Kwon Ji Yong. Kicked out of nearly every high school of Seoul. Disruptive behaviour, Constant fighting, and lack of motivation. I heard that this is his last chance...

It’s weird; everyone’s so excited about his arrival. Why? He scares me....................................

I kind of feel bad for him though...seems like the whole school’s going to ambush him....

All I know is...I want nothing to do with him.

In this high school, nothing really happened. I guess that was why everyone jumped out of the seats in excitement when they heard about the new kid. He would be joining us in the next term. There was always that one thing though, the one thing that would start when things like this happened. Rumours.

‘I heard he’s part of a gang!’

‘Really? Well I heard that he nearly killed a guy over a girl!’

‘That’s so dreamy...Bad boys are just so cool...’

It was amazing. Truly amazing that those girls could be in a daze about a boy they had never met. What if he came and he was really ugly? No...no....I can’t say that...calling someone ugly is wrong...How was it cool anyway? Even if he nearly killed a guy or he was part of a gang, how the hell was that a good thing? Some people here had an amazing gift of twisting every bad thing into something good.

It was quite amusing to see guys jealousy looking around every time they heard a rumour about Kwon Ji Young.  To see their girlfriends gushing over a new guy while they tried to lead them away from gossiping friends.

To say that I wasn’t interested would be a lie unfortunately. I wasn’t exactly interested but he sounded like a complex person. And one of my habits was wanting to figure out complex people. I had made a promise to myself though, since he was definitely a bad kid, I would only talk to him if he talked to me, and one word answers would totally be enough.  He was someone I was sure I didn’t want to get involved with.

At that moment I felt the impact of a certain oaf jumping on me.

“Oof! What the hell?! Daesung get off!” I grunted in annoyance.

He laughed, “Sorry I forgot you’re a weak little girl.”

I reached around with my arms to his hair and pulled it painfully. The girly scream of a man is quite satisfying. He flew off me, whimpering like a little baby.

“And you have the nerve to call me weak....” I mumbled disbelievingly.

 “Ara! You’re so mean!” Daesung told me off like a little 5 year old. To me, Daesung was like a little bundle of joy. He was just one of those people that could bring a smile to your face even on the worst days. And his goofy smile gave me entertainment every time I wanted it.

However, right now he was annoying me, and he had previously interrupted my thoughts. He had to be dealt with.

“Youngbae! Need help!” I called, cupping my hand around my mouth. I managed to grab his attention and he came in quick strides to my aid. “You know what to do.”

“On it.” He said, evilly grinning at Daesung with me. “Smiley, c’mon I’ll buy you food.”

Daesung’s eyes lit up at the word. Such guys...He trailed after Youngbae like a loyal puppy.

I rolled my eyes and went to the library. Christmas Holidays were going to start tomorrow but I wasn’t excited like everyone else. Maybe it was because everyone had plans while I was just going to study. It’s not that I don’t have a social life, I just need to prioritise studying for now. It sometimes felt like I was the only one who took things seriously.

And as if my brain had been re-wired, my thoughts again turned to Kwon Ji Young. I sighed...How would I study if I kept thinking about a useless hooligan? I shook my head clear of everything and anyone and opened my textbook.

I managed to achieve my goal that I had set for myself today. I smiled in relief, I was free of school for a few weeks and I was already starting to feel the stress lightly releasing its horrible hold on me.

I walked out of the school, anticipating home, because it was where hot chocolate and a fireplace were at. As soon as I walked in, I was hit by the warmth.  I sighed happily as I felt the sensational heat push against my face.

My happiness soon faded when I saw the note stuck to the fridge.

Gone for the holidays, it was a surprise.

“Should have known” I murmured to myself. I guess I only had myself to blame.  My parents were dramatically romantic with each other. Every chance they got they would go off to have fun. When I got older, I suddenly got used it. Why try and stop something that I could never stop? And they were hopelessly in love, it sounded selfish to not let them have their fun. My parents and I weren’t close; it’s not that we had a horrible relationship with eachother or anything like that. It was just....it was like we were three people who had no ties to one and other yet we lived together.  Sometimes it felt like I was never planned to be born. I was like a suprise. They were probably not even at my birth...

I could make this fun for myself, like I always do. I can do anything I want, most people the same age as me would kill for what I have right now. I went upstairs to deliver my bags to my room and then changing into some comfy clothes. I settled my feet into my fluffy leopard print slippers and then went down the stairs to prepare my hot chocolate. 

I came from a pretty wealthy family and I’d learnt to appreciate what I had every so often. Like finishing all my food even if I didn’t like it. 

I filled the little metal jug with milk to steam it, and while I did that, I grabbed a mug from the counter, filling it with a few tablespoons of chocolate power. I grabbed a spoon to get ready to mix the chocolate with the steamed milk.  I encase my hand with a mitt while pouring the contents of the jug into the cup and then I mixed it fluidly. The aroma of the chocolate hit me full on. I got the can of whipped cream, making an elegant swirl with it on top of the hot liquid.

“Now for the finishing touch!” I pinched the chocolate powder with my thumb and forefinger, sprinkling it on top of my mug. There was something refreshing about making hot chocolate yourself. Cafe hot chocolate was great but nothing beat homemade hot chocolate.

I got the electric fireplace up and running, sitting in front of it with my mug and a book in hand.

And that was basically how my holidays went. 2 weeks of hot chocolate, and reading. On Christmas day, I hugged a pillow while watching cheesy Christmas movies. On New Year’s Day I watched fireworks go off on TV and treated myself to a glass of champagne. I basically did nothing and I really wanted to get out of the house and back to school. Because school was noisy. And Kwon Ji Yong was an intriguing character.