In A Beautiful Way

Drowning In Fear

Now that Seri was back from America, Hyunwoo had finally returned to eating lunch with his friends. Unfortunately for him, all they could talk about was Hong Haein.

"Ya! So you're telling me that this entire time you were hanging out with Hong Haein? I thought you said you were at the library!"

"I was. We were working on our project together. You already know that we're paired with each other." Hyunwoo was careful with his words. Haein was fine with people knowing that they were friends, so he was willing to reveal that much. Everything else, he would keep a secret.

"Since when were the two of you friends?"

"We have to be if we're going to work on our project without being awkward. She's cold but she's not unreasonable." He shrugged.

"Do you like her? Do you plan on making a move?"

"Ya! What are you saying? We're just friends." He gave Cheolseung a dirty look.

"Dude probably doesn't have a chance anyway. Did you hear? The new shooting captain is Haein's ex boyfriend and they broke up like half a year ago. Talk about juicy gossip."

Hyunwoo bristled. "They broke up for a reason. I don't like that guy, something about him rubs me the wrong way."

"You're just saying that because you're jealous. He's super cool, especially when he shoots. He's like the main character from an action movie! And he's filthy rich too, I think his parents are business partners with Haein's parents. That's like a match made in heaven!"

"More like a merger and acquisition for Yoon Eunsung." Daeho sniggered.

"Ya! Don't talk about her like that!" Hyunwoo frowned. Why were they talking about Haein as if she was a mere pawn in a game? She wasn't just a tool for wealth. She was so much more than that.

"Okay good buddy, that's enough for now. Why not you take a look at the scenery and take some deep calming breaths?" Sensing the tension, Yangki stepped in quickly before it could escalate into a fight. Some of the boys were careless with their words and they were bound to rile Hyunwoo up if this conversation got any further. Yangki tugged Hyunwoo's arm, leading him away from the table and towards the full length windows that overlooked the school compound.

"What's up with you today? You normally don't care less what they say. You know how they can get sometimes." He punched Hyunwoo's arm lightly.

They were both facing the windows, but Yangki could see his expression in the reflection. Hyunwoo was stony, his mouth hardened into a line. Even if she didn't ask for it, Hyunwoo had every intention to protect her from guys like them. Their stupid mouths shouldn't even dare speak her name if they weren't going to be respectful. It didn't just apply to Haein, but everyone else that they constantly bad mouthed.

"I don't know. It's just-" He released a puff of air in frustration. If only he was actually dating her, he would have a reason to beat them up. They wouldn't even dare speak like that of her if she was his girlfriend. They may not respect Haein, but they respected Hyunwoo. He wanted to protect her because he knew that they were the very reason she didn't like being around other people.

And then something by the pool caught his attention.

...

Haein walked quickly, wanting to get to the cafeteria as soon as possible to meet Seri. They had a council meeting after this which would eat into their lunch so she had to be quick if she didn't want to be late. She'd just had a torturous history lesson with her least favourite teacher and was exhausted. All she wanted was to have a quiet moment to herself even if it was only twenty minutes.