Sooyoung stood on the school grounds, the dirt grinding at the soles of his shoes as he scanned the place. It was different. The last time he saw this school, Mi-Young was still alive and Soo-Yeon had not been the victim of her own oppression. He the charm of his necklace, exhaling before he tucked it safely under his navy T-shirt, the cold metal of the charm pressing against his chest.

“Hello,” he smiled at the brown-haired girl with high cheekbones and glazed eyes.

It was his first day at school, and he already knew his purpose. It was right in front of him. Her books had been neatly gathered and stacked on her desk, but she was barely touching them. Instead, she was propping her head on the table with her elbows, staring at the blackboard with an uninterested face. As he greeted her, her eyes widened and her eyebrows arched up. Sooyoung found it interesting, how humans could show so many emotions in different intensities on their faces in such a small period of time. Right now, she looked disbelieving of Sooyoung’s polite greeting, as if she couldn’t believe that Sooyoung was actually talking to her.

“What are you doing?” her voice was high-pitched, and yet it sounded so melodious; it flowed like music to his ears.

“I’m greeting you. I’m new here,” his smile widened into that of a Cheshire cat.

“You don’t know me, don’t you?”

Sooyoung shook his head. “No, but I’d like to.”

He turned away, his hands in his pockets and his leather jacket flapping in the wind behind him. He mounted his bike and gunned it into ignition. As he sped across the dark, midnight roads, there were only two things on his mind: Soo-Yeon and Taeyeon. Day is coming, a new day is coming, and the sunrise promised him a better future, if there was any future without Soo-Yeon at all. 

“New here, recently migrated from Japan, hmm…,” the headmaster had a few pieces of papers that were carefully crafted in his hands. Apparently it meant a lot for humans to have that piece of paper as some form of identity.

How sad, to have your identity in a piece of paper.Sooyoung had his hands behind his back, quietly and obediently watching the headmaster scan through his documents with some light of approval in his eyes behind those rimmed spectacles.

“Alright, it’s an honour to have you with you, Mr. Choi. With your spectacular grades, I’m sure you will have no problem catching up to our standards here,” Sooyoung flashed him a smile and shook his hand.

And she could see why the girls were so interested in the newcomer. He had ruggedly handsome looks, with well-defined cheekbones and carefully chiselled features that seemed to playful yet thoughtful at the same time. His messy, windblown chestnut hair glinted in the sunlight as his fringe covered his eyebrows, framing those intense, dark-brown eyes. The girls in her class gasped and squealed as he strode into class with confident and arrogant steps. The boys frowned and glared at him in envy, but he seemed the least bothered by them. He wore his shirt untidily, but that only made him look even more attractive. His tie hung loose around his neck as he left one button ed, exposing a bit of his well-sculpted chest. His blazer hugged his waist comfortably, showing off his shapely body. He was tall, even for a male and he towered over the rest of the boys easily. His sling bag hung from his shoulder as he greeted the teacher.

“He’s even better-looking than our school heartthrob!” one of the students squealed, causing Jessica to frown. Though, somehow, she did agree.

“Class, this is the new student I’ve told you about. He recently moved here from…where was it?” Mr. Lee frowned as he tried to remember his particular details.

The boy smiled lightly as he watched the teacher struggle. He touched Mr. Lee on the shoulder.

“Let me, sir. Hello, I’m Choi Sooyoung. I recently moved here from Japan. I was originally from Korea and am glad to be back. I will work hard,” the boys addressed the class.

The teacher seemed flustered. “Why don’t you make yourself comfortable next to Ms. Jung over there?”

Sooyoung nodded as he made his way to his table. Under the lighting and upon closer observation, Jessica noticed something off about Sooyoung’s face. A large scar graced his features. Even if they did not mar his good-looks, it was definitely changed her impression of him. The large scar stretched from his left eye to his jaw. As he sat down next to her, Jessica offered him a small smile before burying her head in her arms and falling asleep for the rest of the lesson.

“Hey, you’re drooling,” a soft voice woke her up from her deep sleep.

She opened her eyes only to find Sooyoung staring at her with amusement in his eyes. Jessica’s head snapped up and a line of drool trailed down her chin from her open mouth. Embarrassed, she began to wipe it with her sleeve. She heard Sooyoung’s quiet, musical laughter. He offered her a tissue, which she gratefully accepted.

“Thanks,” she thanked him.

“You’re welcome,” Sooyoung smiled warmly and continued to take down notes for the lesson.

Jessica laid her head on her arms. But this time, instead of sleeping, she snuck glances at Sooyoung. All the girls in class were doing it anyway; they were examining him as if he was the most interesting piece of art. Even then, Sooyoung didn’t seem to realise that half of the class was staring at him fixatedly. When the bell rung, everyone was rushing out of class whereas Sooyoung was just taking his time to pack his things. As Jessica was taking her leave, she felt a warm hand grab her wrist. She spun around and found herself in Sooyoung’s embrace. Her cheeks flushed red as she felt Sooyoung’s hard muscles against her body.

“What—what are you doing?” she stammered, struggling to be free of Sooyoung’s arms.

“I’m sorry.” Sooyoung released her at once, but he didn’t look sorry at all.

“Yes, can I help you?” Jessica asked as she folded her arms across her chest.

“Nothing…it’s just that you look very familiar. I’m sorry,” Sooyoung let go of her wrist, leaving behind a burning trail that stung from the absence of his warmth.

Jessica blinked, not expecting that answer. She was the school queen, but she had not expected such frankness from a male. She looked up at Sooyoung, who looked confused and distracted.

“Oh,” Jessica mumbled, stepping away from him. “Well, I have to go now. I’ll see you around.”

Sooyoung didn’t reply, still lost in his own world. Somehow, as she looked at him, she could almost see blood trickling from his large scar. Jessica shivered as she thought about it. She made her way towards her next class, walking leisurely. Never run even if you’re late. That was her motto that she stuck with. Every teacher knows of her tendency, but they couldn’t do anything no matter what they tried. She almost tripped at the doorway of the classroom when she felt warm arms slip around her waist, preventing her from falling. The entire class was silent, except for a few gasps and sniggers that came from the back of the class.

“Watch where you’re going,” a deep voice whispered at her ear.

She felt those firm yet gentle arms steady her as they helped her back to her feet. The teacher cleared .

“Ms Jung and Mr…?” Mrs. Kim stared at the taller boy.

“Choi. It’s Choi Sooyoung, ma’am. I’m new here,” Sooyoung finished for her, his arm still around Jessica’s waist.

“So I see,” Mrs. Kim said, apparently uninterested. “Please take your respective seats. I hate to see nosebleeds in my classroom.”

Sooyoung chuckled before bowing towards the teacher as a form of apology. Jessica, on the other hand, simply walked back to hear seat and slept for the rest of the session. 

“Psst!” a female voice whispered.

Sooyoung turned. The neighbourhood girl, Sunny, winked at him, smiling mischievously. Sooyoung smiled in return, but diverted his attention back to the board. Jessica saw this, and she felt a pang of jealousy in her. Somehow, she just disliked it when Sooyoung smiled back at Sunny. She huffed and rolled her eyes, turning away from him. Sooyoung realised this and passed her a note, which he wedged between her arm and the table. Jessica unfolded the note and read it carefully, tracing the intricate handwriting on the note.

What’s wrong? Are you okay?

Jessica smiled. Even though Sunny winked at him, his attention was still directed at her. She smiled sweetly at Sooyoung and nodded. Argh, Jessica, you can’t do this…you’re dating a high-school senior who is captain of the basketball team, has glistening abs and is absolutely hot! It was a mental slap to the face for Jessica, but what Yuri had, Jessica could see it in Sooyoung as well.

Readers’ Note:

I’ve started my new fanfic without much idea on how to continue it. Sigh…please look forward to the other chapter! Yes, I’ve made Sooyoung a male in here and yes, I know that Soo-Yeon is Jessica’s Korean name. Just pretend they’re two different people, alright?

Thank you for reading!

Yours Faithfully
Jazzign