CHAPTER 7

TAEYEON’S POINT OF VIEW

            “Good morning, class!”

            Mrs. Park greeted the class with an odd smile – a kind of smile that could make you feel uncomfortable and give you the shivers. I wonder. She was naturally not good looking – Oh no, I didn’t mean to make a joke with someone’s appearance. I just to try think with logical sense. She’s not good looking, she’s fat, and she isn’t tall as well. She’s so Asian typical. Her eyes were small, her face was wide, her cheek bone wasn’t prominent, her cheek was chubby, and her nose was wide instead of protruding. Yeah, I admit, she made a bad impression to me at our first meeting, so don’t blame me if I –uhm – got pissed off with her too. Moreover, I was pretty sure I wasn’t the only one who had the thought. So according to the fact she didn’t undergo plastic surgery, I thought she must have something to gleam her inner beauty. At least she could be a good teacher instead of fierce one.

            Initially the pupils thought that she was getting pleasure with bad result test. Yes, it’s true. You should believe that that kind of teacher was really exist -kind of teacher who deliberately enjoyed dropping the student’s mark. But I still had no idea how could it made them satisfy? I mean, the more the students got bad mark, indicating the less they could absorb the teacher’s words, rite?

            It’s totally their failure, then.

            Today, Tiffany was sitting behind me. And since the night – you knew what night I mean – I acted so much better toward her. I didn’t give her cold shoulder anymore. And talk politely instead of rudely. I smiled naturally, sometimes I giggled along. And yeah, hell right, I felt much better now. But for sure, I still make an invisible gap between us. I had no idea what will my father reacted if he already knew I began hmmm what’s the term ~weak man? Not proper. Scatterbrain? Not proper too. Yeah, it’s not necessary; the point was you knew what I mean. The girl could kill me by only smiling, and could melt my icy heart by just staring. Okay? Deal with it. End of discussion.

            “I have good news for you all,” she smirked. Then spreading a look toward us over her glasses. “Yet bad news for some of you,” she added and still stay smirking.

            “The good news are… I’ve already examined all of your test and yeah, to tell the truth, it was really miserable,” she shook her head when said it, but I was quite sure, she’d already spent her time for gloating when she found that. Wait… wait… She said it was good news?? Which one the good part then?

            “I consider give you second chance. Prepare yourself well,” she said.

            I frowned and exchanged glance with Tiffany, as though we got wrong about what we’d already heard. But no, it was real. This killer would give us second chance??? I knew, actually I didn’t need it. I was dreadfully sure about my test. But wait. It was weird, rite? I began to caught an indication, but I have no idea what’s it.

            “The next test would be held next week,” she announced.

            By the next time, I could hear some amusement noise sound; all of the pupils looked like relief with the ‘policy’. Second chance, man. Yeah. Second chance was a precious chance, rite? But then they began quiet again, as they remembered there was still bad news remaining. Yuri kicked my chair from behind. I snorting and stole a glimpse to him.

            “Tae, I got bad feeling,” he whispered.

            I shrugged my shoulder coolly. If I forgot to tell you yet, let me tell you now. I’m not a kind of person who easily threatened or being freaking out of something. No. absolutely not. Simply stated, I was stubborn. I didn’t dare anything. Unless… unless… I glanced at Tiffany and before I had a chance to continue musing, Mrs. Park already opened up again.

            “You should be thankful to both Tiffany and Taeyeon,” she smirked and eyed on us. Tiffany glanced at me, ask for help, but I just shrugged my shoulder as I couldn’t give her explanation too. The classes were eyeing on us too now. But they looked at us with their concern look.

            “Because I made the second chance policy because of them.”

            “I don’t think Ursula worse than her,” I heard Jessica mumbled behind me. “You know, Little Mermaid ~,” she added again. I imagined Yuri was looking at her with his puzzled look and Jessica thrown a brief explanation.

            I almost couldn’t help giggling heard that. I imagined Ursula and yeah, hell, it resembled this teacher, frankly, apart from the tentacles of course. But the next sentence from Mrs. Park just curdled my blood for a moment.

            “I found both of you were cheating!” she exclaimed.

            Tiffany was taken aback. I spontaneously touch her hand just to encourage her. What the hell she said? Is there any proof?

            Before I had a chance of pleading, suddenly Yuri got up and said,”How could you accuse them like that, Mrs. Park?”

            “I remember they were sitting side by side.”

           “And their paper told me everything, kid,” she said. “Both of them provide the same answer. The exact same answer.”

           Tiffany snapped her head in frustration. She looked at me, in the edge of crying.

            “Y-you just copy that as the original?” I heard Jessica whispered to Tiffany, in disbelief tone. Tiffany nodded her head without looking back to her best friend.

            “Mianhae, Tae… I’m so stupid. I’m so fool… I should’ve changed some answers. I really didn’t think about…,” she said, barely heard. But I catch all of the words.

            “Gwaenchana,” I smiled and assured her.

            “Mrs. Park,” I stood up and keep my tone polite. “I believe you won’t just accuse without any strong evident,” I smiled calmly. “And I believe that you believe about the thing that what’s called as probability,” I continued again, nonchalantly.

            “What do you mean, Taeyeon?” she looked at me vehemently.

            “You still believe that there’s a probability people will make the same answer, with the same way to solve the question, ride? I’m sure you won’t ignore that.”

            I could see Mrs. Kim was gulping. Her face was blushing in embarrassment as she got knock out. Huh, don’t forget my almamater, dude. Though I had over average IQ, didn’t mean I was easily accepted at MIT. Their standard was terribly high. She was chuckling. I also could felt my wrist was little bit sting, and when I looked at it, I found Tiffany unintentionally tighten her grips.

            “Okay if you say so. We do fair test, then,” she smirked after recovered from her crestfallen face. Tiffany shook her head while looking at me.

            I beamed an assuring smile toward her. “I know you can. I’d already given you all the basics. Just concentrate and play with the basics.”

            “Being thankful to me,” Mrs. Park said. “I won’t give you the other exam. I will give you the same question and let’s see how similar your previous answer with your recent answer,” she continued and I just felt like being hit by thunder in the middle of the noon.

            HELL!!! She was so shrewd. It would be our ad if she gave us another question. We could make the answer by own self; moreover Tiffany had already absorbed it and I believed, at least she would accomplish some questions. But… but, it would be different if Mrs. Park just gave us the same question, and would compare the previous and the recent answer later ~ to prove that we really did it ourselves and didn’t cheat. ! I bet Tiffany wouldn’t accomplish all of the question and… yeah, it would only take us to Mrs. Park Victory! Damn! I couldn’t let it happen. I couldn’t make Tiffany be humiliated. I couldn’t make her smile satisfyingly against us.

            Quickly I stood up again.

            “I can’t, Mrs. Park,” I stated. Tiffany was dumbfounded. And though I couldn’t see, I was sure both Yuri and Jessica was put the same expression behind me.

            “I give up,” I said. “I admit, I was cheating. I copied Tiffany’s answer. And for the first example you gave, I could answer because coincidentally I ever saw the same question. And remembered how to solve,” I stated. Tiffany was still agazing but I totally ignoring her.

             “So, just don’t spin out this problem. I’ve already admitted it. And I’m ready for the punishment,” I said and looked at her. I glimpse at Tiffany and gave a cue to act naturally.

             “Good,” she smiled in her victory. “You should’ve admitted early,” she smirked.

             “Hmmm,” she touched her fatty chin. “I’m not sure you’re fond with kind of cleaning up,” he smirked. “But I think it will be good for you to help clean up the all of the toilet and the library full time during a week,” she said.

             “Sure, no problem,” I replied nonchalantly.

             Is it a piece of cake? Just clean up, tidy up, and I can go home. And it was just for a week. Rite?

            But as Mrs. Park said that, the noisy sounds were emerging again. And I found all of the eyes of the class were looking at me again. Those kind of look again. Including Tiffany.

            “Hey,” I smiled. “What’s the matter? I’m ok with that,” I convinced her.

            “Taeyeon,” suddenly I heard Jessica said calmly to me. “You haven’t ever visited library yet, rite?”

            I shook my head.

            “It was really really huge place, Tae.”

            “And the toilets,” Tiffany finally opened up . “It wasn’t only the toilets nearly here. In the junction, there were still…,” she paused for a moment, counting. “Around 10 more. And it’s really dirty,” she said.

            Now it’s my turn to be dumbfounded.

            During in my life, I never never never did those kinds of things. Yet. All I did during my life was, training, studying, exercising, training, studying, exercising. Only that. I was mastering a lot of weapon, martial-arts, self-defense, IT, and a lot of thing. But not, never once in my life, I imagined one day I would end up cleaning up the closet. Flushed it. Arranged the book. Registered the book. Etc. etc. But, want to know the best part? I didn’t regret it at all.

            Earlier days, I almost vomit when I found some human's waste still buoyant at the closet. I spated whomelse who just left that thing without flushing it. What the hell the difficult to flush it???  Yeah but the next days I began to adjust myself with that. 

            I was more than happy could save Tiffany and didn’t involve her into the fu**in teacher game. It’s nothing compare with it.

            And I also got the best of me.

           Everyday, Tiffany was waiting for me, finishing my punishment. And every time I asked her to just go home without waiting me, she always refused it. She was same with me. Stubborn. She insisted that it supposed to be her punishment, not me. And yes, by that, every afternoon, we - back home together. At the third day, I offered her a ride, instead of using her own chauffeur. And yeah, I began to add my new routine. Send her back home.

           While Jessica? Ehm. Jessica was quite Yuri's business.

           “Dude,” Yuri popped up when I was still cleaning the glass with the spray. I didn’t tilt my head as I could look him into the mirror.

           “Tired, huh?” he giggled. I knew he couldn’t help it; it must be hilarious moment for him to see me – son of the one of the most powerful person in black world, cleaning up the toilet.

            “No. Happy,” I retort and kept cleaning.

            He stepped forward and tapped my shoulders.

            “I think you’re really meant it,” he teased. Finally I turning around and facing him.

            “Hell, yeah! Better than she punished Tiffany,” I admitted.

            “Why?” he teased again. Really, he would never give up on me. I shook my head in disbelief.

            “Nothing. I was the one who offered and proffered my answer to her. She even never asked for it,” I replied again.

            Yuri was chuckling.

            “Ah come on, dude!!!” He smacked my back. “Is that difficult to admit?”

            I paused for a moment then.

            “Yul,” I stated seriously. “It isn’t about admit or not. You know how dangerous we are,” I added. “for them,” I continued.

            “Not during we can protect them and I’m sure we can,” he replied.

            “Wait… wait,” suddenly I caught something odd. “We? You said ‘we’?”

            “Do you mean… You and Jessica…,” I narrowed my eyes.

            Yuri was giggling.

           “Not yet,” he shook his head.

           “But at least I will act naturally and let it go with the flow,” he said. “I won’t run away, Tae.”

            As I was thinking about it again, suddenly a husky voice was emerging, calling my name from outside. Yuri smirked at me again.

            “Hurry up, dude! We’re planning to have dinner together!” he patted my shoulders.

            “Yul??” I heard Jessica’s voice was calling my cousin. He winked once at me before he left and met Jessica. By the next second, his presence was replacing with Tiffany. I saw her was standing in the edge of the door.

             “Hey,” I smiled at her. I didn’t know what changed me, but I swear, I just naturally wasn’t able to act cold toward her again. It was… so natural.

            “You shouldn’t come. It’s male toilet,” I . She giggled.

            “I don’t care. It’s afternoon already. Most pupils already home. I hope she punished me too,” she said.

            I spontaneously knocked her forehead with my knuckles.

            “Yeuppojiman babo (Beautiful but stupid)!” I said to her. She put an innocent-I-am-going-to-cry face that really could make me going crazy.

            “Stop it, Fani~aaah,” I tried to distract my own attention. “Next time I will not save you,” I stated.

            She smiled cutely. “Good then. I also never asked you to be a hero,” she crossed her arm.

            “I wasn’t a hero,” I mumbled. “And never tried to be a hero as well.”

            “Then what’s that for? Is it worth it?” she shook her head, her eyes were looking around the toilet.

            “Can’t you stop scolding me and just appreciated what I did?” I asked in frustration, yet tried to dodge her question. Then finished my last job by swiping the mirror.

            She smiled again. I tried to not looking at her.

            “Done?” she asked. Though I avoid to have an eye-contact with her, I still could felt her bright eyes was staring at me.

            I nodded my head. Suddenly she grabbed my hands.

            “Let’s take our dinner then,” she asked and dragged me out.

            “Hey, you even don’t ask my preference…”

            “Don’t be fusy, dude!” I saw both Yuri and Jessica were sitting side by side at the crouch nearby.

            “You will join us or not?” This time Jessica asked to me. With her typical tone. Yeah, hell. I thought I would never had a chance to play around with this blonde one. And I thought it was only my Kwon Yuri that would be able to make her acted tamely.

            “Yeah, Princess. I join,” I said in such annoying way deliberately.

            I could felt she glared at me but I just acted obtuse. I heard both Yuri and Tiffany was giggling and finally, both me and Jessica were joining the silly giggling too. Yeah, it suppose to be a nice dinner for us, I guessed, while gazing at the beautiful orange sky above me.

to be continued...