Stalemate // BTS JIKOOK

Chapter 3 - Outburst

Tae Tae, who sat behind me, and Hobi, who sat in front of me, both turned at the same time I did when Jungkook stopped. 

I raised an eyebrow at his choice of seating. There were empty seats near the back where girls were clearly interested in him yet he stopped at an already filled spot.

He looked at the girl who was sitting in the seat.

"I'm sorry but can I sit here? My eyesight isn't that good so I have to be near the front," he asked, smiling at the girl like she was his everything. She was already won over.

"O-Oh, yeah! Of course," she said, gathering her stuff and blushing. She sighed in bliss, staring at him the whole time while moving to an empty seat in the back.  

Jungkook turned towards the front again, directing his gaze at Mr.Lee.

"I'm sitting here," he announced out, leaving the teacher with a puzzled look. 

He sat down, sliding off his backpack and stretching his arms up. He looked to his left, catching my eye and staring back.

"Is there a problem?" he asked, raising an eyebrow at me now. 

"No-," I started before getting cut off. What he did was uncalled for but I didn't want to make an enemy out of him already.

"Yes," Tae Tae answered for me, scowling. "Why did you have to make her move? You could have just sat in another seat."

"I said that I have bad eyesight," Jungkook retorted, folding his arms on the desk. 

"Then why aren't you wearing glasses?" Tae Tae called back, a look of suspicion on his face.

Jungkook pointed at his eye.

"Contact lenses."

Tae Tae blinked a few times, his expression and attitude immediately changing. He nodded slowly in understanding.

"Ooh, I see~," he said before breaking out a smile. "Nice to meet you. My name is Taehyung by the way. You can call me Tae Tae!"

I mentally face palmed. One moment, he's serious. The next, he becomes friends with his enemy from a few seconds ago. 

"That's Hobi over there," Tae Tae said, pointing towards the seat in front of me. Hobi smiled and practically screamed a greeting enthusiastically. Tae Tae's finger moved towards me now.

"And this is-"

"Mochi," Jungkook started, finishing his sentence for him and staring at me. "Jimin." 

I turned towards him, eyes wide. 

Mochi...Why does he know that name?!

"You know Jimin? ...But what's with Mochi?" Tae Tae asked, his eyebrows raised and pouting at being cut off. 

My heart beat rapidly and thoughts ran through my mind as I tried to think of a way to divert the attention elsewhere. That name...I had hoped to bury it along with my past.

But, Jungkook didn't even bother to turn around and answer Tae Tae. He kept staring at me silently, as if he knew something I didn't.

"I saw the name Jimin on the class president list with his picture," he said, though his expression told a different story. "You kind of looked like the dessert mochi so I just said it without thinking. Sorry, I must've voiced out my thoughts unintentionally."

 I narrowed my eyes at him.

That was obviously an excuse...and he was testing me. But for what? Because he knew me from before?

"Oh, no wonder you knew my name," I said suspiciously, playing along with his excuse. "But I don't think that nickname suits me."

"Ah, waeyo~ It's cute! Mochi Jimin~" Tae Tae said, cooing annoyingly and repeating it. His voice began rising to the point where others could hear him. 

The frustration from that nickname and my panicked state seemed to explode all at once.

"TAEHYUNG!" I yelled angrily, loud enough that the whole class turned around in silence with wide eyes. 

Tae Tae's eyes widened and his mouth closed immediately. 

I had never snapped back like that before so panic again filled my thoughts. Shit, what have I done... What if Tae Tae pushes me out of the group because of this? Stupid stupid, I thought to myself.

"Sorry..," Tae Tae said quietly, sitting back in his seat with a remorseful expression. I opened my mouth to say something, stutters and mumbles coming out instead of words.

"N-No it's okay. I-I just snapped at you for no reason...It wasn't anything that serious! I was just stressed about things and I wrongly took it out on you. Tae Tae I'm really sorry, you can call me Mochi if you want," I said, hoping he wouldn't think too much of it. 

I winced in my thoughts. The name mochi brought unpleasant memories back. 

Thankfully though, he brightened up and gave me a tight lipped smile.

"You don't have to apologize Jiminnie. I was wrong for calling you something you didn't like," he said, patting you on the back. "If you're stressed, why don't you talk to me and the other guys about it? You always keep quiet about everything."

I returned a small smile, feeling distraught. 

Taehyung...what if the very reason I'm stressed... is because of the group?

I bit my lip and turned back towards Jungkook who had watched the whole thing unfold.

He stared back blankly and turned to look at the front of the room without another word.

Jeon Jungkook...who are you?