Chapter Text
"You don't have enough money."
The cashier at the convenience store looks at him impatiently. She had asked for one more dollar thirty seconds ago, but all the coins in his pockets don't even amount to half of the required amount. He's sure there were still coins buried in his backpack, but the line was getting long and now's not really the time for a treasure hunt.
He wordlessly removes the banana and puts it back up the counter shelf. He would have liked to have fruit for breakfast, but just bread and milk would still be fine.
He's not sure if the glares of the students in the line were meant for him, but he gave them an apologetic smile nonetheless as he exited the store.
He walks to campus, making his steps light and brisk. He welcomed exercise in the morning and there was no harm in arriving on time on your first day of school. The first semester has finished and he couldn't believe how much he's enjoying university. His parents were actually shocked that he enrolled for the second semester too.
"I should have gone to the bank." Jungkook thought to himself as he chewed on his ham and cheese sandwich. He wanted to avoid the pesky bank manager who always tried to set a meeting with him, but having no cash is too inconvenient. He has a no limit credit card but who uses that in university? It's practically useless.
He had just poked the straw on his milk when two of his favorite juniors sat down beside him in the shade.
"What's up?" Namjoon, the president of the political science club greeted him with a smile.
"Nothing much." Jungkook smiled back. He hasn't realized how much he missed seeing his friends. Jungkook was still a freshman but most of the close friends he has made are with the upperclassmen. He met Namjoon when he was doing the political science club's campaign projects. Jungkook thoughtlessly offered to shoot some videos for free when Namjoon asked help from the photography club. That was the start of their friendship - Namjoom paying back hours worth of footage with his loyalty and trust.
"Where have you been?" Hoseok, a dance major who was also Namjoon's roommate, asked with a raised eyebrow. "Were you in the states or something? Your posts are so vague." Hoseok lied down the cool grass and his expression changed instantly. "The photos were beautiful no doubt, but I couldn't tell where."
Jungkook gulped down the last of his milk with difficulty. He had been in the states recently to visit his mom and dad. His parents and older brother were now based in Los Angeles. They were actually opposed to Jungkook going back to Korea and studying in this university. Not that the school was not good, but if Jungkook wanted to learn photography, they could afford a better school in America. Unknown to everyone but the Jeons, Jungkook is actually a billionaire.
There were other people more wealthy than Jungkook but being a billionaire under the age of 20 is still being filthy rich. He really didn't need to study and work when the computer program he made sold for almost a billion dollars abroad. It was a program he made when he was developing computer games but when gaming companies saw its potential, they bought it from him at hefty prices. Jungkook had one of the features pattened and until now he receives royalties everytime a game was released using his program. The bank manager informed him last month that he recently became a billionaire when a recent payment was added in his account.
"Yeah, I visited mom and dad in LA. Did you go home too?" Jungkook tried to change the topic to something other than himself.
"Woah, Los Angeles?!" Hoseok exclaimed, sitting up excitedly. "I've always wanted to go to Los Angeles!" The dance major suddenly stood up and popped and locked. "J-Hope in Hollywood!"
The impromptu dance earned a laugh from Jungkook and a disapproving stare from Namjoon. The dance break ended quickly as a wave of students piled up to enter the main building. Time for the first class of the semester to start.
"See you at the shop at six?" Jungkook asks before they broke off in the hallway.
"Don't you think we should have dinner first?" Namjoon made a clicking sound. He loved playing games but food should come first.
"Drop by the dance studio when you've made up your minds." Hoseok waves goodbye while shaking his head and smiling silly. "See ya!"
Jungkook just gives a little goodbye wave to his friends - he's not very expressive, a reason why he loved computers and photography in the first place. However, with the help of people like Namjoon and Hoseok, he now knows what it meant to have real friends.
Jungkook wanted to seat in the last row, but all seats were already occupied. There were three long tables per row and three seats per table. Except for the table in the front and center, every table had either one or two people sitting already. Since English was a general subject, the students came from different courses. A quick scan of the faces made Jungkook sigh; he didn't see anyone from his department.
Sitting with other people wasn't a problem for him, but he didn't know what table to choose. Should he sit with the talkative girls or between the two lonely emo dudes on the side? Jungkook gives up and decides to just sit in the only unoccupied table up front.
As soon as he sat down, he hears gasps and giggling from the girls. One particular high pitched squeal made him look up.
Jungkook learned that the reactions were not exaggerations. The person who walked in looked very out of place in the classroom. He looked like he was supposed to be in the runway or a commercial. He had a handsome face, a perfect mullet and silk clothing that was sure to be as expensive as his branded loafers.
"He's the one I saw with Seokjin oppa.." Jungkook overheard from the two girls sitting behind him.
"Should we sit at the back?" The little blond guy who was following after him pointed at the back row.
The expensive looking student glanced at the back row and shaked his head when he found that there were no seats left.
Jungkook could see that just like him, Mr. Expensive scanned the room to choose where to sit. There were still a few tables with two unoccupied seats for the two of them to sit together.
Mr. Expensive's eyes landed on Jungkook's table and lingered there for a while. His face scrunched in confusion before fixing his eyes on Jungkook.
"What the hell?" Jungkook thought as Mr. Expensive's eyes ran over him, from head to foot then back again.
"Not in the front row!" The blond guy protested when Mr. Expensive pointed at Jungkook's desk. Against the protest of his companion, Mr. Expensive strutted towards Jungkook's table, slowing down slightly when he passed by him, to look at Jungkook closely once more.
Jungkook admitted to himself that he's a little bit bothered by Mr. Expensive who was now seated beside him. Jungkook has an unconscious habit of rolling his tongue in the insides of his cheeks when he was irritated. He did it so many times within the minute that he had become conscious of it.
"Quit staring, Tae."
Jungkook could hear Mr. Expensive's blond friend despite being one seat apart.
"That's rude."
Jungkook couldn't agree more. Despite being so close already, this "Tae" found it necessary to stare at him during class. From the corner of his eyes, Jungkook could even make out the faces he was making. Why did have to look so appaled? Is there sandwich on his face or what?
"It's not rude, people stare at me all the time."
Jungkook tried so hard to keep a poker face. Towards the end of the class, this "Tae" was making clicking noises with his tongue. That was when Jungkook's patience snapped.
"Do you have a problem with me?" Jungkook was supposed to ask as soon as the teacher went out the room. He turned to confront Mr. Expensive but it was him that was greeted with a question.
"Gucci sports." Taehyung pointed to his hoodie. "2017 right?"
"Huh?" Jungkook blinked his confusion. Was the guy staring at his hoodie this whole time? "I, I-ah, I'm not sure..."
"You can check the label. It looks similar to the 2015 but I'm sure it's the sports collection."
"What?" Jungkook still couldn't believe they were talking about clothes. Yes, he did buy this at the Gucci store in LA last year. The color wasn't loud and it didn't have any unique logo or pattern. It blended well with regular clothes. How was this guy able to tell it was branded?
"Don't start a fight again, Tae." The blond stood up and was trying to drag his friend away. "Remember the last one being an imitation? I already told you students here can't afford your brands."
"But yours is an original right?" Taehyung turned to Jungkook again, eyes shining with expectation. "I can tell."
Jungkook just smiled as Taehyung gets dragged away from the classroom. Jungkook didn't get out of his seat yet, still shocked by what transpired just seconds ago.
It was his turn to stare as his two seatmates argued while going out.
"We were still talking Jimin!" Taehyung exclaimed. "You're being rude!"
"I'm not rude!" The blond almost shouted. "You are!" He gave Taehyung a playful kick at the back his leg.
Jungkook was startled as the blond guy did a quick turn to face his direction. He looked at Jungkook for three seconds before frowning and mouthing the word "sorry".
Jungkook was taken aback for the second time. They looked at each other for another three seconds before Jungkook recovered from his surprise.
The apologetic look on the blond reminded Jungkook of the incident in the convenience store this morning.
Did he look THAT cute when he smiled back then? How could you get angry after seeing that?
"It's okay." Jungkook was about to say, but the blond did another quick turn before Jungkook could even inhale. The blond ran after his friend and was soon out of Jungkook's sight.
That was the most eventful thing in Jungkook's day. The rest of his classes went smoothly. He had lunch with the photography club members and spent his breaks taking photos of the busy first day of school. The afternoon went by in a flash and it was close to six o'clock without Jungkook realizing.
"Wait for me, just finishing something."
"Let's eat first okay?"
Jungkook read Namjoon's messages as he walked to the Dance Department. He was walking fast but since Namjoon would be late, Jungkook decided to slow down and take a nice stroll. Their campus was huge and the air was cool. It was nice to just walk slow and relax.
"Jeon. Wait up!"
It was getting dark, so Jungkook couldn't see the owner of the voice clearly. There was a group of basketball players exiting the gym.
"Jeon Jungkook?!"
Jungkook didn't stop walking so the shouting became louder. The shortest player from the group ran to him and doubled his speed.
"Yoongi." Jungkook finally remembered as the man got closer. He recognized him as Min Yoongi, one of the university's varsity players, the infamous shooting guard, next year's candidate for captain and most importantly, the student renting the studio apartment opposite him.
"I didn't bring the letter with me..." Yoongi started to speak. He ran quite fast but his breathing was still steady. "...sorry man, I opened it without checking."
"Letter?" Jungkook finally stopped walking.
"There was a letter for you that arrived last month, it got mixed up with mine." Yoongi tried to explain. "I wanted to return it to you, but I couldn't catch you for a whole month."
"Yeah, I was out..." Jungkook panicked on the inside. Only the bank would send him letters. Yoongi said he opened the letter by mistake. Did Yoongi read the letter? Has his secret been exposed?
"I'm going home late tonight, if I don't catch you, just knock tomorrow morning okay?" Yoongi tapped him in the arm and gave him an apologetic smile.
"Sorry man," Yoongi stepped back when Jungkook did nothing.
Jungkook was searching for clues on Yoongi's face to check whether he has read the letter or not. If he did, he deserves an oscar nomination because Yoongi didn't give anything away. No judging eyes or calculated gestures, just plain talking.
Jungkook started walking away when Yoongi went his way. He slowed down while thinking.
There was a reason why he wanted to keep his fortune a secret. If it was revealed, he knew people would treat him differently. Just like in LA, he thought he had real friends, but eventually...
Jungkook was lost in thought for a few minutes. He woke up from his reverie when his phone rang, a message from Hoseok read:
"Class is over. Where are you guys?"
"The market is still open, we can make it, let's eat, I'm hungry."
"Damn." Jungkook curses as he looked at the time. It was past six and he wasted so much time reminiscing. All that was in the past and he didn't want to dwell in the past too much.
Jungkook ran the rest of the way to the dance department. The dance studio was in the fourth floor and instead of taking the elevator, Jungkook used the stairs for a little bit of exercise. Besides, using the elevator would take ages since a lot of students were going home.
Jungkook arrived at the fourth floor panting. He thought it might be a good idea to take the elevator to go down because his legs were slightly trembling.
Jungkook doesn't remember the room number but it was easy to look around since most of the students have left. He sees a familiar vending machine and he smiles, recalling that the dance studio was just across the hall.
Speaking of vending machines, he could really use a drink right now.
Jungkook takes deep breaths as he inserted the coins. He pushed the button for orange juice but none came out.
"Hey!" He tries to push the button again. The bottle didn't come out so he pushes the button another time. Jungkook wanted to kick the machine when nothing fell but he stopped himself.
"You're a coin short." The guy behind him said.
Jungkook looks at the screen and indeed, it instructed him to complete the payment.
"When did the price change?! This juice used to be cheaper!" Jungkook blurts out loud. He didn't mean to sound mad but his voice came out raspy because his mouth was dry and he was out of breath.
It was time for another treasure hunt. Jungkook rummages his bag, trying to be thorough. But then he remembered he had raided his backpack during lunch. He just had enough money to buy a chicken set and the only money he had were the few coins he inserted in the vending machine.
"Ahhh! It's all gone!" Jungkook declares in surrender, letting his backpack fall limplessly on the the ground. He totally forgot to stop by the bank or withdraw cash from the ATM using his card. "How am i supposed to pay for dinner?!" The nearest ATM was a building away and he didn't want to run anymore so he just decided to borrow money from Namjoon. If he stops by the bank first thing in the morning, he could pay him back right aw--
His thoughts were interrupted as a hand comes to his view. The guy behind him inserted a coin for him and pressed the button for orange juice. The bottle fell.
"Here you go."
Jungkook, for the second time today, found himself staring at the blond student from English class. He vaguely recalls his name, he is sure his friend has mentioned it. Tae was the name of Mr. Expensive. Tae said the blond's name - it was...
Jimin.
Jungkook was about to talk to him but then Jimin shoved the bottle to Jungkook's hand.
"Uhh, t-thanks..." Jungkook stutters. He was so embarrassed that his ears have gone red. He forgot someone was behind him the whole time.
For goodness sake!
Did Jimin just watch him break down in front of the vending machine? He must have looked so pathetic!
To Jungkook's shock, Jimin reaches for his backpocket and grabs his wallet. He takes out all the bills and hands them to Jungkook's other hand without hesitation.
"Go have your dinner." Jimin smiled to him, his eyesmile being the cutest thing Jungkook has ever seen.
"I can't accept this!" Jungkook tried to give the money back. He was sure that Jimin's wallet was empty.
"I'll just look for my friend, I can ask him to treat me." Jimin, still smiling, put his hand behind his back so that Jungkook couldn't shove it back to him.
Jungkook couldn't believe what was happening. Did he look so hungry and desperate for someone to hand him their own dinner money?
"But I have money, I just forgot -" Jungkook started to explain.
"Really, it's okay." Jimin slowly backed away, giving Jungkook the most reassuring smile on earth. He looked so happy to just share and do a good deed.
Jungkook was frozen and couldn't believe his eyes. Here he was, a freaking billionaire, getting dinner money from practically a stranger.
Jungkook was slow to react again and Jimin had already turned away and was leaving. When Jungkook got back to his senses, Jimin was already at the end of the corridor. Jungkook shouted "I'll pay you back!"
"No worries!"
Jungkook could hear Jimin shout back. His reply brought a smile in Jungkook's face. It was the first time someone had done that for him. It felt nice.
Jungkook basically had everything and Jimin, nothing. So what Jimin did tonight, Jungkook thought it was quite touching. It made Jungkook feel warm inside.
Jungkook opened the bottle of orange juice and gulped down the contents with a smile. Jimin didn't know how much his actions meant for Jungkook. How that little deed lighted the embers of his heart.
"Jungkook!" Namjoon and Hoseok were on the other end of the corridor, waving at him to get a move on.
Jungkook finished the whole bottle in one shot. He pockets the money Jimin gave, not planning to spend it, but thinking of ways to give it back.
Jungkook giggles and blushes as he ran to his friends, feeling all giddy imagining how Jimin would react to his payback, and looking forward to seeing his pretty eyesmile once more.