pretty | knj. + jjk.

10

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Jeongguk didn't show up to school for the rest of the week.

Namjoon continued the standing in front of Jeongguk's locker, sophomores occasionally asking him what he was doing, or who he was waiting for. He simply replied that he was waiting for a friend.

Monday eventually rolled around. Namjoon rushed to get to Jeongguk's locker after being bitten by the chilly autumn air.

Why didn't I wear a coat or something? Stupid stupid stupid

A shiver ran down Namjoon's spine at the thought of practice.

Namjoon had somewhat become accustomed to the idea of Jeongguk not coming to school, so to say he was shocked to see the small boy walking towards his locker before the bell rang would be an understatement.

The halls were pretty much empty at this point. At least the hallway the two boys were in was.

"Jeongguk" the said boy had his head hung low, focusing on his tattered shoes.

His breath hitched in his throat, his feet coming to an abrupt stop. Jeongguk's brain began to whirl and make him kind of dizzy.

He took a deep breath in before continuing to walk to his locker, coming to another stop in front of Namjoon. Jeongguk still refused to look up.

"Hey" Namjoon spoke quietly. Jeongguk remained still and didn't speak. They stood like that for a few seconds, which felt like forever to Namjoon.

"Please move."

Namjoon opened his mouth, shocked. He felt his chest slightly tighten, and his throat get tense.

"Where have you been? Are you okay?"

Jeongguk inhaled deeply before looking up, pursing his lips together in a harsh line.

He had a fire red hand mark around his neck. A series of cuts and gashes could be seen from the stretched, worn out shirt that didn't cover his shoulders, bandages on his forearms and other places on full display. His lips were cut and scabbed, and a dark bruise the size of a large fist was plastered to Jeongguk's cheek. His eyes were droopy and bloodshot from possible lack of sleep or crying his heart out.

He bit back a whimper, and clenched his hands into fists at his sides.

"Okay?- okay?" Jeongguk spoke softly, his throat sore.

He stared hard into Namjoon's eyes and held his breath.

"Do I look- okay?" Namjoon could feel his heart breaking in his chest at the amount of pain  Jeongguk seemed to hold in his eyes. He looked so lost.

"Jeongguk-" he didn't know what to say.

"No. You- you don't know what they did. You won't ever understand- you can't."