𝐇𝐖𝐀𝐍𝐆 𝐓𝐀𝐄's innocent gaze would of not have suggested that he was currently cursing anyone that came to his mind. Yeji, his mother, Mr Kang and his stupid PE lessons, even his brother who had shown him no harsh words in a long time. He was walking up to his English class when he heard hurried steps behind him. Moving to the side so the person could get past, he spotted one of his classmate's cream coloured jumper. Nam Onjo.
Tae and Onjo got on fairly. They didn't exactly talk but again, Tae wasn't the biggest talker. They had exchanged few words but they weren't significant to mean anything. However, Onjo had ended up going to Tae a few times for tutoring.
Tae brought out his phone to text his brother to get him something for lunch when he bumped into something hard. Looking up scowling, he saw that someone had stopped on the middle of the stairs.
"What?" Tae rolled his eyes at his classmate's voice. Suhyeok. Suhyeok and Tae barely talked as well. They sat at the same lunch table but they didn't often talk as Suhyeok sat at the other end. Tae was about to launch into a full paragraph of scolding him when he noticed that Suhyeok wasn't talking to him, rather to Onjo who had rushed in front of him.
"If you have time, come to the rooftop after lunch."
"Why? I don't fight anymore."
Tae just stood there awkwardly as he listened to them talk. Quickly finishing off his text to his older brother. After sending, he gave out a sigh from reading his texts.
hyung, can you get me something for lunch? I have volleyball practice during lunch and we're supposed to get changed before we get lunch. thanks.
They were so... dry. Nothing family like. Almost like they were complete strangers. Scroling up, he saw the same thing.
tell Yeji that I'll be late picking you two up. Something came up with the senior council and they requested a meeting last minute.
ok.
12/03/21
i have volleyball practice. I'll finish school later on. Tell mum that.
sure.
It was almost laughable on how dry and awkward those texts were.
"You'd think I would want to fight you?"
Onjo's voice snapped him out of his world as he pretended to not know what was going on until the conversation was over.
"Then why?"
A silence came over that made things even more awkward. At that point, Tae could feel Onjo's eyes on him, causing her to choose not to answer.
"See you later."
Onjo started rushing up the stairs again. Falling down at one of the top ones. Tae was on the verge of laughing when she looked backwards quickly to see if Suhyeok would help her. When he didn't move, she just got up, clearing her throat and continuing upstairs, leaving Suhyeok in shock.
"You done yet?"
Suhyeok jumped in surprise at Tae's sudden voice. "Tae, I didn't know you were there."
"Wow, thanks a lot." He spoke, sarcasm dripping in his voice. "I bumped into you when you stopped and you were taking up half the staircase so I couldn't go up."
"Oh." Suhyeok's throat became dry as he cleared it. "You have Volleyball practice at lunch today?"
"Yeah. We've got a match next weekend." Tae groaned. "I like volleyball but honestly, I wouldn't be doing it if Jin hyung didn't do any sport-"
"That's good, Volleyball seems fun."
"-Meaning that I want to drop out."
"But why?" Suhyeok asked as the two boys made their way upstairs. "You're the captain as well as that you're the best player on the team!"
"I was only made captain because the captain last month got banned from the team as he rigged a match we had." Tae reminded him. "I only joined this year anyway."
"Still." Suhyeok shrugged. "You're still really good."
Tae sighed as he walked into his classroom, Suhyeok trailing behind him. The english teacher, Ms. Park wasn't there yet.
Tae thought English was useless to him. He had been sent to an american boarding school when he was 8 for two years, giving him time to learn the language and American culture. He thought it sucked. Especially the thought of people breaking in the school for school shootings. The thought of that sickened him to think people would do that.
Looking around the classroom, the majority of the class was already there. Maybe a few missing but most of them were there. A few people nodded their heads his way as a greeting and he just gave a polite smile back. A slam of the door caught his attention when Nayeon came in, storming up to her desk where Gyeongsu was sitting currently.
Tae shook his head as he slowly made his way over where Suhyeok already was.
"Hey! Get off there, you stink."
Tae stiffled a laugh at Nayeon's choice of words as he watched from the side, leaning on the teacher's desk.
Gyeongsu looked awkward and embarrassed as he apologised lightly. "Oh, okay, my bad. What's even the big deal? Sorry." He said, whiping her table with his arm.
"Cut it out! You're so dirty." Nayeon yelled, grabbing her bad off the desk.
At this, Tae stood up straight. "Nayeon, please don't." He warned to the girl who gave him a small glance but shrugged it off.
"Hey, just let it go." Cheongsan told Nayeon, wrapping his arms around Gyeongsu who just stood there.
"What did I do that was so wrong? Huh? What did I do-"
"Hey, you punks, take your seats, hurry up, move it." The english teacher came in at that time, causing everyone to go back to their seats.
"Hello, everyone, please hand in your phones." She pulled out a box for phones as people started making their way to the front. Namra gestured for Tae's phone as Tae was sitting next to her and Tae gave her his other phone, his more frequently used one in his pocket, powered off.
"Has anyone been in contact with Hyeonju?" Ms. Park asked. "She didn't get home last night."
Murmurs of no spread through the classroom as Joonyeong spoke up. "Uhm. We cleaned the science lab together yesterday but I haven't seen her since."
Ms. Park sighed. "Okay... If anyone hears from her sometime in the next few days, let me know, alright?"
Voices of yes came from the class as Ms. Park brought out her phone to send something to the group chat. "Exams start next week so get your act together."
Two phones buzzed after she hit send, one of them coming from Daesu and the other from Isak.
"I heard that." Ms. Park acknowledged the two phones buzzing while Wujin hit Daesu. "Why didn't you silent it?" Tae snorted at that.
"One more time, hand in your phones please."
Daesu and Isak got up begrudgingly to hand in their phones while Ms. Park took out another phone. "Onjo. This is your phone from last year, take it."
✮ ⋆ ˚｡𖦹 ⋆°°✩
Later on the lesson, Tae was listening intently to the teacher.
"In fact, none of us are completely free from prejudice. We all have preconceived ideas about others." Ms. Park spoke in English.
"Here, 'free from' means the lacking in it unicumbered by. Anyone want to interpret this?" She asked, reverting back to korean while tapping her chalk on the board.
"Anyone? Ah, Heesu."
Heesu had stood up. "Ms... I have to go to the bathroom."
Ms. Park looked slightly disappointed but let her. "Okay, go.
Okay then, anyone wanna have a crack at it, huh? President?"
Tae turned his attention to Namra, listening politely to her.
"The truth is, all of us have some sort of prejudice. We all have the preconceptions about other people."
Ms. Park hummed. "Mm. Okay, nice. Next. Baresu. Stand up."
The class laughed slightly and Tae only smiled at him. "Yes?"
"What's with baresu, anyway?"
"Short for Barefoot Suhyeok." Junyeong said, pronouncing the areas. "Baresu."
Ms. Park raised her eyebrows at this and Daesu added on.
"He hates wearing socks, he's so weird about it." Daesu put his fingers to his nose, almost as if trying to avoid the smell. "I can smell it a mile away." The class laughed as Tae frowned slightly. Wouldn't that be considered as bullying?
"Okay, Baresu," Ms. Park chuckled. "What did Namra say a minute ago?"
Suhyeok just stood there pondering. "Uhh..." His words echoed with the class as some of the girls started giggling.
"She was absolutely correct, a hundred percent."
At this, the class started laughing harder, even Namra had to try and stop a smile coming up from her face while Tae just smiled once more.
"What was her absolutely correct answer then?" Ms. Park pushed on.
"Hmm..." Suhyeok gave a expression of deep thinking. "All right."
All of a sudden, Tae stood up, spotting something outside the door.
The class jumped slightly from Tae and even the teacher looked shocked. "Ms. Park..." He whispered. "It's Hyeonju."
The door suddenly opened and a bloody Hyeonju stumbled in, Ms. Park catching her before she hit the hard floor. "Hyeonju? Hey, Hyeonju!"
Gasps were heard throught the classroom as they all stood up, gathering around the girl as Tae walked over. The girl had dried blood through her nose and head where it looked like she had been hit.
"Hey, what's wrong, are you okay?" Ms. Park asked frantically. "Hyeonju?"
A faint question from Nayeon came but no one payed attention to her, their focus on Hyeonju's next words.
"Ms. Park..." She whispered, her voice sounding all scratchy.
"Yeah, it's me. Do you recognise me?" Ms. Park asked, her face all panicked.
"He grabbed me..." Hyeonju spoke, her breath wavering. "The science teacher grabbed me and locked me up."
Murmurs of confusion rippled through as Ms. Park herself looked confused. "The science teacher? Mr. Lee Byeongchan?"
"He tied me up..." Hyeonju continued. It was like she couldn't hear what Ms. Park was saying.
Ms. Park's words were shaking slightly. "Lets go to the infirmary, okay?"
Daesu's loud whispers voiced his opinion. "What kind of physcho does this?"
"Namra." Ms. Park suddenly spoke. "Make sure they study on their own, and please don't say anything to anyone until I come back and confirm the facts. Hyeonju, can you get up?" She directed her attention to Hyeonju once more.
"I'll carry her." Suhyeok stood up and Ms. Park handed Hyeonju over to him. "Can someone help him out?"
Isak and Onjo immediately lept into action as they started helping Hyeonju onto Suhyeok's back. "Go back to your seats." Ms. Park commanded. "Now." But no one did so.
Tae didn't move either. The look in Hyeonju's eyes were strange. Blood shot eyes. It was terrifying.