Egocentric [Book I]

Prologue

Eleven o'clock was the call time for lunch, and students hurriedly made their way from their respective classrooms to the cafeteria. The teachers were eager as well, hoping to finish eating early despite the everyday line inside the place of more than a thousand high school pupils. It wasn't easy to feed twelve-hundred mouths, especially at the first day of back to school classes, which was honestly the busiest day in Seoul.

Girls and boys crowded the whole room. Some already sat with their friends, some ate alone, and others still waited on the line for their meal.

As the active energy went on inside, five people approached the cafeteria double doors together in a collected manner, seemingly unbothered by the hectic day that everyone else was experiencing. They entered and suddenly as if on cue, the teenage girls murmured and giggled to themselves and the teenage boys went out of their way. The teachers didn't care as much, but they were still stricken with the new potent aura coming from those people.

Five boys sat down on their usual table... five of the twelve who inevitably gets the attention, both good and bad. Chen, Lay, Tao, Luhan and Xiumin glanced around the room like gods, pairing the attitude with how people in their school treat them.

A girl meekly walks to their table, gathering all her courage to speak and greet the boys. Tao noticed and gave her a deathly glare, as if saying 'don't even think about it'. The girl turned around and went back to her friends with mixed feelings. Should she feel bad that they obviously didn't want her to talk to them, or should she feel happy that Tao even looked at her?

That was how prevailing they were in that very campus; earning the fame they didn't even give a damn about.

"Where's Kris?" Luhan asked after the previous noise came back. A few people still glanced at them, though. "He's not going to miss lunch at the first day of school, is he?"

Chen rolled his eyes and took his phone out instead, ignoring the fact that their leader wasn't there to hang out with them. It was never fresh news that Kris was missing in action because the only reasons for that was either he went out of town or was currently whacking someone's face.

Lay just stared blankly at Luhan and Tao shook his head in displeasure, agreeing with Chen.

"That's fairly easy to know. If he doesn't come here 'till the end of lunchtime without texting any of us, he's already dead. If he comes here with any form of injury, he had a fight with K's leader again. If he comes here clean, he went to the bathroom to pretty himself." Xiumin replied, shrugging indifferently at Luhan.

"Since when did you become so chatty?" Luhan asked again. "I think that's the longest I ever heard you talk to me... or anyone for that matter."

"Oh, don't flatter yourself. I just answered your question to shut you up." Xiumin smirked. Tao was holding back a smile, sure to watch the banter that's about to come between his hyungs.

"Why do you have to be such a distasteful person all the time? Seriously, you're... you're so... horrible." Luhan stammered. He always had a hard time finding the right word to describe Xiumin, partly because he was avoiding being a bad mouth to his friends and partly because Xiumin was older. Respect is something greatly valued in every household, what more if it was in school?

"Luhan hyung, you ask so many questions all the time even though you already know the answer to all of them. He's just clearing your issue up." Tao laughed, resting his chin on the palm of his hand. For some reason, he was always entertained every time this happens.

Luhan opened his mouth to say something, probably to defend his case, but all eyes were on the double doors again. It revealed five more people who got the same useless fame: Sehun, Kai, Kyungsoo, Chanyeol and Baekhyun.

Following them were both leaders with gravely expressions, although they didn't have the expected bruises on the face. Kris quickly walked to the table with his group and Suho did the same, but not before sending each other daggers through glares.

"Let me guess. He cracked a bad joke about you again and you let your pride get to you?" Luhan mocked, looking at Kris. The latter just scoffed and glanced at Suho over his shoulder.

"No. I cracked a bad joke about his ex and he almost attacked me. Good thing his members were there."

"Yeah, you're face is too precious." Xiumin mumbled under his breath. Tao heard and grinned.

"Could you just shut up? I'm already having a bad day. I don't need any of you to pile on." Kris pounded on the table with his fists, indeed making them quiet. "Where's our lunch anyway? I thought you already lined up for it."

"We'll let them finish first. The line's too long." Tao said, staring at the order counter.

For the whole time being, Kris glanced over his shoulder... wishing he could kill people with deathly looks.