being lonely | minsung | ✔

17

"Lee Minho and Han Jisung, huh? I already had a feeling this would happen when two of this school's troublemakers would meet," the principal sighs as we sit down in front of his desk. "It was only a matter of time before the two of would be here together, I guess." 

"I assume it was destiny then," Minho mutters. He softly nudges my arm with his elbow and I almost snort with laughter. If even the principal isn't surprised, maybe it truly is.

Our principal, Mr. Park, doesn't get mad at Minho's comment. Instead, he shakes his head in disbelief with an amused twinkle in his eyes shielded by glasses. This school's principal is, in fact, a patient and friendly man with a decent sense of humor. You won't find many principals like him.

"You know what also is destiny?" Mr. Park questions, looking at us both with a small grin. We both shake our head and he continues, "The amount of trash that litters on the school grounds just on the same day you two decide to show up here."

Minho and I both groan as his words dawn on us; cleaning duty as a punishment for disturbing Ms. Choi's always so peaceful detention.

"Please meet the head janitor at his office, he'll be glad to go home earlier today when you take over his duty. Escaping won't be possible since I'll give him a call to inform him about your arrival."

With a grin, Mr. Park leaves his seat; a sign that it's time for us to leave his office to let him continue his work. We both stand up as well, our mood sullen because of our upcoming cleaning duty.

"Yes, sir," we mutter in unison and with a small bow, we leave the office in a hurry.

"Isn't this just great," I sigh as soon as the door closes behind us. Our principal might be rather friendly but this punishment is no joke.

"At least we can do it together," Minho shrugs, eyeing me from the side. "It makes things much better. Ji, even the principal thinks we're destiny. Isn't that cool?"

It was only a matter of time before the two of you would be here together, the principal indeed said. I can't help but smile at that because I always felt like I was destined to be as alone as the universe could make someone.

"Does this make us partners in crime?" I jokingly ask, referring to when Mr. Park said that two of this school's troublemakers finally met. Okay, he didn't exactly say it like that but still.

"Is that even a question? Of course we are!" The older loosely wraps his arm around my shoulder in a friendly side hug, moving his free arm dramatically in front of us as if he's imagining something big. "Don't you see us? Jisung and Minho, this school's dynamic duo."

Chuckling, I duck away and escape from his embrace. This school has a stern policy against intimacy and skinship and I feel like we've already been through enough trouble for today.

"If we're really going to cause that much trouble, I think we're more like the damned duo," I reply, lazily knocking on the door that leads to the main janitor's office. After a short walk, we arrived and it's time for our second punishment today to start.

"Hey, at least we are a duo," Minho grins and I nod vigorously because I'm as happy as he is.

Then the door opens, revealing the bald head of the school's head janitor, his mustache even bigger than the last time I saw him. He looks at us through squinted eyes while wiping his glasses clean with his blue school polo shirt.

"Ah, Minho and Jisung, I was expecting you," the man states as he places his glasses back on his nose. "Wait a second."

He turns around and disappears into his office, only to return a moment later with two trash bags and two pickers. He hands them to us with a satisfied expression and explains, "fill these two bags until not a single plastic wrapper fits anymore. Come back to my office when you're done and then you're free to leave."