"I can't graduate!?"

"I'm sorry dear, but your test scores are very weak and it's bringing your grades down. At this rate, you won't be able to walk with your peers at graduation."

I stared in awe at my test scores throughout my years in high school and they were indeed embarrassing to look at.  Well, I can't blame them.  I would've done the same if I were to meet someone like me.  Wait, there's that kid who's even worse than me.  At least I'm not the only one.  There's two of us!

"I'm sorry for the bad news dear, but maybe you should take those supplementary classes we signed you up for during your first year. You can prob--"

"S-SUPPLEMENTARY CLASSES!? Ms. Chae, I can't do that! I have the kids to worry about!"

"K-kids!? Aren't you too young--OH! Your siblings! I forgot! Right, right. Your mother is quite busy taking care of the restaurant, huh? I see, I see. Well....I don't know if this sounds better, but how about 'peer tutoring'?" 


 

"No."

"Jiho-ah, I didn't say anything yet." Mr. Yoo said as he seated himself down across from Zico who lazily slumped back against his chair as if he was sitting in front of the feds because he was caught red-handed.

"Whatever it is, my answer is NO." Zico replied, strongly determined of his answer. 

"Before you say 'no' again, Jiho, I'm here to establish a proper agreement between you and me."

Zico raised a brow in annoyance. "NO--"

"You're this close in being kicked out of graduation, Jiho. Do you want to say 'no' to that?" Mr. Yoo straightforwardly stated, emphasizing his words with hand movements.  Zico's eyes widened in disbelief. "WHAT?"

"Even though your test scores in every subject is excellent, your poor attendence in school is the only thing that is pulling you down."

"So because of that, I'm not gonna graduate? That's --"

"Language, Mr. Woo. Language." Mr. Yoo sternly warned Zico, all the while of wiping his black-rimmed glasses with the hem of his dress shirt.  Placing them back on onto the bridge of his nose, Mr. Yoo clasped his hands together and smiled. "This is where Principal Cho comes in. He wants to make a deal with you."

"I'm listening."

"Good. So, the deal is if you are willing to take up 'peer tutoring' then Principal Cho will close his eyes and forget the fact that you haven't been showing up to your classes for the past three years."

Zico was silent, debating with himself whether or not he should take up Mr. Yoo's and Principal Cho's deal.  If he didn't, his father would find out and send him off overseas to study.  Making decisions was the thing Zico hated doing the most.  Not to mention, being a leader of a group of rebelling individuals wasn't that easy either since making decisions is the main responsibility as a leader.  Oh, how troublesome things are for Woo Jiho.

"FINE."
 

Mr. Yoo smiled. "Very well, I'll bring up your willingness to peer tutor in tomorrow's meeting. I'll see you tomorrow then, Jiho."

Getting up from his seat, Zico shoved his hands into his pockets and left, murmuring, "Whatever."

Mr. Yoo chuckled.

"TUTORING!?" Eun Ji abruptly stopped in the middle of the hallways in utter shock.  I nodded sadly as a response.  Continuing our way down to the commons, Eun Ji kept staring at me in pity. "Unnie feels sorry for you, _______-ah."

"Me too. These last few months of school is going to be hell. Ahh, unnie! What to do!?" I whined, clutching onto Eun Ji's arm like a child.  Eun Ji patted my head as if I was her daughter. "It's okay, dear. You just have to it up until graduation!"

"I hate you."

"Love you too--" Before Eun Ji could finish her sentence, the both of us were pushed aside by squealing fangirls who raced down the steps and towards the main entrance as if there was a buy one get one free sale going on.
 

"YAH! WATCH WHERE YOU'RE GOING! Damn, first years are so annoying!" Eun Ji growled, rubbing her arm in annoyance.  Fixing my glasses straight, I nodded in agreement.  First years just don't realize yet that they're already high school students. 

"One of these days, I'm going to slap some respect into the--"

To our dismay, we were once again pushed aside.  Holding Eun Ji back, I immediately tried to calm her down through persuasion. "Unnie! I'll buy you lunch today! Don't fight!"

"Kyahhh!!! Oppa looks so good today!"

"Omo! U-Kwon sunbae smiled at me!!!"

We both stared at the growing commotion near the main entrance and it was surprisingly Zico and his group of rowdy friends that shook the school. 
 

"Odd, why are they here in school today? They usually only come when it's finals week." I wondered aloud, not once tearing my eyes away from the seven boys who had just entered.  I swear, the wind blowing behind them is fake!

", this is like a re-run of Boys Over Flowers! But it's more like F7!" Eun Ji shouted over the chaos of screaming girls.  We were already at the bottom of the steps and apparently, the hallway that leads towards the commons were blocked by their large fanclub.  There goes our lunchtime.

"Hi nuna!"

Everyone immediately turned towards the owner of the low voice and it was one of Eun Ji's many fanboys--Pyo Jihoon.  

"Oh, Jihoon-ah."

"Hi, nuna's friend!

"Nuna's friend" = sadly me.

"Oh, hi."

At least he remembers my face.

Turning back to his beloved nuna, P.O. was all smiles. "Nuna, you look really pretty today."

Eun Ji chuckled. "Ah, thank you Jihoon-ah."

The more the two kept talking, the more I felt the sharp glares from their fanclub burning onto my back.

"Ah, have you eaten--" P.O. began but was interrupted by Kyung who started dragging their maknae away from us. "Yah, P.O. Quit fangirling! Do that later!"

"B-bye nuna!"

Eun Ji waved, not at all bothered that one of the boys of Block B is a dedicated fanboy of her's.  Sure, Eun Ji is a well-known beauty at our school.  But I still don't understand how we became best friends. 

"So anyways, about your tutor..."

"TUTOR!?" The boys shouted almost in unison.  Zico didn't flinch from their reactions under the shade.  Without opening his eyes, Zico pursed his lips. "Shut up."

Sitting besides the sleeping Zico, Jaehyo snickered all the while of plucking grass out of boredom. "How can you tutor someone when you can't even properly speak Korean?"
 

"Yeah, all that American rap music is going to your head," Taeil snorted.  Zico opened an eye and darted the two glares.  Hyung or not, Zico treats everyone with the same level of respect.  In this case, Jaehyo and Taeil were just further irritating him.

"Wasn't that shorty one of the two that scored the lowest on our midterm exams?" Kyung suddenly remembered, recalling the moment when he had to pull the maknae away from his favorite nuna.
 

"Nuna's friend?" P.O. chirped, looking up from his banana milk.

"Stop yapping about your nuna, it gives me shivers," B-Bomb stated, nudging P.O.'s side.  P.O. scoffed. "Don't be jealous of my love for her." 

B-Bomb rolled his eyes before snatching the maknae's melon bread from his grasp.

"Hey!"

U-Kwon grinned. "Hyung, what if you're tutoring her!"

Fully awake, Zico flattened his eyes at the smiling boy. "If it's her, I'm going to kill myself."

"Why? Shorty looks kind of cute under those glasses of hers," Jaehyo said, slowly sipping onto his can of cold Cola. 

Turning on his side away from his immature friends, Zico drowned himself in despair as he tried to imagine him tutoring the dumbest girl in their graduating class.