my escape • study group x reader

chapter four • episode 1

this chapter has talk of blood and self harm

*
When I arrived at school the next morning, Se-hyeon was already in his seat and when he saw me, his face lit up and he turned around in his seat so that he was facing me. "Did you get home okay? You didn't answer my call."

I nodded. "Sorry, my mom took my phone for the night." It was a lie, but it was better than the truth.

He watched me, his eyes starting to fill with concern. "Are you okay?"

I shot him a smile. "I'm fine."

Suddenly, Ga-min began approaching Se-hyeon desk and my eyes shot up to him causing Se-hyeon to turn back around in his seat and look up at the kid. Ga-min held out one of Se-hyeon's notebooks with a small smile on his lips. "This..."

"I threw it out," Se-hyeon said simply causing Ga-min's smile to grow a little wider.

"Thank y—" Out of nowhere, a chair landed directly on Ga-min's temple sending him flying to the floor. I stood from my seat quickly and Se-hyeon did the same just as Hyeon-wu entered the classroom.

"It was this asshole right? The one in the mask?" Through the howls of our classmates, Hyeon-wu leaned down to pick up Se-hyeon's notebook. I stepped forward.

"What the hell is your problem? You got the shit beat out of you and so you catch him off guard in order to win? Pathetic." I snatched the notebook out of Hyeon-wu's hands and held it behind my back. "Just because the class is scared of you doesn't mean you get to bend the rules."

Hyeon-wu watched me, his eyebrows raised. "My sister told me about you before you transferred to our class," he smirked. "You wanna know what she said?"

"Who gives a fuck?" As soon as the words left my mouth he snatched the notebook back from me and poked a finger at the center of my forehead. He pushed me backwards and followed my steps until my back was pressed against the lockers. His finger left my forehead and trailed down my arm until his fingers wrapped around my wrist, he squeezed tight and pain shot through my entire arm. My cuts from last night weren't covered by anything more than my uniform sleeve and his fingers were digging directly into them. I tried to hide the pain but tears welled up in my eyes.

"Hey," Ga-min voice came from behind Hyeon-wu and he turned, released my arm. Ga-min watched him dangerously. "Leave her alone."

Hyeon-wu scoffed and turned away from me, approaching Ga-min. "One hit wonder," I heard him mumble as Se-hyeon slid past the scene to get to my side.

I didn't look at Se-hyeon as he tried to speak to me but instead focused on the scene in front of me. Hyeon-wu was flipping through Se-hyeon's notebook with a smile on his face. "Wow, what the fuck."

"Give it back," Ga-min warned.

"Everyone," Hyeon-wu scanned the room, "leave, except for this bastard."

None of my classmates needed to be told twice when the directions came out of his mouth. Everyone practically ran to exit the classroom and watch through the windows. Se-hyeon and I stood there, worried for Ga-min's safety.

Hyeon-wu looked at us both, "Do you two want to die?"

Se-hyeon glanced up at Ga-min who smiled, "I'm okay." and with nod, Se-hyeon grabbed me and pulled me out of the room to stand with the rest of the bystanders. We stood at the doors and watched as Hyeon-wu lit Se-hyeon's notebook in fire. Ga-min's eyes flicked to it and tried to reach for it only for Hyeon-wu to slip out of the way and toss the notebook across the room.

My eyes landed on Hyeon-wu's back pocket where he slipped out a monkey wrench to swing at Ga-min.

"The asshole knows he can't win," I shook my head and glanced at Se-hyeon. His eyes were on me, but not my face. I followed his gaze down to my arm where fresh blood had seeped through my sleeve. I moved my arm back behind my back just as Se-hyeon's attention was caught by Ga-min speaking his name.

"Apologize to Se-hyeon," Ga-min said, holding the burnt notebook in his burnt hands.

"Se-hyeon? Who's that?" Hyeon-wu was smiling but it disappeared just before he swung the wrench at Ga-min again, who simply moved out of the way. Suddenly, with a swift motion, Ga-min grabbed Hyeon-wu arm and knocked the wrench out of his hand before punching it through the classroom window. My jaw fell open as I watched Ga-min dodge each and every punch thrown at him before catching Hyeon-wu's fist and sending it back into his face. Hyeon-wu stagger backwards and hit the ground. Everyone seemed to notice the burning backpack at the same time as Hyeon-wu and we all watched him pick it up. It almost felt like the scene had fell into slow motion when Hyeon-wu through the bag at Ga-min who jumped up and did some sort of karate spin kick, catching the bag with his ankle and sending it flying back into Hyeon-wu's gut. Hyeon-wu went flying backwards into the lockers and hit the floor unconscious.

Ga-min ran to pick up Se-hyeon's notebook and with it, approached Hyeon-wu. "Don't pass out. Apologize to Se-hyeon first."

Se-hyeon stepped into the scene and I stayed back, watching from afar.

"I'm sorry, Se-hyeon." Ga-min said, holding Se-hyeon's burnt notes in his hands.

Se-hyeon suddenly grabbed the notebook and threw it into the nearest trash can. "Why are you doing all of this for that stupid thing?" Se-hyeon yelled.

"You worked hard on those notes," Ga-min stated calmly. "They were so well organized that it inspired me to study. All of your efforts were wasted."

"I'll do it." Se-hyeon spoke up. "I can't speak for y/n but I'll join your study group."

Ga-min stared for a second before a smile lit up his face. "Really?" he asked and Se-hyeon nodded just as Ms. Lee entered the classroom. I slowly backed away and slipped away from the commotion. I made my way towards the women's restroom, hiding my bloodied sleeve with my hand. The bathroom was empty when I entered it and rolled up my sleeve. My wrist was bloodied and throbbing.

I reached above the sink to grab some paper towels, running a few drops of water over them and dabbing it against the cuts carefully. I cleaned the blood from my skin and leaned down to squeeze as much of the red out of my sleeve as I could. I ran the water over my sleeve until the water in the sink bowl ran clear, but even then my sleeve was still stained pink. I gripped the sides of the sink and closed my eyes tight before leaving the bathroom and rushing back to the classroom with my sleeve once again hidden by my hand. Everyone was back in their seats when I returned except for Ga-min, Se-hyeon, and Hyeon-wu. I grabbed my uniform jacket from the back of my desk and quickly pulled it on to hide my sleeve.

***

It took about fifteen minutes for Se-hyeon to return to the classroom and when he did, he sat directly in his seat and faced me. I took out my earbuds and paused my drama, setting my phone down. I met his eyes and for a while we just sat like that, waiting for the other person to speak first. Eventually, he broke the silence. "Are you okay?"

I nodded. "Hyeon-wu...he just dug his nails into my arm."

"Did he?" Se-hyeon's eyes seemed accusatory but concerned at the same time. "What did his sister say about you?"

I shrugged. "How should I know? I mean, I never even talked to her."

Se-hyeon watched me. "Are you okay?"

I forced a laugh. "I'm fine, I told you. Stop being so weird."

It took him a moment to nod and change the subject. "What's happening in your show?"

I smiled and started to explain the storyline. I introduced him to all of my favorite characters and explained the romantic interests and shared my predictions. He listened to every word and even laughed when I explain the comedy that came out of the relationship of the main characters. He asked questions and made sure to give his own opinions on which characters seemed like assholes and which ones he thought he would favor.

Remember when I said I had no escape? I take that back. Sitting there, talking to Se-hyeon in such a casual manner was almost healing. I felt like I was actually wanted in this conversation, like he was actually interested in everything I had to say. I even felt safe, knowing he wouldn't spontaneously swing a punch like my brother and he'd never pinch my ear like my parents. He was easy to talk to. Kim Se-hyeon was my escape and he had no idea.