Chapter Six: Big Bad Bully

Soon it was the most anticipated day of the year (besides Christmas) for Cube High School: Talent Day. This is the day where classes are suspended as all the best in the fields of music and dance competed for the coveted Best of the Best: Cube Talent Day Cup. Nobody competed in this contest if they didn’t have a shot to win. And this is the day the boys of BTOB have been pouring blood, sweat, and non-tears for (well, that was a bit exaggerated).

The morning of Talent Day, the boys decided to meet up in the Jung’s house, and they were to be driven to school by Ilhoon’s dad. That morning, they were all scurrying around the living room, making sure their instruments were tuned; no strings were ready to snap; no broken sticks; and getting their costumes straight and comfortable. Amidst the ruckus, Ilsoon came down in her pajamas and a robe, rubbing her eyes while she tried to make sense of what was going on downstairs so early in the morning.

“What’s going on?” she mumbled.

“Oh, did we wake you? Sorry for the noise,” said a unique voice, and as if addressing other people he hissed, “Lower down your voices there!”

Ilsoon swiped her hair from her eyes and Eunkwang’s cheerful face came into focus. She smiled sleepily at him, thinking she was only dreaming. “Eunkwang oppa, what are you doing in my dream?”

Eunkwang chuckled. “Silly girl. Why don’t you go back to sleep?”

Ilsoon almost-blindly stumbled into the living room and slipped into the couch. She took one of the couch pillows and was instantly transported back into Dreamland. Meanwhile, Eunkwang noticed that the boys are all set and ready to roll. He stood up and ushered the other boys outside, before closing the front door. It was quiet for a while; almost as if everyone had gone out, save for the sound of the car engine starting. But then the door slowly creaked open, and Hyunsik crept in.

“Oh, Hyunsik, you left something?” called Mrs. Jung from the kitchen.

“Yes, auntie. It’s just my charger. I’ll be quick,” he said quietly and went into the living room. He found Ilsoon lying down on the longest couch, and she looked so cute and peaceful sleeping that he stopped for a moment to stare at her. Then he noticed a curled piece of wire hanging out from under her and trailing on the floor and mentally groaned.

Pull yourself together, Hyunsik, he told himself. He tried prying the charger out and had to lift Ilsoon a bit to get it. Just then she shifted and faced in his direction, making their faces an inch apart.

His heart thumped uncommonly fast, but he gathered himself together and pulled the last remaining parts of the charger. Then he scurried out of the living room as quick as his legs could carry him. On his way out Mrs. Jung met him as she was putting some breakfast on the dining table.

“Would you mind telling Ilhoon that we’d get to Cube High later in the afternoon? That’s the time your performance is due, right?” she said with a motherly smile.

Hyunsik ducked his head to cover his cherry-tomato face. “Yes, ma’am, I’ll tell him.” Before Mrs. Jung could ask what was wrong, Hyunsik had gone out of the house. Once inside the car, Hyunsik sat down beside Changsub and let out a breath, and realized he’s been holding it since he was in the dorm.

“Hyunsik, are you okay?” asked Changsub. “Are you sick? You look kind of red.”

“N-no, I’m fine,” he replied shakily. “I’ll be fine, hyung. Thanks for asking.”

In his mind, he could vividly see Ilsoon’s face, bare and peaceful, and utterly beautiful. Oh gods, was that an angel I saw asleep in the house, or was it just me?

-.-.-.-.-.-.-

A few hours later, Ilsoon found herself waking on the couch and to a quiet house. She vaguely remembered seeing Eunkwang before falling asleep again on the couch. She got up and ate some breakfast, while her mother was busy whistling as she did the laundry.

“Mom? Is Ilhoon here?” she asked.

“No, honey. They left a while ago, to prepare for Talent Day,” her mom replied.

Oh, right, it’s Talent Day, thought Ilsoon. We never had these kinds of days back in Paris. “Are we going to watch them? I want to watch them.”

“Of course, dear,” said Mrs. Jung as she got into the dining room and wiped her hands on her apron. We’ll go later, once I’ve eaten lunch.”

Ilsoon turned to glance at the wall clock, which read 11:45. “Wow,” she blurted. “I’ve been asleep that long?”

Her mother chuckled. “It must be habit. You always slept in when you knew there are no classes the next day, don’t you?”

Ilsoon shrugged and nodded. She took another bite of her food and cleaned up her plate. “I’m going to go pick an outfit or something,” she informed her mother. “We can go to school without our uniform on, right?”

Mrs. Jung nodded before she began eating. Ilsoon meanwhile went up to her room and opened her wardrobe.

“Hm, now if I were to attend the concert, of say, Taylor Swift, what would I wear?” she thought to herself. She parted her clothes and inspected each article that hung on a hanger. In the end, she picked out a striped mini dress that reached halfway down her thighs, tights, a black sweater, and a thick black sequined belt.

Ilsoon smiled contentedly as she laid the outfit on her bed. “Amidst all the colors, the monochromatic one would stand out.”

She then took a shower, blow-dried her hair, combed it, applied light makeup, then put on her ensemble. When she came down, she found her mother ready and good to go.

“Don’t you look a tad too depressing, dear?” her mother said carefully. Ilsoon had a strange, Western-inspired fashion sense that he mother never understood, and she got snappy when they criticized her, but today’s not that day. Ilsoon merely swiped her short hair back and flashed a confident smile.

“No mom,” she explained. “I’m going to be more noticeable this way.”

“Do you want that?”

Ilsoon’s smile grew small, as if she was remembering something distant. “Yeah, well, it’s better than being invisible.”

Mrs. Jung nodded, understanding. She took a thin cardigan from their bedroom and was down in a minute. Together, mother and daughter commuted towards Cube High School.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Backstage, BTOB was waiting for their turn to perform. There had only been a couple of bands so far; the majority of the performers were solo singers or dance groups. But the bands were good; I mean, like I said: no one joined this competition without a shot at winning.

Eunkwang’s hands were clammy with sweat. They just had to win this; it was their last year in Cube High, after all. There would be no second chances for him, Minhyuk, and Changsub. Sungjae, their youngest, noticed their leader tensing up and approached him.

“We’ll do great, hyung,” he said encouragingly. “We’ll win this for you guys.” He understood the pressure Eunkwang was feeling, and for that the eldest was a bit relieved.

“Thanks, Jae,” he said. “I really hope we get this.”

Outside, Ilsoon and Mrs. Jung arrived at the school’s function hall. Music was spilling from the wide-open doors, and strobe lights blinked on-and-off. There were rows and rows of occupied chairs, and up on the stage a dance group was performing what sounded like EXO’s Growl.

“When do they come on?” asked Ilsoon, squinting to see through the dark hall. “BTOB, I mean. Or whatever Ilhoon’s band is called.”

Mrs. Jung found a flier beside the entrance and was reading through the list of competitors with matching pictures. “I think the group up there now is this one called X.O., and two more contestants come after them and before your brother’s band.”

“Oh, good, I have time for a little re-touch. I think the wind outside messed my hair up,” said Ilsoon. “Be back in a while, mom.”

Mrs. Jung smiled as she watched her daughter go before finding herself a seat near the back.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Ilsoon found the CR with no trouble and checked her reflection in the mirror. Hm, seems fine, she thought to herself. She took out a lip balm from her purse and dabbed at her lips. Just then, two girls entered the CR. Ilsoon recognized them as her classmates and ignored them.

“Well, look who’s here,” said one; she had dyed blonde hair that reached her waist and her black roots were long enough to reach her ears. “Who are you trying to impress, new girl? The prince of France?”

Ilsoon finished off her lips and turned. “France doesn’t have a monarchy, sweetie. Now, if you excuse me—”

“Oh, it’s ‘sweetie’, is it?” sneered the other girl; this one had wavy brown hair swept over her shoulders.

If Ilsoon remembered correctly, the blondie’s name was Soohyun, and the brunette was called Chaerin. They blocked the exit to the CR and looked down on her. They were at least a couple of inches taller than Ilsoon and obviously had heads full of air.

Ilsoon remained calm and tried the diplomatic approach. “Soohyun-ssi, Chaerin-ssi, if you don’t mind, I have to get back to the function hall now. My brother’s band is probably next.”

“Oh, we know all about your brother, Jung Ilsoon,” spat Soohyun. “And we know well enough that being Jung Ilhoon’s twin sister makes you think that you’re entitled to an all-access pass in their group.”

Ilsoon blinked. “Huh?”

Chaerin smirked. “She’s kind of slow, isn’t she? It must be the muggy Western air. Let me clear it up for you, new girl: we don’t want you hanging out with our boys—”

Ilsoon couldn’t help herself and cracked a smile. “’Our boys’, huh? I see what you two are now: you girls are avid fans of my brother’s friends. Oh man, don’t tell me one of you actually likes Ilhoon?”

Chaerin stepped closer and clenched her fists. “What if I do, huh? What are you going to do about it, b*tch?”

Ilsoon was about to burst out laughing (“Who on earth would like that douchebag?” she thought afterward) when she heard the insult. Her face grew deadly serious. “You think you have the right to call me a b*tch, b*tch?”

“Oh you’re really asking for it, aren’t you?” said Soohyun and raised and fist.

Ilsoon pulled her hair back in a quick ponytail. “Maybe I am. Got the guts to give me what I want?”

-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Eunkwang was shaking so uncontrollably because they’d be up next that he felt the need to throw up. He excused himself and half-run toward the bathrooms, but stopped dead in front of the girls’ CR. He forgot all about throwing up when he heard a loud BOOGSH like the sound of a head being bashed on the floor.

Eunkwang hesitated, when he heard a very familiar voice. “Let go of my hair, you jealous—”

Before an obscene word was said, another loud THUD followed and then there was silence.

“Oh crap Soohyun, I think you hit her too hard.”

Eunkwang’s eye widened as he charged inside. Inside he found two girls standing over a lump on the floor. He recognized them as the sophomore girls who always stared at them with googly-eyes at the cafeteria. One of them turned and saw him.

“Eu-Eunkwang oppa!” gasped Chaerin. Soohyun looked behind her and froze.

“Oppa, what are you—”

“What’s going on in here?” demanded Eunkwang. The two girls back off slowly, revealing more of Ilsoon. She was lying down on the floor, her hair was a mess, and red liquid was spilling from the back of her head. She was unconscious and turning pale. Eunkwang held her up, only to get his hands stained with blood.

“Ilsoon… Ilsoon, are you okay?” he asked, coming close to panic.

“Kwanggie oppa, do you know her?” asked one of Ilsoon’s attackers innocently. Eunkwang tilted his head towards them, and his eyes had a dangerous look on them.

“Back off. And don’t ever let me see you two ever again.” The two girls bowed and scampered out of the bathroom. Eunkwang turned his attention to the younger girl and once more his face grew concerned.

Ilsoon blinked and coughed. Eunkwang shifted his attention to her and his expression softened at once. Ilsoon opened her eyes a crack and recognized the mass of blonde hair hovering over her. “Eunkwang oppa…” Her ears couldn’t process well, and everything she heard around her had a strange echo to it.

“Ilsoon, are you okay?” asked Eunkwang again. He wiped away some tear stains on her cheeks, only to stop when she winced. He had touched a cut.

“…” Ilsoon passed out wordlessly and fell limp in Eunkwang’s arms. He picked her up and carried her—bridal style—and without another word walked away to hail a cab to take them both to a hospital.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-

“Will she be alright?”

“The doctor said to be careful with her head, but he also said that the wound isn’t very serious. She’s probably dazed.”

“I’ll go help Mrs. Jung prepare some soup. She can eat it when she wakes up.”

“Me too.”

“What about the teachers? Has anyone found out?”

“No one’s told anybody exactly what’s happened yet.”

Ilsoon heard various voices floating all around her. She shifted her position, only to gasp softly. There was something sore at her side. She opened her eyes and her room mates were standing all over the room. She could hear a faint whirring and a gentle breeze: it was her desk fan.

“She’s awake. Ilhoon, she’s awake!”

All at once a familiar face popped up in front of her. “Ilsoon, how are you feeling?” asked Ilhoon.

“I feel sore all over, but I think my limbs still work,” said Ilsoon, attempting a joke. She tried to haul herself up, but failed.

“Here.” Ilhoon propped up and pillow behind her and helped her sit up. She looked around the room and saw Changsub, Sungjae, Ilhoon, and Minhyuk. She tried moving her legs and felt someone sitting on the foot of the bed. She glanced and saw Hyunsik, gazing at her with a look of concern.

“Where does it hurt, Ilsoon?” asked Hyunsik. “Are you feeling dizzy?”

“It’s fine, thank you,” said Ilsoon. “But what’s this sore spot on my side?”

“I think it’s a bruise. A deep one. The doctor already applied something to help reduce the pain, although I don’t think it has taken effect yet,” replied Ilhoon.

The poor girl still looked confused. She looked around and noticed that the boys were all in their costumes for their performance. “H-how did I get here? What happened? And what happened to the show?”

Changsub sat himself on his bed and explained. “Well, from what I gathered, Eunkwang hyung found a pair of students hurting you and he stopped them. You passed out from hitting your head on the floor, and he took you to the hospital, and then he phoned us and your parents. The doctors did first aid and check-up on you, then your dad drove us here. We didn’t get to perform.”

Ilsoon bit her bottom lip. “I’m sorry,” she said softly. “You probably were disqualified because of me. I shouldn’t have fought them.”

“I hope you didn’t go out in the first place,” muttered Ilhoon. Minhyuk shoved him out of the way and beamed at Ilsoon.

“It’s fine, Soonie~” he cooed. “What’s important is that you’re safe now.”

Just then, Eunkwang came in with Peniel trailing behind him. The older boy was holding a steaming bowl with kitchen gloves, while Peniel held a tray. Mrs. Jung peeked from the doorway to see if everything’s alright. She smiled at Ilsoon and seemed to say, We can talk later.

“Ilsoon! How are you feeling?” Eunkwang said, a glow coming to his face as he smiled.

“I’m a bit sore, but otherwise, I’m fine,” replied Ilsoon with a small smile.

“Here, eat this. I hope it warms you up a bit. Your mom made it.” Eunkwang shoved Minhyuk away with his foot and sat down in front of Ilsoon. He spooned some soup and blew on it, and reached upward to feed Ilsoon. The girl’s cheeks burned pink and she was rather tongue-tied.

“She can feed herself, hyung,” seethed Ilhoon. “Her hands are not injured.” He shot his sister a look, and Ilsoon understood what he meant.

“Y-yeah, oppa. I can do that myself.” She made padding with the thick blankets and put the bowl on her lap. She spooned a mouthful and her color flooded her cheeks instantly. She smiled at Eunkwang gratefully.

Nobody noticed a certain dark-haired male exit the room quietly.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-