verge | jikook

xii

jeongguk meet jin outside where his hyung's truck was waiting for him. "hurry up and get in!" jin said in the driver's seat. the younger boy ran over and hopped into the truck before jin took off.

"where are we- OW!" jeongguk rubbed his arm, "why did you punch me?!"

"you fucking deserved it and you know it," jin said sternly with his eyes on the road, "you have been bullying jimin i know it."

jeongguk stayed quiet as he looked out the window and listened, "you are bullying the poor kid to the brink of suicide. why are you bullying him? he didn't do anything to you, i don't understand what you were thinking. what are you going to do if he attempts suicide? are you going to stop him?"

the younger didn't respond due to the thoughts never occurred to him, what if jimin did attempt suicide? he wouldn't know what to do, how to react.

"answer me. why are you bullying him?" jin repeated, "you wouldn't bully him for the fun of it so tell me, why are you bullying jimin."

"i was jealous," jeongguk finally answered with a sigh, "i saw the way everyone got along with him on the first day. everyone liked him. on my first day it wasn't like that, it wasn't as lively compared to mine. jimin seemed to fit in no problem, so easily that i felt threatened. i thought jimin was going to steal my spot in the group."

"you know everyone is different," jin said making a turn on the stop light, "people interact differently. you don't have to compare yourself to jimin, you shouldn't even. you are you and jimin is jimin, you both are different people- unique in your own way. no one is stealing any one's spot because there is always room for more."

guilt began to crawl up jeongguk's throat as jin spoke, the regret of jeongguk's messages to jimin started, but jeongguk continued.

"i also like him."

jin stopped on the red light, "what!?"

"let me finish," jeongguk said, " i began to notice things in jimin that was weird, like the way he scrunched his nose when his nose itched, the way his eyes disappear whenever he smiled, and others. i began to enjoy his presence. that's when i realized he would become a permanent member meaning, at the time, i would be replaced since i was the newest. my crush on him became my motivation to getting rid of him."

the car accelerated as soon as the light turned green.

"funny," jin said, " it's funny how love drove you on to the verge of killing jimin, but it's sad that it's working." the car stopped, "we are here," jin said and stepped out as jeongguk did the same, but as soon as jeongguk did his eyes widened.

"jimin!"