Neighbor; a person lives next door that happens to have the most irritating smile.

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Bomi watched her best friend walked in with dark clouds above her head, figuratively, and she stomped her feet before she took a seat next to Bomi and placed her cheeks against the cold table. Bomi that was in the middle of painting her nails in colors, creased her brows questioningly but didn’t bother to ask. Eunji stomped her feet again and shook her body sullenly, almost dropped the nail-art set.

 

“Seriously Eunji, what happened to you? What’s with horrible mood of yours in such early morning?” Bomi saved her nail-art set and decided to continue later. After all, morning in their class would start with the deadly killer Choi Seonsaengnim.

 

“I hate that guy.” Eunji muttered in reply, she looked frustrated.

 

“What guy, which guy?” Bomi squinted, confused of who she talked about.

 

“Byun Baekhyun!” Eunji shrieked painfully and stomped her feet against the cold tiles. “And you know what Bomi, he happens to be my neighbor as well! Like seriously…, my life is already horrible because of that ing stupid love letter—and now I have to live next to him? Can you imagine my pain Yoon Bomi? Can you even think about it like at all—”

 

She couldn’t finish her lines because Choi Seonsaengnim already walked in to the class and let out his light, scary smirk to the class. He scanned the classroom for a moment before he took out his book and opened on the certain page and muttered in a very soft tone, “Page 28.”

Byun Baekhyun couldn’t help to let out his amused smile along the lesson, caused Chanyeol that happened to sit next to him frown confusedly. Right now they were in such boring History lessons of Korean War, but his best friend instead giggled over the textbook. Knowing that his mind wandered somewhere, Chanyeol elbowed him and Baekhyun turned to peek at the giant. “What,” Baekhyun muttered distractedly.

 

“You are giggling,” Chanyeol whispered in hushed tone, afraid Lim Seonsaengnim would listen to their conversation. Lim Seonsaengnim was such a sweetheart, but she disliked noise so much that even a Teacher’s Pet like Kim Junmyeon couldn’t win her heart. “What’s so funny? Share me some, so you don’t giggle alone. I want to laugh too, this class is so boring.”

 

“Nothing,” Baekhyun replied and huffed. He tried to control his emotion but failed, because then he burst into soft giggles again. Chanyeol looked at him questioningly and also domineeringly, so Baekhyun had no choice to answer. “It’s the love letter kid.”

 

Chanyeol was startled. “That kid that kissed you?” He raised a brow and Baekhyun flushed. He kicked Chanyeol’s shin and the taller cursed in pain. “ Baek, I was just saying…” Baekhyun didn’t say a word to reply and Chanyeol continued with his questions, “So what’s with her? Why are you giggling like a stupid fool for her?”

 

“This er happens to be her neighbor,” Jongdae interfered from behind and startled two of them. He gave a bored expression before added, “Please let me join your conversation. I’m a beat away from falling asleep. Does anyone ever tell Lim Seonsaengnim how boring she is in person? She just can’t stop talking….” Jongdae watched amusedly at their History teacher.

 

“Come on, you can’t say something like that on your teacher. She literally saves your last year Kim, remember you almost fail the class? It was because of her, now you can act like a stupid er.” Chanyeol shook his head before Baekhyun stifled a snort and Jongdae made a face.

 

“But you are not blind Park,” Jongdae still insisted his theory. “Just come to the bright side won’t you? Admit it…, Lim Seonsaengnim is pretty boring.” Jongdae even now stood up from his seat, bent over so he could lean closer to his two best friends sitting in front of him. His tablemate, Hyunsik, just shook his head because the table shifted a little. Jongdae sent an apology look and the other just grinned lightly.

 

“Well….,” Chanyeol hesitated.

 

His best friends were staring at him, waiting.

 

“She dresses fashionably, she has a nice smile, kind too,” Chanyeol started and they were too immersed with their conversation that they didn’t notice someone – their History teacher – already glanced at their direction and crossed her arms against her chest, brows raised and waited for they to realize. But they didn’t.

 

“Cut the crap Park, we just need you to confirm that indeed she is boring. Why do you think her relationship never lasts more than two months?” Jongdae, the juicy gossiper piped with amusement.

 

Baekhyun gasped, “Seriously Jongdae, where the do you gather information such as that? It’s her privacy for god’s sake.”

 

Jongdae shrugged. “Then you need to start hang out more in teacher’s longue. They are way harsher than me like seriously. They could talk about their own colleague so easily like nothing—” he was cut off because Hyunsik slapped his in rush. He turned to yell at him when he realized that next to Hyunsik, Lim Seonsaengnim already standing, lean and tall, with all her pretty pastel dress and heels, with the smile that was so nice just like Chanyeol mentioned, her colored brow raised at them.

 

“Byun Baekhyun, Kim Jongdae, and Park Chanyeol – The Trio.” She shook her head. “I will not ask you to run for twenty laps outside,” they gaped because outside was just a hell of day, “… if one of you can tell me when World War II ended,”

 

They were all staring at Chanyeol, with hopeful eyes, since Chanyeol was the smartest out of three at least, with his messy scribbles, but the boy was as pale as them.

 

Byun Baekhyun turned to Lim Seonsaengnim, sent her the same hopeful eyes before he gave a very soft answer, “Nineteen…” he started and Lim Seonsaengnim seemed to be waiting for the next words, it’s good, Baekhyun might be right. “Forty something?”

“FORTY SOMETHING?!”

 

Baekhyun grinned sheepishly at his best friend that has been grunting ever since. It was their eighteenth lap already and three of them already drenched in sweats. Damn the weather, damn Lim Seonsaengnim, but most of all damn Kim Jongdae – because it was him that caused everything mess like this.

 

“I’m sorry okay?” Baekhyun said, jogged backwards to see his best friend that cursed just now. “Chanyeol doesn’t seem to know the answer and I believe even we get it right, Lim Seonsaengnim won’t let us flee so easily. She will find a way to punish us either ways.”

 

Chanyeol nodded in agreement. “Chanyeol was right though, it happened in 1945. He got it right, nineteen forty something. Lim Seonsaengnim should count this at least half true and cut the punishment.” He was panting as they finished the lap. “I agree on you Kim, Lim Seonsaengnim is a very boring person.”

 

“ you.” Jongdae growled and two others just laughed.

 

As they ran for the final two laps, the bell rang for break. People – mostly girls – started to gather around the field with curious eyes. For the juniors and seniors, they already could tell The Trio was causing another trouble, while the freshmen found them amusing, because how could they remain so shameless and careless when those eyes were directed to them.

 

And anyway, they have been always the center of attention; Park Chanyeol as the giant dork that always stands in the middle to avoid banters between two others, Kim Jongdae as the Captain Trouble that willingly caused troubles and asked his best friends to join them, and finally Byun Baekhyun as the charmer and talkative puppy that was always hyper.

 

Everyone loved them, and they knew. So when the male seniors cheered for them from the windows, they just waved at them and bowed proudly after finished their laps. Everyone chuckled and raised their thumbs at The Trio.

 

Baekhyun shifted his slanted eyes after waving at the seniors on the window, down down down, until he found Eunji and her friend passed by – possibly going to cafeteria. Tapping his best friends’ shoulders, he rushed and left them to follow the female.

 

This is going to be so much fun.

“Enough with the complaints okay, my ears are hurt.” Bomi covered her earlobes as Eunji jutted her lips unhappily at her. “You should consider yourself lucky Eunji, like seriously. Don’t you know how many females in their raging hormones worship him? And you happened to be all Taylor Swift’s You Belong With Me with him, being neighbors and all that jazz – you understand what I’m saying?” Bomi took her tray with a smile.

 

Eunji was having her sour face etched on, “But it’s a nightmare! Well, I would consider myself is a lucky woman if I liked him. But I don’t! I don’t like him! And it’s very bothersome.” Eunji took her tray as well and walked to find the vacant seat for them to sit. “He just can’t stop grinning! Like for the love of god, can’t he stop doing it? It’s getting me very irritated.”

 

Bomi nudged her as she found an empty space and Eunji obediently followed her. She sat across her pouting best friend and sighed. “Well his smile is nice, that’s for a start.” Bomi received a light punch on the forearm because saying it. “What, just because your type is some dandy, preppy boy like Kim Junmyeon-sunbaenim then you will close your eyes for other, better chances.”

 

Eunji widened her eyes as the mention of Kim Junmyeon and pressed her index finger on her lips. “Don’t call him by name! People might hear!”

 

Bomi rolled her eyes, “Come on Eunji. Even if they listen, they would shrug it off. Everyone will understand if you said you like him.”

 

Then she remembered the morning encounter with Junmyeon and Baekhyun, when Baekhyun lightly reminded her that she might have a love rival, that she might not win his heart even though the love letter was received by him. She took a deep sigh and Bomi raised her brow, knowing her best friend would have another complaint. “… But Junmyeon-sunbaenim won’t like me anyway.”

 

“And why is that?” Bomi asked, curiously wanted to know.

 

“Because—” Eunji couldn’t even finish her words as she soon realized their empty space was occupied already, by no other than Byun Baekhyun and his best friends. Eunji and Baekhyun caught gazes and again, with that infuriating grin, he winked at her before mumbled have a good meal to Jongdae that sitting next to Yoon Bomi and Chanyeol that sat next to Baekhyun.

 

Eunji needed a moment to calm her heart before, “I’m sorry, what makes you think you can sit here?” she looked around and there were lots of empty benches that they could sit on.

 

“Because I hold one of your biggest secret,” Baekhyun replied quickly and scowled when Jongdae stole a sausage of his tray. “Bastard.” he cursed at Jongdae before slapped his head with his spoon. He then turned to Eunji with his mouth full. “So what class did you have Jung Eunji?”

 

Eunji rolled her eyes and refused to answer, she intentionally mouthed a spoonful of rice and looked away, anywhere but Baekhyun. Wish he would understand that Eunji was very, very irritated to see him around.

 

“So?” he instead turned to Bomi and waited with a kind smile. How could he, how could he have that face! He always showed smugness and rudeness to her. He read her name-tag and grinned, “So what class you have earlier Yoon Bomi?”

 

“Um oh…, it’s Choi Seonsaengnim.” Bomi stuttered, because she of course didn’t expect the infamous Byun Baekhyun would talk to her.

 

“Ouch.” Jongdae muttered and shook his head. “He reminds me of bad old days.”

 

“Oh,” Bomi turned to Jongdae with confused eyes. “What happened to you sunbaenim?” she asked politely.

 

“He messed around with Choi Seonsaengnim.” Chanyeol explained in behalf of Jongdae. “He intentionally glued his seat so he tore his pants out. It happened to be his favorite pair of slacks and costs like six zeros or something. Choi Seonsaengnim fails every test he took, even though he already cheated on the smartest kid in class. Bad days,” Chanyeol shook his head as he recalled the moment and Jongdae just chuckled.

 

“So the moral story is; you need to expand your sense of humor. Choi Seonsaengnim is not fun.” Jongdae shrugged with an amused smile. “I don’t feel sorry though, he was the kind of deserved it. I was just like…, a medium of everyone’s hatred toward him.”

 

“This jerk,” Chanyeol was speechless so he decided to finish his food before the bell rang.

 

Eunji felt sick with the staring she got, so she turned to Baekhyun and wondered. “Can’t you stop staring at me and eat your food? You were running earlier and I bet you are starving now. So please, stop doing it as if I’m a painting or something. It really gets me uncomfortable.”

 

“So you know I was running?”

 

“That’s what you get from all my words?” Eunji asked in surprise. “You have such huge ego to please,”

 

Baekhyun cackled but then he followed Eunji’s suggestion to finish his food. She was right after all, he was starving after twenty laps running under the sunlight.

 

They finished their foods, Bomi bowed at them and forced Eunji to do the same. She unwillingly bowed to the juniors that waved at the two freshmen. But Eunji halted midway when she was called by Byun Baekhyun.

 

“What,” she asked with bored expression.

 

“I’ll wait for you after school.” Baekhyun said with a smile that even though is very irritating but grew familiar with her. “See you later Jung.” He turned his back on her and Bomi, without turning back at all.

 

Bomi elbowed her and Eunji could already tell what she was about to say. “If I were you Eunji, I’d be thankful my letter went to wrong locker.”

 

Eunji couldn’t stop looking at the backside of Byun Baekhyun with wonder.

 

 

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3.2.2017

happy reading everyone~