on the day the mirror broke . kth

03 | BETTER

"That was Yugyeom who just ran past. He's really sweet so don't be afraid to chat with him."

Taehyung nods and takes a second to look around the room, noting the lockers lining the back of the class and the windows set all the way across an adjacent wall.

A girl pops up in front of the two of them with a haughty expression, and Sumin exhales heavily. "Ah. This is Rie."

"I'm the better vice president. If you have any questions, come to me." Rie sticks her hand out to Taehyung for a handshake but he looks at it warily.

He needs baby steps, Sumin reminds herself. Before Taehyung's nervousness and Rie's irritation build, she high-fives Rie's hand away. "He's sick and doesn't want to pass it on, is all."

She doesn't notice when Taehyung starts. He looks down with a tiny smile, sending her a mental note of gratefulness. He doesn't know how she thought to help him like that, but it makes him feel safer in all the newness of the school.

Rie snatches her hand back before Taehyung can 'infect' her and walks away.

"You good Taehyung?"

"Yeah. Thank you."

Sumin narrows her eyes at him. There was obviously something weighing on his mind, but she didn't think it would be right for her to ask now. "You'll be—'

"Did you happen to see Prettyboy on your way?"

Sumin sighs dramatically at the girl that interrupted her and lays a hand on her shoulder. "I think it's about time you stopped frothing over every vaguely attractive guy you notice, Seon."

"Huh. Little bitch Yoongi told me the same thing just a second ago."

Taehyung follows Sumin's gaze as she waves to a short boy lounging back on his chair. He watches as the boy smiles, slow and deliberate as if he had all the time in the world.

He reminded Taehyung of his old neighbour's cat, Minty. Minty was the sort of cat that would sprawl across the couch and expect people to not bother her, but when she demanded attention, she always got it. If Minty and the Cheshire Cat had a baby, he - Yoongi - would be it.

The girl who was talking before snatches Taehyung's attention again when she speaks again. "So did you see him?"

"Don't think I did, I didn't pay attention."

Taehyung zones out of their chit-chat, not wanting to intrude. He barely takes in their bickering as he peeks at the girl.

She was expressive with her face, a cute pout forming in response to something Sumin says, then immediately turning into a bright grin. Her animated actions were the complete opposite of Sumin's laid-back stance, but it was charming.

"... and this is Kim Taehyung." The girl swivels her attention to him. Without even realising, he side-steps a little closer to Sumin, uncomfortable with the weight of the new gaze. He could feel the whispers of the others in the class too, the ones who pause their chatter to glance at him.

Sumin turns into him a little bit, letting him feel safer. Taehyung takes a breath of relief, and his lungs fill with a smell he couldn't quite place. Like layers of rose and coconut, and something else, too, sharp and warm.

"Hi, Taehyung, I'm Bom Seonhi. You're really pretty. I mean, you probably already know that, but I thought I'd tell you anyway. Okay, time for me to stop talking hahahhh, I'm not weird, I swear."

"Oh." Is everyone in this school nice? "Thank you." At every turn, he felt like he was being confronted with something else that made him uneasy again. Seonhi peers at him for a second, before Sumin ushers them to another table.