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Yu Jimin, an intelligent dirty-blonde girl faced down on her desk, reciting the chemistry formulas for her test, her attractive honeyed or husky voice cracked whenever she couldn’t remember the next formula. It was raining, and the sound of it gave ease but the whispers of her parents, and her elders haunted her wits. It was never encouragement but peer pressure, they were the judges of her world just as much as her classmates, teachers, and friends.
Her best friend, Mark Lee, yanked off her hot pink headband, styling himself with it. Jimin’s warm breath heated her cold face and finally, she lifted her head, glaring at the dark-haired boy. He had a sweet face, in Young Youth’s Academy, Jimin and Mark were at the top of their classes, except that Jisung was close to taking Mark's second. Jimin and Mark voted the best friend duo in their yearbook. Yet, this isn’t any normal academy…
Mark jerked up a bracelet from his uniform pants pocket. The academy’s logo charm was clasped in a silver metal chain, partnered with a spirited away ghost face charm, a name engraved on the back. Jimin knew that this wasn’t Mark’s or her bracelet but Uchinaga Aeri’s bracelet.
“We got rid of all of Aeri’s belongings, where did you find her bracelet?” Jimin said, easily snappy. Seeing the bracelet cut like a sword to the neck.
“I was thinking we can’t run away from this,” Mark said.
Jimin wasn’t impressed. Flipping the left of her hair behind her shoulder, she felt as if it was the best solution to destroy everything that reminded her of Aeri. But it couldn’t be done, she unknowingly had constant reminders of her that she feared keeping. This academy tried to delete Aeri as well.
“Even though Aeri is dead she is more alive in my awake rather than in my dreams. If I could run away from her that would be a miracle. Go burn it, Mark.” She said, hoping she didn’t have to repeat herself, she knew Mark, and he would refute her at the first opportunity.
“We don’t know how she died. Why do we have to erase her existence?” Mark furrowed his eyebrows, there wasn’t any reason to reach these lengths of destruction.
“Because she’s gone, Mark! Go fucking burn it because I lose my patience!” Her voice was guttural echoing in the empty homeroom, and her jaw tensed, sharp and frigid eyes. Mark listened to her demand and stepped out.
It was exceptionally early to be in the homeroom, Mark only came to see Jimin and then was chased out by Jimin. Young Youth's Academy was strict, the death of Aeri somewhat demolished its reputation but it was briskly covered up. Ten out of the hundred students were Aeri’s friends who witnessed her death last year, and of those ten friends were Jimin and Mark in that friend group.
It was a prison, students were tested harshly, and the teachers were stingy. They ate, slept, and lived there with no chance to go back to their homes. Their dorms were divided by gender, with two girls in each room, and two boys in each room. Yet, due to uneven numbers, Aeri's death, and room switching Na Jaemin and Kim Minjeong had their own rooms. Rules were their core foundation, such as, no seeking out, wearing their uniforms during school hours, no dating, and no visiting other rooms or escaping the academy.
Jimin had a non-lasting fond taste for the system, it kept her organized. Until recently… These ten friends broke every single rule last year. The academy system had security cameras everywhere, watching their every move, catching them, and mercifully they were given a second chance at their education at Young Youth's Academy.
With the shuffling of feet, eight students entered the homeroom. Predominantly boys were accepted into the academy so they had more opportunities to be in the class. Jimin and two other girls were a part of the group.
“Can I borrow your English textbook, Jimin?” A red-head approached Jimin. Ning Yizhuo, the most feeble girl Jimin could think of, she figured that Yizhuo would never grow out of foolish adolescence.
“Did you lose it? If so, get ready to get reprimanded by the academy director because I won’t let you use mine.” Jimin’s voice was slowed and menacing, twisting a strand of her blonde hair, Yizhuo took her seat in front Jimin with a spine-chilling feeling.
“You know, we’re all friends here.” Yizhuo reminded Jimin. Her words earned her an eye-roll from Yizhuo, she certainly was Jimin’s last person to deal with.
━━━━━
Jaemin knocked on the dorm room door next to his, he was indistinct enough about it so there was barely any noise to wake anyone. The clock was close to striking midnight, this was his usual routine, intruding to a place that the rules forbid. He took advantage of the kindness of the academy director, but he wasn’t the only one.
He was let in by Mark. Mark Lee and Na Jaemin were dating which deserved an extreme penalty. Mark pulls him in, and his roommate, Lee Jeno was still asleep, so Mark and Jaemin’s secret was kept from him. A year before, they were fraternizing and had been dating since then, Jimin knew then but not now. Mark falsely claimed that they broke up.
“It’s been a while, sweetie.” Mark’s fingers crawled on Jaemin’s neck, embracing the cold skin that he wanted to thaw with his own.
“Don’t be too loud, they’ll hear us.” Jaemin’s voice was small, eyeing the roommate across the room. They were always risking their relationship by being in one.
“I should be saying that to you.” Mark prodded Jaemin on the arm.
Mark ran a finger into Jaemin’s curly brown hair, twisting and knitting it. The moonlight shone brightly on his dark eyes, he looked beautifully inhumane, It stole Mark’s heart the first day he obsessed over him. Jaemin placed a hand on Mark’s chest and licked neck his before making out with him, they grinded together their bodies until a soft moan released out of Mark’s mouth. Jaemin hushed him harshly and they progressed into slipping a condom from the drawer.
Before Jaemin could stuff himself into Mark, he saw a glint of light above Mark’s pillow. He recognized that glowing object, it was Aeri’s bracelet and Jaemin moved his body away from Mark.
“Why do you still have Aeri’s things?” Jaemin left the opened condom on the nightstand.
“I miss her, don’t you?” Mark sat up, palpably disappointed at Jaemin.
“Of course, that’s why. I’m not doing anything for you again if you want us to stay together.” Jaemin gritted teeth and he dusted off his uniform before leaving the room. Mark hated how Jaemin’s view of him very little didn’t changed.
Mark threw the wrapper to the floor and hopped off his bed, stepping on it and crushing it onto the hard surface. He had to make up with Jaemin in the morning, and he fell and fell over and over again for him. It was a constant pattern that happened ever since the first day they’d been together. They always had some fight going on.
“Was Jaemin here?” Jeno yawned with his hand covering his pungent breath.
“You weren’t asleep?” Mark grew more irritated than before.
“No. But we all stick together, I won’t tell on you. Just keep it discreet.” Jeno smiled wanly, and after fixing his pillow by puffing it up, went back to sleep.
Mark gripped the bracelet. It still smelt like Aeri, her favorite flowers were honeysuckle, unusually so strong that it felt as if she was in the room with him.
━━━━━
Jimin was assigned to a group project with two boys, Chenle and Jisung. She was tetchy and impatient with these types of assignments, they were always tested on how well they could work with their peers. Regardless of how short-tempered Jimin was to everyone, they were all her friends. Though she played favorites, they were.
Chenle offered to talk during the whole presentation next week. Jisung didn’t have any exceptions and Jimin sat there, rubbing her temples.
“Jimin, are you okay? Are you thinking about Aeri?” Chenle shook her shoulder. That deserved a slap from Jimin, growling at him for touching her so suddenly.
“Didn’t we all agree to not mention that name?” Jimin pushed her eyebrow up.
“Why are you always so defensive?” Chenle asked, taken aback for a moment.
Chenle froze like a mannequin while Jimin seemingly was searching for something in his eyes, glaring at him with her own. Maybe she could find the truth in them if she squinted for long enough. She was suspicious of everyone, it was hard to keep it all to herself, trying to find the truth, also jeopardizing her selfishness in trying to forget about Aeri.
“Do you know why she died?” Jimin’s voice was softer than silk as it wasn’t appropriate to stir up a commotion during class.
Chenle doesn't speak about it. He diverts his head back to Jisung and notices their smiling eyes at each other. It was ambiguous that not every couple broke up after the day they were all caught.
Jimin liked to study facial expressions. To see if anyone was wary but she never had any real evidence. If anything scared her the most, it would be human emotions and they didn’t have to be her own.
“Fine. I’ll go get an extra paper for you, my friend.” Jimin squinted her eyes, sweet as salt, she prompted the table to shake and drop his pencils.
“Does she know anything?” Jisung asked, agitation eating him up.
“No. She doesn’t, she is always this passive-aggressive.” Chenle promised and under the table, their fingers played with each other eventually holding hands.
━━━━━
In the cafeteria, Mark flees from his table to sit next to Jimin, laying his silver platter next to hers. Jimin had hardly anything in front of her. Her relationship with food wasn’t flourishing as well as the others. Mark parted his lips to speak to her with Yizhuo sitting opposite from them at the table, munching on a steamed pork bao silently.
“I was thinking that throwing a party would be fun, what do you think?” Mark winked, his rebellious nature was always rejected by Jimin. It wasn’t fit for the academy.
“We are not violating the rules here again. We are here to study not to rebel again.” Jimin jabbed Mark’s head and almost immediately her attention was stolen.
Among the chatting in the cafeteria, there was bickering. A few tables over Jeno was bracing Donghyuck on his arm, sitting with Renjun. They were the most bitter combination.
“Don’t pay attention to them. This is every day now.” Mark said, Jimin fairly quickly agreed. Renjun and Donghyuck’s quarrels barely broke out to be bigger than what it was.
“There’s no fun in you. I promise I’ll be worth it, it’s like a prom.” He mentions. He hadn’t seen her enjoy a single moment here.
“Mark. I swear, we can’t get through the security cameras anymore, they are better and stricter.” She wanted to dismiss herself from her friend's foolish plans, and so she grabbed her platter ready to put it away when she heard the bickering turn into a giant fuss.
“What’s going on?” Jimin looked at the boys from earlier, it was a massive surprise now. Her eyes were wide open and stunned.
Renjun smeared off spicy oil from the lunch that Donghyuck flung at his face, it dripped from his chin, and he stuck his finger into his white rice, throwing it at Donghyuck like what he had done to him. And as if it was a disease, the whole cafeteria started to toss and aimed food at each other. The cafeteria was heavily disordered with loud bellows of agony, laughter, and shirking cries.
Jimin turned over at Yizhuo, she was the main source of the cries, sobbing with her ears plugged and eyes closed. Head down and pleading for an end to the chaos that alarmed every part of her. Then, very abruptly, she too was hit by food. A green stain was marked on her uniform and she screamed loud enough to shatter glass if given the chance.
“You’re a bitch you know that, right? Right?!” Donghyuck grumbled as he threw his canteen of water at him. Grabbing his hair like a wild animal that wanted to attack.
“I stated the truth. You’re a scholarship student, what makes you as important as us if you don’t have any money?” Renjun’s minatory persona liked to hurt Donghyuck, lowering his self-esteem and worth lower than what it already was.
Donghyuck had enough of brawling with Renjun. Deep inside, he wanted Renjun to care about him even though he barely expressed any affection or fondness. It was bullying to its full extent, and he knew his status wasn’t good enough, but regardless of how rough it was to be friends with richies he wanted to be like one of them.
“I thought we were friends?” Donghyuck sniffled, his eyes welled up and it felt endless.
“We are friends. There’s just… a place you should be in. Don’t get too overboard, Lee Donghyuck.” Renjun discontinued throwing food as well. His words were more gut-wrenching than anything he could hit Donghyuck with.
Mark shook Jimin until she was fully conscious. They ran out of the cafeteria, poorly avoiding getting hit with meals, and made it out, their uniforms, skin, and hair reflecting the clutter they were in.
It wasn’t long until all ten of them were called into their homerooms, no opportunity to clean up first, they came in leaving footsteps of their lunch. Yizhuo was still crying, and she was hushed by the academy director who was holding his staff, pacing in front of them, and they were kneeling to him.
“Since Mr. Huang and Mr. Lee started this food fight, your whole class will be punished.” His old voice was slightly wavering, Mark snickered at the sound of it.
“This isn’t fair! We didn’t do anything, not everyone should be punished for this!” Jeno raised his head, easily reprimanded for speaking while not being told to.
Jimin lifted her head as well. She didn’t speak, she scanned the academy director’s face. If he wasn’t human she would be convinced that he was the devil. They weren’t treated like students, and she wanted to know why an adult can treat kids in such ways. It reminded her of the deceased parents that used to raise her.
“We’re sorry, director,” Donghyuck mumbled with his body quivering in the horror that he would lose his scholarship.
“Line up again. Order by age and gender.” He thrusted out a taser from his black dress coat.
━━━━━
Jimin lowered her tank top strap from her shoulder. There was a scar on there that would be forever permanent. Unfortunately, she had more, and she was ashamed of every one. Mark showed his to Jimin earlier, his abdomen looked fried like his neck and legs. It was days after the food fight, and discipline was becoming increasingly more severe. Curfew inspection became set to eight o’clock and they were banned from the cafeteria for a week. Jimin sneakily ran away from Mark’s room before the hallways became flooded.
Jimin and Mark walked to their homeroom. Half of the boys were there and all the girls, slowly the rest came in, scowls on their faces from their disciplines.
Mark leaned over his homework to Donghyuck behind him and went straight back to talking to Jimin. No one dared to argue with one another or even raise their voice in fear, except Jimin, she was the one to express her frustrations. Mark always had the duty of cooling down his hot-headed friend.
“Thanks, Mark. I understand how to solve the problem now.” Donghyuck’s smile wasn’t as warm as it used to be. Mark grasped back his papers, noting that Donghyuck was taking his anti-depressant pills without permission from the academy director.
“Smarts isn’t the only thing that’ll get you ahead in life.” Renjun yawns laid back on his chair, and his eyes always pronounce some evil to Donghyuck, unholy or distrustworthy.
“I thought we stopped with this useless arguing,” Mark said.
Donghyuck hid the pill bottles in his backpack. There was this spot in his backpack that assured him that no one would find or know about these pills, but there was an accidental rattle from it that terrified him. The sound was only visible to Mark Lee.
Mark didn’t say anything about the pills to anyone but Jimin, softly whispering into her ear, she left no comments.
If he were caught, that would be of great worth to him.
“It’s not my fault he’s so agnostic!” Donghyuck pointed his finger at him, as well as the first to stand from his desk.
“The teacher left us for a moment, let’s stop.” Chenle was at the brink of begging, distressed from the back-and-forth arguing. There seemed no end to it.
“If you never came here I wouldn’t have to tell you off! This academy must have people that help raise the reputation, not lower it.” Renjun stood up, the tension made his white skin flush.
All eyes were on Yizhuo except for Renjun and Donghyuck. She looked unwell, always these quarrels she couldn’t handle, Jimin to largely ignore it. Jisung held and squeezed her hand but the problem wasn’t fixed.
Renjun and Donghyuck progressed into pushing each other, ready to punch if this were their last straw, it was a suffocating scene. Yizhuo kept repeating, for this to end, but they were never that simple.
“What the hell is wrong with a scholarship student?!” Donghyuck pulled at Renjun’s uniform tie that lay on top of his sweater vest.
“You’re a disgrace.” Renjun’s demeaning tone of voice echoed in Donghyuck’s mind, deteriorating and belittling everything about him.
Everyone wondered how Donghyuck didn’t snap and punish Renjun just as roughly as his words ruined Donghyuck inside and out. He tightened his grip on Renjun’s tie, his glaring eyes weren’t enough to do any damage.
“I’m a disgrace?!! You were the reason why Aeri is dead, don’t you feel any shame?!” His face shone a grimace of pain, screaming with no filter.
“Whoa! Whoa! Everyone calm down! We cannot point fingers so easily.” Jimin was bothered to hear accusations being thrown around, according to her they all knew the same information… and there was nothing being concealed?
“He always bullied her and made me do it too! Don’t you wanna know why Aeri died? It’s because of Renjun!” Donghyuck claimed over again, and Renjun stopped responding to it. Only getting back into his seat.
Jimin slammed a hand on her desk. It wobbles with discomposure, half of the class flinches at her stentorian demand and the booming noise of the desk.
“Donghyuck, stop talking.” Jimin’s voice was on edge. “We don’t know for sure. I don’t think we have a suicide note from Aeri. I know you’re angry but you cannot blame Renjun for Aeri’s death because you feel this way.” He nodded, granting her his voice.
“We’ve searched everywhere. There’s really no suicide note?” Yizhuo questioned while twisting her red strands of hair with her finger. Jimin noticed something —off— about her eyes.
“Guys, we better give this up right now, the teacher may come in here any moment.” Jisung hurriedly mentioned, maybe a mechanism of deflection. Jimin gave him the same look she gave to Yizhuo.
Mark thought so as well, it should be praiseworthy that he stayed so nonchalant. Yet woefully, Mark takes a glance at the back of the homeroom close to where the door was. Minjeong sat there, she gave Mark a tiny smile and proceeded with work.
Renjun clicked his tongue and pulled a smirk on his lips.
“Slut.” Renjun wickedly and falsely commented.
“You want a fight so badly, Renjun?!” Mark rose from his seat so forcefully that he shifted his chair and desk, replicating the sharp sound of chalk on a blackboard. Jaemin, unlike Mark, gently got off his seat to hold Mark back from any physical altercations.
Jimin rolled her eyes and swung her body around to face Yizhuo. The girl was so fragile Jimin thought that she could be crushed like paper in her palms. She tucked in her red strands of hair over his ears and covered them. It would be excruciating to hear her mewl. Another fight had to come back again.
She looked over at Renjun. He was teasing for a fight, it felt like she reached hell, she didn’t need to die to see it. And Jimin wondered where heaven was, but she knew she had no way in, it was her forbidden place.
“Stop! Stop! You guys are so fucking annoying. End it now, please.” Jimin verbally abused everyone with her shouts, baring her teeth.
The bell rang and Jisung was the first to rush out, leaving his backpack by his chair. Before Jimin got up, they all were gone. There was a loathe to being stuffed in the homeroom together for the whole day. Jimin couldn’t figure out who detested more with a burning passion she’d like to claim it was herself.
Her eyes dragged to the backpack again. Jisung was quick to change the topic; he wanted to keep something based on her observations, but it was his property, and Jimin knew she didn’t have a right to rummage it down as much so. To forget Aeri, she must expunge any lingering memories about her but Jimin cheated her own way.
She kneeled in front of the backpack, sorting through loose papers that weren’t placed in folders in any orderly fashion. She came across a crumpled-up piece of paper that had her utmost regard.
“Why does Jisung have Aeri’s suicide note?” Jimin flatten out the paper but the more she read, it was clearer than any crystal that it was forged. “If this is fake… is there a real suicide note out there?” Jimin frowned.
━━━━━
Jimin waited by the bathroom, impatiently so that she was a minute from knocking with all the energy in her body. The bathroom door swayed open with Jaemin coming out and then Mark, putting his belt back around his waist. She pulled him by the arm and started speeding walking into the hallways, quite irked by the thought they did something in the bathroom.
“Are you still dating Jaemin?” Jimin stopped, her hand was compressing against Mark’s arm.
“Ah. What makes you say that?” Mark bit the bottom of his lips, he could still taste Jaemin’s lips there, his mango chapstick that he always craved for.
“You still look at him with lust in your eyes, I wouldn’t be surprised if you were still fucking him.” Jimin’s gaze judged Mark, deep-seated aversion to that Mark still dared to break the rules again.
Mark laughed, he had the inclination to touch his lips with his finger.
“Dating and fucking are two different things,” Mark said, but one does require the other. He remembered when back a year ago, fucking was just fucking.
“And as your best friend you should’ve told me instead of lying to me. You know how much trouble you’re going to be if they find out, that’s why Jaemin isn’t your roommate anymore.” Jimin didn’t miss an opportunity to scold Mark, she didn’t want things to get worse because of another person's actions, yet everyone did it carelessly.
Mark winked at Jimin. He was quite careful at the point of sneaking Jaemin into his dorm, after being caught last year, he made sure there wouldn’t be any slip-ups again. His guarantee just made Jimin doubt, the academy always found its way.
“Don’t think that you’re one step ahead of them because they always will be three steps ahead of you while you’re behind.” Jimin squeezed his arm down tighter again. Her warnings shouldn’t be taken so lightly.
“I am. I love him, Jimin. No matter what, we’ll stay together.” A crack shoned at the last of his sentence, he believed this educational system couldn’t separate them from one another.
Jimin thought it was a brainless thing to say, only a child would believe such fantasy. She was that child but no longer, pushing the age of nineteen, she grew up too early. There was only survival in the world, love had no part in it.
“Love doesn’t exist. Don’t kid me.” Jimin’s voice was devastating to hear, everything about the tone, showed how ruined she was.
“I understand you were neglected as a child but you have to eventually learn that you can love someone again,” Mark said but he couldn’t change what was so rooted inside of her.
“I won’t say anything about you and Jaemin anymore. Keep it together and play it safe, I don’t know what punishment they would give you or him.” Jimin rolled her eyes, a little surprised at herself that she let this issue at hand slip away so easily.
One o’clock am… deserted undisturbed hallway until Jaemin cracked open his dorm door to sneak out. It was offbeat, past his usual meeting with Mark, he couldn’t make sure that Jaemin could get back safely. Their relationship went through a common phase, blowing up at each other, and ignoring each other. One had to come back and apologize, that was often Jaemin, and so he wanted to come to see Mark. Not knowing that Mark planned on apologizing in the morning.
Jaemin stepped out with a hidden camera filming him taking particularly small steps. He grasped the knob of his boyfriend’s door and a red light amid the dark blue hallway refulgent on Jaemin, an alarm system was triggered as well, ringing so disorderly. Almost like a siren from police cars. He raised his hand above his head, petrified with a wan face.
The entirety of section eight woke up from the siren sound. Renjun grew exasperated, he threw a pillow at Chenle’s face, still half-asleep like the rest of section eight.
Mark had the strong urge to open his door, to see who it was, but they were permitted not to open their doors after nightly inspection. He felt his stomach bubbled, he didn’t want to be taken away if he opened the door, and he returned back to bed. The noise of the siren went silent and it was dead quiet, but the sound still seemed to ring in his ear.
In the morning, Mark had his hands folded, deep-dwelling on what to do to get his lovely boyfriend back.
“I heard that Jaemin got transferred to section twelve in the building,” Jeno said, the whole homeroom was all ears.
“Maybe it’s better he’s there.” Renjun was the only one to have a cynical outlook on this other than Jimin.
Mark rose from his seat. A clink of keys ruffled in his pants when he reached in to grab them, they were the keys for section twelve. He stole all the keys from different sections for his advantage.
“Mark… what are you doing?” Minjeong was almost too stunned to speak.
“I’m going to save him.” Mark was too blinded by his affairs that he didn't think of the consequences. He needed Jaemin back and he would do anything in his power to get him.
Yizhuo went to block the door. She refused to receive punishment for other people’s mistakes, if her skin were struck with a taser or worse, she would become more disordered.
“Do you know how much trouble you’ll get into?!” Yizhuo exclaimed at the boy, pressing all the strength obtained from her body onto the door.
Mark was stronger than any other, he managed to bring the red-haired girl to the ground. He cried and whimpered that she had never been intoxicated by another person, she wouldn’t know the pain that bit down on his chest that he felt without Jaemin embracing his skin or breathing his warm laughs. Yizhuo wept, wrapping her head from Mark’s tantrum.
Minjeong went to help Yizhuo up. After their break up, she mused on the idea of staying friends, but that didn’t resonate with her and as soon as Yizhuo balanced at her feet she clouted her waist. It was visible in her eyes that she had poignant their relationship. And so, Yizhuo moved passed her to get back to her seat. No one liked a cheater.
The whole homeroom was mostly concerned by Mark’s sudden aggression. He gathered himself back, he couldn’t throw his body in an outburst, that meant he was wasting his time. Chenle grabbed Mark by the arm before his feet wanted to briskly leave.
“What is going on? Are you still dating Jaemin?” Chenle felt hypocritical to ask but Jisung left him so recently that the wound was still open.
“If you wanna get tasered go ahead.” Jimin slowed her voice, she had the same thoughts as Yizhuo, but she always voiced them in a much less expressive way.
“You really don’t have a heart, Jimin. That’s your best friend.” Jeno somewhat scolded the dirty-blonde who didn’t seem to have much care about it.
Jimin flipped her hair. Her dried lips had no chapstick for it and she lounged on her chair, crossing her arms.
“Suit yourself.” Jimin’s voice was different. Lower and unsure if it felt any remorse.
The homeroom was still and their discussion went dead. Jisung slapped his hands on his desk before running out to chase Mark. Almost as if there was no oxygen left to give Jisung panted and stopped his feet. Mark stopped as well, a few feet ahead of Jisung.
Jisung took in a few deep breaths before walking to Mark. They reached section twelve already, sprinting through stairs and breaking through doors after unlocking them. Mark wasn’t so pleased that Jisung came along.
“Stop. Do you feel guilty, why are you here?” Mark’s aggression is reflected so heavily in his body language.
“Jimin took the fake suicide note.” Jisung tried not to feel the strain in his voice.
“She took the bait?” Mark’s mood shifted inhumanely, there was a baleful glow in his eyes.
Seems that Mark underestimated Jimin assuming that she would go to the party. She kept records of Aeri’s actual handwriting, it was an easy notice to know that Aeri didn’t write in her suicide note to come to the party a year later. Yet, he felt his plan cling together nicely.
Mark nodded his head and unlocked the big wide dark oak wooden doors to section twelve, they were made to look like gates. His fingers felt the carved designs of the doors, they were unlike section eight, just plain and ancient.
“Okay. Sounds good and remember our deal?” Mark asked.
“I remember. Are you really sure I’ll get the spot since I broke up with Chenle?” Jisung was doubtful since the beginning of Mark’s proposal, he was in the second lead for a spot in the academy’s college after Jimin, and he wanted a guarantee.
“I talked with the academy director. He promised to give you a second chance if you broke up with Chenle. He sees a bright future, especially in you. Now get out, I’ll save Jaemin myself.” Mark winked, he seemed promising. That was his charm.
Jisung hesitated to leave. If the academy director were to find Mark breaking out Jaemin from a different section he would get sinisterly penalized. The cameras must’ve caught them by now.
“Tasering is a light punishment. I’m used to abuse anyway.” Mark said as he felt as if it was no different than home.
Jisung made his escape from the sections, suffering through the brutal exercise of rushing down the stairs and doors of the sections to go down to his. Flush was stuck on his face, and his limbs went weak, it wasn’t as torturing as their physical courses though.
As he got to section eight, there was relief that washed over him that couldn’t last long.
“Academy director.” Jisung was surprised to see him. His body stopped running, at the beginning of section eight, and his spine chilled cold.
“Come here, Jisung. You and your class will receive a brutal punishment for your consequences.” The director folded his hands to his back.
“Mark lied to me?” Jisung was beside himself with terror, his body wavering, referencing his breakup.
━━━━━
“Let’s make an agreement, kids.” The academy director paced back and forth between the room, in front of the students, he held a staff in his hands.
Jimin wasn’t sure about the homeroom, rather than the academy director. They’ve made a multitude of hollow promises that even if they agreed with the director it'd be broken from the selfishness they didn’t leave back home. She established herself that she wouldn’t go against the rules again, after escaping once, she learned her lesson. This was her home now, whether that be elating or not to her.
This academy had tricks up its sleeve. Jimin didn’t dare intrude and get a life sentence. She relaxed her body, trying to get rid of the nervousness that desired to consume her.
“And what is that agreement?” Jimin squinted her eyebrows. She scanned the room, mainly Mark and Jaemin, they’d ruin everything at their hands the second everyone promises.
“I will allow Na Jaemin back to section eight if you kids agree that you will behave better.” The academy director was kind enough to Mark to grant, but Jimin knew that wasn’t a leeway to let him continue dating.
“Is that really it?” Jimin’s doubt grew, they had many chances already.
The academy director passed out a paper to each desk. It was weekly progress reports. It measured teamwork, mental strength, physical strength, test and quiz scores, and behavioral skills.
“It must reflect on your weekly progress reports.” The academy director remarked.
“Progress reports… that’s not good.” Donghyuck was horror-stricken by his scores, just under twenty out of fifty for mental strength and physical strength. His fingers crushed and bent the paper, he needed a miracle to improve them.
“I’ve realized this homeroom’s score has been low recently. Do you want to go to college here?” The Academy director thrusted his staff on the ground. Goosebumps flooded the homeroom.
Jimin gazed upon her report. It was the same as always, full marks, and she passed with the brightest flying colors. She turned it around to compare with Mark, and to keep him in check she read his. They weren’t too bad, and his behavioral skills and tests weren’t scored full marks. He was ashamed of his results and envy ventured into his eyes.
Jeno raised his hand. He adjusted his posture and raised it higher. “I have a question,” Jeno called. “Why is it banned to date here? We all have hearts, well, maybe not Jimin.” He glanced over at the blonde. Jeno wanted to act more graciously to the older girl but acting like they loathed each other, reacting snappy to each other, it was their way of getting along with one another though they barely talked. It almost applied to everyone but Mark Lee, they barely uttered much to the other.
“Did you forget Renjun?” Donghyuck mumbled in a snarky way to lower him.
“Love is the main way to get distracted and get off track on your academic journey. For example, Mark breaking out Jaemin from section twelve because he cannot live without him.” The Academy director preached and blamed them, it was no use now. The homeroom already received a few punishments.
Mark resisted his boyfriend’s hand when he tried to bring him down back to the seat that wasn’t his, Mark eyed the academy director up and down. He had no fears against him, not even from the start.
“You wouldn’t want another death in this academy, am I right, academy director?” Mark glowered at him savagely. He spoke as if a fight was to imminent. Jaemin yanked him down to sit down, kneading the skin on his palm with his finger.
“Behave well. And remember kids, we have hope in your youth. Your parents are counting on you to achieve well.” The academy director never missed an opportunity to say. Their parents never missed an opportunity to say…
Pressure… that’s how his work could thrive. Its fiery was hot like fire and with it everlasting, it couldn’t cool down.
━━━━━
Yizhuo decorated her body in a blue lilac gown, certainly resplendent in the beauty it exhibited. Sculpted in an hourglass figure, the gown made those features known rather than the uniform, thick sweater vest with a white dress shirt under, and a white extended skirt. Jimin was in the bathroom, washing her face before the nightly inspection. The red-haired girl's hair was braided in a ponytail, long and lush against her back. She paired her dress with black netted gloves and picked up her gown so could walk comfortably.
She left the room and the hallway spilled with the rest of the eight. Mark assured everyone that he broke the alarm system, and the camera as well, and that the party can begin.
Inside of his suit, he had a surprise for Jimin. The crowd swiftly leaves, and Mark is the last behind them, a folded paper that was stuffed in his suit flutters out. On the ground, naked to the wood.
Jimin yawned, her small hand towel around her neck as she went back into her dorm room. Yizhuo was gone, her blankets twisted into a mess, it was obvious she left with the others.
“Seriously? Before the inspection?” Jimin raised an eyebrow.
A knock on her door gives her shivers on her already cold body, her mind went numb for a moment, and she didn’t open it until seconds later.
“Do you know where your friends went?” The academy director asked, he searched Jimin’s room but there only stood Jimin and him.
“I do not know, Academy director.” Her voice sharply quivered.
“Go back to your room, we will talk tomorrow.” He stated, leaving right after.
The next morning was hectic. Jimin was excused from abuse, her hand shaking on the polar-like cold glass of the small window that was built on the homeroom’s door. They weren’t being tasered but beaten by the academy director’s staff until blood-shed was profuse and deep red over the floor of the room.
Jimin couldn’t tell if that was worse, she wasn’t being beaten. There was still glitter under Yizhuo’s eyes, so lucid that it reflected against her blood. She face first fell and fainted before a few others dropped down as well. The one thing she had to do as punishment was take her peers and wash off the blood on their flesh and clothing. Mark was the only one standing, which arguably hurt the most.
After cleaning up the illegal scene, she wondered if she were freed from this place. She would never look back, not taking a glimpse of this academy. Neither filing child abuse against the academy director, in power you could do anything your heart craved. That would stay in the past but yet, she was still writing these letters day after day.
━━━━━
Jimin took a deep breath before marching into the homeroom. If she made a scene it would be big, as big as this matter was. Death was a sickly game, it was the murderer's pleasure in destroying a life for the twisted satisfaction of their own. She came in, the bruises and dark spots on the skin of her peers seemed to heal faster than she thought.
She slipped off her backpack from her arms, the loud thud of dropping it to the ground captured the attention she wanted. And she walked up to Jisung’s desk, bending down to his level, her imperiled slowed voice terrorizing him deep inside. He did not want to show it, a sign of weakness.
“Can you tell me what this is?” Jimin drubbed the fake suicide note on his desk. “This isn’t in Aeri’s handwriting, why did you claim it to be her suicide note and why was it in your bag?” She breathed the small whimpers in the room.
“You were supposed to come to the party. We all did, Jimin.” Jisung kept his voice organized, and secure. If it cracked it wouldn’t reassure the anxiety inside of him.
“Jimin, come with me.” Mark threw his backpack over his shoulder with a finger, rushing out instantaneously.
Jimin shadowed Mark, he unreasonably moved fast, and she found an unsettling vibe surrounding him. And she observed him, furrowed eyebrows as if he were to fall out of the rails. He’d never had any signs to her, maybe as his best friend she was gullible by the trust she had in him.
“Mark! What is going on?!” Jimin tried to yank him back but propel forward, not batting an eye at her.
“Follow me to the rooftop.” The undertones of Mark’s voice were boorish and dark.
“We aren’t going to the rooftop, that’s not allowed.” Jimin’s warnings never stuck with Mark, he’d go against the willpower of others with no regard.
Mark stopped in his tracks. Not a look at her, not his body twisting and turning to her, his manner wasn’t present like in the ordinary.
“And you hadn’t done anything that wasn’t allowed?” Mark proceeded to power walk at the end of his sentence, his backpack prodding and bouncing on his back.
The rooftop was the same as it was last year before Aeri jumped. Abandoned and complying with the seasons, leaves of various colors painting around the rooftop. They were dry and aging, it could’ve turned into dust.
Mark was close to the edge. Looking down, he could imagine Aeri’s body, cracked of every bone and nothing short of a dead body that couldn’t handle the pressure. Jimin was behind him, her chest aching against her sweater vest.
“I have Aeri’s suicide note. It was with me the whole time.” Mark admitted to his ill intentions, it wasn’t comprehensive to Jimin, the one she told everything to had the note all along.
“So… you’re telling me that you all knew why Aeri died and I was the only one that was oblivious to it?” Jimin couldn’t muster any tears, rather than tear shed, disappointment ensued inside her.
“Yes. You had no idea.” The rasp in his voice was deep in his laugh, his malicious laughter taunted her. She made no move towards him. “I’m going to jump off.” Then Jimin’s foot stepped forward, which made her sense trigger.
Jimin shook her head. This wasn’t the fate she wanted for her friend, if it was for Mark she would beg, if it was for Mark she would push him away so he would not jump, and if it was for Mark would risk getting in trouble for him not to jump. This wasn’t her behavior, even if fear wanted her, she would not show it.
Mark Lee… the fakest friend she could ever have and she wanted him out of harm's way.
This was love. This was love for her friend, an experience she thought she would never have, Jimin realized that she loved her best friend too much. When someone was being punished in the room, she paid attention to Mark.
“You are not going to jump off.” Jimin kneeled. It was a desperate attempt, she would not let go of him.
A smirk pulled a corner of his lip.
“Then would you rather jump off?” Mark suggested.
“Why are you asking?” Jimin’s eyes blazed with what felt like fire. Tears smoking her vision, she messily wiped off the leaking liquid from her nose.
“I will not jump off if you’re willing to do it for me.” Mark came closer to Jimin. As if Mark Lee was possessed by a powerful lethal being, he grabbed her by the chin. “Die like how Aeri died. You know that with everything that has happened in your life, you can just give up instead of trying to achieve your academic success or heal your trauma. Jump off, Jimin.” His main weapon was pressure. He was no different than she thought he was.
The glistering tears in her eyes weren't saddened anymore. Anger brushed away the dole. She jolted him away from her, standing on both feet, this felt like a battle.
“What drove Aeri to kill herself?!” Jimin yelled, a swell in her lungs from the sudden burst.
“And why would I tell you?” Mark glared not so kindly at her.
“We’re all under pressure, Mark. This is simply too cruel, I thought we would help each other instead of this!” Jimin threw her hand at him, thrashing fists at his toned chest. “What is this for?!” She exclaimed with moisture hitting her skin.
“You’re leading. You’ve always been in first place, if you’re not here anymore, I can take it.”
Roaring footsteps entered the rooftop. It was Chenle, huffing and puffing for any lingering air in the sky. Mark and Jimin turned their heads, Jimin stopped beating him with his overriding strength.
“Guys! They’re coming after us! Run!” Chenle exclaimed, still claiming back in the air after running through all those sections.
“What happened?!” Mark’s voice charged roughly.
“The Academy director knows how Aeri died! He found her suicide note on the floor of the dorm’s hallway!” Chenle spitted, shaking off the soreness his right foot had.
Chenle ran back down in a strain, in hopes that he wouldn’t get caught by the academy director. He met up with the others and they all concurred that they should jump over the gate like they did a year ago. Chenle took Jisung by the hand and they were the first to run.
Mark turned to Jimin, the looks on his expression told
Jimin he wasn’t leaving until he was finished with her.
And so he leaps at Jimin and they tumble down, rolling and fighting on the rooftop’s ground. Running into crispy leaves that crinkled and cracked at their every move. Jimin was on top, pushing his arms against the ground so he couldn’t hurt her. Mark groaned, gaining strength and clawing her sweater vest.
“You can have my spot! Just stop this! It’s not that important to me!” Jimin was flipped to the bottom, eyes of horror, her eyes lacked of a glint.
“You wouldn’t give up that easily!” Mark had his hands on Jimin’s neck, almost cutting out the breath she had hanging on its last string.
“I know I always put up that front but I’m not that feisty about it, Mark!” Jimin's voice had a hard time articulating, and her face was pale and almost dead.
Jimin searches for something in Mark’s clothes after hearing the sound of a clink. A knife… She knew that if she stabbed somewhere not fatal, that could save her some time to escape his liquidate. Jimin flung it out from his body and stabbed it into his arm, gushing crimson blood profusely leaked out. And she kicked him in the abdomen, making her run for it.
Mark managed to get up but Jimin was similar to a lightning bolt, always fast. He grabbed his arm, it throbbed and felt swollen. Grunting and clenching his jaw, he should've known that Jimin will and always be smarter than him.
The rest of the group, Jimin, Jaemin, Donghyuck, Renjun, Jeno, Chenle, Jisung, Yizhuo, and Minjeong ran too. Climbing and hopping over the gate to escape the academy from their last barbaric penalty. Jimin tripped over a branch, scraping her knee, pink and dripping red.
Jaemin helped Jimin up. It felt somewhat like an obligation, that was his boyfriend’s best friend and he left his boyfriend behind. He noticed the marks on her neck. In this haze, he didn’t know if Mark would catch up but he wasn’t capable, not in his condition.
“I’m not leaving without Mark,” Jimin said, though fatigued and choked of air.
“You cannot suddenly become a hero, Jimin.” Jaemin wiped the dirt off her hands, they too were scraped, narrowly stinging.
“I’m no hero. I have a friend and I love him.” Jimin’s words resonated with Jaemin. He loves Mark too, he couldn’t be left behind, nothing in his heart would allow it.
Jaemin nodded. He was just as determined as her and he looked back at the group, they were waiting for him, but he refused to leave the academy.
“I’m coming with you. I’m his boyfriend, I can’t leave him either.” Jaemin grabbed Jimin’s hand and they raced back to the academy.
The others couldn’t bend the two’s decisions and so they left, finding a life of theirs outside of the academy, and to never return again.
Jaemin helped Jimin jump over the gate, coming after her. And they together repaid their visit that not long ago left, luckily the doors of every section were still open to get to the rooftop that Jimin mentioned is where she left Mark.
They paused, frightened by the sight of the academy director and Mark. Mark standing by him, just as scared, and bleeding as before. The academy’s director staff was dried of blood from the previous punishment. He tossed it to the ground, letting it roll to Jimin’s dirty pointed black shoes. Muddy and mucky.
Jaemin didn’t resist, he ran into Mark’s open arms, bracing a hand over his neck. Jimin smiled, a smile… that was new. As if she were liberated.
The academy director stroked his milky white beard while Jimin picked up his staff with her grubby hands. It was the second time she had blood on them. Human emotions really mocked her, she concealed everything for too long, and she always thought there would be no difference if she were dead.
The old man walked over to her. He had a deal in mind, after reading Aeri’s suicide note, he had two options for these nimble kids. Since the rest had fled, he only had the three left.
“What do you kids choose? Die with your friend or stay at the academy but the three of you would be separated at different sections of the academy.” His offer was direful either way, but at least they had the option to stay together.
And death was the only way.
“If I could I would correct all my mistakes that I’d made with you, I love you Jaemin, and I wish fate was kinder to us.” Mark welled up but he kept a smile on his face. He knew would see Jaemin again.
“I love you too, Mark. If there’s an afterlife, I want to be with you forever.” Jaemin sniffed his pink nose, kissing his forehead for the last time.
The academy director nodded as If they were his own children he knew them. Human relationships beat the greed and success of the wealthy scholar world.
“You kids are predictable.” He chortled insultingly, clapping his palms.
“I’m going where they’re going. We cannot be separated.” Jimin took a step closer, she did not hesitate in any part of her speech.
“You are not involved in this.” The academy director raised his voice, scolding her for taking part in it.
Jimin laughed breathily at the academy director. She bottled up all the guilt she had about Aeri’s death, she knew that whatever part of section eight happened, it had her in it.
“I very much am. I did nothing to save Aeri, I am going where they’re going.” Jimin’s jaw tensed. She stared at the academy director with flagrant contempt.
The academy director took his staff back, standing it on the ground. He found it a pity to lose such promising students yet these promising students weren’t as innocent as they were. Jimin joined Mark and Jaemin in their hug, expressing any affection that Jimin held back.
And the academy director cleared his throat.
“Very well.”