the author note at the end of this chapter is important, please read.
Enjoyy♡

~~~

"The bystander's case is always so much more complicated than that of a victim or assailant. It's because sometimes a bystander is looking at a killing bomb, thinking it's beautiful fireworks. Oblivion is their beautiful lie, that saved them from the ugly truth."

~~~

Myungsoo

It's not working, nothing is. It's either she is mega innocent, or really, really oblivious. I've been watching her, which isn't as easy as it sounds because she's always so quiet. She leaves and comes while no one notices, but I do.

Before Jihye comes to school she used to be so unnoticed, no words and no movements. Just her delicate hands holding her signature maroon pen and scrawling on her notebook.

Talking of that, she is one of the best students in school. A girl so smart and she still didn't figure it out. She is driving me nuts.

They aren't here yet, Janna and Jihye left the class a couple of minutes ago and they aren't back yet. What I witnessed before is enough to make me worry that much.

If it wasn't for the fact that Jihye stopped Yeron's hands from touching my girl- look at that,I'm whipped- I would've done it myself. And then, it wouldn't have been as polite as Jihye.

Sungyeol is seriously missing on an amazing catch if he didn't get to his senses soon, but his constant stares at Jihye tell me he isn't going to miss.

"Hyung, where are they?" I ask Sungkyu, nudging his side with my elbow to gain his undivided attention.

"I don't know," he turns, his voice getting serious. I was still composed only because, matter of factly, Yeron and her cronies were here. Yeron staring at Sungyeol like an owl as the rest targeted the others. One of then had eyes on me too, creepy.

A couple of other minutes pass and still no sign, "calm down, they will be here in a minute."

Yeah, Sungkyu hyung is right. But I do need to talk to Janna right now, I need to watch her and hear her soft voice. Ugh that vulnerable voice, even better, she was talking science when I heard it. Yeah, so hot- I need to stop.

"Hey, hyung. I need to talk to her. Let's go, you take her constant companion, Jihye, away and leave the rest for me."

"There is no rest! How am I supposed to do that to Jihye, you know how cute and awesome she is? I can't possibly do anything that could annoy such an angel."

"It won't annoy her, she is all so smilie and considerate so just tell her you want to talk." I protest.

"No, you can't make me do that-"

"Do what?" Dongwoo peeps in, and I turn to see Woohyun beside him.

And so I explain it all, briefly.

"If you don't do it then today's dinner on you, I'm pretty hungry." Woohyun says. The best thing about Woohyun is that he is so understanding when it comes to feelings. I mean he fell in the trap himself.

"Yeah!" Dongwoo laughs and leaves to tell the rest.

"What the... Okay okay! Let's go, I'm not planing spend my month's savings on food for six ogres."

~~~

Sungkyu and Jihye left, I saw the apologetic look Jihye gave to Janna just before she followed Sungkyu who disappeared behind the corner.

Why? Why does she feel sorry for her that she is left alone with me? That's a dream come true for most of the girls on earth.

Maybe because I was too creepy when we worked on the project yesterday? No, I wasn't. I wasn't staring at her the whole time, was I?

That's not the issue.

"Hey," I start, I see her tiny fingers tighten around the books she hugged to her chest. I impulsively moved forward, ignored the alarmed step she took away from me and held the heavy books from her.

I heard her heavy intake of breath, I wanted her to speak. Reply. But I knew she won't so I carried on, "where are you heading now?"

It was a stupid question, class is starting in minutes and she never skips class. But if that meant I'd hear her soft voice again then stupid let it be.

"I'm going back to class," so soft, low and almost inaudible but I heard it. I smiled to myself and walked after her when she started moving again, eyes down. I wanted her to look at me, I really did.

While all those girls always look at me, as if eating a piece of my flesh she never did. In fact she doesn't look at anyone, or talk to anyone.

Jihye was the only one I saw who broke her walls, but only enough so only she went in and no one else. I need to work my own way in too, but it will be hard. I need help.

I turned to the opposite side, deliberately walking the other way which led to the play ground instead of the classroom. I wanted any signs of communication from her, and that was the only way.

As I turned, I saw her grey vans clad feet stop. Then I looked up to find her eyes on me, my heart fluttered. Now she needs to say something.

"It's this way, Myungsoo."

That was it, fireworks crept from my mind to my heart and the butterflies I felt inside me marked off my accomplished. She said my name.

"Oh yeah, right." And we walk back to class, her eyes on her purple laced grey shoes while I looked down at her small figure, awestruck.

When we went back to class Jihye and Sungkyu were already there, I look at Janna going to her seat and coincidentally my eyes meet Jihye's.

She was already throwing me a knowing look with a confident smile on her face, she finally nods to herself and breaks the eye contact.

She knows.

Something tells me she is a smart one too, and street smart at that. Unlike my Janna. But it's cute, if Janna wasn't as oblivious as she is then I would've been on her blacklist by now.

Or maybe Sungkyu told Jihye, maybe she is just as oblivious. Or maybe not.

I went back to my seat, "How did it go?" Sungkyu asks from beside me.

"Fine, it went well actually. Hey, did you tell Jihye anything about why you came and took her away?" I ask, my eyes narrowing at his shocked expression.

"What? Why would I," he laughs, "of course I did not." he lies.

Liar, I can see right through it. Huh. I nod and turn, ignoring him. I got nothing to hide anyway, I'm certain about my feelings.

Oh now I have feelings. L has feelings, wait. I really do. The point is, I'm not going to hide it anymore.

Just wait for me, Janna.

The teacher comes in and starts the lesson, out of boredom my eyes dart around the class. Hoya and Dongwoo sat in the column beside ours, Sungkyu and me, each were anything by focused in the lecture.

They eyed the seats in front of Sungyeol and Woohyun which were occupied by the longtime friends, Zoha and Daeyeon. They are loud and cheery enough for almost the whole class to know their names by now.

While Daeyeon is popular for her pro hairstyle skills and wide smile which made Dongwoo believe he isn't an alien and that, in fact, there are other happy people out there too.

Zoha joined the dance club before which made Hoya weak to the knees when he saw her move.

Sungjong was at the back, beside the window, his phone under his desk as he played with it. Another game, most probably. My eyes then moved to Woohyun, of course was secretly texting his girlfriend. He's whipped.

On the other hand, Sungyeol, as most of the time, eyes Janna's seatmate. His eyes were trained over Jihye most of the time. Watching her closely. Which wasn't as hard as my job, because the girl was prominent.

At first his look was different, I saw it. He used to look at her with eyes that blazed destructive fire. He blamed her for keeping Sungyeon busy when she rarely stays that long in South Korea. He blamed her for every problem that happened to him since she woke up. It was too cowardly of him, if you ask me.

But now, his eyes hold attention and observance. The will to figure her out, and the little glimpse of interest was arising gradually. I smirked, not only me. At least it won't be only me and the whipped "namu" for long.

Finally I looked at the two girls, Jihye and Janna were again exchanging notes. I fail to know how they will get good grades, and even more, how they always get the answers correct when the teachers suddenly target them when they always are talking on paper.

Janna smiles when she reads something Jihye wrote, and Jihye stifles a laugh and shake her head looking back at the teacher.

I rewind the scene.

Janna smiled, and I saw it.

Only then, I was sure that all these months I've been watching her I was really, really whipped.

Like Woohyun whipped.
And that's a lot right there.

~~~~
So now, with myunggie's help you all have a better idea about what's really happening.

Tell me what you think in the comments. And vote, please♡♡

I will be editing this book
and modifying the plot to add some refreshing touches, I'll edit all language errors as well!
If I change anything major I'll let you know how it turned out, rest assured.

Thank you for reading!