Omo. I'm really thinking about making this a full story. XDDD There's so much I want to do with this story, but if I do that, this won't be a short story anymore! So I'm turning to the readers. >.< What do you want?

P.S. Dear Ate Nette, I'm so sorry! I've been a terrible kapatid! T_______T I haven't uploaded ANYTHING in a week now, and I feel like I've just neglected one of the best people in my life. ( ; A;) Please forgive me.........

Isolation Part Three

Math: ChangMin's best subject--besides every other subject, of course. He would not fail this time. He would not lose. Not to Choi EunMi.

Never.

As soon as he received his test, ChangMin immediately began solving the problems with ease. Every theorem and postulate known to man flashed in his mind, and ChangMin made sure his handwriting was still neat, despite the speed at which he was working. After twenty-five minutes, he had completed the exam, and all he had to do was double-check his work. Once satisfied, ChangMin looked at EunMi, who was sitting back in her seat, twirling her pencil between her thin fingers. Proudly, he stood up to turn in his test.

But so did EunMi.

ChangMin was frozen in place, compltely flummoxed. Had she already finished her test? Was that why she was just relaxing, staring off into space? Without realizing it, EunMi had already turned in her exam to the teacher, and ChangMin just stood there stupidly.

"ChangMin-sshi?"

With all the resent in him, ChangMin scornfully glared at EunMi, who was innocently looking at him. Not wanting to show that he was embarrassed, he silently made his way to the teacher's desk, having half a mind to not slam the exam on the desk. Calmly, he returned to his own desk and pulled out his notes on Physics. He appeared to be tranquil, but he was burning with humiliation on the inside. He couldn't even focus on his notes as he spent his time wondering how on Earth someone was able to beat him.

Before he knew it, the last class of the day was over, and everyone was excitedly heading home. Quickly packing his belongings, ChangMin left the room without so much as a second glance at EunMi.

Blinking once, EunMi gathered her things and walked to SoonLi, asking with a hint of annoyance, "Does ChangMin-sshi really hate people that much?"

SoonLi giggled quietly and replied, "He' s just in a hurry to get to Student Council."

"There's a Student Council at this school?" EunMi tilted her head in confusion.

"Yeah. You wouldn't think a bunch of rich kids like us would need one, but we have one."

"Hm... Sounds cool. How can I join?"

"Er..." SoonLi hesitated. "You'll have to get approval from ChangMin-sshi."

"Oh? Is he the president?" EunMi asked. SoonLi blinked slowly and answered,

"He's the president, vice president, secretary, treasurer, historian, and the body of the Student Council."

Eyes wide in shock, EunMi asked in disbelief, "He makes up the entire Student Council?!"

"Mmhm. The seniors from last year have graduated, and ChangMin kind of...made everyone else quit," SoonLi murmured, remembering the past events. EunMi prodded on,

"What did he do?"

SoonLi cautiously looked around her, making sure ChangMin wasn't around and replied softly, "He's got a sour tongue. He's not too strong physically, but mentally...he can tear someone's ego to nothing with his insults. He points out every single little thing that's slightly wrong, and he never hesitates to say it to somone's face."

"Huh..." EunMi thought about the topic for a while before bidding SoonLi goodbye and leaving the room.

==== ~ _ ~ _ ~ _ ~ _ ~ ==== ~ _ ~ _ ~ _ ~ _ ~ ==== ~ _ ~ _ ~ _ ~ _ ~ ====

In a classroom filled with empty desks, ChangMin sat at the teacher's desk, organizing the budget for the end-of-the-year class trip to Europe. Tapping his pencil against his cheek, ChangMin focused on the papers in front of him, mumbling to himself,

"Each sudent is paying thee million won for the plane ride, so we have 178,850,000 won to take care of... If I can get Lee Corporations to donate 10,000,000 won, that takes care of 5.59% of the cost. Hm... I can get 25,000,000 won donated by Cho Banking Industries, and that covers 5.92% of the remaining expenses..."

His calculations were interrupted when he heard a soft knock on the door. Looking towards the entrance, he made eye-contact with the last person he wanted to see.

"What do you want?" ChangMin brusquely asked, returning to his previous work.

"I'd like to join Student Council."

"Request denied," ChangMin flatly stated, not once take his eyes of the papers before him. Irritated, EunMi walked in front of the other's desk and pulled out the Student Handbook from her bag, dropping it on top of ChangMin's work. She flipped it to page thirty-seven and read aloud,

"Rule number fifty-eight of the Student Handbook, section I: Any student who wishes to join a school organization may do so as long as they are passing all courses."

ChangMin turned the book around so EunMi could read it and countered,

"Rule number fifty-eight, continued, section III: Members of the organization are chosen at the discretion of the president of the said organization."

As if expecting that, EunMi turned the handook back around and flipped to page thirty-eight, confidently stating,

"Rule number fifty-eight, continued, section VI, article B: The word of the principal overrides that of the faculty and the students."

Immediately after, she pulled a piece of notebook paper out from her school bag and set it on the Student Handbook. Refusing to touch it, ChangMin read the letter.

"Choi EunMi can join Student Council. --Principal Sung."

Glaring at the simple piece of paper, ChangMin released a long, silent breath and mumbled,

"...Fine."

Smiling, EunMi took the letter and the handbook back, pg them in her bag and asked, "So what are you doing?"

Bitterly, ChangMin said to her,  "Nothing that concerns you."

Frowning now, EunMi replied, "I'm part of the Student Council now. I deserve to do some of the work."

Just wanting to get rid of the other, ChangMin took a box of unsharpened pencils from his bag and tossed it to EunMi, telling her,

"Go sharpen all those pencils."

"Why?" EunMi asked, annoyed that the other didn't even look at her as he answered,

"Because I'm the president, and I said so. So go. Now."

After glaring at ChangMin for a good twenty seconds, EunMi grabbed the trash can and set it beside a desk which she sat in, and began to sharpen each pencil with her handheld sharpener, mumbling something that sounded a lot like, "Stupid jerk..."

For three and a half hours, ChangMin kept EunMi busy by having her sharpen pencils, take out the trash from all the classes in the hallway, sweep the classroom floor, clean the windows, and re-sharpen the pencils he had "accidentally" broken. EunMi had finished sharpening the two hundredth forty-second and final pencil (she decided to count them) when she looked outside the spotless window she had shined three times earlier, and realized there was no more sunlight. The sky was pitch black, and the city lights were softly luminescent in the landscape. Glancing at ChangMin, she saw that he was still immersed in his paperwork, his left hand working with a calculator while he wrote with his right. Propping her head up on the palm of her hand, EunMi asked,

"What time do you usually go home?"

Without moving his eyes from his work, ChangMin sourly replied, "If you want to go home, then go home. It's not like I want you to be here."

"Fine." EunMi sat back in her chair. "I'll stay until you go home."

"Won't your parents worry?" ChangMin asked, not really caring.

"Won't yours?" EunMi shot back, earning herself a glare from the other. "Besides, I sent them a text message while I was taking out the trash from the classroom next door."

ChangMin glared at her for a short moment before going back to his assignment. With a silent sigh, EunMi took out her music composition textbook and began to read it from the very beginning.

An hour later, ChangMin noticed EunMi's head was bobbing up and down, her eyes opening and closing in an unsteady rythym. He dismissed the girl soon after and returned to how he would get the funds for the class trip. Another hour had passed when ChangMin decided he had accomplished enough for the night.

It wasn't until he had put away all his papers into his school bag when he noticed EunMi was asleep, using her textbook for a pillow. He honestly considered leaving the girl in the empty building, but it would be too obvious that he would have been responsible if anything happened to her. Plus, he would never hear the end of it from his parents. Making his decision, ChangMin slammed his hand on the desk, and EunMi woke up with a start, frantically looking around.

Without a word, ChangMin left the room with EunMi close behind. Once outside the school gates, ChangMin expected EunMi to go right while he went left, but she took the same path as him. Too tired to turn around, he asked,

"Why are you following me?"

"I'm not following you," EunMi replied with a bite. "This is the way to my house."

ChangMin rolled his eyes and kept walking, hoping to get rid of her soon. But with every turn he took, EunMi always turned the same way. The next twenty minutes were filled with the same words being thrown at each other.

"Quit following me!"

"I'm not following you!"

"Are you stalking me?!"

"Who would want to stalk you?!"

"I don't know! Maybe a psychotic freak?!"

"Only a self-righteous, immature person with an overgrown ego would accuse an innocent person of stalking them!"

ChangMin was stomping on the driveway of his house when he realized EunMi wasn't following him anymore. But when he saw where she was headed, he looked up at the sky and yelled in frustration,

"You have got to be kidding me!"

"It's not like I like it either!" EunMi shouted from her own home, slamming the front door behind her. Overwhelmed with vexation, ChangMin knocked his head against his front door three times before it opened, revealing a small woman in her forties who exclaimed,

"Oh, ChangMin-ah! You're home!"

"Hi, Mom..." ChangMin mumbled, looking down at his mother, as he was already taller than her when he had turned twelve. His mother continued, smiling,

"I'm glad you're here now. I invited our new neighbours over for dinner."

ChangMin grimaced, feeling a presence behind him.

"Oh, they're here! ChangMin-ah, this is Mr. and Mrs. Choi and their daughter EunMi. Don't you two go to the same school?"

"Yes, Mrs. Shim." ChangMin mentally cringed at the familiar voice, which sounded much sweeter than he remembered.

"We even have all the same classes," EunMi continued, smiling politely.

"That's wonderful! Why don't you all come inside?" Mrs. Shim ushered the Choi family into her home and proceeded to talk to EunMi's parents.

Behind their backs, EunMi and ChangMin were glaring at each other, both thinking the same thing.

Neither of them wanted to be there.

Uwah, it's already part three! XD I don't know if I should continue this as a short story (with a shorter plot), or as a full story. >.< Please tell me what you think!

Oh, and I really did all the math for the expenses of that class trip. Hahaha. How many of you did the algebra to figure out the total cost? :333 If you think you have the answer, go ahead and tell me! :DDD Ah, my alter-ego inside of me wants to talk.

What a weirdo. You're just doing that so you can get comments on your story. *sigh* =__=|||

BLAH. IGNORE THAT SIDE OF ME. DDD:< You don't really have to do the math. I was just wondering if anyone actually tried. XD But if you want to take a guess, go ahead and leave a comment! (There you go again.)

Thank you so much for reading!

P.S. Dear Ate Nette...

Again, I'm so, so, so, so, so, so, incredibly sorry! T__________________T