Alone {𝕄𝕀ℕ𝕊𝕌ℕ𝔾}

Chapter Twelve

MINHO BLINKED SLOWLY, UNKNOWINGLY GLARING AT THE STUDENT STANDING BEFORE HIM. He wasn't too sure how to react – the last person he'd talked to had been Jisung, and even then his social skills were pretty sketchy. It was a miracle the younger boy managed to keep a conversation with him.

The boy shifted his weight from one foot to the other, awkwardly tilting his head to the side. After a few moments of silence, he spoke again. "Excuse me?" It was a little louder than the last time, and finally Minho decided to answer him.

It seems he took too long, though, because the boy began frantically apologizing. "I'm sorry, are you unable to answer my question? I'm sorry for assuming!" he stumbled over his own words, and a few years prior, Minho would've cracked a smile.

Now, his face remained stone cold. "I can talk," he mumbled, and the boy's shoulders sagged in relief. "Could you direct me towards the science department, please?" He tilted his head again, and the brunet nodded, pointing down a door to his left.

"Go there, take a left, then take a right," he explained quietly, keeping his eyes trailed on the ground. "Thank you so much!" It had been a while since anyone had thanked him; usually they all hurried away screaming out apologies for bothering him, or said nothing at all as long as they could leave quickly.

"I'm Hwang Hyunjin, by the way." The boy smiled, and Minho nodded, trying to force his lips into a smile, but they wouldn't budge. "Lee... Minho," he mumbled, and he hated the shame that tainted his tongue as he spoke his own name.

"Nice to meet you!" Hyunjin smiled, before he raced off towards the door and disappeared from view. Minho wondered how long it would take before Hyunjin no longer smiled at him, and instead kept his eyes trained on the floor in fear.

He sighed, and leaned his head back against the ragged brick wall. How long will it take?

~#~#~#~#~#~

Jisung let his head rest against the cool surface of his desk, a small sigh escaping his lips. It was one of the only classes he didn't have with one of his friends, and he just wanted to get the last period over and done with.

"This seat taken?" He looked up, blinking at an unfamiliar face – probably a new student. He grinned and shook his head, gesturing for the boy to sit. "I'm Hwang Jaehyun." He smirked, extending his hand.

Jisung kept the smile on his face, shaking the other boy's hand, although he did feel slightly intimidated by the other. There was just something about the confidence that radiated off of him that was off-putting.

"Han Jisung." Jaehyun's smirk widened, but before anything could be added to their exchange the teacher walked in just as the bell rang, signalling the start of the period.

Halfway through the lesson, the boy felt repetitive poking on his shoulder. He turned his head slightly, his eyes darting back towards their teacher, because Mrs. Kim was extremely strict on the 'no-talking-when-I'm-talking' rule.

"Hey, Sunshine Boy." Jisung's eyebrows furrowed at the strange nickname, and he finally turned to face Jaehyun, urging him to speak quickly before their teacher caught them. "Is she always this cranky?" he questioned, and Jisung shrugged, hoping that it gave the other male the hint that he really didn't want to talk to him at that moment, where he was risking getting a detention.

"Hey, you wanna hang out after–" Jaehyun was interrupted by a book slamming down on his desk. Jisung jumped, his wide eyes, and he inwardly groaned. Come on, he knew it was game over the moment he caught the deadly look in his teacher's eyes.

"Since you two are so keen on not paying attention to my lesson, you might as well stay after school to make up for lost time." She huffed, a forced, ugly grin spreading across her face. When the bell rang, Jisung longingly looked at all the other students packing up their things and leaving the school building while he remained glued to his seat.