golden boy

chapter 3

during the week, han didn't attempt to talk to minho at all, just waited for the taller to sort everything out and get back to him. minho started paying closer attention to the small guy though, because he was on his toes about him being the master of his fate.

honestly, that guy was so unapologetic that minho understood very well why he was getting on everyone's nerves. he knew everyone saw him as their inferior but he still ridiculed their pretentiousness, thus angering them even more.

minho also noticed that jisung was spending almost all of his breaks in that weird terrace thing on the other side of the window and figured that he could talk to him there.

"oh hi," han smirked and measured minho from head to toe. he didn't seem surprised to see him, nor frightened that someone else may have found his hiding place, "want a tug?," he asked, offering the cigarette he was smoking out to the other.

"no, thank you," the taller politely declined, "is this tobacco?"

"yes," jisung replied and lifted the thing to his lips again, "why? you don't smoke tobacco but you're buying entire packages of cannabis just like that?," he ridiculed when he saw the other's disapproving expression.

"i'm not a junkie. and tobacco has no effect whatsoever. it just makes you addicted," minho reasoned in a matter-of-fact voice.

"actually, nicotine can be quite calming," han reasoned. minho just shrugged.

"besides, weed also stops being effective after a while. maybe you just have quite a few more joints to smoke before that point," jisung returned and then licked his lips. everything about his behaviour was so contemptuous and mordant, "though i'm not in a position to teach you anything it seems, you're fine on your own."

minho smacked his lips together at the suggestion that he had an expertise in weed but decided to speak again since he had come with a purpose after all.

"listen, i figured we could do the project at home. can you come tomorrow or on monday?," he asked and played with his shirt sleeve a little. he didn't like having guests over but he needed to invite this one.

"ugh, tomorrow is fine," jisung responded casually, "would you meet me here or can i just wait for you outside?"

the question seemed genuine, even though wanting to meet in the hiding place would mean that minho wanted to take jisung out of the building without being seen with him, which was exactly what he had been hoping for. if he had agreed to meeting him outside then all of their classmates would see them waiting for each other. so, he proposed, "let's be here at 4:30. i'll tell my driver to come at 40."

"driver?," the boy started laughing, "that's so disgustingly bratty!"

"you can think about the topic already," minho said after the boy stopped laughing, "i had a couple of ideas but it's just the basic stuff. maybe you can come up with something original."

"i was thinking," jisung ran a hand through his hair. it was so perfectly dark and upon seeing that minho involuntarily parted his lips, "we could do something on the dark side of the care for patients at mental asylums or prisoners in state institutions."

"that's.. very original. i'm sure half the class is going to do the fashion industry or movie making. that's going to gather a lot of attention, hopefully," minho complimented. he definitely didn't expect the most hated boy to give such a profound subject to base the presentation on.

"i'm not sure we should do that. it's a little.. well, original," the shorter laughed and took a tug of his cigarette, "i don't think that's much appreciated here."

"you.. are right. but i'm not into fashion, nor hollywood movies."

"oh? are you into other rich people stuff then? trust fund? super expensive sports?"

"no."

"i'm into fashion. but not the haute couture type. i'm sure you know too well i can't afford that," he smirked and looked down to his worn out converse, "i like trying different styles though. public school had no problem with that," jisung continued. it obviously didn't bother him to speak on his own.

"we could do fashion then, if you want. or, if you like any specific type of movie.."

"nah, unless you're down for studio ghibli that won't work."

minho's eyes widened. he didn't expect this stranger to be into something he actually liked himself, "w-we could.. we could do that actually. i mean, we might have an obnoxious weeb presentation but that's fine.."

"oh yeah. i'd like to annoy everyone," jisung chuckled, "they're fun when they're mad. though the insults they come up with are not creative. maybe i should leave a dictionary here for public use when i'm gone," he commented haughtily and put out his cigarette.

minho couldn't help but smile. a lot of the people that he knew were really bad at roasting. 'gay' was probably the worst  thing he had heard when things would get heated.

"you always end up saying i'm 'trash', or 'homo', or 'sick'. occasionally 'rag', 'addict' or 'whore'. and nobody wants to touch me. it's alright, i wouldn't like to touch you either," he went on, making a grimace of disgust.

minho knew then: they couldn't be friends. that guy was too bitter to even give him a chance. he'd just have to suffer through the semester, probably try to work with him every friday until the projects were over. damn, hopefully he would leave the school once the year's over.

"anyways, here, 4:30. be there or be square," jisung put out his tongue and looked around the corner, determining whether or not it's safe to go out. seconds later, he was jumping from the window and then he swerved into the main corridor to get lost between the dozens of identical uniformed youths.

minho followed behind him, unhappy with being bossed around but at least relieved that the guy only wanted that. then again, for what it's worth he might still share his secret once minho outlived his usefulness. he sighed and recalled his grandma's favourite expression. you just have to wait and see.