San faced-desked himself. "God, why am I so distracted these days?"
He had been working on his history essay for hours, but couldn't seem to find inspiration anywhere. Bizarrely enough, he kept wondering what Wooyoung had planned for them next. He was still traumatized by the bee costume, but found himself pleased to spend some time unworried and carefree. Plus, as much as it pained him to admit, he was growing fond of Wooyoung. "Maybe he'll take us on a vacation or something," he snickered. The perspective of leaving Seoul for a few days was extremely appealing at the moment. Especially with all the drama Yunho was going though, maybe all of them deserved a little break.
And then, his mind wandered to the conversation they had in the school's park at noon.
'Mingi is getting especially paranoid these days, and I don't know how I should feel,' had lamented Yunho. 'I'm realizing how jealous he can get, and it's making me feel bad.'
San's brows had furrowed. 'How so?'
'I don't want him to feel that way! I don't want him to feel that I love anyone else than him! He'll always be my only one.'
San had held back a comment about how fast Yunho declared that. 'Well you should tell this to Mingi,' he had ventured instead, trying to hide the resentfulness in his voice.
'You're right, perhaps I should,' had smiled Yunho, shaking his head.
"Whatever." San rose from his chair, both palms on his desk. He once again needed to get his mind off of his best friend. He looked around his room, until he found a small piece of paper.
************ call me whenever! :) Wooyoung
San grabbed his phone and typed the number. The line rung three times before Wooyoung answered.
"Hello?"
San hesitated for a second. Why did he call him again? "Hey!"
The line went silent, then Wooyoung giggled with his signature laugh at the other end. "Is that it?"
"Wait no! I wanted to talk!"
"About what, Sannie?"
The boy's heart skipped a beat at the nickname. He had never gotten close enough to anyone for him to earn a nickname, except maybe Yunho, who simply called him San. "I don't know. Tell me a story?"
Wooyoung's laugh sounded louder this time. "Is THAT why you called?"
San blushed, opening his mouth to defend himself, but Wooyoung cut it off. "All right, don't work yourself up, I'll tell you a story. It's the story of..." He appeared to be thinking for a second, almost as if he was enjoying the momentum. San, laying on his bed, a hand behind his head, waited eagerly. "...A young boy! He dreamed to be a magician. He had a sketch book, which he took with him everywhere."
San shot up, resting on his free hand. "How did you know this, you stalker?" The younger chuckled, obviously proud of himself.
"Seonghwa told me, after lunchtime. You used to attend the same middle school, right?"
San relaxed again, laying back on his pillow. "Yeah. All right ok, go on then."
"In that sketch book," resumed Wooyoung, "he'd draw himself in a magician costume, and note all kinds of crazy illusions he wanted to try. But one day, a girl from his class found the book and showed it to the other kids, who all started making fun of him. Seonghwa told me he was the only one who didn't mock the boy, but was still too hesitant to help him. One day, some dudes were laughing at the little boy. 'Stupid San,' they said. 'Real magicians have powers!' Seonghwa then decided to go defend him, but when he arrived, the boy was already walking away merrily, like nothing had happened."
San laughed at the memory. "I had learned the day before how to make a bird appear from my hand. I did that in front of them and they never bothered me again." He sighed.
"Someone's interested in magic, huh?"
San could practically hear the other's smirk. "I was, at the time. I guess I still am! It's just... It's been ages since I thought about it. I kind of forgot magic when we left Namhae."
Silence fell again, soon broken by Wooyoung. "Do you miss it? Namhae?"
"Of course I miss it... I'm happy to be here, though! It was clear from the beginning I'd have a better education up in the capital."
Without even realizing, they kept talking for at least an hour. When San noticed it was almost 11pm, he sighed. "I'm so sorry, I've got to go. My mom will be furious if she finds out I stayed up this late."
"It's okay! Good night magic boy," joked the younger.
"Don't call me that," the other implored.
"It makes me happy though! It proves that you're just as much a kid as I am!"
"I was literally a child, at that time."
"Yet you're still interested in magic," Wooyoung proudly stated.
"Ok then, you win." Grinned San. "Maybe I'm still a child inside."
"See? It wasn't that hard!"
The next day, San's alarm rang longer then usual. Most of the time, it didn't take him long to get up and prepare for school, but today, he didn't feel like rising from his bed. What's happening to me, these days? He wondered, finally opening his eyes and stretching, before getting out of bed. Maybe I really DO need a vacation...
He was pondering on the question while brushing his teeth, when he heard the door downstairs open. "Hey mom!"
"Hello baby!" She had just came back from work, probably still in her white pharmacy jacket. "Wow! You know you're going to be late for school, right?"
"Wai wha?" San exclaimed through toothpaste. He quickly spat in the sink before running to his room and putting his school uniform on, only buttoning his shirt halfway and without tying his tie. He unceremoniously grabbed all his books and threw them in his backpack, which he pulled over his shoulders. He was already down the stairs when he hit his forehead. "My history essay!" He ran up again, snatched the homework off his desk, and left the house.
"Bye baby!"
The class was filled with excited whispers, when San suddenly stormed in, his hair messy and his uniform still in the state he had left it at home. Did he make it in time?
"Mister Choi," a cold voice sounded.
San stood straight. "Yes?"
"Will you do us the honor of buttoning that shirt?" The person who talked was a tall man with pale skin, who wore round glasses and carefully slicked hair. He stood on the teacher's podium, and glared at San, hands behind his back.
"Um y-yes of course!" Stuttered the flushed red boy, struggling to button his shirt as quickly as possible, while the class laughed. Yunho grinned at him, as if saying 'what the hell happened to you?'
"Now I'll ask you to turn in your homework please," added the man on the same monotonous tone. San felt too shocked to answer, so he simply put his sheet in the man's open hand. During all his school years, he had never arrived late, not even once.
"Who's that guy?" He whispered to Yunho as he sat in his seat.
"It's the new teacher, mister Yoo." Yunho matter-of-factly told. He then noticed how San appeared just as clueless. "...You didn't know, did you?"
"I didn't," gasped the other, his face going blank.
"He'll be replacing Mister Jeong for the rest of the year."
"Excellent work, Mister Choi," declared the new teacher, making them both jump in surprise. "This is an excellent paragraph."
"What...?" San's eyes suddenly widened in realization. He didn't finish his essay, yesterday. "Uh, I'm so sorry, I can finish tonight and bring it to you tomorrow-"
"That won't be necessary," cut Mister Yoo, nonchalantly dropping the sheet on his desk. San felt sick to his stomach, knowing that his unfinished essay was most likely to end up in the trash can once he'd have left the classroom.