6. one and half

*Thud Thud*

"Ya Le Su, it's us. Open up."

And Suho did just that, he opened the door to the closed karoke room and immediately the duo jumped in, panting heavily and hands entwined. Su-ah and Jugyeong watched them both with eyes widened, a clear sign of being absolutely shocked because not only was this duo the last thing they expected to be together, they were also holding hands.

Han Seojun and Kang Soojin were fighting for their breath when they got in, Suho closing the door behind them and they took a minute to get their breath back. "Gwenchana?" Seojun asked, still panting and Soojin nodded, running her hand through her long hair.

"You?" She asked, and he nodded, their hands still unable to let go. With the mere shock of events, their hands had clasped firmly. "Ya Han Seojun, I'm never going out with you." She managed to speak, as they sat on the cushioned sofa, Seojun nodding in agreement.

"Can we atleast know what happened?" Su-ah asked, eyeing the duo, "and why are you two together?"

"I'd like to know that too." Jugyeong asked, looking at the duo and then eyeing their hands which they still refused to let go. "Seojun..."

They looked at each other, and then their hands and immediately retreated their hands, a little embarassed by the turn of events. And Soojin realised she was with the people she had broken off with, Su-ah, Jugyeong, Suho and a few of their other group friends, they were all here waiting for an explanation and not really pleased to see her with them.

"Ya," Seojun got up, rummaging through Suho's bag to get himself some water. "Let me atleast catch my breath." He gulped the water down instantly, all eyes on him. They waited for him to finish drinking, there Soojin had her head in her hands, catching her breath.

"Explain." Suho asked, hands folded across his chest and Seojun cleared his throat. "Now."

*Earlier That Day*

The math club was something Soojin loved attending, it was a group of nerds trying to make a point in the world by embracing mathematics, a subject they commonly loved. Soojin was pressured to attend the club, of course by her dear father, but knowing that Suho would be here made it easier for her to sit through it all. Ever since Jugyeong arrived, Suho's attention towards their friendship had lessened and so were his interests and that left Soojin to attend the club all by herself.

It wouldn't be hard if it wasn't for the public post about her which the entire school had read. She was given the side eye by all the kids of the club, and this time, none of them asked her for help or inputs for their next activities. Even though Soojin would really leave, she knew she'd be better here than at home and hence she sat behind, laying her head on the desk and trying to sleep.

Alas, sleep was distant to her, even though her body desperately needed a break, her mind had been cluttered with thoughts that would choke her if she didn't pay attention to them. She was a slave to her own self and she hated it.

"Kang Soojin," She heard a very familiar annoying voice and she was not pleased to see the owner of that voice. "Let's go." He said, which was less of a request, more of a command.

"What?" She muttered, confused but the other members of the club couldn't help but swoon at the handsome guy, especially the girls. "Wae?"

"Ya, you and your waes, can't you just listen to me once without questioning?"

"Aniyo. I'm not an idiot."

"Well, then who is the one I'm looking at right now?"

"Well, you're mistaking me with your mirror."

While Han Seojun and Kang Soojin went back and forth with their childish bickering, the math club were now more interested in the duo than the problems. How did the pair of the most wholesome with the most gruesome happen, nobody knew, but it sure was something.

"Ya Han Seojun, I'm not going anywhere with you." Soojin concluded, sitting back and eyeing the tall guy. "The very last thing I want to do is spend time with you outside school."

"Too bad, because I want to discuss the project, we need to select a topic."

"We can do that here..."

"And I'm thirsty..."

"School does has unlimited supply of drinking water."

"I meant caffeine," Seojun was annoyed by the witty girl, she was always a step ahead of him in both words and ways. "And before you say vending machine, i want hot coffee from the cafe near school."

Soojin packed her bags, she had a lot of attention already on her and with Han Seojun there really wasn't an escape from being in the spotlight. They walked out of the little room and Soojin glared at the boy who seemed too happy. "You genuinely don't seem interested in the project," She said, as they made their way past the school ground and towards the exit. "Why are you doing all of this so suddenly? It cannot be just a few handful of marks or the fact that your Omma now wants you to be studious." Han Seojun stopped walking when Soojin questioned her, to the point.

"You're right." Seojun shrugged, hands in his pockets, "this isn't just for a handful of marks." He smiled at her and Soojin had to step back to actually witness Seojun smiling at her, out of everyone in school. With that annoyingly charming smile, he walked past the confused girl.

"Then what is it?"

Han Seojun turned, now walking backwards, "I heard you're the second best student in this entire school." He winked at her, annoying her even more, "figure it out, princess."

"What did you just call me?"

But Han Seojun was already running out of the gate, before Soojin could get a hold of him and that marked the first of many near death escapes for the boy.

_

"One espresso macchiato," Soojin gave her order, standing back while Seojun scanned through the menu.

"One chocolate cream chip frappuccino, with two pumps of vanilla and one teaspoon sugar, no ice and an extra sprinkle of caramel." Seojun beamed at the barista, his smile making the girl behind the counter to blush a bit and the girl besides him to frown a bit more. "Gomawo." He winked at her and she wrote their orders on the white cup, while they went back to their seats.

"I thought k-pop idols had to watch their weight." Soojin remarked as they sat across from each other, Seojun's attention on his mobile now diminished at the mention of the band.

"I thought being nosey was not your trait." He replied, snarkily without looking at her. "Don't consider this outing as anything more than a project collab." He replied, scanning through his Instagram, "I'd rather not have people think ill about me."

Soojin was tongue tied, because in the past couple of days, she felt Han Seojun's presence a bit more welcoming than annoying and just when she was getting a hang of it, he reminded her of what she was. Soojin rubbed her hands, trying to not jump on the self destructive train while Han Seojun noticed her hands a bit more clearly as she opened her laptop.

It was no news that Kang Soojin was a beautiful girl, had a naturally gifted beauty and from what he heard, a smile that could calm the seas. But her hands, he observed, they were anything but beautiful. The shades were darker than her skin colour, reddish black marks were visible on the back of her hands and the skin seemed peeled off a lot. He looked at his own hands, the way his mother would always apply moisturizer to his hands so that they wouldn't succumb to the cold made him smile.

He looked at the girl, typing on her laptop and then at his mobile, "What's the topic?" He asked, keeping mobile aside for the minute as Soojin met his gaze.

"There's a lot to choose from," Soojin replied, sliding the laptop so it could face the both of them and she scrolled through the list of ideas and examples as circulated by their teacher. "I suppose we could choose a theorem explanation for mathematics or we could choose korean literature in ancient times." She waited for Han Seojun to reply but the guy kept staring at her in disbelief, he did not even blink once.

"What?"

"Ya, I know you're boring, Soojin, but to choose these tremendously boring topics should be a crime." He dramatically exclaimed, his words got Soojin to frown again. "Wae," He said, shaking his head, "why are you so boring."

Soojin didn't like that she had another negative adjective to her list, alongside loner and while Han Seojun scrolled the list, she sat back.

Was she boring? Is that why Suho never noticed her in the past ten years? Or is that why her father was never proud of her? Or is that why she could disappear and no one would notice.

"This... This sounds like a Han Seojun project." He grinned and Soojin knew that meant trouble. She doubted that anything that made Seojun to grin could ever match her satisfaction. "We should have a project on this, it's going to be a hit."

Soojin frowned as she took the laptop from him and she stared at the words he had highlighted.

The Psychology in being a Villain

The drinks arrived right then and while Han Seojun cheerfully drank his, Soojin kept staring at the laptop screen, her hand only holding the hot coffee cup. "Now that we've decided on the topic, I think we're done for the day." He replied eyeing the time on his mobile. "It's time for the karoke," he muttered to himself, while Soojin nodded, carrying the untouched coffee with her as the duo left the store.

"Wow, look who do we have here."

Han Seojun's eyes widened at that similar screeching voice and Soojin turned to see a few tall and built guys walk towards them. From the way they looked, especially the way they dressed, Soojin knew this meant trouble.

"Leave," Han Seojun held Soojin's arm, taking her by surprise but nevertheless pulling her close. "Leave before they arrive." He whispered to which Soojin shook her head.

Why she was agreeing to this, she didn't know, but Soojin never left without a fight.

"Ya Han Seojun," The leader of their petty gang, the guy with a smirk on his face walked towards the duo. "Another girl in your arm? I must say, you do be living our fantasies." He laughed on his own joke and the guys behind him did too, while Soojin cringed at their words.

"I'm here, you idiot." Han Seojun stood in front of Soojin, pulling the sleeves of his jacket, "eyes at my handsome face."

"Handsome face?" The other guy chuckled, "it may not be that handsome once we're done with you."

"Or give the money you owe us, and we let you and your girlfriend go." The tall guy with a funny haircut said, shrugging. "With an apology, so we can spare your face from bruises."

"I'm not giving you any money," Han Seojun replied, as they gathered round him, "the deal we had was fair." Soojin was confused but at the same time a bit agitated at the gang who were literally harrassing them.

"Jinjja?" The guy with the annoying smirk chuckled, "well, how about we settle this here?" He shrugged, facing Han Seojun as they stood faces apart. "The alley behind the cafe, that would be a good spot to bury you."

"Ya," Soojin had enough of this as she shifted from behind Han Seojun, "you do know this isn't the 80s to be walking around with your friends like y'all are gangsters? Or is this your silly playtime, because your Ommas would be wanting you home."

Han Seojun's eyes widened at the remark and he held the urge to laugh aloud while the leader of their gang was all the more upset. "Who do you think you are, you slimy little bitch." And the moment he completed that sentence, he felt a knock of darkness overwhelm his senses as he lost control for that minute. Holding his eye, he leaped on the ground, the other guys surrounding him while Soojin held her hand in pain.

"Ya, Kang Soojin, did you just punch the leader of the gang?" Han Seojun asked, marvelled at the turn of events, "do you know what to do now?"

"Yes, we fight."

"There's six of them and one & half of us."

"Ya, you calling me half a person?"

"No that's me."

The guys were furiously eyeing the duo who were now backing down, "I have a nicer alternative." Han Seojun forwarded his hand towards Soojin, "let's run."

_