Chapter Text
Jinyoung didn’t want to move away from the big city, let alone outside of the entire country. His mother wanted to travel the world with her new husband and knew that Jinyoung wouldn’t be able to tag along. He insisted on staying back in Korea, finishing up his last two years of high school and graduating on his own, but his mother insisted on him staying under some kind of family supervision.
A ten-hour flight later, and a day behind his usual calendar, here he is — the small town of Forks, Washington in the United States. Forks is different than what he’s used to. It was nothing like Seoul. No bustling nightlife, no large office buildings or skyscrapers, no breathtaking skyline. Washington was constantly shrouded in darkness; sunlight wasn’t a common occurrence during most months of the year. Jinyoung would miss the sunlight.
The ride to Jinyoung’s father’s house was a little awkward, to say the least. Seoyoung — Jinyoung’s father — wasn’t bad in the slightest. He was a great father when his whole family lived together in Korea. When his parents got divorced when Jinyoung was a little boy, Seoyoung had moved to America to pursue work. He’s the chief of police in Forks, and his position made it hard for Jinyoung to visit.
Not that he particularly wanted to, really. Jinyoung loved Seoul. Jinyoung didn’t have anything against his father, he just didn’t belong in America, he thought. Jinyoung would visit Forks when he was a young boy, but as he got older, he stopped coming. It wasn’t all bad, though. Because of his frequent visits as a child, he picked up English fairly quickly, making it easy for him to communicate.
Jinyoung stared out the window during the drive. The raindrops weren’t something he was used to yet. He didn’t know if he ever would be. The Korean words and phrases he would read daily were now changed to English ones. The tall buildings and bright lights he was so accustomed to seeing were replaced with dense forests and woodland animals. It was a little past noon but it looked as if the sun had never touched the ground in days.
“I think you’ll like it here,” Seoyoung breaks the silence, sparing a glance at Jinyoung. “Sure, it’s a little cold and wet, but you’ll get used to it.”
Jinyoung lets out a quiet sigh. “I don’t think I will,” he replies honestly while keeping his eyes trained to the passing forest.
Seoyoung only hums, adjusting his grip on the steering wheel. “That’s what everyone says at first,” he explains. “But if it helps, I think I have something that’ll help you adjust better. You still have your license, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Good, you’re gonna need it,” his father tells him before returning his focus to the road.
Jinyoung tore his eyes away from the window to look at his father. He didn’t understand what Seoyoung meant. To be completely honest, Jinyoung didn’t understand a lot of things his father told him. Maybe it was because they didn’t see each other often?
After a few more minutes of driving, the two finally arrive at Seoyoung’s house. Jinyoung looks up at it through the windshield of the police cruiser he’d been riding in for the past hour. It was the same, small home that Jinyoung remembers visiting as a kid. Same light blue color with that ugly window trim. It was charming, really. It brought back good memories for Jinyoung.
Seoyoung pulls the cruiser into the driveway. He helps Jinyoung get his things out of the car and into the house. Jinyoung didn’t have many things — just a couple suitcases and a backpack — so they easily did it in one trip. Jinyoung made his way through the house and upstairs, where he would be staying. It was in one of the guest rooms, where he stayed whenever he’d visit.
When he opened the door, he was hit with a wave of nostalgia. Pictures and drawings he had created as a child lined the walls. It really did look like a little boy’s room — Jinyoung would have to customize it later. The dark blue curtains, the slightly dingy looking carpet, the old white bookcase in the corner of the room — it was all as Jinyoung remembered.
“Sorry I didn’t change it up for you,” Seoyoung says behind Jinyoung, setting his suitcase down on the carpet. “I didn’t know what you like, so,” he trails off, letting out a small hum. “I hope you like blue.”
Jinyoung nods, sitting down on the bed. The mattress was softer than what he remembered was a kid. “Blue’s cool,” Jinyoung tells his father, not looking him in the eye. “Thanks.”
Seoyoung leaves Jinyoung to finish packing. Jinyoung knew that this new living situation was going to be awkward for the two of them. He was going to have to make the most of it, considering there was no going back now. Jinyoung went through the belongings in one of his suitcases while he let his mind wander.
Now that Jinyoung was in Washington, everything had to change. A new timezone, a new wardrobe, a new school. Change wasn’t something that Jinyoung was used to. He didn’t really care for change — if he could keep things the same forever, he would. It couldn’t be helped now, he realizes. Jinyoung finishes putting his clothes away in the dresser that is across from his bed. He wonders if he should buy some new furniture in the coming weeks to replace the old stuff in here.
“Jinyoung! Come down for a second!” Seoyoung’s voice rings through the house with ease. Jinyoung grabs the spare sweatshirt from his backpack and slips it on before quickly making his way down the stairs.
When Jinyoung walks through the front door, there’s a large, faded red truck in the driveway that wasn’t there before. Two people stood next to his father — one man that looked to be around his father’s age and another who looked like his son. He was suddenly self-conscious. He wasn’t trying to make new friends this early into his move.
“Jinyoung,” Seoyoung says, speaking in English and gesturing his son to come closer. “These are the Kims. Do you remember? You and Yugyeom used to play together as kids.” The younger boy — Yugyeom — waves. Jinyoung smiles politely but stays silent.
“Anyway,” Seoyoung continues. “Dogyeom here had this old truck lying around. He heard that you were coming into town, so—”
“Consider this my welcoming gift to you, Jinyoung. Welcome back to Forks,” Dogyeom finishes Seoyoung’s sentence for him, giving Jinyoung a warm smile.
Jinyoung’s eyes widen. He looks between Dogyeom and the truck before speaking. “Wait,” he starts. “This is mine?”
“Unless you want to ride to school in the police cruiser,” Seoyoung comments, a laugh bubbling past his lips.
Jinyoung breaks out into a huge smile before immediately running over to the truck to inspect it. “This is awesome!” Jinyoung exclaims, an action that is a little out of character for him. He coughs, before turning to Dogyeom and bowing his head slightly. “Thank you very much,” Jinyoung says with more refined English.
Dogyeom lets out a hearty laugh, shaking his head slightly. “See?” He says, looking over at Seoyoung. “I told you that he’d like it.” He turns over to look at Jinyoung again and smiles at him. “You’re very welcome,” he replies.
Jinyoung looks at the old truck and feels himself smile just a little bit. He was dreading the move, to be honest, but something about the rickety vehicle made him feel just a little more optimistic about it. He just hopes it’ll last.
⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅
The first night in the house was rough for Jinyoung. After spending a little more time with the Kims, Jinyoung went back upstairs to finish unpacking. He didn’t have much, but it did take up a good chunk of the night. He didn’t finish until the sky was much darker than it was when he arrived. Something about the new house still made Jinyoung uneasy, even if he spent a considerable amount of his childhood here.
The sound from Jinyoung’s phone alarm wakes him in the early morning. He groans as he struggles to get out of bed. He forces his eyes open, expecting to see the bright, shining sun pouring through the breaks of his curtains. Instead, he hears the sound of rain falling onto the window. His eyes focus on the scenery outside — thick clouds covered the sky. He already missed the sun.
Jinyoung reaches over to his phone to shut off the alarm and he rubs the sleep out of his eyes. He swings his legs over the edge of the bed and wiggles his toes once they touch the carpet. He lifts himself off the bed and makes his way over to the window where he opens his curtains. It looked wet and cold outside.
Jinyoung changes out of his pajamas before heading downstairs. Seoyoung was already in the kitchen cooking a simple breakfast for the two of them. Jinyoung sits down at the dining table, silently looking out of the window while he rests his chin in his hand.
Breakfast was uneventful. Jinyoung realizes that everything would feel awkward for a little while. Seoyoung makes small talk but Jinyoung doesn’t respond. When breakfast is over, Seoyoung says goodbye to Jinyoung before leaving. He started work early at the police station, leaving Jinyoung by himself in the house. It was quiet, which Jinyoung would usually enjoy. But at this moment it haunted him. It made his skin crawl just a little more than usual.
Jinyoung cleans up his dishes before getting ready to leave. He packs his backpack — his laptop, a few notebooks, and a few pens and pencils. He grabs his rain jacket that was draped over one of the dining room chairs and puts it on, it feeling a little too sticky against his skin. Jinyoung grabs the spare key that Seoyoung gave him before heading out the door.
It wasn’t pouring, which Jinyoung appreciated. The wet air around him made his rain jacket stick to him even more, which made him instantly uncomfortable. He walks over to his truck and opens the door, expecting the hinges to squeak. When it doesn’t, he hums in surprise. Dogyeom must’ve taken good care of this truck for him, which he’s grateful for. He starts the engine and turns on the radio before pulling out of the driveway.
While driving to the school, Jinyoung uses the time to think about his new life. He definitely was a city person — he never imagined himself living in a small town where everyone knew each other. As he watches all of the small buildings pass him, his grip on the steering wheel tightens. He doesn’t bother to memorize anything, knowing that it’ll be engrained into this memory sooner or later.
Jinyoung easily finds the school; it’s one of the largest buildings in the entire town. There’s a large stone sign that reads Forks High School right in the front. Jinyoung pulls into the front parking lot which was unusually empty for a high school. Jinyoung parks right in front of a door that says “front office” on a small plaque on the wall. He climbs out of the truck before making the short walk over to the door.
The warm air instantly hits Jinyoung as he steps inside the office. He sheds off his jacket and folds it over his arm as he takes in his surroundings. The office was brightly lit with white fluorescent lights. A few padded chairs were lining one of the walls. The office was small; only two people were working at the moment. Jinyoung steps up to the open area of the front counter.
One of the women working at the counter looks up to him. “Hello,” she says in English. “How can I help you?”
“I’m Park Jinyoung,” Jinyoung introduces himself. The woman’s eyes widen before she breaks out into a kind smile. Jinyoung assumes that all the staff were informed of his arrival.
“Ah, yes,” she responds. She leans over to one side of the counter, sifting through various piles of papers and documents until she has a large stack of them in her hands. She slides them across the counter to Jinyoung’s side. “This is your class schedule, and a map of the school,” she informs him.
She quickly goes through all of Jinyoung’s classes with him, along with several small, brightly colored slips for all his teachers to sign. “If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask a faculty or staff member for help.”
Jinyoung thanks her before putting his jacket back on and leaving the office. From the door, he can see several cars turning in from the main road. He follows them with his eyes before realizing that they’re all parking in a separate lot than the one he was in right now.
Must be the student lot, Jinyoung thinks to himself, before making his way back into his truck. He starts up the engine and follows the flow of traffic until he gets into the student lot, where he saw a lot more young faces. He drives until he finds a spot towards the back of the lot.
Jinyoung shuts off the ignition and sits in the driver’s seat. He looks over the paperwork that the woman from the office gave him, trying to memorize the map and class schedule. He folds the papers nicely and puts them into his bag. He looks out his truck window, seeing several students gather around cars, stairs, and other areas. Jinyoung takes a deep breath before climbing out of his truck for the second time this morning.
Jinyoung makes his way through the parking lot, keeping his head down to stay inconspicuous. He follows the concrete path that is littered with other teenagers having their own conversations. Jinyoung can’t make them out, but honestly, he doesn’t think he wants to. He lifts his head when he gets closer to the main buildings, easily finding the one he was looking for.
When he enters the building, he breathes in the stale air that fills the halls. This American high school was nothing like the one he’d attended when he was in Korea. Jinyoung walks through the halls quietly, looking at each number plate that rested on the top of the door frames. Once he finds the room he’s looking for, he quietly steps inside.
The classroom was fairly small. Jinyoung sees a line of hooks next to the door where students hang their coats. Jinyoung does the same, shedding his rain jacket and hanging it one of the free hooks. He pulls one of the bright colored slips from his bag and walks up to his teacher, handing it to him silently. The teacher signs it and returns it to Jinyoung. He quickly introduces Jinyoung to the class before gesturing to the open seat in the back of the classroom.
Jinyoung takes his seat in the back. He listens as the teacher begins to go on about the reading material that Jinyoung assumes was their homework assignment. He looks down at the piece of paper that the teacher gave him — a list of different texts that the class covered. It was full of the basic English literature that most American high schools learned about. Jinyoung had read most of them already.
When the bell rings, Jinyoung grabs his things and makes his way back into the hallway. He recalls his schedule, remembering that he had to go into another building for his next class. He’s about to pull out his map when a tall boy in glasses stops him.
“You’re Park Jinyoung, right?” He asks. He had pretty small eyes and a bright smile.
“Yes,” Jinyoung says quietly. It was the first person he’d talked to today.
“Where are you headed next?” He asks, and Jinyoung has to hold in a sigh. He really wasn’t in the mood to talk to anyone.
“Uh,” Jinyoung thinks, thinking back to his schedule. “American government, building four,” he answers.
“Oh, great!” The boy responds, tightening the grip on his backpack. “I’m headed that way too. If you want, I can walk with you,” he offers. “I’m Jae, by the way.”
Jinyoung doesn’t really want to accept his offer, but he doesn’t want to make a bad impression. Especially on his first day. “Yeah, sure. Thanks,” he smiles awkwardly.
Jae leads Jinyoung outside of the building, where the rain had started to pick up. Jinyoung grimaces. He really didn’t care for the rain. Not only that, but the air was colder than it was when he got here this morning. He probably should’ve dressed a little warmer.
“So,” Jae starts. “You’re Korean?”
“Yes,” Jinyoung answers.
“So am I. You moved here from Korea, then?”
“Yes.”
“I’ve only been there once. My mom is Korean,” Jae continues to speak. Jinyoung lets him. “Is it different here?”
“There’s a lot more English here,” Jinyoung replies dryly. He doesn’t expect Jae to laugh in response.
Jinyoung looks up from his feet and sees that the two are right in front of building four. Jae heads inside first and Jinyoung follows suit until they reach one of the classrooms towards the end of the hallway. “Here we are,” Jae hums. “American government.”
Jae walks into the classroom with ease, greeting some of the other classmates that Jinyoung assumed that he knew. Jinyoung walks to the front of the class to speak to the teacher.
The rest of the morning follows the same pattern. Going to a new class, getting his slips signed, and trying to catch up with whatever the class was working on. After a few classes, Jinyoung begins to recognize and remember a few of the faces he keeps seeing. Some people in his classes would come up to him and ask him about his life in Korea or how he was warming up to Forks. Jinyoung tried to be friendly.
One of the girls Jinyoung met in his math class walks with him to the school’s cafeteria. Jinyoung tries to remember her name, but with all the information he’s been absorbing today, it’s hard to keep up. The girl is chatting up a storm, though. She seems outgoing and sporty if her short hair and muscular build is anything to go by.
The girl leads Jinyoung to a table that is full of her friends. She introduces them to Jinyoung, but he forgets them as soon as she says their names. The only one he recognizes is Jae, the boy from his government class. Jae waves enthusiastically, and Jinyoung smiles back at him.
Jinyoung sits down with them and tries to make conversation over the mediocre school lunch the cafeteria was serving that day. As the other teenagers talk amongst themselves, Jinyoung takes the time to look around the room. Many students pack the cafeteria. It’s much louder than the cafeterias Jinyoung visited in Korea. The food was much better back home, too. Jinyoung didn’t want to complain.
Jinyoung turns his head to look out the large windows that line the walls of the cafeteria. A group of people walking in through the back entrance catch his eye. Five students — beautiful, captivating students — make their way to one of the empty tables in the back corner of the cafeteria. They didn’t get up to get food, or to make conversation with other students. They mostly kept to themselves.
Jinyoung couldn’t stop looking. He nudges the girl that walked him to the cafeteria — Amber, he finally remembers. “Hey,” he starts quietly. When he gets her attention, he gestures towards the five students in the corner. “Who are they?”
Amber looks over her shoulder, and a laugh bubbles past her lips. “Oh, them?” She asks. Jinyoung nods.
“They’re so mysterious, aren’t they?” Amber asks Jinyoung, turning to look back at Jinyoung. “They’re all, like, foster siblings. They just moved here from Alaska or something,” Amber informs him. “That’s why they’re so pale.”
Jinyoung listens to her speak, glancing back to the corner of the cafeteria. He makes eye contact with one of them; the boy with dark black hair that framed the sides of his face. His features were angular and his ears were adorned with various piercings. Jinyoung can feel his breath get caught in his throat and he looks away as quickly as they made eye contact.
Amber tells Jinyoung about them. The skinny, white-haired boy is Bambam who’s originally from Thailand. The muscular one that’s constantly smiling is Jackson Wang. The shorter blond is Mark Tuan, and the brown-haired, round-faced one was Choi Youngjae. Jackson and Mark were both Chinese and Youngjae was Korean. Apparently, even though they were foster siblings, they were all romantically involved with each other.
“What about him?” Jinyoung asks, gesturing to the black-haired boy that he made eye contact with.
Amber looks back again. “Oh,” she sighs. “That’s Lim Jaebeom. He’s gorgeous, obviously,” Amber admits.
“But don’t waste your time,” The other girl on the table, Krystal, chimes in. “He doesn’t date anyone. Everyone here isn’t good enough for him, apparently.”
Jinyoung listens to the two girls, but he can’t help himself when he turns his head again to look at the five students, specifically Jaebeom. He couldn’t take his eyes away. The other students make eye contact with Jinyoung too, and he flushes. He looks away quickly.
After a few minutes, the five students get up from the table and leave the cafeteria. Jinyoung watches them go in silence. He sits with Amber and Krystal for longer than he intended to, and the bell that signifies that lunch was ending rings. Krystal mentions having biology next period, and Jinyoung remembers that he has that class, too. They walk together quietly, Krystal leading the way to the biology lab.
The two part ways when they enter the biology lab. Krystal moves to sit at the black lab table, chatting with her partner. Jinyoung looks around and realizes that all the seats are taken except for one.
The one next to Lim Jaebeom.
Jinyoung walks over to the teacher to get his slip signed as normal, turning his head to spare glances at Jaebeom. Each time, Jinyoung could feel the way the other’s eyes bore into his soul. It was a little unsettling.
Jinyoung moves to sit in the available seat and he can see Jaebeom go rigid in his seat. Jinyoung notices the strange behavior but decides not to comment on it. He slides the biology textbook in front of him, opening up to the page that the class was going over in today’s lesson.
Jinyoung looks out of the corner of his eye at the boy next to him. Jaebeom was sitting at the edge of his chair as if to keep himself as far away from Jinyoung as possible. Jinyoung tried to ignore it, but the way that Jaebeom would stare at him made him uncomfortable.
Jinyoung usually didn’t have a problem sitting through class, but biology seemed to run extremely long. He didn’t know if it was because the school day was about to end, or if it was the awful feeling he was getting from Jaebeom next to him.
Jinyoung turns his head to look at Jaebeom one last time, and he instantly regrets it. Jaebeom was glaring — his angular eyes making his gaze more intense. Jaebeom’s eyes were black; pitch black. If looks could kill, Jinyoung would’ve died multiple times already. Jinyoung tries to shy away.
The final school bell suddenly rings and Jaebeom basically flies out of his seat. He quickly walks to the door — reaching it before anyone else — and grabs his coat and storms out. Jinyoung stares as he leaves, feeling anger bubble up into his throat. The boy sure was pretty, but he had an ugly attitude. Jinyoung didn’t like it.
Jinyoung packs up his things and makes his way towards the school office again. He had to return all of those signed slips from his teachers. The rain was finally starting to let up, which Jinyoung was happy about.
When he enters the office, he stops dead in the doorway. Jaebeom was standing at the counter in front of him, arguing quietly with the woman Jinyoung spoke to earlier this morning. Jinyoung overhears their conversation; Jaebeom was trying to change his biology period to a different time slot. Jaebeom turns and glares at Jinyoung once again — the boy was incredibly beautiful, but his eyes were full of hatred. The two lock eyes for just a moment before Jaebeom turns back to the woman.
“Never mind,” Jaebeom says, his voice dark and soft like velvet. “Thank you for your time.” Jaebeom instantly turns on his heel and storms out of the office without sparing another look at Jinyoung.
Jinyoung lets out a shaky breath and walks up to the counter where Jaebeom just was. The woman asks Jinyoung the normal questions — how his day was, if he found his classes okay — but Jinyoung isn’t really focused. She finishes up sorting the paperwork and Jinyoung thanks her before leaving the office, the look that Jaebeom gave him burned into his mind.