fourth!
s*ckerpunch!
This is the strangest situation I have been in during all entire time at this school. In what universe would I be having a heart-to-heart with Kim Sora? Yeah, she’s my roommate, and yeah, we exchange the occasional remark, but that’s it. Sora is popular as hell, and parties, and does drugs like there’s no tomorrow. She isn’t supposed to associate with perceived good-girl honor students like me.
Until they save her by taking out five armed guards, are recognized by her dealer, and then are revealed to have eliminated an entire gang.
“I’m really sorry for calling you,” Sora whispers. “It’s just- I was freaking out, and I didn’t think any of my friends would be able to deal with Himchan, because he deals to them too, and I saw you on Halloween and I just- I’m so sorry, Hyo, I’m so freaking sorry, I should’ve never-,”
“Cut it out,” I say in a sharp voice, and she clamps shut. “It’s fine. I learned something valuable because you called me.”
“I can just forget about everything that happened tonight-,”
“As much as I would love that, Himchan isn’t going to forget the fact that you know me. And he’ll definitely use that against both of us.”
“How do you know Himchan?” Sora questions. “You’re... well, you know. Park Hyolin. Wait, but he called you Kim Lia. Is that some kind of fake identity?”
I grit my teeth. The last thing I want to do is explain everything to her.
But if I don’t nip this in the bud now, who knows what could happen? What if Sora goes around spreading rumors about me? Or worse, what if she tries to investigate my past herself?
That would end incredibly badly.
“Five years ago, my parents were murdered by a gang,” I say tonelessly. “It was a drive-by shooting. Just another incident in the ed up city we live in. Everyone mourned for them and then forgot about it a few weeks later. But I didn’t.”
My hands curl up into fists. “The police ceased their investigation of their murder. Something about lack of evidence, or eyewitness testimony- I don’t know. When they dropped my parents’ case, I left my aunt’s house, ran away from home, and started pursuing their killers myself.”
“So you joined a gang?” Sora gasps.
I shake my head. “I was a loner. I got familiar with a lot of gangsters, but I never joined one. I worked for two years to hunt down information about my parents’ death. A gang called ZE:A had initiated the shooting. So I eliminated them. Only a few days afterwards, this government agency called the Crime Relocation Program contacted me and offered me a new identity and a new life. I took their offer, changed my name from Kim Lia to Park Hyolin, and was dead set on putting my past behind me and living a normal life.”
Sora furrows her eyebrows. “Wait, what do you mean, you eliminated ZE:A? Did you kill the person who shot your parents?”
I fix an intense look on her. “There was no way of figuring out which one of them shot my mom and dad. So I killed every member of ZE:A.”
The temperature in the room seems to drop 20 degrees. Sora gapes at me in horror. A prickling sensation of- what, self-consciousness?- nips at me. But I push it away. If she knew- if she had been in my position-
“How old were you?” she questions in a soft voice.
“Sixteen.”
Silence hangs in the air. Sora looks absolutely aghast, and I roll my eyes.
“Look, there are people with way worse stories than this in the gang world. You should ask Himchan about what he’s been through- actually, don’t, if you want to keep your limbs attached. Bottom line is that you get used to it.”
“That’s... that’s horrible,” Sora murmurs.
“Life’s horrible. Anyway. I basically found a piece of paper that said that someone was going to kill Kim Namjoon and Park Jimin-,”
“What?!” she shrieks, shooting up. There is an agitated look on her face. “Did they try to target anyone else in their group? That- that’s terrifying!”
I shake my head. “I don’t know. But I took the guy who was going to hurt them down at Tiesto.”
Sora launches herself at me, wrapping her arms around me in an enormous hug. “Thank you so much,” she murmurs. “You’re a hero.”
“Calm down. It isn’t that big of a deal. Anyway,” I say, pushing her off of me. “That’s my story. It goes without saying that if I hear rumors circulating about me pertaining to my, ah, previous gang involvement, you’ll literally wish you had never been born.” And then I climb into my bed and pull the sheets around me. “Good night. And Sora? You really shouldn’t involve yourself with Himchan. Or drugs.”
“Wait, what?” Sora shoots up. “That’s it? That’s all you have to say to me?”
“What do you mean, that’s it?”
“I heard what Himchan said. Someone ordered the death of your parents.”
I narrow my eyes. “And how exactly does that involve you?”
“Are you kidding? I want to help you find out who it was.”
I stare at her for one, two, three seconds.
And then burst into loud guffaws.
“You’re joking, right?” I chortle. “You want to help me? No offense, but I don’t think you’ll be able to do much. I don’t have time to be watching over you and keeping you out of trouble.”
“Yeah, but I owe you!” Sora exclaims. “You totally just saved my .”
“Look.” I rub my temples. I appreciate your concern. But it’s fine, honestly. This is going to be dangerous as hell. You have no idea how dark the gang world can be.”
“I don’t have to fight people. Maybe I can help you get information or something.”
“I can do that on my own.”
“But won’t that take more time?”
“Sora, it took me two years to hunt down my parents’ murderers,” I say testily. “I’m a patient person.”
“But Hyo-,”
“No buts. I can’t believe you’re actually saying this. I thought you’d be scared less.”
“I am scared less!” Sora exclaims. “But I don’t want you to do this on your own! I just feel awful, okay? I heard what Himchan said about you having an obsession with finding your parents’ killers. You started at what, 14? That’s horrible. No 14-year-old should have to be... fighting gangs.”
She stares at me, her eyes bright, her chest heaving. I open my mouth, about to say something, when says, “You must have been so lonely.”
My jaw goes slack. Sora looks like she is about to cry. I feel like I have hit a particularly sensitive nerve in her. My face twists into an expression of resignation. Whether I like it or not, Sora is already involved in this mess. If I keep her in the dark about everything, she may not be informed about who could be her enemy, or who might come after her.
“Fine,” I groan. “But I’m going to teach you to defend yourself, and shoot a gun, and a trillion other things, so be prepared.”
Sora beams. “Yes! Okay! Good!” And then she gives me a very unnecessary hug. “We’re going to do this!”
“Yo. Get off!” I squirm out of her grasp. “Jesus, Sora.”
“Hurry up!” Joonmyeon hollers from down the hall. “You literally have a minute left!”
“I’m trying!” I yell, sprinting as fast as I can. “Dammit, Joonmyeon, just keep the door open!”
“No can do. The student council president always upholds the rules- especially punctuality. Even if it is his best friend who-,”
“ you,” I gasp, barrelling into the StuCo meeting room. Do Kyungsoo, Kim Seolhyun, and Choi Yuna snigger behind their hands as I chuck a binder at Joonmyeon’s head.
“That’s my best friend,” Joonmyeon says, and then ducks as I fling a pencil at his head.
“Best friend, my ,” I scoff. “I don’t know you.”
“Some things never change,” Yuna sighs.
“They’re supposed to be the President and Vice President of our class,” Seolhyun mutters. “So immature.”
“Oh, don’t be such a stickler, Seollie,” Kyungsoo says. “It’s kind of funny to see Hyo flip out.”
“True. When I first met her, I thought she was mute.”
“Hey!” I exclaim, pausing from hammering punches to Joonmyeon’s side. “I heard that!”
“It’s not my fault! Professor Dae asked what your name was and all I heard was a squeak!”
“I didn’t know you spoke mouse,” Joonmyeon says, and I kick him in the shin.
“Okay. Okay! Let’s get back on track!” Kyungsoo says. “I hereby call this student council meeting to session.”
“Alright, then.” Joonmyeon laces his fingers together and leans forward. His goofy expression has morphed into something serious. “First order of business: campus safety.”
“Oh my god, Hyo, I heard about how you almost got mugged!” Yuna gasps. “Are you okay? Did they hurt you? Here, let me check!”
“They didn’t!” I say, batting away Yuna’s hands. “It was fine. My roommate ended up saving my .”
“Ooh. Who’s your roommate? We should give them a StuCo gold medal of honor.”
“Kim Sora.”
Kyungsoo, Yuna, and Seolhyun’s jaws simultaneously drop. “Kim Sora?” Seolhyun says in disbelief. “Seriously? The Kim Sora?”
“She was sober?” Kyungsoo asks.
I roll my eyes. “Yeah, she was sober. She’s not that bad, guys. The rumors are way worse than she actually is.”
“The rumors about Sora are freaky.” Yuna shudders. “I’ve heard so many stories about her doing things at parties. I was traumatized. And I wasn’t even there.”
“Because you’re not cool enough to get into those parties,” Joonmyeon jokes.
“Hey.” Yuna raises a fist. “Do you want me to help Hyo beat you up?”
“Yes!” I say, high-fiving her. “Take that, Joonmyeon.”
Joonmyeon winces. “Chill! You know I’m joking.”
“And I am, too,” Yuna says in a sugary-sweet voice, withdrawing her arm.
“Okay!” Kyungsoo snaps. “Back on track. Anyway. A+ for Kim Sora. What should we do to try and prevent these incidents from happening?”
“We could talk to Seoul PD about stationing more cops around campus,” I suggest. “We could also make sure to pass out campus safety pamphlets to student, as well as double-check the cameras and surveillance devices around campus.”
Joonmyeon nods. “Sounds good. Seolhyun, Kyungsoo- could you guys type up what we’re going to put on the pamphlets?”
“On it, chief,” Seolhyun says, saluting Joonmyeon.
“Yuna, you email the campus security department and ask them to check that all the safety measures around campus are working.”
“Gotcha.”
“Hyo and I can talk to Seoul PD.” He turns to me. “Oh, shoot. I forgot that you’re wanted for five charges of indecent exposure. Maybe you should avoid the police station.”
“You should avoid my fist,” I growl, about to pounce on him before Kyungsoo, Yuna, and Seolhyun restrain me.
“Hold her back!” Joonmyeon laughs as I strain against their grasps. “She’s going to take my head off!”
“Damn right, !”
“Okay, okay.” Seolhyun forcibly yanks me back down into my seat. “Campus security is taken care of. What’s our next item on the agenda?”
“Our class fundraiser,” Kyungsoo says. “Some people have been talking about doing car washes, but I think a bake sale would be way more fun to do...,”
While Kyungsoo is talking, Joonmyeon pokes me in the leg.
“Are we still on for tonight?” he whispers.
. “Oh, crap.” I slap my forehead. “I totally forgot- I’m supposed to be, uh, tutoring Sora in bio tonight. It’s supposed to be a thank-you for her saving my last night.”
“Yeesh. Studying bio over binging on panna cotta with me and Lindsay Lohan? .”
“Lindsay Lohan? Oh my god, Joonmyeon, don’t tell me you’re going to watch Mean Girls again-,”
“What? It’s a good movie!”
“We’ve watched it, like, eighteen times! You practically have the entire script memorized!”
“Tonight will be my nineteenth time watching it, then. You know. I’ll have to stave off the loneliness since you won’t be there.”
“Sorry! I’m really sorry! Okay, bring the desserts to dinner. We’ll eat them there.”
“No. I’m going to enjoy them all on my own.”
“Joonmyeon! Please!”
“Only if you beg for it.”
“Hello,” Seolhyun says in a sharp voice, crossing her arms. Joonmyeon and I turn to her in surprise. “We’ve been calling your names, like, five times.”
“I say yes,” Joonmyeon says.
“Uh, do you even know what the question was?”
“Should we have more gluten-free and vegan options in the cafeteria?” Joonmyeon smirks at our astonished looks. “I say yes.”
“How the hell did you manage to listen to what they were talking about while holding a conversation with me?” I ask indignantly.
“What can I say, Hyo? It comes naturally.”
“Wow, Mr. President,” Kyungsoo says sarcastically. “That’s really great.”
“Yeah, thanks, Kyungsoo.”
Our meeting concludes and Joonmyeon practically drags me to La Tavola, his favorite Italian restaurant. “Eat quickly!” he says as I wolf down my spaghetti. “We have ten minutes left until English starts!”
“You,” I breathe, swallowing a large bite. “are such an idiot. Why did we have to come now? We could’ve went after English! Now we’re going to be late and Professor Cho’s going to be pissed at us and-,”
“Stop talking and start eating!” Joonmyeon says. “I want to get dessert!”
“You’re crazy.”
And as we are sprinting back to class, Joonmyeon shouting, “Faster! Faster!” and I am clutching my stomach, about to throw up, and both of us start laughing uncontrollably and we almost collapse to the ground, I silently thank Joonmyeon for the millionth time.
Let’s stay like this forever, please.
A/N: im sooooooooooo tempted to post all the chapters i have written..... no rubi no dont
also joonmyeon my beautiful pure cinammon roll
REvised btw
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