Beyond The Friend Zone [Taekook]

The Thousand-Finger Attack (4)

For the rest of the day, Taehyung’s demeanor was colder than ever. His usually stoic expression hardened, his brows furrowed as if he was perpetually angry. His classmates noticed, but none knew the reason behind his icy aura. Many assumed that Jungkook had upset him during lunch, leading some of the girls to shoot glares at the innocent boy, who remained blissfully unaware.

Jungkook, however, had always been the type to let things roll off his back. He ignored the glares, a cheerful smile on his face, unfazed by the cold stares. As the hours passed, school finally let out for the day.

"Taehyung, wait up! Do you want to go home together?" Jungkook called out as he jogged up to Taehyung, only to be met with the usual curt rejection.

"No."

Jungkook blinked, not ready to give up. "Why not? Your house is just next to mine," he persisted, trying to keep pace with Taehyung’s long, quick strides. The distance between them was frustrating, not just physically, but emotionally. Jungkook silently vowed that one day he’d grow taller than Taehyung, if only to close that gap.

Before he could press further, his friends shouted from behind, "Kook! Let’s go play basketball!"

Jungkook paused and looked back at them, torn between his friends and his desire to reach out to Taehyung. "Ah, sorry, but I want to go home with Tae—" he began, turning back around only to see that Taehyung had already disappeared, leaving him standing alone in the crowd. Jungkook exhaled a sigh of frustration, his shoulders slumping slightly.

One of his friends approached and clapped him on the back. "Hey, you should really stop bothering with him. He clearly hates you—and everyone else. Did you see him today? He looked like someone killed his family! I don’t get why girls like him so much when he’s got such a bad attitude."

"So girls like boys with bad attitudes. Noted," another friend joked.

"If I start glaring at everyone like him, will girls start to like me?" teased another.

"Nope, impossible!"

"Definitely impossible?"

"Haha, you’d just look like a fool!"

Jungkook tried to smile, but the sting of Taehyung’s constant rejection lingered. His friends noticed and quickly surrounded him, their teasing becoming more affectionate.

"Hey, don’t get so upset over it, Kook," one friend said, giving him a playful nudge. "You’re popular with the girls too! Look at those big, round eyes! So cute! You wouldn’t lose to Taehyung!"

"Agreed!"

"Our little Kook is always the cutest!"

They began to pinch and pull at Jungkook’s cheeks, loving the softness of his skin. Jungkook barely noticed their antics, lost in thought as he tried to figure out why Taehyung had grown so distant. They had spent time together in his bedroom, and Taehyung had even shared his birthday—a sign of trust, or so Jungkook thought. Why, then, did Taehyung keep pushing him away?

Eventually, his friends managed to drag him to the basketball court, though his mind remained elsewhere. Meanwhile, Taehyung rode the bus home alone, sitting at the back as girls from the same school giggled and whispered, captivated by his striking appearance. Even the older students couldn’t help but stare, though Taehyung seemed oblivious to it all. He was a master at ignoring people, and after a few failed attempts at conversation, the girls retreated, feeling humiliated.

When Taehyung arrived home, he was greeted by his mother in the living room. She beamed with delight upon seeing him, quickly pulling him into a warm embrace. "Welcome back! How was your first day of school? Did you manage to talk with Jungkook?"