You Belong With Me | Jeongcheol Fanfic

Chapter 5

Jaehyun wasn't the type to back down easily. His bruised ego from being rejected by Jeonghan—and now seeing him bond with Seungcheol—only fueled his need to make Seungcheol's life miserable. The next day, he ramped up his efforts, determined to show both Seungcheol and Jeonghan that Seungcheol didn't belong in their world.

It started subtly. Jaehyun would brush past Seungcheol in the hallways, muttering insults under his breath, just loud enough for Seungcheol to hear but too quiet for teachers to notice. "Loser," "Geek," and "Stay in your lane" became a regular soundtrack whenever Jaehyun was nearby.

Seungcheol tried to ignore it, but it was wearing him down. He avoided eye contact and took longer routes around the school to stay away from Jaehyun and his group. Jeonghan noticed the change in Seungcheol's demeanor, his usual quiet confidence replaced by a nervous, guarded look whenever they walked the halls together.

Jaehyun didn't stop at just words, though. One afternoon, after Seungcheol left his books in the computer lab to grab a snack, he returned to find that his backpack had been dumped out, his books scattered and pages torn. Jaehyun's signature smirk was all Seungcheol needed. 

~

Seungcheol couldn't take it anymore. The bullying from Jaehyun had gone from subtle insults to outright harassment, and every time he was seen with Jeonghan, things only got worse. It wasn't just the whispered words or the ruined backpack; Jaehyun had a way of making him feel small, like he didn't belong.

At first, Seungcheol tried to brush it off, telling himself it was temporary, that Jaehyun would get bored and move on. But as the days passed, the bullying only intensified. Jaehyun's taunts grew bolder, his pranks more frequent. Every time Seungcheol thought things couldn't get worse, Jaehyun found a new way to humiliate him.

Seungcheol couldn't bear to see Jeonghan caught in the middle of it. He knew that Jaehyun was targeting him because of his friendship with Jeonghan, and it ate away at him. The last thing he wanted was to drag Jeonghan into the mess or ruin his reputation.

One day, after a particularly cruel incident where Jaehyun and his friends dumped Seungcheol's lunch tray in the trash while everyone laughed, Seungcheol made up his mind. He would distance himself from Jeonghan—for Jeonghan's sake, but also for his own sanity.

He stopped replying to Jeonghan's texts. He avoided sitting with him during coding sessions, making excuses about needing to work alone. In the hallways, he took different routes, always finding ways to avoid Jeonghan's curious gaze or cheerful attempts to strike up a conversation.

Jeonghan, of course, noticed the change immediately. He tried to reach out, tried to ask if something was wrong, but Seungcheol just gave him half-hearted reassurances, brushing it off as being "busy with other stuff." He avoided eye contact, kept his answers short, and slipped away as quickly as he could.

~

Days turned into weeks, and the gap between them widened. Jeonghan felt the sting of Seungcheol's absence, confused and hurt by the sudden distance. He couldn't understand why Seungcheol, who had been so close to him, was now pulling away without explanation.

At first, Jeonghan thought maybe Seungcheol was just stressed or overwhelmed, but it didn't explain the coldness. Every time Jeonghan tried to talk to him, Seungcheol would find an excuse to leave, and eventually, Jeonghan began to worry that it wasn't just stress—it was something more.

~

One afternoon, Jeonghan spotted Seungcheol sitting alone in the far corner of the library, hunched over his laptop. Taking a deep breath, Jeonghan decided he wasn't going to let this silence continue. He marched over to the table and sat down across from Seungcheol, who looked startled by the sudden appearance.