JUNGKOOK

"Father?"

My hands are shaking as I finally knock to the door of his study, after hesitating for more than a minute outside. There's the slight sound of papers before he tells me to come in.

When I enter the door, he doesn't even look at me.

"Tell me why you're here."

"I—" I swallow once, and then shove both my hands back inside my pockets. "Is it okay if I stopped wearing glasses anymore? If I switched to lenses—"

"That's why you're here for?" His icy voice cuts me off, and I look up in surprise. He has a scornful gaze fixed on my face, and I instantly flinch back.

"Why, Jungkook? Do you have someone you need to impress?"

"Father, no—"

"I don't want to hear it." He says sharply, and I fight back tears as he points towards the door. "I can't believe you'd waste my time like this. I'll tell the cook not to serve you dinner tonight."

The expression on his face cuts down any protests, and I nod hopelessly as I hurry to get myself out.

Then the tears come, welling softly in the corners of my eyes.

"Why are you crying?" I mumble to myself, rubbing furiously at my eyes. They're red by the time I pull away, from rubbing and pressing too hard.

But if I didn't quit wearing glasses, she'd probably keep smoking

And I didn't want that.

A full hour passes before I finally bite my lip, having made my decision. Gripping my jacket tightly in one hand, I walk out of the house quickly.

My heart's racing even though I walk in fast steps towards the nearest eye care center, my breaths erratic on my lips. I'd never done anything like this before, and it was terrifying.

Not following the rules.

"Can I get a pair of contact lenses, please?"

_________________________

The next day at school, I can't wait for my second period to end. As soon the bell rings for third, I swing my backpack over my shoulder and head for the bathroom.

Standing in front of the mirror, I take out my lens case from my backpack and blink confusedly. I didn't really know how to do this, but it couldn't be too hard, right?

Balancing a lens on top of my fingertip, I open my eye wide and try to put it in.

As soon as it touches my eye, I blink too hard and it slips out, falling back out onto my palm. When I try again, the same thing happens.

I start to grow worried when the warning bell for class rings, and I don't even have one lens in.

This was so much difficult than I thought.

Finally, when the bell rings for the beginning of class, I leave the bathroom all distraught. Both my eyes are red from blinking and tearing too much, and I ended up only putting in one lens.

And I didn't even know if I put that in right.

When I get to class, I'm surprised to see Min sitting there, at the seat next to mine. She's not outside smoking, and through my watery eyes, I can see her turn to look at me.

She instantly stands up when she sees my state.

"Follow me outside, Jungkook." She says, her hand tight on my wrist as she leads me back outside the classroom.

Then my eyes start stinging again, and I start tearing up even more. A dejected whimper escapes my lips— this was so much harder than I'd expected.

She notices.

"Is it your lenses?" She asks, and I nod, pressing my sleeves furiously to my tear streaked cheeks.

Then she leads me inside one of the girl's bathroom, and I don't realize until I'm actually in. That's when I notice, and an embarrassed blush colors my face.

"This— This is the girl's bathroom."

"So?" She asks, eyebrow raised. "Would you prefer the men's bathroom? It doesn't matter, Jungkook. Everyone's in class right now."

Then she tugs the backpack from my shoulders, searching until she finds my lens case. A laugh escapes her lips when she twists both the caps open.

"You didn't even get both of them in?"

"It-It was too hard, okay?" I whisper, and I hear the sound of water running. Then she pushes down on my hands, itching to rub my eyes.

"Be still. I have to get this one out."

A flinch runs up the length of my body as she takes the lens out of my red, tearful eye with slender, fast fingers. I can't help but sigh out in relief as it's out, blinking tears without the pain.

"It can be hard the first time by yourself."

Then something cool presses on my eyelids, and I sink into her cold touch. I breathe out when it feels better, and she laughs quietly.

Then I see her pouring solution out of the bottle I'd also brought along with the lenses, and wonder how she'd found them so quickly.

"Did— Did you have lenses before?"

"A few times before." She answers, and I swallow nervously when she looks at me with a lens balanced perfectly on her pale fingertip.

"You have to hold still."

"I— okay." Her touch feels soothing, and it's amazing how fast she gets it done compared to how I'd done it. I barely even feel it, and just blink when she tells me to.

"Good, Jungkook. Now open your eyes."

When I open my eyes, I can see clearly without my glasses. I must look stunned as much as I feel, because she laughs again when she returns the backpack to me.

"T-Thank you."

"First time's the hardest." She says lightly, and I blink as she turns to me with a slightly impressed look in her gray eyes. "I didn't think you'd actually do this."

"I—" My voice cuts off, the guilt pushing through my expression.

She tilts her head, and I quickly try to control the emotions flickering on my face.

"Thanks for being on time today." I say, smiling brightly at her. "And for not smoking too— yeah, definitely that too. I didn't want to go find you doing that again."

_______________________

I always love eight o' clock.

Because that's always the time I go home, stop studying from the library. I knew it was bad of me to think like this, but I couldn't help being happy.

Slinging my backpack over my shoulder, I wait outside of the library for the driver to come pick me up as usual.

But a while passes, and he's still not here.

My hands start getting cold, and I pull out of my phone. Thirty minutes have passed already, and my eyes go wide when I see a message from my father.

Walk home. The driver called out sick today.

Sighing that I didn't see that message earlier, I tuck my phone into my jacket and adjust my slipping glasses again. I couldn't wear lenses outside of school, because then my father might catch on that I'd disobeyed him.

Swallowing, I look around the dark streets. I'd come to the library so much, but never had walked home by myself before.

Typing in my address in my phone, I watch the screen intently as it pulls up a navigation.

Thirty minutes of walking.

Not bad, I think, tugging my jacket tighter around my shoulders as I start walking. It was just like an exercise if I looked at it positively.

Humming softly under my breath, I put my phone in front of myself and start to walk. I'm so alone out here, and I can't help but walk a bit faster.

I never liked the dark.

About ten minutes pass, and I look up to realize that the buildings here are much more older and crumbling.

It makes me check the address I'd typed in again, but I'd typed in right.

I have my eyes fixed on the phone when I suddenly realize the even sound of footsteps isn't mine. My entire body tenses up when I slightly tilt my phone behind me.

My hands start to tremble when a faint silhouette of a person is reflected on the darkness of my screen.

I don't dare turn around.

Maybe whoever that is is just getting home too. Stop being paranoid, Jungkook— not everyone is out to kill you.

But then I hear the sound of footsteps growing faster, and go into full panic attack when I tilt my phone again and see him much closer than before.

He's out to kill me.

My entire body trembling, I burst into a run. I didn't want to think about anything else but running— I had to get away.

The sound of my harsh breaths nearly drown out the footsteps, but I hear them speeding up, too.

I just run, not even caring that I might be going in the opposite direction of where I'm supposed to be going.

"Leave me alone!" I yell over my shoulder, too afraid to look back. He might be right behind me now— I didn't even know how fast he was.

And then I turn the corner, and skid to a complete stop when I find there's nowhere to go.

It's a dead end.

My chest seizing painfully, I finally turn around to see the silhouette right there. I press myself up desperately against the wall as he comes closer.

"You're from the other side of the town, aren't you?" He hisses, and I can't even speak, eyes wide and breathing harshly. "I didn't want to take this too far, but then you started running...."

A devilish smile lifts up his crooked lips, and a panicked whimper escapes mine.

"Then I just couldn't help it, you know?"

"L-Leave me alone." My voice is shaking so much, and it only makes him laugh. I swallow, tugging my backpack from my shoulders and holding it out in front of me.

"P-Please."