Growing Pains

67

The bell rang to signal the end of fourth period, and the students hurriedly put away their books before noisily leaving their classrooms to go to the cafeteria for lunch.

Jungkook listlessly tucked his textbook into his backpack instead of storing it away in his desk like the rest of his classmates.

He knew he was going to need it tonight for revision.

"Jungkook! Hurry up! Get a move on! I heard they have grilled fish today and I don't want to miss it!"

"You go ahead, Chim. I'm not up to it today. I'm not hungry."

"No! You blew me off two days in a row. They had bibimbap two days ago and they had your favourite jjajangmyeon yesterday. I'm not having it, Jungkook. You're eating lunch with me today and that's final!"

"Chim..."

But the smaller boy standing next to Jungkook's desk was not to be deterred.

He pulled Jungkook up from his chair, and dragged him to the cafeteria where a line of students had already formed just inside the door.

"If I lose my fish today, Jungkook, I'm making you take me to a BBQ place tonight. So you better start praying there's enough fish to go around for me and you."

Jungkook sighed and leaned against the wall.

He had been feeling lethargic since the beginning of the school year, and he didn't see an end in sight for this feeling that had descended upon him.

He knew he was depressed, and he knew that he should snap out of it but he couldn't seem to pull himself back up.

Jin had ended things between them before it even had a chance to take off.

Despite the wonderful night that they had spent together, Jin had returned to his boyfriend, Smeagol.

It had broken Jungkook's heart, and he had come home a lot less happier than when he left to go to Seoul.

Jungkook was now in his second year of high school, and things couldn't be more different than when he first started at Jin's alma mater.

For one thing, he and Taehyung were no longer classmates and they weren't as close as they used to be.

In fact, they hardly hung out with each other now.

Jungkook knew that the other boy was still angry with him.

Though Taehyung said he understood the depth of Jungkook's feelings for Jin, he still couldn't bring himself to forgive Jungkook for the way he tried to take Jin from Smeagol.

That was why when Jungkook found out that Taehyung was transferring to a different homeroom, he had kept silent.

Fortunately, he made a new friend on the first day of his second year.

A transfer student had enrolled at their school, and with Taehyung's departure to another class in their year, there was an opening in Jungkook's class.

When the new boy had stood in front of the room to introduce himself, Jungkook had paid no attention from his seat at the back and had stared out of the window instead.

But when the boy had taken Taehyung's former desk next to Jungkook and called Jungkook by his name, he had been surprised to discover that the student was none other than the boy he had spent a week with at a Seoul jjimjilbang.

Jimin and his dad had apparently moved to Jungkook's hometown because it was where Jimin's dad had lived as a child, and he had fond memories of the place so after the divorce, he had moved himself and his son there.