The Hidden Treasure

~10~

Namjoon slid his mask down and rubbed his face with his hands. "You're such a stalker, Taehyung-ah." He gave the younger man a long side glare and walked to the counter, snatching up the slip of paper and pulling out his phone. That's one way to get a girl's number.

Taehyung walked into the shop and looked around. "Wow, I didn't even know this place was here. Is this where that book came from?" He leaned on the counter and smiled at Namjoon,

"Yes, if you must know." Namjoon was annoyed he had been followed and now had to deal with an interrogating Taehyung,

"Do you work here? You can't afford to have a part time job. We're too busy." Taehyung smirked, eyes traveling along the wall behind Namjoon.

"I'm covering for the owner while she's out." He froze and mentally face-palmed himself. For having a genius brain Namjoon, you sure talk like an idiot.

"She? Is that why you're here? A girl? What's she like?" Taehyung wasn't looking at him, but behind him.

"Doesn't matter. It's not a big deal. Don't make it a big deal. Okay?" He sat down on the stool and sighed, placing his head in his hands.

"Hm, so did you go to school with her or something?" Taehyung continued to stare at the wall behind the counter.

"Why would you ask me that," said Namjoon, still face down on the counter.

"Hm, maybe because of that class picture up there?" Taehyung pointed to the class photo on the wall behind Namjoon. Namjoon looked up to see him pointing and turned to look in that direction. He sighed.

"Yeah. We were classmates, but she doesn't know that yet."

"Oh...is this like those dramas where the female lead gets amnesia and can't remember her past or her lover?" Taehyung looked a bit too excited.

"Nothing that thrilling, I can assure you." Namjoon sighed and spun a nearby pen around in fast circles on the counter.

"Then how does she not know who you are?" Taehyung looked majorly confused.

"This," said Namjoon, popping his face mask off his ears and flinging it down on the counter. "I've kept it on every time I've seen her."

"Why? If she's an old classmate, weren't you two friends?" Taehyung slid his bag off his shoulder and laid it on the floor, removing his jacket and laying it across the counter. Namjoon noticed he was making himself comfortable which meant he had no intention of leaving any time soon. He panicked a little at the thought of Hyejin and her friend coming back and seeing him here and then he would have to introduce them and what was he going to say?

"Hello, this is my friend Kim Taehyung. Yes, we have the same name."

Stupid.

"We weren't exactly friends. More like rivals." He sighed and frantically tried to think of a way to get Taehyung to leave.

"Rivals? Like, in grades?"

"Yeah."

Taehyung gasped. "No way. Was she smarter than you? Is that why you're embarrassed for her to know who you are?"

Namjoon gave his bored look. "No, dummy. I always beat her. She was always coming in second to me and it bugged her pretty bad. I think that's the only reason she could have had to hate me."

"Conceited much, hyung," teased Taehyung.

Namjoon rolled his eyes. "Okay, so now you know. Satisfied? Now go home." He waved his hand at his friend to try and shoo him away.