The Close Strangers

f i v e

Mark comes into the room where his morning lecture will be held, spotting his friends sit in nowhere but the last row.

His eyes capture a rare view of his friends who have never been so busy to read a book in the morning, suddenly using their eyes to read their own notebook because they will have a quiz today.

"OH MY GOD, my brain can't take it anymore," Lucas gives up eventually. He closes the book and drops his head on the desk.

Mark chuckles as he puts down his bag on the desk. He pokes Lucas' cheek before pointing at the door with his chin, gesturing him to check at the direction.

Lucas lifts his head right away, smiling by himself when he sees Yuqi, one of their classmates who caught his attention since their first orientation day, comes into the classroom with a bright smile on her face.

He rests his chin on the table without breaking his stare at the girl who is already sitting with her friends now.

"Dude, you literally make yourself look like a pervert," Felix says with a notebook in his hand.

"Felix, he doesn't care at all," Mark responds at the time his phone rings as a sign of a phone call. He reads Minhee's name on the screen, so he picks up right away.

"MARK LEE, ARE YOU FREAKING CRAZY?"

Mark moves his phone away from his ear due to the uncontrollably loud voice that comes from it.

"HOW COULD YOU LEAVE YERIMMIE BEHIND JUST LIKE THAT? DIDN'T DAD TELL YOU TO GO TO THE CAMPUS WITH HER TODAY?"

"I'm not crazy, I didn't leave her behind, and I also rejected dad's idea since the first time he told me, so I guess I didn't do anything wrong. Good morning and have a good day, Lee Minhee," says Mark before he ends the phone call.

Last night, his father forced him to drive Yerim to the campus today, but he didn't listen to him and he ended up leaving the house all by himself when Yerim was probably still getting ready in her room this morning.

His father didn't know about that since he already left along with his mother who needed to go to her bakery store before her practice today. Both of his sisters were also clueless about the fact that Mark left without Yerim.

"Good morning everyone," The lecturer who teaches today's lecture comes into the room while greeting them.

The students immediately sit properly as the lecturer puts his stuff down. He turns around, facing the students while putting his hands together.

"I have a good news for all of you," He says, causing the students to show an interesting face, but also anticipating to fall down in disappointment because the definition of good news between lecturer and students are quite different at some point.

"The quiz is canceled today," He says and continues before the class become noisier, "But, but, but! We will do it next week and I hope you will prepare yourself to get good grades on your first ever quiz, okay?"

Mark could hear Chan growls in annoyance, so he turns his head to that guy.

"What's the point of not getting any sleep at all last night?"

Chan is actually the most diligent one among the five of them. He takes notes to every single important word that their lecturers say in every class.

The rest of them, except for Lucas and Felix, are trying their best so far, meanwhile, those loud guys are not even trying at all.

Mark checks the watch on his arm to check the time. It's already 8.15 am, but Yerim has not arrived yet. He starts to think about the possibilities that might happen to her and it makes him feel guilty somehow.