teenage dirtbag | gongfourz

chapter one

Taesan and I hate each other. That's a fact that everyone in school knows. Even the teachers—who barely remember our names—could probably give you a detailed breakdown of every argument, every trip to detention, and every shattered things we left behind whenever we couldn't handle being in the same room.

And I blame him for all of it. I wouldn’t have gotten so hot-headed with him if he weren’t such a jerk. He’s always the one to start glaring and smirking, and of course, the one who constantly goes against me, rivaling me in everything. I remember the moment that turned us into enemies.

I sighed.

It all started with the girl from kindergarten. I had a huge crush on her, a crush so big I had already decided to confess. But then Taesan just had to ruin it. It was Valentine’s Day when I experienced my first heartbreak. Taesan confessed to her the same day I had planned to do it, and what happened next is what led us into this endless fight.

The problem is, we can't make eye contact without a fight. Just a quick glance could set us off, and we'd go from zero to ten in under a second. Our friends have gotten used to stepping in and cooling us down before we go from insults to actual fists. Today? No exception.

I was standing in front of a girl from a lower grade, who was clearly trying to avoid my eyes as she scratched the back of her neck. She looked like she wanted to disappear without accidentally giving me more reasons to hunt Taesan down and choke him to death.

"What do you mean by that?" I asked, trying to keep my tone steady. She gulped, fidgeting as she struggled to respond without stuttering.

"U-Um, they said only one band could perform at the school festival. So it’s either gonna be your band… or Taesan’s.” The moment she said his name, my hand clenched into a fist. Hearing that guy's name was like poison in my ears.

"And… Taesan signed up first. So technically, his band is already registered for the lineup." It took everything in me not to shout right there. If Taesan’s band was performing, that meant my band's months of practice were about to go down the drain.

“Why am I only hearing about this now?” I took a deep breath, forcing myself to calm down for the girl’s sake. She looked about ready to sprint.

“It was just decided yesterday after the meeting… and Jaehyun was there.” She trailed off, clearly hoping I’d understand. I sighed. Of course. Jaehyun, Taesan’s bandmate, was also in the student council. That traitor must’ve signed them up first. No wonder Taesan’s band got the slot—he probably registered it in secret and didn’t bother telling anyone else. Just thinking about it made my blood boil.

"Alright, thanks. I’ll figure it out,” I muttered before jogging back to my classroom. I found my friends who are also my bandmates in the back, looking at me with curious expressions after stopping their conversation mid-way. They could tell from my face that something was up.

"You look like you’ve been attacked by a swarm of bees," Sungho said while raising an eyebrow.

“Did you run into Taesan again?” Riwoo asked, grabbing his water bottle with a look that said he already knew the answer.

“Guys, this is serious.” I dropped my bag on the floor. “We’re not performing at the school festival. Apparently, only one band can play, and Taesan’s band took the slot.”

Riwoo choked on his water, and Sungho’s eyes went wide as he stood up to face me, looking about ready to explode.

"What did you just say?” he asked, stunned. “We literally put our whole lives into practicing for this! Are you saying all of that was for nothing?"