The POV has changed to third-person fyi ^^

Everything was fine up until yesterday when they went to the museum. It felt so natural that Inhee hadn't even noticed how much time she had been spending with Hoseok and others. Word, clearly, had gotten out; how Hoseok was waiting for her after school and how they left together often.

It was that that lead to Inhee's locker being bombarded with hate remarks splattered in permanent marker and paint. When she opened it, sorry excuses for letters poured out, counting up to at least thirty of them. They were filthy and filled with hatred, but Inhee only sighed at the sight. She wondered why these lockers were made the way they were: that the slits were large enough for full letters to slip in.

She sighed because this wasn't the first time at all, and she cursed herself in her head because she knew what this was all about. Even if she didn't read any of the hate on the front of her locker or even glanced at any of the letters, she knew.

But this time, it hurt so much more. Of course it would. When she put so much trust and time with Hoseok and she was receiving this backlash, it was a direct stab into the most sensitive part of her.

She fell down to her knees, now uncontrollably sobbing because a stupid thing called life had to remind her she wasn't deserving of something nice. Hoseok may have seen her as beautiful and well crafted stained glass, but everyone else still saw her as an abandoned, haunted window no one wanted to see.

“Inhee?” a voice came from close by.

She looked up and saw Taehyung standing there.

“Don't look at me,” she grumbled, shielding her face away from the boy with her hand.

“Why are you on the ground?” he obliviously asked.

“...”

“If you wanna cry...” Taehyung crouched down. “...at least wipe your tears with the debris of your enemies.”

Inhee raised an eyebrow at him, and he pointed at the letters and chuckled. Inhee chuckled lightly along with him and he simply smiled before reaching to grab one of the letters.

Ripping it in half, he used a relatively clean piece and pat her eyes dry. “You should wash your face or else your eyes will get puffy and that won't look good.”

“...As if I even looked good to begin with.”

“Eh, you're okay.”

Inhee glared at his honesty for a second, but before they knew it, they were smiling again.

Inhee thought about Taehyung for a long time after that because as weird of a kid he was (she had a feeling he was younger than her too), he was pretty decent.

It didn't take long for Hoseok to find out about what happened, and when he did, he was absolutely furious. At lunch, slamming his tray down in front of her, he voiced worriedly, “What happened?”

Inhee's lack of explanation and silent staring caused him to tone down, “S-sorry...what...what happened though?”

“It's nothing,” she lied. “It happens all the time.” Well at least that was the truth.

“Nu uh, I've never seen a locker like that.”

“Welcome to my life then,” Inhee scowled at him. Out of all the times he was understanding, why wasn't this one of them?

“Inhee...I read what was on the lockers,” Hoseok said. “Why would they--?”

“I don't know, why would they?” Inhee scoffed. “I thought you understood where I came from.” She spared no mercy on him. “I would think you'd know. That people hate for no ing reason.”

Hoseok sat shocked and speechless, his mouth wanting to say something, but he knew he did wrong.

“Out of everyone, Hoseok, I would expect you to understand the most. I guess I made a mistake about that...again.”

Inhee stood and dashed out of the cafeteria, leaving everyone stunned except Hoseok, who only sat there feeling he really messed up.

Inhee went back to her locker, this time armed with paper towels and a spray bottle of cleaning solutions: things she always had handy for situations like these. Vigorously, she wiped down her locker to get her frustrations out. She was angry at Hoseok, the world, her life, but mostly herself because she let it all happen.

All in a couple of weeks she broke down so many of the barriers she spent years holding up. All because of a person named Hoseok. All because she thought or felt she was special.

When the front was stripped of most of its defamation, she knew she had to throw the letters away as well. However, when she opened the locker, completely different letters poured out. Instead of ripped, half-assed, dripped pieces of paper, real letters fell out. Letters in pink and white envelopes and badly drawn faces and shapes and glitter and fancy lettering took over the space where the hate letters used to be.

Confused, she picked one up and it read:

Let's knock them down! - Taehyung

A different one read, Let's deal with them together – park jimin along with a bad drawing of people.

You don't need to care about them if you have us :) – jungkook

We're here for you <3 – jin

Inhee fell down bawling for the second time today, but this time, it was clearly from happiness. She didn't believe she deserved this. She didn't want to believe or know that there were people like this in this world. But she was so, so damn grateful.

She composed herself eventually and when she went back to her locker at the end of the day, the four boys stood there waiting for her.

Coyly, she smiled and greeted them, in which they replied in a rowdy, completely opposite manner.

“Inhee ahhhhhh~” Jimin cooed.

“Let's go dance, okay?”

“Let's show them they have everything to be envious of you and shove it in their faces!”

And when Inhee turned around, she could practically feel the jealous glared and the spreading gossip.

Inhee guessed that they would be wondering why she was so “special” and didn't deserve them to be “hovering” all over her. She hated this attention and normally she would deny any relationships with people through ignoring them, but here, it was different.

She clenched her fists and claimed them as her friends. Yes, Taehyung, Jin, Jungkook and Jimin were her friends. It wasn't the fact of her being unworthy for them, but the fact that they were way more worthy. She shouldn't reject their love, and she was honestly insulted at the way others looked at her around them.

So she did something no one, not even herself, would expect her to do. She smiled brightly at the boys and linked her arms between Jungkook's and Jimin's arms.

Even the four seemed pretty surprised, but Inhee would know that. Inhee was going to show them, the people that were staring, that she was truly friends with them, the boys. They could stare as long as they wanted. It gave a sense of thrill, almost, constrasting with the times she'd let others step all over her. Because this time, there would be someone to protect her now.

She then remembered Hoseok, whom she was disappointed in because of his lack of understanding. She was also a bit disappointed that he wasn't here, either.

She asked, “Umm...Hoseok?”

“He said he'll meet us there, at Svpreme,” Taehyung said.

Inhee nodded slowly.

“Did something happen?” Jin asked.

Jimin and Jungkook raised their eyebrows at the girl suggestively. “Oh~ Did something happen?”

Inhee lowered her head, “I...got mad at him.”

The two boys next to Inhee frowned and only let out an 'Oh' before becoming quiet.

“Hoseok must have been hurt pretty badly,” Taehyung said. “Whatever you did, he probably took it to heart.”

“Taehyung!” Jin smacked the back of his neck. “I'm pretty sure it's not either of their faults. Must have been a misund—”

“It is...my fault, actually,” Inhee confessed, sighing.

“That's probably what Hoseok's thinking too. That it's his fault,” Taehyung said until the other three boys glared at him. “I-I'm just saying.”

Inhee smiled faintly at Taehyung, “Do you really think that?” She wanted to apologize to Hoseok because of her outburst, but hoping he wasn't mad at her.

“...Hoseok cares about you a lot...so things you say can make or break him. He talks about you a lot, to be honest,” Taehyung explained. “So if anything, he's probably far from blaming you.”

Inhee blushed at how Taehyung said Hoseok thought about her a lot. “Okay then” was the only thing she said while having her head down to hide her reddened face and uncontrollable smile.

Out of the corners of Taehyung's eyes, he watched Inhee's reactions and sighed internally. Maybe he should have kept his thoughts to himself.








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updated! i wonder if you guys can see things happening lolol

there's not much to say about this chapter i guess?

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