Jungkook reached home ambushed. He had not eaten properly during the day and was famished as he looked around. His mother would wait for him in the living room but today he could only see his father. 

"I am home." The boy announced meekly and let his backpack fall to the ground with expressions that said don't come near me I will kill you or please hug me. Mr. Jeon had difficulty reading them and he concluded he needed to go for a hug. 

"My son! How was the first day? Did you make new friends?" He beamed and patted the sofa to indicate the boy he sit. 

Jungkook sighed with a frown developing on his forehead that lived for way too short and died immediately when a whine came out of the boy's mouth. "Where is mom?"

His indication was clear that stabbed his father's heart or he made it seem like it. "I am hurt." Mr. Jeon said curtly and held his left palm above his chest diagonally.

"Only if you caught the right side." Jungkook pointed at the left-hand side portion over his ribs at his father's performance and saw him switching hands, he kept his unfazed face directed at him. "Where is mom? Am I not the important one in her life?"

"Sit here, I wanted to tell you something for a long time." Mr. Jeon pulled on the hand of the boy and Jungkook's mind forgot momentarily about the new enemy he made in contrast to his father's question, and he keened his audible senses at the words that would come out. His fingers crossed, he could not bear another hearing in the day he had.

"It might come as a shock to you but don't be too broken. To answer your question, no son. You are the important one in her life. It's Candy Crush." 

Jungkook looked up at his father's face, all the tension leaving his body and putting him in a frenzy of relief. 

"I am going to leave this house of maniacs." He stood up at once and did not look back when the man chuckled and laid on the sofa like that of a grandma who has nothing better to do the entire day except watching TV shows and messing with the younger ones for her own entertainment. 

Meanwhile, Jimin's room was knocked again and the boy groaned to toss on the bed before he rammed the lonely pillow over his head to hide his utter grimace. "Go away!" he yelled in a muffled groan.

"Open the door right now." Jimin heard his father's strict tone and he jumped on his feet immediately as if the bed had electrocuted him, running off to open the door almost in a quick reflex.

"Appa," Jimin stepped back to let the man enter but his father remained outside.

"I heard from your school," Jimin's heart dropped to his intestines and his feet reluctantly pulled him closer to his father. "I would say it's progress. Last year... Last year it took Mr. Bang one week to call me." The man effortlessly rolled out the words without any expressions and though the words were sarcastic, Jimin's heart underwent shattering of a sort. He knew what was coming next. 

"I am sorry Appa, it wasn't really my fault this time. This kid was disrespectful to me in the morning and then he threw a glass full of juice on my face. Was I supposed to just let him go?" He asked with creases appearing on his forehead and Mr. Park sighed dejectedly. 

"In any case, make believable lies. Mr. Bang told me he was a junior moved to your grade. I cannot believe you would fight him. Next time, at least pick a fight with an equal if you do decide on it and forget about the dance internship if your grades drop."

"As if that ever happened?" Jimin mumbled while he looked over his shoulder to see a Michael Jackson poster that had been hung on the wall, a fool to think Mr. Park did not hear. 

"Be consistent, it is a reminder of what is on the line for you, son. I did not get all this in heritage." Mr. Park pointed around to make a clear picture for the young student. "I put years of discipline and there is a serious scarcity of it in you. I just... Don't want you to get in trouble over and over." Mr. Park's voice was low and monotonous but it worked as an edgy chainsaw over the boy's heart.

"I am sorry to disappoint you, again," Jimin replied briefly as he looked at his feet. 

"Come down for supper." Mr. Park turned around and left while Jimin looked at him through his glossy eyes. 

The same night, Jungkook was in his sleep when he started sweating through his forehead. A nightmare that bound him to inhibit any movement, he was in a hypnogogic state that felt like dangling in the middle of an elastic band from where he could tell the difference between the dream and reality but he was not awake enough to make it stop. He tried and tried but found himself getting deeper into sleep paralysis but something in his body suddenly flinched him awake. 

He yelped when he found his mother sitting by his side, "Dreamt about the hospital again?" She asked and Jungkook realized that it had been his mother who shook him out of the sleep. His body often randomly flinched when he tried to fall asleep, but this was different. He should have known.

"No, I thought about Jimin." Jungkook's little slip of the tongue was a blunder which he now could not take back.

"Jimin? Who is she?" She asked. 

"He is no one. Imaginary 3-legged and a 3-eyed monster that I made up. He also has a tail and his breath stinks because he eats kids with an onion soup. He also farts-"

"I get it," Mrs. Jeon stood up and held her hands up, not wanting to imagine the picture her son was putting in her mind. "He was out there to eat you."

"Bingo!" Jungkook clicked his tongue and snapped his finger to go with it.

"No one will eat you in my house. Go back to sleep." She adjusted the AC temperature before finally leaving the room. Jungkook sighed as he successfully hid the truth, well partially. He did dream of his hospital days... Only this time, Jimin was there to inject him. He lost himself in slumber and when he woke up, it seemed to him like only a second had passed. 

He was already on his way to school after getting ready and of course, taking his food from home. "You are going to have to take the school bus from tomorrow." Mr. Jeon told the boy who craned his neck at his father's side, thinking he heard wrong. 

"What did you just say before from tomorrow and after take the?" Mr. Jeon's eyes remained on the road and he pressed on the brakes as they reached school. "Take the bus back home."

"If this is some kind of a dad joke then okay, if not, I am not going on the bus. I will be staying at the school from tonight." Jungkook affirmed.

"Don't be late. There is a 4'o clock curfew." Before Jungkook could wrap his head around the horrible things his father just said, Mr. Jeon grinned, pushed the backpack over to the boy's chest and sped away. 

As he was making his way towards the class, his eyes fell on Jimin along with a couple that Jungkook did not have difficulty recognizing with their features, were the boy's parents. Jimin's face was timid and his eyes were bloodshot as if he either had been choking back tears of anger or diarrhoea. 

As Jimin levelled up to Jungkook in the corridor, his menacing glare followed him until the younger's head lowered down by himself. Jungkook saw a similar pink card in Jimin's hands so he felt relieved that he was not the one to break the news to him. 

"Why the fuck was not his parents called?" Jimin thought and it made him resent the boy furthermore. 

They settled on their seats in the class and as Jungkook fathomed, no one had really forgotten about yesterday. He felt the tension around him and it only intensified in his head with his overly vivid imagination. His train of thoughts derailed when the teacher towered above him. "Jungkook, I said move over there." She pointed at Jimin's seat while Hoseok stood beside him, waiting for him to get up so he could replace. 

"Y-yes miss." Jungkook quickly grabbed his backpack before sliding to the seat on his left hand, getting father away from Yoongi.

"Your lunchbox." Hoseok handed the boy the box he had left behind.

"Th-thanks Hyung." Jungkook bowed slightly and Hoseok felt moved by the small yet genuine gesture of respect that the younger showed. Was Jungkook really that wicked?

Jimin closed his eyes and balled his fists tightly shut. Jungkook saw the boy's hands lose color as he sat beside him. With a throbbing heart, he discerned Jimin inhale deeply and exhale before his eyes opened and squinted. Jungkook quickly looked straight to not get caught staring. 

Jimin breathed Jungkook's scent as he tried to calm his nerves and the enchanting fragrance swirled in his head as it glided through his nostrils. He was not a fan of the boy but the smell, he could get used to it. "At least he doesn't smell bad."

13 Sep 2021