The last thing Mingyu expected today was everything but the situation he found himself stuck in. The moment he'd entered, Wonwoo had pounced on him. Pounced as in quite literally, since he had Mingyu pinned to a row of lockers in the locker room, one hand fixing the back of his head to a locker by fisting his locks, while the other had a choking grip on Mingyu's neck.
His first instinct was to knee Wonwoo in the gut so he left his throat alone. It worked without much effort, since he was easily more muscular than a frail-looking Wonwoo.
Wonwoo looked like his eyes alone could burn Mingyu to ashes, his hand still not having left his hair. "What do you want? It's civil if you speak it out," Mingyu spoke through gritted teeth. He pushed the other arm away from his head, making Wonwoo stumble backwards.
Wonwoo looked like he hadn't heard a single word Mingyu had said, lurching forward and landed a stone-hard fist on Mingyu's cheek. That fucking hurt.
Despite being absolutely fucking clueless about the situation, Mingyu decided it was best if he left a raging Wonwoo alone to relieve all his anger on the lockers. Unfortunately, Wonwoo had calculated his next move, and pulled him back immediately. Mingyu hissed; he'd have to visit the nurse later.
To make things worse, just when Wonwoo raised his fist once more, the door to the locker room opened, and a fucking senior walked in for whatever reason. Why was he in their locker room?
"What's going on?" the senior's voice boomed in the empty room. Wonwoo, seething and steam billowing from his ears, detached his grip on Mingyu, and moved away like he'd done nothing. That, of course, didn't miss the senior's eye, and he demanded both boys follow him.
Mingyu's life couldn't get any worse. He begrudgingly trailed behind the senior out of the room, with Wonwoo right behind him. He swore he was burning holes in his skull from the back.
To his horror, the senior stopped in front of the principal's office, knocking on the door and then turning to the boys to flash them a threatening smile. When there was a muffled 'come in!' coming from the office, he swung the door open, and without letting the poor woman behind the desk breathe, began narrating the whole incident. "I wouldn't be surprised if that," he pointed to the bluing bruise on Mingyu's cheek, "was Mr. Jeon's doing," he informed the clueless woman at the desk.
Lucky for him, the senior had the privilege of just bowing, and leaving Mingyu and Wonwoo to be interrogated by the feared principal. He did exactly that, and the woman's smile dropped in an instant, her gaze shifting to the boys sitting in front of her. Mrs. Kang gravely stared at both of them.
"Care to explain? I'm sure you both were aware such behaviour is far from tolerated at Pledis. You, Mr. Jeon, should have been especially careful, considering you're here on a scholarship."
Mingyu reckoned she meant it quite casually – not that being on a scholarship was a matter of shame in any way. But he saw Wonwoo visibly cringe and shift in his seat; he looked like he was trying hard to not lash out and curse her out.
Mingyu expected Wonwoo to deny any allegations, push all of it on Mingyu, and wiggle his way out as he landed Mingyu in trouble. Turns out, he wasn't that petty. His silence said it all.
"And you, Mr. Kim. Shouldn't you have had the most basic sense to report this to someone immediately? Or are you so slow that you just let this," Mrs. Kang gestured to his cheek, "happen?"
"I'm sorry, ma'am, I hadn't seen it coming."
"How does one not realise they're being punched in the face, Mr. Kim?"
Mingyu lowered his head, not being able to speak further. He heard the elderly woman sigh deeply as she tapped her tapered fingernails on the glass tabletop, probably deep in thought.
"I've been putting it away for a while now, to be honest. Mr. Choi is aware of all your," she glared at the boys. "Shenanigans. He has informed me earlier, and I thought maybe, just maybe, your nineteen year-old brains would have the maturity to cut it out. It's a shame they apparently don't."
"I'm afraid if both of you both don't learn to work normally, if not as friends, I'll have to inform your parents of this misbehaviour." Mrs. Kang said after a few moments of silence.
Mingyu's gut dropped. He hated how his brain immediately knew what awaited him.
"I shall inform all your professors to set you both together for the time until your behaviour's are civil with each other. If I'm not mistaken, you both are already working together in your club activities? If you can manage going without scratching each other's faces off for those three weekly hours, doing this for an extended time period shouldn't be a problem," she declared with a finality to her tone, and Mingyu knew there was no way she would change her mind anymore.
Wonwoo suddenly stood up and banged his fists on the table, making it tremble a bit. "YOU CAN'T DO THIS TO ME!" he yelled, resuming his place on the chair in an instant when Mrs. Kang sent a sharp look his way.
"And why not, Mr. Jeon? Your childishness is what is making me do this. It's your own fault."
Mingyu, on the other hand, sat through all of the conversation silently. Having to deal with Wonwoo, and actually having to interact with him for half his classes?
If Mingyu disliked the family he came from, he began loathing it from that moment. Just if he wasn't born to his mother, he was convinced he would be in some normal fucking university, with normal fucking rules, where such incidents could have been overlooked; where he would have had friends, and finally, he wouldn't have to tolerate Jeon fucking Wonwoo.
