When Night And Day Become One

|| Seven ||

Summer classes started and no one was more surprised than I was when Lu Han showed up in the same pottery class that Hannah and I were in. All I could do was gape at him as he took the seat beside me on the floor, flashing me his signature grin.

"What..."

"Hi, Hannah." Lu Han waved at Hannah who was at my other side and when I looked at Hannah, she waved back at him, looking amused.

Not really knowing what's up, I kept my guard up the whole time. Our pottery classmates weren't limited to our year. There were a couple of people from the lower years, some even in elementary while there were also a couple of students from senior high. If Lu Han was going to do something ridiculous again, it would give me fresh embarrassment from all these people.

Fortunately, though, Lu Han did nothing out of the ordinary, even as we went home.

"You're going to burn a hole in my head, Yeon," Lu Han said when we were walking home on that first day of pottery class, his eyes looking straight ahead, his lips turned up in a quirky smile.

"I'm just trying to see through your head and maybe gain access to your thoughts," I said, keeping my voice nonchalant.

"Well," he said, and stopped walking, facing me with a bright grin. "What do you want to know? You could ask."

I eyed him suspiciously. "What are you thinking about?"

"I'm thinking about how you're so cute when you're thinking too much- ow!" He grinned even more when I hit him. "And when you're annoyed." This time, he swerved to the right to avoid my swing.

"I'm serious, darn it." I didn't like how Lu Han treated everything like a joke.

"Okay, okay." He raised his hands in surrender. "I'm thinking about next week's trip to the Main City's art gallery. Happy?"

"You're not thinking about pranks? Or anything that will embarrass me?" I asked warily.

"Now that you mentioned it..." He pretended to think and I moved to hit him again. He burst out laughing. "Kidding! I'm kidding, Yeon."

"What about your friends? Aren't they all in sports camp?"

"Yeah, what about it?"

I raised an eyebrow at him. "Uh, then shouldn't you be with your friends?"

"I am," he said, his face breaking into a wide grin.

I opened my mouth to ask another question, but then I realized what he was saying. Surprised and unsure of what to respond to that, I started walking again. "You're really weird, you know that?"

"Weird how?" He fell into step beside, nudging me on the process.

"I don't know." I shrugged. "It's just that ever since I got here, wasn't your one true goal when it came to me was to embarrass and annoy me?"

He raised an eyebrow at me and motioned for me to go on.

"So this Lu Han-" I gestured to all of him "-who cooks for me, who takes care of me, who walks home with me, is just plain suspicious." I sighed. "I'm still waiting for the surprise worm or the drink that would spew on my face or the rock that would trip me. So any moment now, Lu Han."

When I sneaked a glance at him, he was shaking with laughter beside me.

"What?"

"Nothing. I'm just wondering if I did a good job or not."

"Good job at what, jerk?"

"Nothing," he said again, all trace of playfulness suddenly gone from his features. "Would you like it instead if I get on your nerves all the time?"