Speeding Into Trouble || Taekook

6

Taehyung sat at his desk, red pen in hand, staring down at the open notebook in front of him.

The neat rows of equations blurred together as he tried to focus, mentally calculating grades and half-debating whether giving full marks for a half-wrong answer made him a pushover or just merciful.

The classroom was blissfully quiet, save for the sound of pages flipping and the occasional creak of his old desk chair.

For once, everything felt peaceful—until his phone lit up on the corner of his desk, breaking the silence like a jackhammer in a library.

Ping!

Taehyung glanced at the screen, already dreading what he’d see. And there it was: Sara. He sighed, dragging the phone closer with the resignation of someone about to read bad news.

Sara: Can we go out this weekend? 😊

He stared at the message, the little smiley face mocking him like it knew something he didn’t.

His thumb hovered over the keyboard, caught in the internal debate of how polite was too polite when you desperately wanted someone to stop texting you.

This wasn’t new. The constant barrage of messages had started shortly after that awkward dinner with the Lees—a night he would gladly erase from his memory if time travel ever became a thing.

His father, in all his infinite wisdom, had decided that Sara, the Lees’ daughter, would be a “great match” for him.

He could still hear his father’s voice booming in his head: “She’s such a lovely girl, Taehyung! Spend some time with her. You’ll see!”

Oh, he’d seen alright. He’d seen a woman who took “polite interest” as an open invitation to bombard his inbox like a spam email.

Ping!

Another message popped up, dragging him back to reality.

Sara: Hey! Did you see the new café that opened near the school? We should check it out! ☕

Taehyung groaned, letting his forehead fall dramatically onto the desk. Did she ever stop? What was this—her fifth attempt this week? Maybe sixth? He lost count after her "Do you want to try that new burger place?" proposal on Monday.

Dragging his thumb across the screen, he started typing back, trying to keep it vague yet polite.

Taehyung: I’ve heard about it. Looks nice.

Short. Safe. Noncommittal. Perfect.

But Sara didn’t take “safe” for an answer.

Ping!

Sara: Let’s go together! I’ll treat you. 😄

He tilted his head back, groaning audibly this time. The classroom was empty, so at least no one was around to witness his slow descent into madness.

Why was she so persistent? Did she think “busy” was just a polite way of saying “try harder”?

Taehyung: Maybe another time. I’m pretty busy.

He stared at the message for a moment before hitting send, praying to every deity he could think of that this would finally end the conversation. But he knew better.

_____

Days passed.

Well, more like hours—but Sara’s relentlessness made it feel like days.

Ping!

Sara: How’s grading going? Need any help? 😅

Taehyung snorted, almost impressed by the audacity. Help? What was she going to do, hand out stickers and tell him which essays deserved a gold star?