Sungmin drifted down the hallway.  It was empty of the usual hustle and bustle that echoed throughout the building; the traffic of people that normally would have sent him cowering inside a bathroom stall.  He barely felt as if he was actually, physically there.  It wasn’t as though anyone acted as if it were otherwise.  He walked slowly, head bent down towards the floor, focusing his eyes on the faded lines and scuff marks that covered the surface of each and every beige-colored tile.  He imagined what it would be like for him to be happy; popular; alive.

A soft whoosh of wind greeted his skin from behind as someone entered the building, just moments after he himself had stepped through the doors.  Sungmin usually made an effort to avoid anyone and everyone that came within a five-mile radius of him.  That explained why, at the realization that someone was walking behind him and slowly catching up, he ducked into the men’s lavatory and pressed himself up against the cool, brick wall; the only thing that separated himself from the rest of the world.

His ears picked up on the quick-paced thudding that he could only assume was his own heartbeat.  He placed his small hand on his own chest, breathing heavily and waiting for his heart to calm.  His head was pounding, that momentary feeling of being vulnerable and exposed leaving him close to breathless.

Sungmin didn’t remember when he first began to feel this way.  Being alone, being without friends, being completely isolated...it made him believe that the only way to get through life on his own was to be on the alert at all times.  It was like a disease; a disease that refused to fade, infecting every inch of his body and mind.  He had come to the conclusion that no one would ever protect him from anything - not a punch to the face, not a blow to the head, not a tear in his already wounded heart; the heart that she had taken with her when she left him.

A faint sigh came from deeper within the bathroom, making Sungmin jump, his eyes widening in absolute terror, mouth round in a perfect ‘o.’  He turned stiffly, heart sprinting, to see Siwon, the school stud, gazing at himself in the mirror.  Sungmin’s ever-increasing fear and anxiety made him careless.  He lost his footing on the smooth tile of the bathroom floor, and tripped into the light that illuminated the secluded lavatory.  His face exposed, Sungmin retreated as quickly as he could, careful not to disturb Siwon any more than he already had.  He didn’t want to get yelled at; not by the most popular guy at school.

Siwon had glanced up, temporarily distracted from gazing at his ridiculously handsome face.  Sungmin shuddered.  It was unnatural for someone to be so good-looking.  Siwon’s deep-set brown eyes bored into Sungmin’s, an intimidating sense of condescension etched into every angle of his patronizing gaze.

“Can I help you?”  His voice was lofty, mocking almost.

Sungmin shook his head hurriedly and backtracked out of the bathroom.  Being so close to another person, let alone that person...it unnerved him.  The way Siwon had stared at him with unjustified contempt and disdain made Sungmin want to curl up somewhere and vanish from the world.  Nobody would notice.  In fact, people probably would’ve preferred it that way.

He glanced up at the old, worn clock that hung from the side of the wall.  It’s minute hand revolved slowly, making Sungmin feel as though he were stuck in time, unable to move forward.  Despite his wish that time would stop, he knew it was an impossibility and continued on his way to Mr. Jung’s art theory class.

It was a relief for him to reach the safe confines of the classroom; as crowds of students began to arrive, his wish to avoid them became more prominent.  He didn’t want to experience once again the fear that would grip him as he looked into the faceless characters of the people that would swarm the hallway.  He was tired of feeling helpless - he didn’t want to be reminded over and over that his helplessness would never dissipate.  It would always hang over his head, looming there, teasing him, taunting him, whispering into his ear that he was a coward.

Today, I’m determined to talk to someone.

Sungmin remembered the promise he had made to himself earlier that morning.  So far, though, things weren’t looking too great.  A shadowy figure sitting by the window caught his eye.

Oh, that’s him.  The Chinese guy.

Sungmin squared his shoulders and locked his jaw.  He would at least attempt to talk to someone, even if it ended in tears and a new-found round of worries.  That Chinese kid always wore a mask, and Sungmin had always been curious as to why.  He didn’t know much about anyone, seeing as he avoided people in general.

Panic clawed at Sungmin’s insides, making his small footsteps towards the desk by the window increase in pace.  Before he could stop himself, Sungmin reached out with a hesitant hand and tapped the man on the shoulder.  He froze.  He couldn’t believe he had just done that.  His throat seemed to fold in on itself as the man reacted in a way that threw Sungmin completely off guard.  

The man made a sound that closely resembled a growl and turned to glare at a petrified Sungmin.  It took everything Sungmin had not to squeal in terror.  He knew he shouldn’t have tried to talk to someone.  He only ever ended up making people mad.

“Get lost kid, I’m not in the ing mood,” the Chinese man shot at Sungmin.

Sungmin’s eyes grew wide as he bit down on his lip in utter trepidation.  He felt a small trickle of blood begin to flow down the crevices in his bottom lip.  Tears formed quickly in his big eyes.  He was scared.  The hatred and anger that filled the man’s voice was what triggered Sungmin’s tears.  That tone - filled with disgust - was the one thing Sungmin tried to avoid at all costs.  He felt his hands begin to shake.

“Seriously, beat it before I decide to beat you.”

Sungmin nodded, far from wanting to further anger him any more than he already had.  He took slow, deep breaths as he walked back to where he had set down his book-bag.  A note was stuck to the top of his desk.

“You have no friends.  You have no life.  Hell, what do you have?  You might as well go yourself in a cave.  That’s where you belong.  Don’t torment us with your stupidity.  Either ing get a life, or leave us in peace.”

This time, Sungmin couldn’t stop the tears.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

A/N (Key-umma AND aegi-unnie): OKAY, so here's your answer!  That "small man biting his lip nervously" was minnie! ^^ You probably have no idea what's going on with these characters, but that's the whole point! :) which means we're doing our job!

Here's a question:

Who do you think wrote this chapter?

Comment and tell us what you think!  We're very interested to know whether or not you can differentiate between our writing styles...

ANYWAY forever love, comment, and subscribe~~<33