being lonely | minsung | ✔

16

Sunday went by slowly, a boring and lazy day in which I hardly left my room, except for a few bathroom visits and dinner. I spent my day listening to music, talking over the phone with Hyunjin because he had a major problem -or so he said, it turned out to be a math question he didn't understand but my best friend is a professional drama queen- and dozing off every now and then. Every Sunday is like the previous and the next.

School is somewhat welcome after that. It's still boring, and I find myself dozing off, which sucks since this was the last period I had to stay awake before the end of today. Mission failed. Mr. Kim's droning voice isn't exactly the freshest sound and staying awake is already a challenge during history class. I take a very uncomfortable position on purpose but I already know it's just a matter of time before my conscious will slip away and a slumber caused by boredom will get the best of me.

The well-known scenario already plays in my head; me actually falling asleep in class -again- only to receive an hour of detention -again. Well, an hour less to spend at home. After a day at work, my dad probably has some new complaints about his co-worker and I don't want to hear them, even though a part of me already knows I can't avoid home long enough to miss dinner again.

Hyunjin next to me is frantically taking notes of the boring lecture. He too dozed off a little and missed a part so he has to write on top-speed to catch up again. The soft scraping sound of his pen dancing over the paper attacks my eardrums and the annoying sound bothers me for a while.

But soon, even that sound blends in with the background, creating a weird harmony with the seconds ticking away on the clock on the wall, the heavy sighs of students and the voice of Mr. Kim. The harmony slowly but surely becomes my lullaby as I finally let my head rest onto my arms.

"Han Jisung!" a stern voice suddenly calls out and I jolt up, temporarily blinded by the sunlight that wavers through the windows. Once my eyes adjust, I find Mr. Kim standing next to me, looking down with a displeased expression.

"Your attitude in my class is disgusting compared to what it was before."

My teacher spits those words -literally, as small droplets of saliva fly around- and my classmates are all looking at me, a knowing look on their faces. Everyone, including me, can already predict Mr. Kim's next words;

"One hour of detention after school, make it two if I catch you sleeping in my class again."

With that, he marches back to his desk and sits down behind his laptop to enter my name in the detention system. I guess Ms. Choi isn't even surprised anymore.

I clearly remember the first time I had detention. It was because I forgot both my homework and my textbook and my geography teacher wasn't too pleased. Ms. Choi was quite fond of me back then and when I walked into the detention classroom with a reason like that, she was quite shocked.

She stopped caring when detention became a weekly routine for me, just like I stopped caring as well.

Sighing, I lean back in my chair and wait for everyone to avert their gazes before I yawn shamelessly and rub my eyes. I'm still feeling drowsy and I don't want to risk falling asleep again, because the consequences will be bigger as they are now. Two hours of detention is a bit much, even for me.

Time drags on slowly and with the warm sunrays bothering me I'm about to fall asleep again as the loud school bell hollers through the classroom, startling me greatly.

I find Mr. Kim looking at me suspiciously but he doesn't say anything as I pack my stuff and rush out of the classroom before my teacher can make up his mind and double my punishment for no apparent reason.