Ugliest Professor [NamJin]

XXI. Careless

"So, uh... Professor Kim," Hoseok mumbled, unable to look the man in the eye. "Um... What a surprise," he said in a joking manner. He is the kind of person who likes to lighten the mood around him.

"Touché," Professor Kim replied. He pressed his lips together and glanced at the anxious SeokJin who refused to sit down. Namjoon was sitting on his couch with his arms crossed while Hoseok sat criss cross on the floor in front of him. Jin was stood and chewed his lip. He couldn't quit fidgeting due to anxiety. The man was so worked up over everything that had transpired at his parents' house that he completely forgot about Namjoon.

Namjoon was definitely not expecting to see Jin's best friend walk through his front door. Had he known that he was having a guest, he would have uglied up. Unfortunately, Jin didn't warn him ahead of time. Because of Jin's carelessness, Hoseok now has seen the true Kim Namjoon; the sexy Kim Namjoon.

The professor studied Hoseok for a moment. He could see a faint pink handprint on his right cheek. Namjoon frowned and looked at Jin, who seemed unharmed, then back at Hoseok. "So, care to tell me what happened?" Namjoon asked with one eyebrow raised. "You know, since you didn't let me come," he continued through gritted teeth.

"Uh, uh, w-well, um," Jin stuttered, every word he uttered incomprehensible. The man was too anxious to speak. He didn't want anyone knowing about this arrangement between him and Namjoon. And Jin definitely did not want anyone to see Namjoon's true beauty. He wanted to keep that sexy beast all to himself.

Hoseok noticed Jin's distress and decided to prevent his panic attack. "Well," Hoseok butted in, "All was good until Appa Kim came out yelling like a madman. He pushed Jin, and so I... I beat him." Hoseok shamefully looked down in his lap at his still-bloody hands. The blood was old and dry now, so the color had turned a reddish-brown. Underneath the blood, bruises painted his knuckles.

Namjoon's eyes widened at the words, 'he pushed Jin.' With a panicked expression, he snapped his head towards Jin. SeokJin mouthed a silent "I'm okay," to hopefully soothe Namjoon's nerves. It sort of worked.

"Anything else?" Namjoon egged on, slowly redirecting his attention to Hoseok. The two best friends looked at each other. Jin's stern expression and lack of a nod told Hoseok to keep his mouth shut. It's as if Jin was mentally screaming, "Do not mention the kiss!"

"Nope!" The two answered in unison. Namjoon eyed them suspiciously. Not wanting to push the issue, Namjoon simply sighed and let it go.

Jin eventually brought everyone a glass of water, and then took a seat by his friend. The oldest listened as Namjoon gave Hoseok the same speech he was given in the beginning.

"You tell nobody about me. You show nobody what I look like. You do not treat me any different than you usually do in school. I'm still ugly. I am Professor Kim." This time around, Namjoon added an extra rule. "You do not speak of Kim SeokJin's living arrangements." After he set things straight with Hoseok, they unloaded Jin's things.

After Hoseok left, Namjoon turned to Jin, frowning. "What the Hell?!"