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Younghyun finds himself sighing and looking out the window like he's a protagonist in a drama as the classroom full of loud students - void of a teacher or a substitute - encapsulates chaos before the running lecture can end.
His mysterious aura shields him from having close friends in the batch. He does occasionally talk to people if absolutely necessary but that's about it. All around him there's anything but silence as his classmates cheerfully chatter away.
Though he may not have too many friends to entertain him when he's bored, having secured a seat at the back of the class has its perks. Younghyun usually gets the first scoop of anything that transpires in the classroom, courtesy of his sharp gaze. It keeps him amused normally.
When you don't interact much with anyone on a one-on-one basis, and you have free time during class, you tend to study your surroundings and the people in it. That's exactly what Younghyun does when he drowns out the teacher's monotonous speech when he feels bored out of his mind in class.
He's sure he has a basic idea about the general personality of most of his classmates imprinted in his mind by now. According to Younghyun's extensive observation, his classmates can be grouped into 3 categories.
The first type : the super loud and outgoing type. The main specimen that falls under it is Park Jaehyung - pink-haired spectacled dude that stands out in the crowd, class clown, social butterfly. He's the kind of guy that naturally attracts attention because of his outgoing personality.
Though he somehow manages to be everyone's buddy, his closest friend is the one he prefers hanging out with more often than not. Some would say he's living the life. Jieun is practically every guy's crush in the class, yet Jae's the only guy she ever hangs out with, other than a few of her girl friends.
They're always joint at the hip. Some think they're dating, Younghyun knows otherwise. He's sure that they're just really close friends. How is Younghyun so sure you ask? He has a hunch that she doesn't have a crush on Jae but on Younghyun himself.
Her lingering gazes that Younghyun catches onto very often tell a very clear story of their own. Her occasionally trying to get him to talk to her, sticking around Younghyun during gym class, and things like that are a clear indication of her attraction, in Younghyun's honest opinion.
As much as Younghyun feels flattered, there's nothing he can do about her crush on him. He doesn't really like her that way. They've barely interacted all that often and frankly, Younghyun doesn't really think he is at a point in life where he needs a significant other. It's pretty much a waste of time.
Moving onto the econd group - those that are neither complete introverts nor loud extroverts. His case study example in this category happens to be Sungjin.
Much like Jae and Jieun, Sungjin and his best friend, Wonpil, can be spotted together at any given point. He is both - academically excellent and active in sports. He gladly assists his classmates if they were to ask for help. He isn't too robust and bubbly yet he's very easygoing and warm even towards those he doesn't interact with often, which makes it easy for him to make friends in class.
Sungjin seems like a guy who has his head on his shoulders and is generally well composed and stable, yet Younghyun has often caught the boy stealing glances at Jieun and blush a bright red at the slight mention of her name, going as far as being a fumbling mess around her. Younghyun knows that he isn't the only one that knows about Sungjin's crush, Wonpil is well-aware about his infatuation and is rather dismal of it.
The third and final type happens to be the shy introvert, Wonpil. He is a shy nerd who usually just minds his own business. He does have a few acquaintances that he gets along with in class but Sungjin is his truest friend.
It wasn't difficult for Younghyun to catch on to the fact that Wonpil is head over heels in love with his best friend but he's tied down by his need to put Sungjin's happiness before his own. How Sungjin is oblivious to the love that shines bright in Wonpil's eyes is beyond Younghyun's understanding.
He feels sorry for the boy. He knows he shouldn't meddle in anyone's business but he does end up wondering if he can ever help Wonpil. All he can do is hope that the boy gets out of his pitiful situation soon.
But it doesn't end there.
Recently- two weeks to be precise, a new new boy named Dowoon had been introduced to their class. He sits on the last bench in the row towards Younghyun's right.
When the homeroom teacher introduced Dowoon to the class on a rather dull Monday morning a fortnight ago, all Dowoon did was stiffly nod and smile at the class and then he scrambled to the very back of the room with his bookbag.
No one knows anything about Dowoon. He's just the quiet boy who sits at the back of the class and keeps to himself. He's the first one to leave the class when their lunch break starts. The fact that he has never once seen Dowoon around the cafeteria during the lunch break adds to his mysterious persona.
Though Dowoon sits quite close to Younghyun, he has never seen him speak, and it's not even an exaggeration. Younghyun has actually never heard the boy speak, nor did he ever hummed along when Younghyun asked him if he can borrow his eraser once. All he did was wordlessly hand him the eraser without looking at Younghyun.
Younghyun doesn't understand what his deal is. He knows that Dowoon as a bright student by the way he confidently strides towards the blackboard when he'd been called on to solve an algebraic equation. He remained unflinching as the teacher tried to switch up to a more tough question and solved it easily. Despite everything, not a single teacher has ever tried to make him talk in class, which seems really suspicious.
A certain group of girls in class have somehow taken a sudden liking to him. Younghyun looks to his right to find the aforementioned group of girls chuckling loudly like a gaggle of geese. Dowoon currently has his head resting against the desk, his bangs cover his eyes.
"Hey, stop troubling him. It's not like he actually gives you attention anyway," Younghyun states with his arms crossed against his chest.
"Mind your own business, Kang!" retorts one of the girls, moving her thumb against her neck in a threatening motion directed at him.
Younghyun rolls his eyes at the annoying group of girls and resorts to getting out of the class as soon as the recess bell rings. He makes sure to tap Dowoon's shoulder once just in case the boy didn't hear the bell.
Dowoon stays in the same position. His hooded and emotionless gaze meets Younghyun's before he can retract his hand. Younghyun awkwardly smiles down at him. "I thought you were asleep so I figured I need to wake you up before I go."
Dowoon nods wordlessly and then darts his eyes towards the girls crammed too close to him, glaring at them. Younghyun takes it as a sign to finally leave.
Younghyun balls up his used tissue paper and aims for the trash can. He plugs his earphones into their socket and pockets his phone after hitting play.
He realises that the gate entrancing the terrace has been thrown wide open as he nears the top of the stairs. His fingers glide along the metal bars as he steps out onto the concrete floor of the terrace.
His steps slow down gradually as he hears the chatter of a few girls giggling. As he inches closer to the source of the sound, he's met with the sight of the same group of girls from his class once again ganging up around Dowoon to get his attention.
Younghyun pauses his music and pulls out one of the earbuds, his nose scrunches up in annoyance. Do the girls ever leave the boy alone? They aren't even letting him enjoy the lunch break by himself.
Dowoon appears visibly unbothered by them though. He leans his back against the edge of the terrace wall and consumes the last bits of his sandwich while listening to his music via his airpods.
One of the girls lightly taps his shoulder and tries to hand him a box with a fake bashful smile. He zeroes his focus on the green box in her hand and back at the girl.
Dowoon shakes his head and rolls his eyes before parading away. The girl lets out an annoying high-pitched whine as Dowoon turns his back on them and tries to head off to the entrance to the terrace.
His footsteps halt a few steps away from Younghyun. They make eye-contact for the second time that day. Again, Dowoon awkwardly nods at him while Younghyun tries to give him a decent smile. He then proceeds to scamper down the stairs, leaving the girls fuming.
Out of this scenario, Younghyun now knows where Dowoon disappears during their lunch break and unfortunately the girls do too. Well, at least he now knows Dowoon isn't some supernatural entity that vanishes into thin air for half an hour daily because he doesn't need to consume food.
---
The silver metallic jewellery curled perfectly around his fingers clink against the bike's handlebar as Younghyun trains all his attention on the game before him, maneuvering his representative bike skillfully in the race course.
His eyebrows knot in concentration with every moment as the end draws near. He tries his hardest to not maintain his current pace.
A smirk makes its way onto his lips as it ends up in his victory. He fist bumps the air enthusiastically after getting off the bike.
"Hey, you. Now you're really pushing your luck by acting like you can't hear me. Do you want to return home with broken bones?"
Younghyun winces at the loud sound. He cards his fingers through his hair and tries to locate the source of the sound in the busy arcade. It's easy to figure out that the owner of the voice is rather pissed off at someone and it can turn nasty if no one backs off or intervenes.
Younghyun scrambles forward quickly when he sees a man dressed in a tight sleeveless tee that hugs his body, exhibiting his ripped arms lined up with firm biceps. His eyes fall on Dowoon seated on the seat, still firmly staying put on the gaming console despite the death glare the angry man throws his way.
His poker face doesn't show an ounce of emotion as the man launches his fist forward. Thankfully, Younghyun manages to stop the impact of the blow by stopping the man's firm fist with his own hand, shielding the impact.
He fixes the man with a steely glower, pushing the man's fist away with all his might. Dowoon gets out of his seat and exits the scene without a word. Younghyun watches his retreating figure for a good few seconds, unblinking.
In hindsight, he should've known better than to just walk in on a potential fist fight unprepared and then get distracted enough to leave his back uncovered.
The burly dude pulls him back by the collar of his shirt and growls in his face. Before he can react or try to protect himself, the man's fist makes contact with Younghyun's cheek, sending him flying backwards with the harsh impact.
Younghyun goes off-balance for a few seconds then steadies himself easily as the man tries to lurch another hard fist forward, aimed at his gut. Younghyun scurries away before the man can get a hold of him again.
He runs outside at top speed and pauses to catch his breath only when he's completely certain that man isn't following him. He doubles over with his hands on his knees as he tries to catch his breath and ease his erratically beating heart.
He inhales a few sharp breaths as he pauses on the pavement outside the building containing the arcade. An image of Dowoon ignoring Younghyun's existence pops up in his head as he is finally able to calm himself down.
He understands that the boy is shy and maybe a little anti-social but he would've appreciated not being walked out on like that. He swipes the back of his hand against his forehead and begins striding between the lanes, making his way to the convenience store closeby, trying not to focus on his throbbing cheek.
As he nears the store, his gaze lands on Dowoon sitting at a table situated outside the store, sipping on banana milk. Weirdly, Younghyun isn't exactly mad at him for leaving him to fend for himself.
He clears his throat and sits beside Dowoon and points towards his rapidly reddening cheek that had been subjected to the punch. Dowoon takes the straw out of his mouth and places it down on the table.
He pushes an egg towards Younghyun and places a small box containing some bandaid beside it. Younghyun blinks at him confusedly as he inspects the raw egg.
Dowoon points towards his cheek and continues sucking on the straw. Somehow it's a little funny that during their first proper conversation outside school he's being offered an egg in his trying times.
A small smile blooms on his cheeks as he gently lifts the egg. He lightly presses it against his cheek and hisses a little as it touches his cheekbone. All in all, he was scared that the incident may have caused a fracture but when he moves his jaw it seems fine to him except the burning sensation dancing on his cheek.
Younghyun is surprised to see Dowoon shyly smile back at him before he turns his head and stares at his feet. An awkward silence befalls them as they sit in complete silence.
Dowoon knocks on the table's surface twice to gather Younghyun's attention. He gulps before pulling his phone out and begins typing out something. Younghyun patiently waits for the boy to be done. His eyelashes fan against his cheekbones and his tongue peeks past his lips.
Thank you and I'm sorry you got hurt because of me.
Younghyun nibbles on his bottom lip as he reads the message bubble on Dowoon's phone's messaging app. "Uh….. it's okay I guess," Younghyun replies, awkwardly scratching his neck. "I'm not hurt too badly."
"Why didn't you try to stop his punch and protect yourself though?"
Dowoon shrugs nonchalantly.
"You could've at least tried and said something….. right?" Younghyun encourages, pressing the egg a little extra firmly against his now bruised cheek.
Dowoon blinks at him a couple of times before awkwardly smiling at him and shaking his head.
"I wish I could've cussed him out but sadly I couldn't because I'm mute." read Dowoon's chat window.
And suddenly, everything seems to fall into place. "Oh..." Younghyun nods in understanding, unable to respond.
"Is that why you always keep to yourself in class?" Younghyun starts, after a long pause. Dowoon nods, tilting his head to the side as he peers up at Younghyun.
Before Younghyun can get more nosy, Dowoon shoots out of his seat and discards the empty bottle of banana milk in the trash can. Younghyun watches him stride ahead before he can turn back one last time and bow towards Younghyun with a grateful smile.
He waves at Younghyun to signal his departure and then parades away with his earphones plugged in his ear, bobbing his head from side to side.
Younghyun stares at the empty space beside him as he tries to wrap his head around everything that just passed him by like the wind on an autumn evening. He fidgets with the small plastic box in his hand for a couple of moments before its lid flies open. Above the roll of bandaid, a neatly folded piece paper lies neatly.
He carefully takes it out of the box and unfolds it.
'Before jumping in to rescue a complete stranger, make sure your eyes at the back of your head are open too. I'm sure you wouldn't want your handsome face to be left with scars next time you try to help a damsel in distress.
PS- nice earrings.'
Younghyun can't help but chuckle at the tone. Maybe befriending someone his age wouldn't be all that bad after all.