Chapter 9

* * *

Jungkook's POV:

After a few days of staying at home and resting, I decide I'm finally well enough to go back to school. I'm mostly dreading it, but school means that I can see my friends again, and maybe even Jimin. I bite my lip at the thought. Why do I want to see Jimin so bad? Because he saved my life, that's why. That's it. 

Although I'm tired as hell, I reject my dad's offer to drive me to school. Instead I take the bus, earlier than usual, so that there aren't many people there. I plug in my earphones and turn my music up to the point of deafening, but there's something enjoyable about the way the just-too-loud music throbs against my skull and the fiery pulse of the beat dancing around my head. I close my eyes and rest my forehead against the frosted window, looking out onto Seoul's empty streets. It's peaceful- which is something I've been craving recently. The bus finally halts at my stop, and I thank the driver and get off. It's so early that the school gates aren't even open yet, and I don't really want to wait outside. I haven't had breakfast yet- I could take the time to buy something from the small cafe across the road. I dig my hands deep into my pocket- it's freezing. I could do with something steaming hot. When I get to the cafe, I order a small bowl of ramen, because I'm really that hungry. Ramen for breakfast? Not a bad an idea as it sounds. I sit down at a table near the front of the cafe, facing the large glass window. I watch the hundreds of schoolkids flood in through the gates, laughing, chatting. Not so long ago I barely knew what it was like- to have friends, to make a joke about something and have someone laugh, to feel like you're actually part of something. I catch a glimpse of six boys that stand out from the rest, and a small smile forms on my lips. They all look pretty different- Taehyung's got the craziest orange-pink hair, sticking up everywhere, and Jin's is a startling blonde. Namjoon's hair is the most shocking- a questionable green bowl cut. Yoongi's is a simple brown and Hoseok's is a caramel colour. When I see Jimin, however, I think my heart stops for a bit. His hair has gone from it's gorgeous orange to raven black, and he looks even better than before. Natural, beautiful. I keep my gaze trained on him until the Bangtan Boys are small figures, too far away to be seen. 

I finish my ramen and start to make my way towards school. I've still got a habit of keeping my head down, my eyes on the floor. Invisible. I enter the school building, suddenly overwhelmed by the sheer amount of people. It seems that I've forgotten what school was like. Crowded. Loud. Chaotic. But something strange happens this time. Everyone goes quiet, and a hundred eyes full of- is that awe?- stare at me like I'm a celebrity. I raise an eyebrow, confused. Is this... is this a prank? A joke? Am I going to find myself in that ever-so-familiar pit of humiliation? Whispers circulate the room, and I'm completely lost. Terrified. What the is going on? A girl comes up to me, I think she's in one of my classes but I don't really remember her name.

"Jungkook, you're so brave," she breathes, looking up at me with wide eyes. I don't quite know what to say, and just stand there, awkward. She giggles a little and steps back into the silence. I tilt my head, scanning the room, before everyone bursts into chatter. They're all speaking to me at once, shoving past each other to get closer to me. I amble backwards, alarmed. What's happening? I place a hand on the wall to steady myself, desperately looking for a way out of this. 

"You're such a legend!"

"I don't think I'd have had the guts to do that!"

"Congrats, kid!"

"He's so hot, look at him!"

Curse words run through my head, over and over. I hate this. Attention. I ing hate attention. I bow my head in thanks for whatever they're saying, and edge my way through the mass of people. I feel like I'm about to be crushed to death, when one kid yells out, "Make way for him, you idiots! You're gonna kill him!" and with that, everyone leaves a path for me to walk through. I feel like I'm on the red carpet. I almost run through, up the stairs, down the corridors, where even more people say things to me, pat me on the back. What the hell? I can finally catch my breath when I reach the formroom. Sehun, Vernon and Jackson look up at me from their seats. 

"Jungkook! You're back!" Sehun grins, throwing an arm around me. "How are you feeling?""Fine," I say. "You know what happened to me?"

"Every bloody person in this school knows what happened to you," Vernon says. "You're savage, Jeon Jungkook. I did not expect that from you."

"Taking on all of Hongbin's crew by yourself and saving that Bangtan Boy's asses all at once? I commend you," grins Jackson.

"What?" That's not really how I remember it all happening. "Who told you that?"

"The Bangtan Boys themselves, of course," Jackson continues. "They've spread it round the whole school, made you out as a hero. God, no one's shut up about it for days."

The Bangtan Boys told everyone I'd saved them? Why on earth would they do that? 

"Well, that's bull," I say bluntly, and explain the actual story to them. By the end of it, the three of them are shocked. 

"That's equally cool," says Vernon. "Okay, maybe not as cool. But still pretty cool."
I laugh.

"I should probably get the truth round before I win a Nobel Prize or something," I say, ping my schoolbag to take out the books for the next two lessons. 

"What the hell? You do that, over my dead body," Sehun says, putting a restraining hand on my wrist. "Because of you, we're becoming ing famous around here. Remember, your popularity rubs off on us, too. There's no way you're dropping this hero image so fast."

"Okay. Whatever. But you tell me when it gets too much for you all to handle," I warn mockingly, shoving my stuff into my locker. Sehun goes on about how he can handle anything, because he's ing Oh Sehun. Vernon snorts and tells him to go his , which makes the atmosphere awkward for a few seconds before we all burst out laughing. The first four lessons go by pretty quickly, and I'm surprised how I manage to keep my focus in the classes with practically everyone in the room talking to or about me. I wonder how long this'll last. And how long it is before I run into the Bangtan Boys again, because I've got a fair few questions for them. 

The bell goes to signal the start of lunchbreak and we go to the cafeteria for food. I'm still quite full from the ramen so I just buy a sandwich. I make towards our usual table in the corner of the hall, but Sehun says he wants to exploit my newfound popularity and sit in the middle table. 

"Are you crazy?" Jackson hisses, glancing at the room full of people looking at us. "This is where they sit."
By they, Jackson means the school's elite. The popular ones. The likes of the Bangtan Boys. Sehun waves his hand dismissively and we all perch on the edge of the se