I decided to walk slower than usual on my way to class since I didn’t want to arrive early. Arriving early means thinking about how to spend those extra minutes just before the professor walks in. I wasn’t really in the mood to socialize with my new classmates. In my hurry, I forgot to bring any handheld gaming device I owned. I’m trying to conserve my phone’s battery since I forgot to charge it earlier.

I arrived just in time with the professor still looking for the attendance sheet in his briefcase. I noticed how old he looks, as if he could have been a teacher when my old man was an undergraduate. I hope he’s the type that doesn’t really care whether his students listen to his lecture or not. It makes it easier for me to sleep away.

I looked for an available seat and spotted one at the far left of the room by the window. Perfect.

I sat lazily, not bothering to take out any paper and pen to note the things that he has to say. First day meetings were all about orientations, so it’s not really important. The professor walked in the middle of the platform before starting to speak.

“Good morning. I’m Mr. Yoo from the Biology Department,” he began.  “I presume all of you present here today are in the right class, with the right schedule, and aren’t lost?” This caused a number of people to chuckle at his remark. Since the class is a free science elective, it was composed of all year levels. The older students were waiting for a poor freshman to exit the lecture hall. Too bad no one did.

“Alright, let’s begin with attendance,” he said after a couple of seconds passed. He began calling names in alphabetical order. He called a bunch of them before calling mine. Afterwards, my mind began to drift elsewhere. I knew this was going to take a while so I preoccupied myself with thoughts about the gang’s get-together later on this week: Sober Club Friday. Yay.

Friday is our designated drinking day usually at my, Siwon’s, or Sungmin’s place. It gave us more privacy in case we did something stupid and regrettable. The only time we ever celebrated outside of our homes is when we celebrated someone’s birthday.

In the most recent Sober Club Friday, I was the last man standing. This grants me the privilege of asking each of my 6 dear hyungs to buy me a meal for free within this week before the next Sober Club. I was so glad that I won since I was saving up for a new game on my PS 4.

As I was recalling the events of the last Sober Club, my thoughts were interrupted when Mr. Yoo announced a name I am very familiar with.

“Seo Joohyun?”

I tried searching where she was seated when I realized that I didn’t have to look that hard. She was seated to my right.

“Present,” she responded with a clear voice.

Seo Joohyun or Seohyun as many would call her was one of the people I have known for more than half of my life. Don’t get me wrong, we aren’t that close. We just knew each other by association – Leeteuk was her cousin and older brother figure. Her dad died due to a car accident when she was young and her mom worked overseas. She didn’t have any siblings, so she lived her younger days under the guidance of Leeteuk’s family. Before starting university, she decided to live on her own in an apartment as she didn’t want to burden Leeteuk’s family any longer.

I remembered the first time I met her. I was 10 years old while she was 8. Leeteuk invited the gang to his house to celebrate his birthday. It was a lively party which we all enjoyed bar Seohyun. I recalled that she was so shy and always stayed beside Leeteuk’s mom. She wasn’t crying or anything but she was just detached from what’s happening around her. I tried initiating a conversation but she didn’t respond at all – so I gave up and let her be. Now that I thought about it, I believe she was adjusting to her new life, with her mother working abroad and her recently deceased father.

As the years went by, she seemed to have grown out of her shell based on the couple of times that we got to interact. Suffice to say that she’s blossomed into the Seohyun we all knew. She represented the unwritten benchmark that older people used to compare you with – “Why can’t you be more like Seo Joohyun?” I’ll tell you why – because one Seo Joohyun was enough.

She’s really kind. No seriously – SHE’S REALLY KIND. She’s the type of person who would help anyone in need like an old lady crossing the street or a lost boy in the mall searching for his parents. Even before starting university, she’s been volunteering at an orphanage that cares for children in need of support. Leeteuk told us that she enjoys assisting in medical missions and is considering to take up medicine in the future – which explains why she enrolled in Kyunghee, and is currently a 2^nd year psychology major.

I’m not really sure how well she performed academically back in first year but I guarantee that she’s within the top 10% of the batch at least. Did I mention she made the dean’s list back in freshman year?

“Why hello there, Seohyun,” I started to catch her attention. I noticed her skin looked slightly tanned. It’s probably from a recent medical mission she joined in during the summer.

“Hi Kyuhyun-ssi. It’s been a while,” she replied. She couldn’t have said it better. The last time we met was during Leeteuk’s birthday last year.

“I know, right? Did you miss me?” I with my trademark smirk. She didn’t answer but instead faced forward, looked towards the floor, and smiled cutely.

Seohyun’s far from unattractive. Her face has pure and innocent written all over it. Her shy brown eyes and signature chubby cheeks don’t dim that fact. No wonder why Leeteuk’s overprotective of her.

“So…” I began, trying to continue where we left off.  “I guess this is the first time that we’ll be classmates.”

“That would be correct. I didn’t think you’d notice,” she answered courteously. Oh, so she has kept tabs as well. As I was about to voice this out –

“Well then! Now that attendance is over,” Mr. Yoo interrupted with his conducive-for-sleeping voice.

“To make things easier for me, this will be your permanent seating arrangement for the rest of the semester. Understood?” He added.

I had nothing to complain about. Fair enough.

Seohyun turned to me and said, “In that case, I hope I can live up to your expectations as a good seatmate, Kyuhyun-ssi.”

“Likewise,” I said with a grin.

- - - - - - - -

Class dragged on with Mr. Yoo explaining the requirements in order to pass the course. He’s so boring… Why the did I sign-up for this class again?

I entertained myself by twirling a pen between my fingers to pass time. At one point, I accidentally dropped it and cursed silently. I was about to pick it up when someone else’s hand beat me to it. It was Seohyun’s.

“Here you go,” she said with a smile.

“Thanks.”

As she returned her attention to Mr. Yoo, I noticed her outfit for today which consisted of a loose dark blue polo, black jeans, and brown sandals. Seohyun’s the type who doesn’t really care much for outward appearances. Still, I’m not the only guy who wondered what she’d look like if she dressed more girly.

I realized we had the same outfit on and snickered to myself.

She noticed my change in mood and said, “What’s the matter? You’re acting like a crazy person.”

“Nothing. I find it funny that we’re wearing couple outfits,” I answered and it made her chuckle.

Don’t get me wrong – I consider her to be one of the most beautiful girls on campus but she’s not the kind of girl I would usually date. To be honest, I don’t think Seohyun’s ever been in a relationship. Even though ¾ of the school’s male population found her attractive, I think guys were intimidated by her track record as Ms. Perfect – she seemed unattainable in the eyes of many.

It’s no secret that I’m not some innocent. I’ve had a string of girlfriends behind me but they never really lasted for more than a month. I didn’t like it when the girl became clingy when all I wanted was a good lay. The last relationship I had was after I returned from military service. My friends wanted me to start taking relationships seriously, especially Siwon. So here I am, currently single, and in a relationship with Star Craft. I’m just kidding about the Star Craft part.

A couple of minutes went by and finally… FINALLY first period was over. I cannot believe Mr. Yoo managed to spend the entire 1 ½ hours of class just orienting the students to the course. And here I thought the class would be dismissed early.

As I was about to leave my seat, Seohyun intervened.

“I’ll see you later in Org Fair, Kyuhyun-ssi. The guild needs to assemble outside the library at 5 pm to discuss some last-minute reminders for the skit we’ll perform so that the freshmen can see what we are capable of.”

. I forgot that she’s also an active member of the theater guild.

Last year, she helped with script-writing but was also given a role in a musical production which showcased her singing ability. I have yet to hear her sing – according to Yesung and Ryeowook who both watched the performance, she was good enough to make the Music Department beg for her to have a special appearance in their Winter Recital.

I started to believe that there really is no escape from attending Org Fair. FINE.

“Yeah, sure, whatever. See ya!” I hurriedly replied, impatient to get to my next class.

- - - - - - - -

The rest of the morning went by uneventful and the bell rang, signaling lunch break. I left class and made my way to our usual hang-out, spotting Siwon and Sungmin talking to each other. When Siwon noticed my presence, he waved back.

I looked at him and smiled deviously.

“Hyung, buy me kimchi fried rice and Sprite.”

He let out a loud sigh before following my command unwillingly. He knew better than to disobey the last man standing in Sober Club.

Sungmin noticed our little exchange and raised an eyebrow. “Really, Kyu? Didn’t your mother teach you to greet people first, and say please and thank you?”

“Yeah. But I don’t want to,” I replied and we both laughed.

“Yo,” Heechul began. Sungmin and I nodded in response. The first thing I noticed when he arrived was his flowing pants that could pass as a skirt. Only Heechul can pull off wearing things like that and I’d like to think that no one will question his masculinity.

“Jungsu will be late and said he had to take care of Org Fair matters,” He followed before any of us can ask where our dear Teukie-hyung was. Leeteuk was assigned to host the Org Fair showcase later.

He spotted Ryeowook from far away walking towards us and said, “Oh look, it’s Ryeowook. Let’s embarrass him.”

“RYEONGGU! I MISS YOU!” He shouted loudly. All eyes turned to Ryeowook and laughed. He was humiliated and had his head down while walking quickly to our table.

“Hyung! You didn’t have to do that. I’ve been having a good day so far and then this happened,” He answered shaking his head while taking his seat next to me.

A moment later, I sensed an odd and out-of-place aura behind me. Before I could turn back and acknowledge the person, I felt someone’s finger touching my philtrum. I didn’t have to look back to know who this is.

“Yah Ninja! Stop molesting my philtrum!” I complained to Yesung-hyung. He put his arms around my and Ryeowook’s shoulder.

“It’s a hyung’s privilege to tease his dongsaeng once in a while,” he said. When Heechul and Sungmin agreed, they gave each other a three-way high-five.

Siwon arrived carrying a tray containing his food and mine. I said thank you while the others teasingly consoled him by patting his back, understanding that he was the latest victim to my sweet privilege. I still had 4 free meals to consume – Good job, Kyuhyun.

“Yah, we should buy lunch as well guys,” Heechul noticed and gestured for Yesung, Sungmin, and Ryeowook to follow his lead, leaving me and Siwon. He was the unofficial second-in-command when Leeteuk’s not around.

Siwon began, “How’s your first day so far, Kyu?”

“It was okay except first period with Mr. Yoo in Biology. His class feels like an eternity, if you ask me.”

“Oh? Just put up with it. He’s quite generous with exams,” He added.

Interested, I replied, “Go on, I’m listening.”

“About 25-50% of his exam questions will come from those that he already asked in the previous exams.”

“Very nice. I like that,” I replied. Now I remembered why I signed up for biology with Mr. Yoo. Siwon smiled while shaking his head, seeming to read my thoughts. His expression changed when he saw Leeteuk coming towards us.

Leeteuk did not come alone – he was preoccupied talking to his baby cousin. Whatever it was they were talking about, I was pretty sure it was funny since he laughed with that iconic, maniac, very un-Leeteuk laugh. It was at times like this that I would want to pretend that Leeteuk’s not my friend.

When they both realized we were staring at them, they greeted Siwon and I.

“Good afternoon, Siwon-ssi. Hello again, Kyuhyun-ssi,” she said and bowed. Why did she have to be so respectful all the time?

Siwon replied giving her his famous gentlemanly smile, “It’s nice to see you too, Seohyun.”  Even Seohyun wasn’t unaffected by Siwon’s charms. I didn’t know why I felt a little jealous when she blushed.

Leeteuk was fixated with Seohyun’s previous response and asked quizzically, “What’s with the again?”

“Oh? He’s my seatmate in Biology.”

“Yah, Kyu. I asked you how your day went and you failed to mention that Seohyun’s your classmate,” Siwon complained. His Shi-brows seemed to do more of the talking than his actual response.

“Does it matter?” I replied.

“Of course it matters!” Leeteuk exclaimed. “Kyu, I’m entrusting Seobaby to you during Biology. Please protect her in my stead.” Seohyun playfully punched her older cousin’s arm. Siwon and I chuckled at their banter.

The rest of the guys arrived at the table. Yesung chose this moment to interrupt and greeted, “Seororo! How have you been?” Seororo was a moniker we gave her due to her obsession with Keroro since she was young.

“I-I’m good, Yesung-ssi,” she responded, tucking her hair behind her ear. It was kind of cute how she acted shy when the  seven of us were present around her.

“Oh? Hyung, have you eaten already?” Sungmin commented, noticing that Leeteuk came to the table without bringing any food.

Leeteuk, waving his hand, said,“Yes, yes. Don’t worry about me. I had a quick lunch with Seobaby. You can start eating guys.” That was our signal to devour our food.

Seohyun, feeling her phone vibrate in her pocket, fished it out to read a message.

“Well, I guess I have to go. I have a meeting to attend to before lunch ends,” she answered. We all understood and said our goodbyes.

“It was nice seeing all of you,” she said. There she goes again, bowing. Seohyun tended to act mature for her age. Not that I mind or anything, but I wished she would act like a normal person her age does.

Leeteuk gave his cousin a friendly hug and a quick kiss on the forehead. Most people were unaware that Leeteuk and Seohyun were related and they believed that they were a couple since he showered her with a lot of affection. I was pretty sure he was doing that on purpose to keep guys away from his pretty cousin. He was childish in that sense.

“Off you go. Hurry or you’ll be late. I’ll see you later Seobaby,” Leeteuk said with a smile, his dimple showing. Seohyun nodded and returned the gesture.

I was concentrated on my food that I didn’t realize Seohyun wasn’t completely off our radar. I felt a soft hand on my left shoulder. I looked up and was met with her concerned eyes.

“Kyuhyun-ssi, please attend the Org Fair. We could really use your help,” she said. Why must she act like a nagging mother?

I heaved a long sigh with my eyes closed, then stared back at her. “What did I tell you earlier? Alright, okay? You have my word,” I groaned irritably, with a fake smile plastered on my face. The guys were silently giving me looks that asked me to treat her nicely. She did not mind, though.

“I knew you’d understand. See you later,” she replied, still with a smile on her face, walking off to her meeting. I guess I wasn’t the only one who can fake a smile. Was that guilt I felt as I saw her form disappear into the crowd?

“Yah, maknae,” Leeteuk argued. “Can you pretend that this Org Fair’s important? I don’t like the way you treated Seo.” The others agreed. It was the fourth time today that I’m reminded of the stupid Org Fair. It’s not like it’s graded or anything.

“Look, I’m going to help in the Org Fair, alright? Can everyone just drop the subject and move on? I don’t need a reminder every ing time when I’m with you guys or with her,” I grumbled, exasperation dripping from my voice. They all quieted down and I took it as a sign to continue, “Thank you.”

Heechul whispered to Yesung who was seated beside him. It was loud enough for everyone to hear. “Maknae’s all moody and everything because Seo’s copying his outfit,” He teased, trying to lighten the mood which I didn’t appreciate.

I glared at him while shaking my head. Ryeowook, understanding the atmosphere, shifted the topic. “Anyways, where will Sober Club Friday take place?” I am incredibly grateful for the change in conversation.

“My parents are having a business deal abroad. They’ve been out of the country since yesterday and will come back two weeks from now. May be you’d all like to have a Sober Club Weekend at my place?” Sungmin suggested. He’s quite loaded himself – there’s no disagreement whenever we use Sungmin’s place for any of our special occasions.

That’s more like it. Who were we to turn down a three-day Sober Club? We all wore identical grins on our faces – everyone was excited.

But first, I must survive this Org Fair that everybody’s been pestering me about.

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Second chapter completed. I only have 3 weeks left before the semester ends and when Christmas break starts (hell yeah). My, how the year has gone by :)