Jeon Jungkook has never hated someone more than he hated Kim Namjoon.

 

That was a fact of life he faithfully lived by for the fourteen years he has known him. He hated him so much that he even had a separate time each day to rant about the devils spawn (which included many colorful uses of vocabulary his father would probably faint hearing). Every time Namjoons name or a name even remotely similar, made a way into his ears, his bodies response would be automatic: mind clouded, veins filled with adrenaline, and fists clenched tight. His hatred was extremely reasonable, at least to himself, because Namjoon was a despicable man who would do anything to make Jungkooks life less easy that it was. That was the type of people they were, opposing forces made to clash.

In order to understand his hatred, it was important to understand Jungkook. No matter what it was, Jeon Jungkook got what he desired. Whether it had to be imported from a different country or bought with millions of dollars, the youngest son of the Jeon family got whatever his heart wished for. It had always been this way for him since the second he was born into the world one cool autumn morning. And his main providers who always attended to his every whim were his beloved older brothers, Seokjin and Taehyung. Maybe it was because they wanted to make up for the love he never received from his mother who had passed away after he was born. Or maybe it was a way for them to show their immense affection for their precious youngest baby brother. Either way, they made sure there was nothing ever blocking Jungkooks way of getting any and everything he wanted. His desires didnt stop with materialistic objects either, it branched over to people as well. And it helped that Jungkook had mastered the art of switching his innocent act to his suave act so well because no one tried to deny him of anything. If he wanted someone to be his friend, he would just blink his eyes owlishly a few times and smile a bit before theyre practically begging to hang out with him. If he wanted a girlfriend, he would just flash a side smile or flex subtly before theyre stuttering, face blushed in pink. But there was one thing...or rather one person that didnt succumb to any of his tricks, and that guy went by the name of Kim Namjoon. 

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He remembered it exactly, it was when he was in elementary school that Jungkook meet the bane of his existence. It was after lunch when the children from various grades were let out into the playground to run to their hearts content. And as usual, Jungkook had all his classmates rounded up to play a game of Mr. President, with him being the president of course. Ordering people around was second nature to the little boy; being the youngest son of a company chairman had allowed him plenty of practice (from his maids to his driver to his cook and even sometimes his older brothers). So the string of commands that flowed out the small lips of the seven year old was as smooth as honey. After about twenty minutes of each of his commands being executed, young Jungkook grew bored of the game and went wandering off to where some of the older kids were playing. Now most of the younger kids didnt dare to come near their older schoolmates, as if an imaginary boundary separated the two sides of the play ground. But Jungkook was never afraid because not even the older kids went against his requests. The boys that saw him coming parted way for him while staring in awe (a feeling he loved) while the girls cooed at him (also a feeling he loved). But Jungkook didnt want them to entertain him today, he wanted something more, something different. And after scanning the colorful sturdy poles and patches of grass, he finally spotted something that caught his eye. It would have been hard to notice if he wasnt looking because the boy was sitting under the shadow of an oak tree at the edge of the school grounds. Leisurely, he walked through the field followed by a few of the other kids and stopped right at the edge of the shadow of the tree. The older looking boy wearing a beige knit sweater with white shorts showed no signs of noticing him. He was reading a book on his lap that was thicker than Jungkooks entire hand. Clearing his throat, Jungkook caught the boys attention as he looked up at him. "Play with me?" he asked, tilting his head a bit to the side and widening his eyes to get the full cute, innocent bunny look. The boy looked up at him with a confused expression and Jungkook almost thought he didnt speak Korean when he asked, "Um, who are you?". Jungkooks eyes widened, he didnt know who he was? That was ridiculous, everyone in the school, from student to staff, knew who Jeon Jungkook was. Maybe his vision was blurred from reading those tiny letters? "Im Jeon Jungkook." he said, standing straight with his chin up, just like he was taught. But no "Oh! Of course!" came from the boy who instead just blinked and gave him a look as if HE was the crazy one! "Okay...nice to meet you Jungkook-ssi but I'd rather finish my book. Thanks for the offer though" he said, before burying his nose back into the book. To say Jungkook was shocked was an understatement, for his mouth was open in agape and he couldnt believe this was actually happening to him. An offer? That wasnt an offer! Jungkook could feel his cheeks heat up as his classmates began to whisper around him. But he was too prideful (even for a seven year old) to ask again so instead he said, "Whats so great about reading anyways?!". The boy looked up at him with an "Excuse me?", as if he didnt hear him. But Jungkook knew he understood him loud and clear. "What a stupid thing to do, reading during play time!" he exclaimed, raising his head and looking down on the boy as if he was a disgusting bug. And maybe it was the snickers egging him on or the incredulous look the boy was giving him but Jungkook snapped. Nobody had rever rejected him in his seven years of life, no one. And this boy, who was he to be Jungkooks first?! This boy with his stupid ruffled hair and stupid oversized sweater that was making him feel all sorts of feelings hes never felt before. So he did what he wanted - like always. He swung his leg and launched the book into the air and over the school fence. "Yah!" the boy exclaimed, getting up and looking out to book through the holes of the fence. He then turned to Jungkook, a scowl on his face showing clear annoyance. And Jungkook smiled, satisfied that he whiped that calm expression off the older boys face. He watched smugly as the boy ran around the fence and after his book as the rest of the kids called out "Nerd!" and "Book Boy!". He hoped he would never see that moron ever again.

But for the first time ever, fate was cruel to him and didnt grant his wish.  

A week had passed when Jungkook was sitting on the swings and he noticed a figure in a light peach knit sweater with black shorts sitting under the same tree. He couldnt see for sure here but the boy was looking down at his lap, probably reading another book. And Jungkook tried, he tried so hard to not think about the boy and continue swinging but the boys eyes kept appearing in his thoughts. Eyes that showed him no adoration, eyes that didnt fall for his tricks...eyes that felt like it could see right through his mask of pride and into his abyss of loneliness. And he hated those eyes that felt like it would strip away of everything but the truth. Driven by his newfound annoyance he ended up at the edge of the shadows of the tree once again, this time without a hoard of classmates behind him (but he was sure some of them were watching from a few feet away). The boy however didnt pay him any mind once again, instead, flipping through the pages of his obnoxiously huge book (how was it even bigger than the last one?). Not being able to take another second of being ignored, Jungkook said, "Yah, bookworm". The older boy finally looked up and frowned slightly when he saw that it was Jungkook. "Did you come to kick my book today too? Well you might want to be careful, todays book might break your ankle" he said. Jungkooks eyes widened and felt a faint blush on his cheeks, "Your stupid books arent even worth kicking more than once! And thats not why Im here!" he exclaimed. The boy looked behind him briefly then at Jungkook again, "Oh, and what are you going to do today to entertain your classmates?". Jungkooks clenched his fists by his side, "Im not a circus animal." he muttered, wishing for the first time ever that his classmates would just leave him alone. Man, he was experiencing a lot of firsts. The boy just lifted an eyebrow at him, still wondering why he was here. "I dont want to see you ever again. Dont ever let me see you." Jungkook said, lifting his chin up and staring right into the older boys brown orbs. But the reaction wasnt what he expected. "And why should I listen to you?" the older boy asked, rising from his spot on the ground and stepping closer to Jungkook. Jungkook swallowed, was this the same guy who didnt even say a word when his book was being thrown? "Because Im Jeon Jungkook." he said, pride ringing though him. He wasnt going to lose to anyone, especially not to this gangly limbed nobody. "Well then Jeon Jungkook, you should know early on that everything in life wont always happen your way" the older boy said, a strange look passing through his eyes that made Jungkook feel transparent again. Jungkook clenched his fists, anger pushing his sense of insecurity to the far corners of his mind. "Maybe thats the case for you, but not me. I GET what I WANT." he said, eyes burning at the taller boy. The boy didnt even flinch, but instead looked at Jungkook with his eyes steady and a knowing smirk playing on his lips (Oh how close Jungkook was to punching him - if only it wasnt for that teacher standing a few feet from them). "Alright, we'll see then" the older boy said, then turned to sit back down into his spot and proceeded to read as if nothing had just happened. Jungkook felt fumes coming out his ears as he swung around and stomped back towards the playground set, 'We WILL see!!!'. 

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Time passed and the feelings of mutual dislike between the two only increased, until one day it burst to the outside world. It was during lunch time in middle school when their bitter feelings towards each other was made fully public to the whole school. Namjoon was eating an orange when he felt a heated stare against his back. He didnt even need to turn around to know who was staring lasers at him. Putting the roughly peeled fruit down on his plate, he turned around to meet the glare of the spoiled brat that was out to ruin his mood. Namjoon had never meet anyone more ridiculous and delusional than Jungkook. At first, he just wanted to stay out of his way and live peacefully but the kid kept rearing his head back into his life, he just couldnt get rid of him! He remembered witnessing the kid bossing around his classmates to put away the toys he played with during clean up time when they were younger. Even just yesterday he watched someone from his grade get played into giving Jungkook the last banana milk with his fake sparkly eyes and pout. So Namjoons decided that enough was enough. He was going to be the only person in this entire school to not put up with Jungkooks nonsense. He was going to face him, even if that meant he had to indulge in his petty arguments and glaring contests. He raised an eyebrow at the fifth grader, who was gripping his juice box with such force, he almost felt bad for it. He could feel the electricity in the air as their glares intensified with silent insults thrown back and forth at each other. Namjoon couldnt remember the last time he had a peaceful lunch because of this nightmare in the form of a boy. Rolling his eyes at the kid one last time for good measure, he turned back around to his awaiting lunch. He knew Jungkook was seething from being ignored (something Namjoon has found out that he hates) and just continued to nibble on his orange slice. It went on like that for twenty more minutes, him ignoring Jungkooks stare that would would have shriveled up and killed anyone else. Fortunately, Namjoon seemed to have enough experince when dealing with Jungkooks daily tantrums to handle it. When suddenly, he felt something hard hit him, a burst of something cold and wet drip down the back of his sweater. Now, Namjoon was a boy that would admit his faults (bergrugdidly but still) and one such fault was his clumsiness. But even he, the boy who stepped on his little brothers leggo blocks at least once a week, had never poured (not spilt because this wasnt just a simple spill) juice on his clothes in public before. Namjoon froze in his seat, not wanting to believe what had just happened and wondering if he could just ignore it. But his patience was slipping almost as fast as the liquid seeping through his clothes and onto his skin. His back was now sticky and smelled of watermelon. His favorite white, soft-as-clouds sweater was now ruined! Turning around faster than he ever had in his life to face the little demon whose hand was now empty, he roared out a, "JEON JUNGKOOK!!!". If he was in his normal state of mind, Namjoon woud have been satisfied enough with the change of expression from the kid whose smirk was replaced with a look of shock and even fear. But Namjoon wasnt in his right mind and the peeled orange slices in his fingers were slung across the cafeteria and straight into the face of the younger boy. The next thing he knew, food of all varies colors and smells were shooting across the air, the shrieking of girls and yelling of the staff members were thrown into the mix. And coincidently enough, Namjoon and Jungkook were in the middle of the food cyclone, barely able to move from the rain of cafeteria lunch specials, yet vibrating with rage. Their eyes met and looks of hatred flashed between them; red lumpy sauce dripping down Jungkooks hair and yellow salad dressing smeared across Namjoons face. Eventually, the yelling of the staff, teachers, and even the vice principal calmed the storm of students and demands of "Who started this?" was meet with several fingers pointing in their directions.

Namjoon stood next to Jungkook, the smell of the cafeteria food radiating off of them like heavy perfume. "What in the world happened?" the principal asked, his left eye twitched slightly and Namjoon knew the man was trying to reel in his temper. Namjoon restrained the urge to roll his eyes because even the principal didnt want to yell at the youngest son of the Jeon family. "He threw juice at me sir." he said, not even bothering to look at Jungkooks face in case he would lose his temper again. "Well he was the one who has been bothering me first." Jungkook replied back just as quick. The principal held up a hand to stop the oncoming argument that was about to erupt. His eyes sweept at each of them, back and forth but Namjoon knew, he just knew who would be getting the brunt for all this in the end. Clearing his throat, the principal leaned forward into his folded hands, as if he had actually thought long and hard about his decision. "Mr.Kim, even though Mr.Jeon threw the juice first, you are older and therefore should lead by example. You should have known better." he said, "Therefore, you will clean up the cafeteria afterschool". Namjoon was about to protest when the principal interrupted with a "And Mr.Jeon, your punishment will be to reorganize all the books in the library afterschool". Namjoon didnt want to believe it; he would be scraping dried up food while Jungkook would be organizing book shelves?! But he could believe it, because it wasnt surprising. If the students worshipped the ground Jungkook walked on, why wouldnt the principal throw a trail of flower petals on it as well? Clenching his fists that were hidden in the paws of his sleeves, with a "Yes sir." Namjoon walked out, not bothering to look back at the smirk that would surely be there on the other boys face.                                                                          

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News of the hatred between them spread like wildfire throughout the school and rumors of their feud only worsened over time. Unfortunately for Namjoon, being at odds with THE Jeon Jungkook had caused a major rift between him and the rest of the student body population. No one would dare go against Jungkook so he was shunned by most of the students (and even some teachers). But Namjoon was okay with that. If they were willing to ignore his presence just because of the influence of one kid, he didnt want to associate himself with them. It was in highschool when his lonely days would end and he would meet someone that didnt care about the whispers of others to approach him. That was when he met his bestfriend, Jung Hoseok. Hoseok, or what Namjoon called him fondly, Hope-ah, was a force to be reckoned with. The man seemed to be made out of cosmic streams of energy all wrapped and buddled up inside his lithe body. His energy helped Namjoon get out of his head when his thoughts began to muddle up together and became too overwhelming. He was to Namjoon as water was to fire; Hope-ah was good at turning off his 'bads'. And so his days were being filled with glowing smiles and random limb jerking dances (another fault he found he had- he could not dance to save his life) but even still, the hatred he had for Jungkook was ever present. Like a nail stuck to the bottom of his foot, it was something he could try his hardest to ignore but could never completely forget.

And Jungkook made sure that Namjoon wouldnt forget it either.

From not so subtly insulting him in his Student Council President speech publicly every year to glaring daggers at him everytime they passed in the hallway (which always seemed way more frequent than normal people meeting in hallways). So Namjoon eventually stopped playing defense and began to add in some offensive moves of his own. The speech insults were given back with twice the fire in raps he had written in music class (each time he was asked him to read them out loud, Namjoon could almost swear he would see Jungkook flinch) and glares were no longer ignored but countered with his own. Hoseok would laugh at their banter, as if they were just some playful rivals and not two beings reincarnated with deep hatred for each other from their past lives. The occasional moments in class when the teacher would drift off about something he already knew, his thoughts about how disrespectful, spoiled, and plain awful the kid was would churn in his mind. This would eventually lead to him finding his hand fisted around crumpled notebook paper. The only thing that prevented him from whacking the demonic kid with a chair (he doubted he could fight him any other way - Jungkook was growing way too fast) was the thought of never seeing him again after graduating and going off to college. With the amount of colleges in the country of South Korea, there was no way theyd up going to the same one. Namjoon had his eyes on one of the colleges in the city, Seoul Arts University, which had a special program just for people who were interested in music. Jungkook was probably going to go to one of those hi-so business universities that were all fortunately far, FAR away from his dream college.           

It was during the highschool festival of his junior year that Namjoon found out that his fate with Jungkook was not going to end as soon as he'd hoped. Hoseok and him were both walking around, a cotton candy in their hands as they pulled at the tuffs of pink clouds with their teeth when he over heard a group of squealing girls (and even some guys- strange but he was trying not to judge). "Jungkookie~! " they all exclaimed, their voices laced with so much saccharine that Namjoon suddenly had the urge to hurl the treat in his hand. He grabbed Hoseoks arm and was in the midst of dragging him away as fast as he could before he heard them say "What college are you planning on going to?". Namjoon slowed, wanting to catch the answer to cement his celebration of freedom, ignoring Hoseoks questioning look. "SAU of course", a voice he recognized from his occasional nightmares said from the middle of the crowded group. Namjoon breathed a sigh of relief, he didnt know what college that was but it wasnt the one he was going to and thats all that mattered. He looked back to Hoseok who now had a smug smirk on his face. "What?" Namjoon asked, prickling from that smile he recognized whenever Hoseok started talking crazy. And by crazy, he meant Hoseoks ridiculous conspiracy theory that he was hiding his 'secret' feelings for the youngest Jeon deep within his heart. Like how did him occasionally thinking about the brats murder-that-looks-like-an-accident translate into secretly-crushing-like-a-kindergartener?! "Well looks like you still have a few more years with him." Hoseok said, shrugging his shoulders. "What do you mean a FEW more years?" Namjoon asked, "We only have one more year till graduation". Hoseok shook his head and grinned, "And college! For a man with a 148 IQ, you sure are slow when it comes to the obvious". Namjoon blinked, once, twice, then turned to his bestfriend. "Please tell that there is another college with the same acronym as Seoul Arts University" he asked, a desperate and almost insane look in his eyes. Hoseok grabbed his shoulders and pulled him in for a tight hug, "Im so sorry." he whispered. If someone else was watching, theyd think Namjoon was told he would only have a few more months left to live and honestly, that was more or less of what was actually happening.

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If anyone asked them what they felt towards each other, they would say without hesitation that it was hate. But even still, they knew in their hearts that it wasnt really hate. It was the kind of hate that wouldnt mind if the other fell down a flight of stairs not the kind of hate that wouldnt mind if the other fell off a building. It wasnt like they wouldnt try to get along with each other if they were the only beings left on Earth. No, their hatred wasnt that deep, at least it wasnt until their last year in highschool. Namjoon was planning his latest revenge on Jungkook for ruining his book bag last week (in which Jungkook slightly unscrewed the lid of Namjoons water bottle that was kept in his bag - sneaky brat). His notes had been drenched and his laptop (which he had saved up for four years) was only a few drops away from dying a terrible death. So he decided he needed to pull out the big guns. The sky was dark with gray clouds that hung over the school track field on a Friday noon. Namjoon had someone managed to hide his lanky frame behind a bleacher, glancing over at his arch nemesis who was currently positioned behind the white starting line. When his coach fired the start signal, Jungkook and some other track students shot off, running faster than Namjoon could only dream of. But today, his goal was something else. Stetching his long arm between the steel rods of the bleachers, he rummaged through a pile of book bags. Finally identifying the one that was Jungkooks (he could tell by the brand name stitched obnoxiously across the front), he opened the bag and pulled out what he was looking for. An intricately twisted band of red and white that Jungkook has always worn, ever since Namjoon had first met him years ago. No matter what he wore, no matter how badly it clashed with his thousand dollar outfits, he would always have this wrapped around his wrist. Namjoon didnt know why he always had it, nor did he particulary care at the moment (his only thoughts were of sweet, sweet revenge). Zipping up the bag and settling it down with the others, he rushed through the bleachers to make it across the huge field. Pulling out the band, he watched it flap in the strong wind. He then glanced over at Jungkook who was about to reach the finish line. As soon as Jungkook crossed over it and the cheers of his fan club erupted from the sidelines, Namjoon released the band into the wind and walked away, not even bothering to watch it blow around and finally settle down somewhere in the grass. Heading to his next class with thoughts of how he finally got back at Jungkook put a triumphant smile on his face. 

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Even after dumping everything out his bag and turning it inside out, he just couldnt find it! Jungkook had spent ten minutes going through every single pocket and flipping through pages just in case it was wedged in between his books. But there was not a single sight of red and white anywhere. He knew, he KNEW that he put it safe in his bag because he has been doing so every single time he did any type of activity that may cause him to lose or break his bracelet. He has kept that bracelet safe with him ever since it was given to him many years ago. But now, it was missing...no it was stolen. And there was only one person in this entire world that would dare to steal anything from Jeon Jungkook. Turning around as fast as the wind that crashed all around him with his fists tight at his sides, he yelled out a "KIM NAMJOON!!!".

Jungkook raced into the school building and up the stairs, not caring if he knocked over a student or two. His target was the only thing on his mind and not even an apocalypse could stop him at this point. Throwing open the door and interrupting the quiet atmosphere of a classroom he stormed to the back row. Slamming his hands on Namjoons desk, he roared out "Where the fu** is my braclet!?". Namjoon looked up, eyes wide at his outburst and if Jungkook was in his usual state of mind, he would have felt his ego soar at Namjoons expression, but Jungkook didnt even care at this point. No one made a sound, no one moved, not even the teacher at the front of the classroom. And it was a smart choice because Jungkook knew if anyone would have done something, he wouldnt hesitate to start swinging his fist. "WHERE IS IT!?" he exclaimed louder, his patience and temper as thin as spider silk. "I- I threw it...out somewhere on the field" Namjoon stuttered, pointing out the window as rain pelted against it and thunder shook the skies. Jungkook clenched his jaw and a wave of anger washed over him. The urgency to find his bracelet was even greater, however, and was the only thing stopping him from getting into an all out brawl right then. Promising himself that later, later he would get his revenge on Namjoon, he dashed out the classroom and out into the rain. He didnt know where to start as he struggled to keep his eyes open at the on slaughter of rain but he had to try. Getting on his knees, he started to comb through the grass at one edge of the field, ignoring the cold of water seeping through his back.

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Namjoon didnt know why Jungkook was so angry. He had never heard the boy curse outright to his face before and he couldnt help but think that maybe this was all deeper than he thought. "Alright class, you may start the exam!" his Sociology teacher said, interrupting his train of thoughts. The rustling of paper could barely be heard over the sound of the storm going on outside as students began answering questions. But for once in his life, Namjoon was distracted in the face of a test. Looking out the blurred window,  he spotted a lone figure out in the field, kneeling on the ground. 'Is that Jungkook?!' he thought, surprised to find him out in the rain as another crack of thunder erupted. Now Namjoon was sure this bracelet wasnt just a fashion or ego statement to the boy. The sound of desperation was there under all that anger when he asked Namjoon where it was. The look of fear was also buried there when Namjoon had told Jungkook what he had done to it. And Namjoon had never thought he'd ever associate those types of emotions with Jungkook before. The seed of guilt that was planted in his heart grew, sprouted, and finally bloomed as he looked outside. He glanced down at his blank test and knew he wouldnt be able to concentrate on it. Making up his mind, he quickly stood up and ran out the classroom as fast as he could, but not before his teacher yelled out that he would fail the exam. Namjoon shrugged it off, knowing his Sociology teacher would drop the lowest test grade. He did extremely well on the first two, so he just had to do good on the last exam to keep his A. Running to the field in heavy rain wasnt easy (he had slipped once and broke some skin on his left knee) but he continued on until he spotted the figure on the grass.

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Wet dirt clumped around his fingers and Jungkook was certain he would wake up with a fever the next day but he didnt care. Nothing was more important to him at that moment than finding his bracelet...the bracelet his mother had given him right before she passed away. Jungkook was too young to remember, just a few days old, but his father had told him how his mother had laid it next to him along with a small, rolled up piece of parchment. The message she had written to him was read by him so many times that he could now recite it in his sleep. 'Keep this with you and one day, you will find someone that can give you all the love that I couldnt', it had read. Jungkook wasnt sure what she had meant exactly by 'finding someone' but Jungkook did just as his mother told him to do, he kept the bracelet with him always. After all, it was the first and last thing his mother would ever ask him to do. It was a solid reminder, everyday, of his mothers love for him. Reaching the edge of the field. he squinted as he noticed a discoloration in the grass. Fumbling over, he grabbed at it and let out the breath he had been holding this entire time. His bracelet, he had found his bracelet! A smile bloomed on his face and he could feel his eyes become misty, irrelevant to the weather. But the feelings of immense relief and joy was quickly crushed as he focused more closely at the object in his hands. Instead of the usual intricate and almost hypnotizing weaving of the bracelet, the different color strings were separated. Loosened and dripping pitifully, the white and red were now separated into two bunches. It wasnt even as if the first section was undone; the entire thing was completely unraveled.

His bracelet...its ruined.

Tears quickly gathered at the corner of his eyes as his fingers clenched onto the bands of strings. When he was younger, he would watch other children run up to embrace their mothers who would pick them up after school. He would envy the way their mothers would coo at them and how they would snuggle up into their mothers chest. Maybe that was why he craved the adoration and affection of others so badly. He would have fallen into resentment if it wasnt for the bracelet that was always wrapped around his wrist. And now the confirmation that he did have a mother and she did love him was broken.

For some reason, only for a moment, he felt his heart aching painfully with...was it betrayal? Because of who? Namjoon?? He shook his head, quickly trampling the feeling and replacing it with something much less confusing, anger. Jungkook felt a surge of absolute fury, rise within him. His eyes were filled with something dark and he swore his vision blurred for from the on slaughter of overwhelming emotions. He had never been so horribly mad like this before. 'HE DID THIS!!!' Jungkook thought, an image of Namjoon flashing in his mind.

'And if I dont give that f**ker hell, then my name isnt Jeon Jungkook!!!'.  

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Namjoon was about to get on his hands and knees to look when he noticed the red and white in Jungkooks hands from a feet away. Namjoon let out a sigh of relief and couldnt help the smile that slipped out (something he would never think was ever possible when it concerned Jungkook). Seeing no point in staying anymore, he turned around and trudged slowly to the school building (it was too late to run back in and attempt to finish his exam). His thoughts of the days events clouded his mind as he nibbled lightly on his bottom lip. 'Hm, I guess even the great Jeon Jungkook can understand sentimental value' he thought, unusually surprised and even a bit happy at his discovery. He had always thought that Jungkook was the devils reincarnate but even the brat seemed to have some warm human emotions in him. With that settling into his mind, Namjoon swung open the side door, contemplating (and then eventually dismissing) the idea of whether he should apologize. After all, they were still enemies and Jungkook would probably laugh at him and become smug if he apologized. But he couldnt stop the light feeling in his heart at the distant hope at the back of his head that maybe, just maybe, they would be alright. 

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It took a few days for Jungkook to come up with plan and his will was amplified by the anger that rose inside him everytime he looked at the two bunches of red and white strings around his wrist. With his multitude of connections and influence inside the school, his plan was perfected and within a week, to be carried out. At first, he was thinking of cornering Namjoon and beating him down but the thought of a few bruises did not satisfy his anger. Then he had stumbled upon something perfect. He had discreetly found out from one of the teachers that Namjoon was a possible candidate for a scholarship that would give him a full ride to college. The program for the scholarship was strict and demanding since the prize was so great. A perfect 4.0 gpa was a primary requirement, along with taking advanced classes, and even an internship was needed. If Namjoon dropped his gpa by just one point, he would be automatically disqualified for the scholarship... and that was the center of Jungkooks plan. Sneaking into one of the teachers offices, he had found out that if Namjoon failed one more exam in his Sociology class, he would get a B-. And that was all Jungkook needed. Namjoon had destroyed Jungkooks most precious possession so he rightfully deserved this and nothing less.

It was the final month of the school year, on a particularly humid day, that the last Sociology exam was to be held. And it was the day Jungkook was going to ruin Namjoons life. The test was going to be given after lunch so Jungkook met up with his accomplices in the cafeteria. Running through the plan for the last time, he emphasized that there CANT and WILL NOT be any mistakes. The consequences were unsaid but the three other students pushed the dark thoughts out their mind (if this plan was any indication, Jeon Jungkook had the total ability to destroy them) and instead focused on their reward. The three students surrounding him suddenly shuddered as they briefly caught sight of a twisted smile that flashed on Jungkooks face.

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Namjoon curved his spine, stretching the muscles of his back and sighed. He was more than ready to take the exam and get it all over with, finding the prospect of lazing around during summer vacation appealing. He had spent the last few days combing through the chapters of his advanced Sociology textbook, highlight smudges littered all over his finger tips as evidence. He was confident of getting a good score, quite possibly even a perfect score if all went well. The bell signaled that lunch was over and giving one final wave to Hoseok, they parted ways. He walked in to his class and settled down in his seat, just as his teacher was handing the exams. When everything was set, a sudden knock on the door interrupted the serious atmosphere. "Excuse me, the principal would like to see Kim Namjoon for a little while." a girl he didnt recognize said, standing in the doorway. "Alright then, Namjoon, be back quickly to take the test." his professor said as Namjoon stood and followed the girl out. He became nervous, wringing his hands and wondering why he needed to go to the principals office. He hadnt done anything to warrant trouble (Jungkook has been oddly quiet lately so no recent plans of revenge was needed). Unfortunately, his mind was overfilling again, causing him to temporarily lose focus on where he was walking. A few minutes had passed when he realized the girl wasnt in front of him. In fact, she was no where to be seen and for a few minutes, Namjoon didnt recognize where he was. Eventually realizing he was on the left wing of the fourth floor, he let out a sigh of frustration and marched towards the stairs. It wasnt unsual for these type of occurrences to happen to him. Sometimes his thoughts became too much, too loud, that he would begin to 'shut down' to what was right infront of him. 'After all, you cant run away from your own mind...' Namjoon thought, pursing his lips and clearly distracted.

Suddenly, he felt two strong shoves against his back and side. Attempting to catch himself from falling all while turning to try and catch a look at his perpetrators. But it was too late and all he saw was darkness. "What the-?!" he exclaimed, as he stood and pulled on the knob of what he assumed was a janitors closets door. It wouldnt budge no matter how much he tugged and twisted so he slammed his fist on the door. "HEY! Someone let me out!!" he screamed as loud as he could, muffled by the darkness of the small room. But he couldnt hear any steps out in the hall and he knew there would be no one outside classrooms with the tests happening. Namjoon began to panic, 'This is NOT happening! I cant miss this exam!' he thought, yelling out for help for who-knows-how-long until his voice began to go raw. 'I- I cant fail this test...' he thought, his eyes b with tears as he desperately banged on the door. Why, why did someone have to play such a joke on him now of all times?! "Please, please, someone! ANYONE! PLEASE!!!" he pleaded, his voice hoarse and his knuckles burning.

But no one came.

Namjoon didnt know how much time passed by and he didnt care anymore. It was already way too late and that he was sure of. His desperate cries became silent and eventually turned into bitter anger. FOUR YEARS, four years of studying, loosing sleep over exams, taking extra classes, and spending hours at his internship, all gone to waste! He sat in the dark, feeling his scholarship fall from his fingers and shatter at his feet. Namjoon curled his fingers into fists and held them tight. He felt his life long dream fade away as he thought about the deal he made with his parents. His parents didnt agree with his career choice: music. Instead, they had thought he would be better off choosing pre-med or law, but Namjoons heart just wasnt in those subjects. So after years of begging, persuading, and even a well made powerpoint, they had reculently let him choose music production as his major. But their only condition was this: that they would not pay a penny of his college tuition, he had to do it all himself.

And now his free ride to college was gone.

What was he going to do?! He couldnt give up on his dream yet, not when he worked so hard to get into one of the best music programs in South Korea! Not when he already has hundreds of files of beats, songs, and rap lyrics stuffed into his old desk computer since he was thirteen! 'A part time job' was the first coherent thought that entered his mind (right after the not-so coherent thoughts of kidney selling and stripping). But it wasnt the right time be making decisions and planning, afterall, his mind was still shrouded with anger. Who knows, with this mindset, he could decide on becoming a hit man. So instead, Namjoon got on his feet again and resumed banging on the door. Not thinking he would get out anytime soon, it surprised him when he suddenly heard footsteps and a voice calling out, "Hey is anyone in there?". He had never been so happy to see the hallways of his highschool than he had at that moment when a janitor unlocked the door and let him out. After many 'thank yous' and bowing, Namjoon rushed down the hallway to look up at the clock. Three hours, he had been trapped in that closet for three whole hours. He knew he wouldnt have the chance to take the exam, no matter how many times he would beg his teacher. The man was strict and valued efficiency more than anything. So he turned and rushed down the stairs to find the two people who pushed him into the closet, a fire burning behind his eyes. Today might be the first day in his life he would get into a physical fight, because there was no way Namjoon wasnt going to start throwing punches when he found his targets.

But voices in the otherwise quiet hallway interrupted his violent thoughts, especially since he picked up a voice all too familiar to him. "Thank you guys for a job well done." Jungkook said (it was no doubt him - who else could sound so high and mighty?). "It was way easier than I thought. I didnt even have to get rid of him, he got lost on his own!" a higher pitched voice said. Namjoons recognized that voice, remembering the girl from this morning (as a future music producer, recognizing voices is a must). "Yeah, and he barely resisted when we shoved him into that closest!" a deeper voice said. Namjoon eyes widened and he could feel his body begin to tremble. Of course, he should have known. The only thing that stopped him from revealing himself was being intruppted by none other than Jungkook. "Perfect, now Namjoon will fail his exam and get his precious scholarship taken away" he heard, Jungkooks voice not carrying a bit of guilt or empathy. Namjoon felt his blood run cold and he almost felt like something in his heart had shriveled up and died. But why? He knew how Jungkook was ever since he was young, so why is he surprised? Of course he would be capable of this too. Namjoon felt tears gather at his eyes once again, burning his already puffed up eyes and slide down the wall, feeling the strength of his legs leave him. It was when he heard the sound of footsteps coming towards him that that he brought his knees to his chest and hid his head in his arms. Trying to hold in his cries, he held his breath, waiting for all the footsteps to pass by.

When it seemed like they were all gone, Namjoon brought his head back up only to be greeted by another set of eyes. Those eyes that used to be so familar to him had now turned cold. Namjoon couldnt force his eyes away, seeking for the fire he usually saw hidden within them. And when he couldnt find them, he felt his last bit of hope slip and disappear. It wasnt an accident, this wasnt all just some misunderstanding. It was done with purpose and intent. The intent to make Namjoon how he was now: devastated, with his life long dream dangling by a thin thread. He dared not let his tears fall in front of his enemy, even though he could do nothing about his puffed up, pink eyes and moist cheeks. Instead he stared right back at him with the same hate filled cold expression.    

 

Kim Namjoon has never hated someone more than he hated Jeon Jungkook.

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                                                                      END OF PART 1

                                                                   TO BE CONTINUED