Taehyung hated Mondays.                                                                                                          

The week started for him like every other week before. It was the same, tedious cycle. He would walk into school and he would see the same people that he saw every other day, wandering around in the hallway, or stood by the doors of the classrooms. Nothing new.

He would walk into his homeroom and like every other day, he would sit at his desk. He didn’t talk to anyone, and they didn’t talk to him, and that was the way he preferred. He shut his eyelids, listening to his surroundings attentively. He heard his classmates talk to each other, every day at school he would overhear all types of conversations, the occasional have you done your homework, what happened in the drama they watched yesterday, something about someone breaking up with their boyfriend or girlfriend, but none of those conversations aroused any interest in him.

He drummed the desk with his fingers, appreciating the fact that the chatter was discreet. No one would bother him, no one would even dare to come up to talk to him. It seemed like it was going to be like every other Monday, or any other day, no one would interrupt him from his—

“Morning Taehyung!”                           

I spoke too soon. He knew who that voice belonged to. Grudgingly, he opened his eyes and looked up. “What do you want?”

Hyunjung held out something to him. “These are for you.”

He eyed the nicely wrapped cookie box. “I don’t want them.”

She held them closer to him. “I’m giving it to you nicely, so just take them.”

“I’m telling you nicely, that I don’t want them.”

She stared stolidly at Taehyung. He had an expectant look on his face that seemed to signal her to leave him alone. She gripped onto the box tighter; she had spent ages baking those cookies and she was not going to leave until she had given them to him.

“Here.” She slammed the box onto his desk, making him flinch in his seat. “I already put them on your desk so they’re yours now.”

He glowered at her rigidly. “You… brat.”

She watched him pack the box inertly in his bag and she grinned triumphantly; at least she had managed to give them to him. Taehyung zipped his bag shut and closed his eyes again.

“—Jimin, the only thing you’ve got in common with a prawn is the size of your brain.”

Taehyung slammed his head onto the desk. What. The. Hell.

Jungkook and Jimin had boisterously entered the classroom, Jungkook laughing exuberantly, whereas Jimin was just glaring at him for his remark.

Jungkook waved to Hyunjung, “Morning!”

Jimin looked at Taehyung whom had his head laid motionlessly on the desk. “Taehyung?”

He didn’t change his position. “What now?”

Jimin and Jungkook looked at Hyunjung and she just shrugged. She got more accustomed to him acting like that.

The bell rang and Taehyung sluggishly lifted his head from the desk. The class hustled off to their seats as they saw their homeroom teacher walk in.

*   *   *

Hyunjung had been sleepy during her chemistry class. She had been tired since waking up, but merging thermodynamics with fatigue just seemed unfair. Maybe she shouldn’t have stayed up late baking the cookies. Jungkook had taught her the method for the recipe and was surprisingly patient with Hyunjung, even after her numerous failed attempts and her struggle to understand even the basics. Miraculously, they had managed to successfully bake one batch. She urged Jungkook to take them home when he had to go, at first he didn’t oblige, but she assured him that she could bake more without his support. She stayed up late until she got the method right, but once her uncle had arrived from work he kicked her out of the kitchen and told her to go to sleep. By then she was already tired, but then she realized she had homework. She had stayed up even later so that she could finish them. And now she was exhausted.

The words on the textbook began to dance on the pages. Her eyelids were heavy and her vision was beginning to blur.

“Yoon Hyunjung?”

She snapped her head up. “Huh?”

Her eyes were beginning to regain focus and she saw her teacher next to her, nudging her on the shoulder. “You must really love chemistry if you decided to give up your lunch break to spend it in here. I have to say that I’m flattered.”

She didn’t notice anyone leaving. Well this was embarrassing.

She closed her textbook and put it in her bag. “It’s already lunch?”

“For a few minutes it has.”

“Oh.” She stood up, tucking her chair behind her desk. “Sorry.”

She wandered her eyes around the cafeteria. Like usual, everyone was sat in their friendship groups. A distinctive laughter was heard and she raised her head. She saw Jungkook with his friends around a table. She took a deep breath, remembering what he had said to her before.

"And if that's not possible, I can still eat lunch with you, all you need to do is ask. I'm your friend now, right?"

She began to walk towards their table, sometimes pausing to look around to see if anyone was watching her. But they were all focused on their own conversations, giving their undivided attention to their own friends. She mustered a little more confidence and sped up her walking pace. She paused when she was stood behind Jungkook. He hadn’t noticed her yet until Jin cleared his throat and pointed to her. They turned around and smiled brightly. Jungkook was the first to greet her. “Hey Hyunjung!"

She brought her eyes up tensely. “Can I sit with you guys?”

He smiled knowingly. “Of course, you don’t even need to ask.”

J-Hope patted an empty seat next to him. “Hyunjungie, you can sit next to me.”

She slung her bag off her shoulder and went over to sit next to him. They went back to their conversation as she took out her lunch that her uncle had made. She saw Taehyung again near them and she called out to him.

“Taehyung!”

He stopped walking and he looked at her. She waved him over but he rolled his eyes and walked away even further from them.

She leant back in her seat and crossed her arms, frowning. “Why is he so difficult to talk to?”  

Yoongi flicked his eyes casually from Taehyung to Hyunjung. “He was always like that, even in elementary and junior high.”

“You went to the same school?”

He nodded. “My hometown was Daegu, until me and my parents moved here after I finished junior high. Our parents were work colleagues too.” He shrugged. “We moved because of work reasons I think.”

Hyunjung listened with genuine interest. “Were you close with Taehyung?”

“Nope. But I remember back then he was a bit of a heart breaker; he was notorious for always receiving confessions and turning them down.” He continued, “I remember this girl I liked confessed to him and he completely rejected her feelings. She ended up crying and I was pretty pissed about it for a while.”

Hyunjung looked at him with pity. “That’s kind of sad though.”

“Nah, it was ages ago anyway.”

So he was always like that. Her eyes drifted off and she zoned out for a while.

“Earth to Hyunjung?”

She brought her head up. “Sorry, I’m really tired.”

Sleepily, she glanced down at her lunchbox, but all her food was gone. She looked across the table and saw Jungkook with his hands hiding beneath the table with a mischievous grin on his face. She stared at him hard. “Give me back my lunch.”

“And if I don’t?” He stood up, hiding her lunch behind his back. He shifted away from them until someone grabbed it from behind before he was about to dash off.

He twisted his head to look at the culprit. “Aw Shinae, why’d you do that?”

She handed it back to Hyunjung. “Here.”

“Thanks.”

Shinae smiled and nodded at her. “No problem.” She spun on her heel and walked away from them, going back to her table. 

Jungkook sat back down in his seat and sulked. “I would’ve succeeded if it wasn’t for her.”

Namjoon raised an eyebrow at him. “And exactly, what would you gain from stealing Hyunjung’s lunch anyway?”

“I’d be freed from my boredom and potentially a kimbap?”

Namjoon rolled his eyes. “Of course that’s your reason.”

Hyunjung’s eyes followed Shinae as she went back to her seat. “She seems nice.”

“Shinae?” Jimin scoffed, taking a bite from a sandwich. “Being nice is all she ever is, it’s kind of annoying.”

She creased her eyebrows at him. “How is that annoying?” Hyunjung found it quite unusual of Jimin to think that someone so nice could be annoying.  

“Everyone loves her, no one hates her. How can someone be friendly all the time? That’s why it’s damn annoying!”

Jungkook straightened up and put on a bold grin. “You’re probably just jealous because everyone adores her.”

Jimin kept a dispassionate expression on his face. “You’re so nice to me.”

They all laughed and Hyunjung smiled between them.

*   *   * 

Hyunjung was walking home from school, but within only a couple of blocks the rain had started to gradually pour down. She put her bag over her head to shelter her from the rain, but it still didn’t completely cover her. With the desperate need of an umbrella on her mind, she remembered the one that Taehyung had given to her. She mentally wanted to punch herself for forgetting to bring it with her.

The droplets of rain began to get heavier and she ran to underneath a bus stop with a shelter by the side of the road. She saw someone else sat under it also, but their face was turned to the side. Right now she was kind of relieved that the person was facing away, she didn’t want them to see how much of an idiot she looked like for being soaked by the rain. She plopped herself down on one of the seats and put her bag down by her feet. The other person shifted. “Didn’t I let you borrow my umbrella on Saturday?”

She slumped in her seat. “Sorry, I left it at home.” Slowly, she turned her head to the other end of the shelter. “What are you doing here?”

Taehyung arched an eyebrow at her. “You really want me to answer that?” he said, stating the obvious and gestured to the rain.

She suddenly felt a bit stupid. “Um, never mind.” 

She scooted further away from him and leant her head onto the side of the shelter. The rain droned and drummed on the roof and all she wanted was to close her eyes, even if it was only for a couple of seconds. “I’m a little hungry…” she mumbled to know one in particular. She shut her eyes, the rain humming in her ears. “I really want to eat something, like maybe bulgogi, galbi, samgyeopsal, or maybe makchang gui…”

Taehyung was half-listening to her. “Hey, saying that stuff is only going to make you hungrier. And why is it all meat dishes?”

“Because meat is delicious…”

Taehyung folded his arms and kept his gaze forwards. “You sound tired.”

“Gobchang gui is also very delicious…”

“Hey, are you even listening to what I’m saying?”

She drowsily blinked her eyes. “Sorry, I’m really tired.”

“You should’ve slept earlier then.”

“I was too busy doing my homework,” she answered back.

“You should’ve done your homework earlier.”

“But,” she yawned. “I was… baking those cookies for you.”

Taehyung stiffened and she heard him mutter something under his breath, but it was too inaudible for her to hear that she couldn’t tell. She was gradually dozing off and Taehyung finally spoke up. “Did you really stay up late to make those cookies?” he asked, his voice softer than it was before. She hummed in response, nodding negligibly.

The corners of his lips curled upwards into a subtle smile. “You really are an idiot.” Hyunjung could only nod tiredly in response.

*   *   *

Taewon was immersed in the video game he was playing. His attention was fixed onto the screen of the television, twiddling his thumbs on the buttons of the game controller. He heard the front door click and paused the game, turning his head to see who it was. Taehyung came through the door, taking his shoes off. “Hyung, why are you late?” Taewon asked.

“It was raining so I had to stay under a bus shelter for a while. And shouldn’t you be doing your homework?”

He pretended not to hear the last bit. He gasped when he saw him take something out from his bag and place it on the kitchen countertop. “Hyung, are those cookies?”

Taehyung looked down at him. “Yes?”

“I want one.”

“No.” Taehyung snatched them away before he could get to them.

He pouted. “Why not?”

Taehyung blinked at him. “Uh—someone baked them for me. So no, you can’t have one.” He hastily went upstairs, bringing the cookies with him. Taewon narrowed his eyes inquisitively at his brother as he watched him tread up to his room. He scratched his head. “That’s weird, he doesn’t even like sweet foods.”