6 

“Hara, darling.” Yunho looks genuinely happy, a wide smile on his face. “Come on, join us for dinner.” 

It’s not like there are any other options, Hara thinks, forcing a smile onto her face as she crosses the space to the dining table. 

Jungkook is sitting in his regular spot across from Hara’s mom, his eyes trained on his plate, and Hara ignores a sudden irrational urge to throw something at him. 

“How has your day been so far? You’ve been locked up in that room of yours all day.” Hara tries not rolling her eyes at her mother’s sharp tone and sits down next to her. 

“I was actually outside today,” she says, this time grabbing a serving of each dish by herself, and she notices how Jungkook’s eyes follow her movements. “This is a nice neighborhood.”

“That is good to know. I am glad you feel that way.” Yunho takes a sip from his wineglass and sets it down before clearing his throat. “Your mother and I have been talking lately.”

“About?” Hara asks, nibbling on a piece of roasted potato, and Yunho amusedly watches her for a moment before leaning back in his chair.

“Your enrollment into the college here.” 

“My wha-” 

“What?” Hara looks over at Jungkook who is very visibly trying to keep a surprised frown off his face, but it’s fine, Hara’s got him covered. 

“What do you mean enrollment?” she asks, frowning at Yunho. “I haven’t applied for anything.”

“Yes, but we thought you should,” her mother says, trying to stay calm as she holds her wineglass to her lips. “It’s better than wasting your time at home.”

“I’m not wasting my time,” Hara snaps, annoyance bubbling in her abdomen, and she ignores the warning look her mother gives her. 

“This is only in your best interest, Hara. I would never force you into anything, but your mother knows best and after a thorough discussion, we have both decided as your parental figures that you should start studying.”

Yunho sounds awfully calm and collected, and Hara hates it. 

“It’s september already, I don’t think they take any applicat-”

“We’ve got until October 3rd before the deadline,” her mother instantly cuts in, as if she had been expecting that argument. Hara narrows her eyes. 

“I’ll be far behind the rest of the class.”

“They have not covered the most important topics yet,” Yunho explains, gently in comparison with his girlfriend. “And if you do feel like there is too much to cover, I will make sure to arrange for private tutoring so you are up to date with the curriculum.” 

Hara feels frustrated but also hopeless, and she looks over at Jungkook. For what? Help? He did express his wish for her to stay out of his way, and it doesn’t quite look like he will be fond of seeing her every day at college in addition to their shared home. 

Jungkook’s face is blank, as usual, but there is a hint of displeasure in the crease between his eyebrows, and Hara doesn’t quite know why she feels disappointed. 

“Your uniform and books have already been arranged for,” Yunho says, breaking her train of thought, and Hara looks down at her full plate, jaw clenching in annoyance because she does not want this pity, this charity. “You will have a personal driver who will be escorting you to and from campus, and you do not need to worry about any special meetings with the principle or advisors as I have personally taken care of those mys-”

“I can’t afford it.” 

Yunho trails off and frowns. 

This is probably the first time Hara has seen him frown since meeting him, and she feels a little surprised because Yunho seems incapable of showing any other emotion than contentedness. 

“Hara,” her mom snaps, but Hara pushes her chair back and stands up. 

“No, I’m being honest here.” She ignores the way Jungkook looks at her and instead focuses on a surprised Yunho. “My mother might have invested in your stocks, but I don’t want your money, Mr. Jeon. I don’t want anything handed to me on a silver platter, no matter how tempting it might be.” 

“Hara, darling, money is not a problem,” Yunho argues, still frowning, but Hara scoffs and shakes her head. 

“It is for me.” Her eyes subconsciously dart to Jungkook whose jaw clenches, his stare hardening. “It is a problem if the intention is bad. I don’t want your bloody charity.” 

“Hara, what on earth has gotten into you?” Her mom looks embarrassed but also furious, and she gets to her feet, reaching for her daughter, but Hara quickly steps backwards. 

“I’m going out.” 

“Hara, don’t be riddicu-”

“Just let her go, Sora.” 

Yunho’s tone is surprisingly firm but there is understanding to it, and Hara quickly turns on her heel and leaves the dining hall, her heart pounding in her ears as she rushes down hallway after hallway before finally reaching the exit. 

She doesn’t even bother putting on a coat and quickly slips into her shoes before darting out of the house. Leeteuk is nowhere to be seen, which is weird, but Hara uses that to her advantage and exits the premises, her legs burning as she keeps running and running until a familiar park comes into view. 

There is no one out now as the sun is about to set and Hara makes a beeline for one of the benches near the workout equipment.

She collapses on it and pants, her lungs burning as her heart races in her chest. 

“.” 

She runs a hand through her hair and closes her eyes, dragging in deep calming breaths. She keeps her eyes closed when her breathing returns to normal, and she stays like that for several long minutes, a knot forming in and a burning sensation building up behind her closed eyelids. 

And then she breaks down. 

The first sob is strangled, barely making it past her reddened lips, but the rest are straight from her heart and she thanks the high heavens for saving her from further embarrassment because there’s conveniently nobody else at the park. 

Hara pulls her knees up to her chest and hides her face behind them, an act she has mastered over the years whenever her parents would start fighting over stupid . 

It isn’t fair. 

She wants a normal life like other kids, but instead she’s emotionally wrecked by her own mother and step-family. 

She never asked for a rich ceo of a father, nor did she want to move from her childhood home straight into hell. And her father’s sudden decision to leave last year has created a wound in her heart that she does not think capable of healing anytime soon. 

There is no way she’ll be able to accept such an abrupt and vital change in her life, and Hara wonders why her parents turned out to be such selfish bastards.

Her mother’s recent choices in life are all obviously money related, and Hara can’t help it when she feels a little sorry for Yunho who seems to be completely oblivious. Jungkook, however, might have caught on to her intentions, but what if Hara is jumping to conclusions because of said male? 

What if her mom genuinely loves Yunho? What if their relationship is real, what if she’s the one getting in the way of her mom and maybe even Yunho finally being happy? Why can’t Hara just tolerate this sudden change for the sake of everyone else?

“Mind if I sit here?” 

Hara startles and quickly pushes herself into a standing position, eyes wide as she whips around towards the intruder. 

Jungkook has got his hands in his coat pockets and he arches an eyebrow in expectation. 

“I don’t own the damn thing,” Hara mutters after a few stunned seconds before slowly sitting back down. Jungkook claims the spot next to her but thankfully leaves a couple of inches between them. 

It’s quiet for a short moment, the air nice and shockingly comfortable, but then Jungkook clears his throat and Hara readies herself for some A-level bull. 

“Why didn’t you tell them?” 

“What are you talking about, Jeon?” Hara mutters, arms crossed over her chest to display her annoyance. 

The merciless cold air might also have something to do with it, but she will rather ice skate barefoot before she shows any signs of weakness in front of Jungkook. 

“You didn’t tell Taehyung nor Hoseok hyung about our relationship.” Jungkook looks at her and blinks. “Why are you trying to keep it a secret?”

“I’m not trying to keep it a secret,” Hara snaps, scoffing, “I’m just not interested in being associated with you.” 

Jungkook, surprisingly, doesn’t have a response for that, and Hara relishes in the quiet that follows. 

“Your words ticked me off today morning.”

Hara turns her head to frown at Jungkook. 

“Is this your way of apologizing?” she asks, and Jungkook looks ahead, lips pursing. 

“I don’t have to apologize for anything,” he says after a pregnant silence, and Hara shakes her head in disbelief before getting to her feet. 

“I don’t understand how Taehyung and Hoseok tolerate you.” 

She walks away from the bench but Jungkook’s footsteps are loud when he follows her and she quickly turns around, holding a hand out to put some distance between them.

Jungkook’s chest is hard under her palm, even through the coat, and Hara freezes for a moment but then subtly shakes her head and snaps out of any stupid, hormonal thoughts. 

“I don’t appreciate your lack of understanding regarding personal space,” she says, crossing her arms over her chest as she glares up at Jungkook.

“I don’t appreciate your lack of manners and respect for others,” Jungkook bites back, his jaw clenching with each word. “You can’t talk like this to me.”

“You know, your behaviour makes me wonder what kind of bull you must have put others through.”

“What are you talking about?” Jungkook looks irked. 

“You expect me to apologize for not treating you like royalty.” Hara scoffs. “Even if you were related to the queen, I would rather eat than address you as royalty.”

Jungkook doesn’t say anything for a couple of moments, his expression hard and equally challenging as Hara's.

 It seems like he’s deep in thought, his eyes on Hara’s but his gaze distant, and Hara finds herself worrying about his teeth condition. Honestly, that much jaw clenching, no matter how attractive, must be detrimental.  

“We’re in Korea.” Hara blinks and Jungkook takes a step closer, looking like he’s won whatever internal war he just fought. “We don’t have a queen, nor are we related to any.” 

Hara wants to slap him again but Jungkook suddenly pulls his coat off and drapes it over her shoulders, a whiff of his strong cologne greeting Hara’s senses like a warm bath after playing out in the cold rain, and Hara’s mind stops functioning for a second. 

“I appreciate the effort,” Jungkook murmurs, his face way too close for Hara’s liking, but she stays still as he fixes the collar of the coat, “make sure to keep this act up. My dad might just have enough and get rid of you two.” 

Jungkook sighs and pats Hara’s shoulders, a small, very fake smile gracing his usual stoic face. 

“You’re more helpful than you think, Hara. You should feel proud of yourself.” 

Hara is absolutely speechless, and Jungkook gives her a curt nod and sidesteps her, leaving her behind in the cold park. 

It takes her a couple of moments to finally process everything that happened, and she can’t help it when anger bubbles in her belly, her fingers clutching the material of the warm coat covering her. 

Jungkook is insufferable. A real ing prick. 

Hara pulls the coat off and curls it up into a ball as she turns around and starts angrily walking back home.

The wind nips at her skin and sends shivers down her spine, but Hara decides she will rather catch a terminal disease than wear Jungkook’s expensive coat.