78. Teambuilding Shit
Somin and Teho
Before the meal, there was an icebreaker game. It let the freshmen tell us their impressions from today.
Great, more of this team-building type of crap. Somin scoffed.
Teho sat and drank beer, a little more than he should, letting himself go. He looked astonishingly good in casual clothes, putting effort into the effortless look. He went the extra mile every single time. Loose black pants and a fitted shirt, revived with a twist in the form of a colorful cotton pleat, made him look deliciously aloof. A grouping of asymmetric rectangles forming a poncho made him look a bit eccentric. He was showing one of the many garments he had designed with his friend Damin from fashion design.
All the girls told the same boring story, "The atmosphere was great," or "The oppas were so good to us." Unnies alike.
That's some old bullshit. Somin couldn't stomach the falseness.
More than a few gushed about the charismatic photographer.
"Teho oppa helped me a lot," and "He gave me professional advice."
Disgusting. Somin was triggered by all this cheap theater.
"Teho oppa." She mocked the girl internally.
Only Junu is sweet and brief.
"I like nature here." His hands fidgeted as he looked into the distance and there he went. Somin was saddened by seeing him sitting alone aside from all the commotion, but at the same time, she didn't want to push her company onto him. The shy boy had his tiny table further away from others, being visibly uncomfortable as a part of the larger crowd that this meeting asked for.
Let him rest for god sake.
He was sketching even now, after the whole "saving damsel in distress" thing. He smiled tpo himself, living in his own little world. Somin envied him.
Well, nobody holds me here. She realized
The blue-clothed girl sat on a single chair as a part of a larger chair circle. She was holding her sides to feel grounded. Somin never had the guts to voluntarily outcast herself like Junu did, Always hoping that others would like her eventually. Always waiting in vain, staying on the outskirts of social circles anyway.
I don't have the balls to go there.
She briefly looked over her shoulder to see him drowned in a darker corner, alone and content. She was afraid to step into the brightly defined outskirts of social outcasting.
...
The last one had to come up and speak up. Shit, that's me. I'm not in the mood right now.
Somin stood up and went in front of everyone on a makeshift podium. Chairs were half turned away from her already, and many others went to their tables, finally having an interesting conversation. Cholsu fortunately wasn't in sight. After an hour of listening to all the freshmen, no one really paid attention anymore.
Everyone is at the bar.
Somin's tiredness caught up with her as she stood there awkwardly, hands inside the hoodie pockets, hair still covered. Only a few wet pink strains peeked outside and stuck to her cheeks. Glancing back at the tiny crowd made her sick with stage fright.
I hate this. Mrs. Miller impatiently made a gesture for her to speak.
A few giggles sounded distantly. "Hey, why aren't you in the bathroom contemplating today's work?" or "Maybe she should get going before somebody gets hurt," hinting at the chat discussing the infamous slap.
...
Teho drunkenly marked this.
Is this the reason why she's always so tense and quick with an angry response? I wonder how intensely they are mocking her?
The beautiful boy felt an unfamiliar sting of pain from nowhere.
I'm very sorry for her. I should hang out with her more publicly—give her my attention.
Come to think of it, nobody knows we're friends.
Mia made it known she lived with Somin so others accepted the silent girls always sitting at the popular couple's table. Yet nobody ever thought more of it. Often the girl admirers pitied Mia, accentuating her good-natured personality for hanging out with such a loser.
They could never. "Mia is just a good samaritan, that's all," was the sentiment running through most personal chat rooms.
Teho forced himself to stay sharp even after the third black beer, patiently waiting for Somin's speech.
We're good friends, right?
Now that he thought of it they always had a blast together. At least, he hoped they did.
"Ya Somin-ah, just say you like me the best already!" Teho shouted playfully.
It'll help her, I hope so. He drunkenly wished for the best.
...
Somin shivered with exhaustion and couldn't handle the game anymore. Finger pointed out to Teho, seeking her justice after the hour-long ode to this boy which the other girls gave. The photographer sat relaxed with smug satisfaction on his face thinking he was such a helper. Dark hair fell lusciously around his eyes as he gave her his full attention.
"I had never in my life seen such an asshole!"
A sharp gasp filled the room after the daring girl growled her declaration. Somin ran from the podium without any apology to the stunned teachers, finally joining Junu without asking. She hid in the shadow of his corner, breathing heavily on the cold floor where she had sunk down. The teenage boy patted her back softly while she slowly realized what she had just done.
Girls were murdering her with their gazes on the way to retreat. They didn't hate Mia, she would soon be gone and there will be another spot free for them to try, but they surely hadn't warmed up to Somin.
...
It took Teho a few moments to process the whole sentence together with a borderline hysterical scene. A happy smile faded from his lips, instead, cold shivers ran through his body.
The fun ends here.
Does she really hate my guts? How can she say such a harsh thing in front of everybody? We had such a weird intimate understanding, hadn't we?
He recalled her heated eyes piercing through him like they wanted to set him on fire a seconds ago.
...
The teachers felt the uncomfortable tension. "That is enough for today. Everybody, dinner will be ready in ten and then it's free time. Behave."
...
😳 Author's corner 😊
🍺Do you like team buildings?🍺
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🎨Illustrations of each chapter are available on my Wattpad acc, AO3 acc -klubickoArt🎨
