JUNGKOOK

"P-Please."

"P-Please." He mocks, and I scrunch my eyes shut in terror. I'd never felt anything like this before— it was like my body had just stopped working.

"Hey."

My eyes flash open the moment I hear a familiar voice, iced over with poison. The hate in it makes a shiver go up my spine, and the man whips around.

Relief breaks my voice as her dark gray eyes meet mine.

"M-Min...."

Her eyes light up in fire, and she leans against the wall with a scornful expression on her face. How could she look so calm in this situation?

"What?" The man suddenly barks in laughter, gaze amazed. "The famous L protecting a damn kid like him? That's a fucking first."

L?

But my features scrunch together, and I can't help my habit taking over.

"Don't curse..." I whisper, and the man's snakelike eyes flash back to me in mockery.

"I'm so sorry." He says mockingly, staring at me with distaste. "Did I just hurt your pretty little ears? Because I don't give a fu—"

"Shut up." Min's cold voice rings out, and the man stops talking. "He said to stop cursing, hm? Or do I have to crush you again to make you stop talking?"

She smiles darkly.

"Maybe this time, I'll have you bet something so much more than money."

The man flinches, and then his face twists in fury. But Min doesn't seem like she cares at all, because she brushes right past him.

"Are you okay?" She says, brows furrowing when she notices my shaking hands. "You shouldn't have been out so late, Jungkook."

Then behind her back, I notice the man draw something out from his jacket, deadly eyes fixed on Min. It's long and silver— like a knife.

Because it is.

When he lunges, I instinctively tug her to my chest and twist around so that my back faces him instead. My head feels light with anticipation.

I'm gonna die.

Then to my surprise, I hear a shocked gasp and then a clatter of something hitting the ground. She pushes me back, features lifted in amusement.

"You get more interesting every time I see you, huh?"

"What?" I say stunned, turning when she points behind me. A green-haired man is there, shaking the man's limp body in one hand.

It's him.

Again.

"Yoongi, I could've handled him." She says, her eyes flickering in hatred at the unconscious man. "You didn't have to step in."

"Well, I know that." He mumbles back, and I just stand there shocked. My glasses slip down again, and Min notices.

"Back to glasses?" She asks, pushing back her long raven hair. "Has our deal ended already?"

I blush in embarrassment, unsure of what to tell her.

"Why are you in this part of town? So late at night, too." She says, words silky in her smooth voice. "It's dangerous, Jungkook."

"I— I was just walking home." I answer, turning my head to the ground. My hands are behind my back— I hadn't been able to stop the trembling ever since the man had come after me.

"Then I'll walk you home." She whispers, and I look at her in surprise.

"Well, I'm leaving." The mint-haired man says, throwing the man's body carelessly to the ground. "Nice run today, L."

L again? Who's L?

Min shoots him a look, but he just gives her an amused smile before leaving.

"Your hands." She says the moment he leaves, gaze flickering. "Show them to me."

"W-Why? Let's just start walking." I say, but her dark gray eyes slide up to mine and then I just can't help being submissive to her.

She looks intently at my uncontrollable hands, before finally slipping one of hers into my right. Her touch is so cold, but it feels comforting.

Then she tugs me into a walk.

A blush climbs slowly up my neck for the next five minutes, and I don't know where to put my eyes. I just keep looking everywhere, feeling anxious.

I hadn't been this anxious in my entire life.

Then I flinch when I smell smoke.

"Min!" I exclaim, turning so fast. Our hands almost slip, but her slender fingers close tighter around mine.

"Yes?"

"The smoke....." My voice fades away, when she looks at me with her eyes tracing the shape of my glasses.

"Did you think I wouldn't have noticed you leaving school with your glasses on every day?" She says, and I bite my lip in frustration.

Her voice suddenly grows soft.

"Don't give me a look like that, Jungkook. The deal's still on." She whispers, taking the cigarette back to her lips.

"It's just outside of school when it isn't."

My feet drag on the pavement. I didn't like that— I didn't want her to smoke at all, inside or outside of school.

"I'm sorry I broke the rule." I mumble under my breath, and she hums lightly. "I promise I'll keep lenses on outside of school now, too."

That seems to take her aback a little bit, before her expression settles back into a flat stare.

"Jungkook, you don't have to do that."

"I want to. It's something I want to do." I say quickly, slipping my glasses off my nose. The world dips into blurriness, but I take the cigarette from her hand and throw it to the ground.

I look at her eyes, and I don't have to see clearly to know they're slightly stunned.

Then I realize that I've just littered.

When my blurry eyes scan the dark ground frantically for the cigarette I'd just thrown, a small laugh echoes from her direction.

"So predictable— and sometimes so not." She says, lifting up her hand. I see the cigarette back in her fingers, but to my surprise, she tosses it into a trash can.

"What am I going to do with you, Jungkook?"

_________________________

L

He's rich.

My expression twists in disgust the moment I see his house, the size of it almost ten times of mine. Maybe even bigger.

It's good that he can't see my face right now, and I tug on his hand quickly. Considering how much he was running into things, I should've told him it was fine, to just wear his glasses.

But it was so pleasant, watching him blush furiously in embarrassment and talk so quickly his words slurred together.

"Thank you." He says, but I don't answer. My eyes follow his every movement as he stumbles his way inside, pausing just right before entering.

"Goodnight, Jungkook."

I can't help but ice my voice a little bit, but he waves blindly in my direction. He must've not noticed, and I was thankful for that.

Why did he have to be rich?

My fingers press furiously to the side of my head as I turn away. I'd vowed never to associate with rich people, and here I was, crushing that vow like it'd never happened.

And after all that they've done.

"He's rich, huh?" Yoongi asks the moment I walk in, unable to conceal my emotions. "That's a pity— are you still going to talk with him?"

Hissing in frustration, I pull out a cigarette angrily and immediately light it.

But the moment I look at the white cylinder, I curse and throw it away. All I could see was Jungkook's expectant eyes when I looked at the smoking cigarette.

His eyes were so pretty when they weren't hidden behind his glasses.

This damn boy. I growl again, running my fingers roughly through my hair. How had I let him get to me so easily?

Then in the corner of my eye, I see Yoongi glancing at me— about to say something before squeezing his lips back shut.

My voice is on edge.

"What, Yoongi?"

"Nothing." He says, smiling grimly as he stretches out on the couch. "It's just that it's so different seeing you like this. And over a boy like him."

"He's rich."

My voice is cold, and Yoongi slits an eye back open. The tone of his voice grows softer and more quiet.

"You know, I think you should give him a chance." He says, and I glare at his shrugging figure. "Not all rich people are the same, Min-ah. This trauma—"

My lips press together.

"You weren't there when they ran over both my parents, Yoongi! You have no idea how it feels— how it felt when they bribed all the damn judges and—"

I'm losing my temper.

I can't lose my temper.

Not speaking another word, I bite down on my tongue. I'm too afraid of what I might say if I let myself go.

Just stop telling me to forgive any of them.