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[8.X]

"I don't get why you're suddenly so angry," said Taehyung.

        On Jeongyeon's end, there was shuffling. She sat up on her bed, brow furrowing as she turned away from the messy pile of reviewers and pens on her study table. She grabbed at a random highlighter on her blanket and threw it over to the table, a hard plastic on wood noise resonating over to Taehyung's end. He internally flinched.

        "I'm just," she paused. She grabbed at her hair. "I'm angry because you're over here talking in the group chat but not me. I asked you earlier if we could hang out, you said no—"

        "I said maybe later," he corrected. "I didn't say no."

        "Well, I wanted to hang out with you.  I've been so stressed with school earlier and I was seeking your attention. Your comfort. You." She clenched a fist. "Every time I ask for you, there will always be a time when you'd reject me."

        Taehyung frowned. "I'm . . . I'm sorry, okay? I just wasn't in the mood to call."

        "Are you saying that just to ignore me?" Her voice was shaking, and it was clear she's trying to control it.

        "What—no! They're your friends too, why can't you talk with them?"

        "'Cause you're my best friend and my boyfriend!"

        "Jeongyeon, you—" Taehyung couldn't help but bite back. "You seriously need to make some friends of your own. Jeongyeon, you have to understand I have a life too."

        "I know that. I'm trying to say, I expect you to be there for me when I'm in the middle of a . . . a stressful situation. But you weren't, and I get angry about that." Jeongyeon seethed. "You're insensitive. You're selfish, you're too introverted, you're impassive almost always, you're a dropout, you're—"

        She stopped.

       Taehyung slouched. He watched his alarm clock tick, the tip of his index finger scratching at his thumb. He let the silence drawl out for a few moments. The sound of Jeongyeon muffling her cries became more definite, and he leaned back on his seat, the unwarranted intrusions passing through his head but never getting out of it. He can't deal with the hurt like this. Insulted, insecure. It was unhealthy to be in a call with her right now, but she was crying.

        "I . . . I'll be here." 

09/28/20