DESK MATES ✔|SOPE|Yoonseok

55. Punishment

"Congratulations, boys," Mr. Chou, the headmaster, sat down across from them in his red leather chair. "After ten years of this school being violence free, you two just ended that record this morning. Is there anything you'd like to say for yourselves?"

"Oh yeah, that's not true," Taehyung said from the seat next to Jungkook, holding back fits of giggles. "Cause Hobi told me that one time he and Jin--"

Just then, Jungkook kicked him in the shin as hard as he could, making Taehyung temporarily forget his train of thought.

"Ow! Would you fucking stop it?!" Taehyung reached down to grab his leg, shooting Jungkook a death glare he'd never quite seen before.

"Well if you'd stop being a complete dumbass, then sure," Jungkook rolled his eyes as Taehyung continued to squeeze his eyes shut, rubbing his leg up and down.

"Alright, let's start by addressing the usage of foul language," Mr. Chou clapped his hands, lacing his fingers together on top of his desk. "I don't want to hear either of you using those kinds of words in my school, and especially not in front of your own headmaster. It's disrespectful and, quite frankly, embarrassing to our campus. Is that clear?"

Jungkook nodded his head along with Taehyung, the disappointment in Mr. Chou's eyes somehow making him feel a twinge of guilt.

"Now, the usual response would be to suspend both of you, but personally I don't believe any good comes out of those kinds of punishments. Have either of you heard the term 'restorative justice' before?"

Both of them shook their heads. Jungkook had no clue as to what that was, but for some reason, it sounded terrifying.

"It means that we're going to come up with a solution for the two of you to work things out, that way this type of thing doesn't happen again in the future. Are you ready to hear it?"

While Jungkook obediently agreed, Taehyung actually had the nerve to shake his head. He watched as Mr. Chou wrinkled his eyebrows at him in confusion, Jungkook mentally face-palming himself.

"Oh, so you'd like to be suspended for violence Taehyung? You'd like to have that go on your record, making it nearly impossible to get into a good university? Because if that's the case, you can kiss that plan of attending college goodbye."

Taehyung looked up towards the ceiling, his eyes deep in thought. "Well, actually--"

"No. You're supposed to say no," Mr. Chou sighed, leaning back in his chair. The three of them sat in silence for a moment as he took a few deep breaths, trying to collect himself.

"Anyways," Mr. Chou continued, "the two of you will be helping me out with some tasks after school for the remainder of the semester. You'll sit in a room and work together, and I expect each task to be completed by the time I leave. Understood?"

It was moments like these when Jungkook believed Hell really did exist.

Jungkook bit his lip and nodded his head, trying his best to keep his screams internal. Meanwhile, Taehyung became paralyzed, which Mr. Chou thankfully took as cooperation.

"Oh yeah, and starting tomorrow, the two of you will be sitting next to each other in English class," Mr. Chou added. "Almost forgot that part."

"What?" Jungkook threw his hands onto the desk, no longer able to contain himself. "You can't do that, Mr.Chou, no way. That's the class where me and my boyfriend sit together--"

"Well, Mr. Jeon, maybe you should've thought about that before you shoved your classmate here into his desk," Mr. Chou told him, not sounding sorry in the slightest.