Feeling Brew

~4~

"I totally don't got this," Taeil muttered as he spotted the foreigner entering their songwriting class.

Unlike the previous days, her dark circles were evident, and her hair appeared a bit unkempt, yet she still looked like she could feature on the cover of a beauty magazine. The girl was effortlessly pretty.

She shook the hood of her hoodie off and plopped down into the seat next to the boy she just had to keep on running into. It had only been a week, but Taeil had seen her at her best and her worst. She tried to shake the image of her soaking wet from the storm out of her head. Hopefully, he wouldn't bring it up.

"Hey, Isla!" Bae Mi Ran chirped. Like always, her hair was perfectly styled, and she wrapped her dainty hands around Isla's arm. "The swim team was planning on doing some laps this afternoon to prepare for tryouts. I was wondering if you'd like to join us."

Even after everything Isla had overheard, she still wanted to believe the girl clinging onto her. She hesitated before nodding slowly, and Mi Ran giggled.

"Can't wait to see you after class!"

Taeil looked over at the most popular girl at NCTU and noticed her whispering things to some of the other girls on the team. This uneasy feeling began bubbling in his stomach, and he tried hard to ignore the strange sensation in his gut. Whichever way he looked at it, he knew Isla would be walking right into a trap if she met the women's swim team after school.

Isla ignored the red flags and smiled as she headed to her next class. Taeil tried to follow her so he could warn her, but the throng of students trying to make it to their next class held him back. He had to find a way to stop her somehow.

~~~

"Are you gonna eat that?" Mark asked quietly as he hungrily eyed Taeil's untouched bibimbap.

Johnny tapped his roommate. "Are you feeling okay? You look like you're pretty lost in thought. Something bothering you?"

Mark nodded. "Yeah, you're quiet, but you're never this quiet."

Taeil pushed his lunch towards the Canadian. "Eat as much as you want. I'm gonna go use the restroom."

While he was walking down the hallway, he heard the unmistakable voice of NCTU's goddess coming from a classroom, and he slowed his pace down.

"That foreigner has no idea what kind of surprise she's in for. She'll never even think about setting foot in the Aquatic Complex once we're done with her," Mi Ran laughed.

The other girls chimed in, and Taeil shrunk away from the door absolutely repulsed. What was Mi Ran planning on doing? He had no idea what class the girl was in now, but he had to stop her from getting hurt again.

~~~

"Taeil, I wanted to talk to you about speaking to my freshman class about rhythm and flow. Do you have some time now?"

Taeil had finished with his classes for the day, and Professor Yoo was known for having a lot of connections within the music industry. Reluctantly, he followed his freshman professor into the large classroom and gulped when he saw the rows of students focus their attention on him. The countless stares, the way they whispered- it all set him on edge. He nervously rubbed his hands together and tried to reassure himself as Professor Yoo introduced him to the class.

I'm on a stage. I'm on a stage. I'm on a stage... he persuaded himself.

Professor Yoo nodded at Taeil, and he took a deep breath.

"How many of you have ever been touched by a song? Maybe there's a certain melody that comes to your head whenever you're doing homework, or you remember the song you listened to when you were getting over a bad breakup. Whatever the case, those lyrics were meaningful to you and kept you coming back over and over. Some songs aren't pretty. And not all lyrics rhyme. A song isn't just something you listen to. You feel it right here." Taeil placed a hand over his heart.