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GONG MINJI

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Part II

The next morning, the sound of my alarm clock blaring music awoke me out of my sleeping state. I yawned as I sat up in my bed, and waited for my eyes to adjust to the sunlight peering through the window. I stood up and stretched, did some more yawning, and then went to my closet to grab my toiletries so I could go to the restroom to wash up.

I hadn’t noticed it at first, but after closing my closet door, I noticed for the first time, the unusual stillness of my silent room. Usually, I would wake up and hear a light snore coming from across the room, or maybe the sound of Bom’s fan humming as background noise; however, this particular morning the room was dead silent.

My eyes instantly looked at Bom’s side of the room, only to see an empty bed.

I pursed my lips and looked around the quiet room. Well this is odd.

I looked back at my clock to see exactly what time it was, afraid that maybe I woke up late on accident or something, but that very rarely ever happened.

Nope, it was six-fifty. The same time I always woke up on school days.

I wondered what could’ve made Bom wake up so early in the morning. Bom was never an early riser. Even though school was in session at eight o’ clock, she slept to the last possible minute on school days, often not waking until seven-fifty. It gave her just enough time to brush her teeth, throw her hair into a bun, throw her uniform on, and then she’d hitch a ride on the janitor’s golf cart to homeroom. And on weekends, Bom wouldn’t be up before noon.

I knew all this because I actually had Bom as a roommate once before during sophomore year. You really learn a lot about someone when you share a room together, and I’d learned of all her habits, and she’d learned of mine, as well.

I decided to go on to the restroom to get ready. The moment I opened my door, I heard the sound of a door slamming. My head immediately snapped in the direction of the sound, only to see a girl rushing passed me, clearly in a hurry. She then ran down the hall and disappeared around the corner. I figured she must have been going to the restroom, because that was the way to it.

I giggled to myself, figuring she must be having one of those mornings where you wake up and immediately have to go.

I made my way down to the restroom myself and walked into an empty stall. Seeing as it was early, and not many of the girls woke up as early as I did, the restroom wasn’t crowded at all. I specifically woke up early enough for that reason. I didn’t like going through the hassle when the bathrooms and shower rooms were crowded. But right now, it was rather silent in the restroom making it slightly awkward to be doing my business in such silence, especially when there was someone in the stall next to me.

Just as I was finishing up, I heard something that literally made my mouth drop open. A fart. And I mean it was a really loud one, that probably even someone who passed by the restroom could hear.

I know it came from whoever was in the stall next to me and unfortunately for them, it was followed by the release of more flatulence, one right after another.

I wanted to laugh so badly, but I knew that would be rude, so I made my way out of the stall and over to the sinks. I set my container down, with all my toiletries in it and opened it so I could wash up, but then I heard more noise coming from the stall and I started to wonder if it was the girl that I saw rushing to the restroom earlier.

What did she eat? I wondered.

The person in the stall began to curse out loud as the sounds rumbled throughout the restroom. I bit my lip to hold back the urge to just laugh out loud. I had to hold my composure, but the sounds that were coming from that stall were absolutely hilarious.

It sounded like thunder clapping, roaring, and you could hear the sounds of toilet water splashing, mixed in with her slur of curses. 

It actually began to get a little uncomfortable to be in there as it went on. The fact the restroom was so silent made the sounds of her farting echo off of the walls and fill the entire room. I knew it was time to go once the room started to smell.

That was it. I couldn’t brush my teeth and do other necessary things in there if she was doing all of that. Just as I picked up my stuff, someone entered the restroom. Impulsively, I looked up, staring through the mirror to see who walked in, but the person rushed by so quickly before I could even see her, she’d already disappeared into one of the stalls.

I frowned momentarily curious, as this was the second person to rush into the restroom so hurriedly. I shrugged and made my way out of the bathroom, just in case the girl who just entered had the same issues as the girl in the other stall.

Walking out of the bathroom, I sighed in relief at the breath of fresh air. I decided I would just wash up in the shower room instead since the restroom was… unavailable. I made my way back to my dorm so I could grab my things to take a shower with, but once I walked in, all plans for showering completely disappeared from my mind as I noticed my best friend and roommate hunched over on the floor.

“Bommie,” I called her nickname, affectionately. I crouched down in front of her. “Are you alright?”

She slightly tilted her head up before letting it slump back down and released a long groan.

“I feel terrible,” she mumbled out. She was completely curled up next to her bed, on the floor. She looked like a helpless little kitten.

“Why? What’s wrong?” I asked her, really concerned.

“I don’t know!” she moaned, turning away from me. “I felt a little weird yesterday. My stomach felt bubbly and gassy, but I didn’t think much about it because I thought it was from eating all that corn. But when I woke up early this morning, I had to run- and I mean run to the bathroom.”

My mind suddenly filled with images of the other girl I’d seen earlier this morning, running to the restroom.

“So, it’s your stomach that doesn’t feel good?” I asked, trying to gain more information for what was wrong with Bom. “What’s wrong with it exactly? Maybe I can call the nurse.”

Bom’s head suddenly jerked up and next thing I knew, I was being yanked toward her by the collar of my t-shirt.

“You better not tell anyone about this,” she threatened me and I stared wide-eyed at her, amazed at her sudden mood change.

Although she had me by the collar, I wasn’t actually scared of her or anything. I’d long learned that this was just part of Bom’s strong personality. Bom was always a bit of a bully, but she never did it with malicious intent, so I never worried about her outbursts.

She then let go of my collar and continued.

“I have a really bad case of… diarrhea,” she mumbled out the last word so lowly, I almost couldn’t hear it even though I was face-to-face with her. She covered her face with her hands, and I figured she must have felt embarrassed to be telling me this. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me? I’ve been practically glued to the toilet all morning. I just can’t stop shooting out corn!”

I stared at her, mouth open. Wow. So, it wasn’t just the girl currently in the bathroom stall, practically ting her guts out, but Bom was having the same problem as well.

“You think it was the corn?” I asked.

She shrugged and rubbed her grumbling stomach, even I could hear it bubble.

“Corn has never made me feel this way before,” Bom said. “But I ate a lot yesterday, so I don’t know what could’ve made me like this.”

I sighed. “Well, let’s get you down to the nurse’s office. I’m sure that the nurse has something that will something that will help.”

I stood up and helped lift Bom off of the floor. She must have felt really bad, because her stomach aches had made her weak as well; she didn’t want to stand on her own. I slung her arm around my shoulder and was going to head out the dorm with her, but once we were going down the hall, Bom suddenly let go of my shoulder and next thing I knew, she was running in the opposite direction, back to the restrooms.

I knew I needed to call the nurse.

* * *

The nurse came to our dorm after Bom got out of the restroom and did a check-up on her. Apparently Bom wasn’t the only one who’d complained about abdominal problems this morning. The nurse said a few other girls came to her office, explaining the same issues Bom was having.

The nurse said Bom wouldn’t be able to attend her classes today, so she had to stay in and rest. I told her I would check in on her later to make sure she was alright. Still, I wondered if her stomach issues had anything to do with the corn we ate last night. I mean, I ate from the same basket of corn that she did, and I felt just fine.

At the very moment, I was sitting in homeroom, waiting for Dara to show up, which I found very odd. As long as I’d known Dara, she had never been late to class, not even homeroom. I wondered what could be keeping her.     

 “Something on your mind, Minji?” someone’s voice dragged me out of my thoughts.

I looked up to see Chanyeol and Kris, sitting themselves down in the desks in front of me.

“Huh?” I looked at them uninterested.

“You looked deep in thought,” Kris said, now turned around in his desk, leaning towards me.

I shook my head. “I was just wondering where Dara was.”

Chanyeol’s head whipped around, like he was looking for her in the not-yet-crowded room. It was still early, and homeroom didn’t fill up until actual class started.

“Is she usually here this early?” he asked. I nodded.

“Always,” I replied. “Is Kai usually always late?” I noticed Kai wasn’t with them, even though it’d been established yesterday, that he too was supposed to be in this class. 

“Let’s not talk about Kai,” Kris suddenly told me and I pursed my lips.

There was something strange about his tone, annoyance maybe, and I wondered if there was something going on between the two of them. In order to avoid any awkwardness, I went ahead and switched topics.

“Did Chanyeol tell you that Bom and I beat him and his friend at the corn eating contest, yesterday?”

Kris smirked and glanced over at Chanyeol. “Oh really, now?”

“Yep,” I said, grinning at Chanyeol who was now scowling at me. “I only did it because he said I was incapable of having fun. Can you believe that?”

Kris looked back at me and simply replied, “Yes.”

My bottom jaw slacked, as my mouth now hung open, causing Kris to release a ed chuckle.

I shouldn’t have been surprised, after all, Kris was the first one to call me “paranoid”. But it bothered me that he wasn’t the only one who had this image of me? So far, Kris had called me “paranoid” and “defensive”. Kai thought I “worried too much” and was a bit of workaholic. And then Chanyeol thought I was practically immune to having fun until I beat him in the corn eating contest.

“The only reason why they won was because Minji and Bom eat like animals,” I suddenly heard Chanyeol say.

My head shot up at him and my eyes narrowed. He smirked and continued to insult me.

“You should’ve seen those two attack that corn. I actually felt bad for the corn cobs. It was like watching feeding time at the zoo.”

 “Don’t be a sore loser, Chanyeol, just because you and your friend weren’t man enough to hold your food down.” I stated, calmly, unaffected by any of his insults. Chanyeol glared at me, but it didn’t stop me. “Yeah, I saw how queasy Xiumin looked having to eat all that corn and how he ran off to go vomit it all up after the contest was over.”

Kris let out another deep vibrato filled laugh.

Suddenly hearing the classroom door open and slam shut, I looked up to see who’d entered and noticed Dara walking soundlessly into the room. I frowned, a little worried by the looks of her physical state. She looked sickly.

Her usually neat and glossy hair, was now thrown up in a messy bun. Her usual bubbly demeanor was somber and withdrawn. Her usually glowing skin now lacked any blood or pigmentation.

Dara sat down in the desk beside me without saying anything and her head immediately slumped onto the table.

“Dara?” I croaked. “Are you alright?”

She turned her head to look at me and nodded, but her head was still lying on the table.

“I just feel a bit under the weather.”

“Oh man, you don’t feel good either?” I wondered aloud. “Bom was sick this morning too. In fact, she had to stay in our dorm room because she felt so bad.”

Although I was no longer paying attention to them, out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Kris and Chanyeol were intently listening in on our conversation. They glanced at one another at the exact same time, the moment I linked Bom’s sickness to Dara’s. I shrugged it off, figuring they were being weird again, like always.

“Why don’t you feel well?” I asked Dara. “Did you see the nurse?”

She shook her head. “I didn’t have time, plus there’s no need to go to the nurse for stomach cramps.”

Chanyeol suddenly started to chuckled and I stared at him, raising a brow, not impressed with his behavior. It’s rude to laugh when someone’s not feeling well.

“Is that what this is all about?” Chanyeol asked Dara, his voice taking on a teasing tone. “Awe, does poor little Dara have a stomach ache?”

I rolled my eyes, and was about to say something, when Dara’s head slowly lifted up to Chanyeol, the desk in front of her.

“Excuse me, but was I talking to you?” she asked, the tone of her voice dripped with acid. Chanyeol’s big eyes widened and he clamped his mouth shut. Dara gestured her index finger between just her and I. “This is an ‘A’ and ‘B’ conversation. You weren’t invited.”

My mouth fell open, in shock, for like, the third time that morning. This was a side of Dara no one ever got to see. She was always so happy that my friends and I often forgot that she had a bit of a temper as well once she was pushed past her tolerance level.

She was giving him a serious evil eye, and I almost had to laugh because I noticed Chanyeol’s ears taking on a crimson shade out of embarrassment.

“I-I’m s-sorry. I d-didn’t mean too…” he started to stutter. I looked at Kris and he just shook his head at his big-mouthed friend now turned babbling fool. “I wasn’t trying to make fun of you. I know all about girl stuff and cramps. I mean, I have an older sister and she…”

“That’s not what I’m talking about you retard,” Dara berated him, slumping her head back on the desk. “I’m not on my period. My cramps are related to my digestion.”

Chanyeol mouthed an “O” before looking at Kris once again and I could’ve swore I saw the corner of his mouth turn up slightly like he suddenly found something amusing, but it disappeared quickly.

Afterward, Chanyeol kept his mouth shut during the rest of homeroom.

* * *

“I know I told you yesterday that I was going to have a seating chart arranged by today,” Ms. Johnson had started Advanced English. “But I decided it was important for me to get to know the class first, so that I can better place each of you. After this first week is over, I will have the seating chart completed, so don’t get too comfortable where you’re at.”

I didn’t really care where I was placed, seeing how I already knew half the class anyway - of course the half I knew were the ladies since the senior guys were still relatively new to me. I was pretty sure that Ms. Johnson wouldn’t place me and Dara anywhere near each other, especially after our run in with her on the first day of class. Still, I would be comfortable just about anywhere.

Ms. Johnson grabbed her clipboard and made her way back to the front of the classroom, leaning against the podium.

“With that said, let’s take attendance.”

While Ms. Jonhson was taking the attendance, it was pretty silent in the classroom, except for when someone shouted out “here!” or the occasional shuffling of backpacks or papers or whatever belongings. When she called my name, I said “present” and returned to minding my own business. However, a very peculiar yet familiar sound dragged me away from my own thoughts.

I swore it sounded like someone just broke wind in the silent classroom.

I looked up and scanned the room for where the noise came from, but it looked like most people tried to ignore it, as everyone kept their heads down. Still, there was snickering coming from a few classmates who couldn’t hold their amusement in (including Chanyeol and Kris) so I knew I wasn’t the only one who heard it.

Next thing I knew, out of the corner of my eye, I noticed a classmate holding her hand up, trying to get Ms. Johnson’s attention. It was Jiyeon, one of my fellow senior companions. We weren’t that close, but we were mutual friends that said “hey” to one another now and again.

Although Ms. Johnson had her eyes focused on the clipboard, she still noticed Jiyeon as well. Jiyeon actually looked rather frantic at the moment as she waved her hand back and forth, with a desperate look on her face.

“Yes,” Ms. Johnson said, stopping taking attendance to respond to Jiyeon.

“Ms. Johnson, may I go to the restroom?” Jiyeon asked in Korean. Big mistake.

Ms. Johnson frowned, not seeming to like what Jiyeon said. She straightened the glasses on her face and told Jiyeon, “I recall telling the class yesterday that this is an advanced English class and that we would be speaking nothing but English from now until the end of the school year. It’s your responsibility to take care of your business before class starts. However, if you translate your question in correct English, then I will consider letting you go.”

I glanced back at Jiyeon whose already large eyes, further widened to the size of flying saucers. Her leg shook like she was in panic mode. I felt bad for her because she looked really desperate to go to the restroom, and I was suddenly reminded of the girls I’d encountered earlier this morning that we rushing to the restroom.

Suddenly, loud banging was heard from the other side of the classroom door and Ms. Johnson looked away from Jiyeon.

“The door is open,” she said loud enough so that the person on the other side of the door could hear her.

The door opened and a tall, russet-toned male entered the room, completely taking everyone’s attention.

Kai.

Oh, so he decided to go on and show up to class today, I thought grumpily.

He ignored the probing stares he was getting and bowed to Ms. Johnson.

“Hello, I’m Kim Jongin,” he introduced. “I’m sorry for being late.”

Ms. Johnson stared back at Kai, blankly, and I suddenly remembered what she said yesterday about him being on her “list”. I couldn’t hide the smirk that was appearing on my face at the very moment. Because he already had a record for tardiness, even though it was only the second day of class, Kai too, was on Ms. Johnson’s list as well, just like the rest of us.

I couldn’t wait to see him try and “charm” his way out of this one. Ms. Johnson was no joke and I’m pretty sure with the way she was looking at him when he walked in, he was going to “get it”.

But boy was I wrong.

“Ah, yes, I know who you are,” she replied in a softer tone than normal. The corner of turned up, catching me completely off guard. Was she smiling at him? Ms. Johnson doesn’t smile! I thought she didn’t know how. “Mr. Kim spoke to me yesterday to explain why you were tardy and I understand. For now, go on and take a seat in any empty desk. After I finish taking attendance, I will give you the handouts you missed yesterday.”

Ms. Johnson then continued on with attendance while Kai turned to the class, scanning for one of the few desks left unoccupied in the classroom. Once he spotted Kris and Chanyeol, he made his way over to the empty desk in front of them and bumped fists with Chanyeol and Kris.

I was watching completely in awe, bewildered at the transformation Ms. Johnson had made once Kai walked in. If she spoke to Mr. Kim, whatever he told her had to explain the inexplicable change in her behavior. I remember meeting Mr. Kim for the first time, and how charming he was. He probably charmed the heck out of Ms. Johnson; thus, persuading her to be nicer to Kai.

Once Kai’s dark pupils landed on me, he smiled and mouthed “hey”. I acknowledged him by raising my eyebrows up and down, before returning my attention to my hands. I really didn’t want to give him any more attention.

Ms. Johnson was interrupted during attendance, once again, when Jiyeon, swished her hand back and forth in a panic state. Jiyeon asked to go to the restroom once again, this time in correct English, and Ms. Johnson finally nodded, letting her go.

In a rush, Jiyeon grabbed her bag off the floor with her, stood up quickly ready to make her exit, but unfortunately for her, that’s when it happened…

Phhhtttttttttt!    

My bottom jaw slacked open at the sound of her breaking wind in front of the entire classroom. The entire classroom went dead silent for a second before the everyone erupted into roars of laughter.

Jiyeon’s normally white face became a flaming red and I thought she almost looked like she was going to cry, clearly mortified by what just happened.

She quickly scuttled her way out of the classroom.

I couldn’t be moved to laugh, especially not after what I saw Bom go through this morning. My heart seriously went out to Jiyeon. I would talk to her later, just to make sure she was alright since everybody else in the classroom didn’t help by howling in laughter.

I looked at Chanyeol, Kris, and Kai and noticed they were giving one another side eyed glances like they were sharing some internal joke that only they knew about. It was strange, but then again, when weren’t they being strange.

And then there was poor Dara on my left, too sick and out of it to even care about what was going on in the classroom at the moment. I rubbed her back to comfort her as her head laid on her desk. Her eyes opened her and she give me a small smile before closing them again.

I had this feeling. I didn't know what it was, but something just didn’t seem right. Eventually, whatever it was, I would get to the bottom of it.