Don't Text Me | Taesan X Woonhak

17: Leave Me Alone

Dongmin sat at his desk, fidgeting with a pen as his group's turn for the presentation approached. Their project, a semester-long collaboration, was the result of weeks of hard work—or at least, it was supposed to be. The problem was that Jiseok, the guy who had all the project materials, was nowhere to be found.

As the professor called their names, Dongmin's stomach churned. The other three members of his team exchanged uneasy glances.

"Where is he?" Dongmin whispered harshly to the team member responsible for coordinating the files.

"I don't know! He's not picking up the call," the guy stammered, avoiding eye contact.

"Perfect," Dongmin muttered, his tone dripping with sarcasm. "This is just what I needed."

When their turn came and went without a project to present, the professor's frown deepened.

Dongmin stood up, looking visibly annoyed but trying to keep his composure. "Professor, we can't present today. One of our members with the project files... isn't here."

The professor frowned but waved them off. "We'll move on. But this will affect your grades. There will be no resubmissions."

As the next group started their presentation, Dongmin slumped back into his seat, his jaw tight. The guilt among his team members was palpable, especially with the one who was supposed to coordinate everything.

After class ended, Dongmin wasted no time pulling that person aside. "Alright, spill it. Why was Jiseok the one with the project? You were supposed to handle this."

The guy hesitated before answering. "He asked for them. Said he'd handle everything."

Dongmin let out a bitter laugh. "Of course, he did. He didn't even show up. If he wanted to be in charge, maybe we should've just made him the leader instead of me, huh?"

The guy looked down, mumbling an apology. But Dongmin was already done listening. He grabbed his phone and stormed out of the classroom, firing off a text to Jiseok as he headed toward the campus café where Donghyun was waiting.

Dongmin: Hey, thanks for not showing up today and tanking the presentation.

Jiseok: What? Wait, what happened?

Dongmin: You didn't show up. You had the project. We couldn't present.

Jiseok: Oh no, I'm so sorry. I got into an accident on my way there.

Dongmin: An accident? Convenient.

Jiseok: I swear, man. I couldn't make it.

Dongmin: Funny how the professor didn't care. We lost points, and we can't resubmit.

Jiseok: That sucks, but it wasn't my fault!

Dongmin stared at the screen, his anger boiling. Something about Jiseok's tone didn't sit right with him.

"What happened?" Donghyun asked, already pushing a plate of fries toward him.

"Jiseok didn't show up to the presentation. He had the project files, and we couldn't present," Dongmin muttered, grabbing a fry and stuffing it into his mouth. "And you know what? I bet he doesn't even feel bad about it."

"Did you text him?"

"Yeah. He said he got into an accident."

Donghyun raised an eyebrow. "You believe him?"