Note: For korean_but_abc: I hope this is what you had in mind :)

Author's note: Combined part i and ii together - don't panic if you see a missing chapter, you haven't missed anything!

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Her voice rings in his head long after she’s gone. Now he’s just sitting alone in the classroom as the sun sets, the blinding light hitting him right in the face as the walls bathe in orange. But the piercing light doesn’t bother him one bit – the nagging unease scratching away at his heart does as he replays Ms Kim’s words over and over again.

-

"Wonpil-ah, could you come over here for a while?"

"Ok, just a second." He placed the broom by the corner of the room before settling himself in the seat in front of Ms Kim.

"I need your help Wonpil."

Her expression was grim, her lips drawn into a tight line. Instead of asking him for help, she made him feel as though he was about to be reprimanded for something he did wrong.

"Is it writing for the school magazine? I can do it by next week."

"No Wonpil, it's something more serious than that. I need you to tutor Y/N.”

This statement shocks Wonpil a little – why him of all people? He wasn’t even close to you. As if she could read his mind, she answered his question swiftly.

“I know you must be wondering why you – when you aren’t even close to her, plus you’re class president and part of the school band; you’re a busy man. I understand all that Wonpil, but you’re the only one suitable for the job. You top the cohort consistently and you have the patience to nurture and teach – I trust that you’ll be able to help her. You know she hasn't been doing well and it's more urgent this year since all of you will be sitting for your college entrance exams. Do me a favour and help her ok?"

Even though she ended with  a question, Wonpil knew she wasn’t giving him a choice. He simply nods in understanding as she stands to leave.

-

Wonpil puts his head behind his head and squeezes his eyes shut as he lets out a deep sigh.

Y/N – why does this name make him feel so bad? In his mind, Wonpil tries to conjure an image of you and all he can picture is a girl whom always had her head down, never willing to look at anyone in the eye.

A girl that was always shunned and mocked by others. Although, why again? Wonpil tries to recall if you ever did anything to anyone to deserve such a response but come to think of it, he doesn't even remember you speaking to anyone at all. He’s been your classmate since middle school and high school, but he doesn’t know anything about you. Why don’t you have friends? Why are you constantly being scolded by teachers for your tardy appearance and work? Why don’t you ever talk to anyone? His lack of knowledge about you has him balling up in shame – as class president all these years, he feels personally responsible. His job is to make sure everyone in class progresses together but has he, really? How was it that you had fallen through the cracks but he hasn’t even noticed?

I’m going to help her in any way I can – that’s my duty.

-

Wonpil was your seatmate with effect the next day. Your eyes grew wide when you saw him in the seat beside yours, which was far away from his usual seat at the front of the class. But you quickly schooled your features back to neutral, keeping your eyes firmly fixed on the ground. You settled into your seat stiffly, ignoring his greeting.

"Y/N, if you need help with anything I'm right here."

Once again, you gave him the cold shoulder. Hesitation in his eyes, he gives you a lingering look before turning his attention back to the front. Math class proceeded as usual and Wonpil’s hands never stopped copying, his brain never stopped processing – there was simply so much to take in. So when your hands stilled, he knew you were stuck.

“Y/N do you need help with that question?”

It was as if Wonpil had set off some trigger, his words scalding your ears. Before he could even do so much as lift a finger in your direction, you snatched your book and pen out of his sight as a fierce rejection left your lips.

“No. Just leave me alone.”

Angling your body away from him, you continued to struggle on your own, adamantly refusing any offers of help from him. Still shocked by your sudden outburst, Wonpil stared wide-eyed at your back – unsure of what he had done to elicit such a response from you. But nonetheless, he remained unfazed. Over the course of the day, he constantly looked out for you, asking you if you were doing alright but you gave him a scowl each time – making it clearly known that his help was unwelcomed.

This became a vicious cycle – him constantly offering to help, and you retreating more and more. No matter how many times he asked, you simply won’t let him in. In the beginning, you would still bother to open your mouth to say “No” or scowl at him, but gradually, you just began to treat him as though he was invisible. Today was no different