2 years ago | Daehan High School

 

PARK CHANYEOL, Class 3-B, The Crackhead of Them All.

 

"PARK CHANYEOL!" Cried a first grader from the third floor of the school's main building.

 

"CHANYEOL!" another one shouted from the classroom next door.

 

"CHANYEOL OPPA!!!"

 

Park Chanyeol pretended not to hear the screaming voices of the juniors upstairs. He swung his backpack coolly at his back and loosened the buttons of his school uniform. All the girls screamed. He looked like that lead guy in a high school drama. He looked exactly just like one.

 

The glorious sun was shining brightly over the premises of Daehan High School. The sky was blue and the school yard was clear. Something from the school's ambiance told him that things would be good today. It was. Until his homeroom teacher who saw everything from where he stood, called him out.

 

"YAH! PARK CHANYEOL! YOU'RE LATE AGAIN!" Min Sanwoo, the Homeroom Teacher of Class 3-A, shouted his name like he was spitting fire, putting halt at the cool senior's footsteps.

 

Chanyeol's eyes popped as he eyed his teacher. He tried running but did not prevail because before he could run away, his teacher reached out and grabbed his ears pinching it hard enough for him to cry in pain. He always liked his big ears because it suited his elfish features well but today he decided to hate them.

 

He was dragged by the ear and the next thing he knew he was already in the Faculty Room being reprimanded.

 

---

 

"AWWW!TEACHER! IT HURTS! IT HURTS!" Chanyeol cried in pain as they reached his teacher's table. Immediately, the old man released him. His ear seemed to have doubled its size and it was all red. He winced both in pain and humiliation. The younger years must have seen his predicament. How could he face his followers now?

 

"You deserved it!" His teacher yelled back as he slumped on his chair. He too, was tired from dragging his reckless student all the way to this room. "Chanyeol-ah! You've broken 3 school rules just today. I'm hurt too, you brat!" The teacher started and Chanyeol looked down at his feet. "First, you were late. Second, you passed by the back door again!"

 

"I didn't—" He tried to reason out but was cut off shortly.

 

"You did! We saw you on the CCTV!" The old man explained pointing at the security camera at the corner of the faculty room.

 

Chanyeol looked down at his feet again feeling guilty of the act.

 

"And third," The teacher raised his three fingers to put emphasis on the numbers of Chanyeol's violations."You were strolling at the school yard when you're supposed to be in your class." The teacher sighed releasing his frustration. "And you're standing here showing not an ounce of remorse. Chanyeol-ah, should I hand you the drop out application form?"

 

For the first time, Chanyeol raised his gaze to meet that of his teacher's. "Teacher, I want to graduate." Despite all his cockiness and all the trouble making he had done since attending Daehan, Park Chanyeol wanted to graduate from high school and be enrolled in a university. He wanted to study and become a Musician. He wasn't exactly dumb but he liked having fun all the time which often led him into trouble.

 

"Then you better show change in your attitude." The teacher stressed. "Because the next time you get in trouble, Park Chanyeol, I'm telling you... I'll be the one to fill out your drop out application form for you."

 

Their one-on-one meeting ended shortly after that. Park Chanyeol promised not to get in trouble again and this time, he felt determined to keep his promise. He walked out of the Faculty Room ready to start anew.

 

The hallway was clear as it was still a class hour. Thank God, Chanyeol won't have to deal with the embarrassment of walking among the students who probably saw the incident earlier. He was relieved by the sight that welcomed him outside. He turned to the left where he found a female third year student standing in front of him. He felt more relieved. A smile breaks out across his face.

 

"Oy Jung Eunji!" He raised his arm for a high-five, but Eunji was obviously way smaller than him and she wouldn't reach his hand even if she tiptoed. Also, she was not in the mood for this. Chanyeol was still smiling maniacally at her when out of a sudden she aimed to kick his shin. He cried and bent down on his knees like a fallen tower.

 

"You rascal! Why do you always get yourself in trouble?!" Eunji fired as Chanyeol sat on the ground. She scanned his whole being. A part from the red left ear, he looked fine. His Teacher might look like a villain in a drama but he never hit a student before. Eunji felt stupid after believing Im Sohye that the guy would be flogged. She couldn't believe she skipped Math for this idiot.

 

He helplessly gathered himself to stand. "What brings you here, Eunji-ah?" He inquired ignoring her flaring nostrils. She looked so pissed that if her stares were daggers, Chanyeol would be lying lifeless on the ground. Eunji was crazy mad.

 

He put both of his hands to his mouth appearing shocked. "Is that because... you're worried about me?!" 

 

"What?!"

 

"You're worried about me." This time, his sentence was no longer a question but a statement. Chanyeol smiled widely.

 

Eunji turned a bit red but decided to turn away. "Worried my foot!" She hissed. "I'm going back to class."

 

"Eunji-ah!" Chanyeol cried and chuckled as he followed her.

 

"Shut up, Park!" She snapped.

 

"Ji-ah!" He sang her petname.

 

"Do you wanna die?" She asked him before turning her back.

 

"Wait for me!!!" He sang in a falsetto.

 

Eunji covered her ears and ran. Chanyeol chased after her.

 

---

 

Theirs was an unlikely friendship grounded to love, hate, concern, tolerance and endless annoyance. They had known each other since middle school when Eunji and her mother moved to Chanyeol's neighborhood. Despite all the differences in values system and attitude, they managed to stay with each other after all these years. Perhaps, it was because they knew how to tolerate and could put up with each other's temper.

 

Eunji was cold and Chanyeol was a ray of sunshine. While she liked the quiet and stillness, he liked being loud and goofing around all the time. Eunji liked books while Chanyeol enjoyed his music. He was a nutcase when it comes to music and he was quite well with it too. So when he started playing in a band, she did not stop him. It was better than having him annoy her all the time.

 

But when Chanyeol gets too absorbed of the world, Eunji would keep him grounded. And when Eunji gets isolated, Chanyeol would extend his arms for her. Always they were like this, the anchor of another.

 

"Eunji, have you eaten?" He would ask every time they would go to the cafeteria every lunch.

 

"I'm done." Eunji would say. A piece of apple or some side dishes and a barely eaten cup of rice.

 

Chanyeol would narrow his eyes at her and would reach for the apple she had not touched, "You know you don't have to maintain your weight for me okay?"

 

At this rate, Eunji would be rolling her eyes at him.

 

"Like, I would accept you as you are." He would say.

 

Eunji would close her eyes firmly.

 

"You mean the world to me, Ji-ah." He would call her by the pet name he christened her with. "Even if you weigh the whole world."

 

Eunji would lose control and stuff Chanyeol's mouth with the apple he's eating.

 

---

 

8:00 PM | Hanjoo Academy

 

"We'll end here today." The tutor announced. "Good job, everyone. I'll see you on Friday."

 

"Yes, Mr. Han. Thank you!" The students greeted. As the tutor left the small room, the students who were attending the special class started preparing to go home.

 

Jung Eunji was one of the few who were attending this special class on English. She, together with some other girls various schools around the city, were the lucky students who were recommended to take a 100 hour basic English training as part of the promotions of the Hanjoo Academy that just opened recently.

 

"Eunji-ah, will you come with us tonight? Jisoo's treating us with some teokkpoki. She passed her level test in Mathematics today." Jinri, a classmate from Shindae High School announced.

 

"Whoa. Really, Jisoo?!" Eunji asked her seatmate.

 

"Yes! Will you come with us eonnie?"

 

"Congratulations!" She said enthusiastically.

 

"I bet, Eunji-ie will not be joining us again today." Hyeri emphasized again because she had been skipping going out with the girls recently. All the other girls from the class turned to Hyeri who was standing by the windows looking down at the streets. "Someone's waiting for her downstairs."

 

The girls all gathered to where Hyeri was standing. All of them were looking down to the same person who was standing outside the Academy's building.

 

"What a wonderful sight. Our school doesn't have much flower boys like him."

 

"I know right?" Hyeri said sharing the same sentiments. "Eunji, why don't you invite him in one of our sessions?"

 

Eunji shook his head. "He hates English."

 

"It doesn't matter. We just need him to be here so that we'll have something good to look at." Jinri said.

 

She laughed and gathered all her things. "I'll be heading up then."

 

"Please tell him we're saying hi."

 

"Bye guys!"

 

"Bye Eunji! "

 

And just like that she ran like a mad person down the stairs. When she reached the ground floor, Chanyeol has already looking so bored. His guitar case was hanging by his shoulders.

 

"CHANYEOL!" She exclaimed waving both of her hands. "The girls said hi."

 

She caught him smiling with his ego inflating but the grin quickly turned into a scowl. "You're two minutes late." He greeter her nonchalantly as she stopped in front of him.

 

"Excuse me?" She asked as Chanyeol snatched her bag from her hands.

 

"You need to pay me now every time you get late a minute. You know I hate wasting my precious time, Ji-ah." He explained. "I could've been in my house at this hour but here I am waiting for you in this cold lonely—" he was spitting words dramatically when Eunji stopped on her tracks and faced him.

 

"Yah, Park Chanyeol," She said coldly that it sent Chanyeol frozen at his feet. "If you're gonna complain now..." She said firmly and grabbed her bag from his grip. "You shouldn't have offered to wait for me, RIGHT?!" She asked raising an eyebrow, her voice practically reminding him of how he begged her to do this... To wait for her during her lectures to the academy so he could go practice with his band.

 

Chanyeol chuckled. "I was just joking,  Eunji! Hahahaha! Can you take a joke?" He asked, eyes smiling down at Eunji who was glaring still at him. Smiling would do him no good at this rate so he backed down like his always last resort. He looked down at his feet and bit his lip. "I'm sorry, Eunji. Honestly, waiting for you here is my favourite thing. It doesn't matter if I have to wait until five hours."

 

He stood close to her and slowly snatched her bag. "So please, don't get mad?" he asked sheepishly. He won't be able to practice with the band if Eunji would tell his parents about him stopping to wait for her.

 

"Okay." She said defiantly. Chanyeol felt relieved as they started walking again. "Five hours you say?" She inquired.

 

"Huh?" He uttered... too consumed he had immediately forgotten about his promise. "Five hours?"

 

"Yes, I'll be extending my class tomorrow by five hours." Eunji announced.

 

"WHAT?!" Chanyeol exclaimed.

 

Three floors above the ground, Eunji's classmates at the academy were still looking at the couple walking down the busy streets.

 

"Are they really not dating?" Jinri asked.

 

"Eunji insists that they're not." Hyeri said. "But I doubt it..."

 

"Gosh, he must have been so tall he couldn't notice how our Eunji is the catch." Romi commented.

 

"Or eonnie may just be too dense, you know she has the tendency." Jisoo seconded.

 

And with that, they sighed almost in unison.