Episode 5: Wooshin

As Sports Day was coming closer, all the P.E. classes had been cut of their regular activities so that students could practice for the festival. Today, they were practicing the massive, choreographed, class dance that they would perform in front of everyone at the very end of that day. It was the 3rd years’ privilege, and usually involved a lot of excitement, but - unfortunately for Deok Soong - theirs involved pom-poms and looking cute.

She’d spent the whole period - again - complaining about how she had no desire to audition for a girl group, to cover the fact that she really had no arm-n-leg coordination skills, and the girl who was in charge of choreography had come over to personally help her out 3 times.

Finally, a few minutes before the bell was to ring, the P.E. teacher let them off so they could go change before their next class and the teenage girl groaned, both in relief and frustration, as the students scattered away, moving in twos and threes back towards the school building.

“I hate P.E…” she muttered, making Hye Rim, who was walking next to her, chuckle.

Ahead of them, a small cluster of girls seemed to have opposite opinions, and were giggling as they tried to reenact one of the dance moves, ing their pom-poms high over their heads and jutting a hip out, as they walked. One of them didn’t grip hers quite tightly enough though, and so it went flying behind her, causing the other two to burst out laughing as they shook their heads and kept walking. The girl jogged back towards Hye Rim and Deok Soong to fetch it, but tripped over her own feet in her haste and almost went crashing.

And she would have, too, if a boy hadn’t materialized in front of her, arm out to catch her by the waist, just in the knick of time. She looked up at him and squeaked; probably both from shock, and because the boy had to be one of the most beautiful specimen the male gender had ever produced. He was strong - of that there was no doubt, as he easily put her back on her feet and bent down to retrieve her stray pom-pom -  but he was also stunningly beautiful, in a way that was both feminine and masculine at the same time, with a perfectly pale face, large eyes and pouty lips that seemed to beg for only one thing. His dark red hair would have looked gaudy on most people, but on him, it looked elegant, manly, and y. Doek Soong glared at him.

“Are you ok?” he asked the girl in a voice like melted honey, the feral look in his eyes turning into one of concern so quickly, you might have imagined it.

The girl’s only response was another squeak, and her face turned bright red as he handed her back her pom-pom. “Thank you…” she muttered, so quietly you had to strain to hear it, and didn’t even look him in the eye before she turned around and ran away towards the door.

Still kneeling, he tilted his head, watching her leave, and then stood up, with the slow languid grace of a cat. He seemed about to walk away but, as if sensing he was being observed, he turned to stare over his shoulder at the two girls watching him.

Deok Soong stared back, nonplussed, and he smirked. She raised an eyebrow in surprise and his smile got wider, or so she thought as he just walked away without looking back.

“Ugh I hate that guy…” she muttered.

“Why?” exclaimed Hye Rim, the shock in her voice as bad as if her friend had just announced she hated ice cream.

“Why?! Come on, RimRim!” she retorted, as if her words needed no explanation.

“But he’s soooooo dreamy…” the shorter girl smiled stupidly, staring at the door through which he’d disappeared.

“Urgh, I swear, I can’t believe you… every girl in class is head over heels for him and it wouldn’t surprise me if he’d been with every single one of them…” said Deok Soong, her voice dripping with contempt.

“He hasn’t been with me….” Hye Rim replied quietly, sounding as though she wouldn’t mind.

Immediately, she got shoved by Deok Soong - playfully - as she rolled her eyes at her.

“But no, you’re right…” she added, a little louder, and her friend gave a small smile as she grabbed her into a side hug. They kept walking.

As they neared the door, Deok Soong announced that she wanted to wash her hands, pointing to the large sinks a little way away by the outer wall of the school. Hye Rim nodded and said she’d wait in the classroom so they parted.

She walked towards the nearest sink and e of the taps on. Lowering her head towards the running water, she was about to dip her face in it on to cool herself, when she heard a voice next to her.

“So I’m a big playboy then, is that what you think?”

Turning her head, she saw Wooshin leaning back against the wall next to her. She gave a start and he shifted his body in her direction, still smirking.

‘Why is he always smirking?’ she thought, splashing some water against her face, though who knew if it was in frustration, or to hide the rising heat that had appeared in her cheeks.

He waited til she was done and glanced up at him for her answer.

“Yup.” she said, staring at him defiantly.

“I’m hurt… “ he replied in fake modesty, then chuckled.

“It’s not like you’re hiding it.” she retorted, flatly.

Again, he switched positions so he could lean on his arm and still stare at her, not saying a word. His silence, and the amused look in his eyes unnerved her.

“You got so many tricks, you could probably write a book. ‘A Hundred Ways to Pick Up Chicks’.” she went on, trying to throw him off.

He laughed out loud, startling her. It was not the reaction she had expected.

“Well I couldn’t very well publish that book when it’s faulty, could I?” he finally answered as she was getting ready to leave.

“Why not?”

“Well, none of them work on you.”

He’d said that so matter-of-factly she just stood there, stunned.

He took the opportunity of her stillness to push himself off the wall, grab her wrist and flip her against the wall, his other arm leaning against it, extended straight, blocking her view to the right so that she had no choice to look at him.

“How about this one,” he purred in a low voice, staring her down with those intense eyes of his, “does it work?”

She felt as if the world slowed down around her. Every heartbeat in her chest thumped loudly in her ears. She felt weak under his smoldering gaze - almost dizzy as she lost herself in his eyes. But then, just ask quickly as it had come, she willingly shook herself out of his hold and shoved him off. He was so surprised that he stumbled back a bit, and that gave her an opening to leave, and she just stormed off without a word.

He watched her go in stunned silence. And then he laughed. Loudly.

“Oh, this is going to be fun…”

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