Chapter 7 : Kidnapping His Bag

If his eyes could shoot lasers, Jong Suk’s face will be nothing but holes by now. It has been more than three hours and yet that pair of eyes still ogles him. Did I possibly make a bigger mistake? Jong Suk thinks as he jots down the teacher’s notes before they are erased. Woo Bin doesn’t seems to care about the notes or the fact that Ms Jung is warning them about an essay that is due next Monday, in fact his eyes don’t even seem to blink anymore as they focus intensely on Jong Suk’s face. It is making him feel uncomfortably self-conscious.

Jong Suk focuses his attention solely on Ms Jung’s voice, hoping it’ll shatter his self-consciousness.

“You all know ‘The Memoirs of Lady Hyegyŏng’ right?” Only a few heads from the front row nods, but no one answers the question and Jong Suk assumes it is a rhetorical one.

“Lady Hyegyông's memoirs are a unique record of this extraordinary incident and the ensuing political turmoil as they were seen through the eyes of an ill-fated crown princess” she pulls in a quick breath and carries on “the author unveils a lively portrait of a royal family just as flawed, and thus as human, as any other family.” She pauses and claps her hands to get everyone’s attention before she says the most important part “Now, I want you to read the first 100 pages and write an essay on how the author achieves this go—” her voice is overtaken by the overwhelming groans and hisses of disagreements booming in the room. It should be easy for Jong Suk. The book is one he has read a thousand times before.

He notes down the title of the essay but Woo Bin’s scrutiny doesn’t go unnoticed for long as Jong Suk’s attention is distracted once again. Jong Suk feels the unwanted gawking burning into his cheeks. He is sure he is turning red now. Why is he staring at me like that? Does he want to say something? He stops writing and turns to face Woo Bin. He can’t take it anymore; his face burns with the blood gushing into his brain, his heart thumps with slight embarrassment that he can’t really understand.

“I—Is something the matter?” He finally breaks the silence between them. Ms Jung is scribbling down something on the board and half of the class has gone back to their dream-lands. He waits for an answer, not really sure if he will ever get one. When he is about to turn to the front Woo Bin speaks in a low tone.

“Yes” he says, eyes never leaving Jong Suk, “You look ugly”

“What?” he thinks he has heard it wrong. Woo Bin couldn’t possibly be that immature right? But the smirk spreading across his face, like a virus, says otherwise.

“Way too ugly,” he says, stretching the word ‘way’ “it pollutes my eyes,”

What? What is his problem! Does he really have to be this unbearable? Jong Suk’s cheeks heat up immediately, not with embarrassment anymore, but with anger. He looks square in the eye and says “Then face the other way.”

“Why should I? I always face this way,”

I don’t care you jerk! Just stop glaring at me. But he doesn’t say it out loud. He doesn’t let the rage boiling inside him surface either. Instead, as calmly as possible, he whispers, “Well, then close your eyes,”

“I don’t want to.”

What are you? A kid?! For god’s sake stop acting like a five year old. He really wants to say it out this time, but it won’t do him any good. The last thing he wants is this stupid little argument to go physical. He scoots closer to the window, creating as much of a gap between them as possible. Well, there goes the goodness of changing seats with a dinosaur.  

“Then stop complaining,” Jong Suk whispers, making sure that no one is paying attention to them. He shuffles through his pencil-case, searching for a marker pen to highlight the important bits for the assignment.

“I didn’t,” Woo Bin mutters “you just asked me a question and I just answered honestly.”

Oh for god’s sake! Alright, you honest little dinosaur, now quit it. Jong Suk shakes his head lightly as he looks to the front. If Woo Bin is going to keep this up, then he is going to be the mature student like he is and ignore him. He starts scribbling down whatever that was on the blackboard without really paying much attention to it and shifts on his chair. His right knee is hurting again, but he doesn’t dare get up to stretch. He doesn’t want all the eyes focusing on him, attention is one thing he hates the most, or rather he fears the most.   

Woo Bin doesn’t stop staring at him and he can’t help but wonder if his face is some kind of a painting Woo Bin is trying to read. The lesson passes by way slower than usual, perhaps because Jong Suk is being conscious every second, either way, finally the bell rings after what seems like an eternity. He wonders how people in jail are feeling and he is sure he doesn’t want to know.

He closes his notebook, tosses his writing utensils back into his pencil-case and zips it up before straightening to his feet. Finally he can have some peace in mind, or so he thinks, digging his bag for the lunch money.

Woo Bin jerks to his feet, snatches the bag from Jong Suk and stuffs everything into it.

“What are you doing?” Jong Suk watches him with confusion as he slings the strap over his shoulder. What kind of childish game is he playing now? “Why are you—” before he could say anything else, Woo Bin gives him one short gaze that he can’t read the meaning of, and darts out of the class.

“Where are you taking my bag?” Jong Suk runs after him instinctively. His money and his key are all in that bag and without that he won’t be able to get home or give a satisfying treat for his rumbling stomach. “Ya, Kim Woo Bin!” he practically shouts when Woo Bin hurries down the side walk heading toward the back gate. He can’t keep up with Woo Bin’s long strides so he jogs after him, wondering if he should snatch the bag, which he also knows won’t be possible without a good fight given Woo Bin’s strength. He finally stops by the cherry tree next to the head-high brick wall.

“What are you doing?” Jong Suk asks again, though clearly knowing that it’s useless.

Woo Bin strips the bag off his shoulder and grins, one mischievous grin that says all he wants to hear.

“Oh no, you won’t—” but he did. The bag was hurled over the wall and the next thing Jong Suk hears is it crashing onto the ground on the other side. He glare at Woo Bin, clearly that was not necessary if all he wanted to do was bully him; he could have done it in a different way, like calling him ugly or slamming his shoulder until he fall on the ground or something like that.

What am I going to do now? I can’t go back to the class without my bag…he turns to Woo Bin, who is squatting on the ground, his hands on the wall. What is he doing now?

“Why did you—”

“Get on.” he commands.

“What?”

“I said get on.” he seems to lose his patience and that’s something Jong Suk really doesn’t want to see. Because a patience-less Woo Bin is like a hungry T. Rex and he has heard him scream like one just a few days ago in the bathroom.

Although he is unsure as to what to do, he still scoots close to the dino. “Y—you want me to get on your back?” he asks hesitantly, praying it is not what Woo Bin is saying.

“No you genius, I want to you get on a flying carpet so it can fly you to the other side of this wall!” He raises an eyebrow, giving Jong Suk a look that says ‘hurry up’. Without another word he plants his foot on Woo Bin’s shoulder, quite content that at least he gets to stomp on this rude guy. He leans slightly on the wall, trying to clutch on the flat bricks instinctively as Woo Bin stands up.

“Y-Ya…I’m gonna fall!” he yells, as he tries to steady his wobbling self, desperately hoping that Woo Bin isn’t planning to plunge him on the ground once he has lifted him up.

“Pipe it down will you!” Woo Bin hisses, “You won’t fall down. Now climb on to that freaking wall!” Jong Suk can hear him grunt under the heavy pressure on his shoulders. Serves you right! Jong Suk snickers inwardly as he pulls himself up on the wall. He sits there peeking at the ground below. He can feel his knees weaken at the height. Do I have to jump down? On a second thought, it doesn’t matter if he doesn’t have his bag. He can just wait until he goes home to calm his hunger and he can burrow some papers and pens from Hyoyeon. Yes, that’s a much smarter idea, he concludes before turning around carefully, hoping to hop back onto Woo Bin’s shoulders and climb down. But it’s too late; Woo Bin has already crawled up and is swinging both his legs over to the other side.

“Wait!” Jong Suk screams, clutching tightly onto the wall with all his might. His body has gone cold with a scraping feeling as if icicles are scratching the surface of his bones.

“What?” A smirk widens Woo Bin’s face and Jong Suk can’t help but notice how ugly he looks right now. “Are you going to chicken out now?”

God, as much as he wants to punch the guts out of this guy, he really is chickening out and he doesn’t care how sissy he looks with his arms shuddering like he is experiencing a quake, he just wants to get down from this freaking place. Why the hell did I climb up in the first place?

Woo Bin giggles as he jumps off as if he is just skipping over a bush.

“Here,” he says, patting on his shoulders still bearing Jong Suk’s foot marks.

He curses inwardly for his own foolishness as he squeezes his eyes shut, trying to calm his quaking heart. He slides down gently, reaching for Woo Bin’s offer.

“How am I supposed to go back in?” he asks when he finally registers that in an hour his next class is beginning.

“You don’t,” Woo Bin says simply, “Now hurry up.”

Jong Suk picks up his bag from the floor and dusts it off before throwing it over his shoulders. He takes one last look at the wall—no way he’s climbing that again. With the final decision made he follows after Woo Bin.

Is there something wrong with Woo Bin? Why is he dragging me with him? Is he going to kill me and throw into a back alley or something? He gives himself a metal shake; don’t be silly he assures.

Jong Suk slows down when they turn left from the main street. Isn’t this the way home? He looks at the boy walking ahead of him.

“Are we going home?” he finally asks, but as expected no answer.

Woo Bin halts when they get to their home, he stops by the gate and turns around to face Jong Suk.

“Go home and don’t go out” his voice holds firmness and he is not asking, he is commanding. “No matter what,” he says, “DO NOT GO OUT.”

Well it’s not like there is anywhere else Jong Suk can go anyway. He sighs and unlocks the door. Woo Bin waits for Jong Suk’s retreating back figure to disappear out of his sight before walking back down the road.

***

Jong Suk slips out of his uniform and takes a warm bath. Once done, he changes into a pair of jogging pants and plain black t-shirt before shuffling down to the kitchen in search for food.

He makes himself a sandwich and picks up a box of orange juice before heading back to his room.

He places the plate on the night stand and digs through the stack of books in search for something to read. Might as well do the assignment, he thinks as he picks up ‘The Memoirs of Lady Hyegyŏng’.

He still can’t understand why Woo Bin wanted to drag him home so early. Perhaps he hates seeing me in school so he wanted get rid of me? That is a possibility, he concludes as he flips on to the first chapter.

But if all Woo Bin wanted to do was get rid of me, then why did he follow me here? It makes no sense to him. If he wanted to go back to school then he could have just climbed back up and he knows Jong Suk can’t get back in without his help. But why did he come all the way here and then go back? Where did he go?

It is not an unusual thing for him to disappear like this. In-fact it has almost become a normal routine now; in the five days he has spent in this house, there was not a single day he saw the dinosaur boy stay at home. He always leaves home in the mornings, but doesn’t go to any of his classes and only return after the darkness has swallowed up the skies. Jong Suk sometimes wonders where he is gone…perhaps a friend’s house? Gaming out? Hanging out in the city centre? Doing some teenage stuff like getting into fights and smoking? But that couldn’t be…because Jong Suk hadn’t seen a single scratch on that perfectly smooth looking face of his. He shakes away the thoughts of the dinosaur boy off his mind and focuses on the book in his hand.

He doesn’t feel the time pass until the darkness devours the last bit of evening sun. He glances at the wall clock; almost 7:30pm. He clamps the book shut and toss it onto the night stand, wondering if Woo Bin is coming home for dinner.

He is about to climb out of his bed when the door to his room swings open. It slams on the hinges and reflects back. Jong Suk slips into his slippers and steps toward the door. That’s when he notices the dinosaur boy wobbling into the room, with his back facing Jong Suk he clicks the door shut.

Jong Suk gasps when he sees the bloody face looking at him at the door. He watches the dinosaur boy trying to shuffle across the room, but before he could lift his weight onto his other foot, he collapses on the floor. Jong Suk darts across their room and slings his arms beneath the collapsed boy’s armpits lifting him with all his strength. But he fails and both of them plunges back to the floor.

AN: (^_^) How was it guys? I feel like I'm moving this too fast!