04: my name is kang taehyun

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[FLASHBACK]

In middle school, he had wanted to go to the same school as Yeonjun was planning to go to, RJYM Private Academy. But when the time came around, it just wasn't an option financially. Going off to his nearest public high school instead, he mainly focused on studying. Soon enough, he fell victim to the academic cycle of repeat. Wake up. Eat. Study. Sleep. Every day felt like the same thing over and over again. He would spend so much time trying to inch his grades up, just to be disappointed by his results. Not only that but he was ignored by almost everyone. Sometimes in class, he would look around at all of his classmates and have an epiphany. To them, he looked like some gloomy nerd who just couldn't socialize. Someone who probably played mythical lore games and would snitch on you if you asked for test answers. But that wasn't true. He hated talking to smart people, probably cause he wasn't one of them. He wasn't interested in things like Star Wars or calculus. That was probably why he had no friends. Everyone was getting the wrong idea about him. It was frustrating, it was lonely. But after a while, he gave up on caring. He couldn't get friends now, so why keep trying?

He couldn't start living now, so why not just survive instead.

That was until the summer before his junior year of high school. An email from the principal of RJYM Private Academy was sent to his parents. His grades had peaked high enough in the past two years, that he could enter the school without the cost. He would have to take AP classes, but that didn't matter to him. He had been wanting to go to that school for so long, he was just excited to get the chance to go. For once, something good happened.

It was until the night before his first day of school at RJYM. He laid on his bed thinking, why did I even want to go there? He had forgotten. He had been so lost in the grind of getting high grades, that he had forgotten why he had wanted to go. He was so out of touch with his old self that he couldn't remember the feeling. Friendship, friendship was why I wanted to go. How long has it been since I've made a new one of those?

~~~

[PRESENT TENSE]

"Later," he said.
"Later~," she turned around and began walking down the left street. Taehyun watched as she walked. I wonder what made her go...what was the word he used? Looney? Yeah, Taehyun thought.

"O-oh, Y/N!"

"Huh?"

"My name is Taehyun, Kang Taehyun!"

"Kang Taehyun?"

"Yeah..."

"That's a nice name, Kang Taehyun,"

"Thanks..."

"Well, I'll see you tomorrow Kang Taehyun!"

She skipped away, slowly disappearing from his vision. He wasn't exactly sure why he waited until she was gone to leave, but he did. For some reason, my heart feels...different, he thought. The thought of her smiling as brightly as she always did, made his cheeks burn. What the f-, no, no, I need to stop thinking about her, he took a deep breath. The street light above him flickered on. Isn't it a bit early for that? he looked up at the lamp. It wasn't that dark yet. Another image of her popped up in his head. Isn't it a bit early for this? but this time, he wasn't referring to a street lamp.

Kang Taehyun, an easily disgusted, a-little-too-serious, junior, who was accepted into the academy for his grades

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Kang Taehyun, an easily disgusted, a-little-too-serious, junior, who was accepted into the academy for his grades. He's better at simply studying than he is actually smart, and he's pretty stingy with money. He was a childhood friend to popular boy Yeonjun, and lives in a small home with his intimidating mother. And for some reason, he just couldn't go a day without running into one particular girl.

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