’s not, and sometimes you have to fight for what you want. If you really want that scholarship so much, then you’re going to have to sacrifice a few things first.”

Jungkook took in Miss. Lim’s words slowly. She was right. From now on, he had to make an effort.

“Thanks, Jaehee. You know you’d make a pretty good counselor,” he said, getting to his feet. “Anyways, I’m heading to bed now. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“No problem. Goodnight, Jungkook.”

Jaehee watched him exit the room and smiled thoughtfully. She had tried to get that very same message through to Jaera times and times before, but somehow or another, she never quite got it. Now, having that same talk with Jungkook, she hoped it would actually make a difference. I guess I’ll just have to wait and see.

Jungkook spent the next few days being as civilized as possible towards Jaera. That just meant he kept the insults to a minimum and tolerated her being in the same room as him. He had to keep reminding himself that he wasn’t doing it for her, he was doing it for his own good. Occasionally, the ominous note would come back to the front of his mind but he tried his best to ignore it. Like Jaera’s mom had said, he had to focus on more important things. So he and the boys began regularly attending their classes, much to everybody’s surprise, and by the end of the week they were all the subject of most of the rumors flying around school.

Jaera hadn’t even paid much attention to Jungkook’s change in attitude because she had spent most of her days worrying about her interview with Mr. Sooman at the records store. Hyesoon and Jimin had met up a few times to draft up a plan, but so far they had hit a dead end with ideas. Overall, it was a fairly peaceful week for the whole gang so they welcomed the weekend with open arms.

Jaera practically sprung out of bed on Saturday morning. Her foot had healed completely and she jumped up and down on the spot a few times just for good measure. She felt indestructible. The warmth of the morning sun travelled through her window and she walked over to open her curtains wider. A breath of fresh air breezed through as she gazed upon the beautiful weather outside.

Her week had been much less stressful than the last. She hadn’t felt the urge to throw anything at anyone lately, she was fully prepared to start work the next week and now she had two whole days to relax. Life couldn’t be better. After showering, she threw on a singlet and a pair of shorts since it was rather hot outside and even put aside some time to clean her room.

She was in the middle of sorting out her closet when her mom opened the door.

“Wow, you’re up early. It’s only eight o’clock,” her mother said, gaping at the sight of her daughter’s spotless room.

Jaera lifted up a pair of jeans, stared at them for a moment before folding them and setting them inside the closet. “Well, I had a really good sleep last night. I thought it’s about time I get my room in order.”

Jaehee laughed. “That is a surprise. Anyways, I was just popping in to let you know I’m leaving for work now. There are some leftover pancakes in the fridge for breakfast. Save some for Jungkook, okay?”

“Yeah, yeah.”

“Okay. I’ll see you tonight. Behave yourself.”

Jaera sighed and examined the clothes around her. The prospect of pancakes had really dulled her motivation to keep cleaning so she threw the rest of her clothes in the closet and headed out of her room. She was almost at the staircase when she heard a faint thud. Her foot stopped halfway and she took a step back in confusion. She was almost positive it had come from Jungkook’s room. After a few moments of silence, she shrugged and continued on her way when she heard it again.

What the hell is he doing?

Slowly, she trudged towards his door and leant against it to listen out for something. There was another heavy thud and she frowned. She had no idea what he could be doing in there... unless he was... Well, he was a teenager boy after all. She shuddered and almost sprinted away, when she heard a muffled scream coming from inside the room. That definitely sounded like he was in trouble.

On instinct, she flung his door open. It took her a while to process the fact that Jungkook was fine. He was lying so still and it seemed like he was still asleep. Silently, she crept over to his bed. His eyes were closed but he was frowning and clutching to his blanket like a little baby.  

Hm, he seems fine, she thought to herself. She was about to walk away when Jungkook suddenly grasped her wrist.

She gasped in shock. To her surprise, he was still asleep, but his fingers were clasped to her wrist firmly. He whimpered softly and his breathing was becoming rough. She tried to pry him off but he only pulled harder.

“Yah! Idiot, wake up.”

He murmured something but she couldn’t make out anything he was saying.                                    

“You’re dreaming, pabo,” she mumbled, but when she spotted the tears slowly forming in the corners of his eyes her heart unwillingly softened. She stood there awkwardly, hovering slightly over his bed. It was obvious he was having some ed up dream by the way he kept shaking his head.

She didn’t know what she could do seeing as he was still holding her in place. “Hey,” she mumbled, trying to pull her arm away. “Let me go, Jungkook.”

“D – don’t go...” he whispered inaudibly. Jaera’s heart stopped and she felt a sharp pain in her arm.

“Ow!” Her eyes widened in shock. She shook her wrist roughly out of his grip, only to see faint scratches from where his hand had been.

“What the ?” she said, examining them.

Jungkook was still asleep, totally oblivious to everything that was going on around him. Stumbling back, Jaera watched him writhe in his bed for a while longer, before he finally seemed to relax. When she was sure he was okay, she dashed out of his room before he caught her in there. She didn’t even realize her heart had been drumming in her chest until she let out the breath she was holding.

What was he even dreaming about? And why did he tell her to stay?

She eyed the little marks on her wrist, a souvenir of what had happened. He probably didn’t even know I was there, she thought. The most surprising part of the whole fiasco was that she had never seen Jungkook look so wounded in her life, even if he was only asleep. She had finally seen a part of his vulnerable side and it scared her a little.

What is going on with you, Jeon Jungkook?

---