Mirage

06

It was P.E class where the gym was full of students in their specific outfits. Male students decided to play basketball and the females played passing ball.

Sunwoo sat on the floor in a corner, lazing around while watching his classmates stretching. He was not really in the mood to play considering that he had a soccer practice later in the evening.

Got some energies to spare - he thought.

"Why aren't you playing?"

"Gash!"

He screamed at the top of his lungs when the voice was heard next to him, its owner was approaching without making a sound like a mouse sneaking out.

Haeun was startled as well, not really expecting that Sunwoo was indeed a scaredy cat. She blinked furiously, adjusting the awkward situation and deciding on what to do - either sit down next to him or leave like nothing, since she just made him furious.

But, leaving was never an option.

Instead, she plopped down on the floor next to the poor boy who was breathing hard to calm his own heart down. It did not take long before Haeun was greeted with a pair of angry eyes which shot hatred all over her.

"Err, aren't you playing?" she asked again, this time a bit awkward since she was looking at Sunwoo's angry face.

"Why do you care?" the boy spat, rolling his eyes next. He then skimmed her from head to toes, chuckles inevitable escaping his lips as Haeun was still in her school uniform. "You aren't in PE attire, yet you're asking me why I'm here."

It was then that silence fell upon them. Haeun pursed her lips into a thin line as she played with her fingers. Sunwoo found it weird, he just noticed it now that the girl would turn this way, whenever he pointed out something about her.

Like someone who was keeping a secret.

"Play well kids, and don't be hurt," Mr Lee, the P.E teacher reminded, skimming the whole gym, clearly finding something to point out. And his eyes were then glued on Sunwoo, rage burning from inside him. "Kim Sunwoo, why are you lazing around?! Go join your friend!"

No one seemed to care when the said boy was receiving an earful, because it was normal. What was not, only Sunwoo was being lectured and not Haeun.

Honestly, he was eagerly waiting for the girl's turn just to see her reaction because he knew very well that a genius like her had never been in trouble. But, Mr Lee just turned away, not even sparing a glance at the girl.

It almost seemed like Haeun was invisible.

"Why did he let you off and not me?" he quizzically looked at her, his face was scrunched up specifically when Haeun shrugged, avoiding his stare at all costs.

And that had added one more row to the list of why he hated someone like her - teacher's pet.

However, Kim Haeun never noticed that her crush was hating her. She kept chasing after him after the class ended, on his way to the locker to pick up books for the next class.

"I can come to your practice right?" she asked excitedly, flapping her arms like birds flying but Sunwoo was unfazed. "I want to sit in the front row."

"Whatever," he poked his ear with his finger as if her voice was nothing but a noise. And some more he was not looking at her.

"Sunwoo stop!" It was then that Haeun became dissatisfied. She jumped in front of the boy who luckily was fast to pull a brake on his feet. Or else, a disaster might have happened.

"What's wrong with you?"

It was clear that Sunwoo was mad. His big eyes scanned her up and down, but it never scared Haeun. Instead, she cupped her hip, huffing before she spoke up again.

"I don't accept whatever as an answer. It's either yes or no," she explained, pulling both her arms up, to have them crossed against her chest. "So, can I come or not?"

The moment she looked into his orbs, she finally realised that Sunwoo was not looking at her. His gaze was fixated on something else behind her that she could not see without turning back.

It got her curious too - what was Sunwoo looking at?

But, when she glanced over her shoulder, she was not killing her curiosity but adding them up to the maximum level.

There was Jihoon, trailing behind the school's discipline teacher who could be assumed as he just got busted from doing something bad, definitely would be granted a detention.

"Go back to your class, faster," the teacher dismissed every student in the hallway with the cane in his hand, and the pair was included.

Jihoon met Haeun's eyes as he passed by the two and averted them to Sunwoo in a heartbeat. What had intrigued Haeun was that Sunwoo was looking somewhere else when the demeanour was nearing them. 

It seemed almost as if they were not interested in seeing each other.

If they were really best friends, why was hatred so obvious on their faces?

Soon after Jihoon's figure slowly disappeared with the teacher, Sunwoo suddenly kicked the locker, his jaw clenched.

"Sunwoo.." Haeun was taken aback by the action. Her palm flew to her chest, feeling her own heartbeat.

Her shaky voice had attracted Sunwoo a bit. With a stoic expression like he always did, he looked down at the girl.

"Why? Are you scared of me?" he stepped forward, intimidating Haeun in which the girl backing away in rhythm. "As you should. So stop bugging me, and get lost."

At that, he bumped his shoulder against hers, walking away. His anger issue was not really understandable. It would come so suddenly, but hard to get away.

And it somehow made Haeun want to figure out, what she could do to turn off the switch?