Guts (EXO)

Boy Hunting

Huang ZiTao was sitting down on the ground with his legs folded underneath him, his eyes closed shut as he listened his surroundings.

He heard the usual wave of noise coming from the gates where students walked past into the campus, not seemingly able to keep their mouths shut so early in the morning. He also heard the bird that always sang to him situated at the Jacaranda tree above him. Also the two girls whispering a hundred feet away. The thuds of a ball being dribbled. The faint sound of the purple petals from his tree landing on the ground.

Tao abnormally heard and felt it all, no matter how far or near it was, as long as he concentrated hard. He didn't know how he did it, but every time he was in a state of meditation, his senses become very sensitive. He didn't mind it though; it was a great advantage for him.

The sound of faint footsteps approaching alerted his senses, the hand on his lap twitching.

The person was only a foot away now, and it wasn't planning to stop from there. Slightly annoyed, Tao heaved a deep breath before rolling on the grass towards this person. He ended up in a kneeling position, his left arm positioned above his head while the other supported his ground.

His eyes fluttered open, met with a girl with plain black hair and an intense gaze.

She was quite taken aback he could tell, by the way her eyes squinted and how she backed away slightly. He eyed her up and down.

Hyerin frowned when a long wooden stick materialized in his hand out of nowhere as he stood up. He probably already set it on the ground before she even arrived. It didn't give her any sense of comfort though—what with the boy's scary glare and the weapon.

Tao stood up and backed away slightly, both his hands grasping the stick. He twirled it skillfully left and right, spinning around and doing complicated tricks as she watched. It was impressive, what he was doing, but she didn't quite understand the point to it.

He ended his little show with a fighting pose, but it didn't stop there. For some reason, the situation ended with Tao attacking Hyerin, much to her unpleasant surprise. He came running towards her, the wooden stick situated in front of him.

It was a good thing she had fast reflexes, as when he was about to hit her with the stick she spun around, catching it in time.

"Huh." Tao raised his eyebrows. "That was unexpected."

"Damn right it was!" she yelled, staring at him in disbelief. She let go of the stick, facing the boy completely. "Why the hell did you attack me?" she demanded.

Tao shrugged. "Thought you were one of those idiots who keep bugging me whenever I'm here outside," he said, lowering the stick. "Are you one of them?" He gave her a pointed look.

Hyerin sighed and looked away. What was with these boys and their odd suspicion that everyone was out to get them? "No, I'm not. And even if I was, I don't think hitting people who try to approach you with sticks is right," she said. "I'm Kim Hyerin. Sophomore. That's it."

Tao chuckled, turning away from her and walking back to his spot. "Funny. You both said the same thing," he muttered under his breath, remembering what Luhan told him the other day.

"So what's your deal, Kim Hyerin?" he questioned, looking back at her. "What do you want from me?"

She walked up to him, placing her hands behind her back. "Do you need extra cash?"

Tao folded his small towel and put it inside his gym bag. "Maybe. Why?" 

"My father is a coach for wushu," she started, attempting a casual tone. "We own a wushu training center located around the Chungmuro area and well, we're looking for guest teachers for our students." She shrugged, looking up at him. "I was hoping you would be interested to be a teacher for a couple of days. We pay really well, and I was thinking to get a few pointers from you, too."