Taemin used to resent his parents night after night, who abandoned him to live their new lives god-knows-how-far kilometers away. The resentment grew, especially on nights Taemin came back from school with a crumpled note in his hand asking for his parents for a visit to school. But for the first time in five years, Taemin was glad that they were far out of the country. His uniform was dripping water on every ends. Having and having been pushed, shoved, dragged, slipped, hit, pulled, and kicked, there was no way he could explain his wrecked state to his parents. 


 

The chaos had been halted by the drama teacher who was coming in with his class for a play rehearsal. He yelled at them to stop, failing to gain their attention until the drama class behind him erupted in cheers, chanting ‘Fight! Fight! Fight!' and hooting excitedly. And now, the five of them were aligned by the hallway with their arms in the air as punishment. Kneeling down, Sulli had the empty bucket in front of her while Taemin kneeled besider her with Soojung on his right. With her hands in the air, Soojung kept twisting her neck, trying to get her wet sticky hair over her shoulders while Chanyeol and Jongin sat next to her side by side, still glaring the life out of each other.
 

Heavy footsteps came from the end of the hallway, and Baldy’s shiny black shoes came into Taemin’s view.


 

“…You kids have finally lost it, haven’t you?!” His irritated voice boomed in the hallway. “This has got to be the most creative way to rebel that I’ve seen in my thirty years of teaching!!”


 

A group of students snickered at them as they passed by. Baldy walked towards the end of the line and stopped in front of Jongin.


 

“Kim Jongin.” He sighed.



“……”



“Kim Jongin, answer me when I call your name.” He said again, his scratchy voice getting impatient.



“……Yes, sir.”



“You’re never the one to get in trouble, what’s gotten into you?!”


 

Jongin didn’t answer, and the teacher turned towards Chanyeol.


 

“And you, who are you?” He questioned. “Do you even go to this school?”



“…I’m a new student, sir.” Chanyeol replied.



“That’s just great! New and already getting into fights, are we?” Baldy bellowed sarcastically and Chanyeol twitched his brows. Baldy’s eyes moved to Soojung, and his voice softened as he looked at her worriedly.


 

“And Soojung my dear… How did you get yourself involved in this mess?” He sighed, “A model student like you should know better than to hang around with…” And Baldy trailed off as his eyes crept disapprovingly to Taemin.


 

“Lee Taemin, Lee Taemin.” He said reproachfully, shaking his head. “Why am I not surprised, I don’t even have anything more to say to you.”


 

Taemin stared at the floor as Baldy waved his finger back adn forth in front of Taemin's nose. His gaze moved on towards Sulli, and Baldy frowned.


 

“Aren’t you the girl that volunteered to mop the auditorium?” He asked.



“Yes, I am.” Sulli replied, looking straight into Baldy’s eyes.



“And you pour water on Soojung instead?!” He screeched, “I should have new stendents’ records double checked before bringing them into school, goddammit.”


 

Without a change of expression, Sulli continued to stare blankly at Baldy.



“…Who taught you to stare at an adult so squarely in the eyes?!” He yelled.



“…Then how should I look at you? Triangularly?” Sulli asked in genuine curiosity, and Taemin snorted before he could stop himself.


 

That brought Baldy’s attention back to Taemin, and Taemin quickly made a straight face.


 

“Lee Taemin…” Baldy lowered.



“…Yes, sir.”



“You find this funny, huh?!!” He thundered. “It hasn’t even been a while since I caught you smoking in school and yet here you are again! What is going on in your head? Pull yourself together if you don’t want to end up like your parents!!!”


 

Taemin in his lower lip. Trying to suppress his rising anger, Taemin shut his eyes.


 

Whether inside a school, an office, or any place in the world, there was something called the common law. There were just some things that couldn’t be touched across the line, but Baldy didn’t seem to get it. Taemin felt his fists clenching. He was trying his hardest to control himself.


 

“This is why kids from a broken family needs extra attention, they never end up growing up properly…” Baldy continued, pushing Taemin’s head with his forefinger. “Tsk tsk, what would your parents know? They don’t seem to care how you’re doing anyways…”


 

But on days like today, Taemin just couldn’t let go.


 

“…I think that’s enough.”


 

Taemin opened his eyes. The voice hadn’t come from him. Everybody’s heads turned to the end of the line, and Baldy too looked at Jongin in surprise as his words hung in the air. Jongin was staring at the wall in front of him, his lips firmly pressed together. Baldy slowly approached him.


 

“What did you just say!?” He demanded, his eyebrows narrowing into a scowl.



“……I said, I think that’s enough.” Jongin said again, his eyes still fixed firmly on the wall.



“Trying to play games now, are we?” Baldy jeered as absurdity crossed his face. “These kids don’t think so highly of their teachers anymore…”


 

And he raised the file of attendance records he was holding to slam it down on Jongin’s head. He was stopped though, when another voice interrupted.


 

“I think he’s right.” It had come from Chanyeol this time. He even dropped his arms and massaged his muscles. Frozen in shock, Baldy stared at Chanyeol until he returned to his senses.


 

“Who told you to lower your arms!!?” He yelled, his eyes bulging.



“Just stick to regulations.” Chanyeol said. “I was never taught that it was alright for a teacher to talk about a student’s parents.”


 

Damn, that kid is crazy. Taemin thought as he gawked at Chanyeol. As Baldy’s face flushed deep red to a verge of purple, Chanyeol got up from his knees and groaned as if his legs ached.


 

“I think we got enough of what we deserved already.” He said, “You do know that coporal punishment is against the law, right?” Then he gave Baldy a triumphant smirk.


 

Baldy gaped, choking on his own saliva. Then he cleared his throat when a group of students gathered around, knocking some consciousness back into him.


 

“You, come with me.” He gritted at Chanyeol, and looked at the rest four students still kneeling with their arms in the air. “The rest of you go back to your class, but Lee Taemin and Kim Jongin. See me after school.”


 

As they watched Baldy speed down the hall to his office, Chanyeol stood up and follo