failures II » kpop ✓

chapter 1

The students were running around, talking with each other and laughing. It was the main school break and some were sitting outside in the crisp air and warm early spring sunlight, others were packing their things in their lockers and some were lining up to get lunch from the school cafeteria. Right next to the latest, was a small shop where you could buy sandwiches, chocolates and sweet drinks. The owner was a nice older lady who was known Eunjung and her loud arguing with one of the students was currently echoing through the whole outside hallway.

'' No, I'm not going to give you a cola for free, even if you do leave your ID here and promise to come back with the money tomorrow! '' she replied to one of the students and scowled. '' What am I going to do with your damn ID? Show your picture to the workers at the bank and hope that your face is nice enough to make them lower my electricity bills? Bye, boy! ''

Where was I in that time? No, I wasn't lining up to buy something from Eunjung like everybody else. Instead, I was standing behind the counter with her and flipping burger patties. My sunglasses that had orange lenses were resting on my head, half of my face was covered with a surgical mask and I was having the time of my life pretending to be a chef, until I heard my friend's horrified voice: '' Jihee? Is that you?! Wait, don't answer, nobody else has your ugly hairstyle. ''

I glanced over my shoulder and grinned at the sight of my best friend Byeongsu. '' I met ajumma in the school parking lot today and she told me her assistant is sick, so I offered to help her! ''

Byeongsu sighed and facepalmed. Her long black hair was tied in a low ponytail and she was holding a bunch of books under her arm. '' Just because you play a lot of cooking games on Facebook, doesn't mean that you're capable for the job. ''

'' Jihee, stop chatting, you are going to burn the burgers! '' Eunjung angrily warned and I winced at the sound of her voice and quickly flipped some of them.

'' See what you did, Byeongsu-ah? Stop trying to get in the way of my dreams! '' I hissed and glared at my friend.

Byeongsu scowled, rolled her eyes and mumbled something about since when was my dream to cook burgers. Then she bought the water and gum that she came for, yelled at me how she was going to be at our usual spot and left. I didn't even reply to her and only continued cooking the food, acting like preparing some burgers was the most complicated thing ever and I had to be one hundred percent concentrated in what I was doing.

She was right earlier, I really was imaging myself as one of the cooks in my favourite cooking game on Facebook. Students were giving me weird glances and wondering why I was helping Eunjung, but I didn't really care. The old lady was fun to work with, she randomly started singing after the first rush of students that came right after the school bell was gone and I happily joined her. I helped her wash the dishes too, before I ran of to enjoy the twenty minutes that I had left until the beginning of the next lesson.

I wanted to join my best friend, but I remembered that there was something else that I had to do first. I stopped at my locker to grab something and went to the school cafeteria. I was turning around and looking for somebody until I finally spotted him at one of the tables. He was surrounded with his usual group of friends and nobody else dared to join them, just like always.

I casually made my way in their direction and ignored the way some students instantly stopped their conversations and turned their heads in my direction. Their eyes were wide and some of them were even pointing with their hands when I stopped directly in front of the table where the popular kids were sitting and bowed. Then I raised the shirt I was holding in my hands in the air and announced: '' Kai-sshi, I brought you your shirt back. ''

The table fell into complete silence. Six pairs of eyes stared at me until one of them elbowed another and Kai glared at him and finally spoke up. '' This situation is definitely not what it sounds like. ''