Chapter Text
Expecting a night of tiresome class mates and wondering, I'd been surprised to find her here, surrounded by her friends and alarmed to see me.
Their animated teacher is shouting as usual, 'Ahjushi, how could you do this?'
'Hey, Baek Seung-Jo. Why are you here?' Ahh, Bong Joon-Gu, the idiot that ran off with Ha Ni on results day. Could it get more comic? It would be worth hanging around just to rile this guy. Plus what else do I have to do tonight.
'It seems like they already have everything ready, so let's just stay here.'
Could Joon Gu be more pathetic, life's navigation, ha! The dancing is enough to have the room in fits of laughter. But when he reaches for her hand something grates inside me. I could hit this guy, it's a weird feeling and I hold it down and turn away.
Having zoned out I wasn't really listening to the teachers. But I hear them mention Parang University. 'Teacher, I told you that wasn't it. It wasn't because of her. To think that my life is in the dumps, because of a stupid girl like her…it's an insult.'
If she wants Joon-Gu then she can have him. I want to get under her skin and unsettle her the way she's unsettled me.
'Stupid?' her hurt little voice says.
'And a troublesome one at that,' I say turning to face her.
'Baek Seung-Jo!' she shouts, 'It's true that I've been a bit troublesome to you.'
'A bit?'
'A lot,' she says glancing at the eyes around her.
She really is an idiot, someone shouts from the back.
'I was taught to never boast about what you yourself didn't earn, do you have the right to look down on people just because you were born smart?' I stop smiling now, her words put me down but I won't accept them.
'Nobody is putting anyone down, people put themselves down. That's what you call an inferiority complex.' Everyone laughs and I wonder if she will cry.
'Bad Jerk,' she says looking down, 'A jerk that doesn't even have one grain of human feelings. Rude, cold, and bringer of bad luck!' I know she's upset and yet I want her to admit it, all of it.
'And how come you love that rude, cold, and bringer of bad luck jerk?'
'What?' she looks genuinely surprised.
'You said that you're happy and that you liked the idea of me going there. Even your textbook has my name written all over. How could you have even studied like that?' my name had been everywhere. I sincerely wanted to know how she was capable of studying like that. I smirk but her expression is dark now.
'Is that so? You really want to take it that far? In that case, I have something up my sleeve too.' Sure, of course you do. I wonder what she could come up with.
'You are prepared for this, right?' ripping a photo from her pocket she throws it into the air.
'Everyone, I present to you little Baek Seung-Jo!' the look of triumph on her face is infuriating!
'Did you really think I'd only have one picture? And here you call yourself a genius?' her face is all kinds of confident and it makes me want to shake her. How does she manage this?
Snatching the photo away from the students I grab her arm. 'You, come with me.'
Backing her up to the wall I refuse to let go of her hand. She pulls and pulls until I release it.
'What do you think you're doing?' she shouts up at me. My hands itch to grab her but I place one against the wall and lean towards her.
'What? What are you going to do?' she asks. We're inches apart and I can almost feel the air move as she talks.
'What do you think I'll do?' I ask the nervous eyes in front of me.
'I won't be scared even if you try to!' she bites her mouth as she speaks and looks up at me. 'You made me the target of ridicule in front of everyone because of what I felt for you. So I was just getting even.'
She looks away, 'But I want to quit now. I don't want to like you anymore.'
I really wanted to understand this mind of hers. 'Can you do that?' I ask, something made me uncomfortable in her words.
'Of course, I can!' she says, 'Baek Seung-Jo, I've already come to understand how exhausting your temper is. My crush will come to an end along with this graduation. I'm going to stop now.'
I lean in closer, we're a breath apart. 'You're going to forget me?'
'Yes, I'll get over the likes of you, and I'll try to meet someone at college…' she was going to try to meet someone else. My heart collides with my ribs and I tense against the words.
Her and someone else would be standing like this, someone else looking down at her, wanting to kiss her.
'Then try to forget me,' before she can try and escape I press my lips to hers. Held in that moment together, she opens her mouth in surprise and I'm taken in by the innocence of it. Pulling away I feel my heart going faster and faster. How could I have made this more complicated.
She catches my eye and I know we felt the same thing. Stepping away to cover myself she stands there stunned.
'Looks like that won't be the case.' I say walking away before she responds, and I find myself lost. 'Merong,' though I could be talking about either of us.