BOXER'S BALLERINA | KOOKV

Ch 3. Bleeding

"You what?!"

Jimin snaps and Taehyung instantly recoils as if he's been burned. A few tables behind them catching their attention before they silenced down.

"You're sharing the studio room after school hours with Jeongguk?!" Jimin whispers. Yells into a whisper. Trying to meet the blonde's eyes who's wringing his fingers together, picking nervously at his food on the table.

He really didn't know how they had ended up with this topic in the school's cafeteria .

But when it changed to him staying back late again to practice for his big competition. He may or may not have mentioned that he wasn't really alone anymore in that space.

"He isn't really welcoming.. but I don't get what's so wrong with him being there?" Taehyung finally wills himself to say.

Then Jimin had yanked him back by his widened eyes. "What's wrong with that? of course there's a lot of wrong things about that"

he'd drawled, smelling vaguely of his obvious statements. But even so, Taehyung only fiddles with his fingers. Food feeling a bit to tense to eat.

He didn't really get it. Why Jeongguk seemed to be the definition of bad in Jimin's eyes. Maybe he just hadn't heard much enough, but even so what could be so bad to judge a person based on their own actions.

"You didn't talk to him did you?"

Jimin asks after a while, but he already knows the answer to that question. Based on the way Taehyung slowly looks to the side. On the crowded school cafeteria.

"His hands were hurt so- I just wanted to ask if he was okay.."

"Are you serious?!"

"It just looked like it really hurt.." Taehyung mumbled at Jimin's outraged words. Didn't understand what was wrong with asking someone if they truly were okay.

But Jimin looks downright mortified. Did expect the blonde in someway to talk to the boxer regarding his awful habit of finding himself talking with whoever and whatever living thing is alive.

And he sighs, leans back against his chair and his head turn towards the window.

"You see that group over there?"

Jimin  starts, digging his lips with a tug of food into his throat. The confused blonde follows his gaze to a group of people on the backyard of the school grounds.

They were gathered on the drawn out benches, inked and drawn with endless graphics of paint and hallow hunches of burning wood. And they were smoking, draws and chatter as Taehyung slightly gaped his mouth when he noticed one person among them

Jeongguk was there.

"That bleeding hand of his how do you think he got it? because he fell over and hurt himself?"

Jimin drawls out a chuckle, stares right at them. The hostility towards the group is as clear as day and Taehyung felt himself still confused.

"What do you mean?" Taehyung asks, curiosity getting the best of him. Letting his gaze fall back to Jimin.

"That group over there--" Jimin motions to the preppy table. "They're trouble Tae, they look down at anyone"

Jimin turns to his best friend now.
"Last year, two of them ended up in juvie. Want to take a guess who's one of the two?"

Taehyung gulps the slightest, brows furrowed as he couldn't help glancing back to the window.

He knew from what he had heard that Jeongguk's not the best guy other than all the people falling heads over heels for him. Other than that, he'd never been good at taking orders. Had a bad temper and he'd earned a reputation in school for breaking rules, failing his grades from the lack of attendance.

The entire group were always together. He recognized Hoseok and Namjoon. Even Jin from his chemistry class was there.

Other than that, Taehyung never really knew much about anything else of the rumors.

"Stay away from Jeongguk, Tae. I'm serious"

Jimin's voice linger in his head,
And Taehyung spares the boxer another glance. He's leaning against the bench, tapping his cigarette between his inked fingers. And for a second, just as his best friends voice still trades his ears, Jeongguk's piercing eyes met his.

He feels his stomach turn, and he turns away. Only temporarily, his cheeks flush from being caught.

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