Odd-eyed Beauty // hwang minhyun (#27)

Eight

Yeongwon

I checked myself in the toilet mirror once again, looking at myself as a new person, someone who has two brown eyes and not just one. I am looking at myself for confirmation and to boost my confidence up to the maximum today, I don't usually have that much confidence as today. I would stare down at the floor on the other days, to avoid people staring into my eyes. They hated me staring at them and they didn't want to look at me either.

But today is different, I am someone else today, I am the new and improved Bae Yeongwon that everyone would stop hating from now on. Everyone will stop spreading rumours about me once they have seen my new look, that I am not Medusa and I don't turn people into stone every single time I stare into their eyes.

I gave a reassuring smile to myself, talking myself that it is okay and I will be able to go through the rest of the day with a smile on my face. That has been what I was hoping after a long time, all my years of suffering would be gone and I would be happier.

I stepped out of the toilet and walked into my classroom, my head still heading towards the floor as I made my way to my seat. I guess that my subconscious still remembers that part of me, I am never able to get rid of that habit. And I tripped over someone's foot as usual, because I couldn't see what is in front of me.

"Bae Yeongwon, that idiot! You fell for my trick once again!" They laughed at me and I picked myself up quickly, I stood up and I made contact with one of them.

"Sorry!" He was avoiding my stares at me, frantically moving around just to avoid me but I moved in front of him. He pushed me aside and I find myself falling to the side when someone grabbed me by the shoulders, preventing me from falling.

"How can you push someone away just like that?" His voice was familiar and I looked up, suddenly touched by his actions. "She is still a human being, just like you and me."

He let go of me, releasing the grip on my shoulders and he had me stand behind me. "MinHyun, aren't you afraid of what she might do to you?" He asked MinHyun.

"Afraid of what?" He replied as if he doesn't know everything. You know that... Very well...

"So you haven't heard of the rumours in this Haven't you heard that she has magical powers? Do you know the legend of Medusa? Her eyes have the powers to turn people into stone,"

He scoffed. "What are you laughing? It is true, she turns people to stone by staring at her and they will get bad luck for 7 years."

"That is nonsense, it is impossible. What is different about her eyes?" He asked and looked at me, I got even more flustered. Why is he looking at me like that? "There is nothing different about her eyes."

"Her eyes are cursed, she has different coloured eyes, one of them is blue." He explained it to MinHyun and he didn't seem to care any less.

"What are you saying? They are both brown, there is nothing wrong with her eyes." He said and the guy had the most outrageous reaction ever, he exclaimed very loudly and all the people around us heard it. "It's true."

I stared at him and he got shocked, even more, he stared at me for the longest time, longer than anyone in this school has ever made eye contact with me. They would normally avoid my gaze and would go as far as avoiding me entirely, they would also push me away sometimes.

"What? Am I even seeing things? Why do both of her eyes are the same colour?" He even tried to wave his fingers at me, to see if it would change colour once he does that. It doesn't, you idiot...

"It's what we all have, even if she has a blue eye, she is still a normal human being like the others right?"

The school bell rang and all the people started going into their classes but he wouldn't even budge for a moment, he is still fixated on me and Hwang MinHyun. "Why--"

MinHyun pushes me into the classroom. "Class is starting, we have to get to our seats or we will be late." He said to the guy. "You too, stop spreading stupid rumours that are not even true in the first place. Focus more on your studies, the exams are coming up and I bet that you need to study."

I got back to my seat taking off my bag and placing it at the bottom of my desk, getting ready for class. MinHyun too sat down next to me with a satisfied smile and he grinned to himself.

I couldn't understand his actions at all, I don't get why he is doing all that for me. He is a nice guy but he barely knows me enough to be doing all this for me, I don't know why am I being treated like this.

The class started and we had got to our seats, took out our textbooks and ready to take down some notes. It is about Korean History and it is one of my favourite subjects, I may not be that good at studying but I have never once failed this subject. It is a subject that I loved a lot and History, in general, has been an interesting thing for me, history is always changing since it is still in the present tense and we get to learn its past as well.

To my side, is Hwang MinHyun being attentive to the lesson that is being taught. He seemed like a very cold and distant person but he has managed to make me surprised at his actions, not once but twice ever since we have met each other. He seemed so inattentive but yet he observes and notices everything around him, even me who is probably more inferior than the other people in this school.

"Can you focus more on the lesson? I know that I'm quite good-looking but that doesn't mean that you can do that for free, my face is very valuable."

"Thank you..." I uttered to him and he turned around to look at me, taken aback that I had actually spoken to him first.

"Get used to seeing people in the eye first, you can remove those contacts after you have gotten used to it. And I consider you as a friend."