Within These Shadows || Park Chanyeol/Do Kyungsoo || Book 1

4

Mae tried her best to focus in all of her classes. It was not the first time that Jay needed an escape from her life. And the fact that it wasn't, should have been enough to make Mae feel used to it. But it didn't; how could she be okay when she felt the need to protect her best friend from the dark thoughts of her past? So, when the professors were busy explaining the lectures, she was lost in thought: one hand supporting her head, the other fiddling with a pen, eyes focused on the green board, but mind lost in the thoughts of Jay.

The same thing happened in Economics class: the last class of the day. Mae hadn't realised that the class was over and everyone was leaving their seats, until someone kept poking her on the shoulder with a pen. She jolted out of her thoughts and looked around to see the almost empty room. She quickly turned her head to see what, or rather who, was poking her; it was a boy she didn't recognize.

"You okay?" The boy asked.

"Yeah, yeah. I am." Mae quickly sat up straight, but frowned at the boy. Why was a stranger asking her that?

"You seemed quite lost during the class." He said, quite normally, but it caused Mae to raise her eyebrows. "Don't get me wrong! I wasn't staring at you or anything!" He was quick to respond, waving his hands in front of him real fast. Fear of being misunderstood was clear on his face. "It's just that, the professor kept looking at you quite a few times, since you weren't paying attention. That's when I noticed. And my seat was just a couple of seats from you. You seemed stuck, even though the class was over. So I thought, I'd ask if you're okay. That's all" His voice got quieter and quieter with each sentence.

"Oh." The professor had noticed her not paying attention? That was bad- really, really bad. She shouldn't have let herself get distracted again.

"Miss Ahn?" The professor's voice caused both Mae and the boy to look at the man standing on the stage, wiping the board.

"Yes, Professor?" Mae gulped. She had not expected him to call her out.

"Can I talk to you for a second?" Professor Oh Dae Hyun asked, turning to face Mae, dusting off the chalk remains from his hands.

"Yes, Professor." Mae said.

Professor Oh Dae Hyun- the Economics professor- was one of the best professors in the university. He was a man in his mid-twenties, 5'11", always neatly dressed, wore the same black watch everyday, had a bit of a messy brown hair, which made him look attractive. He was liked by all of his students, not only because he taught good, but also because he was a very humble and understanding person. When he noticed Seung Mae being distracted, he knew that he had to talk to her after class, ask her if she was okay.

"Mr Park, if you will excuse us?" The professor smiled at the boy standing beside Mae.

"Yes, Professor." The boy bowed before his teacher, gave Mae a small nod, before walking out of the now empty classroom.

"Miss Ahn," the professor now focused on Mae. "You did not pay attention to a single word I said in class today. Is everything okay?"

"I'm sorry, Professor. It won't happen again," Mae stood up to bow before him.

"I hope so, Miss Ahn. But I suggest that you seek help from a friend in this class for today's lecture. Or you could ask Mr Park for his notes. He's a diligent student."

"Thank you, Professor. I'll see what I can do," Mae started packing her bag, in a hurry to leave. "I'll leave first then, Professor." She bowed and started to get out of the seating row.

"Mae?" Professor Oh's voice stopped her on her tracks. "Is everything alright, Mae?"

Mae stayed rooted to her spot; she didn't know what to do or what to say. She clutched the strap of her bag tightly, shut her eyes and took a deep breath.