What They're Not Telling You

💌 Chapter 5: What They’re Not Telling You

Jennie couldn’t focus in class.

Not that she was really trying.

Her pen hovered over her notebook, unmoving, as the teacher’s voice faded into the background.

All she could hear was—

“You’re already losing.”

Jae-Min’s voice.

Low. Close. Certain.

Jennie exhaled quietly, leaning back in her chair.

What does he even mean?

Nothing about this school made sense.

Not the whispers.

Not the way people reacted to her name.

Not Jae-Min acting like she was some kind of problem he needed to control.

And definitely not the way her chest tightened every time he looked at her.

Annoying.

“So,” a voice whispered beside her.

Jennie didn’t need to look.

Taehyung.

“Are you always this distracted, or is this a special occasion?”

Jennie kept her eyes forward. “I’m thinking.”

“Dangerous,” he replied.

She finally glanced at him. “Do you ever stop talking?”

He smiled slightly. “Only when it matters.”

Jennie hesitated.

Then—

“Tell me the truth,” she said quietly.

That got his attention.

Taehyung leaned back in his chair, studying her now.

“That’s a big request.”

“Then give me a small answer,” she shot back.

A pause.

Then—

“What do you know about my mom?” she asked.

The question landed heavier than anything else she’d said.

Taehyung’s expression changed.

Not playful anymore.

Not light.

Serious.

“I know enough,” he said carefully.

Jennie’s grip tightened on her pen.

“Then why does everyone act like her name is a warning?”

Taehyung looked away briefly.

That alone was enough to frustrate her.

“Taehyung.”

He sighed.

“You’re not going to like it.”

“Try me.”

Another pause.

Longer this time.

Then—

“Your mom didn’t just go to this school,” he said. “She… changed things.”

Jennie frowned. “What does that mean?”

“It means,” he continued slowly, “people still talk about her.”

“Then why won’t anyone tell me anything?”

Taehyung looked at her again.

And this time…

There was something almost like concern in his eyes.

“Because the story doesn’t make her look good.”

Jennie felt that hit.

Harder than she expected.

“My mom isn’t a bad person,” she said quickly.

“I didn’t say she was.”

“But you’re implying it.”

“I’m saying,” he replied, voice lower now, “there’s more to the story than what you think you know.”

Jennie stared at him.

Frustration. Confusion. Something deeper building underneath.

“Then tell me everything,” she said.

Taehyung shook his head.

“I can’t.”

Jennie let out a quiet, humorless laugh.

“Of course you can’t.”

“It’s not my place.”

“Then whose is it?” she snapped softly.

Taehyung didn’t answer.

He didn’t need to.

Because deep down…

She already knew.

Jae-Min.

—

The bell rang.

Loud. Sharp.

Breaking the tension instantly.

Students started packing up, conversations rising again like nothing had happened.

But Jennie stayed seated for a second longer.

Thinking.

Processing.

He knows.

That was the problem.

Jae-Min knew something.

Something big enough to make him act the way he did.

And something big enough to make everyone else stay quiet.

Jennie stood up slowly.

Decision already made.

“Where are you going?” Taehyung asked, watching her.

She grabbed her bag.

“To get answers.”

His expression tightened slightly.

“Jennie—”

But she was already walking away.

—

She found him exactly where she expected.

Outside.

Away from everyone.

Like he didn’t belong with them.

Or didn’t want to.

Jae-Min stood near the far side of the building, his hands in his pockets, gaze distant.

For a second—

Jennie hesitated.

Because something about him in that moment felt different.

Less guarded.

More… human.

Then he turned.

And it was gone.

“What do you want?” he asked flatly.

Jennie walked closer.

No hesitation this time.

“I’m done playing your game,” she said.

His expression didn’t change.

“I told you—”

“No,” she cut in. “You told me to stay away. You told me to stop using my name. You told me I shouldn’t be here.”

She stepped closer.

Her heart was racing—but she didn’t let it show.

“But you never told me why.”

Silence.

Jae-Min watched her carefully.

Like he was deciding something.

“You really don’t know anything, do you?” he said quietly.

Jennie shook her head.

“No.”

Something flickered in his eyes.

Conflict.

Real conflict.

“Then go back,” he said suddenly.

Jennie frowned. “What?”

“Transfer. Leave. Forget about this place.”

Her chest tightened.

“Why would I do that?”

“Because it’s safer.”

That word.

Safer.

Jennie let out a small, disbelieving laugh.

“You’re not making any sense.”

“I’m trying to protect you.”

That made her stop.

“What?”

Jae-Min stepped closer now.

Close enough that the air between them felt heavy again.

“This school,” he said, voice low, “is not what you think it is.”

“Then tell me what it is.”

“I can’t.”

“Or you won’t?”

His jaw tightened.

“Both.”

Jennie’s frustration spiked again.

“You don’t get to control what I do,” she said. “You don’t get to decide what I know.”

Jae-Min’s gaze hardened.

“And you don’t get to walk into something you don’t understand and expect no consequences.”

“Then explain it to me!”

Her voice came out louder this time.

Stronger.

Desperate.

Silence fell between them again.

Heavy.

Then—

Jae-Min said the one thing she wasn’t ready for.

“Your mother ruined my family.”

Jennie froze.

Everything stopped.

“What…?”

Her voice barely came out.

Jae-Min didn’t look away.

Didn’t soften.

Didn’t take it back.

“She was involved in something she shouldn’t have been,” he continued. “Something that destroyed everything.”

Jennie shook her head slowly.

“No… that’s not true.”

“You said you wanted the truth.”

Her chest tightened painfully.

“That’s not the truth.”

“It is.”

“No,” she whispered. “You’re lying.”

Jae-Min’s expression didn’t change.

But his voice dropped slightly.

Almost softer.

“I wish I was.”

Jennie felt like the ground had shifted beneath her.

Like nothing was stable anymore.

“My mom wouldn’t do that,” she said.

But her voice didn’t sound as certain as before.

Jae-Min noticed.

Of course he did.

“You don’t know everything about her,” he said.

Jennie looked up at him.

Hurt. Confused. Angry.

“Neither do you,” she shot back.

That hit something.

He went quiet.

Just for a second.

Then—

“Stay away from me,” he said again.

But this time…

It didn’t sound like a warning.

It sounded like a mistake he was trying to fix.

Jennie stepped back slowly.

Her heart still racing.

Her thoughts spinning.

Nothing made sense anymore.

Nothing felt real.

But one thing was clear.

The truth she came here for?

Wasn’t going to be easy.

And it definitely wasn’t going to be kind.

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