The Breakout Project - Hwang Hyunjin

Chapter 2

~Song for the chapter: Home Sweet Home - Sam Feldt feat. ALMA & Digital Farm Animals~

It wasn't easy to escape my house the next day. I barely managed it after promising my dad that I wouldn't stay at school until late. The man would have locked me inside my room if I hadn't told him I had an English test today and that it was important for me to take it. Of course, I didn't have any tests but he didn't need to know that.

After they finished giving the reports, my father practically ate my head for getting home so late, his mind flying places and making up very creative scenarios of me dying in some dirty alley. I did my best to calm him down and took him to bed, assuring him I would be careful from now on and asking him to do the same. One cup of hot herbal tea later got him to relax and float away to dreamland.

According to him, the news had announced a possible snow storm today so I made sure to shove a pair of gloves into my bag and, wrapping myself in my grey hoodie, I stepped out of the house, letting the cold gust of wind hit the side of my face. I pulled down my hoodie enough to cover my freezing ears, brushing off my worries and walking towards the nearest bus station, not failing to notice that the streets were oddly quiet today. It was Friday, for God's sake! Were people really that scared of those interns?

The fear must have been contagious for my teacher's face seemed contorted when she entered the classroom. Now, Mrs. Yang was already a very sensitive person and she tended to get worried by the smallest of things, so it was no surprise that she looked like she could jump out of the window any minute. However, that might be the reason why no one thought twice about her jumpiness that morning, but on the other hand, I knew better.

Mrs. Yang was Jeongin's mother and she had somehow become the mother of our group of friends. She used to be a friend of my mother before she passed away when I was six. For that, it was like an unspoken rule that she most likely took in the job to take care of me when it all happened. I will be eternally grateful to her for all the support she gave me. She was always inviting me to their house and offering to look out for me when my father had to leave for work. As a product, Jeongin and I became really close, quickly becoming best friends.

If I were to mention her behaviour, I'd say today she was ridiculously distressed. The woman's eyes travelled to the back of the classroom a lot. Like, a lot. In fact, her gaze met mine once but she immediately looked away, making me even more confused. 

When the bell rang, the students began packing their notebooks, some even stretching their arms and limbs. Without bothering to pack my own stuff, I stood up from the chair with the sole intention of asking Mrs. Yang what was wrong but the woman didn't even give me the chance as she shoved her papers inside her bag in record time and with less than a goodbye, she exited the room in a rush.

Dumbfounded, I walked back to my seat, my eyes subconsciously searching for something in the back of the classroom that could explain Mrs. Yang bizarre state. My brow lifted at the sight of a book placed on the table all the way to the left of the row. A table that was usually empty.

❦

"Where's Jeongin?" Jisung asked as soon as I plopped down on the metallic chair. 

The cold iron gently brushed my forearm, giving me shivers. I placed my bag on the seat to my left and shrugged, stealing one of his chips, which gained me a nasty look from him. The boy then proceeded to circle his arms around his tray and protectively pulled it to himself.

The cafeteria wasn't as loud as always, groups of students leaned over the tables to whisper on each others' ears as if afraid to be heard. The only sound that stood out was the clanking of the steel trays as the cooks filled the plates with food. Everyone seemed to be focused on their own thing, for a change.