Leaves slowly russle from the wind hitting them on the warm early autumn day. Lively and excited chattering can be heard from a few good students who walked around the campus at an early hour, while hushed and malicious whispers were occasionally heard here and there. Students who are naturally excited for the new school year loiter around campus. Not all shares the same sentiment though.

A lone emotionless young man sat by the bench near the school’s pavilion, staring to nothing. At first glance it would seem as if he couldn’t care less about what the rest of the world is up to, except, it’s too far from it. Behind the cold and passive façade of the young man hides an attentive, calculative and perhaps dangerous man the world may have ever met, or so they thought.

Heaving a small sigh, Sungmin slowly stood up and made to walk away from where he was, the not so hushed whispers directed at him not really giving him the kind of peace he pretends to give himself.

What’s he doing here in this early hour?

He seems to be too excited for school, gosh, how embarrassing.

For a course 2 student, he sure have the enthusiasm to come early.

Whispers of similar content continued to fly through his ears like the wind carries them to him. But he’s hardly bothered. It’s not as if he’s affected by those words, or the rude stares or whatnot. After all, he’s not really capable of those kinds of feelings. There are a whole lot of other things to worry about instead of emotions he can hardly feel.

He straightened away from the tree he was leaning in to from when he was watching the young boy sitting by the bench. It’s no use staying there and keeping an eye on him if there can be someone else who can do that job instead. He isn’t the only one around, and it’s not like there will be trouble or anything unwanted that can happen. The boy is tamed, and nothing can trigger anything for a reaction.

Whistling a soft tune he heard over a store he walked past earlier, he made his own way to the school gymnasium where the opening ceremonies will be done. He’ll look for the boy again later. For now, the school and the students itself are far more interesting.

Sungmin let out a silent sigh as he managed to find a seat at the rather crowded gymnasium. It seems like he spent a little too much time on the rooftop trying to avoid the buzz and stares, not that it’s any different from where he is now. Atleast, he consoled himself, it isn’t just me.

The students were pretty much seated in a somewhat arranged position: all the Course 1 students to the front and better seats while the Course 2 students settled for the ones at the back as they tried to keep themselves as little and as invisible as possible. Even without having to say anything, the discrimination is pretty obvious to anyone who looks at how it is at the moment, but no one really seems too care. After all, why disrupt something so peaceful?

Like this, being ignored and considered invisible is something Sungmin wanted. No expectation or anything. He can savor the peace he has when he is alone, although not for very long.

‘Uh, excuse me, is that seat next to you taken?’  a bubbly young man asked, pointing to the seat to his left.

Sungmin shook his head slow