Chapter Four

Chapter Four

“Even when you know someone just awhile, you can found yourself to hope to stay with them for the eternity

I might not believe it before, but now  I believe it with my entire heart”

The week went a lot smoother than the last. Although Seuk Ri still finds it weird with Luhan greeted her casually on the hallways. And of course Seuk Ri must greet him back. Not only she feels bad if she doesn’t, but actually after thinking the whole night about it, she might think that she really appreciated Luhan as one of her friends. But this fact only makes a certain someone intrigued.

“He fakes it, he definitely fakes it” Seuk Ri could only sweat dropped as Risa bit down her sandwich angrily on a seat in front of her. She chewed them harshly as she keeps her mumble. From the edge of her eyes Seuk Ri could see Luhan waved his hand towards her from the Black Elite table. But for Risa’s sake, she’s going to pretend she didn’t see anything.

“Look at him! He’s talking like a boss” Risa spoke a bit louder this time. And when Seuk Ri faced her again, Risa was tightened her grip on her can of a drink. If the White Representative gave another push, the painter was sure the tin can might explode. Gladly it’s not, or both she and Risa could get an unscheduled shower of soda.

But still, looking at the fumed half-Japanese is just so wrong. Even only know Risa for one and half week, and even if the girl fought a lot with the Black Representative, she won’t be as scary and spiteful to the Blacks as now. “Risa… what’s wrong with you these days?” Seuk Ri carefully asked. Risa looked at her with a suspicious look, although even the most oblivious person could see that the look she was giving was meant to a certain someone, namely Luhan.

“You are who was wrong! What did you thinking for ‘befriending’ with the Black Leader” Risa pointed at Seuk Ri accusingly. Seuk Ri immediately raised both her hands in defense.

“But he’s seems not bad. And he’s fun to hang around if you get to know him” Seuk Ri explained. But Risa still staring at her like it was something really, really wrong to be true. “But Risa, why do you seem to hate the Blacks so much? I mean, I firstly thought that your hatred of Jong In is just personal…”

“It’s not!”

“But,” Seuk Ri continued, ignoring Risa’s sudden outburst. “Maybe there is another reason for you to resent the Blacks” her statement brought the White Representative into silence. Risa settled her anger as she looked down, but her eyes peeked their ways to Seuk Ri.

“I think it’s only normal for the Whites to hate the Blacks” she answered as she lowered her gaze. “Although for sure, I trust Kyung Soo better than that Black Leader”

~//~

“You seem to thinking really hard right now” Seuk Ri looked at her classmate, Baekhyun whose eyes still glued on the canvas in front of him. As usual he’s just painting without a care of the world. Or is it just the impression he’s trying to give to others. Seuk Ri could never think what’s inside the genius’ head. But after wondering it awhile she looked down and with her fingers she played with the brush on her hand.

“You can say it that way” she told him before silence came again. Seuk Ri looked at her orange colored background and for some reason it reminds her about Luhan. He does look so calm and peaceful back then, not like an easily angered leader most people talked about. She brushed another shade of orange onto her picture. Remembering the Black Leader also brought her to her previous train of thoughts. “Baekhyun,”

The boy just grunted as he continued with his work. “Do you hate the Blacks?” Baekhyun looked at Seuk Ri after she asked him that. For a second there’s a hurt look on his face but disappeared as fast as it showed.

Baekhyun is a White, a quiet one. He never actually bothered about the whole thing. But most people do, it’s hard for him not to take a side in this place. To answer the new student he just shrugged. “I don’t have any grudge if that’s what you’re wondering about” he replied before continuing his work. Seuk Ri watched him before continue hers.

But she found no energy – mental one that is, she clearly has a very nice lunch before – to paint. She glanced at the focused guy before she decided to go for a conversation. “Baekhyun; is there any people who also has no problem talking to either Whites or Blacks?” she asked and that made the boy stopped on his track again. She was pondering to herself if Baekhyun feel the trouble she caused by questioning every time he’s returned to his work.

But Baekhyun just put down his brush and turned to face the girl. “Any of Whites or Blacks or at least communicating in a decent way?” he inquired and Seuk Ri chose the latter. Baekhyun thought for awhile before he finally found something on his mind. “These two voice actors are quite well in having a conversation to each other. One of them is a Black and one is White”

Seuk Ri listened to him attentively before he continued. Baekhyun gave a grin, “Although I might say they had found a loophole on the whole faction thing” for that Seuk Ri could only blinked her eyes repeatedly. Loopholes? I thought Risa and Jong In made it clear!

She was about to ask who are these people and what kind of ‘loophole’ Baekhyun talked about. But the boy beat her on that as he looked at her again. “So what do you think of my current painting? Risa said I need to stop watching assassin and spy’s related movies, so I watch something else”

After analyzing the picture of a woman and a man in Victorian era attires, the woman is on the balcony while the man was under the balcony – typical ‘balcony scene’ everyone knows. For that Seuk Ri just simply shook her head. “And you change to Romeo and Juliette?” one of her eyebrow twitched and Baekhyun just gave her a startled look.

“How do you know that?”

~//~

Book, a book, another book, ton-loads of books, maybe there are countless of books here. Luhan narrowed his eyes as he read the title of book. “Romeo and Juliette?” his eye twitched before he returned the book to the rack. He snorted. For one he never truly enjoys reading. He’s educational is above average doesn’t mean he’s a bookworm, unlike someone he knows.

“If you stay here and snort at every title of book you read, I suggest you to leave” someone said although his face is hidden within the book he’s currently reading. Luhan scoffed as he took a seat in front of the person.

With one hand supporting his chin, Luhan lazily glanced at him. “Just to remind you nicely, you’re the one who contact me first” he stated. The book was settled as Do Kyung Soo stared at Luhan with raised eyebrow.

“When I say we should meet up it doesn’t mean we have to meet now” Kyung Soo told him in a tone the Black Leader detested. “And just to remind you,” he half glared – actually if you ask him about it, he most likely denied glaring at Luhan – as he continued. “We’re not exactly two meters apart”

Luhan stared at the table in front of them before back to the White Leader. “I’m pretty sure the library table is long enough” he confidently said. Kyung Soo shook his head before buried himself to his book. Luhan hit the table, his face red because the anger on him. “You asked me to come, at least for that I respected your wish and come!”

Kyung Soo sighed as he put down his book. They stared to each other, analyzing each expression. “So what do you want to talk about?” Luhan asked in a low voice. Kyung Soo gave him a poker face as another silence filled the air heavily.

“What is your reason being a friend of the new student?” he asked and flabbergasted look was pictured by Luhan. Kyung Soo averted his gaze down to his book’s cover. After he’s fully recovered, the Black Leader’s laughed and his counterpart’s face turned slightly red.

“I thought you said you don’t care” His statement made Kyung Soo glared at him.

“That’s right I don’t care. But that’s just inhuman if the reason for you to be Kang Seuk Ri’s friend is…”

“Whatever the reason you’re thinking it’s not that” Luhan stood up with the screech sound that coming from the chair where he sat. He put his hands on his school uniform pants’ pocket. Just to mention, his school white shirt is slightly disheveled and his black blazer’s long sleeves are folded up to his elbows, and of course ed. An opposite of Kyung Soo neat appearance, though he lacked of blazer but companied by a school tie.

Their gaze locked for awhile before Luhan broke the contact. He turned around to leave the other boy alone in the library. But before he closed the door behind him, Luhan peered at Kyung Soo.

“Just for you know, I’m not exactly the most bad- person in the school. And my reason to befriend with Seuk Ri it’s simple. I wanted to be her friend, and I got nothing else to do with it” as he finished his words he closed the door with a loud click.

~//~

The park or the yard was not exactly crowded as the school is ends except of course for the clubs. Even though not everyone was already on their way home, take Baekhyun for example. He’s completely occupied by his current ‘Romeo and Juliette’-inspired painting. Or the leaders and the representatives who are busy with some ‘administration’ work. And that’s also applied on Most Wanted person, Kang Seuk Ri.

“Baekhyun said that they usually hang out here…” she wondered off. The breeze brushed her hair and made her hair slight messy. A bit annoyed when she fixed her tousled hair before she caught a voice; a male one that is. She stopped both her hands as she froze. Her attention focused on her hearing senses as she heard another male voice.

She followed it to found two guys those as surrounded by a small group of people. Seuk Ri walked slowly towards them carefully. She then stopped to watch the two people. But one thing that surprised her was as she surrounded by the crowd she realized that there are Whites and Blacks on the same place, without – amazingly – resentful look and scorns.

Seuk Ri then started to watch the two men before all of them. And like what Baekhyun had told her earlier, they are voice actors even though they could be an actor too, if they showed expression with movement. But the two boys just stood and shout lines to each other.

“Do you think it was easy to work up the courage to confess to her?!” the one yelled in a desperate voice and followed by sound of labored breaths as he continued. “It means being determined to be with her forever!” he continued. The way he screamed it, it’s like he was going through a lot.

“You were determined from the start!” the other one shouted back with accusing tone. “Don’t act like you weren’t!” and with that he made a hurt sound – like being punched down. Slowly he crouched down with pained sound. Then all of them clapped their hands and both boys in front them stood up and bowed. “That scene was from anime: Sakurasou no Pet na Kanojo. I hope you enjoyed today’s act” with that the crowd thinned.

Meanwhile Seuk Ri was still overwhelmed by the act. It was simply amazing. She couldn’t talk with that astonishing accent, means, and feel. Maybe she talks like her mute paintings, she wondered. In couple of minutes she was able to have a good look of them. One of them is very tall when the other is shorter than the other one.

Both of them are fixing their messy school uniform as they took their backpacks those laid nearby. Seuk Ri was told that they’re harmless as any kind of way, but she cannot help but feel a bit wary about it. “Excuse me,” her small voice was enough to gain their attention. Both of them have their heads turned towards her direction. “Are you Chen and Sehun from Voice Acting Section?”

The two of them nodded their heads. “Yes we are, my name is Chen and this is Sehun. I’m a third-year where Sehun is a first-year” Chen explained to her. “And you must be Kang Seuk Ri” as she realized the guy doesn’t need her introduction, she flushed. Even though she’s nationally known but doesn’t mean she’s a girl who loves being on the spot light.

“Err… nice to meet you Chen Sunbae, Sehun” she awkwardly said to them. Sehun gave her a cheeky smile.

“So you’re here because you are asking how I and Chen Sunbae get along, right?” he asked as he lowered his body so he doesn’t towering the girl. Seuk Ri was taken aback before she nodded her head. She was about to ask how Sehun knows that but the younger boy beat her on that one. “I know it! You see Chen’s Sunbae’s friend, Byun Baek Hyun told him about your arrival on your first day. Baekhyun Sunbae said he knows that you might want to see us”

After listening to Sehun’s explanation, Seuk Ri’s feel her veins popped. If Baekhyun was Chen’s Sunbae’s friend then he can introduce me to them himself! She thought with anger; however it ceased as fast as it came. Beside with Baekhyun’s… mental, Seuk Ri couldn’t get mad on him, not entirely anyway.

“Sehun is a Black, while I’m a White like Baekhyun” Chen started. “I and Sehun just met on the first term. We both like voice acting very much and we kind of really dedicated on it”

“But as you can see, A is an A and B is a B. So I cannot be with Chen Sunbae without being told as a traitor of the Blacks and vice-versa” Sehun continued. “But, we found a loophole!” his sudden exclamation startled Seuk Ri. Whether he was talking as a voice actor or normal is pretty familiar, so she feels like talking to someone who wasn’t there as Sehun’s tone changed a lot.

“The loophole is we can be voice actors together if the scene was a violent, opposed and those kinds of things. But just for you to know, on each scenes we used the characters always friends or about to be friends” Chen told her.

“Amazing…” Seuk Ri’s eyes twinkled. “I never thought of finding any crack to jump over the policy” she told them. “Maybe, I could find my own. Thank you Sehun, Chen Sunbae” Seuk Ri smiled widely at them. Chen replied with a little smile before he walked passed Seuk Ri and Sehun followed him behind like a little puppy.

“But,” the older teen turned back to see Seuk Ri in the eye. “Just my advice: stay where you are staying right now. It’s the best for all of us” he said before leaving Seuk Ri with her mind still processing his words.

“See you again Seuk Ri Sunbae!” Sehun waved both his arms vigorously at her. But the girl was too occupied with her mind. She was thinking, thinking the whole situation of hers. For the time she was here, all she was pondering and wondering was her fate. Is she going to end as a White with Risa whom she familiar with, or with the Black since she already befriended with Luhan and Jong In? Aside of that she manage to befriend with Baekhyun, a White. She cannot lie that she doesn’t frustrated with the matter. But Chen’s words might be right, might be.

“Stay where you are staying right now…” she mumbled Chen’s advice again while looking at her feet. Then she lifted her head with confused look. “It’s the best for all of us?”

~//~

The dark room only lit by the light of Kyung Soo’s laptop as he continued with his work. As usual he’s also has his snack; a very delightful one too. He put down the small spoon as he replied the Black Leader’s message. Their usual banters, nothing important, nothing personal, but always made Luhan lose his cool. It was a strange pleasure to see the Black Leader gets angry over the littlest thing he does.

For that mere though Kyung Soo shrugged. He cannot help it. The man hates his guts and everything related to him. Not that he cares though, over one and half year they like polar opposite. Funny I thought different polar stuck with each other. His thought ended as his representative appeared.

As usual papers were hugged by her as she walked towards him. With her usual cheerful smile she put down the paper on his desk neatly. “Don’t push yourself, Kyung Soo” she said her usual line before gave another smile. Although the White Leader could see it was rather forced. But he just watched her as the smile soon fell as a thin line. “Did the Black Leader give you that?” she pointed at the small Strawberry Cheesecake ice cream box.

Kyung Soo kept his cold exterior. “It was a nice of him” he told her calmly. Risa grimly bowed her head slightly before proceed to leave the room. He watched her back for awhile. “Risa” he called her and the White Representative turned around and looked at Kyung Soo who has a serious look on his face. She was beyond nervous as her leader stared at her right on the eyes.

“Risa, do you trust the Black Leader?” his question startled the girl as she began stuttering incoherent words, something between ‘Yes I am’ and ‘Well, not really’.

“Risa” she stopped her stutters as she was drowned from Kyung Soo’s rare comfort smile. “It’s okay if you don’t exactly like him. But,” he paused as he stood up and dumped the empty ice cream container on the trash bin. As he finished the task he looked again at his right hand man – or woman in this case. “But I like you to know that I trust Luhan quite greatly, and I hope you could also trust his judgments”

The White Representative was about to retort, but finally found herself unable to speak against him. She lowered her head. “I understand”

~//~

Seuk Ri feels herself at ease. A lot ease. Baekhyun was right about a lot of things. Like predicting she would want to meet people like Sehun and Chen, even Seuk Ri never actually talked to him before her second day. And Baekhyun already told Chen on her first day.

“I think geniuses are really different creature” she said to herself as she stretched her numb arms. Her gaze turned a bit more serious as she though Chen’s advice once more. Maybe he was right in some extent. And for that Seuk Ri had found something to do with her days in her; maybe not forever but enough for the time being.

 As she stepped out from the school gate someone pulled her arm. Seuk Ri yelped before finally realized who’s the person is. “R-Risa?”

The White Representative gave her a regretful look before finally releasing her grip from Seuk Ri’s arm. Risa took a deep breath. “Seuk Ri, I wanted to apologize” Seuk Ri’s eyes slightly widened. “I should never questioned about the friendship you share with the Black Leader”

“I know,” Seuk Ri told her. “Like you say it’s only natural if you hate Luhan”

“No,” Risa looked at her seriously as she tugged the tip of one of Seuk Ri’s blazer’s sleeve. Then with closed eyes and a smile, Risa turned to face Seuk Ri. “I don’t hate him. I began; I must, to trust him”

“Eh?” Seuk Ri was taken aback. “How come, you change your mind so quickly Risa?” Risa softly giggled as she let go of Seuk Ri’s sleeve.

“That’s because you are my friend and I believe on your judgment!” Risa exclaimed although inside her mind she added: ‘and since Kyung Soo trust the jerk too’. “Although as I friend I still not trust him around you!” she exclaimed.

“Why?”

“Because I’m your friend that’s why” Risa answered as she walked ahead. Seuk Ri quickly chased after her. The White Representative slowed her pace as Seuk Ri caught up with her.

“But he’s nice,” of course that’s what Risa expected from the naïve girl. And Risa might just need to wait before she told the painter ‘I told you so’. She just listened to Seuk Ri’s reasons of befriending with the Black Leader calmly. She’s Seuk Ri’s friend and she needs to at least listen without started complaining here and there. But even though she stayed with the Poker faced White Leader most of the day, the calmness didn’t actually going down to her as one of Seuk Ri’s explanation make her lost her cool.

“Beside,” Seuk Ri pouted. “Luhan already met my mother”

“He met your mother!” Risa shouted in horror. “And I even don’t know your mother’s name!” she started shaking the other girl mercilessly. “Why don’t you tell me? Take me to your place, now!”

“Alright, alright!” Seuk Ri managed to choke out as she was in verge of fainting. And with that Risa grabbed her arm and started to run with Seuk Ri followed her – or trying to, at the very least. Both girls are very excited, even though Seuk Ri is still a bit scared when they narrowly missed a car that’s going their way since they on the edge of the other side of the Zebra Cross on the last second.

“Lead the way Kang Seuk Ri!” Risa exclaimed energetically.

“O-okay!”

And thus Kang Seuk Ri found herself making another bond. A friend has been added to her life. She’s just glad that she could stay where she stayed until now; next to Risa and Luhan. Her high school life maybe not as hectic as she thought it would be.

Or is it?

author's note--

author's note--