Chapter Text
Being good was boring. Being good meant going to class on time, listening and taking notes, studying! Yeah, no thanks. It was much more fun to be spontaneous, smoking behind the school campus during break hours, playing video games until midnight instead of scanning through a useless textbook, and yeah, starting the occasional food fight in the cafeteria when the teachers weren’t looking. Now that was fun, and it made things more exciting. That was exactly what Kim Taehyung was about, bringing more fun to his school other than those boring pep rallies, sporting games, and god awful school dances. No, he was going to make school fun differently, his way.
You, being a bright-eyed new girl, had no idea about Taehyung and his god awful reputation. All you knew was that you were a bright-eyed, innocent girl who recently moved to Korea from your childhood home. At first, it bothered you, not wanting to leave your friends whose bonds were over 16 years in the making or your school that you were almost done with. Not only that, but you barely knew any Korean! Sure, your grandmother would speak to you in Korean when she would come to visit, but that was always very basic conversation and you always managed to reply in broken sentences and half-English remarks. But that wasn’t important, your dad had gotten a new and better job through his company, requiring you all to pack up your well-established lives and move across the globe. It was a bit unfair, yes, but as you began to learn the language with your mother, who was just as lost in the language as you were, you began to enjoy it. Not only that, but you tried to pique your interest more by watching some Korean dramas on Netflix, listening to Korean music, and learning whatever you could about your soon to be home. It was interesting, it was amazing! By the time you boarded the plane, you couldn’t wait to go!
The trip to Korea was exhausting, but you spent the entire time chewing off your little brother’s ear, who was trying to ignore you and play his Switch, but you kept being persistent, all the way until you landed. You were guided off the plane, your father using his fluency in Korean to help guide your family into cars and to your new home. It was nice, something your father was able to negotiate with his boss in exchange for uprooting his family. You were eager to look inside and see what new memories would be made here! As you headed into the house, you and your brother raced to find your new bedrooms. Lucky for you, you ran track in middle school, so you were faster. This nabbed you the bigger of the two rooms.
“No fair!” Your brother shouted in annoyance, but you smirked at him and closed the door in his face as your response. You looked around, seeing that the new furniture that was ordered had begun to arrive already, as your new bed and dresser were set up. All you had to do was wait a few days until your luggage from home arrived in the next few days and you would be able to set up. But what you did have, you put out. About a few days’ worth of clothes, a few pictures of friends and family, and letters covered in tear stains from the hour or crying you and your best friends did before you left. As you set things up, you hear a noise outside. It seemed someone had come by, as you heard indistinct chatter coming from underneath your window. Setting down the last of your things, you grab your belongings and head downstairs.
There you see your mom, letting in a few different people, older women about her age. They’re greeting her, smiling as they try their absolute best to communicate, your mom giving broken greetings in Korean and the others giving broken responses in English, all leading up to a good laugh between them. Behind them were a few teens, two girls about your age. They seemed sweet.
“Honey! C’mere and meet our new neighbors.” Your mother said, glee in her voice. You made your way over to see two girls about your age standing beside one another. Both girls were very pretty, one with short and wavy brown hair and the other with long blonde hair. They smiled at you.
“Hi!” The brunette girl said in Korean. Despite your excitement, you were nervous about being judged for your Korean. You blushed, shyly saying hello in shaky Korean. “I’m Park Ji-soo, but you can call me Jihyo.” The other girl, the blonde, gave a grin as she held up a peace sign in front of her face.
“And I’m Kim Dahyun.” The other girl said. “What about you?” You responded, giving a smile. “Sorry my uh...my Korean isn’t very good still.”
“Good thing you have us to practice with.” Dahyun grinned. “We both live on the block, so we’ll be happy to help you out.” You were silent for a second, trying to process what she had said. Dahyun and Jihyo chuckled a bit watching your eyes move from side to side and your lips mouth what Dahyun had said to you before your eyes finally went bright and a smile formed on your lips. You got it.
“Thank you!” You replied happily. “Do you guys also go to high school?”
“Yeah, we do.” Jihyo smiled. “So we can help you get adjusted there too.” You smiled, glad to know that you made two friends who were so nice to help you out while you were adjusting. As the three of you sat in the living room, your mothers in the kitchen, they fill you in on what school was like, and what kind of kids to expect. You were listening, fortunate that they were speaking some English to you within all of the Korean to make understanding just a little bit easier. It was fun getting to know these girls, they were kind and respectful, and Dahyun was a riot when she got going with the crazy personality you learned she had.
By the time you girls knew it, it was time to go home to rest. You said your goodbyes, exchanged phone numbers and watched as they left with their mothers. Your mother closed the door and smiled.
“Well, that was nice. Seems we got lucky with some good neighbors, huh?” You nodded in agreement. “Alright, it’s pretty late Tell your brother to get to bed, you both have school first thing tomorrow and the last thing you need is to be late.” Agreeing, you headed upstairs to relay mom's message.
“But I’m not tired!” The ten-year-old shouted in annoyance.
“Well if you don’t go to sleep I’ll be sure to tell Mom and she’ll break your Switch.” You said simply. Your brother groaned, knowing you were a girl of your word.
“Goody-goody.” He muttered as he made his way into the bathroom to get ready for bed, and you did the same. Tossing on a pair of old pajamas, you slid onto your bed with your temporary blanket and covers. As you got ready to fall asleep, you heard a ding from your phone. Turning to look at it, you see it was from Dahyun. You had been put in a group chat with both her and Jihyo.
Dahyun: It was nice to meet you! :D Jihyo and I can meet you tomorrow morning so we can all go to school together!
You: Okay! See you tomorrow! Goodnight!
Setting your phone down, you curled up in bed. On your door hung your new uniform for tomorrow, and it made your heart pound a bit. You were excited to go to school tomorrow, despite all of your fears about it. As you thought about what the experience would be like, you fell asleep.
The next day, your alarm woke you up right on time. Groaning, you stretched in your bed and hoped desperately that it was a weekend and you could sleep in and rest. But nope, your parents were already up, making the same loud noise they always do, and your brother’s footsteps pounding up and down the hallway too. Groaning again, you eventually got up and made your way into your bathroom. Combing your hair, brushing your teeth, and putting on your makeup, you went back into your room and slipped into your new uniform. You had to admit, it looked pretty good on you, the skirt wasn’t too short, the blazer wasn’t too tight around the chest, and it flattered you well. I feel like I’m in a Korean drama. You thought to yourself, spinning around in your mirror once before you heard your mom calling your name. As you headed downstairs, you weren’t surprised to see Jihyo and Dahyun down there, standing in the kitchen with your mom. She was making some breakfast and offered the girls some fruit, which they both happily took, before turning to you.
“Hey.” You said happily, heading to the table and grabbing a piece of toast, spread some egg on it. “I’ll eat this on the way. Bye, Mom!” You waved to your mother, heading out the door with the girls, your brother trekking behind, as the elementary school was a stop on the way to your high school. After dropping your brother off, you and your friends made your way to the office of the high school. You introduced yourself to the principal, who spoke some English, so it made the conversation much easier on you. You got your ID badge, your schedule, and a map of the school before you were on your way.
The school was bustling, full of teenagers pushing, shoving, listening to music as they perched themselves up against a locker, muting out the rest of the world. Friends threw arms around one another, grinning as they spoke about teenage problems like homework and love. You could only hear pieces of information as you made your way to your classroom, which fortunately you shared with Jihyo, and found your locker, which was in the bottom row of the homeroom lockers. It was a bit weird, being in a school where nobody knew you, and you didn’t know anybody. For as long as you were in school, you were always the one eagerly welcoming the new kid, showing them around and helping them get adjusting to their new life, and here you were. Now you were in their shoes, and you could understand why some people were hesitant to open up to you at first. It’s intimidating. You stepped out into the hallway, where Dahyun was approaching from her classroom next door.
While you were finishing up with settling in and adjusting to the slight feeling of anxiousness within your body, someone else was entering the school grounds. Someone who, with every step, he took closer to the building, had more and more eyes staring in his direction. He was unsure if these looks were out of fear, or attraction, or both, but he honestly didn’t care. Running a hand through his hair, he stepped into the building. As he was getting his bearings, he felt a hard slap on the back. It was another guy, a bit smaller than him, but with full lips and a grin on his face stretching from ear to ear.
“So you’re finally back, Taehyung? How was that three-day vacation?” He asked. Taehyung replied with a shrug as the duo made their way down the halls of the school.
“It was whatever. How were the three days here without me, Jimin? Did you all fall apart like last time?”
“No!” Jimin said quickly. Taehyung raised an eyebrow, and Jimin pouted. “Well…Namjoon-Hyung broke that cool statue in our room.” Taehyung snickered a bit at the thought of his Hyung. Yeah, that sounded like something he would do.
“What else have I missed?” He asked curiously.
“Nothing. I think a new girl started in our year, though.” Jimin said. Taehyung pursed his lips together, grinning as they walked deeper into the school.
“Really?” he asked.
You watched as students slowly began to disperse into their classrooms, saying goodbye to friends and kissing lovers goodbye. You waved to Dahyun as she headed to her class, talking with another friend as well as they disappeared into their class. As you and Jihyo were about to do the same, a voice was heard at the end of the hallway.
“Oi!” You blinked, turning to Jihyo. Her face immediately dropped, a hand going over her face. She looked annoyed, her thumb and forefinger rubbing the bridge of her nose.
“What’s wrong?” you asked curiously.
“I thought he was suspended for the rest of the week.” She muttered.
“Wrong!” You heard that voice chime again. It was deep, sultry, and it surprised you a bit. Turning your head, you became face to face with a brunette, leaning over Jihyo with a hand on her shoulder. He was grinning, his gummy smile fitting with his face despite his hard and tough appearance. “Did you miss me, Jihyo~?” he cooed, smirking.
“God no. What do you want?” She asked.
“I just came to introduce myself to the new girl.” He cooed, stuffing his hands in his pockets, and his eyes fell immediately to you. You stayed still, not sure what to say. “Well, hello there, cutie.” He said. “What’s your name?” You hesitated, but before you could give it to him, Jihyo took your arm.
“Her name is none of your business. Now go away, don’t you have a class to skip?” She asked. Taehyung snickered, shrugging.
“Maybe.” He said. “Why? Want to join me and have some fun, Jihyo my dear~?” Jihyo scoffed in disgust.
“You’re disgusting. Let’s go.” She said to me, and she led me inside. You glanced back at Taehyung, who snuck you a wink as he headed down the hallway, his friend following behind him. Jihyo sat in her seat up in the front of the room, and you stood in front of it, waiting for the teacher to come in and assign you a seat. “I swear, do not talk to him, okay?”
“Why?”
“He and his gaggle of friends may be super popular with the girls, but they’re all bad influences. They smoke, they skip school, and they get into fights…Just steer clear of them, okay?” You saw how serious she was being, and nodded.
“Okay. Okay, Jihyo, if you’re so sure, I trust you.” You smiled happily. Jihyo gave you a kind smile and leaned back in her seat. Just then, the door opened and the teacher walked in. He was an older man, a bit rounder and balding on the top of his head. He had glasses on, which he pushed up the bridge of his nose with his index finger. He approached you, and you introduced yourself to him, as well as your entire class. He sent you to your seat, two seats behind Jihyo. She turned to you and smiled a bit, before facing forward and listening to the lesson.
During the lesson, you did your best to pay attention to the lesson. However, it wasn’t long before your eyes started to wander. You were a decent student, but god was it hard for you to pay attention. Your eyes wandered to the window, where you could see some bits and pieces of the outside. From one of the corners, you saw a few figures of some boys. They were laughing, playfully shoving each other, and goofing off as they headed out of sight. Out of them, you noticed Taehyung, his head in a headlock from a taller boy, who had a piece of some kind of food in his mouth. From what you were witnessing, they didn’t seem like bad people.
But what something seems like isn’t always the same as reality. At least, that was something you were taught.