Chapter 3 : Complaints

Topping Song Ji Hyo's list of problems is that Oh Se-Hun is her English partner. For the semester project. Even worse, she knows to spite her, Sehun could easily fail that project and still finish with an A at the end of the semester, but Ji Hyo needs this grade. If the brat chooses not to be a nuisance, their project can still fail, because since they are always fighting, how will they ever put the report together?

The sophomore stabs at her rice angrily, imaginging that she is impaling the smirking jerk, "Stupid. Stupid. Stupid." Yeo-Jin chooses not to comment, instead she gently offers her yogurt drink to Ji Hyo. "Thanks..." 

"Don't stress out too much, Ji Hyo, Se-Hun-ssi isn't as bad as you make him out to be." The older girl smiles sympathetically though and that automatically negates whatever she said. Yeo-Jin can read the expressions on her friend's face easily though, sensing the doubt, the girl continues. "If you are worried, I can hel--."

Song Ji Hyo immediately sits straight up, lips in a tight line. "No. You have your own project to work on with Kwang Soo-ah, I can't ask that." Sighing exasperatedly, Yeo-Jin gestures towards Ji Hyo with her free hand. 

"Just try your best then. I'm pretty sure between the two of you, you'll be able to come up with a good project." Ji Hyo cares little about her looks, but she can't help but feel a little envious of her friend for a moment. Yeo-Jin is effortlessly pretty with dark liquid eyes and her pleasant personality meant that her lips were usually upturned in a small smile. It was no surprise to her that Yeo-Jin was so popular, the older girl is considerate and kind to everyone she meets.

Unlike other people.

Glancing up from her rice (which she is still stabbing), her eyes meet his. Both of them immediately shift their gaze down to their lunches with a scowl. Ji Hyo mutters, mouth full of rice, "I hate him so much."

"Sorry, Ji Hyo-ah. Should have went after you earlier, but I thought you had already gone back home." Immediately, Ji Hyo looks back up to meet her sunbae's eyes, Yong-Hwa looks devastated, it is the best desciption, and a wave of guilt washes over her, the feeling that one gets when they kick a puppy. At school, she tries to address Yong-Hwa more formally, it is best since he is older.  

"Ah, Yong-Hwa-sunbae, I wasn't talking about you." She is smiling now, instantly the musician brightens, wrapping an arm around her shoulder. "Did you get to class on time?" He nods, brushing back his brown hair, he sets his guitar down besides him lightly.

"Hello, Yeo-Jin-noona." The older girl smiles in response as she takes a sip of her water. "Yes, I explained that I left my books at my house."

"Ah, sunbae.."

"You know I don't mind, Ji Hyo-ah. How was English--." He quiets, nervously playing with the collar of his shirt. "Oh, not good. What happened, Ji Hyo, do you need any help or...?" Vehemently, the girl in question shakes her head, although she will need all the help she can get to keep her sanity.

"No.. It's just my partner and I.. We don't get along very well and we don't like each other." His eyes harden, Yong-Hwa is opposite of Sehun, opposite of her as well. He is too nice, but he doesn't need to concern himself too much about her, Ji Hyo can deal with her own problems. If she needs help, she will go to the teacher, not burden her friends.

"Who is it-- do you need me to talk to them--?" 

She cuts him off midsentence, "Aish, no. It's Oh Se-Hun, we just don't get along. Jae-Suk-ssem won't let us change partners. So I'm stuck with him." The sunbae continues to frown and Ji Hyo is forced to feign that she's okay with it. "Honestly, don't worry too much, sunbae. I'm going to work with him today, after class."

Yeo-Jin looks up from her book, she's finished with her lunch, and has her textbooks spread in front of her. "At your house or the shop? Are your brothers taking care of it today."

"Aish, it's actually their turn, so I'm just going to study at home with Sehun-ssi, plan things out." Yong-Hwa still looks skeptic, so placatingly Ji Hyo places a hand on his shoulder. "It's fine."

"He's not bad, I have music class with him. Although.."

"Yong-Hwa-sunbae."

"Fine, I won't do anything." Yong-Hwa smiles freely, "If you have any problems, please tell me?" Ji Hyo is grateful for the senior, Sehun and Yong-Hwa stand on opposite sides of the spectrum, she has been close to Yong-Hwa since he moved here, he is considerate and way too overprotective. Sehun she doesn't want to know too well. It is only a project and after that she doesn't want to have to talk to him anything more than the bare neccessity. 

"I know, sunbae." 

"Good." He beams and kisses Ji Hyo on the forehead, she blushes out of embarrassment, as he picks up his guitar and schoolbooks, "I'm going to get going, see you later. Yeo-Jin-noona. Ji-Hyo-ah."

On the other side of the cafeteria, Oh Se-Hun sighs while glowering at the older girl, his partner, from the corner of his eye. He smirks-- Chanyeol slaps him over the head lightly. "Oi, Sehun. What did you do?"

He blinks innocently, "Yes, Chanyeol-hyung? I didn't do anything."

Chanyeol rolls his eyes, he would have pushed the point further if it wasn't for his phone ringing. Abruptly, Chanyeol excuses himself from the table to take a call and Sehun smiles. "Song Ja Hyo" meets his eyes across the room one more time and this time both of them stare each other down. The older girl scoffs, scoffs, and looks back to her friends.

Groanining, Sehun sinks into his seat, he has to work with Ji Hyo-ssi this afternoon on the project. He is not looking forward to it all, choosing to push the thought to the back of his mind, he ignores the older girl and instantly strikes up a convesation with his friend, Baekhyun, who looks curious, but doesn't ask, maybe later Baekhyun will ask.

"English was boring, we have projects."

"Can we pick people from other classes?"

"No."

"Is that why you're sulking, because you don't like your partner?" Tao asks innocently. 

"His silence is your answer." Kai smiles, Sehun lightly elbows Jong-In, but the smirk does not fade.

"Song Ji Hyo."

The traitor, Kai, brightens as does Yixing and D.O., they all speach at the same time. They instantly crowd him, Yixing seems disappointed even, brow furrowed as he leans in. "Ji Hyo-noona?" The other members nod, because Ji Hyo isn't as bad as Sehun makes her out to be, the two just don't get along. 

"I hate you all." Sehun pouts childishly. "She's evil."

"Noona is so nice, I don't know how you guys don't get along." 

"Whatever." 

For the rest of lunch, Sehun sulks in his corner, the attempts of the rest of the group to bring him out of his state of sullenness fall on deaf ears, he all but storms out of the room. At the same time, Ji Hyo stands up and when they walk past each other, they simply glare, before continuing, not giving the other a spare glance. 

He does not get along with Ji Hyo-ssi at all.

. . . . .

Author's Note: 

In which they sulk.