Chapter 8

Interference

"Oh no, look who's still sick." Sehun teased as he flicked the girl's nose lightly. She grunted before stuffing her face into her hands. Hye Jung didn't get any better in one day, she actually became worse, she had even started to cough. 

Hye Jung pointed an accusive finger towards Baek Hyun as he raised his arms up innocently. Hye Jung whacked him on the arm as the boy laughed. "You're so weak now. Why don't we fight again, next time?" Baek Hyun teased. Hye Jung muttered out a "Deal." before getting up from her seat and excused herself to the toilet. 

She entered the toilet as she heard the flush of the toilet bowl. She was too tired to notice anyone but she was forced to when the person was Ri Na. "You look terrible." Hye Jung replied. "Yah, I have eyes too." Hye Jung was really not in the mood to even talk. Yet, she was here starting a fight with Ri Na. Hye Jung faced her while yawning loudly, Ri Na grimaced as she spat. "You look so ugly. I don't get how people here like you so much." 

Hye Jung had enough of this childish fight. "Please, you wished that I was your mirror." Hye Jung snorts at her own remark, then adds. "Looks aren't everything, just so your little brain of yours would take note of that. You have already seen me in my worst stage back in primary. Gosh, how pretty I was back then. Too bad people don't know how to define the word pretty these days." With a wipe of her palms on the tissue she had taken from the dispenser, she threw it into the bin before walking off. Ri Na hissed in anger once again. "Oh yes, Kim Hye Jung, I know so much you're gonna regret it." Ri Na smirked evily to herself as she faced the mirror. She smiled blissfully before walking out.

♦

Hye Jung walked around the whole day in her oversized hoodie that covered her up till her mid-thighs. The girl was too groggy to even notice some boys cooing at how cute and huggable she looked. The girl sniffled as a boy suddenly handed her a pack of tissues. She stopped short in her tracks, staring at the tissue before thanking the boy with a smile. She took the packet and blew her nose as she walked to the library.

"She smiled at me!" The boy said, dazed, as his friends gave him a pat on his back each. 

Hye Jung entered the library, immediately seeking comfort at her usual spot on the couch at the corner of the library. She closed her eyes as the flu made her even more drowsy. She heard a familiar voice chuckling as she opened her eyes to search for it. Or him.

She spot him sitting at a table at the other side of the room as he was happily chatting to someone beside him. They had their books and materials on the table, but they looked far from wanting to study. 

Hye Jung shifted her position to catch a glimpse of who that person was. 

Baek Hyun and...

Ri Na?

Hye Jung found it odd, when did they become so close?

She decided to walk over, since they didn't notice her when she entered. She walked towards them as the two laughed again, giving each other a highfive. 

Hye Jung stood at the spot between Baek Hyun and Ri Na and the two finally looked up to find a tissue stuck up the nostril of Hye Jung's face. The two snorted and laughed about her appearance. "Hye Jung-ah, you look horrible. You look like you just got run over by a truck." Ri Na said as she smiled in her seat. Hye Jung rolled her eyes mentally, she could see Ri Na was pretending to be joking. But, she actually meant it. Baek Hyun dumbly followed on as he added on. "Yah, you do, actually. Do you need me to take you to the hospital?" 

Hye Jung ignored the comments, she knew she would just get angry again and it would make Ri Na delighted. She wasn't going to let that cunning of an get what she wants. Hye Jung breathed out deeply before putting on a straight face. She said emotionlessly. "Maybe you two should go. Get an X-Ray, a surgery, whatever. Maybe then, you could get some pills to wash that disease out of your brain. It's called immaturity." Hye Jung left after saying that.

Baek Hyun stiffened as he heard what she said. It wasn't what she said, it was her tone. It was dripping with nothing but venom.

Baek Hyun had been spending time with Ri Na a lot these days.

Why? You may ask.

That's because they are partners for their history project. They had spent about a few weeks planning for it, but their sessions would always end up