“I took a deep breath and listened to the old brag of my heart; I am, I am, I am.”
—Sylvia Plath, The Bell Jar

"Oppa?"

"Yeah."

Hye Soo's nose wrinkled as she processed the word. Her eyes danced lightly over Jongin and she could feel her cheeks go red. His eyes locked onto her face and he waited patiently for her answer.

"Why should I?" She frowned, "How do you know I'm younger than you?"

"Because your eyes are too innocent," He smiled, "Way too innocent to be my age."

"Innocent? Then what about you?"

"I'm not innocent or bad."

She leaned in closer and narrowed her eyes, "Then what are you?"

Jongin closed the gap and smiled softly, "Just a normal teenage boy who doesn't want to grow up just yet."

"Isn't that everyone?"

"I'm different."

Hye Soo rested her head on the desk and kept staring at Jongin. He copied her position and smiled at her. He glanced every once in a while at the small scar on her lips. She stared at the dark circles underneath his eyes.

"What makes you so special?" Hye Soo muttered, "Are you trying to act cool?"

"No," Jongin sighed, "I'm more complicated than that. I'm not some stereotypical jerk if that's what your wondering."

"And I'm not some stereotypical damsel in distress."

"See?" He smiled softly, "We're different."

"I don't know about that yet," She winked, "I still have to see for myself... Jongin oppa."

"I told you I was older."

Hye Soo sat up and turned back to the board with a shy smile on her face. He copied her move and watched as she began to take notes. Class dragged on before the bell for lunch rang. He stood up and waited for her to follow after him. They walked side by side without saying a word, both trying to figure out what to say.

"How old are you?"

"Huh?"

"I asked," Jongin chuckled, "How old are you?"

"17."

"18."

"So I guess you are an oppa," Hye Soo nodded, "You were right then."

"Right about what?"

"My eyes being too innocent," She winked, "Not bad at all."

"I told you I was right," He stretched, "Not a surprise actually."

Jongin grabbed Hye Soo's hand suddenly and pulled her towards a nearby table. She awkwardly bowed at three boys who were sitting and eating. Their eyes grew curious when they stared at the small girl before noticing his hand tightly holding onto her own.

"Hello," She smiled, "I'm Chae Hye Soo and I just transferred here."

"I'm Do Kyungsoo," A short boy with wide eyes held out his hand.

"And I'm Byun Baekhyun," A boy with a wide smile said.

"And I..." A boy with a deep voice and a mischievous smile said, "Am Jongin's biggest fanboy, Park Chanyeol."

"Yah," Jongin pulled Hye Soo besides him as they sat down, "Who said you could be my fanboy?"

"No one else here wants to take the position."

"I can see why," Hye Soo cracked a joke, "I wouldn't either."

The boys laughed at Jongin's annoyed expression before going back to eating. Kyungsoo handed him his tray and smirked when he shared it with the new girl. He glanced every now and then at the way he hovered around her protectively. It didn't surprise him that much, to be honest. Kim Jongin tended to be quite warm to girls.

Especially pitiful girls.

"How are you liking it so far?" Chanyeol asked, "Besides Jongin being an annoying prick."

"It seems nice," Hye Soo nodded, "Well it is my first day."

"I feel bad for you," Baekhyun sighed, "You got stuck with him before you could run away."

"He seems nice."

"If you say so."

Jongin turned Hye Soo and rolled his eyes as the others cracked jokes. He could see her playing along and her wide smile made his heart race faster. He noticed her gaze shifting and followed it to see a group of two boys enter the cafeteria. He stiffened when he saw the tall blonde boy in front and stared at the table.

"Who is that?"

"Who?" Kyungsoo followed her gaze, "Oh that's..."

"Oh Sehun," Jongin answered, "He's in the same grade."

"Really?" She smiled, "Is that his friend?"

"Yeah," Baekhyun cleared his throat, "Just some other kid."

"Why?" Chanyeol frowned slightly, "Do you know them?"

"No," Hye Soo shook her head, "They just look... different?"

"They're not," Jongin sighed, "Just some ordinary and boring guys."

Hye Soo turned to him and nodded, noticing his dark expression. She went back to her food before glancing up once more. She noticed them sitting on the table opposite side of her. The first thing that caught her attention was a tall blonde haired boy with a stoic face. She could see the wide chest hidden underneath the simple white dress shirt. He turned to look at her with curious eyes before his lips curved into a soft smile. Hye Soo felt her face go red and she looked away, breathing deeply to control her frantic heart.

Lunch went by and the group headed outside for gym. Hye Soo trailed after Jongin and his friends but kept glancing at the blonde boy and his friends as well. She noticed Sehun staring at her every now and then with a smile on his face. Without thinking, she took off her glasses and slipped them inside her pocket. Hye Soo froze when Jongin grabbed her hand and pulled her towards the bleachers.

He forced her to sit down besides him while the others went to play. He stared at Kyungsoo, Baekhyun and Chanyeol who made sure to keep some space between Sehun and his group. He turned back to Hye Soo and waited for her to talk.

"That's Sehun," Jongin muttered, "The short dark haired one is Kim Joonmyun."

"Really?" Her eyes widened, "Do you know them?"

"Somewhat."

She turned to look at Jongin before making some space between them. Her eyes landed on the pack of cigarettes he had in his hand. Without looking at her, he slipped one inside his mouth before lighting it. Smoke blew out of his nose as he turned to look at her. Hye Soo knew that she shouldn't be with him just in case they got caught but it only made her curious. Jongin wasn't lying when he meant that he was different from the other boys. There was no tattoos or piercings on his body. He was well dressed and groomed. But the smoking only made her more confused on who this boy was.

Why did he befriend her?

Why did he seem to get in trouble all the time?

Who was Kim Jongin?

"You shouldn't be doing that, it's bad for you."

"I know. But I can't help it."

"Shouldn't you be afraid?"

"No."

"Let me guess?" She chuckled, "You're not scared of anything huh? Nothing can scare Jongin oppa."

Hye Soo turned back to the field and her eyes landed on Sehun who was sitting in the middle of the field. She didn't realize he was staring back at her before he waved in her direction. She jumped in surprise and looked away, desperate to hide her shy smile. What she didn't notice was Jongin looking at her with a dark expression and sad eyes. He glanced at Sehun who kept playing without glancing back.

"No," Jongin spoke up, "I am scared of something actually."

"What is that?" She glimpsed at him, "What are you afraid of?"

She looked at him with curious eyes before going back to the field. Hye Soo waved at Kyungsoo and Baekhyun who were chasing after Chanyeol. Sehun was closeby and she peeked at him once in a while. Her heart pounded faster and she brushed back her hair.

"You."

"What?"

Jongin stared deeply into Hye Soo's eyes and smiled softly, "I'm scared of you people like you."