The Name They Fear

💌 Chapter 3: The Name They Fear

Jennie didn’t expect things to get worse.

But by the next morning…

They did.

The moment she stepped through the school gates, the whispers started again.

Quieter this time.

More controlled.

But sharper.

Like everyone knew something she didn’t.

Jennie kept her head up, pretending not to notice, even as her chest tightened with every stare.

Ignore it, she told herself. You’re not weak.

“Wow.”

She didn’t have to turn to know who it was.

“You’ve officially become the main topic overnight,” Taehyung said, falling into step beside her.

Jennie glanced at him. “Do you ever go to class?”

“Sometimes,” he shrugged. “But this? This is way more entertaining.”

She rolled her eyes, but it didn’t fully land this time.

Because he wasn’t wrong.

“Why are they all looking at me like that?” she asked quietly.

Taehyung didn’t answer immediately.

And that alone told her everything.

Jennie stopped walking.

“Taehyung.”

He sighed, running a hand through his hair.

“It’s because of your name.”

Her stomach dropped.

“Park?” she asked.

He nodded slightly.

Jennie let out a breath. “Okay… and?”

“And it’s not just a name here,” he said. “It’s… history.”

“What kind of history?”

Before he could answer—

“Kim Taehyung.”

The voice was cold.

Sharp enough to cut through everything.

Jennie didn’t need to turn this time.

She already knew.

Jae-Min.

Taehyung clicked his tongue under his breath. “Speak of the devil.”

Jae-Min approached slowly, his gaze fixed on Jennie like she was the only thing in his line of sight.

It made her pulse spike.

Annoying.

Confusing.

Unfair.

“You’re late,” Jae-Min said flatly.

Taehyung smirked. “Didn’t realize you were tracking my schedule.”

“I’m not,” Jae-Min replied. “I just don’t like seeing unnecessary people around.”

Jennie frowned slightly.

“Unnecessary?”

Taehyung let out a soft laugh. “Relax. You’ll hurt my feelings.”

But his tone didn’t quite match his eyes.

There was tension there.

Old tension.

Jennie looked between them.

“You two clearly have issues,” she muttered.

Jae-Min ignored that completely.

His attention shifted back to her.

Heavy. Unwavering.

“Didn’t I tell you something yesterday?” he asked.

Jennie’s jaw tightened.

“You told me a lot of things,” she replied. “None of them made sense.”

His expression darkened slightly.

“I told you not to use that name.”

Jennie felt the frustration rise instantly.

“Well, that’s a problem,” she shot back, “because it’s my name.”

Silence fell.

Students nearby slowed down.

Watching.

Listening.

Jae-Min stepped closer.

Too close.

“You think this is a joke?” he said quietly.

Jennie didn’t move.

Didn’t back down.

“No,” she said. “I think you’re the one making it one.”

For a second—

Something flickered in his eyes.

Not anger.

Something deeper.

Then it vanished.

“You don’t know what you’re walking into,” he said.

“Then tell me,” Jennie challenged. “Instead of acting like I’m the problem.”

Taehyung shifted beside her, like he was ready to step in.

But he didn’t.

Jae-Min exhaled slowly.

Like he was holding something back.

“Your mother,” he said.

Jennie froze.

That—

She didn’t expect.

“What about her?” she asked, her voice quieter now.

Jae-Min studied her face carefully.

As if searching for something.

“You really don’t know,” he murmured.

Jennie’s heart started racing.

“Know what?”

Another pause.

Then—

“Stay away from me,” he said instead.

Jennie blinked.

“What?”

“And stay away from anything that has to do with my family.”

The words hit harder than she expected.

Confusion twisted with anger.

“You don’t get to tell me that,” she snapped. “You don’t even know me.”

Jae-Min let out a humorless laugh.

“That’s where you’re wrong.”

Her breath caught.

“What is that supposed to mean?”

But he didn’t answer.

He stepped back, his expression closing off again.

Cold. Distant. Untouchable.

Like none of this mattered.

Like she didn’t matter.

“Just stay out of it,” he said.

And then—

He walked away.

Again.

Jennie stood there, her thoughts spinning.

Her chest tight.

Her heart racing for reasons she didn’t understand.

“He’s hiding something,” she whispered.

Taehyung let out a quiet breath beside her.

“Yeah,” he said. “That’s kind of his thing.”

Jennie turned to him.

“You know what this is about, don’t you?”

He hesitated.

Just for a second.

That was enough.

“Taehyung.”

He looked at her, something conflicted in his eyes now.

“I know parts of it,” he admitted.

“Then tell me.”

“It’s not that simple.”

Jennie let out a frustrated laugh. “Nothing here is simple!”

A few students nearby quickly looked away.

Pretending not to listen.

“I came here for answers,” she continued, her voice lower now but more intense. “And everyone keeps acting like I shouldn’t even exist.”

Taehyung’s expression softened slightly.

“You do exist,” he said quietly.

Jennie shook her head. “Not like this. Not when everyone reacts to my name like it’s some kind of warning.”

Silence stretched between them.

Heavy.

Uncomfortable.

Then—

Taehyung stepped closer.

Close enough that his voice dropped, just for her.

“If you really want the truth…” he said.

Jennie’s heart pounded.

“I do.”

He held her gaze for a moment longer.

Then—

“You’re going to wish you didn’t.”

Her breath caught.

But she didn’t look away.

“Too late,” she said softly.

Taehyung studied her face.

And for the first time—

He smiled without teasing.

Without hiding.

“Yeah,” he murmured. “I figured you’d say that.”

Jennie turned toward the school building again.

The whispers hadn’t stopped.

If anything…

They felt louder now.

Heavier.

Like the walls themselves were watching her.

Waiting.

Whatever her mother had left behind here—

It wasn’t gone.

It was buried.

And Jennie Park had just started digging.

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