You're with Sehun again. Since your day has ended early, you and Sehun are strolling along the food market near your school on the way home. You're waiting for Sehun to get the sausages he ordered when your phone rings. It's an unknown number.

"Hello?" you warily answer.

"Where are you?"

"Who are you?"

"Mr. Byun." You think you heard a scoff but you think it might just be a crackle over the line.

"Why... are you calling me?" Sehun turns to you when he realises that the questions you're asking the caller are a little unusual.

"We're supposed to be viewing the displayed architectural models today. You know attendance is marked, right?" He sounds impatient.

You stall for a moment before you say, "Yeah, I know... But can't we miss a total of two classes?"

"You've already skipped two lessons in half a semester, miss." You don't like how Mr. Byun had used 'skipped' even though you really did skip his lessons. What if you had to miss the lessons due to some emergency reasons?

You look at Sehun for help and he makes a show of clasping his stomach in pain. You say into your phone, "My, uh... My dog? Has a stomach ache. Gotta bring him to the vet."

Mr. Byun chuckles, although sounding extremely sarcastic. "Unless your dog is that boy next to you, I call bluff."

You whip your head around and try to catch a glimpse of your teacher. You don't see him though. "What—"

"Next time, choose somewhere far from school so your teachers don't catch you," Mr. Byun mutters. "Get your here in five minutes or you're failing the class."

With that note, the teacher hangs up the call. You groan and face Sehun, "I need to go."

"Should I wait for you?" He asks as he reaches to accept his food.

You shake your head and pat his back as you start to walk off, "Nah. I'll see you tomorrow."

He nods, but pushes the cup of honey almonds that he has been holding onto into your hands. Then he walks off in the opposite direction as you make your way towards the Architect fair, which is close to the food market. Upon reaching the venue, you see Mr. Byun staring at you. Looks like the only way for Mr. Byun to notice you is to actually skip his class. Ironically. He looks back down to his clipboard and marks you down as present.

You purposely groan aloud when you walk past him and enter the fair. You thought you could walk aimlessly around the place. So aimless that you end up leaving the place on accident. But there's no chance of that happening because Mr. Byun falls in step next to you. You glance at him and you see that he is looking straight ahead.

He speaks, though still not giving you his attention, "These displays will really help with your final project."

"I just intend to pass," you tell him honestly, stopping to view a model structure.

"With your skills right now, all you can get is a pass," he mumbles quietly. You hear him perfectly fine because he is standing right next to you. You glare at him and he finally turns his head to face you. "Even if these models do help you."

You stare at him in disbelief, not expecting him to say it out loud. You know he has always thought that you're useless, but hearing him admit it just really hurts you. Turning sharply, you walk away from him and towards the other structures. Mr. Byun is strolling leisurely behind you. When you stop to inspect a model that has caught your attention, your teacher stops next to you again.

As you eat the honey almonds, you mutter grumpily, "Don't you have other students to annoy?"

"You're the problem child in my class," is all he says, as if it should explain everything.

"Just because I don't have a gift in designing?" you face him. "Some people are just less talented than others, you know."

"There's a difference between someone who isn't gifted and someone who just doesn't want to try."

Mr. Byun finally looks at you. Straight on in the eye, shockingly. For so long, you've been complaining to Sehun about Mr. Byun and his lack of consciousness towards your presence. But now that he is finally giving you some recognition, you're nervous and flustered. The way his eyes pierce into yours feels intimidating. His gaze never wavers and he looks fierce, almost strict.

You quickly look down.

"Are you scared of me?" His murmur is soft. It might sound soothing to others, but to you, it sounds like a threat. Some sort of provocation.

You shake your head and look to the side now.

"Then why are you not looking at me in the eyes when I'm talking to you?"

"You don't even do it to me," you counter, facing him again. "Are you scared of me?"

Mr. Byun's eyes are blazing. His voice is low when he asks, "Is that the way to speak to a teacher?"

"This isn't high school, you can't give me detention anyway."

"I can make you fail your in-class assignments."

"Is that a threat?"

A grin creeps onto Mr. Byun's face slowly. "Nope," he pops the ending 'P' sound and walks away after grabbing a nut from your cup.

Your jaw drops at that conversation. What is Mr. Byun if not a teacher sent by the Devil? You turn on your heels angrily, wanting to leave this place so you can get mad about this at home.

"If you leave, I'm going to mark you as absent." Mr. Byun shouts. You start to move a step. "That means you automatically fail this subject."

Or perhaps, he is the Devil himself.

You're once again waiting for Sehun by the basketball court. This time though, Sehun isn't staying back for a training. He's casually playing with his friends. Meanwhile, you are finally touching your architecture-related work.

Honestly, if Design was your only non-science subject, you might not have hated the subject and the teacher so much. But doing two majors at once is tough for you, especially when one of it isn't your passion. Sometimes you even wonder why you wanted to torture yourself by promising your parents you're going to do a double major. Wouldn't suffering while studying for architecture be easier than suffering and being stressed over studying for architecture and medicine?

But now that you have started and your parents have already paid, you can't give up so easily. Presently,  you're attempting the assignment on Construction. The measurements aspect is easier for you, since it's just numbers and calculations. Unfortunately, that is only one element out of many others in this subject. Your strength in calculations can only help this much in the world of architecting.

You're too busy flipping through your textbook and consulting Google that you don't realise other people occupying your table with their things. It doesn't matter though, since it is the only bench-table close to the basketball court and you're the only visible living thing seating on it. Which means you have to share the table. Some time passes before Sehun and his friends take a short break. He is busy entertaining them while someone hovers behind you.

"Aren't you just taking Design as a minor subject?" you hear someone question breathlessly.

You whip your head around in shock, only to be met with a sweaty Mr. Byun. He is drinking from his bottle as he squints at your computer. His hair is sweaty and looks like it has been run through by a hand too many times. Perspiration drips from his jawline and falls onto his shirt.

You clear your throat and he focuses his attention on you instead of your assignment on your computer screen. You turn back to your work as you reply him softly, "I have a second major."

It is quiet except for the chattering coming from Sehun and his friends. Then Mr. Byun murmurs, "Must be hard."

"A little," you confess truthfully.

You're busy with trying to finish this assignment as soon as possible so you can study for the other topics. Then, someone moves your bag to create space beside you. You look up and watch Mr. Byun climb onto the bench. He settles next to you and pushes the other bags on the table to the side. Without a word, he pulls your computer towards him, in between the both of you.

"Baekhyun-ah, what are you doing?" Someone shouts. You take a look at the caller and realise that it's the kind teacher that helped you with Sehun's lab book. Mr. Kim, you recall Mr. Byun addressing him as. He smiles at you and you wave back.

"I'm resting!" Mr. Byun yells back. He flicks his hand to ask Mr. Kim to go on without him. "I'll stay here."

Mr. Kim gives him a strange look, then shrugs it off and returns to the court with Sehun and the others. You furrow your eyebrows at Mr. Byun, not understanding him at all. One moment he can't even look you in the eye, the next moment he threatens you with his status as a teacher, and then now he is being friendly to you.

"What are you doing?" You finally ask him.

"This one," he points to a question instead, ignoring your question. "You got the answer wrong. Actually, the theory questions are all wrong. Math must be your thing, huh?"

He glances at you and you feel that fast beating of your heart from being nervous again. You mumble, "Kinda."

"Just being smart in math won't help you in the architecting world, sweetheart," he clucks his tongue. Mr. Byun runs his hand through his sweaty hair as he tells you, "You need to open your mind and..."

You look away and roll your eyes. You have heard the same thing from your father too many times. Mr. Byun must have realised your unwillingness in listening to his lecture.

"Look here, buttercup," Mr. Byun's grating tone makes you give him your attention again. "I want to help you, okay? Because you look pathetic like this. So God help me and you; be a good girl and listen."

"I don't need your pity," you mumble, extremely hurt by his remark. You get your laptop back to its original spot and focus on your notes in front of you.

"Look at you struggling!" Mr. Byun blatantly points out. "I don't know why you're torturing yourself doing a major you so obviously dislike. But if you're going to waste your parents' money and time failing this course, you might as well drop out of university altogether."

You don't say anything, so he continues with even harsher words. "I've never seen anyone try so hard to fail at something before. This is the first time for me."

You stand abruptly, slamming your laptop shut. You don't look up as you hastily clear your work space. You dump everything into your bag and walk off without a word said. Upon seeing you leave with your bag so hurriedly without him, Sehun runs after you. He grabs your shoulders and stops you from walking farther.

"Hey, why are you leaving already?" You stay silent, except for the sniffle that gives everything away. Sehun turns you around urgently and witnesses your tear-stained cheeks. He quickly mutters, "We'll go home together. I'll go get my bag, wait here!"

When he sprints back to the table, you turn back around and wipe your face. This is so embarrassing. You have never been so humiliated by anyone in your life before. How can Mr. Byun make you feel like utter even when you're torturing yourself to study for two courses just so you can make your parents and yourself happy? Does he even know how tiring your life is?

Sehun finally runs back to you with his bag. He hugs you by the shoulders as you lean on him and walk home. He knows that he should stay quiet and have you cry it all out before he can start asking any questions. So he walks you home, goes back to his house, takes a shower, and then returns to your place again to check on you. By the time he is back, you're already all washed up and in bed.

"Have you eaten?" Sehun murmurs when he sits by your bed. You don't answer him but he knows you haven't. "You must be really angry," he deduces.

You're the kind to silently fume whenever you're mad. Sehun thinks it's the scariest way to be angry. You flip onto the other side so that you're not facing him. But your best friend pulls on your shoulder to make you lie on your back again.

"What did Mr. Byun say to you? I need to know the reason why I'm risking my scholarship and my clean record for murdering someone."

You can't help but chuckle. You hide your face with your hands and your words come out muffled. "You don't even have a scholarship."

Sehun laughs, brushing your hair comfortingly. "I know, I just wanted to make you laugh. Although, I am serious about the murder."

"He was just being a meanie," you shake your head, revealing your face again.

"Meanie?" Sehun repeats, chuckling. "You're really hurt by his words, huh. You only use kid language when you're genuinely upset."

You blush and Sehun laughs. He ruffles your hair and talks to you about other things. He knows you'll tell him about it later when you're feeling better about it. And you did. You told him about your encounter with Mr. Byun. And before he left your house to go back to his, you made him swear and promise not to murder anyone. Not to murder anyone but Mr. Byun, that is.