Phobia-Duty After School

Fifteen

    "Was he just aiming at you?" Min-ha mumbled after watching Yeong-su shift away towards the initial target. Il-ha didnt get to answer before the Lieutenant began barking some more orders at Min-ha's class.

    Everything with trainging was a bit much on Min-ha's body, but she enjoyed it. She enjoyed not being tormented mentally. She liked not having to think about Young-hoon and the morbid death keeping her hippocampus under its control. She did notice the chunk taken out of the school in the back corner. It was caved in like a cookie and someone had taken a bite of it. Thats exactly how she would describe it; excluding the wires and layers of broken cables spilling out.

    "Min-ha! Do you mind taking a video?" Chi-yeol asked, running up to her as she was standing with her girl group and Tae-man. They were drinking some water and complaining about the grimy dirt wedged into crevasse's they shouldn't have been in.

    "Oh, sure." Min-ha nodded.

    "Let me come with you." Tae-man gave his usual dramatic, and sassy grin. Min-ha didnt care to argue and let him link his arm with hers and walked side by side almost similarly to a wedding couple down the aisle. They followed Chi-yeol over the the soft grassy sidelines from the courtyard and sat where he told them to.

    "Look at us. Your mom will be happier to see me on the screen rather than you." He poked fun at her with a smile. Min'ha gave him a look and ignored him, fixing her greasy bangs. Her skin was oily and packed with a thin layer of dirt.

    "Nobody will be paying attention to you while im on screen so dont worry about fixing... that." She said, waving her hand up to his hair held inside the helmet. He twitched his lip at her and gave her a sharp glare before smiling at the camera. His usual 180 of facial expressions for the right occasion.

    "OKay. State your names and then say how training is going to your parents." Chi-yeol said behind the cameras. Min'ha was wondering how he was keeping it together so well.

    "Trainee Wang Tae-man and Trainee Cheong Min-ha. We are having a really good time and enjoying our training, but i unfortunately have to consider placing myself higher on a ranking chart compared to Min-ha. Shes one of the last to finish everytime." Tae-man only stopped talking after he was dramatically slapped in the arm.

    "No, im not. I always do better than like five other people." Min-ha glared at him and rolled her eyes before smiling to the camera. "I miss you guys and i love you lots. Hello, Mrs. Wang, i miss you too and i love you too." Min-ha dipped her head to the camera.

    "I miss you guys more and lots and lots. We want to come home soon—"

    "Dinner is being served, lets go!" Lieutenant Lee yelled from behind them. Min-ha and Tae-man didnt even look excited besides getting to eat something. It was never good and felt...clammy? If that was the right word, she'd use that one. It wasnt good.

    Chi-yeol shut the camera and the trio walked backto their classroom, before heading up the stairs to the schools building. Min-ha was a lot more quiet than Tae-man remembered and glanced her way every now and then. She used to joke around with him, but she seemed gloomy. He wondered if she was just tired from training or if she was on her period. Being her childhood friend, he knew her mood-swings, what she liked and what she didnt. He didnt feel awkward knowing and being nicer to her since he knew it wasnt something she could help or turn off. She always craved sweets, and she seemed sadder than usual.

    "Are you okay?" He asked as they walked side by side into the cafeteria. He paused in front of the door frame to let her walk through first.

    "Yeah, im fine..." She muttered as she kept her eyes glued anywhere else but Tae-man. He also knew any woman that said she was 'fine' was in fact not fine. He eyed her, but decided not to pressure her about it anymore. He followed behindd her into the lunch line and grabbed ahold of the metal, premade trays with rotted looking food.