𝑲𝑰𝑵𝑮 𝑶𝑭 𝑴𝒀 𝑯𝑬𝑨𝑹𝑻 (Taejin)

Chapter 12

Jin

Taehyung was the kind of person people used to envy. He was good at sports, at studies- even though he slacked off in assignments and talked back to the teachers, his grades were always good- and I had heard he was great at art too.

He was always cheeky and retorted at every small thing- he used to flirt shamelessly and hosted parties now and then.

But something happened a few months ago. He became a bit closed off. Though I heard that he still used to go to parties, he never hung out with people that much. Just with Yoongi.

Our lockers were always close to each other's for the past few years (though not this session, sadly). So whenever he used to stop for taking out his books and his friends used to surround him, I used to be there too- with Jimin or alone. Though I was popular, it was only in status. I never really had friends as Taehyung did, I never bothered to.

I remember after last year's summer holiday, the first morning of school always meant crowded hallways with people ranting to each other of how they spent their vacations with their family or where they went or about their summer romances.

Jimin had gone to Miami with his family that year, and like everytime, he had asked me to come along with him, but I said no. Vacations with family were supposed to be personal- even though they treated me like a family, I would have just been an outsider.

I had spent my summer vacation with the new home theatre Mr Kim had installed "because I had been a good boy and had got good grades" and I had designed my own coat and had had pizzas and home cooked noodles for food as all the chefs had gone for their own breaks. I didn't have a family to spend the month long holiday with so I spent it with Gossip Girl and Riverdale and Friends.

That morning, when I was taking out my history book from the lockers- Taehyung was talking to his friends about how he had stayed at a five star resort in Hawaii and had the best of food. That he had also "spent the nights with hot Hawaiian chicks". How is mother had her own shopping line and his father was a very famous businessman who spent most of his time in America. And that he had a Mercedes but he never brought it to school. As most typical high schoolers- the people surrounding him had drunk that information without ever questioning it.

It was just a fact.

Taehyung was good at everything, was rich, had a good family and lived in a penthouse where he invited no one as he was a private person.

No one ever bothered to question it.

He was, after all, the most popular guy- and people who were once in high school would know that there were just some guys who you should never mess with.

So, it was quite a shock to me when Aunt Park mentioned that Taehyung was tight on money and that is why he was working in the art store.

He must have been really short of money if he had to work in an art store which also sold various random things- there was no staff here before him. Aunt Park never needed it.

Though now that the new community art college had opened, there were more customers so a helping hand was appreciated.

I could feel Taehyung's stiff shoulders and nervous stance as he led me to the backroom to help unpack more boxes.

And though I wanted to ask him questions, I decided to keep quiet for now.

"This is the box for soft toys, you can start unpacking it while I start with the notebooks". Taehyung says while handing me a small cardboard box while he took the larger one.

We walked to the back shelves of the store where soft toys, diaries and stationery were placed.

"You like the store?" I ask, trying to make conversation while I open the tape of the box and start taking out plushies in the shapes of koalas and stars and bears holding red hearts.