Notice Me Senpai

When Taehyung had entered the classroom after being out with Nayeon, Sooyeong's gaze immediately shot over him and she watched him approach his desk.

She felt her heart pound in uncertainty but once he arrived no words were exchanged between the two and in the process of him taking his seat, Sooyeong did notice that his eyes were slightly puffy.

Worry slapped across her face in an instant and she wondered if he had cried but more dauntingly why did he. She thought perhaps it could have been Nayeon’s doing or maybe she had threatened him.

Her mind went berserk with all sorts of outrageous scenarios and she wanted to question him but internally she fought with herself — she knew he wouldn’t want to discuss it, not right now at least.

After he had taken a seat he pulled out his notebooks and shadowed his eyes with his hair to try and cover up the puffiness of his eyes but unbeknown to him Sooyeong had already taken notice of it.

She watched him simply flip through his notebook almost as if the pages would cool down his fuming state and throughout the lesson, still no words nor even a glance were stolen at each other.

But alas, Sooyeong couldn’t handle the ignoring so she simply pulled out a banana milk which Jungkook had given to her earlier with the hope that it would cheer him up then she poked the straw through it and placed it over his desk.

That action obviously surprised him and he looked up at her just as she whispered, “Don’t think of anything, don’t say anything, just drink.”

She faced forward after her words, which was obviously a play on his words from earlier, and out of her peripheral vision she watched him.

At first he stared at the drink as if it was something foreign to him but in reality it was actually her sweet gesture that stumped him.

‘You’re only as pretty as you treat others…' He thought and finally brushed his fingers over the bottle. ‘And Sooyeong was beyond that... How right was I…'

He turned to face her with a tiny smile on his lips and he leaned closer to her with his heart slightly thumping.

“Do you want a sip?” He offered the treat in her direction in an attempt to match her usual kindness.

She turned in surprise at the sudden gesture but he only watched her beautiful eyes drag over his now innocent looking features and dishevelled hair that only amplified that innocent look of his.

From what she had gathered he seemed to have calmed down a lot now as compared to the start of the lesson.

“N-No, it’s meant for you.” She stuttered slightly then turned away to face her notebook. An indirect kiss with him was not something she needed right now. “Just have it.”

His smile only got wider and he bit on his bottom lip, 'Why did I have to fall so hard for you, Sooyeong?’ his thoughts raked his brain again. ‘All you did was buy me hot chocolate and say you liked Van Gogh.’

He propped his elbow on to his desk and sipped on the treat as he watched her jot down notes.

‘No, it wasn’t just because of that…’ he smiled to himself with the straw in between his teeth. ‘It was because you hit differently as compared to other girls — you got that home.’

• • •

Everyone had their own extra curricular activities to attend to and today was Sooyeong’s turn to sweep up the classroom but once she was completed with her task, she stopped by at her locker.

There she grabbed Yoongi's gift, which was placed in a Kumamon themed gift bag but with that she also grabbed two sticky notes which seemed to be from the same person who had been posting them daily now because it was of the same colour as the previous ones — a soft pink but the handwriting, once again, was different.

As her eyes raked over each word written on them she almost collapsed and her heart felt as if it would jump out of her throat since those words made her recall the incident on the rooftop from just two days ago.

The words on each sticky note, respectively read:

'Everyone’s light is precious.’

'Like the stars, don’t disappear.’

Her mind immediately jumped straight on to Taehyung, like the last time when she had read a sticky note because he was the only one that knew what had happened to her and it wasn’t even that long ago since the incident had taken place.

He heart pounded as if it would explode in its next ventricular contraction and her brain tried to comprehend the situation she currently faced.

‘Is this really from Taehyung?’ she asked herself, clearly distressed. 'Even if it was him, why would he make it so obvious? He knows that only he and I knew what took place that day but what if someone else found out about it?’

She frowned and stared deeply at the notes. The handwriting then and now was nothing similar to Taehyung’s nor was it familiar in the least and this threw her off with her wild assumptions about Taehyung but at the same time it ticked the box of the possibility of someone else knowing what had happened that day.

She sighed after a minute of thinking because her thoughts kept rolling back to Taehyung because at the back of her mind she knew anyone could change their handwriting at will and what made her mind even more messed up was the fact that he was literally ambidextrous.

She felt like diving into an abyss to forget all of this.

‘What if I’m overthinking this just because I like Taehyung and want it to be him and no-one else?’ she questioned her sanity with a sigh. ‘Some mystery sender must have wrote me these because I missed school for a day...’

Pleased with the theory which she thought was quite plausible, she looked up and firmly shook her head in acknowledgment.

'I really don’t need to set myself up for a huge disappointment.’ She shut her locker before marching toward the exit. ‘Why would Taehyung even like someone like me anyway? I’m a wreck at home and at school. Plus, he’s way out of my league and obviously has a lot of girls swooning over him who regularly write him confession letters. I need to snap out of my fantasies and be realistic.’

Once she was outside, she decided to check up on Yeontan before she could meet up with the three boys down at the school gates.

As she crouched she noticed all of the extra items that surrounded the little puppy and she smiled to herself. People had definitely heeded Taehyung's written words because Yeontan's now got a doggy pillow in addition to his blanket and his food tray was all stocked up.

The thought of wanting to pet him crossed her mind constantly but she painfully held back because of her fear of dogs. Moreover, without Taehyung there, it was a definite no-no because if something did go haywire he would know exactly what to do unlike her.

“I’m so sorry I can’t pet you just yet, Yeontan.” She frowned at the sleeping puppy. “Hopefully I could soon though… Please stay warm and healthy.”

After her words she quickly jolted down the stairs and ran towards the school gates which sat at the bottom of a slightly steep hill — as if Physical Education wasn’t enough exercise in itself that the terrain had to add to the suffering as well.

As she ran down the hill, her eyes spotted the security guard near the gate and it seemed like her heavy steps against the tar caught his attention because he glanced over at her.

“Bye Ahjussi!” In her rush she greeted but somehow she still managed to send him a slight bow.

He bowed in reply but as she neared the bottom of the hill she suddenly full-on crashed straight into someone that hadn’t been there a second ago.

She gasped when her body came into contact with their chest and instantly she felt a strong, firm arm snake around her waist which held her securely in place so she wouldn’t rebound but this sudden encounter almost felt as if it was well anticipated because of the boy’s quick reflexes. Also, in the process of this scene, her nasal cavity filled with an all too familiar scent.

“Whoa, there noona.” The voice was smooth and gentle. “Be careful.”

She breathed in a hint of Downey Fabric softener which made her instantly recognise the culprit.

“Ah, J-Jungoo.” Sooyeong blushed at their position because she was literally pressed up against him but that position also sparked a past memory.

She remembered when Nayeon commented on her chest being flush against Jungkook's back in Biology class so on instinct she tried to back away from him but he didn’t release. Instead, he only shifted their position. His arm was now slung around her shoulder and she was pulled closer into his side which in turn deepened her blush.

Taehyung only watched the two with a soft frown because he had seen Jungkook stepping in front of the gate but he didn’t actually think that Sooyeong would’ve crashed into him since Jungkook was practically hard to miss.

He raked a hand through his hair with sigh as they headed out and he wondered why in the world did she have to greet the security guard without looking where she was going because Jungkook now had the honour of holding her close to him whilst sending Taehyung a very amused look.

“Yah,” Sooyeong heard Jimin's voice ring sweetly through the air as he walked slightly ahead of the two. “Did you break any bones Soo ah? Jungkook’s abs are legit Kirishima* hard.”

She looked over at Jimin with a soft smile and for the first time she noticed Taehyung walking beside him who was nibbling on his bottom lip, “I think I might have broken my abacus...”

“Your abacus?” Jimin questioned but on the other hand Taehyung sharply made eye contact with her and he couldn’t help but crack a smile at her obviously stolen joke.

“It’s nothing. I'm fine.” She softly stated then snuggled into Jungkook's side even more. “And Jungoo is the softest bunny ever.”

Her actions and words surprised Taehyung. And he definitely started to feel the pinch to Jungkook's plan of deceit a little more.

“Muscle Kookie only has a soft spot for noona.” Jungkook said then shot Taehyung another teasing and flirtatious look.

“Yah! What about me?” Jimin hollered in disbelief and Jungkook only brushed him off with his free hand.

“Don’t be so cold Jungoo.” Sooyeong pouted and sent Jimin finger hearts instead of going to hug him because Jungkook still held onto her.

Taehyung’s heart warmed at her cute sight but alas, while she was lost in killing Jimin with her finger hearts he glanced up at Jungkook with a blank look and mouthed inaudibly, “You did all of that on purpose, didn’t you?”

Jungkook smirked with a little wink and mouthed back, “Is someone jealous that she isn’t in their arms?”

Taehyung huffed annoyedly and rolled his eyes before looking ahead of him because Jungkook was in fact correct — he felt utterly jealous seeing her snuggle into someone else’s arms when it could be him instead.

The warmth and home he felt when he always embraced her was something he thrived on and wanted to experience regularly now but alas, he wasn’t sure of how she actually felt toward him for him to keep doing it.

Moreover, he was afraid that things would go haywire if he confessed especially without learning what her true feelings were because as always he was so lost with the female populations emotions. But despite that it hadn’t stopped him from flirting with her whenever he could.

Nevertheless, all four of them made their way to Café Shooky and once there Jungkook splattered onto the outer side of the glass that was stained with a huge image of Shooky. His eyes scanned the surrounding area in search of Yoongi and Taehyung took this chance to stand beside Sooyeong as they waited for the go ahead.

Once the coast was clear (since Yoongi went into the kitchen) they all hurriedly snuck inside the warm café and into the Genius Lab while Hoseok stood on lookout.

When they had entered the usually student occupied Lab they all heaved a sigh at their little covert action movie snippet which they just pulled off and their eyes fell over the room.

One side of the room was decorated with cute-looking blue and white polka dotted balloons, a number of streamers, a fancy table with all sorts of treats and above it hung a banner that read Happy Birthday Yoongi — it was quite simple as Hoseok assured but it was still elegant enough.

After placing their gifts on a table near the entrance, they noticed a variety of familiar faces and Sooyeong's eyes raked over everyone. She smiled when she saw Seokjin and Namjoon conversing with each other, Jungkook had immediately ran over to Eunwoo who was blowing up last-minute balloons with his five friends (Sanha, Moonbin, JinJin, Mj and Rocky) and then Jimin coolly walked over to TXT.

“Yah! Taehyun ah!” Sooyeong beamed suddenly, and Taehyung had a mini heart attack mostly because he thought she was calling out to him. “My favourite wizard!”

He watched her waddle over to the group of boys and she hugged the said boy who was full of smiles then she hugged the rest of them.

“Ah noona,” Beomgyu cooed whilst touching her hair. “You changed your hairstyle?”

But before she could answer, Taehyung walked up to the gawking boys and ruffled her hair, “A fresh new look for Spring, it suits her doesn’t it?”

She looked up at Taehyung with doe eyes because she was surprised at his sudden contact but Beomgyu simply nodded in response.

“Yah! Kim ssi and Min ssi,” both of them turned at the sound of Namjoon's voice and they saw him, now standing solo with some candles in hand. “Could you help me with these, I don’t want to break anything…”

The both of them chuckled with a nod and shuffled over. Namjoon was known around school as The God of Destruction because he broke almost anything he came into contact with.

In any case, Taehyung had immediately taken the lead by opening up the white cake box then proceeded to set the cake in front of Sooyeong who was ready and waiting with the candles.

“Later Yoongi hyung will say aah~,” Taehyung voiced cutely as he watched her gently poke the said candles into the white cake. “He will say it and smile.”

She nodded in agreement, thinking about Yoongi’s soft side.

People often got the wrong idea about him simply because he had a resting face that was rather intimidating but beneath all of it all he cared deeply and was passionate about a lot of things.

“He will also say,” Namjoon started and Taehyung’s gaze fell over him. “No need to surprise me.”

Sooyeong finally looked up with a content smile and grabbed the match box, “That’s right but he really deserves this. He’s a good person.”

She pulled out a match stick but in a flash Taehyung's hands went for hers however, she was quick to pull back with a slight pout and she is stared at him.

“But I want to do it.” He pouted back and tried his luck again but to no avail.

“Yah, let me be like Kim Jennie in the playing with fire music video...” She shot back, and struck the matchstick against the box away from him.

Taehyung sighed deeply, “It should be more like bultaurene because you aren’t actually playing with fire…”

“My love is on fire ooh…” She softly sung, clearly ignoring him as she set fire to the five candles. “Now burn baby burn… Oh naneul...”

“I hope you two aren’t always quarrelling like this in class and causing disruptions.” Namjoon spoke with his hands set on his hips.

“Namjoon-nim it was only one time because of Yeontan...” Taehyung whined.

“Oh yes! I heard about the little pup.” Namjoon chuckled.

“Yah! Is the cake ready?” Jimin ran over to the table where they stood. “Hoseok hyung is about to bring hyung in.”

“Yes, as a matter of fact it is,” Namjoon announced and Taehyung took the cake within his large hands.

By now everyone had gathered close by to each other and awaited Yoongi’s arrival.

Soon enough he lazily walked through the door and everyone had instantly chorused into the birthday song coupled with excited claps.

At first, Yoongi looked shocked and absolutely lost but as he looked around the room his features soon settled into a warm smile. Then Taehyung shuffled to stand in front of him.

The birthday song was going great with everyone’s voices harmonising wonderfully but that was until they had to mention whose birthday they’re celebrating.

Everyone in the room called him hyung, while Sooyeong and Seokjin were the only odd ones out, who called him Oppa and Yoongi ah, respectively.

Taehyung brought the cake even closer to Yoongi so he could blow out the candles.

“Why are there only five candles?” Yoongi asked before he blew out the candles and everyone had clapped, excitedly.

“Aish so, the first words to a surprise party are why are there only five candles.” Namjoon stated amusedly and everyone laughed.

“In our hearts you’re five years old, hyung.” Taehyung touched his chest to emphasize his point. “And what’s your 2022 year wish?”

Yoongi stared into space for a bit as if he was thinking about what it was.

“Hyung, the cake's colour is the same as you.” Jungkook piped whilst staring at Yoongi’s white t-shirt and ultra pale skin.

“Let’s get Jungkook to give him a slap on the bum.” Hoseok randomly announced which baffled everyone.

“Why slap hyung?” Yeonjun asked, surprised.

“On the butt too?” Soobin added from beside Seokjin.

“Is it a tradition of some sort?” Moonbin softly asked.

“It’s just for fun and laughter.” Hoseok cackled then clapped his hands together.

“My 2022 wish is…”

“Okay hyung, you say your wish while I slap you.” Jungkook interjected Yoongi as he went on to pull up his sleeves.

“My wish is not to get a birthday slap...”

“Your wish is invalid.” Namjoon chuckled as Jungkook tucked the back of Yoongi’s t-shirt into in his pants.

“Use all your power.” Seokjin added with a laugh but this sight was so unfamiliar for the rest of the gang that they only watched in anticipation.

“Yah, don’t.” Sooyeong added with a pout and stepped toward Yoongi. “Sometimes Jungkook isn’t a soft bunny.”

Taehyung shot his gaze at her and he stared at her with a cocked eyebrow. He began to wonder if she actually got hurt when she crashed into Jungkook earlier.

“No, do it!” Hueningkai hollered and just like that Jungkook stretched back his arm then landed a slap across Yoongi’s butt.

Yoongi barely moved though but despite that everyone clapped in laughter, so it was a good indication that his butt bones where still in tact or rather, his abacus was just fine.

“So what do you want to do now, hyung?” Jimin smiled widely.

“Nothing.”

“Yah! I didn’t prepare all of this for nothing, hyung.” Hoseok reprimanded. “We are all going to eat and mingle!”

“Are we allowed to?” Sanha innocently asked and pointed between him and Moonbin. “Technically we’re cutting into work time…”

“Yah! Everyone just enjoy this little gathering!” Hoseok announced sternly. “And the only thing we’ll be cutting into is the cake!”

After Hoseok's demands everyone dispersed away from him to either mix up and talk in groups or they headed to the refreshments table where there laid multiple eats and drinks but before Sooyeong could make a move Eunwoo pulled her aside to talk in private.

They stood near Yoongi’s gifts and she looked at his handsome features in perplexity.

“Did something happen?” her voice was soft.

“You don’t jump me anymore.” he cracked a small smile.

“I know!” She beamed, happily. “By eating carrots you improve your vision. At least that’s what I’ve always been told by Seokjin Oppa…”

He laughed softly and his eyes disappeared behind his eyelids similarly in the case for Jimin, “Your humour hasn’t vanished, that’s good to see.”

“Isn’t laughter a good medicine?” She smiled but not far from them Taehyung caught their face-to-face stance as he stood with two plates in either of his hands, each with a slice of cake.

He looked at them in confusion as a frown took over and he took a few steps away from the treat-filled table.

“You’re not wrong.” He answered but then his expression morphed into a more neutral one which worried her, “And I know we barely spoke since senior year began but I just wanted to ask if you’re doing alright after all that’s happened recently and with Dansae as well?”

She pursed her lips and nodded her head, “I’m coping and like I said before you don’t need to worry.”

“Are you sure?” his voice was underlined with concern which only increased her anxiety. “Because I saw Tae hyung carry you after school on Monday. I thought something might have happened plus you two were absent yesterday.”

Her anxiety levels rocketed off the charts and she wondered if he knew something he shouldn’t.

“Oh,” she started rather nervously. “It was just emotional exhaustion from everything I guess so I took a day off and crazily enough Taehyung did so as well but I’m fine now. There’s really nothing to worry about.” She explained as convincingly as she could — in fact whatever she had said is partially the truth and no lies.

Eunwoo smiled again then placed a hand over her shoulder and gave it a little squeeze, “We’ve known each other for a long time so if you ever need to talk to anyone I’m here just like everyone else is.”

“Aish, you’re too sweet. Thank you.” She gave him a side hug and ushered him back to where everyone else was but deep down Sticky Note suspect number two bulleted itself into her brain. “Let’s eat something shall we?”

“Yah, Soo ah,” Taehyung finally grew the courage to break her away from Eunwoo and she turned to look his way. “I got you a piece of the chocolate cake!”

She smiled at how innocent he looked.

“Your new seatmate is waiting for you.” Eunwoo cooed and gently pushed her in Taehyung’s direction before he could squeeze in next to both Jimin and Jungkook.

She sent Eunwoo a smile before she ushered her way toward Taehyung who had quickly settled down into a free booth to which she had followed suit and occupied the seat opposite to him.

Similarly, when Sooyeong hadn’t asked about what had transpired between him and Nayeon before History class. He thought he should do the same by keeping a sealed lip and not dig into whatever Eunwoo had asked her just now. So instead, he slid the decadent-filled plate closer to her form.

“Eat. My life's mission of making your cheeks fat hangs in the balance.” He cracked a silly joke then broke a pair of chopsticks.

“I don’t want Mandu cheeks...” She frowned but poked at the cake nonetheless. “Say… Do you think anyone else knows what happened that day on the rooftop and in the restroom?”

“If you’re asking if I told anyo—”

“I’m not saying you told anyone. I’m just curious.” She pouted obviously annoyed by his false accusation.

“Did Eunwoo ask you something that made you think that?” Taehyung put down his chopsticks and looked at her expectantly — it seemed like he had no choice but to dig.

She leaned her head against the palm of her hand and stared down at the cake. “He just mentioned that he saw us after school on Monday and wondered if I was sick since you carried me.”

“And?” his eyebrows were furrowed in concern. “What did you say?”

“I didn’t lie to him and I didn’t tell him the whole truth either.” She stated, then broke a piece from the cake. “Aish, just forget it and enjoy the cake.”

Taehyung sighed and only watched her eat the tiny piece of cake which she had just broken off. But, that only caused an idea to spark in that weirdly amazing brain of his which he knew would put her mind at ease.

“Yah,” he chirped and her eyes lazily dragged over him. “I bet you I can fit this entire piece of cake in my mouth.”

She stared at him with her lips parted and a cocked eyebrow. Clearly, she was baffled by his weird idea.

“Tae ah, we only covered the Heimlich manoeuvre in theory. We never actually did it in practical.” She explained with a pointed look. “So if you get the cake lodged in your throat and start to choke, you’re on own.”

“You would really just watch me choke like that?”

She shrugged and continued eating her cake, “How about a tracheostomy with a straw then?”

“A what?” he looked puzzled.

“It’s a procedure where an incision is made over the front portion of the neck to facilitate breathing again if something where to obstruct the trachea — which could potentially be the cake in this instance.” She shot him a snarky look and he cringed yet he was still amazed by her intellect.

“You're way over the top Soo ah,” he whined, nonetheless. “That’s obviously university level syllabus which means you have zero practical experience on that as well so why suggest it?”

She sighed in defeat, “To scare you  so you don’t actually go ahead with this risky idea of yours.” Her pitch slightly increased. “Honestly, you’re so crazy.”

“Yes I am,” he smirked and sent her a wink which put a hole through her heart. “I’m crazy for myself.”

“Who wouldn’t be…” She mumbled to herself as she ate in order to avoid any further eye contact.

“What was that?”

“I didn’t say anything...”

“Okay, let’s just get this over with because you’re obviously underestimating my skills.” He announced and clashed his chopsticks together. “If I actually do it, you’ll let me post that picture of you with an almost A Starry Night moustache.”

“W-What?” she choked on her cake and stared at him in disbelief. “N-No! You will not! It’s embarrassing.”

“And if I choke like you did just now then I’ll...” He motioned for her to continue from where he left off.

She looked at him with an annoyed look but he didn’t budge so she agonisingly agreed, “Fine.”

She thought of asking him about the sticky notes but alas she remembered something else.

“You’ll tell me why your eyes were puffy and red after lunch.”

His happy state faltered slightly, “I guess you noticed that… But it’s a deal!”

Sooyeong only sat back and watched him in utter concern as he took the entire slice of cake between his chopsticks, and elevated it.

As he brought the slice up to his wide open mouth she couldn’t help but feel overly tensed for the both of them because if he did choke she wondered if she’d actually be able to pull off the Heimlich manoeuvre on him.

Taehyung gave her a glance as the sweet treat made first touch with his tongue which somehow sent a chill down her spine.

Then, miraculously enough, in a single swift motion he fitted the entire slice into his mouth. Which instantly made his cheeks overly chubby and his lips were forced into a pout.

Sooyeong unconsciously slapped a hand over her mouth and her eyes rounded in shock at his quirky, newly discovered talent. Insanity was that he didn’t choke at all. Rather, he simply proceeded to chew on it almost as if it were a regular bite sized piece — except with extra chubby cheeks.

“I can’t believe you just did that.” She was still clearly shocked even after he had long swallowed.

“I told you I could do it.” He smirked, devilishly, and almost seductively-like leaned back in his seat. “I’m skilled at many things.”

“And I can see that.” She softly laughed, completely missing his innuendo because subconsciously she wondered what was going to happen once Taehyung posted that image of her. “Also, when you post my picture make sure you post yours as well, parasite ssi.”

She looked at him with a firm yet cute pouty face but he only looked at her with raised eyebrows, “Obviously I will but I’m overjoyed to see you’re putting your happiness above all.”

Her features contorted into confusion.

“Are you not bothered about what Nayeon might think about the pictures?”

“I don’t actually have a moustache for her to shave off besides I've got nothing else to lose so what’s the point?”

He leaned forward and spoke deeply, “You may have lost something that day as sad as it’s to say but ultimately you’ve gained a parasite.”

She laughed softly, “I guess I did.”

He smiled at her as she continued eating. Feeling quite content with being able to make her feel this happy and it set nostalgia over him because once upon a time they had been close friends just like this but in contrast, their roles were reversed.

“Soo ah,” Taehyung spoke up again and she looked up from her almost empty plate.

He really wanted to tell her why he had cried earlier and how much she meant to him but alas, he just couldn’t bring himself to do it, “I told Nayeon to stay away from you… so let’s hope on our lucky stars that she does.”

“Let’s hope she does, thank you.” She gave him a warm smile in return then looked down. ‘And thank you for being My Strange Hero, Tae ah.’

A U T H O R ' S  N O T E

Kirishima is from My Hero Academia and he's legit such a sweet, sweet cinnamon roll! If you haven't watched the anime then please do. 10/10 recommends for higher grades and clearer skin. 💜 Sarani Mukoi, Plus Ultra!

Author, Lu 💜