{ chapter seven }

‘be ready’

Jin Hee impatiently tapped her foot on the ground.

Five in the morning, it’s almost departure time, thirty minutes before it, but her seatmate wasn’t around. Their whole class already fell into line as their homeroom teacher takes a look inside the bus, finalizing some details. The plan for the day was to get to the bus, arrive at the Gimpo airport to ride a plane to Busan since it just takes an hour to get there if you’re using a plane. Contrary to her impatient foot, her head was bobbing to Twenty One Pilots’s Lane Boy, thanks to her headphones she didn’t have to bear listening to other girls’ squeals and their say about this whole trip. She already had enough with Alex.

THEY SAY STAY IN YOUR LANE BOY!1!!! LANE BOY!!1!!!1

BUT WE GO WHERE—

Her head stopped singing when a heavily panting Baek Hyun appeared beside her. Jin Hee’s eyes widened as she pulled the headphones down to her neck.

“Where have you been, Byun?” His timing was good, because the moment he arrived, the line started moving. Ms. Song was taking the students in.

Baek Hyun exhaled, then composed himself, “Be ready.”

Her eyebrows knitted, “Be ready for what? For the trip? You’re kidding.”

“Just be ready.”

Jong Dae chuckled from afar, “Ah! Joon Myeon’s going to lose his Swarovski!”

Jin Hee ignored Jong Dae’s cry and stared at Baek Hyun who looked like he’s going to have his balls cut off.

Well, does he even have those? Jin Hee mentally snickered, but her eyes discreetly traveled down to his neck, to his chest, stomach, then there…

Goodness gracious, girl! Byun Baek Hyun is the definition of bulg—!

No, no, shut up!

Jin Hee gulped and looked ahead. She was not going to have that thought when this is just the beginning of the trip.

As the two neared the entrance of the bus, Baek Hyun became jittery. He kept tapping his foot, running his hand to his hair which Jin Hee found disturbing since he looks hot when he does it, and his lips which was also unsettling.

Keeping the other thoughts aside, Jin Hee realized that he was being jumpy.

“Baek, are you alright?” she asked.

Baek Hyun glanced at her, then looked at another direction again, “Yeah. I get the window-side seat, okay?”

Jin Hee wanted to argue, but the look of serious nervousness on Baek’s face stopped her. She nodded, “Okay.”

After the eleventh graders settled in, it was the twelfth graders’ turn. The eleventh graders only occupied one side of the bus, so the faculty decided to just merge them into one bus. The two were seated in the third row. While the higher students fill the bus, Baek Hyun kept his eyes outside the window, right elbow propped up in the window and his thumb in his mouth, biting it lightly. He was really edgy. Jin Hee put up her headphones again to her ears and took Baek Hyun’s other hand into hers. She thought he was seriously anxious when he didn’t pull his hand, instead, he held her hand back lightly.

So far so good for this trip.

Over Jin Hee’s faint music, she heard one of the seniors whistling and saying: “The golden couple’s getting cozy!” then followed with loud cheers. She simply grinned.

Her eyes caught one guy whose face stood out. Soft facial features but his mischievous eyes made them somewhat sharp, brown swiped back hair, doe eyes, cute nose and lips. He stood tall and his aura radiated pride while a small smile was plastered on his face. The guy sat on his designated seat, which was also the third row. Basically, he was just a foot away from Jin Hee, the aisle kept them apart.

Jin Hee must’ve been staring for too long that the guy caught her looking. She quickly flashed a friendly smile, which the guy gave back, but with a hint of something in his eyes.

I’m too focused on Baek that I forgot that this is Dwight School, the home of great genes! Jin Hee turned to look on Baek Hyun and tugged his hand. She pulled down her headphones.

Baek Hyun looked at her expectantly.

“Who’s this guy beside us?” she whispered.

Baek Hyun raised an eyebrow, then looked pass Jin Hee. When he saw whom she was talking about, he snorted.

“Why are you asking?”

“He’s… cute.” She shrugged.

“He’s Chinese.”

“You’re racist.”

“No, I’m not.” He countered, “I was telling you a fact. He really is Chinese.”

“I was asking for his name, not his nationality.” First, he told me he’s the Mayor’s son instead of telling me his name, now; he told me the guy’s nationality instead of his name. Seems like a habit.

Baek Hyun opened his mouth to say something, but when the bus started moving, he kept his mouth shut and his eyes to the moving view on the window.

Almost an hour later, as they neared the airport, Jin Hee regretted wearing an oversized white shirt, and black tights, and her brand new Adidas superstar.

She was getting this warm fuzzy feeling when Baek Hyun started to tighten his hold on her hand but boy, oh boy, did she regret getting it.

Jin Hee tugged on his hand and stared at Baek Hyun who kept on bobbing his head forward. The next seconds were blurred, she felt like a wild gust of wind just knocked out her consciousness as the foul smell, which appeared out of nowhere, attacked her nose. When she looked down, Baek Hyun had his head just in front of her chest, coughing his esophagus out.

“ on a stick!” Jin Hee exclaimed while looking at the boy emptying his stomach on her legs, “Christ in a crutch!”

No! More like Baek Hyun in a crutch because I’ll beat the out of him later!

Jesus Christ, my shoes are brand new! And from Chan Yeol! Oh, God, he’s so going to kill me.

Despite the chaos inside her mind, her hand flew to his bent back, soothing him. Far from the back, she heard Jong Dae’s voice and Joon Myeon’s grunt. She then heard another voice inside her mind; it was Baek Hyun’s.

Be ready.

Be ready.

“You know you did give me warning, thanks for that, but you could’ve been more specific so I readied a plastic bag for you or something!” said Jin Hee, “is that why you took so long? You were nervous about riding a damn bus?”

“No!” Baek Hyun’s voice was raspy, but he started straightening back, “I couldn’t find my medicine for this.”

“Byun, there’s this thing called ‘readying’ and—“ Jin Hee bit her lip from scolding the guy, realizing that it has no use anymore since he really just threw up on her, “just be responsible next time, okay?”

Her eyes avoided focusing on that slimy, white substance on her legs, but she noticed that it only got on her tights and on the hem of her shirt, and not on her bloody new shoes. Still, she has to change.

The next few minutes were busy for her. She spent it on wiping the vomit off her legs with the wet tissues Ms. Song gave her and putting it in a plastic bag. The other students’ voices drummed on her ears, complaints and laughter mixing in the air. Jin Hee glanced at Baek Hyun who had his face red with embarrassment and dehydration. His two hands covered the bottle of water he was holding, and he was looking outside like a kid who got scolded by the teacher in front of his classmates.

He already threw up on me yet he still looks damn handsome and cute in my eyes. If this isn’t love then I don’t know what is, to be very ing honest.

After she was finished and had her hands cleaned by sanitizer (she even had Stephanie throw it to her from the back, then back at Stephanie), Jin Hee ruffled Baek Hyun’s jet black hair, which she hated, but as time passed by, it became the key for her in finding him in their lunch breaks, amidst the sea of heads in the cafeteria.

Baek Hyun turned to her, “What?”

She laughed, “You look down. It’s alright. Are you okay though?”

He nodded but stayed silent.

“You just emptied your