Rocky P.O.V

I walked down the hallway with my head in the clouds, I couldn’t think straight anymore. I bumped into a few groups of people here and there and ushered out curt apologies. Before I knew it I was already in my class with thirty minutes until instruction. I didn’t feel like bs-ing my homework so I just put my head on my desk decided to take a nap. I closed my eyes for a minute hoping for slumber to overcome me but my leg wouldn’t stop shaking, and I kept switching my posture unable to find a comfortable position. After ten minutes of struggling I lifted my head with a frustrated groan.

“Hey, man, what’s up with you? You look like you’re on some sort of drug,” my classmate, Lee Chan, asked with a concerned look on his face.

What is up with me? This morning I’ve been feeling lighter and excited but I honestly have nothing to look forward to. It’s as if though something big is about to happen but I just don’t know what. The funny part is this morning Bin seemed really pissed about something yet here I am being too happy for no comprehensible reason. We even have a test today. I was about to reply when out of the corner of my eye I saw a flash of familiar bronze hair. My head turned so fast it could’ve snapped if I wasn’t careful there she was, sitting in her normal seat at the back of the class, staring out the window, refusing to socialize with anyone. Something out of the ordinary happened, she looked around the classroom, our eyes met, she smiled and looked away again.

She’s what’s up with me.

And I too do something out of the ordinary; I get up and move to the empty desk right next to her. She gives me a once over and her smile broadens after giving me a quiet greeting and I can’t help but smile as well. A faint blush spreads across her face and a feeling of pride shoots straight through me. I caused that. Me. I would’ve been staring at her for eternity had I not been rudely called out by Chan. With a sigh I got up from the desk I was sitting in and went back to my original seat in the middle of the classroom.  

“What?” I snapped at him, he didn’t seem phased by my sour mood. He tilted his head in Jiyoon’s direction and looked at me expectantly. I mirrored his expression, not quite sure what he meant. He just nodded towards her again and I raised my eyebrow in confusion. He let out an exhausted sigh once he realized that I had no idea what he was trying to say.

“Dude,” he whispered, “Kim Jiyoon just smiled at you, like twice, what’s going on?” A grin made its way onto my face, and I just shrugged my shoulders as if though it was nothing. Chan just stared at me awestruck for a moment, “How can you be so cool about this? I didn’t-”

“Hey guys,” our other classmate, Yoon Sanha, greeted us and sat down in front of me. Him and Chan started having an animated conversation about some new video game so I decided to turn my attention back to Jiyoon. I was about to sit next to her again, maybe even ask to permanently change my seat, when I saw a familiar figure in the window. It was Bin, he was talking to Ah Rin and seemed really upset, even more than yesterday. The warning bell rang and instead of running into the building Bin put on his helmet and drove off campus.

He was leaving.

I didn’t have the time to think rationally, the second he started the engine I shoot out of my seat and sprinted to the front gate, hoping to catch him before he was too far away. Bin knows how important his education is, he wouldn’t just skip school for no reason, something was wrong. I didn’t care about the weird looks I received, or the yelling of teachers telling me to go back to class. My hyung needed me and I was going to be there for him.

I ran and ran as far as my legs would take me, I wasn’t conscious of what I was doing or what the consequences of my actions would be. Only one thought filled my mind. Something is wrong. I ran out the school gates and past the small homes on the road and followed the sound of the motorcycle engine. The adrenaline was rushing through my head, blood pounding in my ears, my legs wanted to stop but my brain said to keep going and that we were almost there.

As I got farther and farther away from school, the sound of the engine became fainter and fainter. I was in a playground by the time I could no longer hear him driving away. I looked around panicked hoping for some sign of my hyung, but there were only apartment buildings and a couple of small shops in the area. “Maybe he’s at the bridge” I thought to myself, but that’s on the other side of town so he wouldn’t be there. Sohee doesn’t live on this side either so he can’t be visiting her. Bin-hyung doesn’t have many friends and I know the few friends he does have, so where could he possibly be heading.