spectrum【fem!reader .lookism】

. xvi

Jiho proceeds to stare at the floor of the bus, not daring to look up at her. But she sees how his hands grasp a little tighter to his shirt.

"Easy for you to say, since your Daniel's sister."

"Stop saying that." (Y/N)'s frown turned to a sharp glare. "Look, I don't fucking care about that moron. I actually dislike being labeled as that..."

Especially since he wasn't a hotshot at all a few months ago.

"But stop blaming everything around you, okay? Nothing's happening if you blame and blame the world for everything. Actually do something about it other than whining."

If there's one thing she hates the most, it's people who complains but never work to achieve what they want.

Jiho fell silent, even when he looks as if he was still answering her in the privacy of his mind. Whatever it was in his thoughts, it was something he deems a little too much for him to say outloud.

Or maybe he was still just being a coward.

(Y/N) sighs at last and starts her music, blasting full volume to drown out the voices of the rowdy teens playing something in the back of the bus.

-

The bus stopped for a brief while in case somebody wanted to take a bathroom break.

For some reason though, there was a punching and hammer game in the area. Not even a few minutes in, she heard yells about Vasco destroying the hammer game while Daniels rips the punching bag.

These boys...why are they like this?

Thankfully, they arrived at their destination not too long after. The instuctors were already waiting for them.

She stashed away her phone to a secret pocket in her bag and easily gave up her belongings to be searched.

However, as she falls in line and the taller instructor glances at her, she feels goosebumps crawl through her arms.

It was something she hadn't experienced in for a while now.

(There used to be an alarming amount of pedophiles in the streets.)

That man's eyes barely lingered on her, but it was a moment too late. She's already known whatever face he's showing right now is just a cover for a more hideous one.

(Y/N) pursed her lips and mourned the possible loss of a nice retreat.

Well, if she stays away from him as much as she could, things would turn out fine, right?

The next few hours trickled by nicely. She wisely avoided the recreation games since it seems everyone was getting a little too competitive.

A tilt of her head, though, and she caught sight of Eli with, like, three girls clinging tightly to him as if afraid to let go.

She snorts and let out a low whistle.

This man now...casually letting them literally hang on to him even with his daughter back home.

(Y/N) looks up to the sky and wondered how Yenna is doing with her babysitter for the next few days.

During talent show, she admittedly stood to the front and cheered in her own way as the baking department comes up the stage. She still remembers their tasty bread from the school festival after all.

Maybe she should talk with a few of them sometime....

The girl was all too happy as soon as she was allowed to rest in their rooms. She shared it with two others that she wasn't really close with though.

That night, the (h/c) haired girl was staring blankly on the door, wondering if she should just sneak outside and climb a tree or something.

After all, isn't a retreat more fun if they're breaking a few rules?

But when she snuck out of the room and walked down the corridor, she spotted an auspicious yellow head leaning against a door, looking pitiful while he was on the floor.

She shoots him a questioning look. Wasn't this Jay Hong again? Why did she keep seeing him doing suspicious things like this?

"Why are you there?" she asks from the darkness.

She sees his head turn to her direction. But seeing no one in the hallway, his body language seemed to have became a bit spooked.

Oh, right. (Y/N) put on a black jacket.

She approaches him for a few more steps and notices the moment she was finally spotted.

The girl cannot help but wonder...how can he see her properly with all the hair covering his face?

She crouches down to his level.

"You really don't talk much, do you?"

He only remains staring at her way.

"I don't get how Daniel understands, does he have subtitles on or something?" she muses with a quirk on her lips. "Ah, I don't know if I'm coming out as rude to you. If I am, sorry."

Jay only raised a hand and shook his head slightly.

Okay. Maybe she can learn how to speak his language.

"So why are you outside?"

"..." he points to the door.

Thinking for a while, (Y/N) fell silent and strained her ears to listen.

The voices that managed to reach her was, unfortunately, familiar once more.

That's the room where her brother and his...friends are, huh?

"I don't get you," she sighs. "You keep hanging in the background despite wanting to approach them. What's stopping you?"

"..."

"It's probably not your inability to open your mouth a speak. Daniel understands you fine, doesn't he?"

"..."

"Are you...perhaps not used to asking others to be your friend?"

"..."

Ah. Seeing how he didn't do anything to deny her words, she took his answer as it is.

And if she was being honest? His shyness to approach them first is actually lowkey...adorable.

It would definitely be one if only he doesn't constantly trail after them in their shadow like a creepy stalker, though.

"You're the one who gave Daniel his wardrobe, right?"

"..."

"How about this, if I help you talk to them, you'd give me a gift too?"

"..."

"Alright then."

She did not notice how her lips stretched to form a genuine smile.

Somehow, there was something about the one-sided conversation with Jay that was new and relaxing, but admittedly nice. Maybe she should approach him again sometime, if he's completely fine with it.

She wasn't sure if he agreed with her helping him, but she's only joking about the gift anyway.

Their conversation did not go anywhere else after that though. Because not too long later, they both heard the unmistakable sound of an instructor approaching.

The two of them scattered and returned to their rooms, blending easily in the shadows as if they're born to do so.

--

Unedited.