Leaf Me Alone // minsung

「⸙ ch.7 ⸙」

JISUNG

It was only the second week of school. How was time going so slowly? During the past two weeks, I sat to each lunch with my friends every day... my friends, plus Minho.

Honestly, they were okay. It wasn't as hard to adjust to a friend group that had doubled in size as I thought it would be. I knew Changbin and Chan from class, and they were fun to hang around with and genius at music production in their own right. We often got grouped together because we just worked too well together, and have even been jokingly calling ourselves '3racha' as a group name. Jeongin was also cool, never hesitant with his quips and his sarcastic humour. He was the baby of the group, no matter how much he denied it, therefore he was babied by everyone. Including Minho.

Felix still looked at me with a teasing light in his eye. Hyunjin had mostly given up once he no longer got a reaction out of me, and Seungmin had never brought it up after that weird 'special feelings' conversation.

As I sat there spinning my pen, I heard the scraping of a chair behind me. Without looking up, I knew who it was. These few days, I had been determined to avoid him at all times, but every single day, without fail, a cheesecake (and the spoon) would be pushed in my direction. I wouldn't look directly at him, but would nod in his general direction as a thank you.

Me avoiding his gaze never stopped him from staring at me, though, and I could feel his eyes on me even now. The pen, once so steady and in my grasp, slipped out of my hand and clattered on to the table. I flushed, quickly picking up the pen and holding it securely in my hand. Hearing a small chuckle behind me, I knew that it was Minho. I didn't look back, only rested my head on my arms. Maybe I heard a low "cute" from behind me, and maybe that made my face heat up significantly, but I would rather continue to pretend it didn't affect me than to give him an inkling of reaction.

Although it was suprising that I wasn't raising the temperature of the whole room by just how much I've been flustered recently. Maybe I do need to see a doctor. Maybe a heart doctor? Maybe I should ask Felix... or Seungmin, since he's the most sensible option.

The sound of someone knocking on a desk sounded from the front of the classroom, and the low hum of conversation slowly died down as people turned to the front of the classroom. Mr Park cleared his throat, addressing the entire class.

"Now, I know that this semester has only just begun, and this is your first year at this university. As I would like my class to all get along, and I'm sure many of you want to make new friends along with this fresh start in life, I have decided to use this lesson as an opportunity for you to get to know your classmates." He surveyed the room. "Now, as you all could choose where to sit in this class, I'm certain most of you chose to sit next to people you know. Therefore, I want the people in every second row, starting from the very front row, to talk to the person behind you. They will be your partner for today, and you will be getting to know them first."

Mr Park smiled brightly at his brilliant idea. As opposed to his happy smile and the beginnings of shuffling chairs and rustling papers as people began to turn around, I was sat frozen in my seat. I was very clear on who sat behind me, and I did not want to get to know him in any way, shape or form.

A voice, the voice, lilting, smoother than honey, sounded from behind me, hiding a laugh that threatened to bubble through his words. "Squirrel, you can't avoid me forever. C'mon, turn around and let me see that pretty face of yours."

Stiffly, I spun around in my seat, trying hard not to let the blood rush to my face. I'm sure he still noticed something though, because his smile widened as he gazed at me. For a moment, just a moment, his gaze held something akin to fondness, and I was able to believe that he cared, maybe even cared for me, and that he wasn't just some random guy teasing me because he was bored and I was the most entertaining thing around.