{ chapter two }

seatmate wars, episode iv: a new toy

The next day, she received her very first bad luck.

In the form of Byun Baek Hyun himself, shoving her against the lockers.

And Jin Hee fought the bad luck by shouting him a sarcastic ‘Thanks!’ following with a muttered-under-her-breath ‘you damn ’.

She wasn’t sure, but she thought she heard a guy saying ‘Was that really necessary?’ to Baek Hyun.

You see, she wasn’t exactly blind regarding these things. Byun Baek Hyun is that type of guy who’s angelic and soft outside, but inside he’s actually as black as his—spiky—hair. Ha, black spiky hair since he likes to hurt people.

Okay, maybe that was exaggerated. Maybe he just likes to hurt her and only her.

Ah, the love.

She doesn’t like his attitude at all, but she guessed that it was the thrill, the twist. And since she’s just slightly like him, their attitudes will clash and the result won’t be really pleasant.

When she got to the classroom, she was greeted with three things; Stephanie and Alex looking at her wide-eyed, her classmates being their usual noisy selves, and Baek Hyun blankly looking at her with his mouth opened and his tongue poking out from the corner of his lips.

Somebody take the ing wheel.

Jin Hee squinted at him, an act which she didn’t know why she did, before walking to her seat that she owned since the first day. Stephanie and Alex were seated in front of her. For some weird unknown reason, they followed her movements with shocked but anticipating faces until she was seated on her seat.

Even her classmates were looking at her, Baek Hyun’s friends included. She looked to her left to see them almost snickering, then looked at her right, and finally found the cause.

Baek Hyun is her seatmate.

Did I mention that they’re not given individual, single chairs but a bench for just two people and rectangular table? Yeah, awesome right?

But definitely not awesome if your seatmate is that certain someone in your life who either wants to instantly kill you or torture you for the sake of his sanity. We all have the one person in our lives, don’t deny. If you do not have one, wait for him or her and be ready.

Her stupidity level is so high these days. First she tripped on her own foot, and now, she didn’t even notice him beside her seat when she squinted at him.

Jin Hee gulped and she noticed she always does that whenever he’s around. Baek Hyun flashed his devilish grin on her and she could almost see the busy gears of his brain through his eyes as he thought of ways to make her remaining years in senior high hell.

They all abruptly turned to front when the teacher came in. With no second thoughts, Jin Hee immediately raised her hand up and fortunately, it got her teacher’s attention.

“Yes, Ms. Lee?”

“Can I change my seats?” she crossed her fingers and kept them at her part of the desk.

Baek Hyun beside her scoffed and did a thing. He inserted his finger on the space between her crossed fingers and tore them apart. Right after that, Ms. Song, their teacher, said a ‘No’.

She slumped to her seat and tightened her jaw as Ms. Song told them that their seating arrangements will last until the end of the first half. Great! As much as she wanted to be close with him, she didn’t want to be distracted from her studies and be there, stuck with him until God-knows-when!

Baek Hyun’s demons inside him must be that strong that he broke my spell! No! I must not be defeated! I’m a child of—

“Ms. Lee, are you going to listen or are you just going to continue glaring at Mr. Byun?” Their teacher’s voice boomed and she instantly turned to her. Her classmates’ snickers, including her friends’, filled the room.

She cleared , “S-Sorry…”

“As I was saying…”

Jin Hee side-glanced at Baek Hyun, who had his eyes ahead the whole time, and the guy was pressing his lips so hard to contain his laughter.

She sighed and placed her chin into her palm. Things were definitely not going her way.

All throughout the first subject, Baek Hyun kept shifting in his seat and his feet never had a permanent position. It annoyed Jin Hee but she just continued writing or listening or plotting evil plans on her head.

When second subject came, a subject that needed her whole attention, Math, Baek Hyun kept tossing random things at her side and made her get it.

“Jin Hee, can you please get that for me?” Baek Hyun had his faux smile and overly sweet voice that she rolled her eyes at, but she still gets it for him because she didn’t want him to go ape and put all the blame on her.

Basically, she didn’t want Baek Hyun’s s.

Their teacher for the third subject still hasn’t come, and Baek Hyun went outside for some reason that Jin Hee doesn’t give a to.

She inched to Alex and Stephanie.

“This is madness! He’s practically making my life harder than it was!” Damn, so this is their roles. That certain person who hates you, their roles are to make you feel that there’s more to life! A harder life, that is!

“Don’t be such a . You were also practically ogling at him yesterday!” Alex said, grinning.

“You hoe! Let’s exchange seats! I’m sure Ms. Song won’t notice!”

They did, the next day, partly because Alex also wanted it. It could’ve went well, only if Byun Baek Hyun shut his ing mouth and decided not to shout at their homeroom teacher like a kindergarten student who’s telling his classmate’s wrong-doings.

“Ms. Song! Alex and Jin Hee exchanged seats!”

The moment he said that, Jin Hee laid her head down low while glancing at the front, but her heck of a classmate seating in front of her moved to the side and it was enough for Ms. Song to see her hiding from her.

Their teacher sighed, “It’s okay Mr. Byun. If that’s what Ms. Lee wants.”

Her smile almost made the flowers bloom but Baek Hyun wiped it right away.

“But I want her beside me!”

Her heart skipped a beat as their classmates went ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs’ but she regained herself and looked at him. He was smirking at her like he got the damned trophy that was once hers.

Jin