Math Book
Even Though We're RivalsMerry Christmas and Happy New Year!! :D
Seungah threw away her coffee as soon as she finished it on the sidewalk. She was still walking to the bus stop to go home. Not wanting to feel lonely, her hands reached in her purse and got out her phone and earplugs. Yes, Bach suited the moment.
The wind blew a little bit harder and she had to push her hair from totally blinding her view of the buses passing by.
After a while, the bus eventually came and she hopped on with a bunch of other people, taking a window seat that she found. She loved looking out the window and watching life go on, watching people going somewhere and doing things.
Her eyes wondered places and landed on a particular street. Oh the memories, very sad and intense memories.
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2 years ago
Seungah made her way down the road carrying a certain someone's math book in her hands.
Daehyun 'forgot' his book at school when the class was having a big test the following day. He wasn't the smartest in the group, so he needed to study the most. While she was there, she figured she should probably tutor him so he didn't fail again. And the teacher couldn't get a hold of anyone else and since she was there after her practice...
But no one even knew the directions to his house according to their teacher.
She checked the paper again, checking the addresses. But there had to be a mistake, right? These houses were run down to the point where they looked a hundred years old and were breaking.
But the area was right. Well, that's what the sheet said. She didn't really feel comfortable asking the men with beer bottles in their hands on the side of the road for help so she walked away as fast as she could. She was clumsy, but not dumb.
She quickly got out her cell phone and dialed his number, mouthing to hurry up and answer. Maybe she was a bit stupid, thinking about the possibility of asking Yongguk or Youngjae to take it instead.
"Hello?"
"Daehyun, oh thank goodness." She sighed.
He became a bit more aware. " What's wrong? Did something happen?"
She checked the address again and answered. "I'm trying to find your house. I have your math book and I think I might be lost-"
If he wasn't worried then, he was now. "Seungah, where are you? You're not in my neighborhood, are you? What the hell do you even mean 'lost'?"
She read off the address to him. "But I can't find it, so could you maybe find me or something?"
A door closed on the other line. "Where are you, exactly?"
Seungah checked and named the street she was on. "There's a red car on the side, I don't really know how to explain this..."
"Whatever you do, stay exactly where you are, I'll be there in a minute." The call ended abruptly and Seungah still held onto it. This was a bad idea. A very bad idea. Geez, she should've called him out to the coffee shop or something.
She noticed the men with the bottles walking down the street, not particularly at her, but not anywhere specific either. They would stop and talk to the cat or to kick a lamppost.
She fidgeted and clung onto her skirt, which she pulled down as far ash she could, biting her lip. "Where is he?" She exasperated.
To her relief, Daehyun turned the corner just then in his sweats with a rather scared and worried expression on his face, which stayed even when he spotted her and jogged over.
"I-I brought your-"
"Seungah, what the hell are you doing here?" He snarled, gripping her arm. He pulled her over to the other side of the street away from everyone else.
"-book." She finished. Her voice shook without her realizing.
"Why didn't you call me? Why are you here? Are you okay? Geez, do you know how bad this area is?" He drilled. "I never asked you to come here! Why didn't you run when you saw those guys? Couldn't you tell they were drunk? How could you be so stupid?"
Seungah stood there with an open mouth, not able to say anything as he shook her. It was pretty stupid, and she knew she deserved it, but not to this extent.
"D-Daehyun, please." She pleaded. "Take your book and I'll leave." She'd never seen him this mad, scratch that, she'd never seen him mad at all. He was usually a very chill guy.
He realized how worked up he was getting and scratched the back of his head. "Dammit! I'm sorry, it's just, ugh. I'll walk you to the bus stop, come on."
"You don't want to take your book home? I thought I could do good by helping you study since, let's face it, you're not the smartest guy on the planet and-"
"No." Daehyun said sternly.
The look in his eyes made Seungah wonder if he had a hidden story or something. Why wouldn't he want her to go to his house? She shook it off. If he didn't want to talk about it, there was a reason, and she wasn't going to respect it.
She huffed a sigh of disappointment as they walked down the streets. Now and then she would look up at him to check if he had calmed down any bit or anything.
But he didn't. His jaw was still set and his eyes focused on the road ahead of him.
"Hey, friend," she started off. "Can you maybe tell me what I did to make you mad so I won't do it again?"
All of a sudden Daehyun stopped walking. No one was around and it was quiet besides the birds overhead. Seungah looked back and blinked. Why was he so serious?
"Don't tell anyone." He said, not looking at her, yet she remained silent. "Please don't tell anyone I live here. Can you do me this favor?" He pleaded. "Please?"
"But why-" Seungah insisted, then pulled back. No. If he wanted to tell her, he would. Better to keep a secret then tell someone to keep it and tell everyone. She exhaled. "I got it, I got it. Just take me to the damn bus stop I have homework to do."
"Thanks, friend." He smiled in response, throwing an arm around her shoulders as they went their way.
Once they got to the stop, Daehyun waited with her until the bus came and people started loading on. "Wait." He pulled her wrist back.
"Hm?"
"I'll uh, tell you later," he said, "the reason why you can't tell people. I think someone should know to help me come up with excuses."
Seungah nodded. "See you later, then." She waved, got on the bus, and left.
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