Chapter Four - A Familiar Back

Hyerin smiled and rolled her eyes at her brother and his friends’ idiocy. “Okay, what’s the name of the person?”

Jungkook blurtted out the name loudly and quite quickly which caught Hyerin off guard. “Byun Sumi!”

The whole classroom went silent, and looked over towards their direction. In embarrassment, Jungkook rubbed the back of his neck, and answered softly this time. “Her name is Byun Sumi…”

All three of the boys looked to Hyerin as a light bulb went off in her head. “Oh you mean Sumi the senior? She goes here…. Did you not know that?”

All three of their jaws dropped as they spoke at the same time.

“A SENIOR?!”

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All three of the boys sat gaping at Hyerin’s confused expression. Had they heard right? The first girl Jungkook was able to hold a conversation with was a senior and she was going to their school?!

Taehyung scoffed a laugh, and turned back to his homework while shaking his head. “Oh man Jungkook. You’re screwed.”

“How the hell was I supposed to know she went to our school?” Jungkook snapped back at laughing Tae. Jungkook’s mind flooded with past pictures of the school trying to grasp at any image that Sumi might be found in. It wasn’t even that big of a deal though… why were they acting as if this would affect them? Sumi was just someone I had met the other night. There was no reason to be fussing over just a girl.

“Whatever. Why are we even looking for her? This shouldn’t be that big of a deal.” Jimin laughed at Jungkook’s annoyance.

“So you’re saying you don’t want to see her again?” Jimin raised an eyebrow at Jungkook who was trying to conceal his expressions.

Rolling his eyes to turn back to doing with homework with Taehyung, Jungkook shrugged at Jimin’s question. “I couldn’t care either way.” But as soon as the words left his mouth Jungkook felt a pit form in his stomach. He recalled Sumi’s smile and soft words once again, and thought about what it would be like to see her again. Would she be as nice as before or maybe distant? Or what if he couldn’t talk to her at all now that he knows who she is? Then she would feel as if he was avoiding her… god this thinking is annoying as hell.

“Why are you guys asking about Sumi? Did you also hear about the incident that happened earlier today?” Hyerin asked as she sat down and pulled out her phone.

Jimin who was too distracted with Jungkook’s distant mood stopped to listen to his sister. “Wait, what about what?”

Looking up from her social media, Hyerin sighed loudly in exhaustion. Jimin honestly waited for an answer out of curiosity while Jungkook slowly paused from his writing to listen.

“You didn’t hear about the fight? I thought the whole school knew…” She said tapping her fingers on the table out with boredom playing at her eyes.

Taehyung, who had been too busy with his work to pay attention to their conversation, leaned back in his chair now interested. “Did I hear you say a fight?”

“Well it was more of a loud argument rather than a physical fight,” Hyerin mumbled.

Dissatisfaction calmed his excited eyes. “Oh, that’s lame.” Taehyung turned back to his homework with a yawn.

“Wow. I didn’t know you were such an Taehyung,” Hyerin scowled at him as he shrugged without looking back at her.

“Well now you know.”

Jimin hit Taehyung over the head. “Hey don’t be mean to my friend,” Jimin cooed at Hyerin. “You’re not an …” he said turning to his friend.

Taehyung whisked around with a grin. “AWww really?!-”

“You just do things most of the time,” Jimin finished while patting Tae on top of his head before turning back to his little sister. “Now, please continue.” Taehyung clicked his tongue and went back to his work. “Meanie,” he mumbled under his breath.

Hyerin shook her head at the pouting Taehyung. “Okay well anyways, there’s a so-called drama string going on between a few of the seniors… or so I’ve heard.”

Taehyung who had acted like he was disinterested soon started to pay attention and listen to the gossip Jimin’s little sister had picked up because it seemed more enticing than Physics.

“Well Sumi had picked up her drunk college boyfriend from a bar, and was taking him home. I’m guessing from the yelling that was heard in the hallways today, her friend, Yoon Jeonghan, got mad at her for letting the man take advantage of her that night.”

“Take advantage?” Taehyung asked turning around.

“Yea, her boyfriend tried to force her into some things she didn’t want to do…” Hyerin’s voice trailed off leaving a tense silence between the four knowing what she was implying.

“Sumi was trying to apologize to Jeonghan because that night she needed him to pick her up, but he was too pissed to listen to her explanation. When one of her friends stepped in as he was going off on her, Sumi stormed off and left because of something he said…” Hyerin tapped her cheek trying to think of what he had said.

Jungkook anxiously waited for her to finish while Jimin gave Taehyung a surprised gaze. “Not that many people heard it, but I think he said something along the lines of ‘a hopeless piece of trash’ or that’s at least what people were saying he called her.” She frowned in thought. Hyerin thought to herself of rumors and how they can become dissuaded throughout each ear, but she was afraid that her beloved crush might have actually said such harsh words.

“... but I don’t think he actu-”

Jimin cut off Hyerin’s quiet mumbling with a loud exhale. “Wow, what a wad. He doesn’t even have that much of a right to fuss over her right?” Jimin looked to his friends for a supporting answer. Hyerin looked hurt by her brother’s words while Taehyung titled his head.

“Well I mean, Sumi was dating a college guy so she should've expected that the guy would want more than cuddles and kisses right?” Tae added.

Jungkook scoffed. “So? Sumi probably didn’t mean any harm. It wasn’t her fault that her boyfriend tried to take advantage of her. I also don’t get why Jeonghan would be so fussy over just a friend. He should mind his own business,” Jungkook said clicking his tongue out of annoyance.

And the nerve Sumi’s friend had to call her a hopeless piece of trash. It pained Jungkook to think about the look on her face when called that and how she would feel. He replayed the pain in her eyes from that night after he had told her that she was used as an excuse. The idea of her tearing up again made Jungkook even more upset than he already was. Why were so many of the guys around her such s? He thought.

“Says the one that’s talking about an argument of people they don’t want to get involved with,” Taehyung shot back at Jungkook. Jungkook almost threw back an irritated response, but realized his friend was right.

“Well they’re childhood friends,” Hyerin explained. “I would also be pissed if my friend let herself into a situation like that, and didn’t really care.”

A pang of envy stabbed her heart thinking of their relationship. She knew that Sumi and Jeonghan were purely childhood friends, but she was envious of Sumi. Sumi could easily talk to Jeonghan at anytime of the day, and yet Hyerin couldn’t help but struggle with finding a topic to start with him in Ancient World History. Even if she didn’t have a right to be jealous, she couldn’t deny the fact that she was.

“Oh, I guess maybe that explains it then.” Jimin gave a slight frown to the group. Before another session of awkward silence began among the four, Jimin suddenly grew curious about something his sister had said.