Mistake (i)

Math was tormenting as our teacher suddenly sprang a pop quiz right after we finished the latest chapter. I don’t suppose anyone started revising for that since the entire class looked like they’d lost all hope for humanity.

Literature is the last lesson for today, which means there’s just one more hour before I’m scott-free. The guys always go for lunch despite our last break being just an hour apart from the previous one. Most of the time, I stay behind and go out to the school garden near the lecture hall for a breather, because I’m not hungry and Park-songsaengnim is worth starving over. Only Aaron and Donggeun out of the rest take literature so the last few minutes of our lunch for them is equal to running-for-our-lives practice.

The crowd today is small, just a few students gathered at one corner at the pavillion. I perch myself in the niche of a pillar, hands resting on my knees. The weather has a hint of wetness weaved into it, air slightly chilly.

“Youngjae?”

A familiar voice drifts past me and Daehyun materialises before me, blinking rapidly. 

“Ah, hey, Daehyun,” I echo, coming out of my cramped hiding spot. How’d he notice me here?

“I thought you were absent.” He massages his arm, continuing, “I didn’t see you on the train this morning. And when I walked by your class, you weren't there.”

Oh, Daehyun knows I take the same train as him.

“I came later today,” I explained. That’s right; he's probably looking for me because he wants to return the umbrella.

“Did you catch a cold? The rain got really heavy after you left,” I question concernedly. 

Daehyun shakes his head, eyes lighting up, and hunts through his bag. He wrenches out my umbrella and something else, handing them to me.

“Thank you,” he murmurs. I stare down at what he handed me, thumbing the slightly bent edges. Daehyun gave me a box of Pepero. 

“...Just something for all the trouble. That day for coming over and having dinner, too,” he explains gruffly.

“You didn't have to.”

This is a repeat of what happened the other day, when he walked me home. The chances of Daehyun being unrelenting is high, so I might as well save us the whole yes-no conversation. I pry open the box, pulling out a stick and offering one to Daehyun with a smile. He’s way too nice; it’s killing me.

“Daehyun! There you are.”

Someone abruptly leaps towards us, grabbing Daehyun around the shoulders. I remember him to be one of the literature students with really dark eye bags.

“Zitao,” Daehyun churns out as the other boy knuckles him on the head.

“Woah, what’s going on here?” Zitao leans forward, eyes wide. “Are you guys playing the Pepero game?”

“No!” Daehyun splutters and shakes Zitao off him. Zitao his head one side, eyes turning into slits.

“Oh, so this is the guy who you ditched me for. Damn you, I had to avoid Jiyoung’s boyfriend the whole of last week. The golden rule is to never pair up with a taken girl, Daehyun, and you made me do