Body Talk

14. Fear

"J-jungkook..."

As I stutter, he simply leans on the doorframe, hands crossed and a smirk plastered onto his face. His expression seems sly, and full of piqued interest. God. It feels as though I've been caught red-handed, in a crime that I didn't even do.

"...I'm here to remind you guys that class starts at 10am tomorrow. It's the first semester. Don't be late." Jungkook instructs, before sliding his hand onto my arm.

"And I'll borrow him for a while."

And so, before he could protest, Taehyung watched as Jungkook pulls me away from his room and into the corridor. He closes the door and looks right at me— the face of a child who just got his little toy.

"Soa." He grins happily at me. "Have you packed your things for tomorrow?"

"Uh...yeah!" I replied flusteredly. "I did!"

"I live in the same room as you, dummy." He smacks my head lightly, letting out a chuckle. "You're like an open book."

Open....book...? Am I that easy to read? What if he knows that I like hi—

Ringggg. A loud sound interrupts my train of thoughts. Jungkook fumbles around his pocket to fish out his phone, before answering it.

"Haneul?" He says, and I froze.

The two of us stood in silence as he listens to the phone. After a while, his face turns glum— as if something bad had happened to him.

"It's nothing. She told me about the club meet-up details." Jungkook reassures me, patting the top of my head.

I wasn't sure if I should say it, but at that moment, I mustered up all my courage and said it; eyes closed tight and fist clenched.

"Maybe you shouldn't go after all?"

As soon as I said that, Jungkook's eyes light up— as if he's just realised something. A change of expression on his face alerted my senses. Oh no. He slowly inches closer and closer to me, till my back hits the wall. I shudder. He gazes at me with his entrancing eyes, and I couldn't look away. It was like falling into a trance, a trance that he's pulling me into. His emotional eyes were now like an abyss. Jungkook sees my trembling lips, and he slides a hand onto my warm cheek.

"Are you.....worried about me?" He says softly, and carefully.

"Or are you......jealous?"

Jungkook stares at me with dark eyes, his heavy eyelashes drooping down at his intense gaze. I simply diverted my eyes, away from his stare so I could collect my thoughts. This was dangerous. The blush I couldn't help hide was creeping up my ears and cheeks, further indicating that I was, in fact, jealous of Haneul.

"because if you're jealous....." He wraps his strong arms around my torso, pulling me even closer.

"Then I'll take it as if you like me....?"

Oh, no.

Jungkook waits for my reply, but there was none. I stood frozen in his arms, not knowing what to do and whether to deny it. His cheeks were also a red mess at this point— accompanied with his dark eyes that stared right through me. He then slowly inches closer to my face....

"W-wait! I...." I push him away, alert. Jungkook looks at me, slightly dejected.  Don't fall for him. My mind whirled into a confused mess, too much to comprehend— and so, I ran away, back to our dorm room.

As I lied under the safety of the sheets, my mind was going wild. Fall for him, and there would be consequences. Fall for him, and he'll see every part of you, every flaw that you make.

And I wasn't sure if I was ready for that.

_________________________________________

School the next day, was hectic.

"What's wrong? You look like a emotional wreck." Taehyung slides an arm around my shoulder, sipping on his juice box. "You can tell me, I'm a good listener."

"It isn't something that I can tell you." I covered my face as I recalled what happened. "I'm so done with myself."

"What's something that you can tell your friend of the same age!" Taehyung whines, nuzzling me cutely. I sigh.

And as he nuzzles me, Jungkook walks by and saw us. His expression was cold, and he seems dejected, in a way. Just when I wanted to call out to him, he looks away, walking briefly to the classroom. My heart drops.

"...What's wrong? Did the two of you fight?" Taehyung asks me cautiously, his eyes stirring with worry.

"It's nothing." I answered.

The two of us then went in the classroom, and chose seats next to each other. My seat was a little far from Jungkook, and disappointment overcame me.

Maybe this was how it's supposed to be. Me, in this school, staring at my sports idol from afar as I strive to become like him.

Throughout class, I was glancing at him all along. And at one point, he had glanced back at me, only to look away.

It remained like this until class was over, and it was time for our individual assessment. We all headed to the gym to be assessed for our physical strength and endurance. It was held every first class of each semester to record down the sports students' physical state, a dreaded test for all students except for Jungkook; who had a fit body.

"Everyone, remove your shirts now." The teacher instructed.

One by one, all of them started removing their shirts, including Jungkook. I watched as he pulls the shirt from behind, showing his fit body. His boxer briefs fell down a little from his pulling, revealing his deep v line. Immediately, I looked away as soon as Jungkook notices that I was staring.

"You! Why aren't you taking off your shirt? It's an assessment!" The teacher points at me, and the whole class' eyes were now on me.

Oh shit.

"I...Uh..." I begin to stammer, trying to find an excuse for it. I prepared a whole script for this, but my mind went blank at that moment.

"He's sick. I'll bring him to the nurse's office." a voice speaks, and I turn to see Jungkook walking towards me.

He grabs my hand tightly, gently pulling me out of the gym. When we get to the empty nurse's office, he pushes me onto the bed, pinning me down with force.

"Soa." He calls my name, eyes driven with frustration.

"Why are you avoiding me?"

A/N: