6: LOST A BUS, GAINED A DONGSAENG

"I Wander," by HA:TFELT (feat. Gaeko)

                All day Monday, Naeil’s conscience was screaming at her to tell Hoseok about Jimin. It was so wrong, leaving Hoseok tortured with worry while the kid was hiding in her church’s attic. By lunchtime, Naeil made up her mind to at least tell Hoseok that Jimin was safe, although she would keep her word and not give away his location yet.

                In the dining hall, she approached Hoseok with her head down, as if ready to confess some great sin.

                “Hoseok-ah…I—”

                Hoseok grabbed Naeil by the shoulders and shook her like crazy. “Jimin-ah is at your church, Naeil-ah! What’s he doing there?! Why didn’t you call me?”

                Naeil’s jaw dropped.

                “How—how did you know?”

                “I just got off the phone with a hyung I know. He said he found Jimin at some old church, and when I asked which one I recognized the name. Did you know he was there?”

                “I…well…yeahkindof.”

                “Why—”

                “Jimin told me not to tell you, and my pastor told me to keep quiet about him hiding there. I was just about to tell you Jimin was safe. Why didn’t he just call you, though? What’s with all the secrecy?”

                Hoseok’s shoulders slumped. “I don’t know. I actually have no idea.”

                “And the hyung that found him?”

                “What about him?”

                “Did Jimin call him or something?”

                Hoseok shook his head. “He just knows that part of Seoul really well. He’s been looking all over the place for days.”

                “Oh, wow. Are you going to meet up with him soon?”

                Hoseok smirked and pumped a fist. “Ha, you bet I am! I’m gonna beat the crap out of that kid for scaring me so bad!”

-------------------

                Naeil was headed out of school when she spotted the kid through a window, spraying away at the back of the building’s wall. It was impressive how bold he was. He had only been caught once, which was really saying something, because he was out there almost every day. The school removed his graffiti on a monthly basis, but he just seemed pleased by the fresh canvas provided. Naeil smiled at the thought. Graffiti might be fun—if it wasn’t so illegal and she didn’t with spray paint.

                Instead of going straight through the school, Naeil took the long way out so she could pass by and see what he was working on. It looked like the beginnings of a new project—something green and black, although couldn’t tell what yet. He was absorbed in his work; he didn’t even glance up when Naeil passed by.

                Something made Naeil stop before she moved on. That kid…she remembered…he hadn’t been outside much last week. He hadn’t been around at school either. She backtracked a few steps and took a closer look at him. Something was different. He almost always wore huge sweatshirts or jackets, even now that they were getting close to summer, but while he was working on the mural, he had the sleeves rolled up. As usual, they were rolled up as he worked, but this time…

                Naeil took a step closer. His arms were their own mural, a splattering of colorful bruises and scratches, old, new, and everything in between. Naeil pursed her lips and looked away, breathing out slowly. She glanced at her watch. About…ten minutes till the bus arrives?

                “Hey, kid,” called Naeil, trotting up to him. “You’re the same guy that paints here every day, right?”

                He looked up, mouth hanging open in a blank expression. “Uh, yes.”

                “You weren’t here last week,” she said with a smile. “I missed your shameless of rebellion on these walls.”

                That made him grin a little.

                “So, where were you?” she asked

                The smile disappeared.

                He turned around quickly. “Vacation. With some family.” His eyes fell on his bruises, almost as if he didn’t care whether she knew it was a blatant lie.

                Approaching footsteps made the two of them look up.

                “What, what?” came the call from the other end of the ally. “Looks like two losers stayed behind after school today.”

                “What does that make you, then?” the graffiti kid scoffed.

                Naeil sized up the group of them: four teenagers, mostly second or third years from what she could tell. They looked like the same group who had beat up Jungkook the other day. The one who had spoken for sure—he was a familiar face around school. If Naeil had been anyone else at Jae-Dong High, she would probably know his name. He was tall, and he had a sneer that couldn’t be easily forgotten.

                “Look,” he said, coming closer. “Bul-ui Agma has business here. What about you, Kim Taehyung? You can’t even get in a proper gang, so you go out and vandalize by yourself.”

                “I don’t want to be in a gang. I don’t want to be like you idiots.”

                This made the tall one smirk. He kicked Taehyung’s graffiti bag, scattering spray cans everywhere.

                “Hey, there’s no reason to be making trouble like that,” said Naeil.

                “Who’s she?” asked the leader, still looking at Taehyung.

                “I don’t know, just met her.”

                “Wow, you sure got along quick. Is she like you?”

                He received no answer.

                “She also failing her classes?”

                Still no answer.

                “Does she get beat up by her dad, too?”

                Taehyung growled. “Why don’t you shut up right now, huh, Shin Juyoung?!”

                “Why should I? It’s not like denying it is going to make your dad any less of a worthless bastard. I see him all the time at my dad’s places, you know—”

                “You’d better—”

                “Who knows? If he keeps on spending the way he is now, in a few years your sister might join the fun too!”

                Suddenly Taehyung’s breathing increased threefold, his teeth clenched, and his face grew very, very red.

                “SHUT UP!” he screamed.

                Taehyung lunged into the crowd of boys, grabbing for the tallest one so he could punch him in the face. In a flash, it was a full-on brawl, legs and arms flying everywher. Naeil winced. This was getting really bad, really quickly.

                She glanced at her watch. Maybe…four minutes till the bus gets here? She shrugged, tapped on the shoulder of one of the iljin kids, and yanked him away by the collar of his shirt.

                Before the guy even had time to process what was happening, Naeil had yanked his arms behind him and flung him to the ground, landing a solid punch to his gut so he was incapacitated for the moment. The others hadn’t noticed and were still fighting amongst each other, so Naeil grabbed another guy and started to do the same, but this time she got kicked off before she could knock out anyone else.

                “What the hell are you do—?” started one of the boys, looking at his groaning companion on the ground and the half-functioning one struggling to stand up.

                Naeil dove for his torso, hooking her arm around and flipping him over so that she could press her weight into his stomach as they fell to the ground. He choked. The tall one started to grab Naeil from behind but Taehyung kicked him away, until the last boy whacked Taehyung in the back of his knees so that he toppled over.

                By this time, the one Naeil had tried to beat up previously was staggering up, so Naeil hopped off her second unconscious victim, pulled Taehyung up by the hand, and made a run for it. They sprinted all the way around the building, not daring to speak a word until the front of the school was in sight.

                “Are…they…gaining…?” panted Naeil.

                Taehyung looked back.

                “I don’t…think so. I—”

                “Good.”

                They ran around the next bend, through an archway, until they reached the school gate, where Naeil yanked Taehyung to the side. They both leaned against the wall, gasping for breath.

                “He was wrong, that jerk,” said Naeil, bending over to clutch her knees. “I don’t fail my classes. And my dad didn’t beat me up. He left me. But I guess either way we both have crappy dads, huh?”

                Taehyung didn’t say anything for a long time, so Naeil finally looked over at him. She blinked and pulled back. He was staring up at her with sparkles in his eyes, a big smile spread across his face.

                “Noona—!” he cooed.

                “Yah! I’m not your—”

                “YOU’RE SO COOL, NOONA!”

                “Yah!”

                “Treat me to a meal, noona! Please! Please please please!”

                “I have a bus to catch—”

                The squeaking and hiss of breaks made Naeil glance over her shoulder. Aish, zero minutes till the bus gets here.

                “Look, kid—”

                “Taehyung!”

                “T-Taehyung-ssi.”

                “Taehyung-ah.”

                “Okay! Whatever! My bus is here, and—”

                “But noona—”

                “I NEED TO GO, SO—!”

                The bus engine started.

                Crap. My bus is gone.

Author’s Note

Tae is here!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yeah………I can’t think of anything else to say………….except I wuv youuuuuuuuuuuu (you, readers, not Tae, but I guess him too)

No, I’m not sane right now. Please tolerate me.

I hope this chapter was good though I MISS WRITING I HAVEN’T WRITTEN ANYTHING NEW FOR A FEW WEEKS AND I AM DEAD INSIDE. (The chapters I’ve been posting were already written, it’s the only reason I’m able to post every week hahahahahahahaha but why am I still cryyyying).

But I feel like I have to say this - if anyone was a little confused by the exchange between Taehyung and Junyoung,

1. that's partially because it'll be explained later but

2. tell me anyway if it was like "wowwww random stuff I don't understand and I don't feel like reading this"