that boy | hwang hyunjin | ✔

Chapter 5

Hwang Hyunjin.

A name that keeps repeating itself as I quietly observe the boy in front of the classroom.

Hwang Hyunjin.

He is tall, his uniform worn casually and his shiny black hair a nonchalant mess, separated in front to reveal his forehead. His face is slim, slender brown eyes quietly inspecting the class in front of him. His full lips are curved upwards in a smile that doesn't falter under the judging and hungry gazes from his new classmates. His lightly tanned skin is flawless, except for a little mole right under his left eye.

Hwang Hyunjin.

"I'm sure even some boys would turn gay for him," Felix whispers, gaining some weird looks from the few boys sitting close enough to hear it.

Then it's my turn to make eye contact with the new boy. I look up and at the same time, he looks in my direction. But immediately after our eyes meet, I avert my gaze, not allowing myself to be impressed by him.

The moment seems to last forever. The silence that fills the classroom is thick like a heavy blanket and not even the sound of breathing students can be heard. Everyone seems to be holding their breath and stare at the boy in awe, and so this moment continues.

Until Mr. Jeon clears his throat, breaking the intense silence. Obviously, he was feeling the weird atmosphere too. Some girls lightly shake their head, finally breaking out of the little trance they were in.

A bit over the top, if you'd ask me.

"You may take a seat, Mr. Hwang," our History teacher states before he takes a seat in his office chair.

The new student nods before making his way over to the other side of the classroom, where he sits down at an unoccupied spot next to one of the class' nerds. I bet every single girl in class wishes that they sat alone now. Unfortunately for them, they didn't.

And then the silence continues. Not even a whisper pierces through, which I actually find quite decent from my classmates. I guess a part of me expected them to attack the boy with questions and the girls to shower him with unwanted attention and affection, triggered by his looks.

But no, they let him off the hook pretty easily. For now. I bet it's not out of respect for Hyunjin, but the fear they feel for an angry Mr. Jeon saved the boy. Even though it's probably just postponement of execution.

The girl's hungry eyes follow every single movement Hyunjin makes as he takes his textbook from his bag, their eyes sparkling as if it's the most interesting thing they ever witnessed.

The boy gently places the book on his desk before he replies to their gazes with a small and polite smile.

And that's when all the boys' faces fall grim, realizing that they have some serious competition right now. And knowing that a few of my classmates are true womanizers, they probably won't like to see the girls swooning over someone else but them.

Our History teacher eyes the class with a bored expression, mindlessly looking at the strange interactions between the girls that are trying to claim the new boy for the next lunch break. A battle of perfectly styled brows knitted together in tight frowns, pretty faces twisted into nasty scowls and glares so cold it surprises me that no one gets frostbitten right on spot.

Until Mr. Jeon has enough of it. He stands in front of the blackboard, arms folded behind his back and a stern expression on his face. Everyone knows the meaning behind this; immediate silence. It only takes a second before everyone has shifted in their seats to face the teacher and all the mouths are shut.

"Excellent," Mr. Jeon states, clearly content with how fast the classroom fell silent.

The students that didn't get their textbooks already dig their hands in their bags to retrieve the heavy book and hastily places it on their tables. Class has been going on for fifteen minutes already and Mr. Jeon is obviously growing impatient, being the only one unaffected by the arrival of Hwang Hyunjin.

The most ironic thing is that it's him who is the only one waiting patiently for the lecture to start, his eyes trained on the teacher in front of the classroom, head slightly tilted in curious anticipation. Completely oblivious to what he has caused between the students. Or he's just deliberately ignoring it. It's hard to judge the behavior of someone that you don't know.

Felix, who has been awfully quiet until know, leans over, subtle enough to go unnoticed by our strict teacher. "I bet lunch break will be the start of World War III," he whispers, his eyes sparkling with I don't even want to know what.

I take a quick glance around the classroom and shake my head in denial. "You're wrong, my friend," I reply, keeping my voice down. "World War III has started the moment that boy entered the classroom."

And then, as if Hyunjin feels that we're talking about him, he looks up and his eyes meet ours. And where Felix gives him a warm and welcoming smile, I just look at him. Plainly, emotionless, pretending to be completely unfazed by him. And then I look away. Felix notices, of course he does.

That's not very nice, he mouths, his brown eyes serious and accusing.

I know, Felix tells me every time. And I ignore him, just like I always do. I harshly glare at the letters in front of me. Do I feel guilty? Yes, I do. I always do. There's always that nagging feeling of guilt when I act like this. Do I plan on changing? No. It's the only way to keep boys at a safe distance. And there's no better time to start than day one.

I'm sorry, Hwang Hyunjin.