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"Mr. Jeon. Do you know why I called you into my office?"
Jungkook was staring at maybe the third most intimidating woman he's ever met in his life. Somewhere in the shuffle between his mother and Iris sat Le Soojin, one of the university's academic advisors. She was his advisor, met her when he was first enrolled here. Jungkook he wasn't dumb. He knew how he managed to get into the best university in the country. It wasn't because he passed any of the rigorous testing it took to even get considered for admission. It was because his mother had gone years before him and she had enough money to make his testing results completely irrelevant. Everyone knew it too.
Jungkook sat with his hands in his lap, eyes wandering to latch onto anything other than Soojin's burning gaze. He gazes at the Newton's Cradle she has on her desk. "No, I can't say I do."
"Well– as of today you are now missing nearly 35 assignments across all of your classes. Do you have an explanation for that?" Jungkook appreciated that she was talking to him like he was an adult. All too often he was spoken to like he was a child and didn't understand the gravity of the situation. She was straightforward, calling for an explanation for his slacking without patronizing him. Jungkook had no real explanation though. He'd sound ridiculous if he said he simply didn't want to do them. He was already failing so he might as well follow through.
"I do not. Not a good one anyway."
"Well, at least you're being honest." That's all the credit she could allot to him. "But we cannot let you continue on this trajectory. If you do, you won't be able to graduate and we might have to expel you. I wanted to give you a chance to make up the assignments that you still can turn in before that happens."
It was the only logical conclusion to his laziness. Jungkook was okay with it. He was okay with being a failure. He was already considering dropping out anyways, seeing the look of disapproval on his mother's face when she can no longer say he was going to the very best school in the country. Jungkook just hasn't fully come to accept that he will never be able to make his mother proud.
Teeth sinking into his bottom lip, Jungkook nodded. "Thank you for your kindness and consideration." He stood from there chair he had been stiffly sitting in and bowed. "But I'll probably be leaving soon anyways. I'm not sure yet but I'll let you know what I decide to do." He smiled with his charming display smile and swiftly left the office before she could see the sheer panic in his eyes.
Jungkook kept his head low as he walked through campus, breezing by the prompt greetings he got from faces he could hardly remember. With his phone in hand, thumbs hovering over the keypad in hesitation, he finally gained the courage to dial his mother's number. Phone against his ear, Jungkook counted how many times it rang. Once, twice, three times, four. If she was at work, it would have gone to an automatic voicemail. It didn't but she didn't pick up regardless. It still went to voicemail.
"Hey, Eomma." Jungkook swallowed, murmuring into the speaker of his phone in a timid whisper. "I just wanted to call you and let you know I'm dropping out. I just figured college isn't for me, y'know? I know you worked hard to get me here but I'm drowning, Eomma." He didn't mean to get emotional. A quiet quiver in his voice gives him away, tears in his eyes as he tries to find strength somewhere in this mess. "I'll figure something out, I always do."
