13. tantrums and tactics

Han Seojun was holding on to his dear life as he stood on the very thin platform right outside the balcony. Kang Soojin on the hand stood in disbelief at the audacity and the grit of the messy hair boy. She was wondering if she was seeing things, considering insanity was just a step away for her but when Han Seojun cursed aloud in the fear of falling, she knew this was real.

Even in insanity Kang Soojin wouldn't curse like that.

"Ssibal-" Han Seojun's call for the third time made Soojin to shake her head, "give me your hand..."

Soojin did what the idiot asked him to, because murder was not something she wanted to be behind bars for and if so, it would be her father at the other end. "What. The..."

"Fuck," Han Seojun was panting as he panted, holding his chest and then eyeing the girl in front of him. "That was so close, I swear I could see the light."

There's no way anyone could be as dramatic as him. He then looked down the balcony, and gave someone a thumbs up and waved like he was some celebrity. Kang Soojin would have rolled her eyes if it wasn't for his petty little gang downstairs, waving at him, clapping and hooting.

Aish, what a bunch of hooligans.

"Ya," Kang Soojin folded her arms across her chest, her eyes staring intensely at the boy who was now fixing his hair, "care to explain?"

"You care to explain." He retorted, shaking his head, "you went indivisible, it's not my fault, I had to-" Han Seojun's words faltered when he saw Soojin smile, it was just a little twitch, a more so smirk if he was right. He forgot what he had to say when he saw the girl smile, it's funny how she looked prettier with it.

"Wae," Han Seojun furrowed his eyebrows, "why are you smiling?"

A deer caught in headlights, that's how Soojin felt when she realised how a smile made her forget what she was dealing with and Han Seojun's English mix up of indivisible and invisible now felt trivial.

Soojin moved inside her room, scared and angry, at Han Seojun and at herself. Scared because now that he was in, she had no other escape than to get out of the hideout and angry because, she's not ready to face the world.

"Ya, Kang Soojin..." Seojun wasn't good at reading facial expressions, he was always the confrontation with words kinda guy. "What is with you?" He asked, the place was a mess, her clothes from the closet were strewn, bed filled with things and curtains drawn over what seemed like mirrors. He looked across the room and immediately felt uneasy, the grey color, the lack of personal touch, more of paintings than photo frames and books piling up in a corner. "What is this place?" He muttered as Kang Soojin sighed, she could hear Suho and her mother talk in muffled voices, Han Seojun must have informed them already since they weren't yelling at her.

"We need to get out. Your Omma must be-"

"Are you happy?" Soojin chuckled, tears threatening to fall from her eyes, "you did a heroic act by breaking in my room and saving me." She was sarcastic, she was pissed and she was in tears.

"Well, why did you childishly lock yourself in your room then?" Han Seojun expected anything but her unnecessary remark, "Suho is outside and so is your mom, Jugyeong is upset. You've been absent for school putting me in a fix for the term project and instead of being thankful that people care about you, you have the nerve to yell back?" He was fuming now, jaw clenched as they stood across each other, neither of them backing down. "I expect you to be the smartest, Kang Soojin, but to be this petty? Petty enough to lock yourself and create a scene?"

Soojin quickly wiped the tear that fell, stepping back but like always, Seojun couldn't read in between the lines.

"You wanted Suho to come get you, right?" He asked, pointing at the closed door, the sofa still guarding it. "Is this why you did all of this, so he would leave everything and come running to you?"

Soojin lowered her gaze, "you don't know me." She said, softly, every word of hers held her pain but there wasn't anyone who'd understand her. She knew that, she knew she was alone against the world, and she had to make peace with it. "You don't know me, Han Seojun." She warned him, it sounded like that, "so you have no right to come point fingers at me."

Their intense staring would have stayed the same if it wasn't Suho from the other end who asked Seojun to open the door. And Seojun immediately pushed the sofa and opened the door, while Soojin fisted her hands, waiting for the hell unleashed on her.

She really was invisible. Because no one could see her and no one cared either.

Kang Soojin froze when she saw her father outside, her mother helplessly standing beside him and Suho who looked at the girl. She knew she was going to be in deep mess after this and she hated how she considered jumping off the balcony more better than this.

"Gomawo," Mrs. Kang held Seojun's hand, "thank you for being so brave and kind." Han Seojun bowed in respect, and then looked at Soojin who was now standing blankly.

"Suho and you-" Dr. Kang said, his angry gaze on the girl, "you two can leave."

Han Seojun's first impression of Dr. Kang was that he needed to buy some manners with all the money he has. However, he didn't care much about the family dynamics, leaving was better now that he was done with his job. Jugyeong wouldn't have to worry and Suho wouldn't be dragged in this mess.

"Ahjussi," Suho's voice startled Han Seojun, "you'll have to forgive me, but Kang Soojin is needed at school urgently." He lied, it was a lie that made both Soojin and Seojun look at him.

Since when did Lee Suho lie so well?

More like since when did Lee Suho lie for others.

"If she misses this, I'm afraid term examinations will become a hassle later." Suho knew the most important word here was examinations, and they all watched Dr. Kang's expression softened into what Soojin called as the sweet facade. "Kang Soojin, we need to go before the office administration shuts for the day."

Kang Soojin did not know what happened at that moment, she just walked behind Suho who held her hand and practically pulled her behind him, and Han Seojun followed, confused just as much as Soojin was.

Why the dramatics all of a sudden, he wondered, what was this mess he was getting himself into.

_

They were at school when Suho let go of Soojin's reddish and worn-out hand, getting off the cab and Han Seojun had followed the duo on his bike. He needed answers and he needed them now.

Suho paid the fare and as they stood in front of the school gate, he turned at the girl. His expressions were colder, Soojin could tell the difference between the nonchalant Suho he was, and the angry Suho he now is, and his stern gaze on her. Especially with the way he crossed his arms across his chest.

Soojin didn't want to face anyone at the moment so she turned to go the other way only to stop at the sudden bike that halted right by her side and a very upset Han Seojun removed his helmet, staring at the girl. He tilted his head, a sign for the girl to give up than fight with the two of the best boys of Saebom.

Two of them and one of her.

Unfair.

"Kang Soojin," Suho took the lead, they were cornering the girl without having the need to find one. "Is this all you wanna keep doing?" He asked, straight to the point, "tantrums and tactics?"

"I'm not answerable to you." She replied, unfazed, now that she was out from her house, she didn't feel the need to express her emotions and not to the two of them atleast. One who threw away her proposal for the new girl and the other who wouldn't care anything about anyone other than his beloveds. "Or to you," She said glancing at Han Seojun, "and you didn't have to save me, I can handle myself very well."

Save her? Han Seojun kept quiet, even when questions were popping in his mind like popcorn.

"I could see," Suho spoke curtly, "locking yourself in the room is not handling, it's insanity."

"Why do you care?" She scoffed, clutching the edge of her hoodie to avoid crying. "You pretended like I don't even exist since the last two weeks and you have the nerve to come and ask questions?"

"You know very well what you did to break our friendship, Kang Soojin."

"Friendship?" She blinked her tears, the urge to rub her hands was getting stronger, Han Seojun noticed how she kept shuffling her hands. "Was it friendship? Or was it me being stupid for the past ten years in thinking we were friends."

Han Seojun felt he didn't belong here, yet he stood his ground. Suho on the other hand didn't let her harsh words break his cold exterior.

"We weren't even acquaintances, were we?" Realisation dawned to the girl who lowered her gaze, words softer, tears nearer, "just classmates whose fathers are business associates. That's all." Suho backed down at that, a step back yet Soojin stayed still. "Aish," She chuckled, humorlessly, "all this for nothing."

"Soojin-"

"I just wanna be alone." She declared, this time Han Seojun didn't stop her when she moved away. Although he did watch her hug herself over the black hoodie and vanish from his sight.

Seojun looked at Suho, "why did you lie?" He asked, he deserved to get atleast one of his burning questions answered. "Why didn't you let her parents meet her?"

Lee Suho sighed, "it's not my story to tell." He looked at the boy, "why did you do that?"

"Do what?"

"Climb the pipe up to nine floors?"

Han Seojun could have said because Soojin was hindering the peace of his best friend, or she was worrying the girl he liked, or she was being a nuisance to him by missing school but he didn't.

None of the reasons were valid enough on why he risked his life and climbed up nine freaking floors to go get Kang Soojin out of the room. Or how relieved he was to see her okay or how funny he felt when she smiled.

Or how this was all his plan of getting close to Kang Soojin in an attempt to get back at her.

Nothing.

So he did what he could, he placed his helmet back on his head and got ready to ride off, "Han Seojun!" Suho yelled at the guy who sped away like lightning. "Stop running awa-"

But Seojun was gone, he sighed when Suho's voice fainted and stormed through the road, only to stop at the first red signal. He sighed, waiting for the green light only to watch Soojin walk past him on the sidewalk. He turned to see her through the helmet, and watched her walk slowly like a turtle.

The group of teens approaching her garnered his attention as the bunch of boys hooted past her, ages way less to act like this but before Han Seojun could even react, Soojin had one of them pinned against the wall on the other end. The way she held his collar in one hand, threatening to choke him if he reacted in any form. "Don't fuck with me, unless you wanna spend your entire life being teased by your friends because you lost to a girl." She said, quickly releasing him, pushing him to the rest of the boys. They were as surprised as the other one, "go study you dimwits. Bunch of shitheads." She muttered and walked past them.

The rest of the gang watched the girl walk away, head high and scary than ever.

However it was Han Seojun's turn to smile, and he shook his head, the smile still lingering on his face as he watched Soojin walk away.

Kang Soojin was something.

Something he had to know more about.

_

kang soojin is an icon fr.