For: 921127_930309

Partner: NCT U's Taeyong

Enjoy!!

"Song Soorin, come see me in my office."

Soorin followed the homeroom teacher into her office with a frown on her face. Why does she want to speak with me in private? 

The teacher sat down at her desk and sighed. "It's about Taeyong." Of course it's about him. "His report card came out recently and he's failing all his classes. Plus, he keeps on ditching class. If hie continues to do this, he's not going to be able to graduate next year." Soorin's jaw hardened. "You live with him, don't you? Why don't you try to talk to him. And it's your job as class president to make sure your classmates are doing well. Please, Soorin. Talk to him."

Soorin walked back to her seat and took out her phone to text Taeyong. "Tae, where are you? Are you skipping class again?" She frowned when he didn't reply. She looked out the window and squinted when she saw someone running across the field. She narrowed her eyes and gasped, "Taeyong!"

Soorin ran outside and followed him to the back gates of the school. "Taeyong!" She stopped to catch her breath.

Taeyong was now on top of the gates. He looked down at her and smirked. "Are you ditching again? You have to stop. If you miss any more classes, you're going to get suspended."

Taeyong pretended to consider staying and shrugged, "It's not like I ever cared about school anyways. I'd rather hang with my friends. See you at home, class president." He smirked and jumped off.

Soorin gasped. The gate was at least three stories off the ground but he still managed to land safely. Soorin sighed as Taeyong ran off with his friends.

Soorin tucked the youngest of the house into bed. She walked to her room and looked back at the room across from hers. The lights were still off, meaning that Taeyong still wasn't back. Soorin sat in her bed and finished the novel she started two days ago. She kept glancing at Taeyong's room and was disappointed everytime she saw it empty.

When Soorin was finally done reading, she checked the time. It was way past one in the morning and was nearing two o'clock. And Taeyong still wasn't back. Soorin decided to give up and go to sleep when she heard the front door open.

Soorin got up from bed and gasped when she saw Taeyong with cuts and bruises all over his face and body. "Taeyong!" she whispered.

He looked at her and smiled, "Hey, president."

She brought him to her room and treated his wounds. She dabbed his cheek with cotton and frowned, "Is this what you and your friends do for fun?" Taeyong was too concentrated on her face to respond. Soorin glanced at him, starting to feel uncomfortable under his strong gaze. "I talked to Mrs. Lee today and she said-"

"Let's run away."

Soorin stopped dabbing his face and stared at him like he was crazy. "Anyways, she said that your grades are-"

"Let's run away together, Soorin." Soorin gulped. He only said her name when he was being serious. She looked into his eyes and searched for any signs of joking but couldn't see any. "Are you crazy? We're still minors."

"We're both turning eighteen in July. That's only two months away." Soorin set the cotton down. "What about school?" "We can attend another school. You'll be class president again and I promise I'll attend. We can both graduate and live together."

"Where would we stay?" Taeyong didn't flinch at any of the questions she was asking, as if he was prepared to answer all of them. It was as if he practiced what to say. "We have enough to rent a small apartment. And after we graduate, I can work part-time jobs while you go to college."

Soorin bit her lip, "What about our family?" Taeyong grabbed her shoulders, looked straight into her eyes, and answered in a calm voice. "No one cares about us here. We're almost adults. No one is going to take us in now. All the adults care about are the little ones." Soorin knew he was right, and he knew that she knew.

He also knew the last reason she didn't want to leave. His grip on her shoulders softened as he sighed, "They're not coming back for you, Soorin." Soorin's eyes widened as they watered.

"Our parents left us here for a reason. They left without saying goodbye and haven't contacted us for more than ten years. They're not coming back."

Tears silently fell down Soorin's face as she soaked in the truth. "We don't have a reason to stay here. No one cares about us anymore, but I care about you, Soorin. After we turn eighteen, we're going to get kicked out of here and I don't want to separate from you. You're the only reason I haven't left yet." He said in a low, husky voice.

Soorin took note of his husky voice and how beautiful he looked under the moonlight but knew that she had to stay here. Even though she felt the same way, Soorin knew that running away was not a solution. "I can't." Taeyong's arms dropped to his sides at her words. "I'm sorry, Taeyong. I can't."

Taeyong averted his eyes and bitterly smirked. "You're right. That was stupid of me to say."

Soorin's shoulders drooped. He pretended to be okay but she could hear the disappointment in his voice.

"Forget everything I said tonight. Good night, Soorin." Taeyong got up from her bed and walked to his room and shut the door behind him. 

Soorin dressed for school and walked to the kitchen to prepare breakfast for all the kids in the foster home. Right when she put the plates down, Taeyong walked in. They made eye contact and grew stiff. Taeyong looked away first and grabbed an apple. "I'm going to school first." He said awkwardly.

"Okay," Soorin avoided his eyes. "Wait! You should at least eat breakfast."

Taeyong held the apple in the air and smirked, "See you at school, president." He took a bite of the apple before disappearing out the door.