12. dramatic entrance

One day without Kang Soojin went by really fast and honestly without the drama the class needed.

Second day got a little noticeably long, Han Seojun didn't have anyone who was glaring at him nor did the teachers have someone bugging them for more marks.

Third day however was alarming, surprisingly, Seojun caught a lot of the classmates, especially Su-ah eyeing the empty desk on the  right. It was even more worrying when Mr. Han, their homeroom teacher and Ms what's her face, asked the class where Kang Soojin was. Don't ask for the name because Seojun never bothered to learn.

"Han Seojun," Mr. Han looked at the boy seated at the end of the class, he was often found sleeping. "Where's Kang Soojin?" He asked, and Seojun wanted to ask how is that his problem but he remembered she was her partner in the forsaken project. "You have to submit the name and the overlay of your project by the end of the day."

End of the day?

How.

Han Seojun shut his eyes, hands fisted as he felt the anguish wash his face. Now he had to select a fresh topic and create an overlay and then spend an eternity arguing over Soojin over the same. The class dispersed over lunch while Han Seojun kept scrolling over the names of the possible topics he could write about.

World politics

Argh. No.

Global warming and rise of UV rays

What is that?

Death of ancient art

More like death of me.

Western culture and it's widespread

Pffft...

K-pop idol and the boons snd Bane

Too personal

Webtoons and Mangas

Too nerdy

Is Anime taking over the animated industry?

Not a weeb

The direction of a film

Don't have brains

And then Han Seojun came across something that was way more familiar, comfortable and could help him during this time. He gulped, his gaze stuck on that title and refusing to scan the others. The urge to text Soojin and ask for help was getting stronger by the second but he was resisting it. He didn't want to depend on the selfish girl for anything, and if she wasn't responsible enough to attend school then be it, he'd choose for the both of them.

"Han Seojun..."

The stressful boy looked up to see Su-ah out of all standing from across him. It was rare for anyone to speak to him since he had a notorious reputation of a bad boy and a gangster. Except for Suho, Jugyeong and now Soojin, no one spoke to him. So it was surprise to see Su-ah wanting to speak to him.

"Yes?"

"Kangsu-" Su-ah hesitated, words seemed too hard for her to grasp, "i mean, Kang Soojin..." She stopped again making Han Seojun to lean back on his chair, eyeing the girl, confused and startled. "I mean..." She didn't finish it however, and stomped her feet, exasperated by her own self and without a goodbye she left the class.

"Mwo..." Seojun shook his head and retreated to the list on his cell, "this entire class is insane." He muttered under his breath, and decided on the topic which he'd have to choose. Even though it was the last thing he wanted to do.

"Le Su?" Lim Jugyeong's worried cry got Seojun's attention and he looked at the couple standing aside, "what's wrong?" She asked the boy who stood with his mobile to his ear, disbelief washing over his always cold facial expressions.

Suho gulped, lowering his hand and looked at Lim Jugyeong. "It's Kang Soojin..." He muttered, softly, more in disbelief. "Her mother called..."

"Wae..." Lim Jugyeong was now tensed, she quickly grabbed his hand, "what's wrong?"

"She..." Suho was dumbfounded, he didn't know what else to do but, rush out, "I need to go. You stay here, okay." He yelled back and ran his way out of the classroom, leaving Lim Jugyeong with teary eyes and Han Seojun with his breath held. He felt extremely troubled as he got up, walking towards Lim Jugyeong.

"She'll be fine." He told Lim Jugyeong, the girl was too naive for the world. "Who knows, this might be a tactic to get Lee Suho's attention." He scoffed, trying his best to ignore the heavy beating of his heart.

Jugyeong wiped the tears from her eyes, pouting, "from what I heard over Soojin's mother's loud voice," She met Han Seojun's voice, "she's not coming out of her room..." Han Seojun was about to say that it wasn't a big deal but his heart nearly stopped when Jugyeong finished the sentence. "Since the last three days."

And after that all Han Seojun did was blame his stupid heart and the adrenaline that pumped through his veins which blurred the next set of events.

_

Soojin was done. She was tired of the constant anxiety attacks, the constant need to wash her hands, the constant throbbing of her heart against her chest and the constant headache she got when she worried about her grades. She was genuinely done, but not so much to finish it all.

There was still time for that.

After a well slept night in the hotel, Soojin came back home only to suffer in hell again because a hug was not what she was greeted with. Her father was furious to learn that Soojin had spent a night away from house, and no matter how much her mother said that she was all by herself, her father was convinced she had been sleeping around. Soojin would have chuckled considering she wouldn't let a boy even glare at her, touching her was a different case altogether but she held it back.

The loud fights between her parents was now so common to her that she felt it was white noise, cancelling it in her mind as the song from last night kept replaying in her mind. All would have been perfectly normal if her father would have let go and gone to his hospital but he thought it would be better to keep an eye on his daughter.

"You're not going anywhere other than school, to tuitions and then home." He pointed at her, three slaps on her face yet he seemed shameless in wanting to hit her more. Soojin however could taste the blood from her inner cheek, the rusty taste and the warm stings were all so familiar. "Nowhere. Not unless you get to the college we planned and become a doctor. Not unless you do as I say..."

Soojin often wondered as a kid what would have happened if her brother would have survived the flu and was with them. Would he be calling her Noona, being with her often, or would he also treat her as trash like her family did. Or would he be troubled and depressed and traumatized for being a Kang for his entire school life.

Soojin smiled, she was envious of the little Kang, she truly was. He died and was spared from hell and here she was, living through one every single day.

"What are you smiling at?" Her father caught her humorless smile and walked up to her, "the nerve of this girl, do you think you can stand here and meet my eye, with these good for nothing results you bring? Is that how-"

But Soojin heard enough, she walked past the loud man and fearlessly, walked past all of the staff watching her with pitiful eyes as she got in her room. She then shut it, locked it in fact, the censor lock which she had secretly installed and hadn't used was now active too. And if that wasn't enough, she pulled the huge sofa in her room against the door, with all the strength she had and ignored the incessant banging of the door, the painfully loud voices of her father and she drowned it all by plugging her headphones and sitting in the closet of hers, she threw away the expensive clothes and made way for her to sit and with the door shut, she sighed.

The darkness and the loud music blasting from her mobile were for now enough to help her gain her sanity.

It was after a short nap and a nightmare that Soojin came out of the closet. She looked outside the window to see the moon and was thankful for the silence outside her room. It was all too peaceful, all too nice.

So she stayed put.

She stayed in the room for the next day too, her father was heard yelling again when he came from work, threatening her that he'd have the door broken down but Soojin knew that he wouldn't. The house was too expensive to be destroyed and considering what a huge name Dr. Kang was, he'd not call the police or anyone for that matter and it was decided that she would stay in the room for now.

Of course she would not be able to live her till eternity, but the cosy secluded corner of the little closet, no school, no tests and no monsters outside her room to worry about, she felt it best to stay this way. Her mother would often plead for her to open, she'd promise her shit ton of things, ranging from the best clothes to cosmetics, to the best trips or parties and even money, but Soojin didn't dare agree to anything.

She wasn't her mother. He wasn't her father.

Soojin didn't want to do anything with anyone. She was having a hard time trusting people, her own parents did a good job in breaking her self-esteem and with Suho happily in love with someone else, Soojin had no one and nothing to look forward to.

The third day was different, she noticed, her stomach started growling in hunger since the little stuffed food in her room was over and water wasn't sufficient to curb her hunger. She also noticed how brighter the sky was, pinker than usual and then she heard a very familiar voice from the other side of the room.

"Kang Soojin, open up."

Suho's voice was enough for Soojin's heart to skip beats, how he still had so much power on her, she didn't know.

"Soojin-ah, open up. Listen, I am not going to ask for third time."

Soojin kept quiet, she looked at her hands, she had washed them for an hour last night and they were almost bleeding. She didn't want Suho to be here, she didn't expect her mother to call for the boy and moreover for him to come. After what she did to Jugyeong, she really didn't expect him to be here.

Then why was he?

"Leave," She answered with a feeble voice, even when she didn't want to. "Leave and go to your girlfriend," She mocked, she couldn't help but be mean, maybe that would lead Suho to leave. "Don't need your help."

"I'm not here for you." He replied from the other side, Soojin could imagine his disappointed face and his nonchalant gaze, "if it wasn't for Mrs. Kang..."

Soojin scoffed, of course, what was she thinking. Like he'd come for her, she shook her head, rubbing her eyes to let go of the tears. He didn't ask her once back then even when he knew everything about her father, he didn't ask her once if she was okay, and why would he, he had Jugyeong to care about now.

Soojin shut up after that, resting her back on the wall and holding her ears, she didn't want to go out, especially with Suho outside. She didn't have the energy to face it all over again, because Suho would leave once she was out and then her life would be the same as always.

What's the point. There's nothing heroic about his dramatic entrance.

"Ya Kang Soojin, would you be a sport and give me a hand?"

Soojin frowned, she had to rub her ear to check whether or not she just heard the gangster's voice so close to her.

"Yaa, stop rubbing your ear... Help me before I fall to my death... Aish, this looks bad."

And there he was, Han Seojun, fighting for his life as he stayed stranded on the balcony.

Talk about a dramatic entrance.

_