chapter three
Be Back
chapter three
Lee Sungyeol was the earliest in the class. As soon as he arrived, he made sure that the tables are properly arranged, in case the students who attended the summer classes did not clean up. He meticulously checked each table, From first row, he moved to the second and his eyes landed on the seat beside the window- Jung Soojin's. On her table lies dried white flower wreaths and her picture. Between her lips were her two big front teeth, there's a small dimple on her right cheek, her eyes were almost closing with a mole under the corner of her right eye. Sungyeol always thought that she's pretty, especially up close.
"I'm sorry." He choked on a sob. I'm so useless. I didn't even had the chance to save her. I could've saved her. But, how? He wiped his tears, placing a white chrysanthemum he bought on the way to school.
No, he thought fighting the urge to sit on Woohyun's and open the table. Sungyeol looked around to see if someone was coming. There must be a note or something somewhere. With his hands shaking, he move the mini memorial on Woohyun's table and opened the desk in a second. Soojin's Japanese notebook— she was fluent; a novel; and a lollipop wrapper — she loved strawberry-flavored lollipop that made her breath smell like it. Sungyeol knows because he kissed her last year's summer. He shook his thoughts away, not wanting to remember that painful experience. His eyes went back on the table and saw some folded papers. Notes she exchanged with Woohyun.
"What's the English word for 'bojeon'?" Says the penmanship of Woohyun.
"Integrity. Pronounced as 'in-te-geu-ri-ti'" Her handwriting. Sungyeol misses it. That messy but girly letters that looks semi-cursive.
The first bell rang, making Sungyeol jump on the seat. He hurriedly put back the things, wiping his tears with his shirtsleeve. Before closing the table, he found a familiar spiky leather bracelet. Sungyeol once borrowed it. Soojin offered him that she'd put it on him. She put it on him, on the other way, the spikes poking against his skin; and clenched her fist around the bracelet. It hurt a bit. Typical Soojin.
She's a bit of a sadist, only as a joke; but soon, when she realized that a person is really hurt, she'd feel very guilty and would apologize to him for a hundred times. During drama class, her group was doing the props and she formed a small ball of hot glue and wiped it on the arm of Myungsoo, who (unfortunately) happened to be beside him and made the only scar on his arm. She didn't mean it to happen, as she would always say.
Sungyeol pocketed the bracelet and returned to his seat with the book. Just as he sat down, the room was slowly filled by his classmates. Everyone acts normal, as if the last day of first semester didn't happen. There is Han Joohee, who is looking paler than the usual; Hoya, Sunggyu and Sungjong seem to be in a funny conversation; Woohyun with his girlfriend, Ha Jaesook, making Sungyeol think what he saw in that ugly ; and his other classmates entered like they enjoyed the extended summer.
"Hyung, you did a great job on cleaning." Sungjong sat behind Sungyeol. He looked around and stopped at the third column, second row seat. Everyone did too. They are watching Woohyun sitting down beside the table of a dead girl.
"Omo." Someone whispered. Woohyun sat down casually, as if Soojin was late or something. He didn't flinch on the sight of the memorial. He just sat.
"Back to your seat." It was the homeroom teacher, Min Chuseon. Behind her is a new girl. A pretty one.
"Is this some kind of replacement?" Sungyeol whispered in disgust. He became sensitive about almost everything after that suicide.
"This is Jin Soojung." Their teacher said, gesturing at the girl. "Please introduce yourself."
Jin Soojung? Jin Soojung. It's an anagram of Jung Soojin's name!
Before Sungyeol could yell, "Is this some kind of joke?" Myungsoo burst in the room. "I'm sorry I'm late!"
"Stand on that corner." Min Saem said. "Continue Sojung." Sojung? I'm sure I heard Soojung.
"Oh." Myungsoo pointed the girl. "Neighbor Ji."
Ji?
The new girl smiled, showing squirrel-like teeth. "Annyeonghaseyo. I'm Ji Sojung. Please take care of me."
Am I being paranoid about Soojin? Sungyeol shifted on his seat.
"Sit beside," the witch paused, looking for an empty seat. "Oh. Nam Woohyun. Raise your hand."
"She can't sit there. " Won Junghee yelled, standing up. "That's Soojin's."
"She's uhmm." The teacher stammered. "She's not here anymore."
"Is this how you welcome a new girl?" Myungsoo asked. "I'll sit there."
"No." Sungyeol stood up. "I'll sit there. You can sit here, Soojung. You're beside L anyway."
"Ell?" Sojung asked. Sungyeol smiled, grabbing his things and moved beside Woohyun. He didn't move the flowers. He just sat there, looking at the board.
"Don't sleep here." Woohyun said as he sat down beside him.
"I won't." He sneered, his eyes accidentally fixing to the picture.
He just noticed by now, it was the same picture used on her niche. Sungyeol knew it, being able to visit the columbarium once a week during summer break. Until now, he knows what the niche looks like. Behind the urn are small pots of flowers— pink carnations with three roses and lilacs– and in front of it is a small pink box, about a size of Sungyeol's phone, with a black satin ribbon on top.
He was so curious about what's inside the box. It's not the suicide letter, is it? But, according to Soojin's friends, there was no notes other than for her parents.
Sungyeol took out the book he stole and scanned the pages. It was a Japanese novel.. He closed the novel and started scanning from the back. There must be something in here. Seeing Soojin's animal doodles, Sungyeol felt nostalgic. They would that it was ugly but to Sungyeol, it looks cute.
He turned to the next page where the whole page has Japanese writings. He looked at the next page for translation but there is none. The writings looked written angrily.
"Woohyun," he called out in a small voice. All the other impossible and possible crazy things are running on his mind. It was all because of unknown reason of why Soojin offed herself. What if she was just cutting and she accidentally made the wound deep? What if she was murdered? Ani— who would do that? Soojin is a nice girl.
His seatmate, who is half-asleep in the middle of their teacher's video lesson, shook his head to wake up. "What's that?"
"Can you translate something in Japanese?" He asked, putting his own notebook on the top of the book so Woohyun won't see it.
Woohyun pursed his lips, nodding, "Simple sentences, but if it's a complex one, I can try. Wae? Do you want me to translate something?"
"Nevermind." Sungyeol quickly said, afraid that Woohyun would know that he was snooping on Soojin. "I'll just look it up later."
"Arasseo." Woohyun looked away, seeming a bit disappointed. "I want to do something though. To keep me awake."
While waiting for the next teacher, Sungyeol wasted no time in translating the suspicious paragraph. He took out his phone and searched them sentence by sentence.
"Yah." A hand tapped his shoulders, making him jump on his sit and causing his phone and the book on his lap fall to the ground.
"Wae?" He angrily responded to L, picking the things up. He almost caught me.
"Why are you so jumpy? Are you hiding something?" L squinted his eyes, pretending to study Sungyeol as he moved hi face closer to him.
"Eobseoyo," as he put the book back in his bag, followed by the books on his table, as if he was packing his things. That was so close.
"Anyway, I want you to meet Sojung." L smiled, with the new girl on his left hand.
"Hi. I'm Ji Sojung." Sojung greeted perkily, grinning widely. Compared to his unwelcoming state a while ago, Sungyeol felt his heart soften with the smile Sojung gave. She looks nice, he thought.
"Hi." Sungyeol gave her back a small smile. "I'm Lee Sungyeol."
"Sojung is my neighbor for years," explained Myungsoo.
"We don't talk that much until now," added the transferee.
"Jinjja?" Looking at L, Sungyeol gaped. Heol. He should be friendly with his neighbors, especially with pretty girls.. "If I were your neighbor, we'd be best friends by now." Or, girlfriend.
As Sojung giggled, Sungyeol thought, Wow, she's pretty.
"Yah, are you saying that I'm not friendly?" Myungsoo joked, raising an eyebrow.
Sungyeol grinned, "Wae? Are you?"
"Aish. Anyway, I'm accompanying Sojung to the teacher's office so she won't get lost. I have to ask Mr. Kang about our class project anyway. Wanna come?"
"Pass," as he give them an apologetic smile. With that, L and Sojung left.
Before taking out Soojin's book, Sungyeol scanned his classmates first. Woohyun is beside his "freaky" girlfriend — as Sungyeol would say. L and Sojung are outside. Sungjong and Hoya are talking. Dongwoo, who just arrived ten minutes ago is sleeping and beside him, Sunggyu is reading. Scanning again the book, Sungyeol landed on a page with highlights. He searched for it, setting aside the notes of Soojin, and was shown with results of book quotes of "Infinite". It was already translated in Korean.
"The thing about lying is I like it. When I lie, no one knows if I'm telling the truth or not. But since I looked like someone trustworthy, people ended up believing me."
What is that supposed to mean?
Author's Note: our first infinite member's own chapter. i can't wait for the violent parts. by the way, the italicized sentences are sungyeol's thoughts.
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