Twisted Life, Thorny Love

9. What just happened??

"No way!" Jimin exclaimed as Taehyung hit strike after strike. All of them came to the center as planned and made three teams before starting the game, deciding that the losing group would buy lunch for the next day. 

Namjoon, Hoseok and Yoongi had formed a group while Taehyung made one with his brother. Jimin and Jungkook were the last group and it wasn't their turn yet. But the way Taehyung was bowling, Jimin was sure they had no chance at it, forgetting that he was teamed up with Jungkook after all. 

Taehyung turned back and grinned at Jimin before hitting his last strike. "Don't worry about it. I'll finish it in my turn. So don't push yourself, okay?" Jungkook said as he squeezed Jimin's shoulder. Everyone knew how bad Jimin, Hoseok and Jin were at it. Jimin nodded and went up. As expected, all except one of his balls landed in the gutter. One of the balls hit four of the pins, which Jin couldn't do. 

Jungkook gave him an assuring nod before getting up and flexing his muscles. If he hit all strikes just like Taehyung did, their team would lead. He was determined to beat all of their asses for his best friend's sake. He smirked at the pins before taking his stance. 

Taehyung frowned as Jungkook hit strike after strike. That round was won by Jungkook and Jimin, who had four points more than Taehyung and Jin and nine points more than Namjoon, Hoseok and Yoongi. 

More and more rounds went on and Jungkook and Jimin managed to win every one of them. Taehyung was growing more and more frustrated by the second. He wasn't used to losing in his life. He had to win no matter what. His competitive nature was what made him finish his PhD in two years. 

Jin, who noticed his brother's tense form, decided to intervene before things got worse. "Okay, let's stop. Namjoon, Yoongi and Hoseok will buy us lunch tomorrow. Let's go an-"

"No."

Jin looked at Taehyung, who was glaring at Jungkook. Jungkook, who didn't not know why he was suddenly at the receiving end of that intimidating glare, tried to shrink into his seat. 

"W-What?" Jin asked, looking at Jungkook and back at his brother. "I said no. I have to settle this" Taehyung said as he got up and walked towards Jungkook. Jin looked at Namjoon frantically and Namjoon understood. Both of them hurried towards Taehyung, but they were a bit late. 

Taehyung had already pulled Jungkook up by his collar. "You and me. Alone" Taehyung said. "W-W-What?" Jungkook asked. He was terrified. He could literally see Taehyung's eyes getting redder. On top of that, he had no idea why his teacher was suddenly soo mad. 

Jin and Namjoon tried to pull Taehyung away from Jungkook, but Taehyung pushed them away. Jimin, who got extremely intimidated by the tension, tried to tug Jungkook away from Taehyung. He whimpered when Taehyung set his glare at him, and immediately ran to Yoongi's side. 

"What are you waiting for?!?! Come on! Let's do it. Just you and me!" Taehyung yelled and let go of Jungkook before walking to one of the stands that contain the balls. He took one of the balls and glared at Jungkook who immediately understood and ran to the other lane. 

Jin and Namjoon exchanged worried glances. They knew what was going to happen if Jungkook kept winning. But they had no chance to tell Jungkook to loosen up and miss a few strikes to avoid further problems. 

But even though Jungkook was scared, he didn't lose his aim. He and Taehyung kept hitting strike after strike, none of them willing to give in to the other. Unfortunately, it only helped in boiling Taehyung's blood further. 

Jungkook hit yet another strike and Taehyung started seeing red. He couldn't think anymore. His hands were shaking in anger and thus he missed his aim, hitting only eight pins out of ten. Jin gasped. He desperately wanted to run out there and pull Jungkook out of the lane, even if it meant angering his brother. He bit his nails for a few seconds and when he couldn't take it anymore, he called out to Jungkook, asking him to stop playing. 

But it was too late. Jungkook had already released the ball before his brain registered Jin's voice. He jumped up as his ball hit another strike, making him win at it. He turned around to celebrate with a huge grin, but gasped as he suddenly felt a hand around his throat. 

"What do you think you are?? WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU ARE??!?!??!" Taehyung yelled, applying more and more pressure on his throat. Jungkook was beyond terrified at this point. Taehyung's eyes were completely red. It felt as if he was staring at a monster instead of a human being. His blood was running at an unimaginable speed as Taehyung yelled at him and increased pressure around his neck. 

"TAEHYUNG!!" all of them yelled and successfully pulled him away from Jungkook, who started coughing. Jin dragged him out by his collar, ignoring the way he was trembling with anger. 

The two of them entered again after half a minute. Taehyung knelt in front of Jungkook and hung his head down, apologizing for what he had done. 

Poor Jungkook, who was still holding his throat from the pressure earlier, stared at his Professor with shock. He still couldn't process what just happened, but he saw a mark on Taehyung's left cheek that suspiciously looked like fingerprints. His eyes widened as he realized that Jin had slapped him hard. 

He forgave him immediately even though his heart was still racing with fear. He got up, but his knees buckled. "I am sorry" Taehyung said again with tears in his eyes as he immediately supported Jungkook. "It's okay" Jungkook mumbled and let his teacher help him out. 

He took a few deep breaths to calm himself. "I can go on my own" he said. "Are you sure?" Taehyung asked. "Yeah" Jungkook said and moved out of Taehyung's grip, walking as far as he could, away from him. He was still terrified. 

'What just happened??' he thought as they walked towards the restaurant.