Can't stand you, Can't live without you

Chapter 6

Jimin's point of view

I rode my cycle to school and parked it before entering the classroom. To my surprise, Taehyung was already there, engrossed in a book. I made my way over and sat next to him, but he didn't even acknowledge my presence. I tried to get his attention by lightly coughing, but he remained focused on his reading. Growing impatient, I finally decided to pull the book from his hands, which made him jump in surprise.

"Hey, what the heck are you doing?" Taehyung exclaimed, clearly taken aback. I couldn't help but chuckle as I read out the title of the book, "Basics of Statistics."

"I'm glad to see you taking your studies seriously," I teased, handing the book back to him. Taehyung sheepishly asked for help with a problem he couldn't figure out. I gladly took the notepad from my bag and started explaining the solution to him.

As I went through the problem, Taehyung's expression changed from confusion to understanding, and finally, a genuine smile spread across his face. His heartfelt gratitude and compliment caught me off guard, causing my heart to skip a beat. It had been a long time since I had seen that warm smile directed at me.

"You're a genius, Jimin. Thanks for helping me out," Taehyung said, his boxy smile making my cheeks feel warm. "You're welcome," I managed to reply, trying to play it cool as I grabbed my laptop to focus on my own work, albeit with a slight flutter in my stomach.

The interaction left me feeling a mix of emotions—happiness at being able to help Taehyung, surprise at his genuine appreciation, and a hint of something more that I couldn't quite place. As I began working on my tasks, I couldn't help but steal glances at Taehyung.

I noticed the usual buzz of students finding their seats. But then, something unexpected happened. Wonyoung, with a serious expression on her face, stormed in and said to Taehyung, "Tae, get out of my spot." Taehyung looked at her with a hint of annoyance and replied, "I got here early, this is my spot."

Wonyoung's face softened as she explained, "But Jimin is my friend. Can you please sit somewhere else?" She looked at him with pleading eyes. Taehyung, seemingly unfazed, responded firmly, "Nah, I am Jimin's best friend now. I'm staying right here." He then playfully threw his arm around my shoulder, showing his determination. Wonyoung seemed taken aback for a moment, but then a smirk crept onto her face as she said, "That's cute," before leaving the two of us.

Taehyung turned to me and asked, "What's cute?" But Wonyoung was already gone, leaving us puzzled As the class started, I noticed something different about Taehyung. He was more attentive, taking notes diligently. I couldn't believe my eyes – Kim Taehyung, the master of daydreaming, actually writing notes in class. The bell rang, signaling the end of the lesson, and I stood up to head to the cafeteria.

I was walking to cafeteria, I heard footsteps rushing towards me. It was Taehyung, slightly out of breath, saying, "Jiminah, wait." He looked at me with a determined expression and continued, "From today, let's eat together."
"Okay," I said  Tae grabbed my hand, intertwining our fingers. I felt something inside as we started walking towards the cafeteria holding hands. Suddenly, Jungkook came running towards us and stopped in front of us.

"Tae, you won't believe what I go-" Jungkook started, but he stopped midway, his eyes landing on our entwined hands. Taehyung abruptly let go of my hand, leaving me feeling confused.

"What the h-?" Jungkook blurted out before Taehyung cut him off, asking, "What's up?"

Jungkook, looking intrigued, remarked, "Is the apocalypse near or something? I've never seen you two get along so well in my life."