10. Best Friend

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Will you stay by my side?
Will you promise me?

Shadows crept through the alleys, whispering wind

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Shadows crept through the alleys, whispering wind. I looked behind myself with wide, helpless eyes as they closed in slowly, appearing for fleeting moments so miniscule that I wondered if they were just figments of my imagination. Another shadow whipped past the intersection in front of me and I whirled in that direction, but found nothing. Footsteps so silent, I didn't even hear them. But I knew. I knew they were there, I knew they were following me.

I ran.

I ran faster than it was possible, I flew. But the moment I went past another intersection, someone lunged at me from the left. My heart leaped into my mouth, threatening to burst out of my body. When I saw the face of my assailant, I paled. On his knees over me, covered in his gory glory, with a malicious grin on his lips and the golden tooth glinting in the dark, was Lee Taeyong himself, a God of blood and gore. His knife was suddenly up in the air, coming down faster than the blade of a guillotine and into my chest-

"Gah!"

I sat up straight in an instant, hand clutching my palpitating heart where Lee Taeyong's blade had went through in my dream. My head fell as I peered down at my chest, which was completely unscathed.

And then I realised how quiet the class was around me.

Shit.

"Mr. Kim, do you have something to say?" our English teacher asked.

All eyes on me, I looked down at my desk, gulping. "N-no, ma'am."

"Can you give me an example of alliteration from the poem we are studying?"

I opened my mouth, but nothing came out. I could hear some of the other students snicker.

"What poem are we studying, Kim Taehyung?"

I remained silent, I didn't even know that.

And hence I ended up standing outside the classroom for the rest of the half hour.

When the class got over and the teacher came out, I bowed at her awkwardly, but she just threw a glare at me and passed by without a word. I sighed, pivoting around to enter the class for my school bag since it was now lunchtime and I had to head to the cafeteria, but one of the bad guys stood blocking the way at the door.

I swallowed, preparing for another round.

"Looking for this?" the one at the front held up my bag. I went for it, but he quickly snatched it out of my reach, and they all cackled. "Not so easily, Kim." He began walking toward me, and I moved away till my back hit the wall on the other side of the hallway. Thankfully, he stopped a meter away from me.

"G-give it back," I stuttered.

"Oh!" The boy feigned surprise, glancing back at his friends. "He speaks! I thought all he does is wag his tail and follow Yoo Jeongyeon around!"

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