17 DAYS TO GO | KWON SOONYOUNG

6

Hana

"I didn't see you at lunch today," she said, her voice dripping with a mix of curiosity and superiority. Her fingers absentmindedly twirled a strand of her hair. Standing beside her was Jang Eunha, her loyal minion.

"What do you want?" I replied, my voice laced with exhaustion and irritation. I was already tired of her antics, and her presence only added to my frustrations.

"People saw you leaving the rooftop, and not long after that, Jun was seen leaving too," she continued, her voice rising slightly. "What were you doing with him?"

I fought the urge to roll my eyes at her predictable interrogation. Kim Jihye had always been obsessed with knowing every detail of my life, especially when it involved someone she deemed important. Jihye was utterly obsessed with 'SVT', practically all the girls from the school were but she acted as it they belonged to her

"It's none of your damn business," I replied curtly, my tone conveying my annoyance. "I have more important things to worry about than your gossip." I continued stuffing my things in my bag.

Jihye's eyes narrowed, anger crossing her face. She was used to being in control, manipulating those around her to bend to her will. But I refused to be one of her victims.

"You think you're so special, don't you?" she sneered, her voice dripping with disdain."You're nothing more than a murderer's daughter"

Hurt flashed through me but I knew better than to show it to people and especially to her. I took a step closer, my eyes locked with hers. The hallway seemed to fade away, and it was just the two of us in that moment.

"I don't think I'm better than anyone," I said, my voice steady and resolute. "But I won't let you or anyone else define my worth. I won't let you bully me."

A flicker of surprise flashed across Jihye's face, quickly replaced by a mask of superiority. She was not used to being challenged, especially by someone she considered beneath her.

"We'll see about that," she said, her voice filled with a mix of threat and determination. Before walking away she frustratedly yanked my bag from my shoulders and emptied all it's content on the floor.

I just stood there with my hands crossed over my chest, "Are you done?" My voice was calm. "What?" Jihye yelled making me look at her, disgustingly. "Are you done with your antics?" she stomped her feet before striding away, angrily.

I crouched down to gather my things but I flinched when a hand touched mine. Someone was helping me?My eyes met his. Jun bent over, trying to help me. Behind him stood two other boys, one whom I recognised as Wonwoo and the other being Jihoon. All of us, including Soonyoung belonged to the same grade while some other of his teammates were from different grades.

I hurriedly grabbed my bag and mumbled a small 'Thank you' to Jun while bowing and was about to head on my way. "Wait up" my feet came to screeching halt when he called out to me.

When I turned around towards Jun, he was busy telling something to his friends. Not much after, they walked past and left me and Jun alone in the hallway. Students walked past us, giving us weirded-out looks. Both of us stood still, neither of us speaking up. "Soonyoung told me everything," he abruptly spoke up.

I waited for him to continue. He slowly closed the distance between us, now standing right in front of me. That's when I noticed how much taller he was than me. I needed to crook my neck just so I could get a good look at his face.

"I'm sorry," I wanted to ask him for what, but my voice was stuck in my throat. "I'm sorry for being oblivious and not knowing your side of the story." What kind of victimized side of the story did Soonyoung narrate to him when he himself didn't know much about me?

"Wait a minute! What did he really say?" I did not want anyone's pity or sympathy, especially not a fake one or a misunderstood one.

"He told me about your dad," Jun replied, his voice filled with a mix of concern and curiosity.