CHAPTER IV
Unwell

As soon as Mari sat down on her seat, she asked Baekhyun, “Did you see the bracelet I was wearing yesterday?” Her voice was frantic, as if she was trying to catch her breath.

Baekhyun stopped for a second to put down his earphones calmly. He gave Mari a look which said “I’m sorry, what were you saying?”

Mari repeated herself, “Did you see the bracelet I was wearing yesterday?” this time, a bit calmer – albeit still worried.

Baekhyun gave an innocent “No.” He looked at Mari with the same emotionless eyes he always had and just waited for her. She held her breath, until he answered. It was the answer she despised the most. After checking in the library, Baekhyun was the only hope she got. But now, it seemed like that hope got extinguished away.

She sighed heavily, stretching her arms across her desk. “I lost it, crap!” she exclaimed, more to herself than anyone else.

“Did you check in the library?” he asked. His question startled her, she expected him to stay quiet after answering her question. She didn’t expect him to sound so worried.

“I did. I went there first thing this morning, but it wasn’t there. I asked the librarian, she said she saw nothing,” Mari huffed in the air, frustration crippling her voice more and more.

“Maybe you dropped it somewhere?” Baekhyun suggested, looking thoughtful. Mari lifted her head from her desk and looked at him with uneventful eyes.

“I already traced back my steps, you know? Even went to the lost and found – nothing,” she said, resigning back her head to her desk. Frustration could just gobble her up right there and right now.

“You seem bummed. Is it important?” he asked again, which just surprised her. It wasn’t like him to pry, especially if it was with annoying matters like these. Although his face and voice remained static, his intentions were clearer than crystal.

But Mari couldn’t care less. She was so busy wallowing in her self-pity that she could only say, “Yes. Very.” to him.

X O X O X O X O X O X O X

Baekhyun had to get away from her. She was just eliciting remarks from him. He went to the boy’s bathroom hurriedly.

He splashed water on his face to wake himself up, reminding himself of his game plan. “You did bad. You didn’t do well,” he scolded himself in his mind.

X O X O X O X O X O X O X

“Hey! Can we call off the meeting later? I... I have to take care of things at home,” Mari said to Baekhyun, in the middle of subjects.

Baekhyun