There were quite a lot of things that had the ability to put Yunho in a bad mood. 

            Running out of cigarettes, for one. He nearly exploded with frustration every time he reached into his pocket and could only manage to find a crumpled and forgotten carton crushed at the bottom, a poignant reminder that he really should quit sometime in the near future – though he knew full well that the chances of that ever happening were slim to none.

            Coming home to find that Yoochun had ravaged the fridge of all the good food was another. There was nothing worse than returning home from a day of work, filled with anticipation for whatever food they had, most often something Yunho himself had made the night before, only to discover that Yoochun had selfishly devoured it sometime while he was out.

            He hated the seemingly endless amount people who didn’t have an inkling of sense regarding personal space. He had suffered all too many painful conversations with people who just had to stand mere inches from him, breathing their foul air into his face and making his nose turn as they placed touches on his arm, his back, some so daring as to touch his face or his chest.

            If Yunho were to list every single thing that he hated, he’d waste the entire morning away and not even be halfway through it all.

            But as he clapped his hands together, the white dust from the swirling around his face and racing eagerly up his nose, he made a mental note to add the dull scent of chalk dust in the much too early hours of the morning to that very list.

            “Alright, class.” He said, turning around to face his students, still a swarm of unfamiliar faces amongst an all too familiar backdrop. Though he had been there about a week, he still hadn’t been able, or, more likely, just didn’t care enough, to learn any of their names. “Please copy what I’ve written on the board in your notebooks. We’re going to review the grammar pattern in last night’s homework. I’ll be handing your essays back at the end of the period.” He let his eyes search the room, finding himself wondering if anyone was really listening at all. Their glazed eyes and utterly disinterested faces proved otherwise. “Before we continue, are there any questions?”

            He saw a hand shoot up from the back of the class, a frown surfacing as he discovered the owner to be none other than the very same dark-eyed boy he had come to detest so much.

            Since the first day, his interest, or more accurately, confusion, in regards to the boy had only grown. Everyday he simply walked in, eyes looking slightly tired just as every student’s did, put his bag down, and sat at his empty desk without taking out so much as a single pencil. Now that, although rude, wasn’t inherently weird in itself. Plenty of kids had given up on school and simply couldn’t be bothered to even pretend that they were trying.

            No, that wasn’t what made him strange. The weird thing about this boy, the thing Yunho hated more than anything, was the way he never took his eyes off of him for a single second.

            Most of the kids who had decidedly given up on school just placed their heads on their desks and caught a couple precious moments of sleep, or rested their chins on their hands and gazed out the window, jealous eyes lusting for the fresh air that was so far out of reach.

            But not him.

            He simply stared, his piercing gaze making even the unmoving Yunho uncomfortable.

            Yunho found himself avoiding the boy’s eyes, those deep, much too dark eyes that seemed to watch him no matter what he did, seemed to inspect his every single movement, gaze growing sharper with every passing second of class.

            The moment Yunho inadvertently locked eyes with the boy, something he attempted to avoid at all costs, he found himself longing for class to end perhaps even more than his students did.

            “Yes?” He responded, voice veiled with not politeness, but mere tolerance, his commanding tone making it as obvious as possible that he did not like his students by any means; he simply dealt with them, as he had to. 

            “Why are we learning this?” He asked. Yunho found himself blinking several times at the unfamiliar sound, realizing then that that was the first time he had ever heard the boy actually speak. His voice was slightly airy, almost whimsical, yet laced with an anger mild enough to even be called an ‘annoyance’.

            And Yunho hated it.

            “What exactly do you mean?”  Yunho asked. He did everything in his power not to look away from the boy, though keeping eye contact with that bone-chilling stare made him sick to his stomach.

            “I mean, why am I learning this?” He asked. Yunho could do nothing but stare blankly at the boy, inspecting his face for any sort of clue to aid him in figuring out just what he was talking about.  “I don’t need to learn English.” The boy declared, folding his arms and leaning back on his chair. “I don’t plan on ever using it. And I’m certainly not interested in it. Yet here I am, sitting here, learning it.” The class remained silent, save a few sighs from random students who seemed to be used to the boy’s odd behavior, only annoyed by its apparent frequency. 

            Yunho removed his glasses and rubbed his eyes with his fingers, trying to soothe the headache he felt forming in the back of his brain. Though he knew he was supposed to maintain a certain level of professionalism while at work, there was something about that boy that made it impossible. The way he had announced it so smugly, so assuredly, made Yunho want to waltz up to his desk and strangle the life out of him as his classmates looked on.

            And compared to that, a momentary lapse in professionalism was far better.

            “Why do you think I’m here?” He asked, directing his question to the entire class. He was only returned with a silence, the feeling of thirty some odd pairs of confused eyes watching him carefully. If he didn’t have the attention of the class before, he certainly did now. “Do you think I’m here because I want to be? Because I can assure you that is not the case.” Yunho didn’t think the room could get any more silent than it had been before, but as the classroom suddenly became even deader than it had been, it became quite apparent that he was wrong. “No. I’m not here because I like it. I’m here because it’s my job.” He hissed. He certainly wouldn’t be wasting his time there if it weren’t for that very reason. “And being a student is your job. So I don’t care if you don’t like English. I don’t care if you don’t want to be here, because, hell, neither do I.” He said, raising his hands to his sides in admittance. “It doesn’t make a difference to me. I don’t care. So sit there, be quiet, and copy down the damn notes like I told you to.”

            Being a new teacher, and a particularly young one at that, Yunho had expected a certain amount of disrespect from the students. They never seemed to be quite attentive, usually passing notes or whispering to their neighbors without even an attempt at subtlety.

            But after that outburst, as the class looked on in a completely shocked silence, he couldn’t imagine they wouldn’t give him just a bit more respect in the future.

            Yunho remained frozen, staring at the boy with an unmoving glare of his own. He could see the boy’s dangling earrings shaking as he trembled with rage, baring his teeth while matching Yunho’s gaze.

            Yunho basked in the boy’s anger, his shock at Yunho’s retaliation quite pleasing, almost soothing – a fitting payback for the week of unsettling looks he’d been receiving from him. It was quite obvious he’d never been spoken to like that from any teacher here, and the surprise in his face was simply a pleasure to look at.

            “Any more questions?” He asked the class, face settling into a smirk he couldn’t control no matter how hard he tried. The class remained silent, jaws dropped, as they slowly shook their heads back and forth. “Good.” Yunho said. He turned and faced the board, reluctantly turning away from the lovely sight of the boy clenching his fists at his desk, eyes forced into slits as he hunched over his seat. “Let’s continue.”

            Yunho shut the door to his apartment and slid his keys back into his pocket, sighing in relief at being back at home and finally done with yet another day of school.

            His apartment seemed just a bit too quiet, the creaks of the floorboards quite audible next to the glaring silence of his surroundings. Walking forward, he was greeted with the all too familiar image of his roommate passed out on the couch, chest heaving as he let out the occasional lumbering snore. “Yoochun, wake up.” Yunho said, nudging him gently with his hand. Yunho frowned as he noticed a rather large collection of empty beer cans discarded by the couch. “Yoochun.” He demanded, a bit harsher this time. Yoochun once again ignored him in favor of his restful nap on the couch. Yunho had come to expect a certain amount of laziness from him, but this was verging on absurdity. “Wake the up!” Yunho yelled, delivering a swift kick to his side.

            “Jesus, Yunho! What the ?” Yoochun yelled, curling up and grabbing at his ribs.

            “Why the hell are you drunk at five in the afternoon?”

            Yoochun rolled on his stomach, looking up at Yunho through half-lidded eyes. “I’m not drunk.” He said, voice laced with a drowsiness that didn’t come even remotely close to convincing Yunho of his supposed sobriety. “Okay, I’m not that drunk.” He admitted. Yunho sighed.

            “Scoot over.” He said. Yoochun complied, but not without a dramatic groan, an attempt to indicate just how demanding Yunho’s request was. “You need to get a ing job.”

            Yoochun reached over the arm of the couch and somehow found a full can of beer amidst a sea of empty ones, tossing it to Yunho over his shoulder. Yunho wasted no time in opening in it, welcoming the refreshing liquid down his throat after a long, much too frustrating day at work. “I went for an interview today.” Yoochun said.

            “Good. And?”

            He shrugged. “I don’t know. They’ll call me.” He said. Yunho nodded, basking in the few seconds of silence as he took another sip and tried to clear his thoughts from the day. The adrenaline from his spectacle in class had completely dissipated, and now as he recalled it he was left with nothing but a strange pit in his stomach and a bitter taste in his mouth. He thought he could finally get those eyes out his head, those smug, glaring eyes that watched his every motion, but they were still there, somehow even stronger than before. And this time they weren’t smug, but furious.

            “Hey, Yoochun.” He said, playing with his drink between his hands, the smooth surface of the can feeling gentle and cool against his rough palms. 

            “Hm?”

            Yunho sighed and drained the last of his can before crushing it in his fingers and tossing it to the side. “What does it mean if someone stares at you all the time?” He asked, only realizing just how stupid he sounded after the words had successfully fallen from his mouth.

            “What am I, a mind reader?” Yoochun grumbled. “What’s this all about?”

            “A student.” Yunho stated, keeping his answers as short as possible. He was starting to regret bringing it up at all.

            “Maybe someone’s got a crush on teacher.” Yoochun said, voice buried underneath a couple stray laughs and giggles. Yunho could only scoff and lean back against the couch. He should have known better than to ask advice from Yoochun, whose knowledge of social situations came predominantly from whatever brand of he had watched that week. His slight intoxication wasn’t making matters much better, either.

            “As if.”

            “Then , I don’t know.” Yoochun groaned. “Did you do anything to them?” He asked.

            “That’s the thing. He’s been doing it since day one.” Yunho slammed his eyes shut and made a feeble attempt in removing the image from his mind. He already knew it wouldn’t leave no matter what he did, anyway. “He’s…really odd. Messed up. I think there’s something wrong with him.”

            Yoochun shrugged. “Well there’s your answer. He’s messed up.” He said firmly. Yunho sighed loudly. He hated when he did that. Whenever Yoochun didn’t feel like talking about something, he’d simply declare something completely arbitrary as a fact, stating it in such a way that left no room for negotiation. “Now move over. I want to go back to sleep.”

            Yunho grumbled a few choice words at him and dragged his limbs to the kitchen.

            He rubbed his eyes and frowned, not in the least bit satisfied by their verdict. The kid was a bit weird, that much was obvious, but there didn’t seem to be anything wrong with him. Yunho refused to believe that he was just a messed up kid who glared daggers at him all day long for no reason. There had to be something else to it.

            Stomach growling and mouth watering in anticipation of the leftover food from last night, he eagerly opened his fridge, only to find that Yoochun had eaten it all sometime while he had been out.

            After two weeks at it, Yunho could say with confidence that he was completely and entirely fed up with work.

            He was a bit surprised at this. Not because he didn’t expect it – that couldn’t be further from the truth. He knew this was coming before he even started his first day.

            He just didn’t expect it quite so soon.

            He knew full well he’d hate his job right off the bat, and that was certainly true. But he thought he’d at least be able to tough it out longer than two weeks before he felt himself longing to just claw his eyes out rather than actually go to work.   

            The sound of the bell, that sweet, glorious sound, signaling the end of the day rang like the bells of an angel. Every day he found himself gathering his things the moment his students had cleared out of the classroom, racing to his car and speeding home just to rid himself of the horrible feeling the school left on his skin.

            And as he glanced upward at the clock, watching second after second tick by as he explained the homework assignment to the class, the sound of the bell sent a rush of relief through his entire body.

            He waited for the students to leave as he always did, not wanting them to see him take off for the door like an Olympic sprinter, which they certainly would see if they stuck around just a few minutes longer.

            He gathered up his papers and books, cramming them into his briefcase just like he had all those years ago when he was a student himself, shoving things to the bottom of his bag just to get out of the classroom mere seconds earlier. He turned to face the board, erasing the scrawled chalk outlines of grammar patterns he had no interest in, almost giddy with excitement to finally leave and relax at home.

            But when he turned around his blood froze in his veins, his heart sinking into the pit of his stomach as he found himself staring at the very last thing he wanted to see.

            No matter how much he thought, he couldn’t figure out why the boy was standing in front of his desk looking like he wanted to murder him. He didn’t know what he had done to deserve such a visit.

            But he did know he wanted him gone.

            The boy slammed a piece of paper down on his desk, looking up at him with enraged eyes that somehow infuriated Yunho even more than the boy’s sudden visit had. 

            “Who the hell do you think you are?” The boy yelled, gritting his teeth as he stared unflinchingly at Yunho. Yunho blinked a couple times, slightly taken aback by the sudden outburst, mind churning as he tried to figure out just what he was talking about.

            “What?” He asked blankly.

            “My essay.” The boy hissed. “You gave me a terrible grade.”

            “Then it was probably a terrible essay.” Yunho said plainly. The boy’s face contorted into a kind of rage Yunho had never seen in person, let alone directed at him. His full lips curled against his teeth, his dark eyes squinted nearly shut, his usually delicate nose flared in anger.

            “It wasn’t.” He growled. Yunho glanced at the clock. It was already five minutes past the time he usually left, thanks to this little holdup.

            “Look, kid. I grade fairly. If you got a bad grade, you wrote a bad essay.”

            “It wasn’t a bad essay.” He seethed. Yunho stared at him in shock. Even if he hated this kid from the inside out, he could at least applaud his perseverance. Whether or not he believed what he was saying or he just wanted to argue wasn’t completely clear. Regardless, he truly would not let up on the matter.

            “I thought you didn’t care about English?” Yunho asked, referencing his outburst in class. Although it had been days ago, Yunho couldn’t forget it for a second, the words replaying so strongly in his head that he found himself occasionally unable to sleep.

            “I don’t. I care about my grades.”

            Yunho shrugged. “Sorry, kid. Then write a better essay next time.” He suggested. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I have somewhere to be.” He attempted to push past him, reaching for the freedom that was just barely out of reach, before he felt his heart completely stop.

            The boy’s hand was now secured around his arm, wrist grasped firmly in an iron death grip that made it quite apparent that he was not going to let go anytime soon.

            “Stop calling me ‘kid’.” He demanded, his face fixed in an expression that Yunho couldn’t place. It wasn’t the usual anger, but something else entirely. Something that somehow unsettled Yunho even more. “I have a name.” He hissed. “It’s Jaejoong.”

            The moment Yunho heard the boy’s name he found himself wishing he hadn’t. He had so often tried to just ignore the boy, tried to just push his face and his stare out of his mind to be forgotten forever.

            But now the boy wasn’t just a boy anymore, he was Jaejoong. No longer just an anonymous student at the back of the class, no longer a faceless gaze he could try and get rid of.

            He had dropped an identity into Yunho’s lap. An identity he had tried so hard to ignore. Not just a face, but a name, a person.

            And now Yunho knew he’d never be able to push his irritating face out of his head no matter how hard he tried.

            “Why did you say that to me?” Jaejoong’s voice suddenly grew weak, devoid of the fire that Yunho had seen just seconds ago. “Last week. Why did you say that?”

            “Say what?” Yunho asked shortly. He could feel the clenching knots of his stomach, but for some reason couldn’t feel the glaring anger that usually accompanied such a feeling. His anger had dissipated. His hatred for the boy was gone.

            And for some reason, that terrified him.

            “When I said I didn’t care about English.” Jaejoong whispered. His voice seemed so quiet, something he did not expect from the boy who usually wore a look of pure anger on his face. “I thought you’d feed me the regular bull all the other teachers do. About my future, enriching my life, or… or whatever.” Jaejoong muttered. Yunho swallowed thickly, finding himself remembering those lectures much too well for his own comfort. “But you didn’t. Why didn’t you?”

            “Why?” Yunho asked. Did he really need a reason for this? Yunho didn’t have one. He simply responded with the truth. He responded the way he saw fit. He responded how he wanted to, without all the runaround and bull everyone else seemed to dwell on at every waking moment. “Because it was the truth.” He admitted. “You aren’t a toddler. You know a lie when you see one. So why even bother lying?”

            He could hear the sound of the clock on the wall, the only noise between the two, each tick of the passing second reminding Yunho just how much he wanted to leave this room he had already spent way too much time in.

            Jaejoong relaxed his grip, opening and closing his mouth several times as he tried to speak.

            He looked so much different than before.

            His anger had completely disappeared. His eyes had relaxed, revealing that they were much wider than they initially seemed, his dark irises only a contrast against their overall brightness. His features looked uncharacteristically soft, no longer harsh and contorted by the irrational anger he felt toward Yunho.

            Yunho wasn’t used to it. And he found himself hoping that the anger would return, that he’d yell at him, curse at him, maybe go so far as to hit him in his fury.

            But he never did.

            He just looked, silently, with his surprised eyes staring at nothing but him.

            Without another word, Jaejoong turned around and scampered out the door, his quick steps carrying him out into the hallway and leaving a dazed Yunho in his wake.

            Yunho felt his arm tingling as the circulation returned, finally freed from Jaejoong’s surprisingly powerful grasp. He rubbed his face with his hands, trying to figure out just what the hell kind of exchange had just taken place. 

            He grabbed his bag off the desk after he finally came to his senses, darting out of the room and heading for his car.

            The kid was messed up, he told himself.

            Just a kid looking for attention, a kid trying to be noticed anyway he knew how.

            But for some reason, that explanation didn’t calm him in the slightest.

            And he couldn’t shake the feeling, the feeling clawing at his insides, worming its way around his body even at the moments he thought he had fully subdued it, that that was not the last encounter they would be having.

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Hey guyssss! How are ya? I'm having a bit of a lazy day. It's 4 PM but I'm still in bed. Oh well. It happens. 

I still don't know whether or not I like this chapter, but I tweaked and rewrote so many different parts that I'm too sick of it to go back and edit it again... hahaha... I .... 

Jaejoong, why are you so creepy? 

How do I have almost 100 subs? Oh wait. I know why. BECAUSE YOU GUYS ARE ING AWESOME <3

Ugh. Seriously. You guys are the best. 

I have nothing else to say. 

See you next week!

Gelisi out!