Date posted: 12.19.15
Length: 1043 words
Warning: hetero relationship, bullying

Right hand in his pocket, the other gripping the handle of his brown knapsack, Kim Jongin strode the hallways of his school, only to be met with an awful sight. On his left were kids teaming against one student. Jongin sighed, but decided to proceed directly to his first class. As he was about to leave the scene, he heard the name of the person he had been curious about these past few days—Do Kyungsoo. Jongin's eyes widen.

Jongin knew he shouldn't involve himself with these kinds of situations, but the female always succeeded in getting his attention. So he got back on his tracks and watched the incident from the opposite end of the closed space, pretending to be busy with his locker. From the mirror inside his locker, he searched for Kyungsoo. And there she was panting while wiping the blood from her lips by the back of her right hand.

"What is it that you want this time?" Kyungsoo's eyes were fixated at the lass in front of her.

"Your broken face," the lass mocked as two other girls came to throw punches not only on Kyungsoo's face but also to her stomach. Kyungsoo coughed out blood and inhaled a mouthful of air, eyes blank.

"Not fighting back, are you?" the lass grabbed a generous amount of Kyungsoo's hair. Kyungsoo only looked at her with soulless eyes.

Not getting the reaction she anticipated, the lass clicked her tongue against her cheek and let go of Kyungsoo. "Let's get out of here."

As soon as the group was gone, Kyungsoo didn't say a word and only tended her aching stomach. "Argh!" she grunted as she tried to stand up straight.

If Jongin's sister were there, she would have hit Jongin's head for not being a gentleman their parents raised him to be. But Jongin's sister wasn't there. Jongin can act whatever he wished, and he chose not to act. Jongin's reason? Stay out of trouble.

As soon as Kyungsoo disappeared from Jongin's sight, Jongin was slapped by something—reality. He was a coward for not standing up for a fellow student—more over, a classmate. He mentally cursed himself for it.

yourself, Kim Jongin.

*     *     *

"Do Kyungsoo," Jongin's math professor proceeded to his daily roll call. Slender fingers shot up above the said person. "Kyungsoo, what's with the face mask?"

"I caught a cold, sir," Kyungsoo said. But Jongin thought otherwise. Jongin now understood why Kyungsoo liked to wear turtlenecked, long-sleeved sweaters—to hide her bruises.

Cold, my .

"Everyone, please take care of your health. Your finals are coming up in a few days."

Jongin shrugged off the thought of Kyungsoo's bruises and practiced answering yesterday's geometry problem.

*     *     *

Kyungsoo was sitting by herself in a four-person table in the cafeteria. For today's lunch, she would be having ramyeon and green tea.

She took off her face mask, revealing the bruises on both side of her lips. As she was about to take a bite of her noodles, the lass from before appeared again.

"Is your lunch tasty?" The lass sounded sympathetic with her brows brought together and a little pout. Kyungsoo ignored her and ate some noodles. "I think it needs a little more water." The lass explicitly poured her bottled water into Kyungsoo's bowl. "There, all set. Enjoy your lunch, loser."

*     *     *

"Kim Jongin, snap out of it!" Oh Sehun, who was sitting across Jongin, waved his right hand that was holding his chopsticks in front of other male's face.

"Huh? Did you say something?" Jongin blinked and focused on Sehun.

"Are you seriously gonna make your noodles cold? You've been staring at one direction for 10 minutes now."

"Oh, sorry. I don't think I have the appetite."

"Ey. You should have said sooner. I—" Sehun was about to dip his chopsticks inside Jongin's bowl when Jongin stood up with his tray.

"I'll be right back." Jongin hastily went to the direction he was looking at before.

 *     *     *

Jongin was definitely out of his mind when he sat across Kyungsoo. Meanwhile, Kyungsoo was still shocked with what just happened. Jongin cleared his throat.

"You can have my lunch." Jongin pushed his bowl in front of Kyungsoo. Kyungsoo only stared at him and back to his bowl. "Don't worry, I didn't put anything in there."

"It's . . . fine. I'm fine. Thank you, but no thank you." Kyungsoo dipped her chopsticks inside her bowl and swirled some noodles.

"No really, I don't have the appetite. Plus, I wouldn't want my food to go to waste."

"You shouldn't have ordered it then." At that moment, Jongin wanted to stand up and leave her.

Just eat the noodles, God damn it.

"Well, I just lost my appetite—exactly after my meal arrived."

"I can still eat—" Before Kyungsoo can have another word, Jongin removed Kyungsoo's chopsticks inside her bowl.

"You've endured enough today. You should eat up," Jongin's said it in the most non-chalant way he could manage. "Oh, and here, it's an ointment that should remove your bruises." He grabbed something from his pocket and placed it on the table. "You should put it twice a day."

"Thank you," Kyungsoo was out of words at that time. Nobody ever approached her from the time she became an entertainment to bullies.

"Do you have a phone?"

"Huh?"

"I'll type in my number."

"Ah." Kyungsoo was hesitant to give her cellphone at first (since Jongin may be one of those bullies, and ran with her phone or break it even), but there's something about the look on Jongin's eyes that made her hand it over. Jongin typed in his number and gave it back to her.

"If you need help, don't hesitate to call or text me." Jongin looked at her eyes sincerely and determined, as if prepared of what's to come—when in reality, he was rethinking his life choices as soon as the words came out. 

Go dig your grave, Kim Jongin.

*     *     *

There may be a few times when Kyungsoo refused help from Jongin, but through the days, Kyungsoo learned to receive hands when they were offered and Jongin learned to offer his hands to those in need.