"I need it!"

Laughter breaks out merrily amongst the group of girls sitting at the front of the lecture hall, tossing a mint jacket to and fro. A girl yelps as she scurries here and there, assumedly trying to retrieve her jacket as her classmates throw it from one end to the other. Daehyun watches from a few rows above, sunken into the seat as his classmates ramble about the football game last night. The girl continues scrambling, eyes forlorn as one of them hurls it too far and it falls onto the ground. More laughter breaks out as one of the girls tugs Youngjae back into her seat, messing up her hair.

"Come on, Youngjae. It's just a joke!"

The girl in question smiles weakly and asks, "Can I have it back now?" Her neighbouring classmates steals her worksheets and draws all over it as Youngjae watches meekly, nudging her lightly with a strained chuckle.

"There! Youngjae and Junhong sitting in a tree. K-I-S-S-I-N-G!" The whole class starts to hum teasingly as Youngjae fervently denies it. Another girl takes the worksheet and folds it into a plane, throwing it and gasping when it falls onto the stage. Her partner hurriedly tugs off Youngjae's hairband as her hair falls loose, running over to the other end and plopping herself there with a cackle. Youngjae hastily holds up her frayed hair, pleading for it back.

"What's going on? Whose is this?" The teacher catches the jacket midway in a toss as Youngjae meekly gulps and raises her hand. The girls go quiet as the teacher frowns, putting his hands on his hips.

"Why isn't your hair tied?" None of the girls make a sound as Youngjae lowers her head and apologises. The teacher furrows his brows further, putting out a threatening finger.

"I am confiscating this. Come and collect this from me after school." The teacher stalks away with the mint windbreaker in hand as Youngjae sighs quietly. The girls pass the hairband down and her partner pats her back with a light, apologetic grin.

"Isn't that bullying?" The boy in front of Daehyun, Yongguk, clicks his tongue.

The boy's friend Himchan shrugs awkwardly. "Uh, I don't know... They're just having fun, right?"

Youngjae smiles wryly as the girls coo at her, unison of overly cheery, lightweight apologies barreling out from their mouths. No one offers to go take the jacket for her or own up that it's their fault.

"Youngjae gets cold easily," another one of Youngjae's classmates, Junhong, points out with a cough.

"So you do like her?" Himchan excitedly elbows him as Junhong fervently shakes his head. "You seriously at being a Prince Charming. You're supposed to get back the jacket for her, ."

"You know Junhong. Shy as hell," Yongguk comments. Youngjae is curled up against the seat as her friend pokes her head.

"They're scary, huh? They pretend like they aren't doing anything wrong by smoothening it over with a sorry at the end," one of the other boys, Jongup, mutters. Daehyun continues watching as Youngjae sinks back into her seat, shivering at the bristling cold. He stands quietly, slings his bag over his shoulder and a few of his classmates peer up at him.

Daehyun walks down to the front row just as everyone settles into their seat, the lecturer tapping his marker on the whiteboard. He shakes off his black hoodie as he reaches the front, in plain view for the whole lecture hall to see, and walks to Youngjae's seat. The girl clutches at her elbows, shuddering at the zealous air-conditioning.

Daehyun garners many curious looks from Youngjae's class and others alike as Youngjae looks up with doe eyes. He holds out the jacket as Youngjae's classmates part their lips in surprise, Youngjae blinking up in bewilderment.

"Does he know her?" Someone whispers nearby to earn a fervid shrug in return. Daehyun shakes his palm to emphasise his point and breaks Youngjae out of her surprised trance.

"I- no, thank you, i-it's okay," she stammers, half from the cold and half from embarrassment. Daehyun sighs and unfolds the jacket fully, draping it over Youngjae. He drops his bag beside her and sits in the abandoned chair beside her, nonchalantly taking out a notebook.

"Don't let them pick on you next time," Daehyun sighs, not bothering to lower his deep voice. One of the girls beside Youngjae indignantly huffs, ranting about how they'd just been joking around. Youngjae grips the jacket around her as the lecture starts, nodding gently. Daehyun's presence is comforting.

"Thank you."