What Fate

"Changsun-ah," Karin says, after seeing the pendant, with sad understanding. "Don't-"

"Nuna, it's been two years since we broke up. This is the only thing that prevents us from having a clean break up.", interrupts Changsun. "I want to move on. Doing this, we will finally be able to be normal friends, like you wanted after our break up."

"You can return me all the other things I gave you – except this.", says Karin. "I don't care what you do with it—throw it away even—just don't return it to me." Tears were welling up in her eyes, as Changsun stuffs the necklace in her hands and makes his way to the door. With his hand on the door knob, he hesitates.

I'm so sorry, Nuna, he says mentally, turning the door knob and making his way out. Karin standing where she was, frozen for a while after he left. She felt the metal pendant and read the engraving on it in her mind, you'll forever be mine, as I am yours. She blinks as two tears drip onto the pendant.

Idiot, I wanted you to keep it to remind you of the pain you caused me., says Karin, talking to the pendant. She dries her eyes and sniffles a bit. She stuffs the necklace into her pocket, and exits the rooftop.

Hmm, where IS the water cooler? What a lousy school for branding such a grand name. Not even a water cooler in sight!, Boeun thinks to herself. Boeun happened to be circling around the first floor of the classroom block looking for water coolers for the past five minutes. Suddenly she spots a water cooler at the corner of the building beside the entrance of the staircase and runs to it. After filling her bottle to the brim, she turns to run up the staircase but bumps into someone coming down the staircase.

"WHA! So sorry!", apologizes Boeun, like reflex. She looks up to see who she bumped into.

"That girl again!", says a familiar voice. Boeun jumps back in surprise.

"YOU?", she gasped.

"What do you mean by 'you'? I have a name okay, like other people do.", it was the 'victim', the stranger whose shoe she had stepped on that day.

"What, am I supposed to know your name?", retorts Boeun. "Don't be so full of yourself. As if you're so popular!" she sticks her tongue out at him. He looks at her, waiting for her to realize something.

"You…don't know me?", he says.

"Of course I do. You're the guy whose shoe I accidentally stepped on."

"And…?", he probes. Boeun gives him the 'And what?' face. "…you don't even know who your student council president is.", he says looking disappointed and shaking his head.

"So? It doesn't mean I have to know your name right?", Boeun says as-matter-of-factly. He heaved an exasperated sigh.

"Okay. Okay. Forget everything I just said. Delete it. I'm Lee Changsun. And remember that name."

"Why?", she says. Changsun stared at her in disbelief and dropped his head in defeat. Boeun sulks and says, "Ehhh, fine. Pshh, taking up my memory space for nothing…" Changsun looks up and glares at her.

"OKAY, FINE. I get it already. I've got to get going so, goodbye, student council president, Lee Changsun, sunbaenim. Happy?", she teases him on. Changsun lifts his head, bites his lower lip and holds his fist up, pretending to be angry on purpose. By then, Boeun is already running up the staircase. But she stops to looks back and sticks her tongue out at him again, "ngyehh."

"YAH!", he says, causing Boeun to jump and continue running up to class. "Haha, little brat. To think she was in the same school as me.", he laughs to himself. "Ugh.", he lets out, walking into another person.

"AGH!", says the student who bumped into Changsun, followed by loud thuds of books hitting the floor. Changsun apologized and bends down to help the student pick up his books, when he looks up and sees his classmate.

"Oh, Lee Jinki, it was you.", says Changsun, standing up, holding up the books to let Onew take them.

"For the 27th time, it's Onew.", Onew says, pushing up his thick-rimmed glasses and taking the books from Changsun.

"Well, then for the 27th time, stop staring into thick books and look where you're going.", Changsun says, resting his arm on Onew's shoulders. They climb up the staircase together, going back to class. "By the way, I know your eyesight is perfect, can you please stop wearing those ridiculously large glasses?", adds Changsun.

"It's fashionable.", says Onew.

"Whateverrrr.", says Changsun pushing Onew's head away. "It makes others, except you, look fashionable.", he mumbles.

"Whaaa, what a day.", says Boeun taking her seat.

"Why what happened? What could have happened in the past fifteen minutes you weren't here that makes it such a 'day'?", asks Mabel.

"Oh, I just happened to bump into someone I thought I'd never see for the rest of my life.", she replies.

"Ehhh, that's not possible," says Key. "because of our 'shrinking world'."

"Shh, Mr Choi is here.", says Mabel.

"Okay class, I'm telling you one week in advance, all of you have to form into groups of four. Only one group of five is allowed.", announces Mr Choi.

"What? Project work already?", groans a classmate.

"That's right, what we teachers all love, and what you don't. The aim of the project is let you students get to know each other better faster….", as he carries on.

"Hey Boeun-ah, I book you to be in my group.", whispers Key as he turns around.

"It's still the same thing anyway. Boeun wanna form a group with me, Key and Minho?", says Mabel.

"Yeah, sure!", says Boeun enthusiastically.

"You're supposed to hang out with each of your group-mates, learn what they like and what they don't and whatever else. Then, you have to write down in the form of a diary entry, what you have learnt about or from each other.", says Mr Choi. "Do it properly, I just might ask you to give a presentation on what you've done and learnt together. Discuss what you all are going to do. That's it, for homeroom." He exits the class and the class builds up in noise.

"WHOOHOO! Okay! It's decided, let's go over to Mabel's house to help her cook!", says Key after jumping out of his seat.

"Hey, how can you just decide on things like that?", Mabel says.

"Actually, I agree with what Key says. Not only does he get to see Mabok, we all get to spend time to help you hone your cooking skills.", steps in Minho.

"YEAHH! I AGREE! I wanna see Mabel's home.", says Boeun, excitedly.

"Ahh, my Boeun-ah, you're that excited to see her house? Okay then, after we go to her house, you can come over to mine.", Key says happily. "I'll give you a tour of my humble home where I grew up. Hehe." After saying which, he wraps his arms around Boeun's neck to hug her.

"Humble home, indeed.", says Mabel, nodding her head. She gets up and unwraps Key off Boeun. "Why don't you tell him to stop? He'll keep sticking onto you like an octopus." Key still hugging her, starts poking her cheeks. Minho and Mabel both sigh and shake their heads in surrender.

"It's okay, I have another octopus waiting for me at home.", she answers.

A/N: comments/reviews please! :)