Chapter 6: Provocations and Eating Words

New phone, new branded bags, new earrings, anything on trend is new. In their society, they always tend to get into every new trend. It has been a lifestyle of the elite. Anything new is amusing. However when a new student entered their premises, it’s not just the ‘new’ everyone is into but if that new is up to their trend.

Being new, he wasn’t well aware of anything about the student-imposed customs of the school. So when he spotted a vacant seat on the third row beside the windows, he didn’t know where he took himself into.

Smiling, he looked around the new environment. Seems nice, he thought.

The bell rang signaling for the end of the student’s lunch break. The room was slowly being filled up by students who every now and then look at him curiously. Some whispered at each other upon seeing him. The whispering went on and more when a girl entered and stopped by the desk in front of his. At first he thought he saw her surprised but then her facial expression went plainly dry and flat. 

He casually said a friendly ‘hi’ at the girl who just turned her back at him, sat on her desk and act as if he isn’t something to be bothered about. He heard someone on his right ‘tsk’.

“You choose the wrong spot, pal.” The guy, who sat on the seat beside his, smirked at him. He also caught a glimpse of two girls, surprised and at the same time worried.

His brows furrowed and looked at the back of the girl in front.

The teacher entered the room. As she set her things on the table, she scanned the room and asked. “I was informed about the new student here. Is he here?”

He raised his hand for recognition. 

“Oh. Okay.” The teacher nodded. “Class, today, Mr. Kim Jiwon is joining our class. Since he’s a bit late for a transfer so I hope for you to help him of anything he needs to catch up with our class especially you Miss Lee.”

The teacher smiled at the girl in front of him. 

The class continued and as soon as they’re dismissed, most of the class talked to him all too welcoming. 

“Why did you transfer here, Jiwon?” one of his girl classmate asked.

“I was expelled.”

They all blinked at his answer. “Why?”

“I got into a huge fight and even got hospitalized for a whole month.” He smiled, eyes almost disappearing. 

His seatmate was amused at his reason. “Really? That must be damn fight huh?”

He rubbed his neck somewhat embarrassed with the confession. “Yeah.”

One of the girl from the front row chimed in. “You shouldn’t have sat there, you know.”

“Why?”

“Because Lee Hayi is in front of you, that’s bad luck.” The girl smirked at the girl named Hayi who seems to be oblivious of the talk seeing that her ears were occupied by a pair of earphones. 

Or so he thought. Hayi closed the book she was reading so loud that he even flinched and removed the earphones from her ears to turn to him.

“Can you choose another seat?” she asked at him arrogantly.
 
First impressions were always his deciding factor with whom to befriend and that first impression made him reluctant to ever talk to her. He don’t like arrogant people most especially girls.

“And why?” he challenged.

“Because they…” she looked at the girls behind her before continuing, “are going to making a fuss and it’s too noisy to handle.”

He raised a brow at her. Her arrogance with her dry expressions amused him. He never met someone whose poker face was as strong as his or her arrogance.

He paused to think. “No.”

Hayi scoffed at the new guy but turned back to her business. Jiwon was surprised. He thought that the girl would give him a fight. He turned to his seatmate. “What’s her name again?”

“Hayi.” Answered by a guy who wasn’t he’s seatmate.

Standing in the middle of the first row was the guy he met at the director’s office earlier. The guy whose name was Jinhwan, as he remembered, was leaning his bottom at a girl’s seat.

“Oh.” He looked at Hayi’s back who was now looking out the window and her face turned…bitter?

“I thought you’ll be at my class.” Jinhwan spoke.

The girl whose desk Jinhwan’s leaning on looked at them. “Do you two know each other?”

“I met him at the director’s office.” He nodded at Jinhwan who returned also a nod.

He and Jinhwan was in deep discussion – about his old school, his family which everyone seems to be more interested in knowing, and soccer. He noticed that as soon as he turned to the three – Jinhwan, Suhyun, and Lalice – Hayi went out of the room.

After some time, he learned that most of the students in the school came from the higher society. Though, there were friendship between the high and low classes, the elites were somewhat dominant.

Their teacher for their last class wasn’t around so they were already dismissed early. But because it’s Friday, they had to stay for the flag retreat. Jiwon was getting along with his classmates. However, there’s seems to be one person he still gotten to know.

It’s not that he’s a congenial person. But something in the girl Hayi actually wanted to make him overly friendly.

He excused himself and made a little tour again around the campus although he had already seen the place after he met with the school director. He was walking by the track field and saw Hayi sitting alone in the bleachers. He took the chance to go to her.

“Hi.” He sat a meter beside her.

Hayi was twisting her neck as she sat slightly leaning backwards as her elbows were on the step up from the step she was sitting supporting her upper body. She looked at her right and saw the new guy. 

She looked at him, annoyed, as if he was some kind of paparazzi tailing her wherever she goes and then back to the track field.
He pursed his lips, thinking what to say during the silent moment. Bending forward to rest his elbows on his lap and clasping his hands together, he started. “So I’m Jiwon, if ever you still don’t know…”

Silence.

“Look, I’m sorry about back there.” He said stealing a side glance at her.

Crickets.

“Uhm…I…do you still mind if I sit behind you?”

Still crickets.

“Ah! I remem—“. He was about to say when he saw a guy walking towards them or towards Hayi specifically. 

The guy had an aura similar to Hayi’s. Upon seeing him, the guy’s expression looked questioning but a little later he act like he didn’t care about his existence.

“Hayi-ah.” The guy called Hayi. 

Hayi looked up to see Hanbin towering over her with a serious expression. “Did you already talk to my mother?”

Hayi let out an irritated sigh. “Why would I?”

Hanbin looked a little confused. The two was talking as if Jiwon wasn’t around. Jiwon was amused by the fact that it’s the first time he witness Hayi responding and communicating, though a little strained. He must be the boyfriend. Jiwon thought.

“Why did my mother called me and told me that it’s all settled then?” Hanbin asked.

Are they fighting? , this is awkward. But they must be fighting about something. Jiwon was getting uncomfortable with being there and not there at the same time.

Hayi straightened up, “What?”

Hanbin furrowed his brows and was in deep thought before angrily muttering, “F.ck.”

It wasn’t just Jiwon who was taken aback by the sudden outburst but Hayi as well. However Hayi recovered her cool and fished her phone from her skirt pocket and dialed someone.

When Hayi was waiting for the person from the other line to pick up, it was only then Hanbin noticed Jiwon looking at them awkwardly.
Jiwon stood up. “I was just about to go.”

Jiwon walked away from the two. When he looked again, both seemed to be on each other’s face, arguing. That was just awkward.

-----------------

When he thought that his first day was quite a little smooth sailing and quiet, Jiwon didn’t actually thought that he just entered into a circus of teenage complicated life.

After the flag retreat, they all go back to their rooms to get their bags before going home. Jiwon noticed that three of his classmates, Suhyun, Lalice and Hayi, didn’t attend the retreat. 

He was walking to the school gates when a ruckus behind him made all the students turned their heads to see what was happening. From the building, Hayi was walking looking angry. He realized that her left cheek was marked with a hand and swelling red. Behind Hayi was an equally angry and yelling Lalice whose friends, Suhyun and Jinhwan, were trying to get a hold of. 

“You talked , Hayi! I know now why people don’t trust you! You’re a lying !” Lalice’s eyes were bloated and red. But Hayi just kept walking.

“I thought you knew better after you tried to snake Jinhwan from my friend. You should have learned! You should have learned, you b.tch!” 

Hayi’s patience seemed to drain that instant. She stopped and turned to walk up to Lalice. The next thing surprised Jiwon when Hayi slapped Lalice. “You don’t know anything.” Hayi said between gritted teeth.

Hanbin appeared from the building running seconds after the slap. He went to the two and broke them apart before they tried to wrestle each other. 

From Jiwon’s perspective, he already knew what the deal was about. Love triangle.

Lalice was trying to break free from Hanbin and Suhyun, shouting at Hayi. “I trust you when you said you wouldn’t. I trusted you!”
Hayi’s hand were now balled into fist and breathing heavily. 

Hanbin tried to calm Lalice down but was no use telling her that it wasn’t Hayi’s fault. Lalice glared at Hanbin. “Why are you defending –“ Lalice was about lash out on Hanbin when Hayi suddenly shouted.

“Shut up! You know what?! I'm so tired of how stupid you people think. You’re blaming me? Fine, then. I agreed to it! Happy?” 

“Stop it, Lee Hayi!” barked Hanbin.

“But don’t act as if you really gave me your trust, Lalice, you hypocrite. Don’t you think I wouldn’t recognize your handwriting after you secretly gave me that threat message, huh? Now, how do you explain that to your precious boyfriend?” She gave Lalice a disgusted look before she walked way. Hayi knew that being provoked would never do well with her reputation. But if her reputation was going down again, she might as well drag Lalice with her.

All attentions, most importantly Hanbin’s, was now on Lalice. 

I'm currently testing that Bobby X Lee Hi team up.

Hmm. What do you think? BobHi or Hanhi?

-ieunjae