Chapter Text
- Do you think you succeeded?
I quickly raise my gaze which was lost in the distance, damn, I didn't hear what Namjoon just said to me.
- What ?
He sighs, rolling his eyes. Ugh, I hate it when he does that.
- The essay on Baudelaire, the one from last Friday, do you think you got a good grade?
- I don't really know, the question asked was quite technical so I'm not getting false hopes, I'm waiting to see.
- Yeah, he shrugs his shoulders, in reality I think you'll have torn everything up as usual, it's me who should be worried.
It is Friday and we are waiting impatiently, or at least anxiously for my part, for the teacher to return our copies. I'm trying to put things into perspective, it's the end of our first year and in a few weeks we will finally be on summer vacation, far from high school. What a relief.
Well, two months goes by quickly.
Brief.
The teacher begins to circulate through the ranks, stopping near each student to offer comments and advice.
Namjoon is my best friend, we are a pair, we met in middle school, it immediately worked between us, him, always smiling, in a good mood and extroverted, talking to everyone and me, Kim Taehyung, rather introverted and very anxious. His person calms me on a daily basis. I don't see myself continuing my education without him.
I look at the clock hanging above the famous green board, you know, the one you find in all classrooms, or in series too. It's four p.m., class ends in a little over thirty minutes. I'm eager to.
I feel someone hit my shoulder and it takes me out of my thoughts. Oh. It was Namjoon who, turning around to chat, gave me a light blow. I hear him talking to someone behind me but don't really pay attention. That is, until I heard my name. I then turn around and run into two black pupils.
Thin.
It's Ga-ram.
Our class representative. His uniform is without a crease, his black hair is slicked back and his glasses are well positioned on his nose. When we look into his gaze, we have, at least on my side, the feeling that he is judging us to the nearest millimeter and looking down on us from a very high level.
- What's the matter ? I ask.
He looks at me and a grin appears at the corner of his mouth.
- Nothing, I was telling Namjoon that you were probably going to get the best grade in the class.
- It's even safe! my best friend exclaims, squeezing my shoulder affectionately.
- The teachers love him so much that giving him a bad grade would be a disaster, says Ga-ram, giving me a sly look.
Namjoon laughs. Great. It's his style to laugh at everything without realizing that the delegate is in fact taunting me. That's him, always smiling, laughing without seeing the evil.
I just raise an eyebrow and turn around. The best reaction is that of ignorance.
I don't really know why but the delegate and I never really got along. There has always been this uneasiness between us. Finally, at the beginning of the year, there were no problems. It was after that that it got worse, a month later to be exact. I never really paid attention to it but since Nam talks to him quite often in class, we'll say that I have to put up with his bad temper towards me. Perhaps there is a history of rivalry between us? After all, I am, without any desire to boast, first in my class and he is some place after me. It might simply be because of that.
I come out of my thoughts when the teacher gets to our level.
- So, Kim Namjoon he mutters while searching in his pile of copies, after a few seconds he must find it because he raises his head and leans towards my neighbor. It's better than last time but your plan lacks consistency with the question asked and you have not included the elements of your parts in your conclusion.
Namjoon grimaces but remains silent.
- You can do better, I'm counting on you. He hands him his copy and my gaze slides over it, I see an eleven appear. Well, I guess he's disappointed but he at least got average.
- As for you, Taehyung, it's excellent as always, nothing to complain about. You could try to review your copy with Namjoon so he can take an example.
I nod and pick up my copy, eager to see the grade.
It's a beautiful eighteen written in red with the words congratulations written next to it. Well, I think I succeeded so far. My anxiety decreases drastically, leaving me feeling heavy. I think if I were on my bed I would fall asleep quickly.
- We'll have to hurry when it rings, Seokjin just sent me a message, he's saving us seats in the cafeteria, Namjoon told me.
I nod. Thoughtful. I hope the menu will be okay, I don't want to eat the bland spinach from last time.
Just when I want to start putting my things away because I know that if I don't hurry, once class is over, Nam will complain for four hours, we hear knocking on the classroom door.
A supervisor then comes in and interrupts the teacher while he was leaning towards a student. The two adults come closer and exchange a few words indistinctly from where I am.
- Ga-ram Chang?
I exchange a look with Namjoon, perplexed.
- Grab your things and follow me.
Rustling sounds are heard behind me, crumpled papers, the clashing of pens, the sound of a pencil case closing. The chair that scrapes the floor.
In almost complete silence, the delegate disappears with the supervisor.
Whispers then come from everywhere, indeed, it's unusual here. When a supervisor goes so far as to pick up a student from class, a fairly serious event has occurred. Except that in this case, I absolutely don't see the cause. Believe me, at Jeguk High School, it is considered a shame, we must not attract attention, the image that others have of us is very important at the risk of seeing our escapades impact the image of our families. We are the children of Chaebol, the most powerful families in Korea. We must have a certain prestige.
I don't like Ga-ram but I'm still worried about him.
The teacher looks a little disoriented, worried if I believe his expression. He opens his mouth to probably tell us to be quiet but he is cut off by the sound of the bell exploding in the corridors.
- Hurry Tae! Namjoon said to me as he walked around me to leave the class.
I quickly grab my bag and rush out, into the hustle and bustle of the hallway.
I grab his arm so as not to lose it and we head quickly towards the refectory.
We arrive at the end of the corridor and all we need to do is turn to get there. Yes, five more steps and...
What ?
When I planned my day so as not to worry unnecessarily, I hadn't planned that at all.
Namjoon stops in his tracks and so do I.
A circle has formed in front of the director's office and angry shouts ring out. I wonder how I managed not to hear them until then. Either way, we could bypass it and move straight to the canteen. But we don't move. As if hypnotized.
- It is unacceptable !
A man in a suit and tie, briefcase in hand, shouts without worrying about the students who are busy staring at him. But what is most shocking is that Ga-ram, standing next to him, looks at the ground, his eyes lowered and his shoulders lowered, his body trembling all over as if he is holding back from crying.
- What is happening ? Namjoon whispers in my ear.
- I don't know at all, I answer, worried about what will follow.
- We're leaving Ga-ram says the man who must surely be his father, he grabs his shoulders and begins to pull him towards the swing doors leading to the entrance of the school.
- N-No... I can t-explain it to you.
- Don't make me more ashamed than I already am! You humiliated me! He glances at the crowd that has formed. We're going now!
-F-Father! No ! S-Sorry! Ga-ram pulls on his arm but his father then quickly turns around and slaps him in front of my stunned eyes.
Silence then falls in the corridor and some even try to film.
I feel it then.
Anxiety. Heavy and suffocating. The atmosphere became icy.
The delegate then no longer responds and disappears outside.
We stand frozen for a moment as the noise gradually returns, louder and louder. People are starting to move again.
I then come out of my trance and move to the side so as not to be in the way. Namjoon follows me in silence. Although the noise and conversations have returned, we are still as silent, as if frozen in a bubble that has not yet burst.
- What was that ? I whisper.
- I don't know but he's not going to have a very good time if you ask me... Nam answers me.
Being slapped by your father and in public is worse than humiliation. It’s a descent into hell. Shatter your image in the eyes of others and you will no longer have any recognition, others will pass over you. This kind of phenomenon can happen very quickly and can even become dangerous.
- We'll just have to ask him when we see him, my best friend whispers to me, come, Seokjin must be waiting for us.
- I don't think he'll tell you about it, it's humiliating.
- I'm sure he'll talk to me about it, we sometimes talk, he says, winking at me.
I roll my eyes.
- If you say so.
- I say it.
I sigh.
As we head towards the canteen and once through the doors, leaving the smell of food floating in the air, I wonder what could have happened. It looked serious. Hopefully he talks about it with Nam. He's right, I think Ga-ram will talk to him about it.
Well, that's what I thought because in the end...
Ga-ram never came back.
Hello !!!
Did you like this prologue?
Any theories on what might have happened? Well, I'm actually saying that but it's almost impossible for you to guess at this point haha! I hope I have piqued your curiosity for what follows.
I would like to point out that English is not my mother tongue so it is possible that there are grammatical errors.
This is my first time posting on Ao3, it's new to me, usually I just read.
See you next time !!