CHAPTER 15

The room all goes silent with only the sound of fan above them. It's freak out all of them when there's a figure in front of the class, watching them hard yet strong that might could burn the skin each of them. You can tell some of them trying not to breath too hard or let out any of voices on their seats. It's such a desolate as if no one was there. Look, how power he is even he seems doing nothing at all.

Yongguk stiffly stands there with one hand in the pocket pants while other, held down a few pieces of papers from their project. Yeah, project. Today is the day where they have to make presentation and apparently, both Yongguk and Yurin was the last one to present after all of their classmate.

Yurin almost face-palmed in the corner of the room. she is with her laptop, and the one will control the screen that showed up in front of the class about their hard working project. It almost ten minutes, but he didn't start it yet or speak anything. She mentally cursed herself off from forcing him to do this. this is going to be a bad idea ever that come out from her, but half part of her still think this idea have a slight good. yeah, in a good way, he could open up to people around him, maybe a bit. So, the best way is communication for him.

Her eyes watches the side of him for some more before bitting on her bottom lips. The pen she is holding in her palm, she squeezes a bit before tapping them down on the table to gain his attention. He shifts and she knows he heard her, and without waiting a second he turns a side then look at her. of course with his poker face.

"Talk, yongguk. talk" She whispers to him from a far. and Yongguk only give her why-should-I-do-that? look. Yurin holds in her breath, trying to calm herself down and she tries to ignore the fact that everyone in their class start to judge them again, which saying they did nothing in their project and it's just a drama and trying to escape from presenting any. Her limit come to the end as she stands up from the chair.

"I will explain" she decided, walking up in his direction. "You just control the screen, Yongguk" She takes the papers in his hand and gaze at him. her voice sounds flat.

He doesn't say anything or impressed by the tense situation, instead he shrugs then walk off to the table when Yurin had left the laptop over it. Yurin makes a sigh. After a few seconds, she starts with a nice introduction and all their classmate become silent again, concentrating over her explanation about their project and the theme they got.

The presentation seems not as easy as she thought. Yes, sure they got high praises from their art teacher and she is going to give them a lot credit to their work and of course Yurin glad it, who would not, right? but the problem is her partner. Yongguk seemed test her patience completely and she totally knows, he did that on purpose;

First, you know, he didn't talk and then he gave her really a hard time during the presentation, where she was about to give description based of the slide she made but before she could even finish them, he changed the next slide ahead, which forcing her to turn to him and make him turned back the before slide, and he did but obviously with a boring look on his face. and the same thing goes on with each slides, turning fast without she could finished it. it's give much tension inside her but she swallow it deep, really deep in her heart.

Yurin wearily steps to yongguk's way, getting back her laptop in her hand. The male still seated there and watch her who is taking the laptop away in front of him before sauntering to her seat. Once she in her desk, Yongguk gets up too with vague smirk on his face that almost didn't see and goes to his seat behind, shoving his hand inside his pants. Mrs kang nods in satisfaction then walk up to her seat back in front where Yongguk just sat a while ago.

Before he walks pass by yurin's table, he stops for a second, titling his head over the girl who is also looking up at him. "I was surprised you could handle it"

"Handle what?" Yurin questioned back, which having two things in her mind, first, handle this presentation by herself or second, handle.. him. He doesn't answer afterward but shrug again before heading to his seat.

Left her confused for a moment.

...

The hall filled up by the goups of students with both girls and boys. Yurin heads off to the canteen by herself while passing them in silent. for a second, her eyes catch a familiar figure among them. her eyes become tiny before they're wide in circle. 

It's her.

Her creature look still fresh in her mind. Long dark hair and milky skin. The girl she had met once that cursed misunderstanding before. Yurin quickly runs after her, don't want to lost her track.

Once she is getting near, her shoulder Yurin touches from behind. The girl startled then turn around.

"Yurin" She frozen in surprised. The way her name escaped from as if she knows her. Of course, she knows. Yurin was the person she hated the most before.

Yurin smiles, "It's really you"

but she just replies her with 'hum' as response, didn't interested.

"Can we talk?" Yurin tries to blind herself and stated her real intention instead.

...

"Why you liked him?" Yurin starts after they found a good place. The girl beside her shift in uneasy, and Yurin guess, probably she in the middle of forgetting him now. She did just how Yongguk told her.

Yurin waits patiently for the girl to answer as tilting her head over the girl who are not looking at her at all.

"Why you want to know? you want to mock me because he rejected me? Or you just-"

"No, I just want to know. that's all. nothing else" Yurin cuts her off and it's true. when it come into yongguk, she is really curious. she really want to figure out, all about him. Yurin squints her eyes down over the girl's lap. The book that she is holding has her name on her cover book. She silently read them. it's unfair only the girl knows her name.

She turns to Yurin, trying to read her expression. Yurin smiles again before nodding once to convince her. For a second, she runs her gaze away, muttering something "No wonder he likes her"

Yurin shakes her head, she heard them clearly. "No, Yongguk doesn't like me"

The girl turn back, lifting her eyebrow before yurin continues, "Look, Gina." Yeah, that's the name she read a minute ago. "I know you don't trust me but, it's fine. it's doesn't matter though. I just want to know because, well you know.." Yurin trailed off, finding herself hard to explain. She takes a deep breath.

"Yongguk's not like others guy in our school, you know how people address him. Bad, rude and problematic."

"it's not true!" She quickly says. Yurin nods.

"He doesn't play nice either to anyone, like doesn't give at all. so, that's why I'm wondering why you liked him, out of all people. why him? it must be a reason, right?" Yurin finally released the breath when she finally could explain all. more detail to make her understand.

Gina remain silent when she got what had Yurin trying to say.

"I thought the same too like others. he was bad, his name has been spreading around in bad way. none of good profile of him come out from people's mouth at all. I know his name but never meet him once in person, so I just shrug off about him, since he didn't bother me." she starts while Yurin listen carefully.

"Until that day" She grips down her books over her lap, "He ran into me and I fell down as effect. I thought that was common thing so I didn't think much, until I look up. it was him. The one who are people bad-mouthing. I was completely freak out and a lot of thing running through my mind that moment, and of course, all negative things." 

Yurin mused for a second, she think she familiar with what Gina told her but, she's not sure. She waits again for her words.

"But all of what I had thought in my mind, flying away. gone when his eyes met mine. I saw something. I saw something in his eyes that hard for me to describe. People around us bad-mouthing him again, saying here and there until he stopped and walk away left me still on the floor. I was still speechless with what I've figured out that I couldn't say anything at the moment" She breathe out, a bit regret.

"What did you saw?" Yurin asks, and now she knows what happened afterward. Gina doesn't need to tell the whole story to her anymore because she was the one popped out after Yongguk left and help the girl and at the same time left her in confused, when Gina didn't finished her words about him.

"I saw.. he seems wanted to help me that time. his eyes telling me he wasn't bad person as everyone thought, but he held in instead left me and it's all begin with those people. they are , they ruin people's life just spreading the rumors and I hate myself for trusting them" She says and, stating the truth.

Yurin didn't surprise, she didn't ever surprise at all with what she said about him, but no words come out of . Yurin also didn't plan to tell Gina that she was the girl help her at the moment because she seems really don't have any idea.

...

After done having her lunch just ten minutes, Yurin walks down the hall again, heading to the classroom. The bell ring just in time as soon as she reached the door. Also, This time, she didn't lunch together with Yongguk, since he was like to be in the class instead. Yurin strolls to her desk before pulling the chair out of the table then sit on it. She tilted her head to the side, throwing her gaze out of the window. The soft wind greets her by slapping her face. 

Her hand automatic brought to her neck, trying to reach something. For a second, she drops down her hand, letting out a deep breath. She used to play that in her fingers whenever she feels calm or something. It's like her habit and now she can't do that again when there's nothing around her neck. She has been looking for it until now. 

Yurin looks behind her and saw yongguk on his desk, writing something, neither probably the homework or poem about his life, well she doesn't know. she gets up from her chair. Their classmate that walk in into their class didn't bother her at all as she head off to his desk. Yurin takes a seat at the empty desk in front of him, facing him.

"Yongguk" She called, but there's nothing come out from the male. He is doing his homework and she know he heard her but he pretend doesn't.

Yurin bites on her inner cheek, having an argue to ask him.

"Yongguk, there's something I want to ask you" Yurin carefully says, glacing over him. Yongguk just nods, as a sign 'go on', allowing her. yurin inhale secretly before open ,

"I have been wondering, if you see my necklace somewhere? Well, there has been my name on it.."she trailed off, waiting for his response. She didn't suspect him at all, that's why she didn't ask him all these past three months. Now, she just trying her luck, asking him once.

Yongguk stops with what he is doing, then musing for a second before nodding. Yurin's eyes wide in disbelief "Really? are you sure?"

He gives her a simple 'hum' this time, still didn't take off his eyes from the books in front of him. "You've dropped in my house"

"Seriously?!" That's have been three months ago yet he didn't mention it at all, Yurin thought. but she still want to remain positive. "You must saw it a few days ago, right?"

"No, I found them after you left my house"

Yurin chokes on her saliva, when he stated with his innocent face. She takes a breath to calm again herself.

"Why you didn't tell me?" She tries to deal with him in kind way. 

"You didn't ask" He lets out another words that burn up Yurin's ears. She force a smile on her face, "Right, I didn't ask" She admits in her grit teeth. She brush off the issue away before opening her palm in front of him.

He raise up his head, frowning, "What?"

"Give me the necklace now" she calmly says,

"I don't have it now" 

Yurin's shoulders slump down, "Then, where?"

"At my house. who do you think I am, to bring your necklace here and there, as if they are important in my life?" He mocking says.

"I didn't mean that way," Yurin gets up then turning the chair back in the original position before turning to Yongguk again, who seems didn't take off his gaze over her now. 

"Wait for me after school, I'll follow you to your house to get back my necklace"