The contract with Death! M.YG× Reader

Chapter 11: 20 days until

I had begun to develop a morning routine since I'd signed the contract with Death. I would ride the bus with Chaeyoung in the morning, we'd part ways at our lockers, and I would spend the first half of the day chatting with Eunji in the hallways between classes. I'd do my best to pay attention in classes like American Government and Chemistry, where my lab partner, Rosè, was much more fun to talk to than memorizing the periodic table of elements. Yoongi and I didn't have any classes together, seeing as junior year was when classes were divided based on which students were going the Advanced Placement route—which Yoongi was clearly intelligent enough for and had decided to take advantage of.

When it was time for lunch, I would buy a sandwich or a salad and some fries from the food line and sit with Yoongi at the table in the back of the cafeteria. Lunch was the only opportunity we actually had to spend time together during the day. I'd decided that today I would bring up geometry tutoring again and more or less pester Yoongi into setting up a schedule for him to teach me shape formulas, which would also serve to get to know him better. I may have wormed my way into his life, but I had no idea if I'd made a dent in his decision to end that life.

When Yoongi wasn't at our usual table toward the back of the cafeteria on Tuesday, I was caught off guard. I did a quick scan of the place, leaning up on my tiptoes, looking for any sign of Yoongi, and it quickly became apparent that he wasn't anywhere in sight. Our junior class had less than two hundred students. If Yoongi was at lunch, I would've seen him already.

I didn't want to admit it, but I was afraid. It was unrealistic to expect that I could keep tabs on Yoongi all of the time, but my stress level noticeably shot through the roof when I didn't know where he was. Almost a week had gone by since I'd been sent back in time, but I'd already grown accustomed to being around Yoongi. I savored each moment I was with him, and I'd begun to notice this hollow feeling in the pit of my stomach that would immediately take hold when we parted ways.

My first thought was to go to the library to look for him, maybe take up post at his locker, but I had the sense that would only annoy him. And then I remembered what had occurred during lunch yesterday with stupid Mark. I held in a groan, squeezing my sandwich between my fingers. After that, it made sense Yoongi would avoid the cafeteria. And me.

"Yoongi's fine," I muttered to myself as I changed direction and made for the table Chae, eunji, and Rosé normally sat at during lunch with other girls in our class. "Of course he's fine."

"Uh-oh," Chaeyoung said when I flopped down into the seat across the table from her. "Trouble in paradise?"

"Nope, just wanted to spend some time with you," I said confidently, trying to convince myself just as much as Chaeyoung. "Yoongi is busy anyway. He's in all AP classes, so he always has a lot of homework."

The words didn't ring true, even though I'm sure Yoongi did have a lot of homework. The girls didn't seem convinced by it either.

"You have to tell me something, girlfriend, because I just don't get it," Rosè cut in, leaning toward me. "What do you see in that boy? He's kind of intense."

I swallowed hard as I unwrapped my squished sandwich with trembling hands. I see a lot, I wanted to say. More than anyone else did in this place, atleast. "He's been tutoring me in geometry," I half lied, and my insides immediately twisted with guilt.

I didn't like to bend the truth, and I definitely didn't like doing so to my friends, but what else could I do being put on the spot like that?

"Uh huh," Chae said, clearly unconvinced. "Sure."

"Seriously!" I shoved my hand into my bag and rummaged around until I came up with my geometry test from the other day, and then I shoved it across the table toward them. "Look!"

Eunji let out a whistle as she looked over my test. "Not bad, but let's see you do this without a calculator."

"That's impossible," I said, snatching my test back. "Mrs. Lowell's class is hard enough as it is."

"Geometry isn't that bad," Brie disagreed. "I had Mrs. Lowell freshman year, and her class was a breeze."

"Careful," Rosè said to Eunji. "
Edwards is sitting at the table next to us. He might overhear that you're actually a mathematical genius."

I began to relax as conversation moved away from Yoongi, though I still wasn't able to completely stop worrying about him. Talking with the girls, chatting away like we normally did every day, was a nice distraction, but it wasn't perfect. I could momentarily forget what was bothering me, but the second I was left alone with my thoughts, it would all come rushing back. Relaxing with my friends was something only the precontract Y/n could afford to do.

After the final bell, I spent a few moments standing around by Yoongi's locker, peering through the crowd to try to catch any sight of him. Nothing. When the hallway had almost completely cleared of students, I knew it was pointless to stay there any longer. I gave up with a frustrated sigh and stomped my way down the stairs.

I had to take the train home because I'd missed the bus while waiting around for Yoongi. I pulled out my cell phone as I walked into the apartment an hour later and texted Rosè, Chae, and Eunji. If I stayed shut up in my apartment, trying to do my homework, I'd be consumed by my own thoughts and drive myself crazy.

NETFLIX NIGHT AT MY PLACE? CHINESE TAKEOUT ON ME.

I received enthusiastic responses in just a few minutes, and I was happy to dump my bag on a chair in the dining room and totally forget about my homework, and the hurdles I'd only just begun to face. One night off couldn't hurt, could it? I needed to feel normal again, at least for a little while.

But the next day, Yoongi was absent again. When I didn't see him at his locker, I had difficulty breathing for a few tense moments. I leaned up against the wall and forced myself to take deep, calming breaths as I tugged on the strands of ghost beads I'd religiously kept on my wrist for the past week. The beads now hid the number 20. I only had twenty days left. Only twenty days, and I still felt like I was wandering around in a daze, unsure of what I was doing, constantly worrying that I wouldn't be able to save Yoongi. I needed to take action. I needed a plan.

Just because Yoongi hadn't been at school didn't mean anything. Maybe he was sick. Everybody missed a day now and then. It wasn't cause for a panic attack. Yet my automatic response was to assume that the worst had happened and that Yoongi . . .

Stop it, Y/n! I snapped at myself. You're being ridiculous!

Ridiculous or not, though, I wasn't going to waste any more time. After the final bell, I walked outside, quickly pulling my cell phone out of my pocket to look up the address to Hakrim's Coffeehouse. If Yoongi wasn't at school, then it stood to reason that the next best place to check was his family's coffeehouse.

A light dusting of snow swept through the streets as I jogged my way up from the subway and walked the two blocks over to the coffeehouse. When I was finally standing in front of the red door of Hakrim's.
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A/n: Is Yoongi alright?