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between the lines:
The ending of first semester is almost about to be over. Namjoon has been staying in the public library of his town for the past week, staying there until the nice lady at the front kindly asks him to leave because they're about to close now.
He's also been busy with helping Jackson and Hoseok study for all of the semester exams, piling up thick texts books for his classes and studying until his eyes are bloodshot and he wants to fall asleep on the table.
He hasn't heard or seen of stage boy. The guy seems to just have disappeared into thin air, not appearing to the creative writing class Namjoon shares with him or hanging out behind the grey wall.
Because Namjoon comes back from the library late with his mother picking him up he hasn't passed by the graffiti wall and seen the stage decorated with actors and props.
The last time Namjoon saw him he was bloody and groaning in pain. Well, Namjoon thinks it was him, but he can't confirm it because the next time Namjoon woke up he was inside Hoseok's room lying on his bed.
Hoseok looked like he had been crying and Jackson who was always making jokes to cheer up the distressed air had been awfully quiet.
When Namjoon asked how he got there Jackson spoke in a gravelly voice telling him about a random guy calling him and telling him that he had been injured.
They found Namjoon unconscious with a black hoodie over him to keep him warm from the sudden fall of snow.
Namjoon thanked his friends for not calling his mom or telling anyone else, but they had made him promise that from now on he wasn't going to be left alone.
Namjoon reluctantly agreed and he had been escorted around school with Jackson at his side since.
He had wanted to find stage boy, but wasn't able to find him and although he was concerned about it his mind was too tired and full that he didn't dwell on the fact for too long, just closed his eyes and pictured pretty brown eyes smiling at him and the distinct smell of cigarettes.
There is some good news in the wave of exams and stressing teachers though. The bullies have stopped targeting him at school, and Namjoon supposes that is a great thing.
He walks around the hallways freely with no worry whatsoever that they'll come from behind him and throw him around like a rag.
Namjoon isn't sure why it's stopped; he's seen them all in the hallway walking the other way whenever they notice Namjoon coming their way.
It never once crosses his mind that perhaps cigarette boy did something to them, put a stop to the hitting and bullying. But, for whatever reason it was that they stopped Namjoon is grateful for the peace he finally has.
With school coming to a close end, winter break starting soon and still limping around from the beating, Namjoon hasn't had time to play the Game with his two best friends.
He thinks that Jackson and Hoseok haven't had the urge to go around and sabotage people, but that's seems unlikely since those two are always trying to find ways to earn money.
Lately whenever he's helping Hoseok out for their science class the auburn haired looks distracted. His smile is barely intact to his face, what once symbolized Hoseok like a sun - his shining smile - is gone.
Namjoon worries about it, bites his lip and wants to ask Hoseok what's wrong whenever his eyes glaze with a thick and heavy sadness that seems to eat him whole. But Namjoon keeps quiet and keeps reviewing the laws of gravity with him.
There's a part of Namjoon that knows why Hoseok is so gloomy, but he pushes the thought away because thinking about it raises other questions that he asks himself and doesn't want the answer to.
