Fated hearts ( taekook ff )

chapter 7

Ding dong.

The door to Jimin's house swings open, revealing his mother, Jihyo, smiling warmly.

Taehyung: "Hi, Aunty. Where's Jimin?"

Jihyo: "Oh, Taehyung, come in! How have you been?"

Taehyung: "I'm good, Aunty."

Jihyo wipes her hands on her apron, her usual bright energy radiating.

Jihyo: "It's a holiday, so he's still sleeping in his room."

Taehyung: "Oh, is that so? Let him sleep then. Just tell him to call me when he wakes up."

Jihyo: "Wait, I'll go check if he's awake."

Moments later, Jimin stumbles down the stairs, looking like he just crawled out of bed, his hair sticking up in all directions and his pajamas rumpled. He lets out a wide yawn, rubbing his eyes.

Jihyo: (chuckling) "He said, 'I'll meet you at our spot in 30 minutes. You can go ahead, Tae.'"

Taehyung: (smiling) "Got it. Thanks, Aunty."

Jihyo: "Wait, have some breakfast before you go. I made strawberry pancakes—your favorite!"

Taehyung: (shaking his head politely) "No, Aunty, I'm fine. I had breakfast already. Just tell Jimin to come quickly."

Taehyung heads out, walking slowly along the road. His shoulders are slumped, his gaze fixed on the pavement as he mumbles to himself, barely loud enough for anyone to hear.

As Taehyung walks, his thoughts drift, filled with a mix of longing and wistfulness. His voice barely rises above a whisper as he lets the words tumble out.

Taehyung: "Why can't my mom be like that? Always so kind and warm. Look at how Aunty smiles at Jimin, how she listens to him. Mine... she's always so busy. Always rushing. Always telling me what I'm not doing right."

His thoughts are abruptly interrupted when he sees someone familiar in the distance. A tall figure, dressed in a hoodie and mask, walking towards the principal's house.

Taehyung: (stopping in his tracks) "Wait... is that Jungkook? What's he doing at the principal's house?"

30 minutes later, Jimin catches up with Taehyung, who's still lost in thought.

Jimin: (grinning) "Hey, why do you look so lost in thought?"

Taehyung: (distractedly) "I saw Jungkook going into the principal's house."

Jimin: (laughing) "Nah, not every guy in a hoodie and mask is Jungkook."

Taehyung: "True, but why does he always wear a hoodie and mask? No one ever questions it—not the teachers, not even the principal."

Jimin: (shrugging) "I heard he's got connections."

Taehyung's gaze darkens, and his voice drops to a quiet murmur.

Taehyung: "Of course, he's got all the connections... at least his father cares about him."

The following day, the school buzzes with nervous energy. Taehyung and Jimin stand side by side, anxiously waiting for their test results.

Jimin: (nervously) "Hey, Tae, how did your test go?"

Taehyung: (casually) "It went okay."

Jimin: (biting his lip) "It was tough for me. They're going to announce the results after lunch, and I'm nervous."

Taehyung: (comforting) "Don't worry, Chimmy. Nothing to stress about. You know who's going to top the list."

Jimin: (smiling) "Yeah, I know. You've always been at the top."

The bell rings, signaling the end of lunch break. The students file back into the classroom, their chatter quieting down as Mr. Min steps to the front, holding the stack of test papers.

Mr. Min: (with authority) "Alright, class, here are your test results."

Mr. Min starts calling out names, handing back the papers one by one.

Mr. Min: "Jennie... Lia... Max... Park Jimin."

Jimin: (panicking) "Oh no, no..."

Mr. Min: (impatient) "Jimin, take your paper. I don't have all day."

Jimin quickly grabs his paper, letting out a sigh of relief.

Jimin: (whispering to himself) "Thank goodness I didn't fail."

Taehyung, however, is still waiting. When his name is finally called, something feels off.

Mr. Min: "Kim Taehyung."

Taehyung walks up, takes his paper, and glances down at it. His heart sinks.

Taehyung: (mumbling to himself) "Second place? How did this happen? I was sure I'd be first... Did I mess up somewhere? No, it can't be. Maybe... maybe I didn't work hard enough... I've always been first. This... this is so unreal."

His mind races, replaying the weeks of studying, the sleepless nights. The thought of his parents' disappointment weighs heavily on him.

Taehyung: (panicking internally) "They're going to be so disappointed... No, no, no... This can't be true."

Jimin notices Taehyung's distress and leans over.

Jimin: (concerned) "Hey, Tae, what's wrong? You're so quiet. Show me your result."

Jimin peers over Taehyung's shoulder, his eyes widening in surprise.

Jimin: "Wait, you're in second place? Who's first then?"

Mr. Min clears his throat, gathering the class's attention once more.

Mr. Min: "Alright, class, everyone has their results. Now, I'm going to announce the top performer. Please give a big round of applause to today's test topper..."