"Jin Hyung, if dad finds out, I will have three strikes already and it's not even three weeks since school re-opened. I can't deal with this shit right now." Jimin held the yellow cup tightly into his hands, knuckles turning white as he looked sideways. 

"What is it that you used to cover the eye?" Jin chuckled at Jimin and the younger only huffed exasperatedly, directing his gaze at Jin. Hoseok's laughter was louder in the next moment.

"You are both assholes. I have got a lot on my plate and that fucking kid should be the least of my worries, yet he keeps coming at me," Jimin put the cup on the table with a thud, splashing a little coffee on it. With his free fingers rolling in a clockwise motion over his temples, seemingly relaxing but that did not help him keep his composure. "I am going to fucking kill him the next time I see him." He puffed angrily and Jin looked at Hoseok who knew nothing except he saw Jungkook attacking his friend. 

"You know... I think you two should make up," Hoseok said hesitantly and earned a threatening glare from Jimin. "I am just saying." Hoseok held his hands up. 

"He is making a lot of sense, Jimin. That kid is painfully shy at first, I would say he has strict parents. He has a curfew at 8. An over-achieving child he is. He reads physics for fun. I think he is harmless if you stop pushing his buttons," Jimin raised his brow at Jin, feeling completely left out on why he was not filled in on this information. "I know his friend, Taehyung. I might have asked him a thing or two after your battle in the cafeteria." 

"Why would you do that? He might think I was interested to know." Jimin scoffed irresponsibly. 

"So what? It is wise to have information about your enemy. Jungkook would be thick if he did not do the same. I am sure he is out there, doing it right now." Jin shrugged and pulled a lighter from his pocket to light up the cigarette. 

This strangely led Jimin's mind to wonder about Jungkook. "Does anyone know what happened to him? He looked whisked." Jimin's eyes blinked awkwardly at the ground as he talked about his nemesis. 

"I don't know but thanks to him taking a beating, we bought some time from that fat ass," Jin replied after exhaling a long puff of opaque smoke. 

"I did not have time to think before but I bet he thought I attacked him. Did he at least was conscious?" Jimin tilted his head to let the smoke astray. 

"I am not surprised he did. You did not really build a good reputation per se." Hoseok mumbled.

"For fuck's sake Jimin, always be attentive and know the whereabouts of your enemies. That's the first rule." Jin flashed the cigarette in front of Jimin's face for him to take a swig.

"Was I supposed to get him a get-well-soon card with flowers?"The younger placed the burning stick between his fingers and inhaled deeply through his mouth. The tobacco burned inside his lungs as he closed his eyes and held his breath to let the smoke fill in, before exhaling out through the nose.

"No, but you should have known that whoever beat him did a thorough and a good one. Those bruises... They will take days to disappear. You should share your secret scar concealing recipes with him." Jin chuckled, causing Hoseok a little uncomfortable. He never liked violence because he knew Jimin was just a striving kid, but he somehow got caught under the bad influence. 

"I think it is unnecessary to make fun of someone's sufferings." Hoseok who was silently listening to the two speak, now interjected. 

"You know, everyone in the world is out there to get you if you are nice to them. You should know how to treat the ungrateful bitches," Jin disagreed and threw the cigarette bud at the table in front of him when the waitress approached them. "I am not smoking." He held his hands up but the waitress could smell the cigarette on him. As usual, she could not say anything and returned annoyingly. 

"Hyung, what are you planning to do about Bang?" Hoseok asked since no one was willing to bring that topic up.

"Don't worry about it. It is done, the less you know, the better for you," Jin chuckled and brought his hand over to tip Hoseok's chin up, "angel."

**

Jungook was brought home in a school car and the moment his mother saw him, her eyes teared up looking at the condition of the apple of her eyes. She ran, a maid running after her to take Jungkook in her arms. "My baby, what happened?" She asked the driver who had no answer as he was only designated to drop the boy off.

"I don't know maám. There was a fight among students." He apologetically bowed and left after Mrs. Jeon took the boy inside who was incessantly moaning in pain. A bandage by his lips and a dressing over his knuckles. She had not seen the bruises over his body yet, and she already lost her sanity.

"Call him," She commanded the house help. The maid immediately left to call Mr. Jeon. 

"Baby, does it hurt much?" She asked, crying more than the boy in pain himself. She crouched down to graze her hand over Jungkook's skin slowly and every hiss from her son's mouth made her want to strangle the one who was responsible for Jungkook's this condition.

Jungkook slowly shook his head, not wanting his mother to know but that was a given. She helped him change into clothes and tucked him in her own bed before Mr. Jeon arrived, all chagrined. He ran straight to bed and when he looked at Jungkook, he could not stay strong and sobbed. 

Being a father always meant to be strong and a role model but seeing his own child beaten up so badly that his body was visibly swollen and bruised, Mr. Jeon felt guilt override him that he could not protect his boy, the boy who was sick for so long. "Son!" He called out and Jungkook opened his eyes slowly, trying his best to not cry after hearing the shaky voice of his father. 

Mr. Jeon sat on the bed and gently caressed Jungkook's hair. "Come on, buddy. We will go to the hospital."

"Mrs. Man treated my wounds," Jungkook whispered slowly, not able to speak. He had gotten a high fever due to an insurmountable amount of pain in his body.

"My strong boy, I know but let's go to a doctor once more. He will make you better really soon." Mr. Jeon pleaded.

"But I can't walk. Everything hurts." Jungkook inhaled through his teeth and kept his eyes closed, not wanting to see his father's tears. He had already seen them many times before. Jungkook felt his body lift up in the next moment as Mr. Jeon carried him to the car. Mrs. Jeon was right behind them, carrying Jungkook's extra pair of clothes along with a few essentials, in case they were needed.

The boy wrapped his arms around his father's reliable shoulders and leaned against his neck, sobbing silently, his lips quivered and a thousand thoughts wandered in his mind. 

"What did I ever do to Jimin? He punished not only me but also my family. Why is Jimin such a monster? Does he have no humanity? Do humans and their lives mean nothing to him?"

Jungkook was too far gone and when he woke up, he was in a hospital bed, feeling much better as injections numbed his pain. He was sedated and was asleep for a few hours. His eyes opened and fell on his parents. His beautiful mother was laying on the couch and was covered in a blanket while his father was sitting on the chair beside his bed and smiling at him. 

"Dad!" Jungkook's groggy voice called out as he began to sit straight but Mr. Jeon put him back to bed. 

"Stay there, I can hear you perfectly." He brushed Jungkook's hair up. 

"I am sorry to worry you and that you had to carry me," Jungkook apologized.

"We don't have to talk about it now," Mr, Jeon held Jungkook's wrist. "And you can carry me too when I am old and unable to walk."

Jungkook chuckled very slowly at the words and sunk further into the pillow.

**

Meanwhile, Jimin returned home and went straight to bed. His abdomen was killing him and his face was throbbing with the power-packed punch he had received earlier. Luckily, his father was traveling for work, so he did not have to get out of the room at all. He could run everyone in circles but his father, who was a strict man. 

As he washed off all the shea butter and zinc oxide mixture, his blue face was staring at him, half of it. Instead of feeling revengeful, he felt nothing. It was as if he realized that he was at fault until today.

Now that the realization dawned on him, an overwhelming fear also soaked his entire existence wet. Jungkook was in a bad shape and he knew that this was not going to be one of those circumstances that would be slid like on numerous occasions in the past, even after beating people into a pulp.

He knew Jungkook was different. Jungkook's family had a well-established acquaintance with the principal and, as Jin rightly mentioned, the boy was an overachiever. It meant that his academic record must have been notable for him to be transferred two grades onward. He never heard Jungkook's name in any uproar before and now that he actually thought about him for the first time with a calm mind, he recollected that he did in fact hear about him before. Jungkook was quite a talented kid, an all-rounder if he was remembering correctly. 

The fact that Jungkook did not attend school for a year was a little hindrance in his memory lane, but he was now recollecting that three years ago, Jungkook was nominated for the quiz competitions and dance competitions alongside seniors. Jimin never really participated in any of the extracurriculars at that time, so he never interacted with Jungkook one-on-one. 

Jimin slumped on the bed without washing up or even taking off his shoes and held his head that was itching to be split into two. "Master Jimin, supper is ready." He heard the knock on the door from one of the maids and chose to completely ignore her. 

A few minutes later, he got up and realized he had dozed off. His body was aching and he did not have it in himself to wash up and change. He reluctantly put his feet down on the floor and saw nothing but darkness. His body collided with the cold floor and with the support of his bed, he willed himself up only to find himself feverish.

Ignoring his hunger, he walked into the bathroom to take a pill for fever from his cabinet before changing into comfortable clothes and slept. 

30 Sep 2021