a few weeks had passed since jimin and namjoon had made it back from their trip. they missed being in spain, but they were happy to be back to their normal routine and see sung-ha, areum, and hoseok. even though the ex-couple spent most of their time together bickering about their non-existent relationship, it was still nice to see them. jimin and namjoon had been pretty busy since returning. the school year was getting closer to ending considering it was already mid-march and the boys were packed with homework. they still managed to spend time together, though. they would spend their after-school hours at the café together, namjoon doing his own homework and helping jimin with his.

today was a friday morning and namjoon was patiently waiting in his seat for jimin to arrive to class, reading his book.

namjoon didn't realize how long he had been waiting for the boy until the bell rang, signaling class was beginning.

namjoon immediately set his book down and pulled out his phone, not paying any attention to what mr. kim was saying and immediately going to text jimin.

when he opened his phone he saw he already had a few texts from the boy.

jimin 💗💗💗💗
joonie i won't be in class today :(((
i think i have food poisoning from dinner last night
i feel ok now... but i've been throwing up all night
can u write down all the assignments for me?
oh and make sure to tell mr. kim i'm sick- he'll wonder where i am !!

namjoon gasped to himself as he read the messages.

namjoon
oh my god- are you okay?
i can skip today and come take care of you.

jimin💗💗💗
no no no don't!
you could get sick!
i'll be fine.

namjoon
jimin, food poisoning isn't contagious🤣

jimin💗💗💗
OH RIGHT JENWIEJWJ
well still don't!!
i'm ok, don't worry!!
i just need to rest...

namjoon
are you sure??
do you know the medicine you need to take??
the pink gross stuff in ur medicine cabinet!!
you can take 30ml every hour though- no more.
also sip some liquid and eat crackers.

jimin💗💗💗
ok i will!!
i'll just be sleeping all day so don't worry about me!

namjoon
jimin you already know i'm gonna worry...
there's no point in telling me not to.
i'll head over right after my last class to take care of u, okay?
just be careful today, just sleep like u said!

jimin💗💗💗
ok joon i will!!
i'll be in bed waiting for u to come cuddle me 🤧

namjoon
ok i'll hurry- let me know if you need me!

jimin💗💗💗
okay thanks joonie.
i love youuu💕💕💕

namjoon
love you too <3
just sleep- i'll be there soon!

-

namjoon sat through the entire english lecture on his own. he found it weird, but he realized that without jimin there he had a much harder time listening to what his professor was saying. he figured it would be the opposite way around, but somehow it wasn't. jimin helped namjoon focus and without him there it was harder for him to stay engaged or interested. he was much too worried about jimin not feeling well to pay any mind to what his professor was saying.

"alright, well that concludes today's class. we're five minutes early today, but feel free to leave," mr. kim announced, before stopping and looking at namjoon, "but namjoon, i'd like a word if you wouldn't mind."

namjoon looked up at his professor as he was trying to collect his things, suddenly feeling a bit nervous.

why did his professor want to speak with him?

namjoon's first idea was that he was worried for jimin and he rolled with it. that's what made the most sense, anyway. jimin was the one who told him that their professor would be worried.

the students began filing out of the room quickly, namjoon hanging behind and packing his things slowly until the students were gone and he could make his way up to his teacher's desk.

"h-hello, mr. kim," namjoon said, making his presence known to his teacher who seemed to be busy writing something down in a notebook.

he looked up as soon as he heard a voice and smiled.

"kim namjoon," he said, patting the seat next to his desk, "sit down. it's lovely to see you."

namjoon smiled back shyly, before speaking up again.

"if you're worried about jimin, you don't need to be. he told me to let you know that he'd be out today with food poisoning. i'll get the homework to hi-"

mr. kim cut him off.

"i'm sorry jimin is sick. let him know i hope he feels better," the professor said, "but i actually wanted to talk about you."

"me?" namjoon questioned, wondering what the hell his teacher wanted to discuss with him.

"yes," mr. kim said, "well... i'm sure you remember that contest you won back at the beginning of the year."

namjoon nodded.

"well... you recall how your poem was entered in a national contest?"

namjoon nodded again, having forgotten all about it until his teacher mentioned it.

"good news," mr. kim said, "actually very, very good news."

namjoon's eyes widened, staring at his teacher and waiting to hear what he was going to say.

"you won," he said, "not only that... but your poem actually caught the attention of seoul national university."

namjoon's mouth parted in shock. that was his dream school ever since he was old enough to start thinking about college. he obviously never ended up going, though. it was way too much money and there would have been almost zero chance he could get in anyway. the acceptance rate was alarming, considering it was one of the most selective universities in not only korea but across the globe. even more so than some famous colleges in america like yale or harvard.

"they wanted to see more from you and i passed along some of your other poems and writings. they are very interested in you, namjoon," his teacher said, smiling big, "they said you wouldn't even have to apply for their school, you would get a scholarship as well. it would practically be free for you to go."

namjoon was stunned.

"they clearly have a good eye for talent. they want you to transfer after summer for their fall semester. they could help you improve your writing greatly, you could get even better than you are now. and... and it would be great for you to start working on publishing some poetry... maybe a book? they could help you there. it's a beyond amazing opportunity."

namjoon was just staring at the papers sitting on mr. kim's desk, still completely shocked.

"well.., say something!" mr. kim said, with a laugh.

namjoon blinked a few times, before looking up at his teacher.

"i can't," he said, finally shaking his head, "i can't transfer. i-i can't go to school in seoul. i can't leave my grandfather behind and-"

namjoon stopped for a minute.

"i'm not leaving jimin."

mr. kim's face fell immediately, shaking his head.

"namjoon... do you know what a big deal this is?" he asked, "do you know what this could do for your future? jimin will be fine here... he's a social butterfly... he'll have no problem making new friends. and i'm certain your grandfather would be ecstatic about you going to a school like that."

namjoon nodded.

"i know what it could do for me," he said, "but i just... i can't. it's not worth it to me. i'm sorry, mr. kim. tell them i'm grateful, but-"

mr. kim cut him off.

"at least take some time to consider it, namjoon. this is a very big deal. talk to jimin.., possibly?"

namjoon just sighed.

"here," mr. kim said, reaching in his desk to pull out some papers, "this is all the paperwork you would need to fill out. the address is on there. keep it and just think about it. i really think it would be foolish not to take this opportunity."

namjoon took the papers and stared at them for a moment.

"i'll... i'll think about it," namjoon said, standing up from the chair, "thank you."

mr. kim nodded.

"of course. think about it well, namjoon. think about your future and what this could mean for you. with your skills, i can see you going far in this world. this would just help you get there."

namjoon nodded, a distressed look still painting his face as he walked slowly out of the classroom.

______________________________

im soooo lateeee but hiiiii if anyone is still reading this book lol

DONT BE MAD AT ME FOR THIS CHAPTER JDNSNSJSJSJ