The Boy From The Bridge - Jakehoon

Chapter 106: Unsanctioned Retribution 6/7

He'd failed. 

All through Saturday, then Sunday and the through to Monday the failure to catch either of Insu and Donghyun and haunted Jungwon. 

He had wondered the cold and lonely city streets for three hours after leaving the party. Stalking the shadows he had searched until the cold brought about a chill - its toll on him being exacerbated by the return of the sickly feeling from his ordeal on the stairs. 

He'd returned home quietly and sullenly, making his excuses to go to bed whilst avoiding contact with his sister. That night he had wondered through all the 'what ifs' and the 'maybes' that lead him to the mistake of talking openly about Jake and Sunghoon. 

How could he have being so stupid?

That question more than any other plagued him and he hated himself because of it. 

It seemed more than ever that his greatest critic, the persistent nay-saying voice inside his head, had been vindicated. He wasn't good enough, he wasn't who he was capable of being and that irked and angered him.

They'd been right, his parents and teachers when they said he didn't try hard enough. His sister when she said he needed to grow up, he was letting himself down and he knew it. Everyone wanted him to be someone else because they wanted him to be better version of himself but Jungwon couldn't he was lazy, unreliable and good for nothing. 

Worst of all, his failure to stop Insu and Donghyun meant they had correctly identified him as the weak link, that's why they'd picked on him, that's why they'd followed him up the fire escape. Jungwon realised that by resorting to guerrilla tactics after they had stolen his clothes after gym, instead of confronting them, he had only compounded their belief that he was too afraid to confront them when it mattered. 

Well today it mattered and today Jungwon wouldn't cower any more. 

Naturally fait intervened and delayed the confrontation. When he had entered his classroom full of steam and bluster that morning  he was  told by Choi that their teacher had finally taken the initiative to seat Insu at the front of the class so that they couldn't 'distract one another' anymore.

During those first few periods of the day Jungwon had given little time to his school work. He instead chose to watch Insu, the boy was seemingly relishing being in the glare of Jungwon's eyes, on several occasions he would turn and smirk at him. That chiding grin ridiculed him for his inadequacies, it openly mocked and derided him.

Jungwon could tell by his body language that Insu knew something that Jungwon didn't and that unsettled him. The feeling of dread occupied the pits of Jungwon's stomach as he was knew his fear over the video would soon be realised. There was no way Yun had been successful in convincing them not to share it, Jungwon had known that would be the case as soon as the girl had  suggested it as a remedy to their situation.

Insu and Donghyun had a plan, no doubt it would be executed for maximum pain.  This expectation was realised five minutes before the start of lunch break. Phones began to ping and sniggers and gasps were heard. Jungwon watched as Eunju, who would usually play with her hair whilst texting Jay, held her phone with both hands before sharing her display with her neighbour. 

Jungwon and Choi's phones chimed simultaneously. Reluctantly, he retrieved his device from his pocket only be forewarned by Choi not to look at it. Jungwon didn't head his friend's caution and saw with dismay how the sexuality of both Jake and Sunghoon was documented for anyone reading the text to see. 

It wasn't overly critical, the humour and ridicule at their relationship was inferred and subtle - it was evil. The secrecy in which their affair had been conducted a point of note that was shared now with the whole school. Jungwon could tell of the obvious delight from whichever out of Donghyun or Insu had written it just by their choice of language they had used whilst putting the account together. The words laboured on the point that this was 'the first' gay couple at the school, documenting them as one might write about a peculiar type of exotic bird in a biology paper.