Evasive Tactics
All-StarsDoojoon casts a glance at the student in the seat next to his as their homeroom teacher announces that Jang Hyunseung, star player of the tennis team, will be showing the new transfer student, some guy called -- Ong? Hong? -- Junhyung, around. The soccer captain worries for his best friend, because Hyunseung is an eccentric guy. He doesn't quite make sense sometimes and whenever he talks, he reduces Yoseob, Doojoon's boyfriend, into a wheezing mess. He isn't the most social of students either, so Doojoon doesn't quite understand why Heechul-seonsaengnim would assign Hyunseung as the new transfer's guide.
Hyunseung doesn't even look like he heard Heechul-seonsaengnim at all, because he's fixing the grip tape on his tennis racket. His beanie is pulled down to his ears; the way Doojoon makes Kikwang wear his beanie. Doojoon nudges Hyunseung, who turns to look at him with huge, threatening doe eyes.
"Yes?" Doojoon hears the silent why are you interrupting me while I'm adjusting my grip tape in the tone of his voice and resists the urge to roll his eyes at Hyunseung.
"Did you even hear what Heechul-seonsaengnim said?" Doojoon asks and he's expecting to hear a "huh? What did Heechul-saem say?" but it doesn't come and instead, Hyunseung just nods and returns to adjusting the grip tape around the handle of the racket. Before Doojoon manages to say anything else, the bell rings and signals the end of homeroom and the beginning of classes. Heechul-seonsaengnim doesn't leave the class immediately with a flamboyant wave, like he usually does, but instead heads over to where Doojoon and Hyunseung are gathering their training equipment. Doojoon slings his shoe bag and personal soccer ball over his shoulder, bows to Heechul-seonsaengnim and leaves, hoping that Hyunseung won't need him.
Heechul watches Doojoon and the other students of the senior class leave before he faces Hyunseung, tennis racket handle peeping out from Hyunseung's bag. Hyunseung has a blank, expressionless face as he looks back at his homeroom teacher.
"He's waiting at the main office right now. He came for you," Heechul says simply. He can read Hyunseung's passiveness and he knows it's merely a mask to hide how the tennis player really feels. "Don't be late for training," Heechul adds when he turns to leave the class, because he is the teacher-in-charge for the tennis team and the competitive season is coming up. He can't have his star player missing or being late to practice. Hyunseung bows respectfully to Heechul and trails out after his homeroom and club teacher.
He heads straight for his first period.
---
Kikwang ogles at Hyunseung when the hockey player plops down next to him for AP Chemistry. The shorter male takes a wild look at the door of the class and when no one new enters the class after Hyunseung, Kikwang panics. He pulls out his cell phone and checks the message Doojoon had sent him, re-reading it multiple times to make sure that he didn't misread the message.
From: DooDoo-hyung
Hyunseung is supposed to show the new senior transfer around, so make sure he does it because he knows he's supposed to do it.
"Hyung," Kikwang calls out to Hyunseung in a disbelieving voice. Hyunseung turns to look at him curiously after he has pulled off his beanie -- because "beanies may threaten safety in a science lab" -- and shoved it into his backpack. Kikwang almost looks back at his cell phone again, because Hyunseung almost looks like he really doesn't know what is going on.
"What?" Hyunseung asks, almost convincing enough, but not quite there yet. Kikwang frowns and wonders why Heechul-saem would choose Hyunseung to show the new student around because clearly Hyunseung is not school guide material and even Doojoon, who is the most scatterbrained person Kikwang has ever known in his 17 years of living, would have made a better guide. Kikwang doesn't think the new student would be able to understand Hyunseung either.
"You have to show the new senior student around!" Kikwang says exasperatedly, doing his best not to just bonk the older male in the head with the thick AP Chemistry textbook that is sitting on Kikwang's table. Hyunseung merely shrugs and pulls his own textbook out onto his side of the table on the lab bench. Kikwang thinks some of the major veins or arteries in his neck are about to explode when Jiyeon-saem walks into class and singles Hyunseung out.
"Yah, Jang Hyunseung, didn't Heechul-seonsaengnim tell you that you're supposed to be showing the new transfer student around?" Kikwang almost literally passes out in relief when Hyunseung quietly repacks his textbook and writing materials into his bag and picks all of his things up. The bell for class to begin rings and Hyunseung bows to Jiyeon and exits the class again.
He walks a little of the way down the corridor, makes sure he's clear of his own classroom before he plops down outside an empty classroom and pulls out his AP Chemistry textbook again.
---
Dongwoon curses and swears under his breath as he rushes for his first class because he fell asleep during homeroom (because he had stayed up all night to finish his bloody History project and he has to lug the massive reconstruction of the Indian Civilisation around till History class) and the rest of his "friends" had thought that it would be funny to leave him in homeroom. Dongwoon makes a mental note to let his personal basketball slip in the direction of his "friends" when he sees them during lunch or during his lessons. Dongwoon is sure that he will be in some deep with Jessica-saem when he makes it to Honours English, but he skids to a halt anyway when he spots a familiar orange head of hair sitting in the empty hallways.
"Hyunseung-hyung!" Dongwoon calls out as he stares at his hyung, who is casually flipping through his AP Chemistry textbook as if everything is normal and nothing unusual is happening. Hyunseung waves at Dongwoon without looking up and continues to skim through the page he is on. Dongwoon feels a vibration in his pocket and pulls out his phone.
From: Princess Kwang
Hyunseung-hyung was supposed to show a new senior transfer student around and he still turned up for AP Chemistry ideky. Class is boring already and we just started 10 minutes ago. How is Honours English?
Dongwoon looks up from his phone and continues to stare incredulously at Hyunseung, who is still the perfect image of calmness as he sits next to a large green trash bin with his school bag and his tennis equipment. Dongwoon is this close to just face palming and wondering why his luck today is just so ty.
"Hyung, what are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to show the new student around?" Dongwoon puts down the large Styrofoam board that his Indian Civilisation is built on and squats down in front of Hyunseung. He's already late and it's not like he's going to flunk Honours English (he could've gotten into the AP English class anyway) so he doesn't mind missing just a few more minutes of it to make sure Hyunseung doesn't get into some massive for not showing the transfer student around.
Hyunseung looks up this time when he sees Dongwoon's blonde hair bobbing into view. Dongwoon doesn't speak up and just remains squatting in front of Hyunseung, silent. Hyunseung stares back at Dongwoon, doe eyes meeting deep-set dark brown. For a few minutes, both of them remain that way. Dongwoon's eyes flick back and forth between the time on his cell phone and Hyunseung's unfaltering gaze, but he doesn't speak up.
Hyunseung is the first to speak up.
"Are you going to stay here till I go?" Dongwoon nods and darts a glance in the direction of the classroom his Honours English lesson is being held in. Hyunseung lets out a long suffering sigh and packs his textbook back into his backpack like he had done in the Chemistry lab.
"I'm going to follow you until you get that transfer student you know," Dongwoon mentions as he stands up after Hyunseung does, picking up his Indian Civilisation. Hyunseung doesn't have a visible reaction and Dongwoon doesn't expect one either way because when does Hyunseung ever react in normal situations?
Hyunseung finally walks in the direction of the main office, dragging his feet. Dongwoon rants on about his friends from the '91-line abandoning him during homeroom, his reconstruction of the Indian Civilisation blocking him from sight. Hyunseung thinks it kind of feels like the Indian Civilisation is talking to him, instead of Dongwoon.
A/N: Just some notes for those who don't know Korean or don't know it fluently. "Seonsaengnim" means "teacher" in Korean and "saem" is sort of like a shortened, less formal version of the word "seonsaengnim". So basically the students are referring to the teachers as, well, teachers.
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