CLICHÉD

C-33

C-33

I blink multiple times to make sure that I'm not dreaming.

"...What?"

He takes a deep breath before sitting on the floor.

"You heard me."

"But Min-"

"Stay there!" He puts his hand up. "Damn, this is so embarrassing."

He clears his throat and finally faces me.

"Before anything else, I have to clear something first. You know about the rumours, right?" he asks and I nod. "They're half-true. I was never part of a gang, but I did get involved in a fight when I was younger. I had to join for someone. It was just supposed to be a childish fight, but then it got ugly when the opposing group lost... and an innocent person got dragged in our mess. After that, the same people I fought for starts fighting me instead. Whatever bond we had was crushed for the pettiest reason, and then we went our separate ways." He laughs sarcastically. "That's how I got my reputation."

"Is that why you didn't want to be friends with me?" He nods at my question.

"I hated everyone after that. Well, I still do. It's been years since it happened and past is past, but the rumours stuck. I don't really care what people think and say about me, it's even convenient because people don't bother me... until you came." He clicks his tongue as he glares at me jokingly.

"Hehe, sorry." I show him a peace sign.

"At first, I thought you were a nuisance. Judging me just like everyone else then wanting to be friends? What a joke..." He rolls his eyes. "I kept pushing you away but you're so persistent. I wonder whether you're too innocent or just a complete dummy."

I pout. "Now you're just insulting me."

He chuckles. "I don't know when it started, but a day just came where you're not a bother anymore. Suddenly, I don't hate everyone anymore... and then I start caring about another person's opinion of me again."

My breath hitch as I anticipate his next words.

"Suddenly, I'm craving for this scaredy-cat crybaby loner's company. How weird is that?" He scoff in disbelief. "And then when you stopped being a loner, all your friends became the most annoying people in the world."

Oh.

"Suddenly, I get annoyed when people scare the scaredy-cat. Suddenly, I hate it when the crybaby is not crying out of joy... and when you look at me with those goggly eyes, I just want to kick you off the rooftop because it's fvcking disgusting how you turn me into this protective piece of shit."

"You want to kick me?!"

"Just sometimes."

"Huh?!"

He laughs at my reaction, then he turns serious again.

"I tried suppressing these mushy sentiments, since it won't really benefit either of us. You know how I'm a bad boy, right?" He quotes with his fingers. "I still have gangster wannabes coming after me to assert their dominance, like that one in the locker area. I don't wanna put you through any of that."

"But it's not your fault!"

He presses his lips into a thin line. "Despite the danger, I can't ignore these icky feelings anymore... I sound so clichéd right now and it's all your fault. Liking you is harder than I thought."

The bad boy likes me.

Oh no... I like him too.

My lips start quivering and I slowly cover my face with both hands, bursting into tears. Minho's eyes widen in shock and starts walking towards me, but I scoot farther into the pillow fort away from him.