seven 》nct dream

29

-l.dh-

Donghyuck's math teacher is a nice guy. He's always willing to let his students take breaks, he's patient with late assignments, and he's friendly with all the kids.

Donghyuck knew very well that his teacher wasn't a scary guy, but as he sat there surrounded by confident students, test in hand, he was terrified.

Pencil nervously tapping in hand, the boy eyed the jumble of numbers, symbols, and general nonsense on his paper, rethinking his choices.

Still, he thought of his friends that had practically escorted him to the class, encouraging words all around.

"Don't mess up." Jisung had told him, a teasing smile on his lips.

"Don't psych him out." Renjun scolded the youngest with a nudge. Turning to Donghyuck, he could have sworn he saw the unsurity in the Huang's eyes. "Just remember the rules, take it slow."

"You'll do great." Mark Lee might have been the only confident one in that group of seven. He gave Donghyuck a smile that somehow convinced the kid this wouldn't be a flaming mess after all.

Typing numbers into his calculator, Donghyuck ignored the scratching of his peers' pencils on their passing papers. He let his mind be consumed by digits and division, all outside worries becoming nothing.

His progress started out slow, occasionally getting stuck in the middle of a problem. Then he was flying, speeding through questions and circling answers like it was a race.

Ignoring Renjun's counsel to take it slow and think, he let his gut take over, writing what felt right.

Math and Donghyuck, they were one. Inseparable. Never before had he felt so in tune with the left side of his brain.

Donghyuck saw flashes of his bright future, his shining graduation. Who knows, maybe he could even tutor someone else one day. With his new mathematics skills, he could accomplish anything.

Double checking his answers, Donghyuck stood up, chest puffed in pride. Eyeing all of his still-working classmates, he strode to the front of the room, placing his success of a math quiz on his teacher's desk.

Giving the instructor a confident nod, the tan boy sauntered back to his desk to relax, eyes closed in satisfaction.

Slowly Donghyuck watched as the snails around him finished their tests later, one by one. Going as far as putting his feet up on the desk, the boy flexed his superiority.

Seeing as math was his last class of the day, the self-proclaimed genius couldn't wait to head to the club, hear the cheers and congratulations of his friends. He watched the clock tick away until only a minute remained.

Hearing the bell ring, Donghyuck triumphed at the sound, gathering his stuff. Unfortunately that wasn't the only thing he heard.

"Donghyuck? Can I talk to you for a minute?"

Glancing over, the boy's delusions of grandeur and good grades were shot as his teacher stood patient, a familiar sheet of paper in hand.

What an idiot. Why did he ever think that he could be good at anything? He was doomed, destined to work minimum wage and repeat the school year.