✓ skirt lifter | hwang hyunjin

t w e n t y - t h r e e

c h a p t e r  23

For the third day, each group was tasked to scout for 20 pounds of fruits all over the area. The catch was, we had to draw lots that will decide what fruit. Supposedly, this will challenge our abilities to work with what we were given and that not all good options will be available. I deemed it to be fair. Up until Seungmin showed us the paper.

I was out for murder.

My jaw hung open as I hallucinated a target sign right in between Seungmin's eyebrows. He mirrored my expression as he collapsed down on the floor, clutching the paper that had a big fat 'peanut' in the middle. It mocked us with its bold font.

Bang Chan massaged the bridge of his nose. "How. How can you choose peanuts out of all the fruits in the lot?" He muttered, darkly. "How unlucky can you get?" He added, exasperated.

"King-kong, you already knocked over our tower-" I pointed out.

"..and have us get devoured by those three girls." Bang Chan muttered quietly.

"Now you want us to scrounge for damn peanuts?" I frowned. I was beginning to think that he hated the both of us.

Seungmin curled into a ball on the floor. "I'm sorry." He pouted.

Bang Chan and I exchanged glances, feeling a little guilty since Seungmin looked genuinely sorry. I sighed, about to put my hand out to hoist him up from the ground. We can't really blame him for his unlucky nature.

I decided against it when I heard the celebratory chants of the other groups. Durian. Pineapple. Coconuts. My extended hand, curled into a fist as my middle finger itched. I kept the temptation in with pressed lips.

"You suck." I said instead, leaving him on the floor to repent.

•••

I didn't think that it was possible to sweat so much in such a cold weather. After digging through dirt for an hour, I proved it to be true now that I'm carrying 20 pounds of peanuts. Panting, I willed myself to hike back to the common room while struggling to lift the basket of fruit.

The other groups that was fortunate enough to draw bigger and heavier fruits had long finished. I shoot a random student a sympathetic smile as I realized that their fruit were grapes. I eyed their basket that was halfway full and back to mine. It is beyond me on what the teachers will do with all these fruits. If the next task is making peanut butter, catch me on the next bus back to Seoul.

My thoughts were interrupted when a certain long haired boy skipped alongside me. "Peanuts?" He stated.

"Peanuts." I echoed, staring straight ahead.

"Watermelon." I could practically feel the smugness exuding off of him. I did not miss the smirk in his tone.

I glared at nothing in particular. "I hate Seungmin." I deadpanned, extremely jealous that they only had to look for one and they're done for the day.

Hyunjin shamelessly took a peanut from my basket, cracking it open. "As you should." He popped the seed inside his mouth. "Where are they, anyway? Isn't this supposed to be a group work?"