The night when they first met was recreated as Chen and Krystal spent the rest of their lunch break together. They were still sitting inside the library in a place where Krystal thought they wouldn’t be seen, but it was rather impossible because of their loudness, and their laughter had gained them few furious gazes from students who were disturbed from their loud voices.

They talked about their eventless first day, and how the classes dragged by agonizingly slowly. Chen occasionally cracked her up with his comments about random teachers and students whom he shared classes with, and Krystal struggled to control herself.

When the bell finally rang, they parted ways and walked towards their next class.

Krystal’s wide grin didn’t abandon her face all the while she walked through the hallways for she kept thinking about Chen, and few chuckles escaped her lips as she replayed the entire thing in her head. She could feel other’s gazes on her, but she brushed it off for she knew that she must’ve looked completely mad.

It felt great to have someone whom she could share her day with, someone who was interested enough to listen to her endless rant. She formerly wanted to show Chen how pissed she was, but her act failed the instant he started talking.

He had a weird effect on her; one that she loved. Frankly, she felt exhilarated with his company because he never failed to make her smile.

His genuine care reminded her of someone else’s, and her smile faltered when her thoughts drifted towards Yi Fan. She suddenly picked her phone out of her pocket and started rummaging through her texts.

“I’m busy now, will call you later.”

She reread the text a couple of times before she huffed in annoyance. This was the last text he’d sent; couple of days ago, and he hadn’t called since. She knew she sounded nagging and a bit childish, but she couldn’t help it; she’d really missed him.

She wanted to talk to him, to know his whereabouts, but he was always busy to the extent that he didn’t even have time pick up the damn phone and tell her that he was just fine.

She just wanted to know that he was okay, and that he was doing well; that’s all. Even though her wish sounded so small and trivial, it was unattainable.

Her fingertips hovered above the numbers for few moments as she deliberated calling him. She pressed two numbers before she abruptly locked the phone and shoved it roughly inside of her pocket again.

Krystal walked rather slowly towards her last class. Her body felt stiff from all these hours of sitting down, and she felt like her brain stopped functioning after all these informations that she’d recieved today.

Exhaustion was evident on her face, and she resembled a walking corpse with her hunched back and slow pace.

She didn’t know that school would be this hectic and tiresome. All her teachers seemed oblivious about the fact that it was still the first day as they gave her a ridiculous amount of homework that made her cringe whenever she thought about it.

Krystal was too tired and drowsy to notice any of her surroundings; therefore, she was slightly taken aback when she heard Chen’s voice calling her. She raised her head only to notice everyone’s gazes alternating between them.

She eventually noticed Chen who was seated yet again in the farthest corner next to a window with a foolish grin on his face. He waved his hand enthusiastically at her and pointed at the empty beside him.

She took in a deep breath and tightened her grip on her bag’s straps before she walked towards him. She was aware of everyone’s stares, yet she tried to act unfazed by them and walked with her eyes fixed on only one person who smiled warmly at her.

Her eyes roamed around the class the instant she took her seat, and she let out the breath she didn’t know she was holding when she noticed that no one was watching her anymore.

A certain girl who was seated in the front row suddenly piqued her interest, and she raised her eyebrow questioningly when she noticed her miserable, more like pitiful, stare towards Chen.

But the girl suddenly averted her gaze towards Krystal, and Krystal on her breath when she noticed the intensity of the emotions that her eye’s held, but the girl hastily turned her back to her upon hearing the teacher’s arrival.

Krystal blinked a couple of times as she tried to fathom what had just happened. She could’ve sworn that she saw hatred and disgust in the girl’s eyes when she looked at her, but it was impossible to confirm it.

“Are you okay?” Chen’s voice interrupted her trail of thoughts. She was still confused by what had happened and she looked at him unfocusedly before she mumbled that she was fine.

Chen noticed puzzlement written all over face, and he followed her gaze only to recognize whom she was staring at.

“Oh….” He mumbled in exasperation.   

The matter was soon forgotten when the teacher who introduced himself earlier as "Mr. Donghae" opened his mouth and started speaking. Krystal’s smile never left her face as she listened intently to his words and various explanations about music. She was in awe as she believed that in front of her right now was a man whom she felt the most connected to.

Krystal had always found great struggle in explaining her love for music for no one seemed to fathom her. Her words weren’t perceivable; her passion and love for music wasn’t perceivable. She’d tried, she really did, to find the right words, but her words sounded more of an exaggeration to many. But for the first time, she felt like someone finally understood.

In front of her stood her music teacher who talked with so much passion about the thing that affected him so. She lost sense of her surroundings as she only focused at him as she listened to his words; therefore, she didn’t notice Chen’s pained expression throughout the entire class.

Despair washed over him the moment he’d stepped a foot inside the class, nevertheless, he tried to quieten down his urge to run away. Even though it was so hard for him to attend this class, he had a reason to. But he was starting to doubt the fact that the reason was worth all this pain he’d to endure while sitting there.

He’d spent the entire hour trying hard to block the teacher’s voice out of his head and to detach himself from everything that surrounded him, but it was inevitable.

He could feel Donghae’s stare fixed on him, yet he didn't make any move to meet it.

He knew that his words were solely directed to him, yet he didn’t bring himself to show any reaction.

He acted unfazed by all his words even though they were all piercing through him and leaving deeper scars than they should have.

“Music awakens the soul” The teacher said. “Its effect will always be an enigma.”

“Everyone can hear the music, but not everyone has the privilege of listening.”

“It bewitches, hypnotizes the listener in a way that leaves him floating in what I shall call; Nirvana.”

It…

Music…

How enchanting…

How… Ironic…

A sarcastic smile was drawn on Chen’s face as he listened to those words, and it managed to hide his suffering. 
Halfway through class, his loud humorless laugh echoed throughout the room, and everyone turned their gazes towards the latter whom they believed had lost his mind.

He’d formerly felt like he wanted to scream; to oppose to every word his teacher had spoken, to tell him that they were all complete bull; that music only stirs emotion of melancholy; that it only weighs him down with nothing but sorrow.

He had so much he wanted to say; so much he wanted to yell out loud in order for everyone to listen, but instead, he laughed.

He kept laughing even though he was quite aware of the pitiful and worried stares he was receiving.

He couldn’t quieten down his laugh; he didn’t bring himself to do so because he was afraid of what might follow.

He was scared that the moment its sound would die down, it’d only replaced with the sound of his sobs. So he laughed, he laughed hysterically in the most painful way possible.

And even though he didn’t shed one tear, the sound of his laughter swarmed around and enveloped everyone with sorrow.

Krystal snapped out of her trance the instant she heard his laughter, and she turned around only to be met with the bizarre sight of his.

“They’re all lies.” Chen’s surprise matched everyone else as he didn’t have an intention to speak; nevertheless, he continued to talk as the words automatically escaped his mouth like he didn’t have any control on them.

“Music doesn’t awaken the soul, it only destructs.”

“And no it’s not a privilege; it’s a ing curse to be able to listen.

So don’t you dare tell me that it sends you to Nirvana because it does anything but.” His words were laced with so much venom that stunned Donghae to silence.

He’d hoped that his tactic would stir some emotions inside Chen, but he didn’t think that it’d cause him more pain.

Chen looked directly at Donghae who was rooted in his place and waited for any reaction, but he received more silence instead.

He could sense everyone’s gaze on him, and after what felt like eternity, he took a deep breath and sat down in defeat.

He refrained himself from glancing at the girl who was now staring at him with wide eyes that were filled with so much worry. She didn’t understand what all of this was about; why he’d hated music to this extent, and the reason to why he’d chosen this class if he hated it like that.

She looked at him intently as she tried to find answers to all the questions that piled her mind.

Donghae sorrowfully watched Chen who was now seated with his head dug in his hands but he eventually snapped out of his thoughts and tried to capture everyone’s attention again.

He was unfocused throughout the rest of the class as his stare never left Chen who hasn’t once raised his head. He didn’t know what he was saying and neither did anyone else as they all still couldn’t register the earlier events.

The sound of the bell eventually interrupted Donghae, and he sighed in relief that the class was finally over. He needed to be alone to think about what he was going to do, and he couldn’t wait to finally get out of here and to a quieter place.

He was collecting his stuff when he suddenly remembered something, and he quickly turned around in order to stop everyone from leaving. He waited for them to rather reluctantly return back to their seats before he started speaking.

“As you know, seniors always arrange for a school event that takes place at the end of every year. It’s day to celebrate your last year together, so you’re all obliged to participate in making it memorable.

Every class’s in charge of preparing something, so your project for this year will be creating a song from scratch, and the best one will be picked to be sung live.

You’ll be distributed into groups and each one will be composed of four members, and you’ll get to choose whom you want to work with. Just make sure to hand me a paper for your group’s names by tomorrow morning.

And one more thing…Don’t mistaken inspiration for plagiarizing; you’re not under any circumstances allowed to use anything from another song. Am I clear?” He paused for a moment until they all nodded. “Well then, class’s dismissed.”

Krystal didn’t put much thought to his words for her mind was still crowded with thoughts about Chen. She was still trying hard to find a justification for his weird and contradicting actions, but it was almost impossible. His earlier words, the sound of his laughter and the venom that filled his eyes wouldn’t want to leave her mind.

“So… what’re you good at?” Chen’s voice suddenly interrupted her thoughts and her eyes widened when she turned her head to the side and was met with his usual boyish smile.

AN:
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