DAYTIME STAR
chapter six - caught in the act.

AS THE TRIP HUDDLED IN THEIR HIDING SPOT, Tae-Sung's gaze fell upon the discarded cigarettes on Sol's hand. Without a moment's hesitation, he reached them up, his fingers deftly retrieving the lighter from the pile.

"Hey, what are you doing?" Im Sol exclaimed, her eyes widening in alarm. "You can't smoke those!"

Tae-Sung paused, the cigarette poised between his lips, a mischievous glint in his eye. "And why not?" he challenged, his voice low and smooth.

Su-Jin, who had been quietly checking his camera and belongings, looked up, his brow furrowed in concern. "Tae-Sung, you know that's against the rules," he said, his voice barely above a whisper.

"Wait? How do you know my name?" Tae-Sung looked at Su-Jin who just sighed and pointed his finger on his name tag.

Tae-Sung scratched the back of his neck and chuckled, he looked at Su-Jin's name tag and nodded his head. Going back to their conversation.

Tae-Sung chuckled, the cigarette still dangling from his lips. "Since when have I ever cared about the rules?" he retorted, his fingers flicking the lighter to life.

But before he could take a drag, Im Sol's hand shot out, grasping his wrist with surprising strength.

"Dont."

Tae-Sung paused, his brow furrowing in confusion as he studied the girl before him. "Do I know you?" he asked, his voice tinged with suspicion.

Im Sol's heart raced, and she found herself suddenly flustered, all thoughts of stopping Tae-Sung from smoking momentarily forgotten. "Oh my ghad? Kim Tae-Sung!? Oh Hi! It's so good to see you!" she gushed, her hand still gripping his wrist.

"How have you been?"

Tae-Sung chuckled, his gaze flickering between Im Sol and the forgotten Su-Jin who was busy studying the inside of his bag.

Before Im Sol could respond, a sudden shout echoed through the hallway, and the trio turned to see a teacher striding towards them, his expression stern.

"What's going on here?" the teacher demanded, his eyes narrowing as he took in the scene before him.

Tae-Sung's eyes widened, and without a moment's hesitation, he grabbed Su-Jin's arm, pulling the startled boy to his feet.

"Time to go!" he hissed, and the three of them took off, leaving the discarded cigarettes and lighter in Im Sol's hands.

"AHHH, RUN AGAIN?!" Su-Jin cried, his legs pumping furiously as he struggled to keep up with Tae-Sung's long strides.

But the teacher was hot on their heels, and as they rounded a corner, he caught sight of the evidence in Im Sol's hands. "Hold it right there!" he shouted, his voice echoing through the halls.

AS IM SOL FOLLOWED THE STERN–FACED TEACHER down the hallway, she couldn't shake the feeling of dread that had settled in the pit of her stomach. She knew she had to act fast if she wanted to clear her name and avoid the impending punishment.

"But sir, you have to believe me!" she pleaded, her voice tinged with desperation.

"The cigarettes and lighter aren't mine. I was just trying to teach those boys a lesson about the dangers of smoking!"

The teacher, however, remained unmoved, his expression hardening as he continued to march down the corridor. "That's not your job, young lady," he said sternly, his grip tightening on the incriminating evidence in his hand.

"You're in enough trouble as it is without making up stories."

Im Sol's heart sank, and she knew that her words were falling on deaf ears. The teacher had made up his mind, and there was nothing she could say to change it. With a heavy sigh, she resigned herself to her fate.

As they stepped out into the bright sunlight of the football field, Im Sol's eyes widened in dismay as she caught sight of the bench where she was to serve her punishment.

It was situated directly in front of the field, ensuring that she would be the center of attention for all who passed by.

The teacher gestured towards the bench, his expression stern. "Sit down and hold those up," he commanded, his voice leaving no room for argument. "And don't even think about putting them down, there's CCTV over there. You got it?"

Im Sol's cheeks burned with humiliation as she slowly made her way to the bench, the lighter and cigarettes clutched tightly in her trembling hands.

As she sat down, she could feel the eyes of her fellow students boring into her, their whispers and murmurs filling the air.

Ahh!

As Im Sol sat on the bench, her hands raised high in humiliation, a familiar face suddenly came into view. It was Sun-Jae, his expression a mix of concern and disapproval.

"I can't believe you're smoking," he said, shaking his head. "Don't you know how dangerous that is?"

Im Sol's eyes widened in surprise, and she quickly shook her head. "No, no, it's not what you think!" she exclaimed, her voice hushed.

"The cigarettes and lighter aren't mine. I was just trying to teach those boys a lesson."

Sun-Jae's brow furrowed, and he glanced around, his eyes narrowing. "Well, in that case, you're in luck," he said, his voice low.

"The CCTV camera over there is just a dummy. The teacher won't know if you leave."

Without another word, Sun-Jae reached out and snatched the items from Im Sol's hands, tossing them into a nearby trash bin.

Im Sol stared at him, her mouth agape. Sun-Jae is now walking away with her but he stops and slowly walks backwards in front of Sol who is confused at his behaviour.

"Where's Su-Jin?"

"Ah..don't know. They run, technically when Tae-Sung grabs his arms and runs they just left me behind." when Sol said that she saw Sun-Jae sighed in relief.

"Okay." he said and walked away again, Sun-Jae didn't know who Tae-Sung was. And he clearly doesn't care.

Sol's mind is in war, because what the hell!? She needs to have a good connection to her idol! But why the hell is happening now? Like in any minute he will avoid her?

Ah! That's not gonna happen! I need to do my job!

AS IM SOL HURRIED AWAY, her mind racing, she couldn't help but wonder where Su-Jin and Tae-Sung had disappeared to.

Rounding a corner, she nearly collided with the very people she was searching for. Tae-Sung, his expression unreadable, and Su-Jin, his face flushed with exertion.

"There you are!" Im Sol exclaimed, her relief palpable. "What happened? Where did you go?"

Su-Jin sighed, wiping the sweat from his brow. "Tae-Sung grabbed me and we ran," he explained, his voice tinged with exasperation. "I thought we were goners for sure."

Tae-Sung chuckled at his remarks.

"Ah! Need to go! There's something I need to do! Bye!" Su-Jin said to the both of them, they just nodded their heads and Su-Jin quickly ran away.

Now, Tae-Sung's gaze is shifting to Im Sol. "You know, you really should stay out of my business," he said, his tone laced with a hint of warning.

"I can handle myself just fine."

Im Sol opened her mouth to protest, but before she could speak, Tae-Sung turned and walked away, his long strides quickly carrying him out of sight.

As Im Sol watched Tae-Sung's retreating figure, she couldn't help but feel a pang of frustration. Suddenly, a group of girls approached her, their expressions a mix of disdain and amusement.

"Well, well." one of them sneered, her eyes narrowing. "We saw what you did back there, trying to get all cozy with Tae-Sung."

Im Sol blinked, taken aback by the sudden confrontation. "What? No, it's not like that," she stammered.

Another girl stepped forward, her lips curled in a sneer. "You'd better stay away from him, you hear?" she warned, her voice dripping with venom.

"Tae-Sung is mine, and we don't take kindly to little girls trying to steal him away."

Im Sol opened her mouth to protest, but the girls had already turned and walked away, their laughter echoing in the air.

"Kids these days," Im Sol muttered, shaking her head in disbelief.

"They're so scary."