chapter 4

Taehyung

The brisk wind sweeps across the campus, sending leaves scattering in a whirlwind around me and cascading against the stone buildings before falling onto the cobblestone walkways.

(SNU) Soul national university looks like it’s straight out of a postcard, but not everything is as it seems.

A shiver goes up my spine, a tingling sensation like something is about to happen.

Something exciting or downright terrible. I can’t decide which. My brother,Namjoon, is walking in front of me and protectively wraps his arm tightly around his twin jinie, as if to shield her from the gusts.

It's a public display of affection that I can't help but notice, and I sneak a glance around to see if anyone else is watching.

He’s always been overbearing, menacing even, when it comes to her, but since she was injured, he’s become so fixated on her it’s bordering on obsession.

I don’t care what they do. I have enough problems of my own, but I don’t need them drawing this kind of attention to our family in broad daylight in the middle of campus.

At least Jimin is with Yoongi at Dad’s mansion now because she was starting to lose her mind and frazzle the last nerve I have without him.

The thought of Dad and the cabin he’s been hiding away from me in brings back the tingle.

I suppose exciting is off the table and whatever is swirling in the air is going to be bad because that man has not brought anything but sadness and anger since he dropped me off here, refused to talk to me about what happened between us, and then turned his back on me.

As we make our way across campus, Namjoon and Jinie walk a step ahead of me, and I can tell they’re having a serious conversation by the way he continuously looks down at her.

Namjoon would be happy if they were always alone, but now it makes sense why she allowed him to pull her away from me when we began walking.

I can only see his side profile, but his brow is furrowed, and his full lips are pulled into a tight line. They’re the only set of SNU twins who don’t look alike.

His tall, athletic frame and her petite, curvy one look like they’d match in a different way than sharing a birthday.

I’m relieved when Eva, our cousin, joins us, or me, rather.

She's a bundle of energy, her brown hair pulled back into a high ponytail that seems to bounce with every step.

She's a cheerleader with jinie for the university's basketball team, which is a position of great pride because SNU is all about ice games specialy winning over basketball.

It overshadows the football and other teams tenfold. It’s nothing new to me, not with Dad coaching for as long as I can remember and all of my brothers having their pictures plastered around campus as MVP at one time or another.

As he was one of the student of this University too in his time he would teach his team some tip and tricks.

"He’s too much," Eva greets me with a cheerful grin, her rosy cheeks and bright eyes conveying her mood.

She gives my arm a playful punch, and I can't help but smile in response when she nods her head toward Namjoon.

“Gurukuevan curse is alive and well,” she says flippantly, but I can hear the annoyance in her voice. Eva has two brothers, and they’re not at all like Namjoon or even Yoongi , who is a certified psycho.

They’re so heinous I don’t even want to admit they’re related to me.

"About to snap any second, I think," I reply, my voice carrying a hint of amusement because I can't see a world where Namjoon would actually hurt Jinie.

Even if he has been rough and agitated lately, he seems to care for her more than anything else in this world. Which is more than I can say for Dad.

"I guess the curse doesn’t work for everyone the same way."

Eva nods, rolling her eyes. “You can say that again. Jimin and Jimin get their perfect matches literally obsessed with them, and I get two disturbed brothers that can’t stand me.” I know she’s using humor to cope.

She never talks about the things they do to her, but I can only imagine from the things I’ve seen.

“He literally can’t take his eyes off of her,” Eva says as we walk, and my eyes are drawn back to Namjoon and Jinie again.

They seem to be in their own little world, whispering to each other, and I can’t help but notice when she shifts away from him to look up at him while she speaks that he instantly frowns, jerking her back into his side.

There's a part of me, as obnoxious as it is, that feels a twinge of jealousy because I want that same thing with Dad. I want to feel like I’m the only one who matters to him.

I want to practically be stitched to his side because he can’t fathom the thought of being separated from me. I shove those thoughts down because that won’t happen, and I know that.

(A/n: Oh god taetae only if you know🥹)

It’s already ruined. The devastation he caused by abandoning me cannot be repaired, and I wouldn’t trust him again even if he showed up here professing his love. Which he won’t because he’s not that kind of man.

I glance at Eva, who's prattling on about the next basketball game. I’m happy that she’s excited, but I won’t be going.

It reminds me too much of Dad, and I already have to force myself to push those feelings down long enough to be able to get my skate time in.

It’s a lose-lose situation because figure skating is the only thing that gets me out of a funk and calms me down, but the only place I have to skate is the icehouse—Dad’s domain for so many years.

(A/n: actually 70% of SNU in under Mr Jeon's name yk rich people's 👀)

As we reach the heart of campus, I notice the quad stretching out before us, students scattered across the grass, enjoying the fleeting warmth of the sun.

The old stone buildings, with their ivy-covered walls, should be a comfort to me, but nothing is anymore.

I turn my attention back to Namjoon and Jinie. They’ve come to a stop, and I know it’s because her next class is in the building to the left.

He pulls her into him, her face pressed against his chest and his neck to press a kiss to the top of her head. The jealousy I felt earlier intensifies, but I quickly push it down. I’ll never have that with Dad, and I don’t want it with anyone else.

Eva nudges me playfully, snapping me out of my reverie. "You okay? I know you must still be going through it with everything that happened. Aunt Yemi(Mrs Jeon) was wild for that," Eva says, and I can’t help but snicker at her choice of words.

Only Eva would call someone ‘wild’ for trying to kill their entire family. She doesn’t know what happened between me and Dad, or if she does, she hasn’t let on to me. I offer her a fake smile. "I might run away and join the circus, but yeah, I’m fine."

She gives me a smirk. "Bitch, you better take me with you if you do. I’m flexible. I can do cartwheels and shit." This does make me laugh because she’s been doing gymnastics since she was little and can do way more complicated things than a simple cartwheel.

I take a deep breath, inhaling the crisp fall air. I could rush off to my own class and be early, but then I’ll be alone again.

Because of who my family is, it’s not like I can make real friends at this school.

Namjoon's grumpy announcement cuts through whatever circus jokes Eva is prattling off to make us both feel better about the hands we’ve been dealt.

"We're leaving," he states curtly, his tone leaving no room for argument.

Eva quickly interjects with a warm smile, “Jinie, don’t you have class?”

Namjoon answers for her. "No, she's coming with me. I need to get ready for the hockey game later."

Jinie offers an apologetic look. "I'll catch up with you guys at the game, okay? Have fun!" Eva nods enthusiastically, her spunky spirit undeterred by the sudden change of plans. "Absolutely! You know I’ll be there."

She laughs, holding her hands up and shaking them to imitate the pom-poms the cheerleaders use for some of their routines.

“So well-mannered,” Eva says to Namjoon, rolling her eyes, and he makes a half-assed attempt to lift his arm from around jinie to flip his middle finger at Eva.

As Namjoon and jinie walk away, I can't help but make excuses for his behavior. “He's been different since Mom did what she did.” eva grimaces at the memory when I offer.

“I can see the underlying panic whenever Jinie isn't with him. Her phone died the other day, and her charger wasn’t working. He about kicked my door in looking for her, and she was only over at the bookstore buying a new one. Mrs shin was talking her ear off, and he nearly lost his mind. It's as if he's afraid to let her out of his sight, and I understand why.” eva nods, looking back at them as they disappear across campus toward Namjoon’s dorm.

My phone starts ringing, the persistent vibrations a subtle annoyance. I send each call to voicemail without checking who the caller is. Eva notices and raises an eyebrow.

"Why aren't you answering your phone?" she asks. I sigh, feeling a little embarrassed for what I’m about to tell her. "It's probably just yeonjun."

(A/n: yeonjun gonna be a big big NO in this story🙄😆)

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