it worked too well; she doesn't remember anything

Byun Baekhyun really hates gym.
He didn’t have any choice but to put it on his schedule, otherwise he wouldn’t be in this insufferable place, sweating and looking like a fool, completely out of his comfort zone.
Worst of all, he is completely alone.
Kyungsoo managed to skip having to take gym by somehow getting into the wrestling team. To do what, Baekhyun can only guess. How did he get in?
It certainly wasn’t Kyungsoo’s body but maybe that demonic glare he sometimes gets in his eyes. And his choking techniques.
Baekhyun bends over with his hands on his knees, gasping for air. He just finished the daily laps for warmup in the beginning of gym. At least they aren’t outside today; the heat is insufferable. Baekhyun’s skinny frame heaves up and down.
Even worse, Jongin and his crew are in his gym class. Baekhyun can feel the smirks boring a hole into the back of his head, and he’s suddenly weak, alone. A lone wolf is harmless to it’s prey, but a pack can bring it down.
Even so, Baekhyun notices with dry satisfaction that even Jongin is breathing hard these days. It gives evidence to his theory; yes, the perfect Kim Jongin is using drugs.
Baekhyun would never use drugs. After all, his voice is all that he has.
Suddenly, there’s pressure on his lower back and Baekhyun sprawls forward, arms flying up to shield his face as he crashes into the group like a sack of potatoes, going limp. The gym is suddenly silent, and Baekhyun covers every inch of his face with his arms so that they can’t see the flushed embarrassment on his face.
“Oops, sorry. I think I hit the volleyball too hard.”
That’s right. Today is volleyball day.
Baekhyun’s mind is in turmoil. Should he be sassy like usual, or keep quiet, which is completely unlike him? Baekhyun doesn’t really feel confident, though; sports and physical activities are out of his domain. He feels out of place here, while Jongin seems to be at home.
Then he feels a sharp pain in his ribcage as something blunt stabs into it. There’s a thump as someone else lands across his body with an oomph as air left both of their lungs.
“You’re so fat that this poor runner couldn’t even jump over you if he tried.”
Baekhyun hides his face deeper into his arms because he can feel the whole gym trying to hold in their laughter.
At the same time, Baekhyun feels a rush of unfair hatred towards whatever idiot had fallen on top of him. He knows it’s not that person’s fault entirely; it’s definitely Jongin’s fault. But Baekhyun has never been in this kind of situation before, and he’s ready to lash out at anyone.
The person in question pushes himself up on his elbows, squashing Baekhyun’s back into a pulp as he does so. He can feel the boy’s breath in his hair and Baekhyun wants to dig a hole and die in it.
“I’m so sorry... must have dozed off while running... sorry... can I help you?”
Baekhyun wants to snap, “No! Just go away!” but his mouth refuses to move.
Then the weight is gone and a soft but firm voice is talking.
“What are you staring at? Is falling such a godly event that you have to waste time looking? Wait, keep looking. You’ll rarely see someone fall in your life.”
Which is exactly how Baekhyun would’ve reacted had he not been the one tasting the centuries old dirt of old gym shoes.
The pressure lifted off of Baekhyun’s back as he felt the stares and attention retreating. Someone shook his shoulder and the same voice asked, “Can you stand up?”
Baekhyun slowly lifted himself onto his elbows then sat up, head tilted forward so that he was staring at his hands clenched on the ground. His bangs hid his face from view.
A quiet laugh greeted his ears. “I know you’re Byun Baekhyun-ssi. In fact, I think everyone recognizes you. It’s your fault for being so loved. It doesn’t matter to me.”
Baekhyun looks up into a pair of brown pupils set in sharply angled eyes.
“You did manage to trip poor Yixing, but I suppose that’s his fault as well,” she continued, small lips curving. “He shouldn’t wander off while running.”
“Sorry,” Yixing muttered.
Baekhyun thinks the girl looks familiar, the voice sounds familiar. Then he realizes that she is in his choir class, and her audition had just been the other day. He flushes as he thinks about how different he is then and now.
Kim Minseok. He remembers her name.
“Anyway, be more careful. I think Kim Jongin-ssi has it out for you.”
Baekhyun remembers to stand up when the coach blows the whistle to start volleyball.

School is going pretty well for Luhan.
He’s got himself into what seems to be the popular group, after discarding Minseok and Yixing, who he only used to get used to the new school.
(He tells himself that he doesn’t miss easily chatting in Chinese with Yixing or Minseok’s slightly accented but cute Chinese in her soft voice. He tells himself that it’s just a stomach ache when he punches Yixing and when Minseok walked away from him, even though Luhan’s never gotten a stomach ache before)
It all has to be done. After all, happiness is only achieved through others. You’re happy if others love you. Even if the people you stepped on resent you, it’s all worth it for the majority.
It was simple after Luhan passed initiation. Luhan has the right looks, the right personality (actually, Luhan has a variety of personalities to choose from; he’s already lost where his true one is), and he can hold a tune.
And so Luhan became part of the “pretty boy singers” led by Byun Baekhyun and Do Kyungsoo.
They don’t accept just anyone, Luhan realizes. Apart from him, there’s only Kim Joonmyeon. Joonmyeon is a legend; the only son of one of the two biggest companies; the Kims and the Ohs. He only shows up at school when he feels like it, even though the Ohs own the school. The teachers all excuse him, since he gets perfect grades and even keeps up with homework.
The first time Luhan meets Joonmyeon is a week after he first started school in Korea.
When he walks up to Baekhyun’s locker, there’s a note on it. “Luhan- meet @ locker 483”
Baekhyun waves him over when Luhan appears in the hallway, and Kyungsoo is there but there’s also someone Luhan doesn’t recognize.
“Luhan! Meet Joonmyeon-hyung. He’s a year older than us; a junior. Hyung, this is Luhan. He’s new from China.”
“Nice to meet you, sunbae-nim,” Luhan says, bowing.
“Don’t call me that,” Joonmyeon says, and there’s a sort of sparkle in his eyes. He’s a bit short, and very pale, with smart looking hair and a smart looking face in general. “Just call me hyung. I’m glad that Baek and Soo have found a new friend. It’s very rare.”
“Hyung!” Baekhyun protests, and Luhan blushes, pleased.
“Anyway, don’t mind them too much. They’ll say what they want, but in the end they’re good kids.”
Luhan’s smile fades at that.
He wonders if he’s a good kid as well. Probably not.

Oh Sehun is late for school, but he could care less.
His father, or adopted father, owns the school, anyway. There’s no way he could get into trouble.
Sehun uncrosses his long legs and crosses them again the other way, elegantly turning the page in his magazine.
He can hear the ladies cooing from behind their hands as he takes off his sunglasses for a second to polish them, then slipped them back onto his sharp nose. To them, he looks like a rich twenty year old businessman.
Sehun is a businessman. A soon to be businessman. But he most certainly isn’t twenty years old.
Nope. Oh Sehun is only a freshman in high school. A mere fourteen year old boy. But he looks much more mature, is much more mature than your typical stuttering freshman.
And even though Sehun is only fourteen years old, each one of those years counts for more than two of an average person’s. Because Oh Sehun is not average. He is a god.
Oh Sehun could care less about being on time to school. He’d go when he wants to.

It’s time for Cross Country practice and Minseok and Yixing need a group but everyone is moving with a sense of purpose and they’re left out like spinach served with pizza.
Minseok turns to ask the nearest person if they have a group but someone slings their arm around the person’s shoulders and her words die in .
Then a waving hand and a shout catches her attention and she looks up to see a familiar giant jogging over, toting a Kim Jongin.
“Minseok! Minseok! Let’s be groupies!” Chanyeol says, grabbing Minseok’s hand.
“I’m with Yixing, too,” she says.
She watches Jongin’s expression carefully. There is a flicker of something unreadable behind his eyes before he blocks it away like pulling the curtains closed on a window and then his expression is carefully controlled.
Yixing doesn’t react either, his perpetually lost expression still in place.
“Perfect! Four,” Chanyeol says.
When Minseok looks at him questioningly, he leans down and says in a very loud whisper, “I decided that the problem is that you don’t know Jongin! So if you two become friends, then you can help me get Jongin and Yixing to be friends again.”
“I can hear you,” Jongin says sharply.
Chanyeol only laughs, eyes widening innocently. “What are you talking about, man?” He asks, slapping Jongin so hard on the back that Jongin steps forward a few feet. “Come on, let’s get ready.”
Minseok’s “friendship” with Chanyeol is going to kill her someday.

Kim Joonmyeon watches Baekhyun sweat over the roles for the school musical.
“What’s the big problem?” Joonmyeon finally asks. “Just put yourself and Soo as the mains, then choose some pretty girl.”
“It’s just...” Baekhyun falters. “I’m not sure if we should be the mains this year.”
Joonmyeon’s eyes widen with surprise. Baekhyun had never doubted himself before. And he had a reason not to. Their school pretty much lacked decent singers.
“Listen to this, hyung,” Baekhyun said, reaching forward and pressing play on his iPad.
“You recorded them?” Joonmyeon asks in surprise. Baekhyun shushes him and Joonmyeon leans forward to watch.
There’s a student on the screen. Joonmyeon’s first impression is that the student looks distant, as if he was only watching everything from somewhere far away. It all changes once he starts singing.
His voice is clear, strong, and rich. His lips curve up almost as if unconsciously, and he looks free. Joonmyeon stares, entranced, until he realizes that it’s over and the student is back to observing his own life.
“He’s really good, hyung. I think... I think he’s better than me.” Baekhyun says.
Joonmyeon looks thoughtful. “We should give him a chance,” he says. “If he doesn’t act well, you can just take over in the end. Have you decided the girl?”
“Well...” Baekhyun looks hesitant. “I was thinking... but I’m not sure if it’s right...”
He grabs his iPad and brings up another video.
Joonmyeon freezes when he sees her face, and time seems to stop for a moment as memories rush through him.
It can’t be her. It’s been so long; there’s no way. They confirmed it and everything...
But she looks the same. Round, not as round as before, but with the same eyes, same eyebrows, same small nose and small lips. And Joonmyeon scolds himself because how could he have never noticed her after going to the same school, for goodness sake?
Baekhyun presses play and time goes back to normal again.
She has a beautiful voice, small but pretty and clear. Joonmyeon remembers how she used to hum when she thought no one was looking. Then he remembers the terrified look on her face-
He brings himself back to the present with a shake of his head.
There’s no way it’s her. They just look similar, that’s all. Besides, even if it is her, they’re enemies now. And Joonmyeon can’t have anything to do with her.
Joonmyeon looks up, surprised, when the girl’s voice cuts off abruptly.
“Is she not a good choice?” Baekhyun asks.
“No. She’s perfect. I mean... yeah, she’s alright,” Joonmyeon stutters. Baekhyun raises his eyebrows because this is Kim Joonmyeon and Kim Joonmyeon never stutters.
Joonmyeon barely hears Baekhyun’s “alright”. His mind is in turmoil, telling himself that it’s not her, that he shouldn’t hope, can’t hope.
They’d confirmed her death. He’d seen it with his own eyes.

When Minseok arrives home, Ryeowook is sitting at the table.
It’s been so long since the two have talked to each other that Minseok just stands there in the doorway, schoolbag in hand, not knowing what to do.
Ryeowook clears his throat. “Uh... why don’t you change... I’ll, uh, make some food...”
Minseok nods and walks off silently to her room.
Ryeowook fans himself as he prepares rice. It’s getting really hot, and he still has no clue what he should say to Minseok. He can’t exactly tell her to ignore Sehun, because then she would just notice him more. He can’t tell her the truth, that he knows for sure.
Suddenly, he feels a gust of cool air hitting him from the side. He turns around, surprised, to find Minseok fanning him with one of those plastic fans the gave away at public events. This one just happens to have a picture of a charismatic Sehun on it, and Ryeowook feels himself sweat more instead of feeling cool.
“Thank you, but it’s okay,” Ryeowook says. Minseok lays the fan down on the table, not even glancing at the picture.
It’s silent as Ryeowook chops and stirs. Finally, he sits down with the food on the table and Minseok across from him.
“Eat,” he says, because she looks way too thin.
Minseok dutifully eats, unconsciously smiling at the homecooked food. Ryeowook finds himself smiling as well. Finally, Minseok looks up at him, swallowing.
“Why are you here?” She asks. Ryeowook feels a lump rise in his throat. “I mean, you don’t usually stay...” Minseok says, trying to explain.
“I guess...” Ryeowook says. It’s true that Ryeowook never stays just to stay. He always has something important to say.
He glances down and his eyes land on the picture of Sehun on the fan. He holds it up for Minseok to see.
“Do you see this person?” He asks her. Minseok nods, but no spark of recognition lights up her eyes. “Do you know who he is?” Minseok just shakes her head. Ryeowook is mildly surprised, but relieved. “Okay. His name is Oh Sehun, and he’s the son of the Oh company.” Minseok just nods some more. “Do you know the Oh company?” Please don’t know. He sighs with relief when she shakes her head. “They’re really big. And really rich.” Somewhere deep inside, Ryeowook hurts because it worked too well; Minseok remembers nothing. “Anyway, the point is to stay away from him.”
“Why?” Minseok asks, amused. “Is he a dangerous criminal?”
Ryeowook is taken aback. “Of course not! It’s just... rich boys aren’t good for young girls like you. Just... just don’t talk to him, okay?” He asks. “Please?”
“Alright, if it matters this much,” Minseok says, gobbling down some more rice.
Just then, Minseok chokes and dry heaves, her face turning slightly green.
“Minseok?” Ryeowook asks, panicking.
Minseok stumbles over her chair on the way to the bathroom.