Stray Coven

Part 2

In the days following, Jisung felt himself beginning to find a new normal. His fellow classmates, both boys and girls, were now actively seeking him out to talk to and he gradually started recognizing names and faces. He wasn't always the most adept at distinguishing people's intentions but felt everyone was being extremely friendly. He even had a group to sit with during lunch now, thanks to Jung-hoon. Additionally, he had Jung-hoon to thank for covering his ineptitude during gym class. Jisung had always been clumsy and that was never as evident as when he attempted sports. Half of gym class consisted of Jung-hoon stepping in at any chance to act as a one-man team and save Jisung from the embarrassment he was certain to bring on with any attempt at participation. The other half was spent saving Jisung from himself when he would inevitably trip over his own feet while simply existing.

Jisung knew he was only a burden as a teammate but Jung-hoon never showed any signs of frustration and instead only encouraged Jisung. With Jung-hoon's help, Jisung's anxiety around the school year and this new town lessened. For the first time he was almost excited for Monday and hoped the weekend would pass quickly.

To Jisung's relief, the weekend flew by. He learned his aunt wasn't always around on the weekends as she was an obstetrician-gynecologist at the hospital which meant she was often on-call. Thus Jisung was left to his own devices to explore the surrounding woods, familiarize himself with the house, and work on homework. He didn't mind the quiet and was actually grateful for some alone time to process the week and all the recent changes in his life.

Suffice to say, he arrived at school on Monday feeling fairly optimistic. The day progressed much the same as the previous week, albeit with slightly more giggling girls vying for his attention although he was oblivious to this. It wasn't until lunch when he made his perfunctory glance at the stray kids table and noticed a new addition.

The new member had dark brown hair with hints of auburn and a part that revealed a glimpse of his forehead. From the side Jisung noticed a perfectly straight nose and defined jawline. Where Jisung had soft round cheeks and big doe eyes, this boy was distinctly angular. His facial features seemed to reflect his physique which appeared chiseled despite wearing a sweater.

Jisung didn't need to ask to know this was Minho. He was working very hard not to stare when Jung-hoon provided the unnecessary confirmation after noticing Jisung's distraction and whispered "That's Minho."

Almost as if Jung-hoon had called his name, Minho glanced over at them, eyes lingering on Jisung, before turning away.

Thankfully a fellow classmate diverted Jung-hoon's attention which left Jisung to continue stealing sneaky glances while trying to calm his racing heart.