✽ ser • en • dip • i • ty [ser-uh n-dip-i-tee] (n.)

"the faculty of making fortunate discoveries by accident"

1

Kyungsoo liked the morning rush. From all around him, people moved about in a sort of organized chaos, each person busy with his own routine and problem. Nobody paid much attention to anyone else, all focused solely on the goal of getting to their destinations early. This is exactly the reason why Kyungsoo loved morning rushes. Nobody notices him, nobody looks at him, nobody moves away from him. During morning rushes, Kyungsoo becomes one with the crowd, and it was also during morning rushes where he felt like he belonged.

Leading a quiet and friendless life was, surprisingly, not that bad in Kyungsoo's opinion. Maybe it was because he hadn't experienced friendship yet so he didn't really know what he was missing on, but nonetheless, it was okay for him. He wasn't exactly happy, but he was afraid of being happy, too, because he fears that too much happiness will attract an equal amount of sadness, so he doesn't dare look for it. Besides, he was genuinely already satisfied with the love and care he receives from his parents, so doesn't really want to be greedy and look for more.

The sun was already starting to colour up the skies in warm orange and pink hues as Kyungsoo finished packing up his schoolbag. It would be the start of another three years in high school, but this time, he was attending senior high school. A fresh start for all of the kids in his level, but for him, not so much. As usual, he'd just stay in the sidelines while he studied real hard to get into a good college which has a good psychology major.

He carefully stepped out of his room and closed the door with a quiet click. His parents were still asleep, and he had no plans of waking them up at six in the morning. He made his way to the kitchen to prepare himself some lunch for the day as the school he had gotten into, Kitahoro High School, didn't really have a large cafeteria.

Putting his packed lunch in his bag, he slung it over his shoulder and made his way out of their house. The chilly morning air touched his face gently, sending a shiver down his spine. He pulled his jacket closer to him, and he finally went on his way to his new school. It was only a few blocks down from his house, anyway.

As the early rays of sun painted the skies, Kyungsoo watched as students gradually filled the streets, all looking sleepy and grumpy as they walked towards the school. It amused Kyungsoo that even though the students complained about schoolwork and anything related to school, they still went to it. Feeling himself smile as he saw one girl almost falling asleep as she walked, he shook his head gently before proceeding to walk, too. Nobody paid him attention, and he liked it that way, really.

"Excuse me, uhm...do you know where Kitahoro High is? I mean...we're wearing the same uniform and..."

Kyungsoo turned around as he felt someone touch him on the elbow, and he kind of regretted the way he flinched as if he got burned. The boy, who seemed to be the same age as him and was wearing the same uniform, looked alarmed as if he had done something wrong, and he quickly bowed his head down.

"Oh, s-sorry! I was just..." He trailed off, and Kyungsoo waved his hands dismissively, mustering up enough courage to actually talk. He's not really used to talking to people.

"N-no, it's okay...uhm...I-I just got surprised, is all...K-Kitahoro High's that way..." Kyungsoo meekly pointed at the school's direction, and the boy with the slightly tanned skin followed where his finger was pointing.

The boy turned back to him, and suddenly gave him a smile. Kyungsoo felt his mind go blank at how perfect the smile seemed.

"Thank you! I hope to see you around school, then...and I'm sorry for surprising you." He grinned sheepishly, and Kyungsoo just stared at him.

He watched as the boy moved ahead, jogging lightly towards the school. Soon enough, a tall boy joined him, slinging an arm over his shoulder and really looking chummy and close. Kyungsoo kind of envied the taller boy, because he liked how the tanned boy made him feel. All fluttery and light and happy. Kyungsoo tried to remember when was the last time he felt like this, and he realized that the only time he had ever felt like it was when he got a puppy for his eighth birthday.

Suddenly, the school clock chimed, the sound reaching Kyungsoo's ears. It snapped him out of his thoughts, and images of a perfect smile and a pair of warm brown eyes escaped his mind as he started running to school.

~ ✽ ~

"Oh, it's that creepy kid from junior high!"

"Damn, I don't want to sit next to him. My friend sat next to him during an exam, and he failed."

"His eyes are so...huge."

"Isn't he a 'Do'? Ugh, I'm a 'Cha'. I might be placed next to him if we go alphabetical."

Kyungsoo didn't even bother hiding the deep sigh that escaped his lips. He really didn't expect anything to change, but maybe he hoped, even just slightly, that things would change. That maybe, people would grow less narrow-minded and realize that he's not the kid from that Japanese horror film, nor would he cause them to fail in their exams. That was solely their faults for not studying.

He weaved through the seats in the room, and chose to stand at the back. The teacher would soon arrive, anyway, and arrange them into their proper seats for the first semester. Hugging his bag closely to his chest, he leaned on the window and kept his attention on some random birds perched on the tree just in front of their room.

He didn't really realize when the teacher came in, but he did, and when Kyungsoo got his attention on the teacher, the tall male was already in the middle of his introduction speech. His name was written on the board. Wu "Kris" Yifan. He was of Chinese descent, and he spent a considerably long time in Canada. Kyungsoo could only focus on the way his gums showed when he smiled. It was a little amusing, really, and Kyungsoo couldn't help but smile a little.

"--so it'd do you all well to listen to my lectures, and-- yah, you there. At the back. Why are you standing? And what're you smiling about?" He narrowed his eyes at Kyungsoo, and Kyungsoo swallowed nervously, shaking his head and staring at his feet.

"Kris-sonsaengnim, he's the creepy kid from junior high, Do Kyungsoo?"

"Oh, that kid...well, creepy kid or not, you're all losers in my eyes so whatever. Do! Sit down on seat number 4. Hurry up!" He barked, and Kyungsoo scrambled to his feet, hurrying to his newly assigned seat.

He slumped down on the chair, eyes glued on his desk. No matter how used he already was to the label that people tagged on him, it still hurt him, especially the way they looked at him as soon as they heard it. He quietly hung his bag on the little hook at the side of the table, and when his eyes fell on his new seatmate, he gasped out loud.

"What is it now, Do? Are you volunteering for class president?" Kris asked, and Kyungsoo's eyes widened, getting confused.

"Uhm, I-I wasn't..."

"Good! So now, we have a class president. He'll be the one in charge of collecting your works and delivering them to the faculty room." Kris explained, and one of the girls raised her hand.

"Saem, we should just pick Oh Sehun again as the class president. He was an okay president last year, you know?" She suggested, and a collective hum went across the room as she pointed at a blond boy sitting two seats away from Kyungsoo's right.

"Alright, alright, whatever. So the vice president..."

"I volunteer Kim Jongin, sir!" Kyungsoo turned to the front of the classroom, where a short, pretty boy was grinning mischievously, his hand raised in the air.

"Who the hell is Kim Jongin? Come on, guys, it's the first day. I don't know any of you."

"The one who's currently glaring daggers at me and is sitting beside Do Kyungsoo." The pretty boy chirped happily, and Kyungsoo turned to look at his seatmate. He was currently growling at the pretty boy.

"Byun Baekhyun, I will skin you." He mumbled, and Baekhyun rolled his eyes.

"Okay then, nobody else is volunteering, then Kim Jongin it is! A round of applause for these brave and unknowing souls that volunteered to become public servants." Kris flashed them a wide smile, and Kyungsoo could only stare at him with wide eyes.

"Shut up, Kris! Stop talking like you don't know me!" Jongin interjected, and Baekhyun laughed. Kris rolled his eyes.

"Yah, you brat, I'm your teacher on school grounds. Respect me."

"In your Canadian dreams, you ." Jongin spat back.

Kyungsoo was really getting confused. Everyone was laughing at Jongin and Kris' exchange, and they all seemed to know each other, but all he could think about was how Jongin was the same boy with the pretty smile that morning,  how he was apparently his classmate and seatmate, and how he felt so out of place in class 1-B. All he could do was sit back down and look out the window, sighing in disbelief.

This wasn't really what he expected to happen on the first day of his senior high school.

_{a/n: inspiration's back at full force so i managed to update three fics in a week! hurrah hurrah~ ♥ an introductory chapter of sorts. it's so ew but yeah, i hope it's okay~ and lol they're in seoul but their school is kitahoro pffftttt}