Chapter 18 - Clueless

Insook didn’t tell Soonja about what had happened with V that evening. She felt weird about it, almost like she was lying to her best friend, but she didn’t even know how to process her own emotions, and she was pretty sure that Soonja would just smack her upside the head for still being hung up over Namjoon when a perfectly sweet guy like V was right there, and offering his services as boyfriend. But she didn’t feel like getting lectured after everything that had happened. Another part of her couldn’t really believe that V had actually meant it when he’d asked her to date. Guys didn’t like her. Not in that way, she knew that. Surely it was all part of some elaborate prank to make her look ridiculous again?? No, she liked V as a friend and it was gonna stay that way, she decided.

On Thursday morning, she was a little bit worried about what the day would bring since she knew she would have to confront V in Japanese class, but she soon realized her worries were unfounded. He was nowhere to be seen when she entered the class, so she just took her usual seat by the window. The class slowly filled up, and about a minute before the bell rang, V’s ashen head made an appearance into the room and plopped down on the seat behind her.

“Insookie, hello!” he called out to her cheerfully.

She turned to look at him and he was flashing her a guileless, full-on eye smile. She was taken aback for half a second, but didn’t get to say anything before he went on, “did you sleep well?”

She nodded, confused, and the bell rang, so they had to focus and start listening to the teacher for the next several minutes. Throughout the class, V kept on his friendly banter, shot-gunning her as his partner when the teacher assigned a pair-work activity, and they worked together on the handout until the bell rang. For the whole class, he acted just as if the previous day had never happened: cheerful, childlike, and eager to please. Insook was thoroughly perplexed, but played along.

Once the class was over, they walked together to the main staircase, and parted ways on the third floor, while he went on to the 4^th, where the second year classes were located. As she watched him go, Insook felt terribly conflicted. This was what she had wanted, right? To just be friends? So why did it feel so weird? And why did it bother her so much? She walked back to her classroom with those thoughts in her head, and they stayed with her for the rest of the day.

***

After the end of the last class, J-Hope quickly escaped homeroom and waited for Jimin by his locker. The younger boy soon made an appearance and greeted his elder with a face-splitting smile that made his heart rumble. Once they got their things in order, they both headed towards the train station to make their way to the dance studio, where they would spend most of the afternoon and evening rehearsing their secret performance.

On the way to the studio, they were chatting about the school festival. Jimin was telling him about his class and that, just like Insook’s class, they were also making a café, which sounded pretty boring. They were so engrossed in their conversation that Jimin didn’t notice the girl who passed them by until she turned around and asked,

“Jimin??”

He stopped mid-sentence at the mention of his name and turned to look at her. He didn’t recognize her, but she was very pretty, so he grinned stupidly.

“Jimin-shi…” she pouted, “it is you! You never called me back…”

“Ahh… I’m sorry…” he gave her an embarrassed smile, rubbing the back of his head with one hand, “I’ve been really busy…”

“Really?” she asked, “are you sure you weren’t just ignoring me??” she added in a kitten voice, tugging slightly on his shirt and looking up at him with big eyes.

The teenage boy cleared his throat to hide his embarrassment, and cast a glance at Hoseok, who looked rather angry for some reason, before he looked back at the girl and took her hand away from him.

“I’m sorry… I promise to call you soon. Things are just so hectic right now…” he told her.

She looked up at him suspiciously, but finally nodded.

“We’re on our way to dance practice now, so…..” he trailed off, hoping that she would understand that he didn’t have time to talk.

“Oh?” she brightened up, “will you be performing again this weekend?”

“Yeah, soon” he told her.

“Ok. Well I look forward to it.” She smiled at him seductively.

“It was nice to see you again….”

“Euhn-ah” she said, realizing he didn’t remember her name.

“Euhn-ah,” he repeated, “of course” he added with a wink. “bye bye!”

“Bye bye!” she waved back at him and headed off in the other direction.

“Oooooufff!!!” the brown-haired boy exclaimed after she was out of earshot.

He walked over to J-Hope, who was standing a little while away, side-eyeing him.

“What?” he asked, seeing his elder’s unimpressed face, but Hoseok just shook his head and started walking.

“Hey,” called out Jimin, “it’s not my fault I’m so popular!!” he tried to crack a joke, but his friend remained stone-faced.

“What, come on! I don’t even know who that girl is!”

J-Hope turned around and stared at him. “You don’t?!”

“No!” Jimin laughed, “What’s the big deal?”

“You spent most of last Saturday night making out with her in a corner!” he snapped back at him, and Jimin was a little taken aback by the anger in his friend’s voice.

“…. Oooooooh!!!” exclaimed the boy, realization finally hitting him. “Ooh!” and then he whipped around to watch the girl’s retreating shape, which was now just a tiny speck on the horizon. “Damn…” he mumbled. He turned around and realized that Hoseok wasn’t standing next to him but had kept on walking and was now a good 20 meters ahead of him.

“Hobi!” he called out, jogging up to him, “Hobi-hyung! Hey wait!” he grabbed his friend’s shoulder and made him turn around. The look in Hoseok’s face wasn’t what he’d expected though. Instead of anger or annoyance, his friend’s eyes looked full of hurt. But it only seemed like that for a second, because a blank look soon replaced it, and then he turned away from Jimin, starting to walk again.

“Man, what’s wrong?!”

“Nothing.” replied the dark-haired boy.

“Come on man, don’t say that, you were all chipper a minute ago and now you’re sulking. Tell me.”

J-hope just shrugged.

“Are you mad cuz you don’t have a girl?”

Hoseok let out a little sarcastic laugh.

“But surely girls chase you all the time?” asked Jimin, “I mean, you’re BTS!!”

Hoseok shrugged again, “not particularly.”

“Pssssht… don’t lie! I’m sure they do!” Jimin grinned and elbowed him in the stomach, although it failed to elicit the smile he was hoping for.

“I don’t care about girls.” said the older boy finally, “I already have someone I like” he added, looking straight ahead as he walked.

“Oh?” asked the younger, his interest piqued, “anyone I know?”

But instead of answering the question, J-Hope just said, “but that person will never like me back, so it doesn’t matter.” in a very neutral, emotionless voice.

“Ah, hyung, don’t give up!” said Jimin, throwing his arm around his friend’s shoulder. “How could any girl not like you?? You’re such a cool guy!”

J-Hope turned to look at him, “You think so?”

“Yeah!!!” exclaimed Jimin, “You can dance and rap, and you’re a really good-looking guy too… I mean everyone knows that.”

The corners of Hoseok’s mouth twitched upwards as Jimin continued, “but I also know that you’re the nicest guy, who cares so much about his friends and has such a big heart… seriously.”

Hoseok looked like he was about to cry again, but for completely different reasons. Here was Jimin – poor sweet Jimin – trying to cheer him up, completely unaware that he was the person who was breaking his heart.

“You should ask that girl out…” went on the younger boy, completely oblivious, “there’s no way she would say no! I’ll help you, if you want!”

To that, Hoseok laughed and ruffled Jimin’s hair “aish, this kid…” he exclaimed, “just focus on your own worries, eh?”

“Ah… I can’t help it! If you’re sad, I feel sad too! I care about you, hyung!”

At those words, J-Hope felt his heart tighten in his chest. He knew there was a reason why he liked this boy more than he should have… and it was not just because of his adorable baby-face, or his washboard abs.

“Don’t worry about me” he said, as they reached the studio. “Worry about this dance we gotta do in two days!”

“Come on, hyung,” said Jimin cockily, “like you said yesterday… with our talent, it’s already in the bag!”

***

Much later that evening, the bell tinkled behind him as Rapmon entered the meat grilling restaurant.

“Welcome!” chirped a waitress with chin-length sandy bleached hair and thick black frames, coming over to him with a menu. “Just one?” she asked, and he nodded.

She led him over to a table in a corner, but as the boy was about to sit down, he saw Soonja serving a table at the other and of the restaurant and asked, “Oh wait, can I sit over there instead?”

“Uhh… sure?” replied the waitress, but Rapmon hadn’t even waited for her answer before walking over.

Soonja looked up as he passed by her and sat down two tables away, and she gave him a look as if she’d just smelled something really bad, before returning to her duties with the table she was serving. She walked over to her waitress friend and they whispered together for a few seconds while the girl raised her shoulders in a helpless shrug and the tall girl let out a big sigh and rolled her eyes. Then she whipped around and headed for Namjoon’s table, slapping a menu in front of him.

“Well if it isn’t Crapmonster.” she said as a way of greetings.

“Nice to see you too.” he replied, flashing her a charming smile.

“What do you want?”

“Well that’s a double-entendre if I’ve ever heard one… though I assume you’re talking about the menu?” he said, in a snarky way.

She rolled her eyes and let out a slight growl, which made him laugh.

“You guys don’t have noodles, do ya?” he asked, without looking at the menu.

“It’s a meat shop” she said, with a flat look.

“How about bibimbap?”

“How about you look at the menu instead of asking me stupid questions??”

“Ooohh… feisty...” he chuckled, which only seemed to anger her more.

“One bibimbap. Got it” she said, turning around to go to the back room.

“Hey wait!” he called out.

Reluctantly she turned around and plastered a fake smile on her face. “Was there anything else?”

“When does your shift end?” he asked, cheekily and she just groaned at him, turning back around and stomping away.

Rapmon chuckled to himself, pulled a notebook out of his bag and started working on some lyrics he’d thought about during Korean class. About 10 minutes later, Soonja came back with his food and slammed it on the table, nearly toppling the bowl and its contents all over his papers.

“Oops” she said with fake sincerity, as he cast her his first genuinely-pissed off look of the night, which gave her a small satisfaction.

“Will that be all?” she asked, innocently.

“Seriously woman, I need to talk to you. Just tell me when you get off.”

“Don’t freakin’ call me ‘woman’,” she snapped back at him, “and I don’t get off til close so you can wait all you want.

“Come on, will you just please give me a chance to explain?? I’m trying to be nice here!!” he called out in frustration as she left.

“Nice?” she repeated turning around and walking back to him. “Nice. You. Nice. Ha! That’s funny.”

“Come on, you barely know me.”

“And I plan on it staying that way.”

“Just, give me 5 minutes, please?” he begged.

“Fine.” she said as she sat down on the chair in front of him. “Shoot.”

He was so surprised he didn’t know what to say for a second and just stared at her.

“Wow. Such eloquence” she sneered at him.

“Look, you’re hardly being fair.” he protested.

“Fair? Fair!” she scoffed, “Why should I be fair?? Guys like you disgust me!” she snapped at him and Rapmon didn’t really know how to react.

“Disgust is a pretty strong word…” he said, quietly.

“Fine. Let me vary my vocabulary. I think you’re gross.”

He gave her a flat look.

“You used my friend. Embarrassed her. Treated her like a pawn in your little games. And NOW!” she paused for dramatic effect, “you’re trying to mack on me!!!” she had to restrain herself from throwing her hands up in the air and cause a scene.

“I apologized to her!!” retorted the blonde boy.

“Oh yeah. I heard” replied the brunette, unimpressed.

“What it’s not good enough for you??” he went on, growing frustrated, “should I grovel??”

Soonja scoffed and shook her head, as if he wasn’t even worth reasoning with. Then she got up from her seat saying “Time’s up Crapmonster. Enjoy your food.”

“Dammit girl, I apologized, what more do you want??”

She half-turned around and looked him in the eye.

“You’re supposed to mean it.” She told him quietly. And then she walked off.