his secret | woosan

four

"thank god you guys are back," san exclaimed, releasing his hold on my face a bit too forcefully. he hurriedly reached for the bags the two guys had brought in. i could hear some murmurs of confusion. san turned around, rummaging through the bags, and then spoke up loudly, "ah,
i was just messing with him. he's the new scholarship kid." somehow, the way san described the situation stung a little, but i decided to ignore it since it saved me from too much embarrassment.

my cheeks ignited thinking about what san had previously just said. he thinks i'm cute?

"hey, what's up, i'm mingi, and this is seonghwa." one of the guys approached me, sitting beside me on the bed, with an arm casually draped over my shoulders, making me instinctively shrink in size. he was tall, with a muscular yet lean build.

"uh, hi, i'm wooyoung. i'm in your group for the art project," i said, feeling the awkwardness and weirdness of the situation overwhelming me. mingi furrowed his brow and tilted his head in confusion. it was then that seonghwa spoke up, "oh yeah, right, the art project. but no one told me we were working on it today? san?"

all three of us turned towards san, puzzled expressions etched on our faces. he leaned on his desk, a lollipop in his mouth, his gaze locked directly onto mine. "he's new to the school. shouldn't we welcome him first?" san responded, sidestepping seonghwa's question. seonghwa glanced at mingi, his confusion lingering, while mingi simply shrugged in response.

"so, wooyoung, what school are you from?" mingi asked, tightening his grip around my shoulder. i hesitantly replied, "um, oceanside high..."

everyone exchanged looks before bursting into laughter. "ah, that's why i was thrown off by how you looked," seonghwa managed to utter amidst his laughter, his eyes scrutinizing me from head to toe. the comment hit me hard, leaving me feeling vulnerable and insecure. i was at a loss for words, my emotions welling up and threatening to spill over in tears. i hate being so sensitive.

"bro, why are you crying already? ugh, you made it boring so fast. whatever, i'm gonna play val," mingi declared, and seonghwa swiftly occupied san's desk chair, proclaiming, "me first!" this prompted a grumpy grunt from mingi. san and mingi stood behind seonghwa, watching him play. at least i wasn't the center of attention anymore. i should've never came here. i got up from the bed, grabbed my backpack, and hastily made my way towards the door, still teary-eyed with a mix of sadness and anger. but as soon as i headed for the door, a firm tug on my arm forced me to turn around, and i found san's face just inches away from mine.

"where are you going? aren't you gonna work?" he blurted out. "but, you guys are-" i began to reply but was abruptly interrupted by him. "doesn't matter. go start. i'll be there in a second," he commanded, his attention turning back to the computer. "i'm really not in the mood right now-" i almost protested, but the way he swiftly turned around, his expression filled with anger, caused me to stop in the middle of my sentence. he gestured towards the bed, and almost instinctively, i found myself complying and walking back to sit on it.

my cheeks burned, and tears welled up in my eyes. i felt so powerless. what is wrong with me? why can't i muster the courage to stand up for myself?

sitting on the bed, i took out my art supplies from my backpack. in that moment, a tear escaped and rolled down my cheek. i quickly wiped it away, hoping nobody would notice. all i could do now was try to push aside my thoughts and focus on my work, so i continued to do just that.

——-

after enduring an hour of three guys grunting and shouting loudly, completely absorbed in their video game, while i struggled to focus on my work, exhaustion consumed me. that was it. i had made up my mind—i was leaving. i felt so left out and so stupid for staying. if i knew they were going to make me do all the work, i would've never came. i began putting everything back into my backpack. just as i was about to put away my last book, it was aggressively snatched from my grasp. san plopped down beside me on the bed, scanning through my sketchbook with curiosity. "let's see what we worked on today," he remarked.

i attempted to grab it from his hands, but he swiftly pulled away. "hmm, your sketches aren't that good, wooyoung. they definitely need some work," he critiqued. i already knew i wasn't the best at art, but hearing it voiced out loud by him irked me to no end. i immediately defended myself, "well, they're still better than anything you could do."

he paused to look at me, and in that moment, the realization of what i had just said hit me like a ton of bricks. i nervously gulped, trying to regain my composure. you've got this, wooyoung. that was kinda good.

however, san casually tossed my sketchbook aside, letting it sprawl across the bed, and turned around, resting his head on his arm. "that was a little rude, don't you think?" he remarked, a cocky smirk stretching across his face. that was rude?

"well, you've been pretty mean to me too," i retorted, my tone tinged with annoyance. i reached over him, determined to take my sketchbook and finally leave. but then, out of nowhere, i felt a hand on my thigh. "i'm sorry, wooyoungie. maybe i should have been nicer to the new kid, huh?" san's deep voice resonated, his cocky smirk signalling that he didn't mean a word of what he was saying. my mind went blank, unable to conjure a response, as his hand began travelling up my thigh, causing me to freeze in place. a blush crept across my face at the unexpected touch.

i couldn't take it anymore. without wasting a second, i bolted out of the room, leaving my sketchbook behind. as i hurried down the stairs, i almost let out a curse when i spotted mrs. choi pacing back and forth near the front door, engrossed in a phone conversation.

i slowed my pace and cleared my throat, attempting to regain my composure. i glanced down, trying to avoid eye contact, but my attempt to go unnoticed failed miserably. "wooyoung! leaving so soon?" mrs. choi exclaimed in a loud, cheery yet disappointed tone.

i mustered a hesitant smile, briefly meeting her gaze before responding, "yeah... i'm sorry, i've got some work to do at home. it was nice to meet you, mrs. choi." her expression shifted to one of concern as she observed my face. in order to avoid further conversation, i quickly bid her goodbye and dashed out of the house.

—

after an exhausting hour-long bus ride, i had finally made it back home. i immediately collapsed onto my bed. it felt so good to be home.

suddenly, the memory of san's hand on my thigh flashed through my mind, causing my cheeks to ignite once again. i shook my head aggressively in frustration and embarrassment.

i spent the rest of the evening trying to distract myself with my favourite tv shows and food, desperately attempting to forget about today. after a relaxing warm shower, i was ready to hit the hay. i slipped into my usual white shirt and comfy oversized shorts and jumped into my bed.

grabbing my phone, i scrolled through notifications, trying to catch up on everything. that's when i noticed a text from an unfamiliar number.

New Message
+82 XX XXX YYYY
it's san. wait for me after art tomorrow.

san? how'd this guy get my number? i leaped up in frustration, tossing and turning in my bed. what does he want from me now? i screamed loudly into my pillow. i immediately switched off my phone and tucked it away under my pillow. after all that happened today, i had no energy left to think. i'll just let tomorrow unfold itself.