Some say that it was the six of us who saved Sooman Academy, but I don’t think it’s that simple. We hardly even knew each other until everything happened, and a series of strange events and coincidences tied us all together unexpectedly.

I’m not one to believe in fate, but sometimes it is hard to deny that maybe it does play a role in our lives, even just a small one.

As the most rational and observant member of our little group, I feel compelled to figure out how it all happened. Joonmyun has been giving me a lot of subtle hints to write it all down lately, too. Jongin has chosen a method more suitable to his personality and has taken to regularly smacking me upside the head with the notebook I always carry and asking me, “When are you going to write about all of this crazy ? I know it’s in your little diary somewhere.”

I keep telling all of them that I haven’t decided yet if I will, mostly because I’m not sure that I am capable of writing this out because, really, it’s all just mindboggling. Baekhyun pointed out the other day though that I’m the one most familiar with the details of everything, which is probably due to my constant interrogations.

Everyone has to find me a little irritating with me always badgering them with questions. I know Jongin certainly does. Chanyeol just finds it funny and reminds me, “You know, before all of this, I didn’t even know who you were. I mean, I know why now, but you were always so quiet, lurking in the back. Now, it seems like you never shut up.”

It’s hard to shut up when all I want is answers. I like puzzles, Sudoku, crosswords, even connecting the dots. It’s why I write everything down in the first place, so that I can sit back and put it all together. Maybe I will write about it.

“Oh Sehun, you had better not be asleep again.”

Sehun opened one eye, annoyance evident in it alone. He sighed, opening his eyes and staring at Mrs. Lee emphatically.

“You’re falling asleep in a detention you received because of all the demerits accumulated from falling asleep in class,” she said quietly though the quiver in her voice betrayed her anger. “Do you want me to give you another?” Her small eyes glared at him over a pair of reading glasses.

Sehun sat up straight in his chair and rolled his eyes. He didn’t care to get another detention, though it would not have mattered. He would probably be back again at some point anyway. “No.”

She rapped on the sheet of paper on his desk. “Then do your assigned lines,” she said.

Sehun picked up his pencil and started writing. The nice thing about detentions was that they gave him time to think, something he appreciated since he spent most days doing mindless activities like memorizing all the rulers of the Koryo dynasty in chronological order or solving algebra equations to figure out how many gallons of milk he could buy with $600. It was ridiculous to him, but in detention as he copied lines from the student handbook, which he practically had memorized and could probably have recited, he could think about other things.

“I’m going to get coffee. Keep writing. No talking,” Mrs. Lee said, eyes narrowed.

She slipped out the door, and the only sound in the classroom was of pen rolling scratchily on paper.

“Do you have another pen? Mine ran out of ink.”

Sehun turned around at the request. He had almost forgotten that Kim Jongin was in there with him today.

Students rarely showed up in detention because most were smart enough to not mess up or at least not get caught, but Jongin was not one of those students, not because he was not smart. On the contrary, he made stellar grades without ever studying or going to a single cram session, but he was constantly breaking rules and made no attempt to hide that fact.

While Sehun was in and out of detention erratically, Jongin was a regular.

“I think so.” Sehun dug around in his book satchel and produced an old, bent ballpoint pen with a suspicious residue on the grip. He held it out. “Sorry. I think I spilled something on it, but it’s all I have.”

Jongin shrugged and took it. “I’m almost done anyway,” he said, beginning to write again.

Sehun nodded and turned back to his own lines. He was copying the section about activities prohibited on campus, one of which was smoking, which he actually would not have minded at this moment. Every once in a while Jongin would invite him for a smoke, which he enjoyed despite not being a regular smoker. There was a strange sense of camaraderie and understanding between them, and moments like that solidified it further.

“Thanks.”

Sehun looked up to see Jongin handing him his pen. “Oh, no problem.” He watched as Jongin disappeared out the door. Even though they were the same age, Jongin always seemed older than him, like there was some part of him that made him different than everyone in the class. Maybe that was why he rebelled so much.

“I see Kim Jongin finished and left. Have you?” Mrs. Lee said upon returning to the classroom. She sat at her desk, staring Sehun down from around her computer.

Not even looking up at her, Sehun stood up. He grabbed his things and placed a stack of pages on her desk before turning around and walking out.

Bag at his shoulder, Sehun wandered down the hallway of the main building. It was mostly deserted at this hour because the rest of the faculty and teachers had left for the day, leaving Mrs. Lee alone with her standard duty as disciplinarian. The only people who actually lived on campus though were the students, the dorm masters and the maintenance staff.

Sehun glanced at his cracked watch and headed out toward the refectory where dinner was about to start. He wasn’t all that hungry. He rarely was, but that was probably because he snacked a lot. He was tempted to skip dinner and head back to his dorm early. He paused outside of the refectory, and someone ran smack into him. He turned around. “Oh, Byun Baekhyun.” He bowed to his senior. “I’m sorry.”

But Baekhyun smiled. “Don’t worry about it. I wasn’t watching where I was going anyway,” he said and slipped past him inside.

With a sigh, Sehun decided to head to his dorm. He figured he could read that manhwa that he had started a few days ago but hadn’t picked up again.

“Hey.”

Sehun looked around, noting there was no one around.

Just then, Jongin popped out from behind the dormitory. A cigarette dangled between his lips. “Do you have a lighter?” he asked.

Sehun shook his head. “Sorry.”

Jongin shrugged and shoved his hands in his pockets. “Oh, wait.” He produced a scratched, silver lighter.

Sehun couldn’t read the inscription. He couldn’t read Roman letters very well since he slept through all of his English classes, but he at least recognized that the inscription on Jongin’s lighter looked like it was in Latin. The word looked familiar, but his Latin was even worse than his English.

Jongin exhaled, and the wispy tendrils of smoke wafted around him and up toward the heavens. The smell of his cigarettes was unfamiliar to Sehun. It was sweet and reminded him of Chuseok when he was younger and his family actually got together.

“Want one?”

“Nah. But what is it?”

“Cloves,” Jongin said, exhaling again.

Sehun nodded. “It smells nice.”

“Like Chuseok, right?” Jongin said, looking out over campus. He leaned back against the building.

Sehun nodded. “That’s exactly it.”

“The smell makes me think about burning incense.” He played with the package in his hands. “It reminds me of a lot of things.”

“Like what?” Sehun asked curiously.

Jongin didn’t answer, just kept on smoking.

After a beat, Sehun nodded to himself. “Well, I’m going inside.”

“See you.”

With one last glance at the hunched figure of Jongin smoking, Sehun opened the door of the dorm and headed inside. Sometimes, he felt a real connection with Jongin, but sometimes he just didn’t get him at all.