Family on paper
Love Maze 14
Taaak-!
Park Jimin's head turned to the left with a sharp cracking sound.
여주
"⋯⋯You crazy bastard."
Park Jimin placed the back of his hand on my cheek where I'd been hit and looked at me with a smile on his face. It felt disgusting, like he was looking at me like a toy.
여주
"The price you paid for deceiving me, kissing me without permission, and insulting me. It all adds up to this much, so I'm grateful."
박지민
"You'll regret it. Are you sure that's okay?"
여주
"I'll take care of it."
Park Jimin didn't even apologize for deceiving me until the very end. Of course, I had no intention of accepting it.
With nothing more to say to Park Jimin, I reached for the firmly shut auditorium doorknob. The door opened with a firm pull.
박지민
"But think about it carefully. I'm sure it's not something that's only beneficial to me."
bang!
The door closed quickly, leaving no time to respond to Park Jimin's words.
I gave up even stopping by the classroom to grab my bag and went straight home. I ignored my mother's question about whether school had finished early and just ran, staring straight at my room.
여주
"Ha⋯⋯ Really⋯⋯."
Everything is stressful. Kim Seokjin, the unintentional rumor, Kim Namjoon, who suddenly pretended to know me in the cafeteria, Kim Taehyung, who always surrounded me in a place where so many eyes were watching, Park Jimin, who took advantage of my crisis, and this damn Hansung Group... all of that.
Above all, I don't know how I'm going to go forward since I saw that behavior at school. Even Park Jimin, the only person I could call my friend, wasn't even a friend.
All of a sudden, a lot of things came up, and I had a headache. My body was drained of all its strength, as if I'd used up all the energy I had for the day.
여주
"⋯⋯Ah. That's right. Kim Seokjin."
I forgot to explain to Kim Seokjin that I didn't mean to say that. He was obviously upset by the ridiculous rumors and would have been upset if he had done something about it...
I laid my head on the pillow, sighing incessantly. The movement of my eyelids as I gazed at the ceiling gradually slowed.
'I hope I can live more quietly tomorrow than today⋯⋯.'
I closed my eyes, muttering an unfulfilled wish.
After all the other students had left school, the three gathered in the student council office run by Seokjin, the student council president. They often gathered together when they had something to discuss, but today, the atmosphere was unusual.
김남준
"Taehyung. I told you to watch me closely. Are you just going to watch me do that right in front of your eyes?"
김태형
"Fuck, do you think I would have stayed still if I wanted to? I didn't know that kid would do something like that. By the way, Seokjin hyung, what the hell is that rumor? What did you do to Yeoju?"
김석진
"What do you think I am? I was just giving you a light warning because you were trying to tell me I was a member of the Hansung Group in a place where people were watching."
The three people sitting in a circle with a desk between them stared at each other with twisted expressions. The occasional sigh was interspersed with curses.
김태형
"Why are you warning the child so badly that you're hurting him? Didn't you see the handprint on his shoulder?"
김남준
"What? Is the heroine hurt?"
김석진
"⋯⋯I didn't mean to."
김남준
"Really, bro. That's not it. I see you've gotten thinner lately, but you wouldn't do that to the female lead, would you?"
김석진
"⋯⋯."
Namjoon, hearing Taehyung's words, shot Seokjin a menacing look, but Seokjin tried to avoid Namjoon's gaze and fiddled with his hand. It was the same hand that had touched Yeoju's shoulder.
김남준
"Ha⋯⋯. I'm not feeling so good, but I'm glad that the rumor that I'm dating Park Jimin has spread now. It was stopped before my father heard about it."
김태형
"Why is that a good thing? I'd rather have it known that you're dating me."
김석진
"Are you crazy? Who would say something like that to get someone killed?"
Seokjin's eyes, which had been blank, narrowed. However, Taehyung, who was receiving Seokjin's gaze, simply shrugged as if it had not affected him at all.
김남준
"Yeah. Even if we try to step in now, nothing will get better. We have no choice but to do our best to hide the fact that Yeo-ju is connected to Hansung Group and distance herself from Park Jimin, just like before⋯⋯."
김석진
"Ha... I didn't know Park Jimin would use Yeoju like this."
김태형
"It's all your fault, hyung. What if you spread rumors like that and create an opportunity?"
김석진
"Yeah, shit. It's all my fault. I'm sorry. The female protagonist got hurt because of me, and the strange rumors spread around school. I'm sorry, I'm sorry."
김남준
"⋯Everyone's sensitive today, so let's not touch each other, please. It looks like Yeoju will be home alone, so go inside quickly."
At Namjoon's words, one by one, they stood up from their desks and cleaned up. Seokjin, carrying another bag on his shoulder besides his own, called out to Taehyung, who was opening the door to the student council room.
김석진
"Where are you going? Aren't you going home? I should go see if Yeoju is okay."
김태형
"My brothers are going today."
김석진
"Why? You're the one who seems the least uncomfortable with the female lead."
김태형
"My father called me. I think I'll probably go to school there tomorrow."
김석진
"Ah... okay. Take care."
김남준
"If anything happens, contact me right away. Don't blow up like last time, just hold back. What are you going to do if something really happens?"
Namjoon stopped Taehyung as he was about to say hello to Seokjin and walk away. A hint of worry flashed through his eyes as he looked at Taehyung.
김태형
"Oh, nagging. I'll take care of it, hyungs-. I'm not a good student like you, and I'm not a filial son who lives up to my parents' wishes. I'll take care of it on my own, so don't worry."
김남준
"⋯Taehyung."
김태형
"Seokjin hyung, when you see Yeoju later, apologize. This time, you really seem hurt. Not a shoulder wound, but a heart wound."
김석진
"Hey, shit... I get it. You were going to do it anyway. Stop nagging and go."
김태형
"Okay. See you tomorrow."
Taehyung grinned at Seokjin and Namjoon, then turned and left the student council room. Seokjin and Namjoon remained in the quiet student council room, staring at the door Taehyung had closed behind them. A quiet, uneasy atmosphere flowed between them, making it difficult to speak.