You couldn't take this anymore. The constant stares, the laughter that seemed to follow you everywhere you went, it was awful. How anyone could be so cruel, you weren't sure. You used to think that kind of petty bullying was only true in tv. No one could really idolise another to that extent, right?
You'd been proved wrong when you met Taehyung (and his hoard of admirers). He'd helped you find your class, one of those cliches you see all the time in dramas. Really, that should've been your first hint.
The two of you had steadily grown closer, and although you were aware of his fangirls, he never seemed to spare them so much as a glance. Apparently, that was the reason they hated you so much. You'd 'stolen him' from them, as if he ever fucking noticed them in the first place. Though, you telling them that was not such a good idea, as you'd soon found out.
Ever since then, they'd been not so nice to you. At least they'd only physically hurt you when they saw you got 'too close' to him. You were glad they had the decency to only bruise the skin of your torso or legs, so at least you wouldn't have to try and explain your injuries to Taehyung. He was still blissfully unaware of all the trouble his admirers caused.
It was because of these events that you had eventually, after weeks of trying to stay strong, started avoiding Taehyung. You hadn't wanted to do so- it was what they'd wanted all along, after all. But the bullying was too much for you, and, at least this way you could be sure they'd stop.
Unfortunately for you, Taehyung hadn't taken your distance so well. He'd confronted you after three days of you carefully avoiding all the areas the two of you frequented. Taehyung had left his own class early just to stand and wait outside yours so he could be sure you wouldn't run away.
Of course, this meant that his fangirls also saw the two of you leaving together (or rather, him dragging you away with him). Knowing that, you'd tried your best to pry yourself out of his grip, but he wouldn't budge. Not like it hurt, it was nothing compared to what they'd done to you- what they'd do to you.
"Taehyung, get off me!" You screamed, ripping your hand out of his so violently you'd stumbled back a little, crashing into a wall. Of course you did, damn idiot.
Taehyung whirled around immediately, eyes wide with worry. It'd been a while since you'd seen that expression on someone, it was shocking, honestly. "Y/n, are you okay?! I'm so sorry, are you hurt?!" He sounded panicked, guilty, too.
You'd taken advantage of his fear-stricken state to run away from him right then. You did feel bad, you knew you'd feel even worse if you turned to look at his face. But, as much as you wanted to rebel, as much as you wanted to be strong, you were too weak. If you were going to be 'punished' anyway, why not make it a little easier on yourself, right?
That day had by far been the worst of their beatings. They hadn't even taken the courtesy of avoiding your face this time, telling you that no one would care anyway. They'd then proceeded to land a few extra kicks to your stomach- hard enough that you could taste something coppery on your tongue- just to warn you what would happen if you told Taehyung.
You'd believed them, you had to, they'd proven themselves enough already. The next few days you'd spent at home, trying desperately to comfort yourself alone. But even that didn't help. Taehyung didn't stop trying to contact you, even going as far as to turn up outside your door. You hadn't answered him.
Not only Taehyung, but his fangirls, too, had learnt how to send reminders straight to your phone. Even that source of comfort had been taken away from you.
The next day, you finally returned to school, beyond terrified. As long as you didn't go near Taehyung, everything would be fine. He was the problem- he was the reason you'd been suffering so much.
