A whole week and a half had slipped by without any visible signs of improvement.

Every day I greeted him, and he would respond with only a glare in my direction. His mouth would harden into a tight lipped line, but no sound ever came out. I made sure to comment on his artwork politely, with enough care to be kind but not smothering, yet that elicited no real response either. I only received straight to the point replies. In fact, each day he only became more frigid.

At first he seemed infuriated that I was even speaking to him, and would experiment with a range of irritated facial expression— an eye twitch here, a scowl there. He always hid his anger extremely well, though. As if he’d had previous practice.

I was elated that he was showing some hint of emotion. But those hints quickly disappeared, and I was left with only bitter cold phrases to defrost in my ears. He responded to everything with apathy now. Sitting in class with his haughty eyes, his presence was no longer silently seething— his stillness and lack of any movement resembled a statue’s patience. His replies were curt and with a frozen edge to every phrase.

What direction could I possible take?

I wasn’t taking this anywhere. This was the first week; I was supposed to make the most progress here, wasn’t I?  The first impression was always most important. Since that was way in the past for the two of us, the first re-interaction was the most crucial. But my progression with becoming friends with him was nothing. Right now, I was a failure.

“Jonghyun.”

My head whipped up, bringing my out of my thoughtful state. My art teacher was staring directly at me, face almost flaming with impatience.

“Yes, teacher?”  

“It’s an improvement. However, ­­you still need much work on…control.”

My dark and oppressive tree drawing week was flung down upon me. Looking on it with fresh eyes, it seemed even more depressing. My art skills had improved, but not enough to save my grade. None of my artworks ever seemed to please in my teacher’s critical gaze.

I peeked to the side to see one person who never had to deal with these problems. Kim Kibum created gorgeous artworks with minimal effort and within the minimal amount of time. His results were the opposite of mine. But to my shock, I saw our teacher passing out his tree with the corners of turned down, very disapproving.

“You shouldn’t let your emotions smother your art. This is a disappointment.”

His tree had taken a turn for the worse since I last saw it. The balance had been upheaved, and the formerly cheerful clouds had taken a turn for the furious. I could sense anger emitting from the pencil lines, even from a table away.

There was only one event that could trigger such a change.

Had I affected his mood this much, solely by speaking to him?

My actions actually affected his temperament to this extent?

I couldn’t think of anything else.

It was time to try again, I guess.

“K… Kibum- sshi?”

His head turned ever so slightly to my direction. I’d seen this action countless times now. He opened his mouth ever so silently, barking out a single word, not loud but with impact.

“What?”

I swallowed nervously. I couldn’t even see his eyes. I could only see the outline of his face past his chopped bangs. With my luck, this would only turn out like all my previous attempts. I’d ask a question, he’s reply with a sentence or two, and that’d be the end of that.

“I don’t mean to be offensive, but it seems like your tree drawing is very moody. Could that have possibly been caused by an event?”

His head didn’t move. I tried again, with my voice becoming louder with every word.

“An event like somebody you seem to loathe talking to you?”

He turned fully around, and I almost wished I hadn’t asked that question. I was scared of that look’s intensity he was sending me, eyebrows furrowed down lower than I’d ever seen, eyes dark like the prelude to a storm.

“You are even more self centered and confident than I’d previously thought, Kim Jonghyun.”

I was shocked by his tone of voice. It wasn’t even angry, just calm, simply making fun of me. I felt like I’d been ridiculed, insulted. I didn’t even register than he hadn’t addressed me properly.

Had I been misreading him the whole time?

I thought for sure the whole time I had just been cracking at his shell, pulling him out. But this discovery… he was different than I’d imagined.

I decided to continue the conversation, at least. It was my first opportunity to do so.

“Do you know me, Kim Kibum?” I said, with another question. It seemed like all I asked him were questions.

One side of his mouth darted up, and I was irritated. I could tell, with that one action, that he did.

“Better than you know me,” he countered.

I was even more irritated. I think it was because he was speaking the truth.

“You don’t know me at all,” I defended, again. Repeating the same point reworded like the terrible arguer I was.

He smiled a smirk full of pity.

“You fail to see the obvious all around yourself-”

His eyes flickered to across my table, where Shin Se-kyung was chatting along with somebody else, a smile on her face.

“-and are self centered and arrogant in the most unseemly was possible.”

“Excuse me? The words you’re using to describe me aren’t even true. You say those insults about me, but get all angry and bothered whenever I talk to you. You hate me for no reason.” I wasn’t even aware of the words slipping out my mouth. Stuff just went out.

“Why talk to a person who hates you, Jonghyun?”

He looked at me again, all haughtiness and all condescendence. Then in an instant that look was gone. His mouth was a perfect downward bow. He was back to the emotionless being he normally was.

“Don’t talk to me again.”

I stared at him bewildered as he slipped his tree into his book bag and started drawing our newest assignment. It was an action so full of ease and grace. So smooth, after such an encounter.

What in the world just happened?

A/N: Key changed from the image I first used (a quiet conservative loner boy) to some sort of pissy dude.
I didn’t even intend to do that TT
he can just be a gruff loner…?
>m<