MONSTER || Hwang Hyunjin

Chapter 2

You squeal, jumping up from your chair to give your friend the biggest hug.

Forget hoping for the best, you were going to review the hell out of this today!

Seungmin's smile soon fades, and a look of concern replaces his bright expression. "You practically ran out on us yesterday, was everything okay?"

"Uh, yeah. I was late to work so I was in a bit of a hurry."

You scratch the back of your head, shuddering at the thought of what Chan would say if he found out. "Anyway, how about grabbing a quick lunch? My treat," you offer, putting a hand to your chest.

"I'm down, beef stew?"

"Beef stew it is."

◈ ◈ ◈

Your feet feel a lot lighter heading back to your dormitory compared to how heavy they felt going to class this morning. Lunch was quite delicious, and it definitely put you in good mood. Now that your stomach is filled with warm stew, you feel totally motivated and ready to... lie down and take a nap.

Ugh.

The lack of sleep last night probably didn't help, but there's no way you're going to skip reviewing for your exam. You shake your head, scolding yourself. No procrastinating, and definitely no napping.

Just then, your phone vibrates in your coat pocket and you notice a text from Seungmin. You reply back.

┌ ————————12:05pm———————┐
   [Seungmin]
   Food coma 😴
                                                          [You]
                      Yea no kidding...did we eat too     
                        much?
   [Seungmin]
   I actually don't think I ate enough
         [You]
                ☠️
└————————————————————┘

You chuckle, slipping your phone back into your pocket as you continue strolling along the sidewalk. The path is almost entirely covered in orange and yellow leaves, and you can smell their musky scent in the air. Fall is quite beautiful, and the foliage is always a sight to see on campus, but you find yourself looking forward to snow this year. Meaning winter break, of course.

"Hey, wait up!"

You stop to look around, unsure if that remark was directed at you.

You notice a boy in a tan sweater and black jeans. He is jogging up to you from across the street, his slightly grown out, black hair bouncing with each step.

"Remember me?" he asks in between breaths, sweeping his long bangs out of his eyes.

You blink, recognizing his face. You immediately think back to last night, trying to pull his name from your memory. "Hyunjin?"

The boy's look of anticipation shows, and he smiles when you get his name right. "I thought it was you. I don't know a lot of people here so I got a little excited," he says with a sheepish grin.

You give him a small smile. "How are you finding things on campus?" you ask, recalling he had mentioned transferring to your school.

"Still getting used to everything. But I definitely got the library down," Hyunjin says with a nod, as if to agree with his own statement. "Did you ever find what you were looking for?"

Oh, he remembers...

"Mm, not exactly, but it's okay." You shrug, not wanting to bore him with the details. "It all worked out actually."

"Well, good. You seemed pretty worried about it last night."

You bite your lip, nodding. I was worried. But not because of that.

"I'm out grabbing some coffee. If you're not doing anything, why don't you join me?"

He's probably just being friendly, but you can't help how your cheeks become a tinge warmer. He seems personable, and the way he can comfortably talk to people he doesn't really know is something you wish you're better at. You press your lips together, remembering how people often described you as being reserved and closed off.

"They have other things too, if you don't like coffee," Hyunjin adds, tilting his head down to catch your eyes again.

"Uh no, coffee sounds good." You inwardly sigh. So much for no procrastinating.

But, you also know what it's like being new in an unfamiliar place without friends. You'll never forget how Seungmin had been friendly enough to first approach you in class at the beginning of the semester—something you'll always be thankful for.

And who knows, maybe afternoon coffee isn't such a bad idea. It just might help fight off the food coma.

◈ ◈ ◈
⊠
◈ ◈ ◈

(Late last night...)

"What the fuck was that earlier? That was not the plan, Hyunjin." The frustrated male slams his cap down on the table. "Do you know how much trouble we'll be in?"

"Calm down, they don't need to know the details."

"But—you had her. Literally, in your hands!"

"Then why didn't you step in? You disappeared on me."

"You approached her without a mask! I wasn't about to let her incriminate you once the job is done!"

Hyunjin scoffs. "You really think she'll figure this all out?"

"Hwang Hyunjin, you're getting a little cocky, don't you think? Why even take the chance, exposing yourself like that?"

"I'm getting bored." The raven haired boy pops a potato chip into his mouth. "These spoiled brats, I doubt they even have the brains to suspect anything. Once their families pay up, they're always free to go back to their carefree lives."

"We just need to do our part, man. What happens after that isn't our concern."

Hyunjin shrugs, popping in another chip. "She's cute. Why not have a little fun? I can be the friendly transfer student who wants to be her friend."

Jisung shoots Hyunjin the most disapproving glare, and the latter grins at the reaction.

"The poor thing, she practically glued herself to me earlier. You gave her quite the scare, you know." Hyunjin feigns a pout before letting out an amused laugh.

"Don't be an ass. And don't complicate things, I mean it."

"Relax, Jisung. We'll get it done. We always do."