Chapter 8 

“Mr. Park? You wanted to see me?”

Mr. Park peered at me through his thick spectacles and smiled.

“I am aware that you ranked first place in finals, yes?”

My face lit up.

“Yes, I did.”

“Ah, Myunghee, you’ve done well. I need you to do me a favour.”

“Yes?”

“You and Baekhyun are very close, aren’t you?”

Oh no no no.

“Um, not especially--”

“Great! I need you to deliver the work he’s missed every week to him.”

“Why can’t he get it himself?”

“Moon Myunghee, he has been in a car accident! He’s broken his leg and you expect him to hobble on one leg all the way here?”

It was clear that Baekhyun was one of Mr. Park’s favourites, and I never was.

“I’m sorry, yes, I’ll do it.”

Me. Park regained his composure and smiled pleasantly.

“Good, good,” he said.

He handed me a folder of worksheets and assignments.

“I trust that you’ll explain to him what he’s missed in detail?”

“Why me?” 

“Oh, Myunghee, did you not hear what I had just said? You scored first in finals, only you are qualified enough to do this!”

“What about Chanyeol?” I whined.

“Chanyeol’s too preoccupied with the football team, Myunghee. Please understand.”

Reluctantly, I bowed my head.

“Yes. I do.” 

Damn Chanyeol and his quarterback position. He was subbing in for Baekhyun, who now has been absent from school for an entire month. 

I had no desire to face Baekhyun, especially after that godforsaken kiss. However, he still possessed that aura of mystery. I wanted to know more about him, about his past, about his mother. About his father, and about him.

How was he able to keep it all in? Why is it that he always managed to slip up in front of me, his arch nemesis?

Byun Baekhyun made my blood boil, but I could never resist a good mystery.

//

I felt a peculiar sense of deja vu when I knocked on Baekhyun’s front door. It was opened by Mrs. Byun, and she looked even prettier than the first time I saw her. 

“Myunghee! What a surprise! I, ah, didn’t really know what to expect after you left like that the other day.”

I lowered my gaze respectfully.

“I apologize. It was very rude of me.”

Mrs. Byun took my arm and led me inside the house.

“Don’t worry my dear. Baekhyun was discharged from the hospital this morning. Are you here to see him?”

“Ah, yes,” I held up the bulky cloth bag I was carrying, “I’m here to give him this. Uh, schoolwork.”

“He’s in his room. Go ahead, honey.”

I climbed up the polished staircase and caught sight of his door, slightly ajar. Baekhyun was in bed, reading a novel. He looked much better than before.

I cleared my throat.

His eyes flitted to mine, and they were emotionless.

“Yeah?”

“This is your schoolwork,” I said, as I set it down on his desk, “a month’s worth of it.”

Baekhyun groaned.

“What the is the point anymore?”

I crossed my arms.

“The point is that we’re still juniors! You can still study hard and compete with me in senior year! Don’t you want to get into a good university?”

Baekhyun didn’t answer; he just stared into the pages of his novel. Initially, I was going to question him about his father, but I didn’t think this was the right time. If he wanted to tell me, he would. 

“I’m leaving. If you have any questions about the work, text me.”

I half expected him to stop me before I walked out the door, but he didn’t. I silently chided myself internally. 

Pull yourself together, Myunghee. This isn’t a drama. It’s real life. 

//

My phone beeped, shocking me awake.

“Ding!” 

It was a text, from Baekhyun. I glanced wearily at my clock. 4:37 am. God, he was going to be the death of me.

B: Is this really all the I’ve missed? It’s so easy. 

My eyes widened at his text. Had he done a month’s work in one night?

M: Go to sleep.

B: I can’t.

M: Why not?

B: I just can’t.

Something didn’t seem right. Swiftly, I pull out the tape that I had stolen from his psychiatrist and play the part near the end. The part about the nightmares.

I grabbed my purse and crept out my room. I rarely saw my mom, she went to work at 6 am and came home at 11 pm. She was an overachiever, like myself. Often, she would stay overnight at her office. It was an enigma to as to how she even managed to conceive me

But of course, her work cost her her marriage. It was okay. They had divorced when I was three. Neither of them really wanted me, so my mother became stuck with me. I didn’t really mind, though. She took transit to work, so she barely used her car. It was practically mine. 

I pulled up into Baekhyun’s driveway and idled there, contemplating whether or not to go in. 

“This is so stupid,” I thought to myself. 

I nearly did a double take when I saw the door open. Baekhyun stood in the doorway of the darkened house: his hair in disarray, with dark circles around his eyes. He leaned on his crutches. 

Amazingly, he still managed to look good.

Hesitantly, I turned off the engine and climbed out of the car. The chilly summer breeze tousled my hair.

“Hey,” I whispered.

“What are you doing here?” He said. 

“You said you had trouble sleeping,” I said, “I, ah, wanted to see what was wrong.”

Baekhyun raised his eyebrows quizzically.

“Do you do this for everyone who stays up late?”

And suddenly, I blanched.

, . 

He didn’t know that I knew about his nightmares. I panicked, I dove back into my car and shut the door.

I could see Baekhyun’s confused expression gradually grow more and more confused.

What do I do? What the am I supposed to do? 

Baekhyun positioned himself at the rear of the car as I began to back out of the driveway.

“Oh god just get out of the way,” I pleaded to myself. What would Hana think if I told her I ran over a hot guy with a broken leg whose broken leg was a result of a car running over him? 

He tapped on the back window.

“What the ?” He mouthed. 

I didn’t move an inch. He would have to stay there all night. I watched in horror as he reached for his phone. 

I jolted in my seat as my phone began ringing. The ringtone was Dope by Bangtan, because it accurately portrayed my view on life.

I reject rejection 
I’m always over the top
You all work for me
Everyone copies me
Dope Dope Dope

It was usually my power jam, but currently, I felt less than powerful. I stared at my phone as it kept ringing, and eventually ceased. I snuck a quick glance at Baekhyun who was staring at me like I was crazy. (In which, I suppose, I was). He redialed my number and my phone began to ring again.

This time, I rejected it. I rejected it again and again, until Baekhyun grew so angry that he hobbled over to my side window and banged on it.

“What the is your problem, Myunghee?” He screamed.

I took this opportunity to flee. I backed out of his driveway at the speed of light and sped down the empty road.

Halfway home, I received a text.

Do you have something to tell me?

Five seconds later:

You’re weird as , Myunghee. 

Never, ever in my life have I made an error as careless as that. I was Moon Myunghee, I never made errors. The more I saw Baekhyun, the more moronic I became.