Random quote of the day:

(It has nothing to do with the story. But I put it here, because why not?)

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The brunet slams his sketchbook shut that the sound of a voice. Oh crud. He turns around, eyes wide. "Hi?" He meets Chanyeol's cold stare. "Chanyeol."

The giant raises his eyebrows in mocking disbelief. "It's you."

"What?" Baekhyun nervously fiddles with his pencil.

"Ani Kkaebsong."

Baekhyun shrugs. "Yeah, sure." I might as well admit it.

"Who would have thought? Quiet little Byun having so many supporters." Chanyeol smirks.

"Why the sudden personality switch?"

The giant ignores the question. "Let me see the picture."

Baekhyun shakes his head. "It's not done." He puts a hand on top of the book protectively.

Chanyeol only shakes his head, clearly unimpressed.

"Are you going to tell anyone?"

"What?" Chanyeol narrows his eyes.

"That I'm..." the brunet prompts.

"That you're famous?" Chanyeol rolls his eyes. "Please, like anyone would believe that."

"I'm not famous," Baekhyun quietly objects, "no one knows me."

"Over ninety thousand people know you."

"But no one knows me. The me behind the art," Baekhyun looks up. "Just like they don't know you. The real you."

Chanyeol balls his hands into fists as Baekhyun continues.

"No one knows the Chanyeol that relied on me to get here today. No one knows the Chanyeol that wants to punch the living daylights out of me right now." Baekhyun smiles sarcastically. "Not even you." He lowers his voice. "And no one knows just how scared you are of me. How threatened you feel because of a few years of work and some pigment."

"Enough!"

"What? Afraid that I'm right?" Baekhyun grabs his phone. "Then here. I'll show you. I'll tell them. I'll tell them all." He quickly takes a selfie and posts it on Instagram.

I'm Byun Baekhyun. I go to EXO High School. I'm a Junior. No one knows me. But now everyone will. Especially @/thisisPCY-.

"There."

"ENOUGH! You. Did. Not. Have. To. Drag. Me. Into. This. Mess." Chanyeol is beyond fuming at this point.

"Why not? You're the one who wanted it. Right? You're the one who wanted to find out exactly who Ani Kkaebsong was, correct?"

The giant, face now as red as his flaming hair, stomps out of the art room, slamming the door shut.

But I'll still try to be your friend, even if you might want me dead.

***

Baekhyun grabs his books from his locker and strolls to his first period. Honors English. The small boy shakes his head. I wonder how this is going to go. He enters the classroom just as the teacher excuses herself to run out to print copies.

Automatically, students pull out their phones, but Baekhyun goes to his seat and sits down, eyeing his project partner expectantly. Three. Two. One.

"OH. MY." Kyungsoo's eyes search the classroom until they land on Baekhyun. "Is this a joke!?" The owl eyed boy runs over and kneels down next to the brunet's desk. "Is this really you!?" Kyungsoo grabs both of Baekhyun's shoulders. "Is it!?"

Baekhyun throws a glance at Chanyeol, who only scowls. He turns his attention back to his pleading partner. "Yeah. What's the matter?"

"What's the matter!? Are you kidding me!? You're practically my idol, you know that!?" The shocked boy seemed to be unable to speak in anything but questions. "And what does Chanyeol have to do with this?"

By now, the continuous chatter draws the attention of their peers, as the cluster around Baekhyun's desk grows. Most of them check social media, trying to confirm whatever the commotion is.

Shouts of mixed reactions circle around as their classmates form their own opinions. Chanyeol only looks on from the corner of the roomin disdain, drawing much less attention than usual.

Baekhyun laughs light heartedly at the accusations he receives. "This is easy to solve. Someone get me a piece of paper and a pencil. I'll draw something now."

Instantly a few sheets of paper and a variety of writing tools are placed in front of the brunet. He smiles. "Give me something to draw."

The majority points to the now isolated giant in the corner.

Baekhyun chuckles. "Well, I've had some practice recently." He gets to work, quickly sketching out a head and a set of shoulders, occasionally glancing at his subject.

Within two minutes, a brief but lifelike Chanyeol is replicated on the paper. Baekhyun sets the pencil down as the teacher arrives.

"What is going on?" The teacher taps her foot, impatiently waiting for an explanation. "Can someone please explain why everyone is crowded around Baekhyun's desk?"

"He's an amazing artist!" Kyungsoo chirps enthusiastically, "Like, seriously amazing."

The teacher shakes her head and walks over. She takes a glance at the sketch, glances at the class troublemaker, then looks at Baekhyun. "Are you perhaps the one that does all the mural work for the school? The principal has mentioned it on more than one occasion."

"Yes I am Miss."

"Well then, I applaud you for your talent."

The brunet smiles graciously and throws Chanyeol a teasing grin. Haha.

"Alright then. Let's get started today!" The teacher resumes her loud persona. "First of all... new seats!"

Some of the students groan, but most seem excited. A lot of them glance at Baekhyun, probably hoping to be with him. What a difference a day makes.

The teacher begins reading off names from a clipboard. "... Baekhyun and Chanyeol. Row five, seat two. Right in the middle."

Some of the students frown, disappointed that they didn't get picked. But the one that was the most outraged was by far the giant.

"What! I'm not sitting with him."

"No arguing. Sit down please."

"But..."

"Sit."

The red head groans and sinks down into his seat. Baekhyun just shakes his head as he looks at the disheartened honor's student. He looks at the quick sketch of his seat mate, then erases the neutral expression it had. The brunet replaces it with a frustrated one, then holds up the paper to compare it with the original.

"What are you doing?" The giant snatches the paper and glances at it, crumpling it a bit in the process.

"Hey. Give it back." Baekhyun beckons with two fingers.

"Whatever. It's not even that good." He throws the paper down on the shorter's desk and turns the opposite way.

"It's okay. I have a lot of haters anyways. One more won't make much of a difference." The brunet tousled his hair and attempts to rid his paper of its wrinkles. "Oh, and I guess you were wrong. They believe me."

Chanyeol grunts and repetitively taps a pencil on his desk in annoyance. "Would you shush!?" He continues in a lower voice, muttering, "I liked you better when you were quiet."

"No," Baekhyun objects. "You liked me better when I benefited you. Now that you see me as a threat, of course you'd have some sort of a grudge against me. It's only natural."

"Oh my goodness. Just be quiet." Chanyeol shakes his head sourly.

"Love me or hate me. If you love me, I'll always be in your heart. If you hate me, I'll always be on your mind." Baekhyun points out. The brunet sits back in his chair, smiling secretly when he sees the giant's ears turn pink from rage.

"Do you enjoy pissing me off!?"

"Shh." The teacher reprimands. "Chanyeol, if you're talking, you must know the answer. Tell us." She gestures to the board, where a vocabulary question was displayed.

"Um..." Chanyeol racks his brain, but comes up blank. Argh! I'm usually good at this sort of stuff. "Er..."

Beside the giant, Baekhyun snickers to himself. He hums a low note, trying to help his new seat mate. I hope he knows music well.

What is the freak doing now? Chanyeol glares irritability at the brunet, who was having a jolly old time, humming a note with a cheeky grin on his face. Why in the world is he humming?

"Mr. Park? An answer please?"

"Um... A." Chanyeol blurts out the letter that comes to mind. Why did I say that? When is the answer ever A? He shakes his head. Baekhyun couldn't have been humming an A and I just said that off of instinct, right?

The teacher looks surprised. "Correct."

Chanyeol lets out a breath of relief. Thank goodness. He turns to Baekhyun as the teacher goes on about their lesson. "What was that?"

"What? Be glad I took vocal lessons a few years ago. I saved your ego back there." Baekhyun smiles coyly. "I didn't think you would pick up on it. Good ear."

"How could I not? You were being extremely annoying." As the words left his lips, Chanyeol internally grimaced. That was a weak comeback.

"Gee, thanks. It's nice to know that this is what I get for helping you." Baekhyun sourly returns.

"Gentlemen. Do I need to separate you two? Pay attention."

"Actually yes, I-" Chanyeol straightens up.

"No! We're good!" Baekhyun's reply masks the giant's.

Byun Baekhyun, I wish you would just disappear. Or I'll make you.

- § -

Haha. Channie really hates Baekhyun. :D

As mentioned in my other book, bear with me with typos and inconsistencies. Writing's no easy task. :)

So, I have a question:

Which one of my current books do you all like better?

'Look At Me!' or 'Remembering Again'? Why?

Tell me so that I can continue to improve! And because...

Which ever one you all like better, I will (potentially) do a double update next time for it!

That's all! Byee! See you guys on Groundhog Day! (And my birthday.) <3

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