Switching sides

Chapter 4: Undercover Chaos

Taehyung spent that night hunched over his notebook, surrounded by scattered notes and circuit boards, his mind racing to piece together the malfunction that had led to their bizarre body swap. He’d barely slept—every time he closed his eyes, visions of math equations and Jungkook’s gym class horrors danced behind his eyelids. But he had to figure out how to reverse this mess before things got even more out of control.

---

The next morning, Jungkook groaned as he dragged himself out of bed, once again faced with the reality that he was still in Taehyung’s body. It felt surreal to brush his teeth with Taehyung’s gentle motions, to wear clothes that weren’t his style, and to face the knowledge that today would likely bring more academic embarrassment.

“Here we go again,” he muttered, pulling on Taehyung’s oversized sweater. He sighed as he stared in the mirror, trying to look somewhat studious—a look that was anything but natural.

---

At school, both boys continued their undercover missions with increasing difficulty.

Taehyung, still painfully out of place as Jungkook, was immediately cornered by Jimin and Hoseok before he could even make it to first period.

“Jungkook!” Jimin’s eyes sparkled with excitement as he leaned in close. “Big news—we’re sneaking out at lunch today. Got a little surprise planned for Coach. You in?”

Taehyung’s stomach dropped. Sneaking out? As in breaking rules? His mind scrambled for an excuse, but he couldn’t afford to draw more suspicion.

“Uh… sure, sounds… fun,” he replied, trying to force a grin. His insides twisted in dread, but he figured he’d figure out an escape route later.

Jimin and Hoseok exchanged mischievous grins. “That’s the spirit!” Hoseok laughed, slapping Taehyung on the back.

---

Meanwhile, Jungkook wasn’t having any better luck blending into Taehyung’s world.

He was in history class, barely listening, when Yoongi leaned over, whispering with a raised eyebrow, “Hey, Taehyung, aren’t you usually taking, like, ten pages of notes by now?”

Jungkook forced a smile, trying to look at least a bit intellectual. “Oh… I thought I’d, uh… try a more ‘go with the flow’ approach today.”

Yoongi chuckled, but his face held a mix of amusement and suspicion. “Wow, who are you, and what did you do with the real Taehyung?”

As Yoongi turned back to his notes, Jungkook sighed in relief, hoping no one else noticed his wildly out-of-character behavior. He still wasn’t sure how Taehyung managed to stay so focused all day without losing his mind.

---

Lunch arrived, and Taehyung, true to his word, met up with Jimin, Hoseok, and a few other members of Jungkook’s crew outside the school. He swallowed hard as they slipped out of the gate, laughter and chatter echoing around him.

“Where are we even going?” Taehyung asked, trying to keep up with their excitement.

“Oh, just the usual spot behind the gym,” Jimin replied with a wink. “Coach’ll never see it coming.”

They finally reached the back of the gym, where Jimin pulled out a can of spray paint. Hoseok grinned, holding up a banner they’d clearly made earlier, splashed with bright graffiti reading, “Free Period, Free Spirits!”

Taehyung’s eyes widened as he watched Jimin add the finishing touches. “Uh, isn’t this... a little over-the-top?”

Jimin rolled his eyes. “Come on, Jungkook! Don’t get soft on us now.”

Taehyung forced a laugh. “Right. Over-the-top is… great.”

Hoseok slung an arm around his shoulders. “Now that’s the Jungkook we know!”

As they slipped back toward the school, Taehyung felt like he was in a heist movie—though, in this case, his biggest crime was impersonating Jungkook. He only hoped no teachers had seen them.

---

By the time the last bell rang, both boys were worn out, but still had more secrets to keep. They met in their usual spot by the garden, collapsing against the oak tree with matching expressions of exhaustion.

“That,” Jungkook said, glaring at Taehyung, “was the worst day ever.”

“Oh, really?” Taehyung shot back, crossing his arms. “Try being ambushed into vandalizing the school during lunch.”

Jungkook’s eyes widened, and a slow grin spread across his face. “You did that? You, Mr. Perfect, did graffiti?”

Taehyung rolled his eyes, cheeks reddening. “Don’t remind me. They’d be suspicious if I said no.”

Jungkook laughed, looking genuinely impressed. “You’re tougher than you look, Kim Taehyung.”

Taehyung couldn’t help but laugh a little too. “And you’re surviving my classes... somehow.”

They looked at each other, sharing a rare moment of understanding, and an unexpected warmth settled between them.

“So... any luck with the device?” Jungkook asked, hope flickering in his eyes.

Taehyung sighed, pulling out a small notebook filled with scribbled equations and notes. “I’ve been working on it. I think I figured out what went wrong, but I need to run a few tests.”

“Please hurry,” Jungkook muttered, running a hand through his hair. “Because I don’t think I can handle another day like this.”

Taehyung nodded, glancing at the sky as it turned shades of pink and gold. “Yeah… same.”

As they parted ways, each heading to a home that didn’t quite feel like their own, they felt a subtle shift in how they saw each other. Maybe the “nerd” and the “bad boy” weren’t as different as they thought. And maybe—just maybe—they could rely on each other in ways they’d never considered.....

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