The Change Within

⑬Back Off

It was the first time since Taehyung met Jeongguk where he felt that immense hatred flare inside him for him. His badass, insensitive, asshole image was starting to get on his nerves real good, and he didn’t know how to crush it.

Every time he fought with him, he said to himself that it was the last time he made an effort to get to know him, but he just couldn’t bring himself to keep that word.

He was done this time, though. He was determined to keep his distance. After the way he screamed at him for no reason before he took off, he wanted nothing to do with him. Whether he was doing it on purpose or not, he was done. For good.

He didn’t spare him even a glance for the rest of that day and neither the next morning. He spent his first break outside instead of going to the cafeteria to sit with his friends. He knew he couldn’t avoid him for long, but he needed at least some time to cool off.

At his third break that was one hour long, he stayed for a while in the classroom, writing some random ideas about his novel. That didn’t last for long since there was so much noise in the hallway he couldn’t even hear his thoughts at some point.

With a heavy sigh passing through his lips, he collected his things and trudged towards the yard. Upon exiting the building, he spotted two guys from afar, clearly in distress, arguing. A moment later, they started running towards him and burst into the uni before he could ask what was wrong.

Alarmed, Taehyung jolted forward, scuttling where he saw the boys have their fight. Groans and choked sounds infiltrated his senses once he was there, and he sprinted towards the back of the building, his heartbeat hammering in his ears by a sudden churning of anxiety and confusion.

His mind blanked, his eyes grew double their size, and his jaw fell open as he took in the scene in front of him, suddenly feeling like he was going to faint. “What the fuck, Jeongguk!” he exclaimed as he watched him throw punch after punch on a boy he couldn’t even recognize by the amount of blood he had on his face.

His mind flipped back alive and allowed him to run closer in an attempt to pull him away. “Jeongguk, you have to stop, Jeongguk!” he cried out as he grabbed him and pushed him back, but the younger didn’t seem like he had realized he was there.

“Jeongguk, please, please stop.” Tears shimmered in his eyes as he continued his efforts to wrench him away, but the turbulent boy shoved him back with full force. “Jeongguk, stop, you’re going to fucking kill him!”

Jeongguk’s movements ceased abruptly once these words were said, and he noticed his trembling, bloody fist unclenching as he released his iron-like grip on his sweater.

“I—I’m not—I, I w-would never—”

“Shut up, just move!” He fastened an arm around his waist, but halted once he glimpsed at the beaten boy. “Is this fucking Juseong? Oh my God,” he whispered on repeat as he led him away from there. “Put your hands in your pockets.”

He could feel how Jeongguk’s entire body was shaking by his side as he did what he told him, and he bit his lower lip hard, suppressing his tears once more. He caught a guy from his class with the corner of his eye as they entered the building and called out his name. “Go to the principal and tell him to go with the doctor to the back of the building, no questions asked, just do it, now!”

The boy frantically nodded and scooted off right away as they resumed their way to the bathroom. Both panting for breath for different reasons, they stepped inside and Taehyung shut the door when he made sure no one else was there.

He drew in a few stuttering breaths as he squeezed his eyes closed, trying to soothe his agitated condition. “Okay, okay,” he muttered as he neared the boy who seemed to be in a trance, just staring at his bloody hands with bulging eyes.