13

“So, how has the week been so far?” 

Hara looks up from the roasted beef on her plate and offers Yunho a shrug. “Good, I guess.”

“Only good?” he asks, arching an eyebrow. Hara sighs and pushes the vegetables on her plate around. 

“It’s as good as it can get.”

“And how has Jungkook been treating you?” Jungkook looks up from his glass and Yunho smiles fondly at him. 

“Fine,” Hara replies, “he’s very helpful.” 

There’s a bite to her words, and Jungkook’s clenched jaw is enough indication he caught it, but Hara couldn't care less and plasters on a fake smile when her mom gives her a curious frown.

“And Taehyung and Hoseok, you have been hanging out quite a lot,” Yunho says, wiping his mouth with a napkin, “I am glad you found friends to help you settle.”

“Yeah, I’m too.” 

The rest of the dinner is equally boring and dull, but Hara offers vague replies whenever questions are directed at her, and then leaves to finish off some reading for her history class. 

On the way down the hallways, however, a hand shoots out and pulls her inside a small room, and Hara instantly recognizes the scent of detergents and washing powder. 

Jungkook keeps enough space between them and leans against the shelf behind him. 

“What the hell do you want?” Hara asks, crossing her arms over her chest. 

“What part of my warning did you not get?” 

Hara arches an eyebrow. “I got all of it. What part of stay out of my way did you not get?”

“You know, hanging out with Min does nothing to help your situation.” So his surname is Min. Interesting. “In fact, it only makes you more of an outcast.” 

Jungkook looks awfully annoyed by the concept, and Hara suppresses the urge to roll her eyes. “Why does it bother you so much?” 

“It doesn’t bother me,” Jungkook says, but Hara knows a lie when she hears one, and she scoffs. 

“Sure thing.” 

She pushes away from the wall and crosses the small space to the door, her hand barely reaching the handle before she’s whipped around and pushed against the door. 

“You’ve got some serious kinks to work out,” she snaps, glaring up at Jungkook who looks equally annoyed. 

“Stay away from Min.” Jungkook’s jaw is clenched. “He’s bad news.”

“I don’t really care,” Hara snaps, and Jungkook bristles with anger.

“Hara,” he warns, but she scoffs humorlessly and shakes her head.

“While he was defending me today, you were simply staring.” She arches an eyebrow, arms crossed over her chest. “Why should I listen to your advice when you clearly couldn’t care less about me?” 

Jungkook is quiet, his stare hard and icy, but Hara stands unwavered and adamantly tilts her head upwards, not in the slightest ready to give in. 

“You’ve got it wrong,” is what Jungkook murmurs a couple of moments later, and Hara wants to ask what the hell that means, why he looks so angry but also hurt. “Just keep your distance.” 

“ no.”

Jungkook closes his eyes and drags in a deep breath, unknowingly moving closer to Hara, and she tries not to flinch in surprise but stands her ground, still staring up at him. 

A thought appears in the back of her mind, something along the lines of a compliment give to her when she was angry, but she shuts it down as quickly as it appears and prays her cheeks aren’t betraying her when Jungkook reopens his eyes. 

His jaw clenches, Hara pretends not to notice and arches an eyebrow, and Jungkook takes a step back and twists the handle by Hara’s hip. 

“I’ve given you a clear warning, Hara,” he murmurs, voice low, sending a poorly suppressed shiver down Hara’s spine, “don’t come to me when goes down and he’s gone.”

Hara doesn’t get the opportunity to ask for him to elaborate because Jungkook gently presses a hand to her hip and moves her aside so he can leave, the door left ajar after him. 

Hara stays for a couple of moments, trying to gather her thoughts and make some sense of them, but the room suddenly becomes too small and she all but rushes out of there. 

Homework becomes impossible, and she somehow ends up falling asleep despite the headache forming behind her eyes. What the hell could Rooftop-boy have done to earn Jungkook's disapproval?