"Don't fuck this up," Jungkook muttered as he walked through the school gate. All those unfamiliar faces seriously gave him anxiety. He had shaky hands but gathered his courage and headed to the school office.
The peon, still glued to his chair, finally acknowledged him. "How can I help you?" he asked without much interest.
"Good morning, sir. It's my first day, and I need my schedule," Jungkook replied, feeling proud that he didn't stutter.
"Alright, give me your name and class," the man said.
"Jeon Jungkook, the first year of high school."
The man typed away and then handed Jungkook a printed schedule. He even managed a smile and wished him luck.
Jungkook mumbled a grateful, "Th-thank you, sir," and took a deep breath as he studied the schedule. But right as he reached his classroom door, he froze. With his hand resting on the doorknob, Jungkook's mind raced with anxiety. His past experiences of being bullied haunted him, and he couldn't shake off the fear of starting high school all alone.
"What if they're all mean like the kids from my old school? What if I'm just invisible here?" he thought, his heart pounding.
Before his anxious thoughts could consume him, Jungkook felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned to find another boy who appeared just as clueless as him.
"Are you from the first year?" the boy asked, a hint of uncertainty in his voice.
Jungkook nodded, "Yes, I am."
The boy visibly relaxed and let out a sigh of relief. "Thank God. I'm new here, so can you help me figure out the classes and stuff?" he asked, sounding hopeful.
Jungkook hesitated but then admitted, "Actually, I'm new too, so I don't know much either."
The boy smiled understandingly. "That's okay. I guess we can figure it out together."
Jungkook and the boy walked into the classroom, facing the unknown together.
They settled into two of the many empty seats at the back of the class. The classroom was slowly filling up with students, but they felt more at ease now that they had each other for company.
The boy turned to Jungkook and introduced himself, saying, "By the way, I'm Park Jimin. You can call me Jimin or whatever you like."
Jungkook, still feeling a bit nervous, managed a slight but genuine smile and replied, "I'm Jeon Jungkook. You can call me anything you like too."
Soon, the bell rang, and the teacher entered the class. He took a look across the room and noticed five new students.
Teacher: "Good morning, students. My name is Lee Hyunshik. You can call me Mr. Lee. Many of you might know me, but I can see some new faces. So, new admissions, please come up here and introduce yourselves."
Jimin, Jungkook, and the other three students stood up and walked to the front of the class. One by one, everyone started to introduce themselves, and finally, it was Jungkook's turn. He said, "Hello, everyone. My name is Jeon Jungkook. Please take care of me."
Mr. Lee, noticing Jungkook's brevity, asked, "Why did you change schools, Jungkook?" Without thinking much, he replied, "We just shifted here, sir," bowed as a sign of gratitude, and returned to his seat beside Jimin.
During the lunch break, Jungkook's anxiety didn't subside. He was still sweating, unsure of how to start a conversation or make friends. All the students went to the cafeteria. Jungkook saw Jimin sitting with a group of students who now seemed familiar. He went toward them and stood beside Jimin, catching their attention.
