Directions

Himchan's been avoiding me. Since last night, he hasn't replied my message. I know I sound like some overly attached girlfriend but Himchan has his phone with him 24/7. His face is practically glued to the screen all the time and it's already been one night and half a day. Did I do something wrong? Maybe he knows I'm trying to pry some answers out of him but all I really want is to know whether he's alright.

Something has been scratching at the back of my mind since this morning. Perhaps it was my answer that put Himchan off. I try to concentrate on the teacher's words but the thought unceasingly drills at my brain. What if Himchan's homophobic? But he's an open-minded person; in fact, he's good friends with Heechul, an alumni, who is openly gay. 

I met Jongup today at the canteen during lunch. He said Himchan called him in the morning to ask if I was with him, and they hung out for a while after that. What did I do wrong?

Once the clock strikes three, I rise from my seat, walking out to get some fresh air. Instantly, I bump my nose into someone's neck, sniffling in pain.

"Daehyun?"

Wow, he's here early. My teacher hasn't even left the classroom yet. Daehyun leans off the wall, spinning around with a frantic expression.

"I'm sorry," he immediately rasps. He lifts his hands as I nurse my nose, unsurely reaching for my face and pulling it back again. People would think we are very weird people if they are to pass us by now. 

"It's okay."

Have we made actual conversation before besides just saying "sorry" and "it's okay" to one another? I honestly don't think we have.

"I'll go get my things. Be right back."

I wanted some time alone to think about what's going on but I don't want to make Daehyun wait any longer. I rush to my seat, throwing my things carelessly into my bag as Daehyun steps in and hovers by the door. I raise my head to see a few classmates looking at me oddly.

"Sorry," I immediately say once I hurry to him, his back against the door frame and eyes roaming about the classroom. Okay, we have to stop this whole apology thing. "Shall we go?"

"Yeah."

We walk alongside one another, me pacing a little faster while thinking of things to say. "Have you had your lunch?" I ask softly.

He hums, looking to me. "How about you?"

I nod, wanting to keep the ball rolling but choking upon feeling an arm around my neck. Chanhee's face intrudes into my personal space, our face millimetres away from one another.

"Yoo Youngjae! My lovely VIP guest," he bellows in a sing-song voice, "I am here to confirm your RSVP to our prestigious event, Beacon."

He does a twinkling action with his fingers, sending me a wink. "Remember my threat?"

"Yeah, yeah." I push him away, shuddering a little at the thought at Lee-songsasengnim undressed. "I'll go."

"Very good!" He raves in English, enunciating the words in a high pitch. I'm pretty sure Chanhee is not very good in the head.

"Okay, so we've finalised all the details for the posters. You know, we actually extended the audition date to next Monday but apparently, Changhyun, that , forgot to send out the mass email. So the batch of photos I sent you a week back will probably be the last. Anyway, let me run through the details with you."

He reaches for his bag, sifting out a crumpled floor plan as I fidget. "Chanhee, I'm sorry, but can we do this another day?"

"You're in a rush?" Chanhee visibly deflates, folding the piece of paper in his hands.

"No, it's okay. I can wait," Daehyun reassures. Chanhee lets out a weird, incomprehensible noise.

I'm about to cut in when Chanhee steps back slightly. "Oh... I had no idea you guys were together. My bad; I thought you were just standing there." He gestures a little at Daehyun and veers his attention back to me.

"I'll talk to you another time, cutie." He spares Daehyun a probing glance before running off.

"You're going for Beacon?" Daehyun murmurs as we continue our stroll. Today's weather is just right; the afternoon sun hiding behind the abundance of clouds all over the sky. 

"Yeah, Chanhee kinda forced me to. What about you?" 

Daehyun shrugs, edging away abruptly once our hands brush against one another by accident. Man, I think Daehyun's allergic to me.

"You get cold easily, don't you?" Daehyun says lowly.

I shift the straps of my backpack, nodding at the unexpected question. During lectures, I'm always freezing my off and burying my arms into my bag. Just today, during assembly, I was shaking like a malfunctioning blender. I wonder how he knows. Is my shivering so obvious?

"Yeah. It's hereditary," I remark. My mother brings a jacket everywhere she goes, even on summer days because she never know when she'll meet into an overzealous air-conditioner.

"Why don't you bring a jacket around?"

"Mine's too thick to fit in my bag." 

And a new hoodie costs two weeks of my allowance; I have better things to do with my money than that.

Daehyun squirms. "Oh. Where's the one I saw you holding the other day?"

"It's not mine. I, um, woke up wearing it," I respond in embarrassment, even I sceptically questioning the words out of my mouth.

I left the jacket in my locker since I tried scouting the library yesterday. I asked the assistant librarian Kyungsoo if he'd seen anyone passing it to me but he said he didn't know.

"I'll be handing it over to the Lost and Found tomorrow," I add, just in case Daehyun thinks I'm some kind of thief. That'll be a really bad way to start off a friendship.

Daehyun clears his throat, nodding rigidly. We sink into a heavy silence.

"What subject combination do you take?" I ask, fiddling with the ends of my uniform.

"Triple sciences and literature." Daehyun averts his stare when I look towards him, unsurprisingly. He makes me feel like Medusa.

"Wow, that's tough. You probably end really late, right?" 

"Yeah. Double humanities sound hard too," Daehyun mumbles back.

A double sciences and double humanities subject combination is pretty rare; that's why I'm stuck with extra history lessons every few weeks because our class has a weird schedule. Then again, a triple sciences student taking literature is equally as rare. Usually, the science students take either geography or history. No wonder Daehyun's stuffed into my literature class.

"Nothing is worse than Physics," I murmur, inciting a chuckle in Daehyun.

Seriously, Daehyun has a charming smile. I can feel the hairs on my neck bristle just watching his lips curve. No wonder he's popular.

The train ride back is less awkward than the previous, but still, I can feel myself fidgeting just sitting beside Daehyun. So he's from the best class after our level's two gifted classes. It's a bit bizarre that I'd known him only as another student who takes the train to school not too long ago. It kind of makes me wonder if Daehyun knew I even existed prior to this project.

As usual, when we reach, my house is completely devoid of a single soul.

"Make yourself at home," I mumble distractedly, scouring the place for any corner I had forgotten to clean up. 

Daehyun looks around, dropping down onto the ground. I scurry to the kitchen to get him a glass of iced tea.

We settle in the living room, us taking turns to type on the laptop while brainstorming of what to write. Hours fly past us quickly, the story of Hyacinth and Apollo jogg