𝐌𝐲 𝐌𝐨𝐦'𝐬 𝘍𝘢𝘷𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘚𝘵𝘶𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵

“Golden Boy” ~

♡ Raaya’s POV ♡

________________________________________

The classroom buzzed like it always did before lecture—messy and loud and Taehyung sighing like the world personally offended him.

I sat in the middle row, squeezed between my usual chaos squad—Jimin on my left, Namjoon and Taehyung on my right, and Nayon and Lara leaning over their desks to talk across us.

“Guys, I swear,” Taehyung groaned, dropping his head onto my shoulder, “if I see one more assignment, I’m throwing myself off the microbiology building.”

Namjoon snorted. “You won’t survive the fall. It’s only one floor.”

“Exactly, I’ll break a leg and get a semester off. That’s the dream.” Taehyung shot back

Lara rolled her eyes. “You’re so unserious.”

“I’m serious about hating academia,” he insisted.

Jimin poked him with his pen. “You hate everything except food.”

“That too,” Taehyung agreed instantly.

I laughed, patting his head like the dramatic baby he was. “Okay, okay. Calm down. We’ll go out this weekend.”

Taehyung gasped, lifting his head. “Promise?”

“Promise,” I said, smiling. “Somewhere fun. No books. No lectures. Just food and chaos.”

Jimin threw his hands up. “Finally!”

Nayon kicked her feet excitedly. “Outdoor photoshoot for me!”

Namjoon nodded “We all desperately need this break.”

Within seconds, our whole row was cheering like we just won a war against assignments.

Taehyung grabbed my hands and shook them dramatically. “Raaya, you’re the only light in my academic darkness.”

“Get off,” I said, laughing as I shoved him away. But instead he leaned on my shoulder again, as I smiled.

It was loud. It was messy and it was exactly the kind of morning I loved. The classroom door opened with a firm push.

And just like that, all the noise died.

Professor Meera walked in.

She didn’t need to raise her voice. She didn’t need to clear her throat. One look from her sharp eyes was enough.

There was always something fierce about her presence—like she carried fire in her gaze. Everyone knew she was the strictest professor in the Microbiology department.

No late submissions.

No excuses.

No mercy.

Nayon and Lara immediately jumped off my desk and rushed back to their own seats.

Taehyung, who had been half-lying on my shoulder five seconds ago, stood straight.

But I didn’t flinch.

Instead, I smiled.

A big, bright smile.

Because that dangerous-looking woman standing at the front of the class—scanning everyone like she could see through their souls—was my mother.

The only person I truly had in this world.

The only one I loved without conditions.

Professor Meera’s eyes passed over the class, strict and unreadable. When they landed on me, they softened. Just a little. So little no one else would notice.

But I did.

Her lips curved very slightly. Almost invisible. But enough.

Enough for me.

She adjusted her glasses and said, “Settle down. Open your lab manuals.”

Her voice was calm but firm. The kind that made even Taehyung sit without complaining.

People saw her as terrifying.

I saw her as the woman who worked late nights, who skipped meals so I wouldn’t have to, who stood tall even after life tried to bend her.

About my father?

He left.

Not because we fought. Not because we failed him.

He found someone younger. Richer. Easier.

And he didn’t think twice.

He walked away from my mother like she was replaceable. He walked away from me like I was nothing.

He always wanted a son. He made that clear in small ways. In disappointed looks. In silence that felt heavier than shouting.

Instead, he got me.

I was never close to him. He was strict. Distant. Hard to please. But that didn’t mean I didn’t need him.

He was my father.

Maybe he didn’t love me the way a father should.

But I loved him.

And sometimes, that was the hardest part.

I let out a slow breath and shook the thought of my father away.

Not today.

I wasn’t going to let an old wound ruin my mood.

I straightened in my seat and opened my notebook, forcing myself to focus on the lecture. Microbiology diagrams. Bacteria structures. Words I had read ten times and still barely understood.

My mother walked across the front of the class, a bundle of papers in her hands.

She cleared her throat.

The sound alone made half the class sit up properly.

“The mid-term results are out,” she announced calmly, holding the papers against her chest.

“Oh no,” Taehyung whispered. “This is it. This is how I leave this world.”

“Shut up,” I muttered, though my stomach had already dropped.

I gulped.

Let me make something clear—

just because I am Professor Meera’s daughter does not mean I am good at studies.

No. Absolutely not.

I am terrible.

I struggle. I panic. I forget. I mix up formulas. I once wrote the wrong bacteria name for an entire answer.

I have failed more classes than I want to admit.

So if anyone thinks I get special brain cells because of my mother—please come sit my exams for me.

My mother adjusted her glasses again. “I will now announce the top three students who have excelled in the mid-term.”

The word excelled felt personal.

Taehyung leaned closer to me. “Raaya, if my name is called, I will faint.”

“If your name is called, I’ll faint,” I replied.

Jimin sighed dramatically. “I should’ve studied instead of rewatching that drama.”

“Yes,” Namjoon whispered dryly, “you should have.”

My mother looked down at the list.

“Third position—John white.”

The class clapped politely. John stood halfway up, looking proud and shy at the same time.

“Second position—Merry Albert.”

More claps. Merry smiled like she had expected nothing less. I clapped too, even though my palms felt sweaty.

And then—Silence.

The entire class knew what was coming. My mother paused for a second, as if building suspense on purpose.

“For the highest score,” she said clearly, “first position—”

I rolled my eyes even before she finished.

I already knew.

Everyone did.

And somehow, that annoyed me more than my own bad grades.

“For the highest score… Jeon Jungkook.”

The class burst into loud claps.

Right. Of course he is.

I didn’t even look surprised. I just leaned back in my chair and muttered, “Wow. What a shocking twist. Nobody saw that coming.”

Taehyung clapped slowly. “I hate geniuses.”

From the first bench, a boy stood up.

Oversized black hoodie. Cap pulled low. Large glasses hiding half his face. Hands casually in his pockets like he didn’t just destroy all of us academically.

The almighty Jeon Jungkook.

Professor’s favorite. Walking perfection with a GPA.

He walked toward my mother with his head slightly lowered, calm and composed. Not proud. Not shy. Just confident.

When he stopped in front of her, something changed.

My mother smiled.

A real one.

Bright. Proud. Almost glowing.

I blinked.

Excuse me?

She never smiled at me like that in class.

She handed him the paper carefully. “Excellent work, Jungkook. Your answers were precise and well-structured.”

“Yes, Professor,” he replied politely.

She turned to face the class.

“This,” she said, gesturing lightly toward him, “is what hard work and discipline look like. Jungkook has consistently maintained top rank. I have no doubt he will have a very bright future ahead.”

Her eyes briefly shifted toward me.

“Unlike some of you who need to take academics more seriously.”

I pouted dramatically at her. She ignored me completely and started distributing the remaining papers. Meanwhile, my heart was doing nervous backflips.

When she placed mine on my desk, she didn’t say anything.

Which was worse.

I grabbed the paper and pressed it to my chest. My friends gathered closer immediately.

“Okay,” I whispered. “On three. Like always.”

It was our ritual. No one looks alone. We suffer together.

Namjoon nodded seriously. “Ready

Lara covered her eyes with her hand.

Jimin inhaled deeply. “If I failed, I’m changing my major.”

Taehyung whispered, “If I passed, I’m throwing a party.”

I swallowed.

“One…” I said.

Everyone placed their papers flat on the desk but kept their hands covering the marks.

“Two…”

My heart started beating faster.

“Three.”

Hands lifted.

Namjoon’s eyes widened first. “Eighty-eight.”

“Show off,” Lara muttered, looking at her own paper. “Eighty-two.”

Nayon peeked. “Seventy-eight! I survived!”

Jimin groaned. “Seventy-three. My parents will still be disappointed.”

Taehyung looked down and blinked. “Sixty-eight… I am alive.”

Then all of them slowly turned to look at me.

I stared at my paper.

Fifty-two.

Taehyung leaned over. “At least you passed.”

“Barely,” I said flatly.

Out of all of us, I had the lowest marks.

Again.

I slowly lifted the paper and sighed. “Well… consistency is key, right?”

Namjoon patted my shoulder. “You’ll do better next time.”

I forced a smile.

Across the room, I could still see Jungkook seating on his seat like nothing ever touched him.

First rank.

As usual.

And me?

Just trying not to fail under my own mother’s subject.

────୨ৎ────

Author’s Note 💋

Are you ready for another secret you shouldn’t be reading at 2 a.m.?

If you thought my last story was scandalous… this one is darker, messier, and far more addictive. A golden boy. A forbidden girl. And lines that were never meant to be crossed.

ﾒ૦ﾒ૦💋

Bee~🐝