In all his time as the central member of the student council, he failed to understand the desperation in students’ eyes as he confiscated their belongings or sent them to detention. He could be lenient and let them off with a warning like how Namjoon would, but he didn’t. What’s the wrong of simply following the protocol?

Every truant student should be sent to detention.

Jang Jumie was aware of the godforsaken routine, was she not?

She’d never been comfortable around people. After all, she was a misfit for a reason. But that didn’t mean that she wasn’t trying. Throughout the course of their adequate ‘acquaintanceship’ (as he liked to call it), he subsequently noticed how much effort she took at trying to appear untroubled by how her peers treated her.

“Sunbae,” the brunette had acknowledged him dully from the floor.

“Horror girl.” Yoongi had replied smoothly before grabbing her forearm.

Upon finding her behind the rows of dusty shelves in the hidden corner of the library where he usually took sanctuary, Min Yoongi steeled himself with the annoying task of escorting the awfully obedient girl towards the detention hall. Aside from the lack of purpose in her pace, he tried hard to turn a blind eye to the dry trail of tears on the pale, blotched cheeks.

It was rather peculiar.

The way rows of heads turned to the black-haired girl as she slid open the classroom door. Not used to the attention, Jumie cringed under their less-than-friendly gazes and lowered her chin, directing her eyes to the ground before scattering to her desk. It was rather peculiar that they haven’t looked away even when the horror fan accidently looked them in the eye. Rather, there was an arrogant feeling to them as they graced her with condescending sneers.

When Jumie halfway reached the table, she knew why. Her eyes scanned in mixture of horror and shock the state of her table. If it wasn’t for the cream, Jumie would’ve thought that it was a waste matter that was left smudged on the beige surface of the desk. Now close, she immediately recognized it as a chocolaty delicacy that she used to loved.

It came to her realization that there was only one person in this whole wide world that would stooped this low to get back at her. She raised her head as the whole classroom broke into laughter so hard that the male students had to hold onto each other for support. The pure happiness and glee in their eyes made her wonder whether they found the sight of her being humiliated funny.

Jumie stood mortified in the cruel laughter, paralyzed at the waves of embarrassment she was receiving. Amongst the howls of mirth there came the most boisterous laughter, as loud as TNT exploding as he slapped and clapped his hands like an amused seal. With shaky breath, Jumie took a look at the victorious expression on Sanbyul’s face, and her fists clenched tight.

“Stop. Laughing.” she spoke up, face reddening amazingly—in contrast to her pale skin. It wasn’t the state of her desk that angered her, but it was the lack of respect from her peers that they had no sense of shame to do something so detestable. She was even more angry that the most students in there didn’t do something against this harassment—they merely stood there and watched like a good bystander.

“You can sit down now.”

Jumie was quickly broken out of her train of thoughts by Yoongi, who was already reclining comfortably at the front desk, feet crossing at the edge of the wooden piece. He gave her a look which was clearly questioning her sanity, as she’d been standing at the doorway of the detention hall long enough to invoke concerns.

Peering through the slits of her hair strands, she reached out for the nearest seat and lowered her forehead to the tabletop. She laid there for almost an hour without distraction, while Yoongi opted to wait for the teacher, his fingers tapping absentmindedly to a beat playing in his head.

Tap, Tap. Tap, Tap. Tap, Tap.

The quiet rhythm did little to soothe her already scattered brain. Jumie’s memory recalled the rush of inferno coursing through her veins, the overwhelming humiliation and rage as her classmates scorned her. The familiar burning sensation was building and building inside.

Fat tears rolled down from the corners of Sanbyul’s eyes, and it took a while for the laughter to subside and him noticing the bristling girl that seemed to manifest herself in front of him with the pulverized cake in her fist. He almost jumped out of his skin by the disturbing, slasher smile on her face. Jumie eyed him with mindless menace in those sunken, dark eyes.

“Got something to say?” In spite of his carefree façade, Jumie recognized the panic in his eyes; she’d seen enough fear to detect it from miles away.

The unsettling smile broadened on her face as she stepped forward, unknowingly pushing Sanbyul to the edge as he began to move back. “What the hell do you want, freak?” demanded the boy, still feigning the brave front but visibly blanched, when the misfit let out a childlike giggle.

“You’re disgrace,” she chirped, but anyone could sense the fire in her eyes. She contemplated on whether or not she would get in trouble if she force the sticky sweet down his throat but eventually decided against it as she threw the cake at his feet, watching as he flinched before regaining his composure.

Now she was no Min Yoongi. She could barely even let a curse without flinching in discomfort, lest making a stand against Lee Sanbyul. But after two years of unconsciously observing and finally ended up falling in love with someone like Yoongi, she learnt that one had to act. And she simply had no mood to subject to pitiful creatures like Lee Sanbyul any longer.

Sanbyul, on the other hand, refused to back down without a fight either as he reached out and roughly grabbed the girl by her forearm. Aside from the smirks and patronizing sneers, Jumie had never seen Sanbyul looked so furious. He definitely didn’t like her new attitude as he glared down at her, a vein popped out of his forehead.

“Who do you think you are?” he snarled. “May I remind that you’re nothing but a good-for-nothing trash! What? You now have a bunch of people talking to you and you think you’re all that great? Well, guess again, freak—none of them are even your friends! You’re just a ing mascot to them! With that face, you’re lucky that the mirror didn’t break at the sight of you!”

The words just flew out of his mouth, as simple as an avalanche of mud. The indistinct pained looked in her dark eyes eased him, but when the waterworks made its appearance, Sanbyul froze. The crowds around them, which by now consisted of their classmates and other students started to whisper, and in his shock, Sanbyul’s grip on the girl’s arm loosened.

Taking the chance, Jumie gave him a hard push as she made her escape.

She then found herself hating the taste of salt in her tears.

“You’re shaking.” Yoongi’s voice sounded like gravel as he practically shifted to the seat beside her. There was a rustle of something akin to plastic being moved before a bag of potato chips was shoved into her face.

When she tried to decline, Yoongi casually pointed out that it was one of those fish-and-chip flavour that was rarely sold on their side of district. Now hooked, Jumie and Yoongi both were silently munching on the savory treat. Here and then, they would argued childishly over whom getting the honor of hogging said snack.

Besides that, mutual silence was their only companion.

“Wanna talk about it?” he started, faintly chewing as his eyes stared in the distance.

Despite her strong feelings for the boy, Jumie was trained to be wary of people. There was a frustrated sigh, and she swore she could hear a pronounced but darkly muttered curse from him. “Look, someday you gonna feel sorry that you turned down this nice guy’s help. I mean, look at this face.” Yoongi boldly tried to look cute, even went to the point of making a sound that was equivalent to a dying pup as he flashed out a peace sign.

He could deal with complicated equations or endure through his brother’s teasing all day. He’d rather do anything than be there, but did he have to dig his own grave?

To his initial embarrassment, Jumie didn’t react to his aegyo.

The boy lowered his hand, thoughtfully brushing off the bits of chips. “...I thought that you like me.”

She accidently choked on saliva and chips, face blushing scarlet. “W-what?”

“Just kidding.” he quickly backtracked, smiling sweetly in contrast to his teasing tone.

Jumie studied his mystifying smile, wondering what he actually meant. His expression looked anything but playful; it seemed like he knew something she didn’t. It unnerved her.

“Why were you crying?” he asked calmly after a period of silence.

She blinked and shook her head, rubbing the nonexistent tears on the sleeves of her uniform. Yoongi frowned and turned his back to her, rolling his head back, staring at the ceiling. “Is it much easier to talk if I don’t look?”

Surprisingly, yes. There was something oddly comforting about the view of his back. Was it because he reminded her of her unidentified vigilante? The jacket guy? Jumie suddenly froze in her tracks, her eyes beginning to soften. “I—

“What?” the boy asked.

She gazed earnestly at the pale skin of his nape; it looked so delicate. His shoulders were so narrow, almost like a girl’s. Jumie noticed with a start an indistinguishable birthmark concealed by the scruff of his collar. The sight of slight fault on the smooth skin awakened something tender in her.

“It’s…just Sanbyul saying terrible things…” her gaze lowering in shame, tears threatening to spill. “I-I mean, he’s always mean but…I-I thought—her voice was starting to break—people are starting to like me more…”

He uncharacteristically didn’t comment on her speech impediment, paying it no heed as he slowly nodded. “How strange…”

She looked at him, confused. “Strange?”

“Since when…” Yoongi gazed briefly over his shoulder, a shadow of something indecipherable passed across his features. “…were you the type to care for what people think, Jang Jumie-shi?”

There was some mocking humor in his words. Jumie regretfully found herself couldn’t see the emotions on his face as he spoke smoothly. “Life isn’t about satisfying anyone. I guess, that’s the reason why conflicts wouldn’t end.” Again, Jumie sensed the regret radiating from him, as well as the rueful smile tugging his lips. “There’s no such thing as a society where everyone gets to live in peace. If there is, then that would only be some sick idea of Utopia.”

Jumie recoiled a bit from the bitter acid of his hoarse voice. “Sunbae…”

He made a noise of surprise and turned around to face her, his knees brushing against hers generously; a mere act that caused the girl’s limbs to lock in instinct. He considered her quietly, practically drowning in the dark depths of her irises that peeked from behind the curtain of hair.

With a small, genuine smile, his hand came up to rest on the girl’s head in a gentle ruffle that had her eyes widening in shock.

“But I guess, we aren’t that different from each other now, are we?”

Kim Namjoon quietly welcomed himself home, avoiding the creaking as he shut the door. It was past curfew hour so he expected that no one would be awake at the moment. Careful to not disturb the silence, he only had the moonlight to navigate him through the inky gloom of his living area.

With his uncontrollable strength, however, he happened to bump into the edge of a coffee table. “Aigoo! Forgot that you were there.” He patted it in apologizing manner.

“What’re you doing?”

“Gah! Don’t scare me like that!”

“Sorry,” his sister said from the couch’s cushion, though she didn’t sound sincere at all. “Are you drunk, Oppa?”

He stared at her, looking incredulous and slightly offended. “No! Is that you think of me? Anyway, what’re you doing out of bed, young lady?”

Kim Geong Min gave a half shrug, following after her older sibling as they climbed up the stairs. “Waiting for you, I guess. Stalkers have been terrorizing the streets lately…”

Namjoon looked down at the girl, and instantly grinned. “Aw, were you worried?”

She was gone in an instant. Her bedroom door slammed in Namjoon’s face. “By the way, your girlfriend is waiting for you in your room.” her voice muffled from behind the door.

His grin instantly dropped at the recently developed notice. Last he checked, it’d been a while since he indulged himself in the romance department. Feeling a chill running down his spine, he gazed warily at the direction of his bedroom. He was quickly reminded of his sister’s eerie words.

“Stalkers have been terrorizing the streets lately…”

So sorry for the very late update, guys. As usual, school and stress keeps me chained. On the bright side, this is the longest update I’ve ever worked my on. Haha. Please forgive me…