Missing Halo | bts + k.th

Glass

"One more picture, okay?"

"Fine, just one more."

      Namjoon held up his trophy and smiled as his mom snapped a picture. He had received an academic award minutes before, and his mother was more than pleased. She was proud. Proud that her son was such a genius.

      Namjoon headed out to the school parking lot and unlocked his car. He slid into the passengers seat and waited for his mom, who was probably talking to other parents and teachers.

      He stared at the award sitting in front of him. It was one of many. Over the past nine years, Namjoon had been known as a genius. As, "The Most Intelligent Man In The City Of Seoul," even though he was just a junior in high school.

      His mom was always proud of him. So were his teachers. Though, his dad never cared. He always had higher expectations. If Namjoon were to be named, "The Most Intelligent Person In The World," his dad would probably ask him, "Why are you not the most intelligent man in the universe?!"
His high expectations drove Namjoon a little insane, sometimes. It was as if he couldn't look into his father's eyes without seeing disappointment.

      What did the kids at school think of him? Well, they didn't care much about him, either. They knew him as the geek.

The nerd.

The genius who was misunderstood by the world.

He used to be friends with the other so called "geniuses" at the school, but he became so intelligent that they didn't understand his views on life.

Now, he was alone.

Was intelligence really worth it? Was it really worth sacrificing your social life for? Of course it was, right? Teachers tell students that, "intelligence is success," all the time.

But what was the definition of success?

Namjoon reflected on his life. Smart and sad. That's how it was for him. This wasn't how he wanted to live. Intelligence was a trap. Being a genius was a mask. He wanted to escape, but he didn't know how. He would never have those, "stupid teenage years." He would never have any good stories to tell.

He grabbed the award and smashed it to bits and pieces. The glass flew everywhere, the sound of it shattering soothed him. He took a deep breath and relaxed, staring at the mess he had made.

If his mom asked what happened, he would say that he dropped it in the parking lot. Sure, she would be disappointed, but it was just a trophy. It was glass. It was meant to be broken, anyways. Just like him.

Namjoon wiped the blood off of his fingers with the inside of his shirt. Then, he reclined his seat back and closed his eyes. He drifted off to sleep as his mother banged on the car door, yelling at him to unlock it. He didn't wake up until fifteen minutes, later.