38. seven days

Kang Soojin had a week.

She had bet her life on this and if this did not work, Soojin had no reason to look forward to anything else. She had seven days and the countdown had started.

"Seven days until the finals," Her father said, glaring at her on the breakfast table whilst Soojin only stared at the cereal in front of her. "You better not secure a rank less than first. Do not embarrass me more than you already have."

Soojin did not even bother replying or even looking up at him.

The more she looked at him, the more she wanted to slam her fists in his despicable face.

"Soojin-ah, are we clear?" Her father asked her for a response, clearly he could not read the room. "Kang Soojin."

"Do I have a say?" Soojin replied, sitting back calmly, shrugging. "Why expect me to answer when there is only one acceptable answer to you, Mr. Kang." She was riling him and rightfully so, he fisted his hands.

"Kang Soojin, you have some nerve for someone who cannot beat Lee Suho. He is the son of an actor, a pathetic miserable actor and you are my daughter."

"Daughter?" Kang Soojin chuckled, taking her parents in surprise, as she shook her head. She wiped her tears, supposedly from all the laughing while picking her bag. "You do have a sense of humor Appa, I will give you that." She proceeded to walk away but her father got up, insulted and angered.

"KANG SOOJIN."

"What?" Soojin turned, unbothered and cool as a tree, "do you want me to come closer so you can hit me? Or am I allowed to attend the school you paid so much to go to?" That stunned the old man and got her mother out of her hangover, clearly the sun had risen from the other side and with no sparing look, Soojin was out of the hellhole.

Seven Days, Soojin whispered to herself, holding her hands in a tight fist. She desperately felt the need to go and wash them, scrub the invisible durt off them but she held herself, reminding that seven days were all she had.

"Annyeong."

Soojin darted her eyes at the charming boy waving at her from outside the complex gate. Her eyebrows furrowed in surprise, because Han Seojun was outside on his bike and smiling at her.

There were so many thing wrong in that statement.

Han Seojun waiting for her, on his bike, smiling and Soojin almost decided to take a turn and go back to the hell she knew.

"YA, we are getting late, pali pali." He yelled at her, and Soojin ignored the way the bystanders were staring at him, the girls especially gawking at the handsome boy. She walked out of the gate and stood besides him.

"You are late, kiddo."

"What are you doing here?" She asked, hands folded across her chest. "And what is with that goofy grin?" She narrowed her gaze, while Seojun smiled a bit more, shaking his head and leaning over the handle of his bike, and inching closer to her.

Soojin held her breath, she was not used to Seojun standing so close to her and clearly, he was not either. Nonetheless, they did not back off, both of them too stubborn to let go of their stance. Seojun looked in those black eyes, he could see how tired they were, and despite of everything, still ready to keep up with the fight and he could also see his reflection. He once hated himself for not being there for a friend who needed him, and he was not going to make the same mistake twice.

"Are you going to keep staring in my pretty eyes or are you going to hop back so we can go to school?" Soojin averted her eyes immediately.

"Hajima," She cleared her throat, nevertheless she sat behind him on his bike. "Your eyes are not that pretty." She said, eyeing him through the rear view mirror and Seojun passed her the spare helmet he carried.

"What would a penguin know about pretty eyes!" He remarked, chuckling and buckled his helmet and while Soojin exclaimed in horror, Seojun had rode past the street in a jiffy.

The entire ride was a speedrun. Seojun drove past other vehicles and cars swiftly, although he was much more careful this time. He did not go past the speed limit nor did he overtake any cars, especially when he wanted to.

This time Seojun had someone to take care off and he was going to do just that.

Soojin on the other hand held Seojun's shoulders, the way he rode was more thrilling to her than scary. She liked the way the wind would brush her face, or the way they'd speed past others and the fear of dying never bothered her anyway.

The scattered school kids were wondering who sat behind the notorious bad boy when Seojun zoomed past them. Not one of them would have guessed that Kang Soojin would ever be the girl to ride with Seojun and be dropped at school early in the morning. A few of the girls were envious of her, some of them didn't care and a few, pictures were already circulated amongst their chat groups.

post by mrsbadboy: Han Seojun dating Kang Soojin???

The comments flood in asking all sort of questions, some took it as a joke, few of them ridiculed the duo and others blamed Seojun for hanging around with a bully. Soojin had left the community page when the truth behind her bullying was revealed and Seojun did not care anyway.

They walked towards the classroom, ignoring the way some of the kids eyed them. Slowly and carefully since Soojin was still limping from the ankle twist but she wouldn't dare ask Seojun for help. She knew that was why Seojun had picked her from school and he'd never admit it out loud.

Seojun brushed his shoulder with Soojin's, garnering more attention, "did something happen at your house?" He asked, "did your father..."

"Aniyo," Soojin replied, rubbing her hands constantly, she just wanted to go wash them. She could practically feel the eyes on them, the sniggers, the taunts and the chants of her being a bully. "Just, the way people have nothing better to do..." She looked around, as Seojun glared at the people who kept staring at them.

"Well, the attention never bothered me, rather, I love it." Seojun said, it was true, he loved being in the centre of the limelight but Soojin did not, and he would rather make her comfortable. "Let me know if they bother you," Seojun fisted his hands, indicating how he'd 'take care' of them.

Soojin scoffed with a smile, glancing at him, "jinjja? you are going to beat them?"

"YA," Seojun frowned, as they walked towards the hallway, ignoring the attention. "I can, but I won't. Also, I don't want you to be uncomfortable that is it."

Soojin eased up at that, "gomawo, but its okay. I never cared about others, its just..." She stopped, her insecurity was with herself and not other people. She felt oddly dirty now, so she glanced at her hands, the urge to wash them was getting more real.

"Aaraseo," Han Seojun said, breaking her trance by holding her left hand in his right. She looked at him only to be welcomed by a warm smile and a wink, "let's give these idiots something to gossip about." He said holding her hand, entwining their fingers and walking ahead of her.

All Soojin could do was follow him, her hand still in his hold and the collective gasps of the kids around them hardly mattered.

She walked behind him, eyeing the idiotic boy who held her miserable hand, and Soojin never felt so... so good, so special as she did when Seojun walked in the classroom, holding her hand.

"Omo, Han Seojun, Kang Soojin..." The first bencher classmate of theirs pointed at their entwined hands, "are you two dating?"

That caught attention from the entire class, Su-ah and Tae-hoon stopped holding theirs and Suho and Jugyeong glanced at the duo with both surprise and concern.

"Are the rumors true?"

"It may or may not be," Seojun simply shrugged whilst letting go of Soojin's hand, and they settled in their seats.

Su-ah looked over at Soojin and then at Jugyeong, she did not know what happened the other day with the duo but it looked like they had confronted each other.

"Are they really dating?" She asked Jugyeong, in a whisper, "you think Soojin-nnie would date Seojun?"

"Either way," Jugyeong sighed, she was upset at how nice it was to see Soojin with someone and even more upset at how happy she felt. When was she ever going to stop caring for other?

"It is not our concern."

Suho was silent on the entire conversation, focal on the duo who sat besides each other per usual but Seojun was chirpy and Soojin was listening to him.

That was new.

"How is it not? I thought Seojun was your best friend." Su-ah sighed, pouting as she saw Soojin and Seojun at the corner of the class, "and it is so stupid of me, but I'd like Soojin to have someone with her than be alone all the time."

Jugyeong smiled at her friend, she was not alone in this feeling and was glad that Su-ah also felt the same. She glanced at the rumored couple again, before the teacher barged in, and she noticed how Soojin had a small smile on her face.

It was a little twitch, hardly visible and only people who know her would be able to point it out.

"Same, I'd want her to have someone too. And if its Seojun, I only hope she does not hurt him." Jugyeong now glanced at Seojun, the boy was on a rant, speaking about thing and glancing only at Soojin.

He seemed happy, more content, more interested and seemingly, more inclined.

"Because if she does hurt him, she's going to have to face me."

The class ended just as fast as it started. The teachers were almost done studying, they all wanted the kids to study and study as much as they can for the terms and some of them even gave them the entire period to self-study. Many of them skipped lunch so they could study and skim over the lessons, Soojin was suprisingly the only one who was not studying rather looking over at Seojun who was trying to study.

"I cannot, not anymore." He sighed, a bit louder and the others around him shushed him. "Soojin-ah."

"Ani," Soojin replied, shaking her head as she read through the notes she was preparing for Seojun, "terms are next week Seojun. Don't you want to pass?" She whisper-yelled making Seojun groan louder.

"Teacher-nim," Seojun raised his hand midst the silence in the class, "can I go to the washroom?"

Soojin shook her head, that was just an excuse to leave, but Mr. Han was too naive to see that. "You cannot Seojun, but you may." He corrected the boy, whilst Soojin glared at the tall guy. "You may go, Seojun-ah."

The grin Seojun had on his face was only a sign on how desperate he was to escape.

This guy was impossible, Soojin thought with a frown.

How was he going to pass the terms if he could not sit through one hour peacefully?

So she did the one thing she probably should not have done.

Soojin leaned a bit closer to the happy boy, "if you sit back and study for the week then we can go on the date I promised."

At once the grin from Seojun's face was wiped off and he looked at her, baffled and stunned. He was not sure if he heard her right but as he stood frozen, Mr. Han their homeroom teached called out to him.

"Han Seojun, you wanted to go the washroom, right?" He asked the boy who did nothing but sit down quietly. "What happened?"

"I don't want to anymore," Seojun replied, apologising and taking the notes from Soojin's desk. "You better not take back your promise." He muttered under his breath, suddenly studying did not seem too boring for him.

"We are going on that date, I swear I am going to study like a madman this week."

He opened all the books on his desk, scanning through all of it at once and Soojin could not hold back the smile anymore.

It felt too good to be true, because maybe it wasn't.

_

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