Lo♡e MaTeS

~3~

"How can you do this?"

"That's none of your business. And are you blind? Didn't you see what I did to her, or do you want me to repeat it?" Jungkook snapped. He was furious. No one on campus had ever dared to raise their voice at him. Most people were even too scared to look him in the eye. Yet this pretty-faced boy was shouting at him for no reason. Jungkook called out to Chae with his usual poker face.

"Hey, lady. Come here."

"Me...? Oh my God, Jeon just called me!" she said with a faint smile. It was as if she had completely forgotten what had happened a few minutes ago. When her crush—no, her love—called her, she drifted off into her imaginary world.

"Heyy Jeon," she said with a shy smile, blushing hard.

"Do you have any problem with this?" Jungkook asked, raising his right eyebrow.

"No... No, Jeon. I'm totally fine," she said, blinking her eyes in an attempt to look cute in front of him.

"That's good. Everything’s clear now. So I’m leaving, and don’t come near me again saying this kind of crap. If you don’t want to get hurt, stay away from me. I think you know what I mean." He glared at her before walking away like a mafia boss delivering a death threat to a rival.

Taehyung stood there, confused. He couldn't understand why this was happening—why everyone was so afraid of Jeon. He hadn’t expected this. He felt really bad for the girl and had only stepped in to help her. Whatever she was doing now was clearly because of love. He couldn’t blame her—she was blindly in love with that boy.

He turned to Chae with concern.
"Hey, are you okay? Why aren’t you mad at him? He pushed and insulted you in front of the whole college. Everyone laughed at you because of him. Why are you silent? Why didn’t you shout back?"

All his words were cut short by her reaction. She gave him a dreamy smile, which made him even more concerned.

"I love him too much to be mad at him. He’s so handsome—how could I shout back at that face? I know he’ll never love me the way I love him, but that doesn’t matter. I like him. That’s all," she said confidently, eyes still fixed on the direction Jungkook walked away in.

Taehyung frowned slightly, giving a done expression.
"Sure, that boy is handsome... but he’s a brat. He acts like he owns everything."

Suddenly, someone stepped between them with an irritated expression.

"Chae, how many times do I have to tell you not to do this? Why can’t you understand? He doesn’t have feelings for you. He’s clearly pushing you away—and even warned you. This is your last warning. Stop following him. It’s not good for you. Do you understand? And look at this guy—he helped you, and that brat insulted him too. You should end this here. It’s for your own good. You know exactly who he is, so stop it. If I catch you like this again, I swear I’ll tell Mom and Dad, and they’ll transfer you. Are you going to keep acting like this, or are you going to stop? Do you understand what I mean?"

The boy who scolded her seemed close to her.
"Maybe her brother," Taehyung thought, standing silently.

"Ahh—!"

"Excuse me... I’m sorry to interrupt. Can you please tell me where the principal’s office is? I’m a new student," Taehyung asked nervously, biting his lips.

"Oh, I’m sorry! Sure, I’ll take you. By the way, I’m Park Jimin, and this is my twin sister, Park Chaeyoung. These are my best friends," the short, cute boy said while pointing.

"Hey, I’m Kim Seokjin. Worldwide Handsome," Jin said, winking playfully.

"I’m Jung Hoseok, but you can call me J-Hope or Hobi—whatever you like. Because I’m your hope, you are my hope, I’m J-Hope!" he added with his sunshine smile.

Taehyung felt incredibly happy to have met them. They made him feel at ease.

"Nice to meet you all," he said, flashing his unique boxy smile.

"Shall we go to the principal’s office then?" Jimin asked.

"Thank you so much for your help."

"Don’t mention it!" Jimin replied with a warm smile.

"Taehyung, where are you from? Are you a late admission?" Jimin asked, clearly curious.

"I’m from the USA. I came to South Korea for my studies. I’ve always liked this college because it’s where my parents studied. It’s where my dad met my mom—love at first sight. Their love story started here. That’s why I’m so excited to study here," Taehyung said with a soft giggle.

"Ooh~ so you came here to find your love too~" Jin teased.

"N-No! I didn’t mean it like that... I just want to enjoy life with you guys, that’s all," Taehyung said shyly.

"Yeah, yeah, we got it," J-Hope laughed.

"Don’t tease me!" Taehyung whined like a baby, but he didn’t feel awkward. It felt like they had been friends for years.

"Alright then! Let’s go before you’re late," Jin said, and they all started walking.

"Taehyung, this is the principal’s office. You can go in now. We’ll wait for you outside," Jimin said, giving him a thumbs up.

"Thanks again—it really means a lot," Taehyung said, bowing slightly.

"Oh, come on! We’re friends now. No need for all that formality!"

"We will be," Taehyung said with a smile.