It was gone in a flash, smoothed down like an out-of-place-hair, but it had been unmistakably there the moment our eyes met from across the classroom.  A nearly maniacal, murderous, hatred radiated from Kim Suho’s eyes giving me goosebumps and making my face burn an embarrassing red. The smooth and smart kingka of our class had quickly masked this emotion with a calm smirk and a cocky flick of his hair out of his previously deadly eyes. It was amazing and disturbing watching him disguise his emotions like that; like watching a highly skilled insect change colors and textures so that it could ambush its prey. And I was the prey.

Suho let a small and polite smile toy at the corners of his perfectly shaped lips as he slowly approached the corner of the room where I was standing, frozen in fear, with his cell phone floating face-up in my milk carton. My breath caught in my throat as I watched him approach; the man that had just seconds ago looked like a deranged psycho ready to slit my throat had transformed into something equally inhuman. His gorgeous, sparkling eyes were crinkled into the hint of a smile, he moved as if he was floating above the ground and his lips (I mentally slapped myself for even looking at them) were flushed a deep red like perfectly ripe fruit as he parted them and began to whistle a casual melody. I wanted desperately to throw the carton and phone out the window or bolt from the room to safety – but I was trapped like a mouse being hypnotized by a snake. It is so not fair that he gets to be the genius of our grade AND the flower boy! My pulse was quickening and I was beginning to feel lightheaded when suddenly he was right in front of me. Suho cocked his head and let a crooked smirk adorn his face.

“Excuse me – um?” he paused meaningfully and raised his eyebrows at me.

“Eu-Eunmi. Uh…. Hong Eunmi.” I stuttered and shifted the milk carton so that it was directly behind me. Smooth one, Eunmi! ><

Before I could even figure out what was happening, Suho’s lean frame bent over me. His perfectly styled bangs tickled my ear and I felt the small puffs of his breath warming my neck. One of his arms began to snake around my waist. What the…?

“YAHHHHHHH!!!! You…YOU….YOU PYEONTAE! Just what do you think you’re doing right now?!” I screeched as I place my hands on Suho’s chest and gave a hearty shove.

Unfortunately, his footing had been unstable while he was leaning over me and I realized that I had pushed him too hard. Suho’s eyes widened in a hilarious mixture of panic and confusion as he lost his balance and fell backwards. I would have laughed…if he hadn’t grabbed onto my wrists in an effort to stabilize himself. I (or rather Suho and I) hurdled through the air and landed with a dull thud near the chalkboard. Suho’s reflexes were truly catlike – he had managed to flip himself while we were in the air so that he wouldn’t land on his back. No. Rather, he had twisted us both around in the air so that he would have a nice cushion to land on. That cushion being…ME. We both laid there stunned into silence for a few seconds. Suho’s face was bent down over me, his hair cascaded over his deer-like eyes, he was breathing heavily and staring right at me. I realized that I had been staring at his face for far too long and glanced to the side – blushing. That’s when I realized that Suho’s hands were, placed squarely on my s. I looked down, horrified at my chest. Suho looked down, equally horrified.

“YAHHH!” I squealed for what felt the billionth time that day.

“I uh…I…” Suho stammered and he leapt to his feet.

“Where did you put your hands? WHY?” I wanted to cry, I was so mortified. The entire classroom had witnessed me being accidentally felt up, I wanted nothing more than to disappear.

“It was your fault! I mean…If you hadn’t freaked out out of nowhere this wouldn’t have happened,” Suho tried to remain suave in front of the wide eyes of our classmates. He coolly leaned over me and offered me his hand “Here, let me- OW!”

I quickly picked up a chalkboard eraser and chucked it at his head. “Oh no you don’t! You keep those hands away from me – who knows what you’ll try to grab next” I huffed and scrambled to my feet. Dusting off my knees and smoothing my skirt, I tried to remain some composure as I attempted to walk to my desk. However, I had neglected to realize that we had knocked over a number of papers while flying through the air. I stepped on one and found my self falling backward for the second time that day.

Suho reacted like lightening, using one arm to grab me roughly by the waist and the other to cradle my head, he saved me from falling again – only to bring us into this very intimate, dance-like pose. He curled his lip at me and raised one eyebrow, “You just can’t keep yourself off me today, can you Eunmi-ssi?”

“Me? Keep myself off of you? HAH! Yah, Kim Suho? Do you want to die today? It’s you who has been molesting me since the moment you walked into this classroom!”

“Oh? Is that how you feel? All right then…” Suho released his arms as if to let me fall once more. I panicked and wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling myself closer to him in an effort not to fall. I stared wide-eyed up at Suho and he smirked, “Who’s molesting who, Eunmi-ssi?” The entire classroom broke into peals of hysterical laughter.

I narrowed my eyes at Suho – how I loathed the man at this moment.

“Pyeontae.” I muttered as I pushed myself off of him and limped back to my desk.

“Wait. Eunmi-ssi, about my phone?”

“Is there a problem Mr. Kim?” a voice boomed from behind both of us. It was the substitute teacher, Professor Park – the only teacher in the whole school that didn’t drool over Suho. Naturally, Professor Park was my favorite teacher.

“Ah. No, nothing at all Park seonsaengnim. We were just discussing how Hong Eunmi will be returning my phone to me tomorrow.” My mouth fell open, Suho turned to wink at me with a viciously vengeful glare. Professor Park massaged his temples as if warding off a headache.

“Aish. I am not in the mood for these highschool antics today. Kim Suho – take your seat immediately. You as well Lee Nana. Hong Eunmi – return Suho’s phone tomorrow. And…Park Hyejoo? Why on Earth are you covered in milk?”

In the commotion I had utterly forgotten what had started this whole mortifying episode – my defending Hyejoo after Nana’s milk carton attack. Hyejoo smiled weakly and raised her hand in the air.

“Yes, Hyejoo?”

“Park seonsaengnim I was wondering if I might be excused to go to the infirmary? I am not feeling too well.”

“Of course, Hyejoo. Please do go dry yourself and feel better,” Professor Park smiled affably at Hyejoo with obvious confusion. Hyejoo stood promptly, placing a folded piece of paper on my desk, and bowing a respectful 90-degrees toward our teacher before she walked quietly out of the room.

“Now, class, if you do not mind – I think it is well past time we began today’s lesson. Open to page 249. As you can see the angle…….”

I tuned out of class as I discreetly opened the paper Hyejoo had left on my desk.

Thank you, Eunmi. : ) You are such a good friend.

P.S. Put the phone in a bowl of rice when you get home – the rice will draw all of the moisture out of the phone and it should fix it.

Call me later!

• Hyejoo

I sighed and leaned back in my seat. Ah, Hyejoo. I’m so sorry. You’ve actually helped me more than I helped you today. Why do I always make such a mess of things? I sighed and ruffled my hair in frustration at my self.

“…Hong Eunmi?”

“Nnn?” I looked up to find Professor Park staring at me expectantly. He sighed in exasperation.

“Hong Eunmi. Could you be so kind as to tell us the answer to Example 5 Part B on page 252 of our text?”

“I-I-I…um…I…” I panicked flipping randomly through pages of the textbook. My pastry school brochure fluttered out of my book and coasted across the room.

“Somehow that’s what I expected…” Professor Park shook his head and turned back to the board, beginning his lecture once more.

I sunk deeper into my seat as people giggled at my most recent blunder. Kim Suho turned in his seat to give a triumphant and patronizing smirk. My blood boiled. I narrowed my eyes at him. Well, I’ve had some success today. I thought. I’ve learned to hate something –cough- cough- KIM SUHO –cough- more than school work! This means war!

- END OF FLASHBACK-