#taterfic: falling

[potaeto-writes]

Falling: I

Monday, July 15, 9:30 a.m.

'Another day, another dunce'

She thought, rolling her eyes at the beautiful sight of Yeosang and Aeri making out near the school's front gate. She always felt a twinge looking at the school playboy, Yeosang, especially when he was with the popular meanie. For a reason she never understood, she wanted to be different to him, more than a bet or a game. But she was Heejin, the scholarship girl, the nerd, the transfer kid, the outcast. She was aloof and alone, and not very interesting at first sight. She looked pretty even in her formal clothes, but she was not interested in anything but studies and music, or so it seemed.

She had caused a stir on her second day, when she publicly rejected Yeosang. She wasn't rude about it, she actually said the most logical, inoffensive things, in an extremely soft tone and small voice. But the audacity of a girl to reject The Kang Yeosang in itself was enough to get the whole school talking.

Now, about 2 weeks later, she sat at the last bench in class, headphones on, ignoring the students filtering in. The bell rang, a distant echo in the song, and students rushed in at once. Yeosang and his friend group occupied all the seats in front of her, filling the column of 9. She took it as cue to be ready, stuffing her headphones in her bag to be able to pay attention. The teacher walked in, and there was some anticipation as to why their entire grade had gathered here.

"Seniors, as you are aware, the midterms will be coming up soon. You will also have to do a group project, which will construct 30% of your overall grade, and be evaluated separate from the theory papers. This year, I have given you all a common, but vast and grave topic. No matter what stream you've chosen, you should know about it. The topic is suicide. Get as creative as you want, but I require either a hard copy or a soft copy of your project. Your groups will be column-wise, as you are seated right now. Your deadline is the 5th of August. Oh, and one more thing. Just to make this a bit more fun, we're making this a competition. May the best team win."

The teacher left the class chuckling, and Heejin walked out for the next class, knowing this homeroom had stretched out a bit too much. But as she did this, the eight boys she passed stopped chattering and gaped at her, then proceeding to look at each other with an expression that said, we're fucked.

❅

Tuesday, July 16, 00:00

As was customary, most of the crowd exited the musty building at midnight, their favourites having stepped off the ring for the night. This crowd had far too many misguided teens, Yeosang being one of them. He watched street fights to relieve his own stress for free.

In the thronging crowd, a smaller population pushed to get into the building, tasteful of more intense fights. Yeosang's shoulder suddenly hit one of these people, and he shouted at them to watch where they were going. Heejin bit back a sharp remark, thinking that it was just a kid. If she had known back then who it was, she told me all hell would have broken loose.

But that night, she didn't, so she made her way in, walking to one corner of the ring and swishing her French braid to one shoulder. Soon, the fight began.

Dodging a burly man's attacks, she got into close range and hit him in the face with a drop kick. As he staggered backward, she gave a punch to his chest and swept her leg behind his, bringing him to the ground with a thud. The fight had ended within 2 minutes.

She kept fighting and winning, making money with every passing minute. About half an hour in, she ended her last fight and left. Back on campus, she went through a hole in the wall, reaching her room and preparing to go to bed.

❅

Hope you liked it! There's a lot more coming, so I hope you'll stick around and enjoy. Also this was 666 words lmao

Stay safe and hydrated!

~Potato-nim

[potaeto-writes]

Falling: Prologue

This will be a story. A story of love, of pain, of anguish hidden behind a smile, and of horrible things that can't be undone. And in the way of stories, it must be told and heard. So I am here for the telling, and you, for the listening. Who I am is not of meaning to you, just as your identity is not of importance to me. Simply know that this story was told to me by Yeosang and Heejin, and now I am telling it to you. 

[potaeto-writes]

Falling: IV

Sunday, July 28, 00:00

"You don't understand, I really need to be somewhere! Look, it's very nice that you're concerned, but I promise I can take care of myself! Just, please let me go!"

"Not a chance. We aren't letting you go anywhere this late at night. You have no idea what this neighbourhood is like. Hell, the only reason we're staying here is because the rent is cheap, and even that is temporary."

'I don't need you to tell me what this area is like, I've been coming here the whole month! Today is the match that seals the deal, I need to be in the top 5 or my reputation will crumble!'

Wanna know how Heejin ended up like this? Well, soon after she showed up, the pleasantries were over and they should have begun their work. But the atmosphere was so awkward that they just sat there, silence hanging heavy in the room. Some got on their phone, others asked a few questions. But things were brushed off, and it seemed like anything they asked her was too personal. Every once in a while, her eyes would meet Yeosang's, and they'd just stare at each other, both sets of brown eyes darkened with mirrored emotions.

When Seonghwa and Wooyoung got up to make dinner half an hour later, things didn't seem to go anywhere, so she offered to help. She was aware of eyes boring into her back like she was gonna burn the house down, which was understandable.

With a topic at hand, the kitchen was a more bearable place to be. Heejin seemed to have shrugged off whatever it was that had been holding her back, and she confidently steered the dinner plans away from ramyeon and beer, towards fried chicken, rice, and soup.

At the dinner table, she was back to being reserved, saying she had eaten already. But after having seen a glimpse of her persona, the chefs of the household weren't ready to let go just yet. So the coaxed her into talking, and the compliments her food got made her open up a little more. The only one not chattering away was Yeosang, who ate with a stoic expression, and wordlessly left the table about 5 minutes in. 

With all this, it was 11 o'clock when they finally got to work, and not wanting to be impolite, Heejin decided to listen to everything they had before pitching her own idea. Unfortunately, discussing eight different people's ideas, mixed with playful banter and a round of RedBull, took more than an hour, and soon she was arguing with them all with her backpack in hand, especially Yeosang. He stated that he had left some business of his own to be there, and that she couldn't just fluke.

When she checked her watch to see if she could make a dash, she saw that it was already 00:20, and that there was no point even having the conversation. The crowd had moved on.

So with a huff, she surrendered, and they all got back to work. Her idea was voted in, and by the time they worked out the details, it was 1 in the night. "So, since y'all want me to stay the night, are we doing anything? Because the RedBull has not worn off yet."

"We didn't really have any plans, but now that you mention it, I don't think I'll be able to sleep." That was Yunho.

Everyone agreed, but nobody had any answers as to what they should do. Suddenly, Heejin had an idea, one that made her smirk.

"Two questions: You guys wanna have some fun?"

"Heck yeaa!" Mingi sure was in the mood to party.

"And the other one?" San did not expect the cliché words that came next.

"Do you trust me?"

None of them really did, but somehow she exuded such energy and confidence in that moment, that everyone found themselves agreeing, much to their own surprise.

"Well then pack up, bitches."

❅

What do you guys think is gonna happen next? Please share any thoughts you have, it really would make my day.

Stay safe and hydrated!

~Potato-nim

[potaeto-writes]

Falling: III

Saturday, July 27, 09:30 p.m.

Heejin felt a little guilty for calling in sick to work, but she consoled herself with the fact that it was only one shift. After all, when considering the events that had transpired earlier that day, faking a sick leave seemed to be a small price to pay for not having her ass handed to her.

She remembered every little thing about it, and her mind kept coming back to it, not ready to let go of the memory. She hated it, but at least it made her sick story more believable with the crimson blush it set aflame in her.

That afternoon, as she was about to go back to the library for homework, she expected Hongjoong and Seonghwa to approach her again, and she had her excuses ready. They had been persistent over the past week, and each time she refused, it hurt a little more.

What she didn't expect, though, was Yeosang entering the library just as the staff left for lunch. Every day, the librarian would leave Heejin with the key to the library, giving her a nearly-mock wage for the little work of locking up.

She did not notice the male, since she was seated by the window at the far end, where mellow sunlight revealed every particle dancing about in the air. So she was shocked out of her wits when he grabbed hold of her wrists in the cramped space between two bookshelves. Her first instinct was to kick him where the sun doesn't shine, but that was expected, so Yeosang spun her in his hold before she could. Unexpectedly, he was not very harsh, and the only reason it even worked was the element of surprise.

"Don't try anything stupid, I just wanna talk."

His tone was icy. Because of his hold, they were standing such that her hands were on her elbows in a cross, while he had his arms around her in a sort of back hug. He had to bend his head a little to whisper in her ear, and it somehow had her hair standing on end. Usually, this wouldn't have been anything to bad, but right now, she was frozen. It took a hard gulp to find her voice.

"Then why don't you let go of me?"

It was meant to be confident, menacing even, but it came out as a shaky, sorry little peep. Yeosang gave a deep chuckle before letting go.

"You've been avoiding us all like the plague, brushing off my friends, barely even looking in our direction. I thought you were supposed to be extra goody-goody about homework." He was looking right at her, dark eyes contrasting surreal sun-kissed features. It was unnerving.

"I've said it too many times now, my schedule is more than full. I have way too much on my plate, I can't handle this right now." She looked towards the window, trying to discreetly step back. Well, the thud of her back hitting the bookshelf behind her ruined that. He put both his hands on her jaw, cupping her face to maintain direct eye contact. Again, he was surprisingly gentle, and it made her feel like he was doing it on purpose. Like that wasn't how he usually treated his hookups and girlfriends.

"I don't care. The teacher didn't ask before assigning this, it's compulsory. You better make time from today on, I'm not going to fail because of you." Something in his eyes told Heejin he was very serious about this project, and she wondered if it was because of the topic. If her eyes showed the same aggression.

He let go of her, and it snapped her out of the moment too. "Take my number and text me your address, I'll be there 5 to 8. Make a group chat too if you want."

"You can come in after 9, we all work jobs till then."

Well so do I, she wanted to say, but she had been embarrassed enough to meekly agree. She did not want this guy leaking everything and making her a source of gossip. Again.

So here she was, at 9:30, knocking at their shared apartment, unsure of what to expect of the night.

❅

I need some artistic person to make DigArt of this scene

Stay safe and hydrated!

~Potato-nim

[potaeto-writes]

Falling: II

Monday, July 22, 11:00 a.m.

Heejin was always at the library during break time, reading a book or having mixed-berry-jam sandwiches while humming that tune which always seemed to be on her mind. So that is how Hongjoong and Seonghwa found her a week after their group project had been assigned. They looked at each other, then back to the girl sitting at the corner table, uncertainty evident on their faces.

Heejin had already noticed them out of the corner of her eye, but she chose to act oblivious, knowing she had a façade to uphold. They walked up to her and awkwardly asked if they could have a seat, shifting uncomfortably as they slid onto the bench in front of yours. "So, uh, about that project..."

"We want you to know that we're ready to do it when you are-"

"And time is sort of running out-"

"So can we start working on it today?"

She has no idea why, but she felt like she just couldn't face them. Either that or she was too embarrassed to tell me her reasons, but I have a feeling the truth leans towards the former. Whatever it was, she wanted to avoid working with them. She told herself she was doing it because of a busy schedule, but really, she knew it was because of Yeosang.

"I kind of have a full schedule this week, but I'll make sure to work on it so that in case we can't meet till the last moment, we'll have something to work with."

She felt bad seeing their faces fall, because they'd asked so nicely, and it wasn't their fault. Still, her fear of having to deal with Yeosang loomed.

❅

Monday, July 22, 03:15 p.m.

Heejin washed the bowl she had made instant oats in. She had finished her theory homework at the school library, inhaled her semblance of lunch, and worked on her latest orchestral score for class. 

With her single dish taken care of,  she picked up her bag and went back to school campus. She changed into her dobok and started with warmups. She did some kicks on an irani pad, then moved on to taegeuk. She had her Taekwondo black belt test coming up, as well as selections for nationals.

She rushed out at 4:45, changing back into the white shirt and black jeans she had worn for school. Heejin took her bicycle from the campus gate, soon reaching her destination, Aurora café. Quickly tying the half apron around her waist, she got to work, taking and serving orders with practiced grace and speed.

It was 8 by the time she parked her bike and de-plastered the fake grin off her face. She went up to her room in the residential quarters, slurped up some ramyeon, and switched off all the lights. As the building was slowly plunged into silence, she unbuttoned and tied her shirt, showing her lithe body and the low rise of her jeans. Taking all the pins out of her bun, she ruffled her hair. Putting on a mask for anonymity, she snuck out of the hole she had found in the campus wall.

She reached the Illusion club at sharp 9, and immediately went up to the DJ booth to relieve her colleague. The crowd cheered her on, having recognized one of the most popular DJs in town by her signature outfit. Time flew as she made music, unlike her other job, and it was in the blink of an eye that she seemed to find herself back at the ring in her typical street fight clothes, moving rapidly up the established leaderboard.

Once she was back in her bed, she cursed herself for not having worked on the project. She had lined up for back-to-back days of street fighting before midterms, so that she could build a reputation before disappearing. Now, she had all this to take care of. She promised herself to finish it up in the weekend, but she couldn't bring herself to plan an interaction with her team. Thinking of ways to avoid the lot, she slipped into deep, dreamless slumber.

❅

Heejin be making full use of her clothes laul

I'm also drafting the next chapter and I wanna shriek

Maybe I'll update a bit sooner on the next one

Stay safe and hydrated!

~Poatao-nim

[potaeto-writes]

Falling Masterlist

Greetings, homiesapiens. I, Tater, mistress of the unexpected, have begun a series, called Falling. I cannot promise regular uploads, but I will try my level best. It is also on Wattpad, which will be linked below.

Prologue

I

II

III

Wattpad Link