It has been two weeks since Sooyung had the cramps. She’s back in the classroom, listening to dull lectures and pretending to take what some would call “diligent” notes. But in fact, her mind still wandered off, sending her into a trance-like state. Her classmates all knew that although her body was there, neither her mind nor soul was physically present— they were somewhere beyond this world.

        “Hey Sooyung,” a voice interrupted Sooyung’s daydreams, or rather, nightmares.

        “Yes, can I help you with something?” she softly stated, still not looking at the person; she was simply not here.

        “It’s me, Suho.” At the mention of the said name, Sooyung’s head shot up, her lifeless eyes peered into his chestnut ones.

        “I don’t mean to be nosy, but are you okay? You seem kind of tired and sad lately,” he continued while looking at her with a concerned expression. Sooyung inwardly smiled at his statement.  Oh, if he knew the irony. The whole reason of her being “sad” and “tired” was because of him. Because of him and his stupid relationship with Mi Young.

        When she was about to reply, another voice interrupted her.

        “Suho hyung, what are you doing talking to that loser?” It was Kai, one of Suho’s friends who ranked third in the district. His ridiculously good looks were the icing on the cake; he managed to captivate the entire female population (and those few male students). Despite his charms and intelligence, he was often jealous of Sooyung. The envy and anger caused him to turn bitter and cold towards Sooyung.

        “I—” Suho was interrupted by another voice.

“Yeah, hyung, why are you associating yourself with a lowlife like her?” Baekhyun, another star scholar, the captain of the school’s famed soccer team, an all star player, verbally stabbed Sooyung.

        Before she knew it, five drop dead gorgeous guys were bashing her, calling her a loser, a (although she was never in a relationship) among other derogatory names. Sooyung was pushed to her breaking point, and her tears were about to fall. The only thing holding her tears back was her pride; she didn’t want to look weak and stupid in front of Suho. So she decided to ignore them.

        However, fate decided to toy with her, and her cramps came back to add to the whole fiasco. The mocking voices of the five boys became a distant echo, pushed back to the recesses of her mind.

Pain. It was the only thing occupying her mind in bold red letters. Her hand gripped the edge of the table so hard her knuckles turned white. Then, as suddenly as it arrived, the pain faded, and the scornful taunting of the boys grew louder, bringing her back to reality.

        Sooyung felt something gently shaking her. She looked up, and saw it was Suho, looking at her with a frown.

        “Are you sure you’re okay?” he asked, his eyes displaying a troubled face.

        “What? Oh yes, I’m fine,” Sooyung lied through her teeth. Actually, she was anything but fine.

        Suho didn’t seem convinced but didn’t persist the matter any further. 

        “Alright then, good luck on your finals,” he walked out the room, and the five boys followed him. Kai was the last one to leave. Before he left, he stopped and venomously whispered in her ear,

        “I hope you die. You definitely deserve it.”

        If only Sooyung knew Kai partially spoke the truth.