[OLD] Dreadful Misery | SB

𝚌 𝚑 𝚊 𝚙 𝚝 𝚎 𝚛 𝚗 𝚒 𝚗 𝚎

[𝚈/𝙽]'𝚜 𝙿.𝙾.𝚅

It was now Tuesday, which means only three more days (including today) until the Math test this Friday.

It may seem a bit dumb, but I really want Hooni to start getting the hang of things. I want him to feel better about himself. Ever since I'd gotten Hyung–Chul off his back, I think his self-esteem has maybe gotten a bit better.

"Uh, [Y/N]? A–Are you okay?" I heard Hooni ask me. I looked over at him, seeing a concerned expression on his face.

I felt my cheeks flush a bit. "Oh, y–yeah, I'm good! I must've spaced out, I guess." I replied with my hands behind my head. We were currently walking to school right now, and the whole time, we were just walking in silence. How awkward... "Say, Hooni. You got your pencil today, right? Or do I have to give you one again?"

He looked back down at his feet. "Oh, um... I actually have one today, so I'm good." I nodded. My eyes then fixated on his small stature walking beside me. I've been noticing this lately that he seems to be more... uh, how do I put this... nervous? Around me, I mean.

Whenever I do a simple gesture, or even look at him, I always see him jump a bit and sometimes fidget with his hands, like I'm someone he should be afraid of. Does he find me... intimidating? Scary? I'm not sure. As emotional as he may seem, I can never tell what he's thinking.

We finally arrived at school, doing our usual routines before heading to class. Once he got to the classroom, I could see Jaehoon sitting in his seat from the doorway.

"Morning, Jaehoon!" I called to him. He looked up from his textbook and over at me with his normal stern expression. He did a simple wave and went back to reading his book. Damn, giving us the silent treatment or what?

We sat down in our seats, and class started soon after. The teacher then informed us that we would have a practice lesson for the test, so that's what we did.

"Good work, Hoon. You brought your pencil today, I'm glad you remembered what I said. That's an improvement."

"Oh, um... y–yeah! T–Thanks for reminding me yesterday..."

—————

"Ah. Lunchtime is my favorite period." I sighed, sitting down at the table. It was just like how it was yesterday; Hooni was seated next to me and Jaehoon was sitting across from us, reading his textbook. "Say, Jaehoon. Is all you do study all day? Do you even study at night, when you should be sleeping?—"

He brought his index finger up to my lip, shushing me. "That's too many questions, [Y/N]." He said blankly, keeping his eyes on his textbook.

"See, you just proved my point," I said. I then looked over at Hooni, who was silently listening and eating his food.

"Hey, Hooni! Why don't we go get some food after school? We could just grab a bite and head to your place to study and eat!" I smiled at him.

He looked up from his tray. "Oh, um... s–sure. That would be nice." He responded, looking back down at his tray.

I kept my smile on. "So, what do you think we should get?"

"Oh, uh... m–maybe some—"

"Oi." We all heard a deep voice call out behind us. Unfortunately, it was a voice I immediately recognized.

I sighed in disappointment, getting up from the table. "What the hell do you want now? Do you not remember what I told you would happen if you went near me again?" I turned around, seeing Hyung–Chul with a smug look on his face and his hands in his pockets.

"Oh, I'm not here for him. I just want to talk... to you." He smirked. That's not a good look for you, dear.

He then did something completely unexpected; he punched me. This disgustingly–annoying, scum of the world, punched me in the face.

Everyone around us gasped, including Hooni. Jaehoon's face just showed a shocked expression, and I slightly sensed something I never felt from him before... fear.

I put my hand against my cheek where he punched me. It felt a bit roughed up, but it didn't hurt. I looked up at Hyung-Chul with a blank expression. "So, when you said talking... you meant throwing hands?"

His eyes widened a bit. I assumed he was a bit taken aback at how I was flinching at all, or that I wasn't on the urge of crying from the impact. "W–What the hell?! H–How did that not hurt you?!"

I cracked my fingers a bit as a smirk crept onto my face. "Well, I hate to break it to you; You're not strong."

I threw a blow at him, making him fall back a bit. He tried to maintain his balance, wiping his nose with his sleeve. It was starting to bleed.

"Hopefully that'll teach you a lesson," I spoke, turning around to sit back down at the table. I heard rustling noises behind me, and then the sound of shoes sprinting away. Tch, he ran away. What a coward.

I then noticed Hooni looking up at me. "W–Whoa! That was so cool, [Y/N]!" His eyes brightly sparkled as he praised me.

I giggled at his response. "Haha, thanks! I really thought I had him off our asses, but I guess it was too quick to determine that." I responded, putting my hands behind my head.

"[Y/N], you shouldn't have punched him back. You could get in severe trouble for that, you know." Jaehoon spoke up, pushing up his glasses while still focused on his book.

"I know, but he punched me first! He should be the one getting in worse trouble than me." I replied, crossing my arms. Jaehoon sighed, but chose to stay silent at my remark.

"Anyway, you're still going to help Hooni study, right?"

"...Yes, I'll be there."

"Great!"