My dear loser: InSun's Playlist

Track 12: The Hanky Man Part 2

Miss Kraimin led us to the school's maintenance office even after The Big Five's complaint about the head's decision.

"Get the things you need and follow me." Miss Kraimin said once we reached the room that is full of cleaning tools.

We all moved and picked things that we think were good and walked to where Miss Kraimin led us until finally reaching the school's back gate.

"Clean this area until 5pm. I'll be going back here every hour to check your progress." She adjusted her eyeglass,"In. Come with me." She ended and we all went to cleaning.

In walked towards her away from us. She was telling something to In but I couldn't hear her. It was obvious though that she was angry. After a couple of minutes, she finally went inside the school and In went back to where we were.

I watched In as he walked. His two front teeth were peeking behind his almost closed mouth. He looked cute with his left hand that was holding the broom as he hit every tree that he passed, looking annoyed by whatever Miss Kraimin's told him. I noticed every single thing about him. All of those little things that I doubt he knew, and only I know of.

The stupid me did it. I miss him and only realized that I was staring at him when he suddenly looked at my direction as his broom flew out of his hand.

I regret looking at him. I regret blushing. I regret being stupid.

I quickly turned my face to Nam Peach and Oh who were cleaning intently.

"You're really into it huh?" I teased them.

"Of course! We should clean it properly." Peach explained.

"You're really into him huh?" Oh teased back.

"What?" I asked, not understanding what he meant.

"I saw you staring at In." Oh smiled.

"What? No!"

"Okay okay. Relax Sun." He smiled even more.

"Hey." I looked at them. "I'll go near them. I wanna know who the owner of the handkerchief is."

"What? You're gonna smell each one of them?" Nam disgustingly asked.

I just raised my shoulders and slowly swept through the leaves towards the Big Five.

Nam eyed me, she couldn't believe that I would do it.

I went near Lot first. He's the first in my list. He's been acting weird lately.

"Hey!" Nam whispered, "come back here!" she warned me, but I still did it.

I sniffed like a dog. I was like a crazy dog looking for food.

I expected Lot to be the one, but he smelled different. His perfume is of a girl's.

Slowly I traced back my steps. One down, four to go.

"What the hell are you doing?!" It was Copper's voice. I stopped walking and waited for more of what he's going to say without raising my head.

"Why are you sniffing me?!" He added. I thought for a moment. As I remember I went to Lot. Wait, was it Copper that I went to?

My heart was beating fast. I think I 'm going to see hell again.

I slowly looked at him.

There he was standing, looking down on Nam who was frozen--holding Copper's uniform. Sh*t Nam! She sniffed Copper's uniform!

Nam just smiled awkwardly and apologized to him, then quickly ran away from Copper. Copper was about to run after her but Nam's already back to us.

"Why did you do that?!" I angrily said to her.
"I helped you!" She defended accusingly.
"But why Copper?!" I raised my voice.
"I was just curious!" Nam pouted.
"I doubt that it's Copper." Peach raised.
"Lot's perfume is feminine too." I added,"and I know the smell of In's perfume, so it's not him." I told them. Disappointing myself to the possibility that it was In.
"Then it could only be Saunk or Tae." Nam concluded. "Wanna go back to them Sun?" She bravely suggested.
"What? No! Copper will kill you if you ever go near him again. Let me do it."

I was prepared to go already, but Oh stopped me. "I don't think it's worth it."
"Huh?!" Peach, Nam and I exclaimed.
"Look. What if you've found out who that guy is? What now? Are you going to befriend him? Can you befriend Tae? Or Saunk? Huh? You know them Sun. Think again!"

Oh has a point. I looked at Tae, then Saunk. I watched them sneered at the leaves that they're sweeping. Oh's right.

We finished cleaning the area after two hours. We were already soaking wet by our sweat. We changed our clothes first then sat on our usual spot, drinking soda that Oh bought.

"I remember now." Peach said as soon as we settled ourselves. "The owner of the scent. It is Tae!"

"Are you sure?!" I asked her again as a confirmation. She was surprised by my excitement as I stood up. "Ah, not exactly. But I think it's Tae. I think he smelled like it once, but I'm not 100% sure."

"Oh." I sadly sat back. "But it's good right?! I'll just go and ask him about it!" I stood again.

"Are you sure Sun?" Nam worriedly asked.

I nodded and smiled.

"I'll go with you." she offered.
"No Nam. Let me handle it myself." I said then walked away from them.

I looked for the Big Five. I went to the back gate but they were not there already. I looked for them in the building, but there's no Big Five there as well. Until my search brought me to the field, they were playing football. All of them were there, including In.

I stood about 50 meters away from them. I don't wanna approach Tae when they're all there. I just waited until they finsished playing.

While I was standing there like an idiot, I saw Lot nudging In. He suddenly looked at me but I looked away as soon as he saw me. I didn't notice In walking towards me.

"What do you want? Didn't I tell you to get away from me?" He straightly said without hesitation.

"I'm not here for you." I answered him confidently. He stared at me, surprised.

Coincidentally, Tae left and went towards where their bags were, alone. I ran after Tae and left In there, speechless.

"Tae!" I called after him.

Tae stopped walking and waited for me to get near him.

I sniffed the air first, and just like what Peach said, the scent really belongs to Tae.

He smelled sweaty on the contrary, but nevertheless, the scent from the handkerchief is still undeniably his.

I plucked the handkerchief out of my pocket.

"Khob Kun." I plainly said, offering the handkerchief back to him. I'm not really happy knowing that it belongs to him, but I should at least thank him "I haven't washed it yet, though." I pushed it in his hands when he just looked at me. "Bye." I said then started walking away.

Tae just stared at the handkerchief, confused by what I was talking, then threw the handkerchief to the back of my head. I stopped walking and picked the handkerchief from the ground.

"Are you crazy?" He asked.

"What? Isn't this yours?" I surprisingly asked.

"I don't have those girly things! Get lost!" Tae shouted.

Now I'm confused. Then Tae has the same scent with the one who owns this handkerchief, but it wasn't him.

I went to the hallway and decided to walk to where Nam and others were while still looking at the handkerchief.

"I still remember when my ex girlfriend gave me that."

I stopped walking and turned.

"This is yours?" I asked the boy in front of me.

He just smiled and walked towards me. "Hi Sun."