You Wouldn't Understand

Tuesday, 4th February - 11:10

For the students of Gyeongnam Public High School, it was the first day back after winter vacation. Despite the bitter sea air blowing across the snow capped city, everyone was in good spirits after receiving money during the Lunar New Year, and now they were able to catch up with the friends they’d not seen during the holidays. All except for one student. One who neither cared for forging pretentious relationships with her peers, nor got anything beside a headache and a few bruises during the festive break.

Lying on a bench beneath a leafless, low hanging tree, a female student napped despite the subzero temperature. Commotion disturbing her snooze, the girl opened her right eye to take a peek at what was going on. “Perfect...” Humming at the sight of a small rabble of delinquents across the courtyard, she caught her chance when she saw that they were heading for the assembly hall. She had been lulling on that same bench since around ten thirty. Already late by that point, and not wanting to stand through an excruciatingly boring lecture headed by teachers, she had thought waiting it out alone was the best bet. The torture shouldn’t last much longer, so maybe now was the best time to sneak in while the attention was on a bunch of halfwits making noise.

Leisurely pushing herself up into a sitting position, she yawned and scratched the mass of auburn ombre hair skimming the top of her rear. Jumping up with non-existent vigour, the girl picked up her pace and followed the group who were also running late. The female tagging now only a couple of feet behind went unnoticed until the boys reached the door. The tallest member was first to realize that they had company. He paused and stared at her, and she stared back, until the others cut in on the contest.

“Aren’t you that girl,” A second boy squinted at her as he tried to recall. “Kim SanHa?”

The girl’s line of sight slowly travelled to the speaker, but she didn’t seem all that happy about being recognized. Noticing the class pin on his blazer collar, the tall girl glowered. “I’m older than you, show a little respect.” Her voice was light but the look in her eyes accented with black liner didn’t carry the same friendliness.

“What’s your problem?” A boy from the front of the group reached for her, but was sadly mistaken if he thought he could get a grip.

Knocking his hand out of the way, the strange girl narrowed her eyes. “Don’t touch me.” Her words were emotionless. Everything about her was as cold as the mid-winter weather.

“I just wanted to check if they were real.” The boy who was found to be their leader, pointed at her voluminous chest with a cocky smile.

The students standing in the assembly hall were quiet as they listened to the long winded words of their principle. Stood in the centre of the stage, the man in charge placed his hands together as he wrapped up his welcome. “I hope you can all do as well as you did last term.” He glanced to the head of the science department and the shorter man walked up to greet him. “We have some impor-”

The fire doors burst open and clanked when they rebounded off the solid concrete walls behind them. In flew four well-known troublemakers. Staggering and stumbling over each other with their arms flapping, their leader barked as he hit the hardwood floor. “You !”

Popping her head around the frame, the girl examined the horror of the teachers lined up along the same wall. The principle looked as though he was about to have an aneurysm, but that didn’t stop the other students which had previously held a silence to rival the dead from whispering and pointing at the scene.

Noticing the face she was looking for, the odd female held her hand up and wriggled her fingers. “Sorry for being late, Park Seonsaengnim.” For the first time, a Cheshire grin stretched full lips and Kohl lined eyes turned up into crescents.

All eyes shot to the Physical Education teacher wearing a grey tracksuit. On the verge of ripping his perfectly quaffed hair out, the young man stomped past his colleagues trying to hush the sea of curious teens. Slamming a hand down on top of the girl’s head, Park pushed his charge back out into the cold and shut the doors behind him.

15:20

The day was almost over yet the excited buzz of the atmosphere hadn’t died down in the slightest. During this specific period, home-room teachers had taken their classes and instructed them to fill out their mid year goals, along with other paperwork such as updated health surveys and a questionnaire concerning ideas for the upcoming festival. Class 1B was as hectic as it got. The teacher had stepped out to do something and the class president was running around directing her peers on the important balance of work and play, while mini cliques formed over different subjects. At the very back of the room on the last row of seats, a brunet taller than all of his classmates stared out of the window spanning the entire left side of the space.

Stopping in front of said student, a short boy with his hair sticking out in every direction sung. “Earth to Jeon JungKook~” He waved his hand in front of his friend’s face. “Muhh...What are you thinking of with a face like that?” The cheerful lad cringed at the spaced out expression of the boy looking out over the snowcapped courtyard with his chin resting on his upturned palm.

JungKook sighed. It was a hefty sigh that almost took his spirit with it. Turning his head to face the person nagging him, a strange smile brightened his dopey expression. “Say, DongSoo, what did you think about what happened during assembly?”

Taking the chair from the desk in front, the shorter boy turned it around and sat down on it back to front. Resting his elbows on the small worktop, he nodded to himself in thought. “Delinquents should just stay at home so we can learn in peace.” Not receiving and immediate answer prompted him to give his friend a nudge. “Right?”

“Do you not even find her a little cool?” Again, JungKook stared off out of the second floor window and took in the pretty snow scene.

Colour draining from his face, DongSoo choked. “E-eh?” His mouth hung ajar. This was bad. “Don’t you dare tell me you’re talking about that Senior.” Grabbing JungKook’s forearms, he shook them in panic. “Yah, are you listening?”

“She was like the main character of an action manhwa...”

Appalled, the shorter boy frowned. “Are you even listening to yourself, for that matter?”

“The way her hiked up skirt and silky bronze hair danced in the wind...”

“Oi, oi~ what are you saying?” Loosening his grip, DongSoo quirked his brow in disbelief. “There wasn’t even a breeze at that point.”

“And the pretty silhouette backed by sparkling sunlight...”

“It's the middle of winter - it was overcast. You’ve lost your mind.” Shaking his head with a blank expression, the shorter boy flapped his hand. “You do know who she is, right?”

Dragged back by the statement, JungKook snapped his head around to stare at his friend. “And you do?” He nodded upwards, apparently offended.

Turning his nose up, DongSoo flicked his wiry bangs off his face. “Kim SanHa. She was held back for her poor attendance.” Giving a sideways glare, he warned his friend. “She dated Lee YoungJae last year, but then she found out he cheated on her and she beat him up in the boy's bathroom.”

Clicking his tongue off his teeth, JungKook rolled his eyes in disbelief. “You really put too much faith in gossip, you know.”

“I’m just trying to talk some sense into my idiot friend.” He told with an accompanying smack to the taller boy’s head.

Swatting the playful gesture aside, JungKook pouted with a sigh. “You wouldn’t understand.”

Leaning forward in his seat, DongSoo squashed his friend’s face between his hands. “Understand what, that you're freaking crazy for giving that girl a mere second look?”

Shaking his head wildly, the taller boy groaned at the same old behaviour of seemingly everyone around him. “Where’s your sense of adventure?”

Leaning back, DongSoo rubbed his own face in frustration. “I have enough adventure with trying to guess what topics will be covered in our pop quizzes, thank you for worrying.”

“This is high school; we’re supposed to be making memories and putting ourselves out there.”

Staring back at his company with intent, the shorter boy pointed seriously towards his friend’s face, causing JungKook to almost go cross-eyed. “The only thing that’s going to happen to you which is out of the ordinary is that you might lose some teeth when she head-butts you. You don't exactly scream tough-guy, Kookie.”

Tutting, JungKook messed his hair in irritation at not being able to convince his pal. “Don’t be so dramatic. Come on,” Standing up and stretching his arms above his head, the tallest jumped a few times on the spot. “you make her sound like a feral animal.”

“That’s the visual I was trying to paint.” He deadpan. “You really have no idea about reality; you’re delusional.”

“There is something wrong with you. Seriously.” Catching his skewed appearance in the reflection of the window, JungKook fixed his hair and straightened his blazer. “You’re going to look back to these days when you’re an adult and wonder what the Hell you did with your time.” Grabbing the bright red backpack off the back of his chair, JungKook slipped his arm through the left strap. “I won’t be like that.” He wagged his finger and began walking away.

Stuck between two desks and a wall, DongSoo flailed to free himself in order to stop his buddy from doing anything stupid. He clawed at the air, but it was no use - he had been trapped due to three girls moving tables like they were playing Tetris, and a nerd to his left that had been forced to shift out of the way. “Jun-Uh-Yah, where do you think you’re going!”

“I’m going to talk to her.”

Rocking back and forth like a madman, the caged student roared above the high pitched giggles and play-fighting going on across the space. “Holy Hell, are you out of your mind? We still have another hour left.”

Throwing his hand in the air, the tall boy skipped around the back row of seats and towards the door. “I refuse~”

Left by himself, DongSoo slumped. Giving up on trying to get free and contorting his face, the boy muttered to himself. “Don’t come crying to me when she gets you involved with thugs and you end up waking up in an ice bath, missing a kidney.” The student next to him gave him a sidewards look filled with worry. “Shut up, you.” Not even saying anything, the bespectacled loner quickly turned away from the frazzled captive.    

Posted: 10th September 2014 - 20:33
Updated: 17th April 2018 - 11:11