sunset diner | jjk

Ⅲ

◤ ◥

・only at the sake of ones trust・

◣ ◢

jeongguk shivered as he stepped through the school's front gate. he felt the eyes of almost everyone boring into the back of his head as he walked through the hallway, the quiet whispers following his footsteps. he carefully avoided the spots where he knew they would be.

if it wasn't obvious, jeongguk was not entirely popular, well, not in a good way at least. he was the school's punching bag and gossip topic. it was the typical cliche in which the dorky kid who liked science, wore glasses, and had hair which ended just under his eyelashes, was beat up and taunted by his peers. no one could help him, no one could save him from his torment. the principal was too concerned with his economically failing school to hire a councilor or teachers who cared about their job and his father was working too hard to support his son. jeongguk didn't have the heart, so he endured the punches.

it was a sad sight to see, watching the young boy only in the 7th grade, already knowing to cover his face in order to avoid noticeable bruises. seeing him shake violently as he cried at night, muffling any sounds that would equate to weakness. because to him, he was not weak. he was strong, one of the strongest. not many can go through something like this and still have the strength to wake up and get out of bed in the morning.

yet as we grow older, we learn more, we start to find new ways to do things. and jeongguk's bullies were just finding new ways to hurt him. over the years, they've begun to learn what people really meant by "sticks and stones".

as jeongguk rounded the corner by the bathroom he heard the familiar chuckle of his greatest fear.

lim jaebum.

the small frail boy's eyes widened as he retreated back to the restrooms he had just passed. but as per usual, evasion was not so easy. seconds after he entered, he heard the stampede of footsteps nearing.

"where's our special little punching bag?" jaebum's voice echoed off the tiled walls, ringing in jeongguk's ears. he tried to muffle the whimpers escaping his mouth but it was no use. the banging on the bathroom stalls seemed to resonate in his stomach, making him feel queasy.

"come out brat. there's no hiding from your daily punishment." jaebum snickered, earning howls of laughter from his surrounding posse. with shaky arms and legs, jeongguk slowly stood up from the toilet and unlocked the door, the green 'vacant' sign lighting up, cuing the boys on the outside. they swung the door open and pulled the frightened boy out. he landed on the floor, a pain shooting down his back, another bruise.

without hesitation, the group of eighth graders began punching and kicking at him, showing no mercy. cackling as tears sprang from his eyes and purplish hues made their way onto the surface of his skin. but today, they wanted to pour salt onto the already fresh wounds.

"you're such a pathetic loser jeon, you know that?"

"your mom probably left because she was disappointed in you."

"i wouldn't be surprised if you hung yourself."

the chorus of 'kill yourself's hit jeongguk's brain like a tsunami, this was different. normally they just beat him to a sore pulp, but today they actually tried to hurt him, and they succeeded. he was used to the punches, that he could endure, but now they were really kicking him while he down, metaphorically speaking since he was already on the ground.

once they felt like they were really done, they took turns spitting at the boy. a signature move that they coined at a young age. they left without a word and without fear of being reprimanded. it was hard to tell through his tear blurred vision, but he swore he saw one of the boys stay. he didn't say or do anything, just stood and watched. a aura of guilt and sadness filled the room and then just like that, the boy left, leaving jeongguk to tend to his bruises himself.

the rest of the day, the hateful things the boys had yelled replayed in his head. and the impressionable young boy considered some of the things that were said, deeply. he pondered the effects of just leaving this realm of existence, he pondered it long and hard. for several weeks actually. over those several weeks, new phrases kept being added to the list of reasons.

that's when jeongguk decided, if he was going to end his life, he was going to do it as painlessly for everyone as possible.

・❁ ・

jungkook jerked awake as taehyung's hand rested on his shoulder. he must have fallen asleep, the reminisce of his unconsciousness left him feeling fidgety and irritated. the dream he just had escaped his memory immediately as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes as he looked at the redhead sitting across from him.

"hey i get calculus is boring, but you've fallen asleep the past three classes." he chuckled. jungkook sighed and shook his head. the two boys had shared every class up to this point and after looking at their schedules, they concluded that they'd see each other in all but one. taehyung thought it was great, he'd have a friend in every class! the latter did not think as much. the thought of having to see the boxy smiled boy next to him all day, every day made him groan. now friendship would be forced, it'd be quite awkward to hate someone you could never get away from.

maybe it was his overwhelmingly friendly nature or his lack of boundaries, but something about taehyung made jungkook quite uneasy. and maybe it was how he always asked but never told, but something about taehyung made jungkook want to know everything about him.

and something about jungkook made taehyung want to know everything about him as well. it was weird for the older, normally his charisma made everyone fall at his feet and reveal their life stories. but not jungkook. he was just as mysterious as taehyung himself. it left a burning desire in both of their hearts, one that would only be put out at the sake of ones trust.

[a/n]

a somewhat shorter chapter only because it hurt my heart to write.

and i'm sorry for making jb the bad guy it was unintentional, he wont be a huge part in this story anymore besides in these flashback/dream things.

i just needed someone and i didn't want to be stereotypical and use jackson sooo.

anyways, have a good night or morning or afternoon and ill see you in the next chapter (aka sixteen years from now since i'm slow as hell)