[CONTENTID1] Seventeen [/CONTENTID1]

[CONTENTID2]

The atmosphere in the office room is relaxed, as though you are all convening for brunch or afternoon tea instead of a serious hearing. Headmaster Kwon sits behind his heavy, cherry wood desk and plays with the bowl of holiday candies on his desk, having zoned out of the conversation before it even started. On the other side of the table, the seven of you sit in plush leather armchair. You sit in the seat closest to the window, with Namjoon strategically wedging himself between you and your gang of attackers—though it offers you little consolation. Not even a bulletproof vest could protect you at this point.

Aorn leans back in her seat, crossing her ankle over her knees with a little roll of the eyes as Namjoon continues his lengthy defense. Headmaster Kwon's eyes catch on that motion, and to your horror, he smiles at her. And that's when you realize that all hope is lost.

The tiny spark of hope in your chest extinguishes entirely. It's obvious that Headmaster Kwon and Aorn have this all settled already between them. And nothing Namjoon can say or do can persuade him otherwise. It's game over. Aorn's won.

You look past the smug lightning mage to her group of followers. Mimi plucks her split ends in the corner, bored with this meeting, and the three boorish henchmen Aorn recruited as her accomplices are slumped over in their seats, nearly horizontal at this point, as they doze through Namjoon's speech. This lack of concern offends you a thousand times more than if they were actively aggressive, like you'd been expecting. It's like they are so confident in their victory, that they don't see you as a threat at all. It's infuriating, but you're entirely helpless to do anything about it.

"Alright, is that it, Mr. Kim?" Headmaster Kwon asks, stifling his yawn with the back of his hand.

Namjoon hesitates for a second. He's a bit out of breath and flustered at this point—something very unusual for the always cool and collected, borderline cocky leader, "Well… Yes, but—"

"Great. Now I can file this paperwork to formally expel Miss ___ from Hankuk Academy," he says, eagerly reaching into the desk for the stack of papers that have already been fastidiously signed and organized.

Namjoon's jaw clenches, "You've already had this prepared? It's against school regulations to expel a student without a hearing first!"

Headmaster Kwon gives him an exasperated look, "And I've heard all you've had to say, Mr. Kim... But there's irrefutable evidence that five different eyewitnesses all swear that Miss___ attacked them. And is there any evidence to the contrary? None at all… Now can we please speed this process up? I have a golf match at noon."

"I see where your priorities lay," Namjoon hisses, "All you fat cat bureaucrats are the same."

The older man stiffens at that, "Watch your mouth, kid. Unless you want to join Miss ___ in her expulsion."

Aorn laughs, "Don't listen to him, sir. He's always been a bit hotheaded, but it's one of his charms," she says, aiming a little wink in her ex-boyfriend's direction, "Honestly, he's harmless as a little kitten, aren't you, Joonie?"

Namjoon's hands clench into fists, but you quickly grab both of his hands and yank him back down in his seat before he can do anything he'd regret. " you," he spits at the older girl.

Her smile widens, "Wouldn't you like to do that?" She teases, playfully sticking her tongue out at him.

Namjoon tries to jump to his feet again, but you drag him down, "Stop it, oppa," you whisper at him, "Don't get yourself in trouble, too."

Aorn laughs at that, her voice rich with amusement, "What a good girlfriend! I can see why you like her so much. We fought a lot, didn't we? It must be nice having such a passive spreading her legs for you at the drop of a hat."

Mimi giggles, covering with both hands, "Unnie, you're so funny!" Aorn grins at the younger girl and fondly pets one of her bouncy braids.

The tinkling sound of their laughter makes Namjoon's blood boil, "You ing ."

Headmaster Kwon looks at the two lightning mages warily, "Hey watch your language, kids!"

"Oops, sorry, sir," Aorn meekly says, batting her eyelashes at the older man.

Headmaster Kwon's scowl softens, and a second later, he smiles back. You don't pay attention to this exchange, too busy trying to calm your pretend boyfriend down, "It's ok, oppa," you whisper, "Let it go." But when you smooth your hand down his arm, electricity crackles against your skin in the form of static shocks. His power builds and rumbles just under his skin, ready to explode out of him. You curl both hands over his, and he pauses. If he unleashes his powers like he so craves, he'd have to hurt you first.

"___-ah," he murmurs your hand, trying to slide his hand out of yours, but you hold firm.

"It's ok, oppa. Stop fighting. It's over." You clear your throat, then look up at the headmaster for the first time, "I'll sign the papers now, sir."

The expression on Headmaster Kwon's face is gleeful as he slides the thick stack of papers towards you, "Excellent."

You stare at the offered fountain pen in his hand, already uncapped with the black ink pooling at the tip. This is truly the end. But what did you expect? You had stayed at this school longer than any other one so far. It was a beautiful dream. But like all dreams, this one must also end. Time to wake up.

You in a breath, then take the pen from his hand. Your hand wobbles a bit, leaving a ghastly black smudge against the creamy paper. Then you begin to imprint the characters of your name, stabbing the pen into the paper so hard that you leave holes. You can feel Aorn and her gang's voracious gazes on the back of your head, but you ignore them in favor for the comfort of Namjoon's hand on your knee, infusing you with strength.

You pause for a second before etching the last character of your name. But before you can touch the pen to the paper again, the door flings open. The heavy wood hits the cream-colored wall with a violent bang.

Everyone turns to stare in confusion at the intruder. Your heart stops in your chest at the sight of Jung Hoseok in the doorway.

He pauses for a moment, eying each one of you in turn, "Am I too late?"

Mimi is the first one to react, "No, oppa, you're just in time! Come sit with me," she squeals in delight, pulling up an empty armchair next to her and excitedly patting the seat.

Your reaction is a complete 180 from hers. You have no idea why Hoseok would come in so late into the meeting and you hands shakes so hard that the pen slips between your fingers. Namjoon notices this, and the hand on your knee tightens. Likewise, he is less than pleased by 's intrusion, but confusion inundates his hostility.

Headmaster Kwon adjusts the spectacles on his nose, examining the new arrival through the thick lenses, "Mr. Jung… As I understand, you were also a witness to the scene of the crime last night, is that right?"

Hoseok nods, "Yes."

"You could never show up on time for anything, could you, Hoseokie?" Aorn good-naturedly teases, "Well, have a seat and enjoy the show with us!"

He stares at the offered seat next to the younger light mage for a second, but shakes his head and approaches Headmaster Kwon instead, "Sir, do you mind if I borrow your computer real quickly? There's something I was to show you."

"Of course. Go ahead, Mr. Jung."

Hoseok bows in appreciation, "Thank you, headmaster." Then he pulls out his cell phone from his uniform pocket and connects it to the computer screen.

Everyone's quiet as they watch him, utterly perplexed. "Oppa, what are you doing?" Mimi asks after a few seconds, but Hoseok ignores her and fiddles with his cell phone for another minute. Then, he hits a button and the computer screen flares to life. He spins the screen around so everyone can watch.

You squint, but you can't really make anything out on the screen. Everything's dark and blurry. All you can hear is Hoseok's heavy breathing and the camera shakes so hard from his trembling hands that it gives you a headache. Then, the phone is lifted from what you realize was the muddy ground, and you frown at the sight of what looks like a group of fuzzy bodies surrounding a strange orb of light.

"What is this?" Headmaster Kwon frowns, reaching to switch off the video.

Hoseok stops him, "Just watch."

Please Subscribe to read the full chapter