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"So...would anyone like to explain what just happened?"
"Saem, it's not as bad as-"
"Anyone besides Soonyoung-ah?"
Sandwiched in the middle of the teacher and Hoshi, I could only shrink in my seat as all eyes turned to me.
Keeping my eyes forward, I looked up at the other person in the room: Seokmin. He kept his hands folded nicely in his lap and a trained smile on his face. But as soon as his gaze caught mine, the smile fell and so did his gaze. Turning now to Hoshi, I narrowed my eyes in annoyance. He gave me an equally as annoyed stare and heaved a sigh as if this whole thing was an inconvenience for him. I should've just listened to Principal Cho's warning. This guy, Kwon Soonyoung, Hoshi, whatever he wanted to be called, was dangerous.
He got Seokmin, the most precious cinnamon roll in the world, to hit him. And not only did Seokmin hit him, he freaking socked him in the jaw. Just that alone was enough to make me wary of the guy. I shook my head subconsciously, causing the teacher to sigh in frustration. He raked a hand through his hair, muttering to himself. I took this chance to steal another look at Hoshi.
What? He mouthed. I scowled at him, shaking my head again. Hoshi smirked and winked. That little ass winked at me.
"Yah kids, is now really the time to be flirting?"
Flirting?
The teacher sighed again, turning to look at Hoshi and me. "I can understand why Soonyoung is sitting here, but Eunji? Your name was only just added to my roster today." He looked in between the two of us, obvious disappointment on his face. "If you two are going to date, then at least do it outside of school. You're lucky it was me who found you and not Principal Cho. Especially you, Soonyoung. Immoral behavior is one thing, but fighting in the halls? That would result in an automatic suspension!" I winced as he raised his voice. Seokmin winced too while Hoshi...he just rolled his eyes.
"I really don't see what I did wrong."
The teacher closed his eyes at Hoshi's response. "Soonyoung, I understand that you don't particularly like the Principal or the rules but-"
"But what? Are you saying that it's fair for us to be punished for a stupid kiss? If so, then you're just as bad as the Principal, Mr. Yoon." Hoshi retorted.
Mr. Yoon opened his mouth to respond, but Hoshi wouldn't let him.
"I really don't understand. Why would you adults say you're on our side when there's obvious prejudice going on. Whether it be outside of school or inside, everything is the same. Those with power - those like Chwe Hansol - are almost like gods. Then there are people with less power who are stuck dealing with the shit they cause. So don't try to bullshit me with the whole 'everything is equal' act, Mr. Yoon. I'm already painfully aware of how unforgiving the real world is. It's a never ending cycle that, frankly, I'm just sick and tired of."
"I'm saddened to hear you say that, Soonyoung."
A dry, humorless laugh left Hoshi's lips as he took in the sight of our Principal standing in the doorway. A shiver traveled down my spine as she crossed her arms over her chest and stared at Hoshi with hard eyes.
"If you had so much to say about the way I run my school, you could've just stopped by my office instead of bothering Mr. Yoon."
"I tried." Hoshi said, his eyes narrowing challengingly. "The door was locked. I guess you were too busy kissing up to Hansol's dad."
"Kwon Soonyoung...you..." Before she could continue, the door swung open with a bang. Wonwoo stood in frame of the door breathing heavily and dripping with sweat. He was still wearing his rumpled and bloody clothes. He stood there like that, bloody and tired, taking his time as he glanced in between the Principal and his best friend. By the looks of it, this wasn't his first time intervening in their fights.
"It wasn't just Hoshi." Wonwoo said between gasps of air. "It was me too. I fought with Hansol and Jihoon."
My eyebrows shot up at Wonwoo's sudden confession. He could've gotten away with no punishment, but instead he confessed to fighting. Was he insane?!
The Principal's face hardened as she took in Wonwoo's words. In the corner of my eye, I saw Hoshi smirk.
"I see..." She muttered. "Well then...don't let it happen again. Same goes for you Soonyoung. Next time, I won't be as lenient."
"Principal Cho!" Mr. Yoon exclaimed. I almost shouted too. What difference did it make if Wonwoo was fighting too? How did one extra person change three weeks of detention into getting let off with a warning?
"I'll see you in my office later, Soonyoung. I see you still have many things you'd like to discuss. However, arguing with you all day isn't what I had in mind. I originally came here to deliver Seokmin his room assignments." Principal Cho said as she crossed the room to hand Seokmin a small slip of paper. Because of the sudden turn of events, I didn't even notice the uniform he was wearing or the stack of papers he had been holding earlier. Now that it had been pointed out, the Goora High emblem seemed to sparkle even brighter on his jacket. It was as if it was saying I'm a uniform! Bask in my officialness and glory!
Next to me, Hoshi scoffed. "Of course." He muttered. "Of course he's a student here."
With that, Principal turned to leave. But before closing the door, she gave one last look in Wonwoo's direction as if finally realizing what she had done. Instead of rushing in here to take back what she said, she just kind of shuffled out of the room and back to her office. I was utterly confused.
Hoshi must've seen the look on my face and figured as much. As Mr. Yoon dismissed us, him being equally as confused as I was, Hoshi turned to me and leaned in to give me another surprise. Thankfully, this one wasn't a kiss.
"Wonwoo's mom is the Principal."
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"I'm sorry."
"For kissing me?"
"That too. But mostly for getting you in trouble."
I stayed silent. Looking down at my hands on the table, I pretended like I couldn't feel Hoshi's gaze boring a hole through my head.
"I'm serious, Eunji." Hoshi said, grabbing my hand out of nowhere. It forced me to look at him, which I grudgingly did. "I wasn't expecting Mr. Yoon to be there. Kind of lousy for me to land you detention after you helped me with all of this." He said, motioning to the band aids on his face. "You're pretty good at that by the way. Almost freakishly good."
I thought back to those times when I would sit at the kitchen table by myself surrounded by band aids and ointment. I almost laughed when I thought about how hard I had cried the first few times. The only thing I remember was being terrified and staying silent as Papa stumbled into the house reeking of alcohol. But soon, the smell of disinfectant and alcohol was something I identified as home. I'm not saying it stopped hurting all together because that would be a lie. But I did learn to put up with the pain.
"Lee Eunji."
Wonwoo's deep voice snapped me back to the present. I looked up just in time to catch a flying package of bread. Turning it over, there was a gasp behind me as Hoshi read the name of the brand.
"You gave her the last cream bun?" Hoshi whined. "I thought we were saving that for a special occasion!"
Wonwoo rolled his eyes as he set a carton of milk next to me. "This is a special occasion, you idiot."
The moment I peeled open the plastic wrapping, a sugary sweet smell hit me full on. Hoshi watched with envy as I ripped off a chunk, the sweet cream oozing out like in those commercials you see on TV. I had heard a lot about these buns from Hyemi. She's never had one herself, but apparently the taste was so heavenly, after one bite you'd be able to hit high notes higher than IU's. Without a second thought, I popped the piece of bread into my mouth to see if it truly lived up to the hype.
It did.
Wonwoo cracked a smile as he watched me squeal in absolute ecstasy. Although it must suck having the Lizard Queen (aka Principal Cho) as your mom, there were some perks that evened out the bad. For example, this bomb bread.
"You better not tell anyone." He said after I had my little moment with the bread. The realization suddenly dawned on me. In order to make sure I wasn't going to go tell anyone about his little secret, he was bribing me with food. It was a pretty solid plan, but I couldn't help but feel a little hurt.
"I wasn't." I muttered. A look of relief flashed across Wonwoo's features as his shoulders relaxed noticeably. Hoshi frowned as he reached over to take a swig from my milk. Wonwoo swept it away before he had the chance to and safely put it next to my arm where Hoshi couldn't reach. Hoshi's frown deepened as he got up to go get his own drink, grumbling about how cheap Wonwoo was.
For Wonwoo, he wasn't particularly drop dead gorgeous like Hansol or charismatic like Hoshi, but there was something about him that was so charming in an almost quiet sort of way that made my heart flutter when I was around him. Did I like him? God no. But he was definitely too adorable to ignore.
I checked the time on my phone after I had finished the snack. My eyes widened as I shot out of my chair, trying to grab my bag while at the same time reaching for the plastic and milk to throw away.
"What's wrong?" Wonwoo asked, standing up slowly.
"Thanks for the bread and all but I need to get to work. Do you know the quickest way to the front of the school?" I asked. Wonwoo pointed down the hall.
"It's over there and down those stairs."
"Thanks!"
I turned, student ID out and ready to run, only to slam right into Jessica. She let out a strangled shriek as she fell to the floor, the mean girl Kyeong Ri stifling a few snorts as she reached down to help Jessica.
"Oh no!" Jessica wailed, glaring down at milk drops staining the front of her uniform. "I just got this cleaned yesterday!" She had only gotten a few splashes of milk on her. I, on the other hand, had suffered most of the spill with my entire frontside being soaked in milk.
"What's your deal?" Hyemi said angrily as she stormed past Jessica and Kyeong Ri. She crossed her arms over her chest as if waiting for a response.
"It was an accident. I'm really sorry." I said to Jessica. I was relieved when she offered me a smile as if forgiving me. At least one of them was reasonable. Hyemi scoffed and opened her mouth to say more when Wonwoo came with napkins. Jessica's face brightened.
"Oppa!" She squealed as he rushed over to hand her napkins. After giving them to Kyeong Ri, Wonwoo quickly made a u-turn back over to me and asked if I was okay. Jessica's face deflated as she narrowed her eyes, trying to remember where she had seen this before.
Kyeong Ri, after wiping up the front of Jessica's shirt, asked if she was okay multiple times. I watched as Jessica shook her head looking as if she were on the verge of tears. Jessica then shot by me as she ran down the hall with Kyeong Ri chasing after her. Hyemi only scowled fiercer as her eyes watched Wonwoo and me.
"Just like Minah, you're an attention whore and a slut." She hissed. "If you're looking for the roof, it's that way."
"Still bringing that up? Sounds like you're still a bit jealous, Hyemi." Hoshi said as he emerged from behind the corner with a pack of strawberry milk and a cheeky smile.
"Jealous?" Hyemi huffed. "Yah!" Hoshi only laughed. With one last glare shot my way, Hyemi stormed off in the direction where Jessica and Kyeong Ri had run off in earlier. I let out a shaky breath as I unclenched my fists.
"Isn't she just a ray of sunshine?" Hoshi said dryly. I didn't have time to agree. As soon as Hyemi left, I gave Wonwoo a grateful smile as I grabbed the rest of the napkins and ran off as fast as I could. Hoshi frowned at my retreating form while Wonwoo watched with an amused smile.
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The Coffee Cup Café was located a few blocks away from school in a weird part of town. There were a lot of bars and most of the crowd that came was part of the night rush of adults who came straight from work. But it was the closest place to the school and the owner was good friends with Mama. However I might now even get a chance to work if I didn't get there in the next five minutes.
"Good afternoon!" I said as soon as I entered. But something there made me stop in my tracks.
There was a boy. He had a mop of black hair and every few seconds, he would puff air up to blow his bangs away from his eyes. There was an air of maturity to him that suggested he was a few years older. My breath nearly caught in my throat when he glanced over at me. He looked surprised as his eyes traveled from my tousled hair to my school uniform. My hand moved to cover the obvious milk stain on my shirt as I bowed, totally embarrassed. He gave me a little smile as a middle-aged lady, the owner, ran out from the back.
"You're late!" She cried, latching a hand on my wrist as she dragged me to the back. "Have you received training yet?"
"Uh yes." I stammered.
"Good. Then you'll be able to start right away. Afternoons are usually slow for us so I won't be around often. Most of the time it will be you and Seungcheol so if you have any questions, please ask him." She said this all in a flurry that I barely could catch onto anything besides the guy's name. Then, to add more to the confusion, she handed me a uniform and shoved me into a dressing room. Maybe I should've went with the job at the sushi place instead.
When I emerged from the back room, the owner was already gone. It was just me and Seungcheol, along with a few customers. For the first hour of my shift, I stood behind the register taking orders while Seungcheol made drinks. He was really quiet and didn't say much except for "next order" and "green tea latte is GTL not GL". So when he actually did speak to me, I was caught off guard and nearly dropped the tray of empty cups I was holding.
Seungcheol reached out a hand to steady me as the cups clicked and clacked dangerously. But my attention was more focused on his hand on mine.
"Sandwich bread? Uh..." I looked under the counter where the bread was kept. It looked like we were out. "There's no more." I said.
Seungcheol frowned. "Hm...that's what I thought. Hey, I'm gonna go across the street to get some ingredients. You can man the fort for a while, right?" I nodded. Seungcheol left me a few more instructions before going off to get stuff for the café.
I stood behind the counter the entire time. Business was ridiculously slow. I almost felt bad that I was going to be paid just for watching the place. Just when I was about to fall asleep from boredom, a guy walked in carrying a guitar case. It was the guy Seungcheol had told me about.
"Are you here to perform?" I called from behind the counter. He glanced up a bit startled but nodded nonetheless. I watched, intrigued, as he set the case next to the stage. Clicking it open, he took out a worn guitar that looked like it was older than me. But the guy looked at it with such fondness, I could guess that even if he were offered a new one he would turn it away.
Pushing up his glasses, the guy sent me a nod from the stool. I returned the nod with a smile and watched as he tapped the microphone once, then twice. There were only a few people in the café, one of them being a loud old lady who requested he sing trot. The sound of laughter echoed through the café at her request.
"My name is Hong Jisoo and although the song I'm going to sing is not trot," there was a disappointed sigh, "I do hope you enjoy it. It's called Because of You." The few customers we had applauded politely before returning to their own conversations. Only the old lady paid attention eagerly as he began. I rested my chin on my hand as I watched, having nothing better to do.
Had I seen him on the streets, I wouldn't have taken a second glance. He wasn't exactly one of those head-turning guys that made you weak at the knees or your heart flutter. But as soon as he opened his mouth, I found myself experiencing both of these things at once. The old lady sighed in content as she watched him sing about a girl he couldn't quite forget. His sweet voice made all heads turn. Soon, everyone in the café was captivated by this performer. With just one song, the audience had fallen for him. I felt happy for him as more and more people began requesting songs. But then the night time rush started and my shift was over. Jisoo was still strumming his guitar and that old lady, a newly made fan, was finally getting him to sing trot. Maybe I didn't realize it before, but as I walked back to school, I suddenly realized that my knees still felt like jelly and my heart was pounding. It wasn't just the audience that had fallen for Jisoo. I did too - and hard.
Prince 9: Choi Seungcheol
Prince 10: Hong Jisoo
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