Thursday was unexpectedly eventful. We didn’t have anything planned out for the day, nothing interesting should be happening, and yet there I was. I get Baekhyun’s classes thrice per week; Tuesday, Thursday and Friday mornings on the first period. I had never loathed the subject, on the contrary I quite like it but I never really showed any enthusiasm. Solji however, thought differently, taking interest in the teacher instead.

I got to school quite early as usual, met up with Songhyun, Jaeyeol and Sehun by the lockers, then we made our way to the classroom, joking around while doing so. It was as typical as any morning, maybe even the most normal morning I’d had so far. We greeted the other Exo members who came into the class not long after we settled ourselves in our respective seats, conversing excitedly before ceasing all connections once the other students entered.

Solji’s entrance with her posse was dramatically exaggerated as usual, getting in a few seconds before the bell rang along with Baekhyun’s entry as well. I had noticed how Solji sashayed her way to sit on the front row, and I figured it was to get Baekhyun’s attention, considering how she supposedly ‘claimed’ him the other day.

Oddly enough, relief flowed through me when Baekhyun took no heed of her not-so-subtle efforts, and instead seated himself comfortably on his chair behind the teacher’s table before starting the class. I wasn’t dense or thick, I know jealousy when I feel it, and I felt it the moment Solji tried to pull her futile tricks on him. Possessiveness is hazardous, and that had never felt so real until then.

I honestly did not know, how on earth could I have liked a person after 4 days of knowing each other. And yet, in that short amount of time, Baekhyun pretty much knows everything about me there is to know. He knows about my past, although not all of it, but a lot more than I let other people find out. We all know I’m not much of a people’s person, and still I felt comfortable around Baekhyun. Was it me? Or was it him?

My mind was clogged that morning, despite the fact that I usually set aside any kind of present problems I had whenever it was Baekhyun’s class, simply because Business Studies was important. But I couldn’t find it in me to concentrate on the lesson, alternatively spending enormous amounts on time focusing on Solji and her petty acts.

The first stunt she pulled was to pretend that the classroom was too hot for her. Our uniform was equipped with a blazer and a white shirt underneath, complete with a tie and a pleated skirt. She used the ‘temperature’ as an excuse to remove her blazer, blatantly exposing the thin shirt underneath, translucently displaying her red bra. 

I quickly averted my gaze to check on Baekhyun’s reaction, heart already racing in anxiety, but then sighed inaudibly when Baekhyun didn’t even spare a glance her way. I felt outrageously victorious but then felt the immense embarrassment shortly after, knowing the fact that it was silly of me to feel that way in the first place and also how all this happened without anyone noticing.

Solji must have realized Baekhyun’s indifference as well, because she decided to take it up a notch not long after her first act. Baekhyun had just finished explaining a business term, when Solji suddenly raised her hand, “Byun seonsaeng, can you tell me more about this? I have a hard time understanding.”

I almost dropped my jaw in disbelief and disgust at what she did, the term wasn’t even that hard to fathom, was she that stupid to not understand? I get that she’s literally vying for Baekhyun’s attention, but was she that desperate to sacrifice what little reputation she had left? People already see her as a , and after that small act, the people would see her as a stupid . Girls like her bring down the entire reputation of women in our age, I am ashamed to have ever called her a friend in the distant past.

Baekhyun didn’t make a move to respond to her, and instead nodded, “Go open the summary page of the chapter on the textbook Solji. You would find a detailed explanation of the term, I haven’t the time to explore this any further.”

In my head I was like, “ BURN!”. But in real life, I had a poker face on, while the rest of class snickered at Solji’s pathetic attempt. Solji was dumbfounded herself, nodding quickly and supposedly ‘opened’ said summary page. 

She stopped her stunts afterwards, and I was able to take a short breather from her incessant display of stupidity. Baekhyun’s class had only lasted for about an hour, and before I knew it, I was off to my other classes.

The day droned on longer that I had thought it would, time passed ever so slowly and the fact that I had a lot on my mind didn’t help at all. If you asked me a week ago what I thought about boys, I would have said they were useless beings, imperative only to fulfil unnecessary humane needs. 

But on that particular Thursday, if you asked for my opinion on boys, I would have stayed silent and Baekhyun would cross my mind. And then there would be a surge of thoughts flowing into my mind, his eyes, his laugh, his weird bipolar show of personality, even the feel of his skin.

It’s weird what he can do to me, only after 4 days. I mean come on, when does that ever happen to anyone? How much more cliche can this get? Only Disney princesses have stories like this, they’re like “Oh yay I met a handsome prince, he’s going to save me from my distress.” and after the prince will struggle for a while, but then the next day they’d kiss and get married. 

I swear to you that I was in the correct century where people don’t fall in love that easily but instead have that easily. Yes the ed up age, but exactly why this happening is a strange occurrance. But then again I couldn’t be bothered by what caused this to happen, rather what would happen next.

It was a few minutes before the bell rang, signalling the end of classes and the start of lunch period. My phone buzzed on my lap, where I put it purposefully in case I had to access it asap. I looked around the class, to make sure the teacher wasn’t looking my way, and quietly checked the phone. I looked to see that I got a text from Baekhyun, a short one though enough to subtly excite me. It said, “Lunch with me?” I raised my eyebrow, about to type in a quick reply, but then decided against it and let it go unanswered instead. 

I hadn’t opened the text, and had only read it through the notifications, that way he wouldn’t think that I’ve seen it. I didn’t know why but I felt like just going straight to his office, it wouldn’t hurt anyway. Just like that, when the ringing sound of the bell resonated in the classroom, I turned to where Jaeyeol was sitting behind the table next to mine. He looked at me inquisitively, already assuming that I had something to tell him.

I gave him a small smile before saying, “Hey Jae, I won’t be having lunch with you. I have a prior engagement elsewhere.” He raised both his eyebrows with a smirk on his face, taking the hint and nodding slowly, “Kay Mi, have fun.” 

Rolling my eyes at him as a sign of my adieu, I went out of the classroom, and made my way to the 5th floor towards Baekhyun’s office. I made a stop on the 3rd floor to put back some of my books in the locker, and after slamming it shut, tried to inconspicuously make my way to the elevator. 

As I waited patiently in front of the doors to the elevator, I spotted Solji and her entourage coming my way from across the hall and widened my eyes at the sight. I seriously hadn’t the energy nor the time to quarrel with her that day, and pushed the elevator button as quickly as possible. Fortunately, the elevator doors opened and I rushed in, pushing the button to close the doors frantically. The doors slid close just as Solji passed the elevators, and I sighed in mild relief behind the elevator’s metal panes. 

The ride to the 5th floor was considerably short, and the corridors were abandoned once I stepped out of the lift. Most of the students would be in the cafeteria at this time, if not, in the gardens and maybe by the big fountain in the back lawn. I was safe to walk the halls and found my way to Baekhyun’s office in no time. I took a deep breath to brace myself, and then proceeded to knock the door. No sounds were made and there were no hints of someone moving towards the door as per usual, but then the door swung open in front of me.

Baekhyun looked at me in confusion, but didn’t say anything as I walked into the office past him. I noticed a couple of plastic bags on top of his desk along with bottles of water, acknowledging the fact that that must be our lunch. I turned to him with a smile, only to find him still maintaining his previous facial expression, “What? Why are you staring at me?” Baekhyun snapped out of his daze and shook his head slightly at me, “I thought you didn’t get my text.”

I walked towards his table and sat on one of the chairs, “Well I did, so I’m here.” I looked up from the table towards him, watching him make his way towards me to sit on his own chair, “Do you not want me here?” Baekhyun shot up to look at me and squinted his eyes, “And your hostility’s made a comeback. What’s with the sour mood, I didn’t think yesterday’s date was that bad.” I rolled my eyes at him before moving my hand to peek at what’s inside the plastic bags, “Nothing. Yesterday’s date wasn’t bad at all, I just woke up on the wrong side of the bed, that’s it.”

Before I could touch the plastic bag though, my hands were stopped by his own. I didn’t anticipate that and watched him shake his head at me, “I know we haven’t known each other that long, but I can tell that something’s bothering you. Why don’t you tell me?” I pursed my lips skeptically at him, clucking my tongue in the process, “Oh you know, the usual. It’s Solji, who else could it be.” Baekhyun released my hands and sat back on his chair, letting me open the plastic bag, taking out the packs of Chinese take-out from inside. 

As I opened the boxes and readied our pairs of chopsticks, Baekhyun said something, “What did she do now? I didn’t know you had any episodes with her today.” I handed him his chopsticks while I gave him a pointed look, a little bit out of annoyance because I was irritated over the fact that I couldn’t really tell him why I hated Solji a little bit more that day. Because then he’d know I was jealous, and I didn’t want to look petty to him. I didn’t have the “alpha-male” excuse to get me away from this one.

I shook my head in response, “She’s alive, that’s what’s been bothering me.” Baekhyun was chewing on his food as he raised an eyebrow at me, clearly not buying a single word I said. I shrugged at him and dug into my own box of sweet and sour chicken. 

I saw him swallow his food, before he replied to my statement, “She’s been alive, and you know that I’m not buying what you’re selling here. You have to tell me the truth, I’d know if it isn’t.” I huffed in resignation before groaning, “Seriously, you don’t have to break your neck for this.”

He frowned whilst shaking his head, seemingly very determined to get an answer out of me, “I feel like I kinda do.” I rolled my eyes at him before sighing, “Fine. She was being an attention this morning and I don’t like it, happy?” 

Baekhyun laughed at my face, his mouth still partially full with food. I frowned in disgust and leaned back a little to avoid any pieces of food that might jump out of Baekhyun’s mouth. “Stop laughing at me, it isn’t even funny. Besides, your mouth is full so ew, please swallow before laughing.”

He gradually stopped his laughter and properly swallowed the remaining food in his mouth, still smiling at me but with a different glint of amuse