Second to the last part. The Final part will reveal how tea is connected. This is more of an introduction, a bridge of sorts to how the main point of The Taste of Green Mint Tea is established. Do note that the final part will also be shorter as it will follow a drabble format. 

Noona, startled, also took a step back. “Se Hun!” she yelped, an arm already stretched out to further increase our distance from one another. Noona blinked, arm lowering to signal her calming down. “Oh, it’s just you, Se Hun,” she said, relief washing over her face. “I was this close,” she gestured, creating pinching motions with her index finger and thumb, “To kicking you.”

I pouted, “Eh? You would do that to me, Noona?”

Even if I’m your favorite dongsaeng?

“No, of course, not. Just don’t surprise me like that ever again.”

I laughed and nodded.

“Anyway,” Noona cleared , “Were you about to leave the room just now?” She takes a look at the people behind me, extending her neck to have a better view of the class and the room.

“Uh, yeah, our instructor hasn’t shown up yet,” I said, frowning when I realized my previous—or, current, rather—dilemma. “It’s not you though,” I murmured, letting the thought slip out of my stupid mouth.

“What?”

“Nothing!” I exclaimed, waving a hand.

Noona narrowed her eyes at me. She’s too keen that it scares me sometimes, because that just means that I can’t keep secrets from her.

“Okay then. Well, before you leave, Se Hun, can you tell me whether or not this is Mr. Kim’s Taek Won Do class?”

I blinked in response, confusion bubbling in my head. “Mr. Kim?”

“Oh, right, you wouldn’t know,” Noona answered, scratching her head. “But this is a Taek Won Do class, right?”

As I stared at Noona’s face, as I thought of what to say, a glimmer of hope started to show itself in front of me. There seemed to be some sort of glow emanating from behind Noona, covering her in a sheet of yellow and white radiance. Right before me were sheer beauty and a miracle finally manifesting itself as my prayers were answered—and answered well and generously they were.

Lady Luck, was this you?

(Whoah, Oh Se Hun, since when did you become so poetic? Plus points for awesome eloquence!)

“…Y-yeah…” I started unsurely, still unable to believe that luck was finally on my side, “Yeah! Yes, Noona!” I jumped up, flashing her my Noona-killer smile. “Yuppie! This is a Taek Won Do class! Will you be our teacher?” I purred, approaching Noona.

Noona smirked. “You bet I am,” she says, before making her way inside the room. Overcome with joy, I remained frozen in my place, the reality of having Noona as my Taek Won Do instructor slowly sinking in. Even from behind, Noona looked like a guy—and even more so with her loose white uniform. Her slender ankles, peeking from her chino-cut pants, were a bit on the purplish side—probably bruises gained from too much sparring at the studio she usually went to. The students who, like me, were on their way out, scrambled to their original places, stricken with fear the minute Noona made eye contact with them. The girls who were fawning over me just a few minutes ago were now ogling at Noona, probably thinking that she was much of a guy as I was. 

(Didn’t they just hear our conversation? Idiot bimbos.)

Noona looks over at me, noticing that I hadn’t followed her. She gestures for me to come closer, but I don’t because I still can’t.

…Still can’t believe that I would be spending my Saturdays with her. She and I would wake up at the same time—or better yet, she would personally go to my room just to wake me up. We’d eat together, too, then leave the dorm with matching jugs, rucksacks and outfits. As we walked to the gym, I would ask her what the day’s activities would be, and Noona would smile mysteriously at me, telling me it was a secret. And whenever I would have difficulty at properly performing the kicks and techniques, I would simply have to walk on over to Noona and Xiao Lu’s room to ask for a private lesson from her.

That would be nice. Really nice.

“Hey, Se Hun,” a familiar voice called. A hand lands on my blonde hair, ruffling it affectionately. I realized that this hand was huge and wide, much like his hand.

“Hyung?”

Hyung’s thick eyebrows raise in delight as his thin lips curve upward into his usual small smile (I honestly think that’s the maximum it can go). I’m torn between smiling back at him and falling to the ground because the scenarios I imagined now meant nothing and impossible. Because I didn’t want to anger Hyung ( I don’t want another one of his sermons—the ones he got from the preachy books he read—at  the dorm), I grin in return.

“A-yo, what’s up, Kris-hyung!”

Hyung chuckled, “Not much, but I guess we’ll be classmates, huh? I cancelled my PE when I was in second year, and never got around to fulfilling it until now. What luck to have you as my classmate!”

Well, there goes The Noona and Me Chronicles.

“Yo, so listen up,” Noona bellowed a few minutes when all forty-something of us were gathered. Noona was crossing her arms, hawk eyes glaring at everyone. It’s not a pleasant face to look at because it’s the face she always used whenever we were up to something naughty. “Sorry for being late, kiddos. Mr. Kim, the original instructor of this class suddenly bailed out on the last minute. I don’t know him and all, but what the eff, right?”

Kris-hyung clears his throat, “Language, girl.”

Noona and Hyung stare at each other, before Noona turns back to us. “Sorry. Anyway, I just recently got word of it, thus explaining my very sudden appearance. Well, I’ll be teaching you kids from now on, whether you like it or not. And before I introduce my rules, I have to say something important. Since there are too many of you, and I hate people—“

“Kwonnie.”

“I mean, since there are too many of you, I would have to split the class in two: one during this time slot, and another in the next two hours following the end of the previous class. And, well, since it’s all come down to this, I don’t think it would be fair if I were to  choose which class gets to be in the 8-10 or the 10-12 slot. So...” Noona walks to Hyung, asking for two sheets of paper. I hear the guys and girls start to gossip about the relationship between the teacher and her student. Couldn’t blame them, though, because I would’ve done the same thing. And if Noona weren’t so sensitive about attention and about skinship, I would’ve snatched her away from Hyung.

All I could do now was to glare at the two of them.

But deep inside…deep inside…

Huhu, why?! Just when I thought…just when I thought…

;A;

No, Oh Se Hun, you are stronger than that!  

Right, you are! So show Hyung just how deadly the maknae can be!

That’s right, Oh Se Hun, I chanted to myself as I narrowed my eyes at Hyung, Just a little more and you’ll be able to magically bore holes into Hyung.

That didn’t work, though, as Noona thanked Hyung and returned to her place at the front, holding up the pieces of paper she received. “Later, after I dismiss you, you’ll have the chance to sign up for whatever class you prefer. It’s a first-come-first-serve basis, so you better be fast.” Noona trudges to the corkboard by the door and pins the paper down. After writing numbers down, Noona turns to us, eyes as sharp as ever. “Collectively, you lot are an even number, so each class will have exactly 24 students, understand? No more and no less. If you couldn’t get the time slot you wanted, well then, you should’ve run faster.”

The class is silent as they nod slowly.

“Se Hun, which class do you prefer?” Hyung whispered to me, nudging my arm.

“Uh…”

Hyung, can’t we be in a different class? Is what I wanted to say. But we all know that I can’t because Kris-hyung is Kris-hyung and he’s EXO’s almighty Duizhang. “Either. You choose, Hyung.”

Noona walks back to the center, facing us with a stern look. “Now that that’s done, I think it’s high-time I introduce myself. As your instructor, you will call me Sah-bum-nim. And when I ask you a question that requires a yes or a no for an answer, you will answer accordingly, respectfully addressing me as Sah-bum-nim, understand?”

…

Noona glares at us. “Understand?” she exclaimed.  

“Yes, Sah-bum-nim!”

Noona smirked. “Good, now, as for my rules…I only have three rules for this class. The first of which is to never be late. Again, never. Be. Late,” she repeated, emphasizing each word. “Today is an exception because your idiot teacher—“

“Manners.”

“…Damn it, Kris...Ehem, today is an exception because of what happened to your original teacher. Anyway, I’m a stickler for punctuality, and I assure you that I always arrive on time, unless some emergency pops up, although I don’t know what kind of emergency would happen at 8 in the morning. As for rule number two: never be absent! Attendance is an important thing to me. I mean, come on, we meet only once a week. How dare you try to miss a session, unless, of course, something important comes up. In the case of an absence due to sickness, you better present to me a medical certificate. Whatever the case, you are required to show solid proof of the reason as to why you were gone, understand?”

“…Yes, Sah-bum-nim!” we all answered.

And while the rest of the class shuddered in fear, Hyung and I were smiling to ourselves, already used to seeing this kind of Noona—to this military side of her. In the dorm, she acted as our manager, barking at the Dongwoo and Hoya when they did something mischievous, and scolding the maknae line when we were being spoiled brats (which we weren’t…at least, not in my eyes :P). And sometimes, when she and Xiumin-hyung were talking about Taek Won Do, I would hear her stress the importance of discipline in class. She would often rant about the fools back at the studio who were so lax in front of their instructor, a friend of Noona’s.

Therefore, I didn’t expect her to be soft and cuddly and fluffy just because I was here, and just because her students were also students in university.

“And last but not the least, rule number three: don’t die! Don’t you effin—“

“Language.”

“…At least let me have my limelight, Kris…Anyway, Taek Won Do is a form of martial arts, and as such, it requires discipline of both the mind and the body. I’m strict, and I’m not afraid of giving you a load of drills to do. So if you’re not up for it, then I suggest you cancel my class as early as now. Is that clear?”

“Yes, Sah-bum-nim!”

“All right, one last thing…I need you guys to prepare an infosheet. The smallest index card would do. Put your name, an ID photo, your cellphone numbers, yada-yada. The basic stuff. Deadline is next week; no card, no class.”

I raised my hand. “Um, Noo—I mean, Sah-bum-nim?”

“Yes?”

“Is there a uniform that we should use?”

“Hmmm…” Noona pondered, tapping her chin. In that moment, the strict Noona disappeared, replaced by the same Noona who accompanied me in my Bubble Tea escapades, the Noona who found it hard to comprehend and distinguish the numerous menu items from each other. Simplistic, plain ol’ Noona.

“Just a white shirt and dark jogging pants. I don’t want you kids buying the PE shirt if you don’t have one. If you do, well, good for you. If you don’t, don’t waste your money on that and just wear a white shirt.”

And a penny-pincher.

With one last wave and a tiny smile, Noona sent us off to prepare for the bloody sign-up.

“Hmm, you guys are in the same class, huh?” Noona says with a hint of amusement as she read off the papers. It’s just me, Hyung and Noona left in the room, sitting on the mats with our legs splayed across, and sitting in the position we found most comfortable. “And from the looks of this handwriting…Kris, you wrote this didn’t you?” she accused, smirk in place.

Hyung chuckles, and I don’t like how he’s unlike most of us—unfazed by Noona’s stare. He shrugs, showing her a smirk of his own. Noona wrinkles her nose, but a mischievous smile quickly replaces it as she pokes Hyung’s bony shoulder blade. “Clingy aliens,” she teases, “And whatever happened to ‘bros before hoas’ huh? Can’t believe you’re stealing Se Hun from my roommate. You traitor. And you, Oh Se Hun,” she points at me, “You let yourself be drawn to this lanky cowboy? I mean, just because he’s taller than my roommate, and has broader shoulders than Lu, doesn’t mean—“

“Noona!”

“Hey!”

Hyung and I exclaimed in unison, both disturbed by the hullabaloo flying out of Noona’s mouth.

Noona chuckled, standing up and dusting her pants. “Was I too strict?” she suddenly asked, looking down at Hyung and I. I grinned up at her and stretched both of my arms, signaling for her to help me stand up.

“You can do that yourself, you brat,” she retorted. I countered with a pout and some aegyo, to which Noona rolled her eyes but helped me up nonetheless, taking my wrists. Once I was on both feet, she let go of me, and blew on her hands to get rid of whatever she was afraid of. Hyung chuckles beside, also getting up.

“No, you were fine,” he reassured, “I think the girls liked you. You were very manly.”

“Damn it.”

“And you forgot to say you were a girl, too.”

“…What?! Really?!” Noona panicked, “. , Kris, why didn’t you…I mean, you, Kris Wu!”

Hyung merely smirks at her, wagging a finger in reproach. “Language, girl. But if you insist…”

“Damn you, Yi Fan.”  

What is this? I asked myself as I watched Hyung and Noona’s playful?rough?mature? banter. I always knew that the oldiesest members of EXO were close with Noona because they were her first friends here in university. And normally, whenever they had their oldies-only time, we of the younger bunch didn’t mind and granted them the chance (because they’re old and all). And normally, I didn’t feel this pissed.

Uh, hi, Noona, Hyung, Se Hun—the cutest maknae in the world—is still here, you know? Would it kill the two of you to look at me and realize that I still exist?

“Noona, Hyung!” I chirped, effectively cutting any sort of exchange of words between the two of them. “Let’s go home?” I offered.

“Sure,” Hyung and Noona answered.

“But this isn’t over, Yi Fan,” Noona threatened.

Later, when the three of us are on the way back to the dorm, when Hyung was walking far ahead while talking with someone on the phone, I asked Noona if I could sit in during the second class. Noona cocked her head, replying with a “Why? Taek Won Do’s no easy sport, especially with me as the teacher.”

“I know, but don’t underestimate me, Noona!” I said, “And besides…maybe I could be your assistant?“

“That’s not the real reason, now is it, Se Hunnie?” she quickly discovers my little lie.

I stopped walking altogether and began playing with my hair, pulling at the longer strands that grew by my ear. “Bubble tea afterwards?” I proposed, sticking a tongue out.

Noona laughs at me and proceeds to ruffle my hair. “You could’ve said so sooner, kid.”

“That’s a ‘yes’, right?”

“Well, obviously.”

Hyung doesn’t even notice that Noona and I sneak off to the nearest bubble tea store. A few minutes later, though, he comes bursting through the door, panting and looking his worst in his twenty-two years of existence.

Smooth, Hyung, real smooth.

Author's Note:

Well, that was certainly a fast update! :)) 

And ta-da~! Our mystery EXO member is actually Mr. Duizhang himself! Were you surprised? Okay, actually this was an idea I had planned on using for Roommates, in the His Story arc. I wanted to use this concept and write from Kris' perspective how it was like to have Lu Han's roommate as a PE teacher. HAHA A spoiler, I suppose? 

Fun fact: I based Kwonnie's PE teacher persona on my own Taek Won Do instructor from a few years back. I remember him making a girl cry because he didn't like how she performed her kicks. He was like "You know, I don't want to make you cry, but you must remember that steel, before it becomes strong, must face the heat of the furnace." Well, it's non-verbatim, but it's more or less that. :)) 

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this!

Thank you reading!

Comment if you can! 

P.S. Have you ever considered Se Hun and Kris as a ship? What's their OTP called? Because I can't think of anything but KriHun and SeRis, although they sound ugly :))