Chapter 4

My morning was like Monday again. My alarm clock rang and my mom barged into my room, as if I wasn't there and yelled at me, telling me that she wanted to say good morning again. Yes. Good morning it was. At least I made it to the bus on time and I didn't have to worry about leaving a snack behind. Phew. But the bus was crowded again so I had to stand up and hold the handle at the top of the bus. Sweet jesus. I hope that erted guy wasn't here. Well, his hand broke, so I'm assuming that he won't touch me again, right?

I was wrong. There was someone touching my leg again. Crap! Here I am, about to cry, once again. I looked around. Why? I don't know, but I was hoping to see if Se Hun was there, but he wasn't. Okay. Now I seriously wanted to cry. Not only because Se Hun wasn't there and not only because there was someone touching me, but because I was looking for the last person I thought I would ever look for. What am I going to do now? I don't have the courage to turn around and say anything. I'm like those stupid girls who let people walk over them.

Just as I was about to squeeze through the crowded bus, to get away from the ert, I fell forward from the ert falling on top of me. Great. This ert wanted to take it to the next level?! But just as I opened my eyes, I saw the ert getting lifted off of me and thrown onto the ground away from me since the crowd had made room. I didn't even realize it, but the person who was beating up the ert was Se Hun. I couldn't recognize him because he had a black beanie covering his blonde hair and a mask cover his mouth, only revealing his eyes.

"Did I need to break every bone in your body for you to understand that you shouldn't be harrassing people?" Se Hun locked the ert's arm behind his back and kneed him down. "Tsk tsk. Stupid bastards like you will never learn."

"Mind your own business, you stupid kid! I'm going to sue you." The ert yelled.

"Sure. Go for it. Try to sue me as much as you want but wait until I tell them that you touched my girlfriend inappropiately!" Wait. Did Se Hun just call me his girlfriend? Oh my god. He... He just called me his girlfriend.

"Get off of me!" The ert yelled.

"Apologize." Se Hun said.

The ert struggled under Se Hun but he finally gave up. "I'm sorry."

"Sorry for what?" Se Hun asked.

"Sorry for touching you." The ert stared at me and I never felt so scared in my life. His eyes were piercing right through me.

"Don't stare at her." Se Hun kneed him harder. "People like you sicken me."

Weird. I never felt so happy seeing Se Hun there. He just saved me and made the ert apologize to me. . That meant that I had been saved three times by Se Hun. What am I going to do now? How am I supposed to make it up to him? Before I could even think of anything, Se Hun held a hand out for me, but since I didn't grab it, he decided that it'd be easier to grab my arms and pull me up. He looked at me up and down, observing me. It was kind of awkward but  I didn't care.

The bus finally got to our stop and Se Hun pulled me off. He started to walk ahead but stopped when he realized that I was still standing where he had left me. He turned back around and took off his beanie so he could run a hand through his blonde hair. Wow. He kind of was attractive when he did that. Okay. Sorry. I know. I didn't mean to think that, but still.

"You're an idiot!" He practically yelled at me, making the people on the bus stare at us as they left.

I take that back. He isn't attractive no more. Not after yelling at me! How am I supposed to protect myself from a freaking ert touching me? I'm a girl and he's a guy. Guys are stronger than me! Damn it! I wanted to cry. I could already feel the tears forming in my eyes and it that I was about to cry here, in front of some guy who rejected me but saved me three times.

"What if I wasn't there? What would you have done? Would you have let him touch you again?" He heeved a sigh and placed one hand on his hip. "How can you be so smart but so stupid, Ahn Soo Jin?!"

That did it. I started crying. That made him stop for sure. He looked at me and he looked as if he just felt bad for yelling at me. I didn't want to cry, but I couldn't help it. Why whould he be angry? I didn't ask him to save me. He did it himself and like I said before, what am I supposed to do when he's a guy and I was just a girl? I'm not strong.

"Don't cry." I heard Se Hun say more to himself than me. "I didn't mean to yell at you."

Was this mob gangster guy seriously trying to be nice to me after he just got done yelling at me? Okay. Seriously. He was actually trying to be nice and I couldn't even believe it.

Se Hun walked over to me and handed me a handkerchief. I only looked at it. I felt really stupid and he probably thought the same cos' I just stood there, didn't say anything, and was crying like an idiot. Before I even knew it, he started to wipe the tears away from my face. Could this week be even weirder than it already was? Yes. Because he started to pat down the back of my head, telling me that "It's okay."

I kept my mouth shut about what had happened this morning from Jung Ah. I didn't need everyone knowing what had happened to me. I was embarrassed enough and it just wasn't something I could freely talk about. It was frustrating and standing in the front waiting for Jong Kook, the guy who owes Se Hun money, was annoying as well. I've been standing here with his check for over ten minutes now and if he doesn't decide to come, I'm going to go to the cafeteria and eat.

He was lucky that he caught me before I was about ot leave. He ran over to me with a smile on his face. "I'm sorry I'm late. I thought you'd be in the cafeteria getting food first." He handed me my handkerchief. It was washed.

"Here." I handed him the check hesitantly. "Go give it to Se Hun before he makes your life worst than it already is."

"Thanks Soo Jin. You're the best. How do I thank you?" He looked at the check and smiled to himeslf like he had just won the lottery. Well, that was lot of of money. He's lucky I wasn't poor.

"It's fine. You don't owe me." I said forcing a smile. "I'll see you around." I waved at him and walked off to the cafeteria, kind of feeling guilty.

Just as I got into the cafeteria, I saw Jae Hyun and his group of friends looking at me. Great. I had to finally face him after avoiding him all day yesterday. I ignored him and looked for Jung Ah. She wasn't even in here like she said she would. Whatever. I'm hungry. I'm not here for her. I went to go grab food to eat and sat down at the table I usually sat at. I picked at my food. I guess I wasn't even hungry after all. I just wasted my money. This day was a drag. Someone, take me away.

"So, I heard you got rejected by our gangster friend." Jae Hyun sat across from me, making me more irritated than I already was. I'm going to throw up the food that I didn't eat at him.

"I still have three months." I stared at Jae Hyun and rolled my eyes. "Don't think youv'e won just yet."

"Oh, don't worry, Soo Jin, I'll let you keep trying this out. I already know you won't be able to make him fall in love with you." He scoffed at me. He was lucky there was a table between us. "Just keep studying and I'm sure this bet will be over in no time. And you know what that means, right? That means your lips on mine..."

My turn to scoff. "Don't even think for a second that you will get to kiss me. You're disgusting and I'm going to win this bet. It's going to be you who's going to be  bald by the end of this."

"Whatever you say, Ahn Soo Jin." Jae Hyun winked at me and then walked off with his group of friends. I should of threw my food at him while he was still in reach. God, I hated that guy so much.

I decided not to take the bus back home when school was out. Just thinking about the bus traumatized me. Yes, I think I was seriously traumatized after what had happened today. It made me want to cry just thinking about it. It gave me goosebumps. Ah. I shook my head and entered the cafe that I always went to. Just like I said, my order was already done by the time I got to the counter. I handed them my money and went to go find a place to sit. I needed to study for my test tomorrow.

Just when I was going to sip onto my bubble tea, my phone started ringing. I saw Jung Ah's face on there. "What do you want?" I asked in a playful way.

"I heard that some people spotted you and Se Hun together this morning!" Her voice was so loud, I had to move my phone away a few centimeters. God, someone needs to teach this girl inside voices.

"Oh..." I didn't know what to say.

"They said they saw Se Hun patted your hair, as if you were crying and he was trying to calm you down." Well technically, she was right. I was crying and he was trying to calm me down... I think.

"Nothing happened. He wasn't touching me or anything. Who told you this?" I asked, annoyed at the fact that my best friend had believed everyone already.

"The whole school knows about it, dummy." Jung Ah laughed. "Good job, Soo Jin. Keep it up."

"Bye." I hung up and went back to studying. I didn't want to talk about what had happened that morning. It would just remind me why I was traumatized again.

I didn't take the bus the next morning either. I was scared that the ert was going to be there again. I woke up extra early and got ready just so I had time to walk to school. I hated myself for making that decision. The morning was super cold and my pale legs couldn't handle it at all. But I kept walking to school anyways. I had to get there somehow and if it meant walking in the cold instead of being ertedly touched, then that was my choice!

I was just about to walk into the school building when I saw a bunch of people running around school, yelling something. A few looked scared and the rest looked confused. I was among those confused. But as soon as I entered, I heard loud bangings and guys yelling. I tried to listen well, but all I heard was, "Where the hell is Kim Jong Kook?!" It sounded like Se Hun and Chan Yeol. I peeped out and saw Se Hun and his mob gang walking through the halls with leather gloves on their hands. They didn't look too happy.

"Did you guys see Kim Jong Kook? If you know where he is, you better tell us. Cos' if we find out that you know where he is later, you'll get punished with him!" Baek Hyun grabbed the nearest guy and shoved him against the lockers.

I shook my head at his actions and because the poor guy that had gotten shoved did nothing to deserve that. I guess that's why people always said to never get in their way.

"Who was the last person to see him?" Kai asked looking around.

"I saw him last with Ahn Soo Jin yesterday." A girl said pointing at me. Great. I'm on the hitlist already, you don't have to make it so they choose to come beat me up first.

Se Hun turn his attention towards me. His friends and everyone else in the hallway did the same. I stood there awkwardly and pressed my lips together, trying to prevent myself from saying anything stupid.

"Where is he?" Lu han asked.

"Are you hiding him?" Chan Yeol walked up to me, but Se Hun grabbed his arm and held him back.

"I... I thought he paid you guys back..." I said without even realizing that I just talked.

"How could pay us? He has no money." Baek Hyun groaned.

"I gave him money." I cleared my throat.

"What?!" Se Hun now spoke. "You gave him money?"

"It was only $430, right?" I asked, their eyes still all on me with the rest of the crowd.

"You really are an idiot, you know that?" Se Hun shook his head. "He only owed me $200."

I froze. What? Got damn it. I serioiusly am an idiot. Or was I? "Hear me out."

"What?" Lu Han crossed his arms and looked at me

It was the most nerveracking thing I've ever gone through. I had five pairs of eyes staring me, including the other thousand that were standing behind them. We were still in the hallway and even though the bell hand rung, signaling for all of us to get to class, no one moved from where they were. Even when Se Hun was staring at me, I felt like his eyes were piercing right through my body. It made me want to run, but my body didn't move. Great. Just great. This was another moment where I wished a straw was stabbing me instead.

"Why did you give him money? How can you give him more than what he actually needed to pay?" Se Hun growled at me.

I guess I couldn't blame Se Hun for being pissed off at me, but then again, I had things to explain to him.

"Don't you realize what you just did? You gave him money and now he's run off to who knows where!" Kai shook his head at me. Wow. He was kind of attractive when he did that. Sorry. I should be more serious in this situation.

"What are we going to do now?" Baek Hyun scoffed at me as he crossed his arms.

It looked like Lu Han wanted to say something but he ended up just staring at me.

I took a deep breath, trying to calm my nerves. "Okay. Look. I know you think I'm stupid for giving him money-"

"So much for being first in academics." Chan Yeol rolled his eyes.

"Wow, will you guys let me talk?" I groaned at them.

They finally shut their mouths up. About time. Who do they think they are? Accusing me of something I didn't do? Well, okay, I did do something, but not even you guys know what I did. I am smart. Did you guys forget I was ranked first for academics? Goodness. People really need to pay attention.

"That check that I gave him was fake. If he was smart enough, he would have realized it the moment I gave it to him, but he didn't, obviously." Their faces all fell. That's right. I'm not stupid! "You guys think I would be dumb enough to give him $430? That day, when you all beat the crap out of him, I asked him what happened and when he told me, I already knew he was lying so I offered to pay, thinking he wouldn't be dumb and run off with it."

"Are you saying that we'd be dumb enough to accept it?" Se Hun cocked his head at me.

"No...." I kind of lied. "If he really owed you $200, wouldn't it already make sense that he would have just kept all the money to himself?"

"That's great, but we don't know where he is." Kai shook his head.

"You're wrong. I made sure that if that check was cashed, the person using it would be in jail." I smiled. I knew I had stunned them all. It was a good thing I was smart.

"How's that even possible?" Baek Hyun asked me. "Are you really that smart?"

"It's logic and it's scam check. They won't release you unless the person who owns the check comes in and bails them out." I bit my lip. Damn. I should have my own TV show.

"Then where is he?" Lu Han asked.

Just then, my phone in my pocket started ringing. I held up a hand and answered it. After a few "oh's", "mmhmm's", I finally hung and put my phone back into my pocket. They were still staring at me. "He's at the subway station's jail."

"What?" All the guys said together.

"I guess he tried to cash his check there." I walked past them and smiled. "See ya."

I left everyone in awe. All their mouths were proably dropped down to the ground. That's right. I'm not some stupid girl anyone can mess with. I'm Ahn Soo Jin.