‘Bang Yongguk pabo, Bang Yongguk pabo, Bang Yongguk pabo!’

Shin Hyorin then crosses out the offending phrases with her gel pen, scribbling furiously on the blank piece of foolscap paper, before ripping the paper out, crushing it into a ball and repeating her sacred ritual with another innocent piece of paper.

“Whoa, what did the paper do to you?” someone with a deep, husky voice comments.

“None of your busi― oh hi Yongguk.” Hyorin flushes, ripping out the paper and stuffing it into her bag, pushing it down with her foot. She closes her eyes and silently prays that Bang Yongguk hadn’t seen anything bad.

“What are you doing?” Bang Yongguk asks, his voice curious.

“Praying before school starts! Come join me,”  Hyorin’s hand shot out and pulls at Yongguk’s arm, pulling him down to eye level.

“Er what, but I―”

“Shhhhhhh.”

Shin Hyorin spends the next few minutes fake praying, and the thought of Bang Yongguk being in such close proximity to her makes her smile unconsciously.

“Yah, what are you smiling at?”

Hyorin rests her chin on her palm, smiling at nothing in particular. “Nothing, just thinking of someone.”

“Whoa, so this almighty Shin Hyorin has a crush on someone! Tell me who is this lucky dude!” Yongguk says in a mock dramatic voice, gummy smile put into action.

Shin Hyorin leans closer, pretending that she was going to tell Bang Yongguk a great big secret when she lightly smacked his head. “Never.”

 

__________________

“Class dismissed,” The teacher announces as she taps her books onto the table, knocking them into perfect alignment. Once the teacher leaves the classroom, the class goes into immediate ruckus as friends gather into groups and gossip or spread rumours ― nowadays, who still talks about school?

Kim Soyeon cranes her neck a little, trying not to look overly suspicious as her eyes scan over the tables across her. It isn't long before she spots that very desk that she is trying to find.

She spots Unknown Photographer Guy getting out of his seat and slipping out of class from the back door. Grasping his sketchbook with one hand, Soyeon literally flies over to his seat and tries to find that familiar light blue book that she just can't find.

Oh god.

Don’t tell me that he took it out with him?

Soyeon swears that she is going to pull all her hair out from all the frustration when she spots U.P.G. walking back down the corridor, towards the class.

It takes an incredible record of three seconds for Kim Soyeon to return to her seat and act like nothing has happened.

It looks like she’ll have to wait until school ends and look for him personally.

Kim Soyeon facepalms the table as she lets out a small wail, praying with all her might that U.P.G. hasn’t opened that sacred book of hers.

“But seonsaengnim!”

Soyeon looks up, seeing U.P.G. grabbing the end of his camera strap and the teacher pulling on the camera.

“You’re hurting my baby! I-I mean... it was just one picture, seonsaengnim...” U.P.G. continues painfully.

“Jung Daehyun haksaeng, I’m sure that you are fully aware electronic devices like this camera of yours is prohibited during school use?” The teacher insists strictly.

“I didn’t know! They allowed it at the other school!”

By now the entire class is already quiet and watching the battle that doesn’t seem to be ending anytime soon.

“Jung Daehyun-ssi,” the teacher hisses through gritted teeth, “I’m confiscating this.”

“Seonsaeng!”

“I assume that since this is a school for the arts, you’ll be able to do something else other than photography,” the teacher adds on sarcastically as Daehyun watches her hold his precious camera in a super duper unstable way that just by looking at the tilted camera, he could feel his heart race, and when he closed his eyes he could see it falling―

“Well, Jung Daehyun-ssi? You must be able to perform something, if not you wouldn’t have passed the auditions for this school.”

“I-I got in through photography...” Daehyun says weakly, keeping his eyes on the ground.

“Well, sing something. Or dance. Or rap. Whatever. Just perform something. And if I think it’s well enough, I’ll return you this.”

This teacher is out to humiliate him, wasn’t she?

The entire class is watching intensely now, what with some students already recording down the entire thing using their phones (where did the rule of no electronical devices go?). The activity within the class is slowing down to a complete halt as everyone watches Daehyun closely.

Everyone in their breath when the boy opens his mouth, like he is going to say something.

Daehyun continues his ritual of staring at his feet, fingers working out air knots as he takes in a short breath.

“I... I can’t sing.”