The alarm clock wouldn’t stop screaming ‘beep beep’, a bright red spot on the ceiling illuminating the entire room.  

Seugnam groaned and turned on his stomach, his nose pushing against his pillow. He soon realized that the machine would not shut up until he would get up. He angrily destroyed the button, and felt his shoulders relax when the screeching stopped. He opened his eyes, looked at the calendar on his right, and sighed. Monday. 

At least, the temperature was getting down, which was great (in his opinion). Wearing huge, fluffy sweaters in summer is not that cool. Having to dye his hair every two weeks either. But winter means  scarves, hats, gloves, coats and even masks. A perfect definition of camouflage. 

Seugnam laughed to himself. So I’m a chameleon now?  

He scratched his nape and stretched his arms, yawning so hard his jaw was ready to fall off. The twenty-year-old finally decided to get up and got in front of his tiny wardrobe, picking the first sweatshirt he touched and a black pair of jeans. Stay simple.  

He then opened the door to his minuscule bathroom and hissed, the ceramic tiles way too cold for his toes. He swiftly got dressed in front of the mirror, the sleeves so big it covered his entire arms. He smiled to himself.  

He opened a drawer and took out his black contact lenses, putting them on his irises. He hated hiding his gold eyes, but he hated judgement even more. Next, he brushed his chestnut strands and cringed when he realized how they were rapidly turning mint again. He quickly put a beanie on them, and exhaled. 

Should I just wear a wig from now on? 

He adjusted his too-pale-to-be-real skin by putting BB cream on his face, rubbing his cheeks with a beauty blender while revising mentally the math functions he needed to know for today's exam. He brushed his teeth, even though they were already whiter than white. Before exiting the room, he put his black mask against his thin lips and his round glasses on the bridge of his long and straight nose. 

Seugnam nodded to approve his own appearance, ready to attack the day. 

He put on his Converse, backpack on one shoulder, and got out of his apartment. 

Without forgetting to hit his head against the ceiling for the hundredth time. 

(Being six feet tall really doesn’t help.) 

- 

The air was not that freezing; it was not windy, but it wasn’t humid either. It was just perfect. Plunging his face in his fluffy scarf, Seugnam huffed, his hands in his sweater’s pocket. The metro station was just in front of him, yet he was so tired from running he just wanted to lie down and never get up again. He took a deep breath and started his run again, his fingers grasping his ticket in a hurry. When the young man opened the door, a strong whiff of warmth hit him full force, and he closed his eyes, wondering if time could stop. Unfortunately, an old man bumped into him and started growling, clearly late and mad because of Seugnam's little fantasy. Rolling his eyes, the high school student entered the place and went straight to the wagon, wanting to  sit down a little and breathe.  

What a morning. 

When a small girl looked at him, he lifted his mask and pulled on his beanie, scared she had seen his cover. She just giggled and whispered something in her mother’s ear, visibly curious about him. He blushed, then shook his head discreetly.  

No one should fall into my own trap. 

Soon he heard his station getting called and he suddenly got up, the doors sliding and sending him towards his destination.  

A prototype of Hell, commonly called high school amongst young people.  

He bit his lip and sighed. He could practically feel his heavy eyelids closing themselves.  

Let’s hope I pass this math quiz.  

- 

“Have you heard? Our soccer team will have a match against Jinsul's in three days!"

Seungnam furrowed his brows, trying to write a complete sentence without being distracted. To no avail.  

“Yes! Sangik versus Jinsul is always fun to see. Especially when Taewoon oppa and Youngjae oppa are fighting over the ball!” 

Oppa, oppa, gosh! Talk about your dear oppas somewhere else, don’t you see I’m studying here? (Or trying to, at least?) 

“Taewoon is the best athlete I've ever seen. He’s so charming and handsome! It’s sad that he has a girlfriend…” one of the girls mumbled, twisting a strand of her black mane with her index finger.  

“Don't you know? Apparently, they broke up a few days ago! There’s still hope!” 

The black-haired girl gasped. Seugnam lost his temper.  

“Could you please continue your conversation elsewhere? This is a library. It is no place to talk about our soccer team and its handsome soccer players,” he spat, looking at the two girls with disdain. 

They both stared at him as if he had no head no more.  

“Taewoon oppa is the best, and Sangik will win this game!” the blond one shouted. 

“You just don’t know because you’ve probably never even seen our team perform, you nerd!” added the other girl, the two of them escaping the scene before they could even get reprimanded for their loud voices. 

Seugnam deadpanned.  

They were right, at some point. He had never assisted a soccer game since the beginning of his school years. 

Maybe giving it a shot would be cool? After all, his social life totally lacked interactions, and basically sucked.  

You really need to make friends, Seugnam-ah.  

His mother’s words were haunting him again. He shivered madly.  

What if I don’t need friends? What if I’m alright being alone? 

If you fall and suffer, you’ll destroy yourself while your friends could listen to you, save you.  

He pouted. Yeah, he needed a life, and as soon as possible.  

But how is that possible when you are cursed, and all the ones surrounding you are your victims? 

- 

He thought his head would explode. How could the players concentrate when dozens of women were screaming their vocal chords out just to get noticed? Seungnam didn’t understand at all.  

What was the point anyway?  

Somehow he had managed to get a place just before the first row of seats. That is, on the field, just before the players. Crushed between hundreds of other people, including thirsty teenage girls who just wanted their oppas to look briefly at them (or they wanted to look a their butts, Seugnam truly didn’t know and didn’t care).  

He was just beside a huge trashcan filled with dirty packages of food or bottles of juice and water. If he were to be honest, Seugnam would want to faint. The odors were so bad it made him want to puke. He utterly detested bugs, and they were flying around him. 

At least he was watching a soccer game, just like those two girls had yelled about a few days ago. The players were pretty tall, but not as tall as him (well, except the little one from his school's team – number 26).  He had to admit: they were good, exceptionally so. Especially the captain, number 17. He was probably Taewoon, because every time he would have the ball under his foot, girls would lose it and get pretty excited.  

He was the typical popular guy from the dramas he loved to watch before going to sleep. He despised those characters. How cliché were they?  

And Seugnam completely understood why Taewoon was so precious to his school's population of students. He had good grades (if Seugnam remembered correctly, he was always the first one in the rankings), he was athletic (captain of the soccer team, champion of the automnal run, swimmer during the summer…) and he was handsome, sexy even. 

A hot piece of meat.  

With his tanned skin, his long eyelashes and his dark hair, it was no wonder why people were salivating over him.  

But Seugnam didn’t know him, or didn’t know why people were categorizing others.  

Lost in his thought, the student practically had a heart attack when he made eye contact with a bee, the insect impossibly close to his nose.  

Wait, what?! 

Without even processing how to get out of this situation, Seugnam started running and screaming, not caring about the sudden stares he was receiving.  

The poor guy ran across the field, the bee following him closely. His throat was hurting and he could simply not stop panicking.  

A huge thud made him stop in his tracks, and Seugnam felt pain all over his face, falling on his butt in a millisecond.  

Gasps echoed around the stadium.  

Oh my God, what is his deal?  

Dude, Tae-Taewoon completely smashed his face! 

Warm blood dribbled from his nose, and Seugnam stood there, laying on the damp grass, wondering mentally what was happening.  

In front of him was someone, a tall person.  

Aha, he’s just like me.  

“Hey, sorry, bro. You okay? 

Ooh, that voice was smooth and its timber was velvety. Seugnam smiled unconsciously, red covering his face.  

“I-I think he needs help,” said the voice, and Seugnam tried to focus his sight on the person talking. 

Hold on.  

A soccer ball was just beside him, splashes of blood decorating it.  

Did Taewoon, the school prince, send the ball in his face?  

Seugnam wanted to get swallowed by the ground and never see the human civilisation again.