"Friends"
The Other Side of the Mirror![](http://imageshack.us/a/img14/7598/22theothersideofthemirr.jpg)
"I don't think Oh Sehun cheated."
Sunmi swallowed and her lips nervously as she heard the murmurs and whisperings around her increase in volume at her words. She could feel Sehun's surprised gaze on her and she avoided his eyes, not wanting to meet his questioning gaze. As much as she hated his other self, she had to admit that she quite liked this version of Sehun.
And knowing this version of Sehun, there was no way he could have cheated. He was the sort of person who would blush when someone flirted with him, someone that would say whatever he thought without discretion, someone who was just the worst liar ever if it pricked at his conscience.
Sehun would never have cheated. And he didn't need to.
Sunmi couldn't stand how Teacher Jung assumed that Sehun cheated and how NO ONE, just absolutely no one believed in Sehun's innocence. Perhaps Sehun's record wasn't all that clean because the Devil had been incredibly bad at his studies and was once suspected of cheating and everyone had a reason to believe he did it, but...but....
Sunmi wanted to sigh out loud. Didn't his friends trust him when he said he didn't do it? Didn't they support him? Weren't they loyal puppies? So why didn't they speak out?
Teacher Jung's gaze narrowed in on Sunmi, evidently unhappy that someone was opposing her views. "And why do you think so, Sunmi?" she asked dangerously, seething. "Cheating is a very serious crime and if you're trying to help Sehun cover it up, you'll land yourself in some trouble as well, young lady."
Sunmi stuck her chin out and looked defiantly back at Teacher Jung. "I don't think Oh Sehun did it." she repeated. "He said so himself didn't he? He said he didn't do it. We should believe him."
Teacher Jung cackled. "And when murderers say they didn't kill someone, do we believe them?" she snickered. "Sunmi, you're too innocent. You're sitting in front of Sehun, how could you know if he cheated or not? Judging from his twenty eight out of thirty compared to his previous test score of a pathetic nine, he must have."
Sehun felt his heart sink. So when he was here as the Devil, he couldn't be himself at all? He had to pretend to like to smoke, to be okay with cussing, to fake his "skills" in soccer and not only that, had to hide his talent in learning?
"But...but..." Sunmi bit her lip, frowning. She KNEW Sehun didn't cheat but she couldn't possibly tell Teacher Jung that Sehun couldn't have cheated because he wasn't the Devil. She looked at Sehun desperately, wanting to help him out of this mess but not knowing how to do it.
Sehun looked back at Sunmi gratefully and his eyes naturally darted to the girl sitting next to his desk: Lee Jina. She was watching everything as if she was viewing some sort of kdrama, completely detached and unmoved. Did she not care if the guy she liked was being accused of something he didn't do?
"I'm sitting beside Oh Sehun, Seongsaengnim." D.O. stood up from his seat. "I didn't see him do anything suspicious throughout the test. In fact, he looked really engrossed in it. I think he didn't cheat as well."
The students were surprised that D.O. and Sunmi were standing up for Sehun since it was known that they didn't really like the popular soccer boys crowd. Sunmi looked back at D.O. and sent him a grin, glad for his help. Slowly, Chanyeol too rose up from his seat. "I agree, Seongsaengnim. I didn't hear Oh Sehun flipping his paper more than neccessary either."
"I'm sitting behind Oh Sehun, Seongsaengnim." Suho stared back at Teacher Jung. "I think I should have noticed if he really did cheated. He didn't."
Teacher Jung stared at them in disbelief while the rest of the class regarded this with utmost surprise. The EXO-K boys were supporting Sehun! What the hell happened?
One of Sehun's puppies stood up as well, seeing how it was safer with the EXO-K boys on his side. "I think hyung-nim didn't cheat too!" he blurted loudly, sending meaningful looks at Sehun and hoping that the Soccer Captain would remember this moment.
Teacher Jung let out an annoyed growl and shot her gaze back to Sehun. "Fine." she muttered, reluctant. "I'll take it as you did study for this test. If your next test's result isn't as good as this, I'll take it that you cheated. Is that clear?" she snapped.
Sehun nodded hurriedly, shaking. Teacher Jung scowled. "Fine. Class dismissed."
And then Sehun nearly sank onto his knees in relief.
-----
"Hyung-nim!" The boy called Jungshik who had supported Sehun that he didn't cheat waved at Sehun merrily, looking exceptionally triumphant. The other soccer boys looked slightly envious that they didn't have the guts to stand up to Teacher Jung like Jungshik.
Sehun trudged over to them, his face passive. "What?" he muttered, his eyes casted downwards.
"Thank goodness you got out of that one." Jungshik grinned. "I'm glad I helped you out, Sehun hyung. Wouldn't want you missing practice." he bumped Sehun's shoulders in a friendly manner.
Sehun took a step back. He looked at the rest of the boys. "Why didn't you guys speak out for me back there?" he whispered softly, hurt. "Aren't we friends?"
"We are!" one immediately blurted, panicking. "Well you see, we didn't know how to say it-"
"-and we're just so shocked at that moment that you managed to get caught you know-"
"-and Teacher Jung looked really scary and we forgot how to breathe-"
"-but hyung managed to save himself anyway." one guy finished. "Hyung, you're good! How did you manage to bribe Kim Sunmi to speak up for you anyway? She hates you with a passion."
Sehun looked back at them, swallowing down the hurt. "Bribe?" he croaked. "You think I bribed her to defend me. You think I cheated."
"Oh of course you didn't cheat." Another guy winked. "Of COURSE you DIDN'T." he emphasized. "You must let us in on how you managed to get Kim Sunmi and the EXO-K boys to bend to your will, Hyung. That was awesome!"
Sehun suddenly felt sick.
He spun around, turning to go and he came face to face with Lee Jina who was about to approach him. She slid to him coyly and grinned. "Sehunnie oppa~" she sang. "You got out of that one nicely. How did you do that today? I was sitting next to you and I didn't even see you peek at any pieces of paper. Teach me that someday, Sehun oppa." she cooed.
Sehun swallowed hard. "I have to go." he muttered.
He hugged his books to his chest tightly and stalked out of the school gates, feeling empty and shaken. And undeniably disgusted.
"I wonder how is that guy." Sunmi whispered to herself as she looked into the large mansion.
She didn't know what made her look up Oh Sehun's address and what made her find her way to his house, standing outside like an idiot. She didn't even tell the EXO-K boys that she was going to find Sehun, even though she felt exceptionally bad when she lied to Suho that she had to run errands for her mother.
She was worried though. What happened back in class seemed to have shakened the Angel Boy and he looked absolutely pale when Sunmi caught him storming out of the school gates by himself.
She peered into the large mansion that was supposed to be Sehun's house and bit her lip, wondering if he was home yet. So this was why the Devil was so cocky all the time. He had a reason to be, he was just so filthy rich with a house like this.
Sunmi let out a small sigh and shook her head. "He should be alright." she muttered. "He's Sehun. He should be fine."
She turned around to leave when she saw a tired haggard figure slowly drag himself towards the large house. Sehun stopped in his tracks when he saw the girl standing outside his mansion's gates, his eyes rounding in surprise.
"Sunmi." he whispered.
-----
"So..." Sunmi peeked over at Sehun, sipping her chocolate milk from the straw and chewing it out of habit. "Are you okay?" she asked meekly.
Sehun bit his lip and let out a small sigh. "I don't know." he admitted honestly. "I feel betrayed even though these people aren't supposed to be my real friends but the Devil's. It's the Devil who is supposed to feel betrayed and hurt, but somehow, I'm feeling it. Stupid huh?" he laughed humorlessly.
Sunmi cocked her head as she looked at him. "It's not stupid." she murmured. "I'd feel hurt if I were you too."
Sehun forced a smile and looked out blankly at a distance. He carton of chocolate milk stayed unopened in his hands as he tossed it from one hand to another absent-mindedly. Sunmi and him were sitting on a bench at the back garden in his extremely large mansion.
"I don't know, I just perhaps lost myself a little in the acting." Sehun sighed softly. "That I really thought these boys were genuinely respecting and loyal to me. It didn't occur to me that they thought me such a scum to cheat and actually bribe someone to say otherwise." he wrinkled his nose in disgust. "It's an insult, even if it isn't to my character, exactly."
Sunmi lowered her gaze to the ground. "It's just their perception of the Devil, which is fairly accurate to be honest. Don't take it personally." she comforted. "Everything is going to be okay when you get back to your own world."
Sehun nodded and sent her a small smile. Sunmi relaxed against the back of the bench and looked around the charming little garden around her. "Are you equally rich and well-to-do back in where you live?" she questioned curiously. "Do physical wealth differ in the other world as well, or only personalities differ?"
"My house looks almost the same." Sehun looked back at the large mansion. "Everything in there is exactly the same as my house back where I live, except for my room of course. The Devil's room is just....black. Too black for my liking." he wrinkled his nose. "It's just the same...large and empty." he shrugged, letting out a huge sigh.
Watching Sehun sit on a bench in his back garden, Sunmi suddenly wondered about his family. She had always just seen Sehun as a particular individual that just appeared, something like teachers where they were just people that were just...there. You didn't wonder about where they went after school or where they came from before that.
"Do you miss your family back there?" Sunmi asked carefully, not sure if it would offend him. "They must be puzzled by your complete change with the Devil back there."
Sehun blinked a while in confusion and looked at her. "Didn't the Devil tell anyone? He's..I...we're..we're orphans." he shrugged. "Our parents died in a car crash when we were very young and all we have is this super large inheritance passed down to us." he scratched his head. "Sounds weird addressing him when he's supposed to be me."
Sunmi bit her lip, not knowing what to say. She never knew the Devil was an orphan, but she didn't really care either. What shook her was that this Oh Sehun in front of her could still remain happy and carefree like he usually was even when he was so alone in the world.
At least the Devil had his followers and lackeys, but what about Sehun back there?
"I didn't have anyone." Sehun murmured softly, holding the carton of milk tightly. "I dress funny, like studying a little too much, and looked unattractive. People liked to pick on me and didn't like to talk to me more than necessary otherwise. I don't have a family except for my butler and the people at school didn't agree with me."
Sunmi swallowed down the unease. That sounded so...so so lonely.
"Jina was the only friend I had." Sehun admitted, laughing softly. "Hard to believe someone so awesome like me only had a friend right?" he joked humorlessly. "But she was the only person that didn't find it repulsive to be talking to Oh Sehun, the only person who regarded me as an equal. I guess I was craving so such treatment so much that it wasn't a surprise that I fell for her."
Sunmi nodded, understanding. "You must miss her." she whispered.
Sehun cocked his head to the side, blinking. "Perhaps. Yeah I do." he turned to grin at her. "But this Jina over at this side makes up for it!"
Sunmi rolled her eyes, immediately grinning. This guy...that made all sympathy for him disappear. "She isn't your Lee Jina from the other side."
"I know." Sehun shrugged. "But better than nothing right? That Jina would never have liked me because she already has someone she loves. She was betrothed to someone since she was a kid and unfortunately for me, she actually likes the guy she's about to marry. There's no chance for me." he looked at Sunmi and grinnned foolishly.
"I guess the good thing about being the Devil here is having a Lee Jina that likes me huh?" he beamed.
Sunmi shook her head, laughing. "You're hopeless." she murmured.
But deep down, she couldn't help but feel it would be nice to go to the other world for just a bit and meet the Suho there who was supposed to be dating her. What would it feel like to be the centre of Suho's affections for one day?
Heaven, she thought.
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