19 | minsung

22

as minho walked to his next class, he couldn't help but think about everything that jeongin had told him. his mind was swirling with a mix of emotions, and he muttered to himself, "they don't seem like that type of people," thinking back to the moments he had spent with felix and the others, and how they had never acted like the selfish pricks jeongin described.

however, he quickly scolded himself, shaking his head in disagreement with his own thoughts. minho realized he shouldn't assume anything based on one side of the story. he knew he needed to get both sides of the story and have a more complete understanding before making judgments about what kind of people they were.

for now, he was determined to be there for jeongin and offer him the support and friendship he needed.

-----

when minho left ahead of him, jeongin found himself alone in the empty classroom. his eyes were still red from crying, tears staining his cheeks, and his gaze fixed on the floor.

the earlier conversation with minho had brought up feelings he desperately wanted to forget. but in that moment, he realized he was still not ready to let go.

not ready to forgive them.

jeongin understood that what he had told minho might have been a little exaggerated, but that's exactly what he intended. he wanted minho to feel the same anger and resentment he felt toward the group.

"minho needs to know..." he mumbled to himself, his red, swollen, and empty eyes still fixed on the floor.

his gaze then shifted to another direction, to his guitar leaning against one of the chairs. "they don't deserve him..." he continued to mumble, his eyes now streaming with tears once again.

after a while, jeongin wiped the tears from his eyes and decided it was time to head to his next class. he took a deep breath before standing up, grabbing his guitar bag, and slinging it over his back as he made his way to the door.

while he was moving toward his next class, his head slightly bowed, and his hand clutching the guitar bag strap, someone called out to him.

"jeongin!" the voice called, but jeongin chose to ignore it. at that moment, he didn't care who it was. he felt utterly alone.

the voice persisted, accompanied by hurried footsteps approaching him, "yang jeongin!"

jeongin's grip on the strap of his guitar bag tightened, and his red eyes narrowed as he recognized the person who was calling after him.

suddenly, he halted in his steps as the person blocked his path. "stop ignoring me," the voice said, but jeongin's head remained bowed, his narrowed eyes fixed on the floor, and his knuckles turning white from his firm grip on the strap.

the person blocking jeongin's path let out a sigh. he had expected this behavior from jeongin, but he had hoped that the younger would actually talk to him. "at least talk to me, inn-"

"don't call me that, kim seungmin!" jeongin exclaimed, his eyes teary with rage.

seungmin slightly flinched at the intensity of jeongin's voice, and it reverberated throughout the empty corridors. he hesitated but decided to keep it brief to avoid upsetting jeongin further.

seungmin's eyes nervously roamed the area, avoiding direct eye contact with jeongin's fiery gaze. "felix mentioned to us that you and minho started hanging out. i hope this doesn't come across as offensive, but what are you exactly planning?" he asked, choosing his words carefully to not provoke jeongin any further.

upon hearing seungmin's question, jeongin audibly scoffed, saying, "why do you care if i hang out with him? am i not allowed to have friends now?" his tone dripped with venom.

seungmin immediately shook his head, his gaze momentarily on the guitar bag behind jeongin before shifting it back to the younger. "of course not. but the others just wanted to know if you're planning anything to undermine our image to minho or something similar. we're well aware of how much you...hate us," he said, his tone tinged with sadness, with his last words barely audible.

"what i have in mind is none of your business. and you're right, i do hate you. so, if you'll excuse me, i have a class i need to attend," jeongin spat, walking past seungmin.

seungmin sighed, watching jeongin walk away. with the younger at a safe distance, seungmin quietly followed, making sure not to get too close to jeongin, as he knew the younger would become upset again.

"we're in the same class, though..." seungmin muttered to himself, heading to the same class that jeongin was intending to attend.

after a while, seungmin finally reached his class. jeongin was the first to go in, and he could hear their professor talking to jeongin.

"mr. yang, great to see you in this class again," the professor said, his voice filled with sarcasm.

however, seungmin saw how jeongin ignored the professor, heading to his seat and placing the guitar by his side.

"mr. yang, how do you expect your guitar to save you from failing all your classes this year? are you not taking your program seriously?" the professor continued to scold, but jeongin just rested his head on top of his hand, his gaze fixed on his desk instead of the professor in front.

eventually, the professor decided to give up as jeongin appeared utterly disinterested. at that moment, seungmin finally stepped inside the classroom, saying, "sorry i'm late, mr. nam," as he bowed his head.

the professor turned to seungmin and nodded, "it's alright, go to your seat," mr. nam nonchalantly replied, turning back to the board to begin the lesson.

as seungmin made his way to his seat, he glanced at jeongin. the only thing the younger had with him was his guitar—no books, no pens, nothing related to the class. jeongin also didn't seem to be listening; he was simply tapping his fingers on the desk while leaning on his arm.

seungmin settled himself in his seat, organizing his materials for the class, but his gaze kept returning to jeongin.

his heart ached for the younger. seungmin remembered how jeongin wasn't like this before their falling out. the current behavior was the opposite of how he used to be.

jeongin was just a freshman, yet he was already failing most of his classes. seungmin wasn't supposed to be in this class, but due to his busy schedule in the previous year, he had chosen to enroll a bit later. on the first day, he would have never expected to see jeongin in the same class.

seungmin's attention remained on jeongin whenever the younger attended this class. he would watch as jeongin seemed disengaged during the discussions, frequently drifting off at his desk, and enduring the professor's repeated scolding. the irregularity of jeongin's attendance in this class was apparent, prompting seungmin to take the opportunity early, unsure when he might encounter the younger again.

he shifted his attention from jeongin to the professor teaching at the front, but the guilt continued to gnaw at him.

'i'm really sorry, inn- jeongin. we're sorry,' he thought, his heart heavy, as he opened the page of his book with "obligations and contracts" written on the cover.