𝗦𝗜𝗗𝗘 𝗦𝗖𝗘𝗡𝗘 ⨾ vernon

11 | 𝘀𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗵𝗲𝗲

Ever since I've had that dream, looking at Hansol has been difficult. Getting thirst dreams in the middle of an existential crisis is probably the most unauthentic thing happening to me. I can't stop thinking about how our bodies fit so perfectly together and how we both complimented each other's lips, staying close and kissing like there's no tomorrow.

Hansol hands me a bottle of water as we exit the gym and proceed to go to our lockers.

"Where did you get this from?" I ask him as I take it from him, trying not to look at his face. We're both sweaty and his breathing is heavy. Even listening to it makes my insides tingle with I don't know what.

"I get dehydrated very quickly from PE. So I keep one close to me all the time." Suddenly holding something that he keeps close to him all the time makes me feel jittery.

"Thanks," I say and as we reach the separate male-female lockers, he nods and gets in. I do too, and look at his bottle for a while. It's plastic and navy blue in colour, that completely suits his personality. I've noticed it about him from the very first day. Everything he uses is either light or navy blue, well, apart from our uniform, which is white and black.

His hair is a beautiful shade of dark brown and it curls out at the edges very neatly. I suddenly find him so attractive, I don't know if it's me or something that's controlling my thoughts. But I don't hear the clicks and hence I decide that to hell goes all the conspiracy theories of me and Hansol, I don't care. I like him.

Dreams make me crazy somehow. It's easier to believe I like someone if I see them in my dream. And a thirst dream shouldn't be an exception.

〄

I am standing in front of my locker inside our classroom when I see Wonwoo. He's well dressed and as he comes towards me, I want to gape at him but smile instead.

"It has been a long time," he says, smiling back and I look like an idiot as I want to smack him and hug him altogether.

"Hey! It's been two weeks?! You need that much time to recover from a break up?" I laugh and look inside my locker to find the notebook in which I had written all the homework for him. I hand it to him and he looks obliviously at it.

"What's this? Did you do this for me?" He shifts his gaze back and forth from me to the notebook and then smiles, "Thanks, sister."

"Yeah, but I need something in return, too." I fold my arms and lean on the locker.

He blinks his eyes twice and stares back at me. "What do you need?"

"Time," I say, and look around the class to check if anyone is looking at us or not. Most people are whispering things about Wonwoo, but no one is actually paying attention to what I am saying, which is a win situation for me. "I need some time to talk about some things to you."

"I already told you everything about me and," he looks around and coughs briefly, "her."

"No, you did not," I state and purse my lips as I expect him to say something back.

"Can we talk later? The teacher might enter the class soon." He makes an awkward laughing sound and walks through the aisle to go to his seat of the second bench, right before mine. My eyes travel to the bench next to his, Hansol's. He isn't here yet. Is he going to bunk?

Good for him, sometimes we can take some decisions on our own.

〄

"Alright, kids, let's turn to page 236. The usual conduct of the Royal Families used to be..." Our History teacher turns to the blackboard and Wonwoo turns to me.

"You didn't write anything about History, it's all Math here."

"You don't need anything. Just listen to what he's saying. He never asks questions from you, anyway." I push him forward and he glares at me from his seat.

I briefly shift my eyes to look at Hansol, who apparently did not bunk, and he's staring back at me and Wonwoo. What, How, and When are the words he's mouthing to me.

I don't know why, is what I mouth back to him.

Wonwoo turns to look at him and then proceeds to read the part in the textbook that the teacher is explaining. Isn't he friends with Hansol? Shouldn't he at least smile at him?

Hansol doesn't look all that bothered. Maybe they said hi before the class started, or maybe it's some sort of bro-code.

"Miss Jeon," the teacher calls out and I don't know which way to look. Is he calling me or Jeon Heejin?

I turn my head to the back of the class where Heejin sits. She looks up from her head down and I locate the teacher's eyes to determine whether he's calling me or her. He seems to not have much interest in me and just continues to call Heejin. "Miss Jeon, I hope you understand this is a classroom, not your bedroom."

"Yes, this is a classroom, not free real estate where you're going to teach us lies." She puts her head back down, and sleeps, maybe.

"Jeon Heejin, watch what you're saying." The teacher doesn't sound too pleased. "This is a classroom and you should listen to what your teacher is explaining to you."

"You think you are a teacher?" Heejin looks back up and shakes off her hair from her face. The class echoes a gasp. "What kind of teacher teaches us that women should be submissive to men? It's clearly written in the textbook, how this certain King raped his wife before marrying her? You think that's okay?"

"Firstly, stand while you're speaking to me. Secondly, I never said that." His voice is getting stern with every word he speaks.

"Yes, yes," she says and mocks him with irony, "you didn't say that, but you didn't deny to that one sentence either. What kind of teacher are you?"

"I am just explaining what has been given to me to explain. I have no say in what gets printed and it's not my job to teach you feminism," he says this gritting his teeth.

"Well then, can you explain why you've been shaming the Queen for wanting to learn to fight with the sword? You said she never fought in the time wars. But she did." Heejin's face is emotionless and her voice is very stable. It's like she's throwing daggers at him through her words.

An eerie silence spreads through the class and the teacher's occasional gulps can be heard. But Heejin sticks to her fearless expression. "You can't, can you? You're okay with the King wanting any woman he wants, raping her and marrying her later, only to abandon her in the royal buildings with nothing but some filthy jewellery and food? That's what a woman's life is worth? And when his seventh Queen wants to do something with her life, he's not letting her and you think that's okay?"

"Why shouldn't it be okay? Women at those times were nothing. Tell me which woman could do any good thing for any country. Tell me when you women ever wanted to feel the need to do anything for this world. All women ever have done is sit and watch Kings do all the work. You better not speak up."

"There you go, Mister History Teacher. This is not the first time you've done this to the class. However," she pulls out her phone from her pocket and taps on the screen, then shows it to us, "your voice here has enough proof that you're not fit to be a teacher. Once I release this audio, you better not speak up."

Keeping the phone back in her pocket, Heejin puts her head down and sleeps.

We all notice the shift that the teacher's face goes through.

I turn my head towards Heejin and smile. That was fierce.