1. Inner peace.
When was it?
When was the last time Lưu Dương Minh felt inner peace? He couldn't even remember, but he just guessed that it had been a long time ago. It could have been a decade ago actually, when he was still in elementary school. Third grade. When there is still nothing to worry about that much. Just wandering around, hanging out with friends, and getting curious about how things function.
Those days were worth living, frankly. Even till now, Minh still held some kind of jealousy towards elementary kids. Because they can enjoy their lives at best, showing off their new flashy toys, being adored for their puppy eyes and their bright, innocent smile, doing whatever they want in the most stupid way possible without acknowledging their consequences. They are so free, so innocent. And Minh hates them so much. So much so that every child would cry out loud when they stand near him, which triggers his anger even more.
And no, it's not because he is jealous of them because they don't have to care about their grades like people his age. Minh is petty, but not that petty. He's not going to be jealous with some unknown kid because they have much less homework than he does. Grades have never been a problem to Minh. He's actually excellent at and enjoys it very much. From mathematics to science or heavy and lame academic subjects, people always praise Minh for having the highest ranking at school. In the end, he's the poster boy. The type to always stand out in the class. The type that, of course, would be discussed in every Asian family-gathering dinners about how perfect and flawless he is. The type that could do nothing wrong or be at fault. The type that nobody would believe could hurt a fly. Well, used to, until Minh punched the school's principal during his very first outburst.
After that incident, things are still the same, just slightly tilted. The world is still spinning. Minh, luckily, didn't get kicked out of school thanks to his enormous achievements dedicated to the school reputation. But, from that day on, some people started to get some nerves to play with fire. They would intentionally bump into him on school hallways, give him these dirty looks and even talk shit about him right in front of his face. But Minh doesn't really gave a fuck.
Sometimes it's pretty annoying to get those jealous expressions from a lot of nobodies, but Minh kind of enjoys it. He has no big deal with that, in fact, he finds it very much entertaining. Like adding some new flavor to his lame and boring life. Sometimes Minh even feels like the world does revolve around him thanks to these dumbasses, it boosts his ego a little bit.
It's lonely at the top, you know? Without these clowns, life would be so miserable to bear at.
Even though those jealousy can be unpredictable and make him suffer for quite a while now.
Oh.
Now he remembers.
The reason why he cannot have inner peace anymore, the reason why he hates people so much that Minh used to wish that everybody should just die or he, instead, will be the one to die.
It's kind of funny that people can be so simple-minded yet can be so complicated at the same damn time. At the very first glance, they can be so charming and delicate, introducing themselves as the good guy, yet when things don't go the way they want, they will instantly throw off that fake smile and tear you to pieces. And still call themselves the good guy. And people will buy into it so easily, unless they are the one who was being ripped off into pieces. That ripped off is going to be so painful that it will, or never, take time to glue and heal those pieces together. But Minh knows, he knows damn well that even if he tries, those pieces will never be the same.
That incident has left a wound in his heart, not deep enough to kill him, but deep enough to leave a scar in him that it will ache sometimes. And when that ache happens, he would just mess things up and ruin everything, everyone near him.
But still, as Minh mentioned earlier, people can be very complicated and simple-minded at the same time. Knowing that he is arrogant, superior and mean. They still try to approach him, talk to him, and want to be friends with him. Simply because they just feel like it.
That makes no sense at all. And the craziest thing is, Minh can easily swing with it. He thought he had to hate it, but as time went by, he actually became quite chill with it. Maybe because these people, who he calls "friends", are just like him. Crazy like him. Chaotic like him. Weird like him. But not as smart as him. That's for sure.
Being with them actually gives him a sense of feeling at peace, which Minh has never experienced with his ex friends before. Even if Minh never wanted to admit it. But as much as he enjoys their company, he can't help it but judge them for their stupid actions.
"Hey!" A soft, gentle, and slightly dreamy voice snapped Minh back to reality. Tông Huỳnh Vy is looking down at Minh with curiosity, making her dark ebony, breast-length hair cascading down to Minh's face. As she slightly tilted her head, her soft loose wave at the tips followed her motions and tickled his face, Minh can't help it but to raise his hand and tuck her hair behind her ear. "Are you even listening?"
"No." Minh nonchalantly replies as he plays with her soft hair. "Your stories are like shit. I almost died of cringes."
Vy has this special, alluring voice that is very comforting to hear, which Minh never finds in anyone he ever knew. Minh once even talked about it to Lý Quốc Trung, that Vy has potentials to be a dictator, she could pull any strings however she wanted and still got away with it without any difficulty. It's all about her tone of voice, the way she talks and how she looks at the person in front of her when talking to them. Like she actually engaged in their conversation. Too bad, the Vy Minh knows is not smart enough to acknowledge that, and if she were smart enough, she wouldn't have much intentions or motives to do that. In contrast to her gentle and sleepy-like voice, Vy is a spoiled, two-faced brat who curses a lot and has the most mood swings out of the four. She doesn't really care about how people look at her, or she does but chooses to pretend to be deaf. In fact, it's easier to live without giving a fuck about what people think of and mind your own business.
"Oh fuck you. Get off my lap you bitch."
"No."
Did Minh mention that he was laying on her thighs this whole time? Average 4-year-friendship behaviour. At least that's what Minh and his friends do.
After four years of their toxic friendship. Minh, Trung, Vy and Linh have gained this weird type of skinship to each other. Minh didn't remember who started it off first, but gradually, they just casually leaned on to each other like some orphans desperate for love and cuddles. At first, Minh didn't really like those touchy gestures. He detested it the most out of four and went as far as lashing out on Trung for sitting on his lap as a joke. But now, he is just casually laying on Vy's lap and playing with her hair like some loser craving for some cheap ass cuddles.
What can he say?
You are known by the company you keep.
It's going to be sooner or later that he will be converted. It's inevitable.
"Anyways," Vy said as she brushed Minh's hair with her hand. "What were you thinking about?"
"Probably about some inner peace and then being petty and getting jealous with some preschoolers." Quốc Trung replied as he was sitting on, not at, Minh desk. His chocolate brown eyes nonchalantly glued onto the ps5, as if he couldn't care less if the world is falling apart right in front of his eyes.
Oh yeah, did Minh also mention that aside from frequently cuddling each other like pathetic little puppies, they can basically read each other's mind? It's quite inconvenient sometimes when Minh just wants some personal space or keeping his thoughts all to himself.
Who would want someone to read into their mind when it's all about some personal sexual fantasies? Clearly, it's not Minh.
Don't judge him for that. On second thought, just do so. Minh couldn't really gave a fuck. He's a teenager. He's undergoing some puberty shit. Of course those sexual fantasies are normal. If you don't go through that, you should have a check.
Despite all that, it's not that hard to communicate though, because they can basically know what the others' thoughts are about. At least that's what his superior brain thought.
"Oh my, is hating people your age not enough that now you have to be jealous at toddlers?" Next to Trung, Vũ Hà Linh is sitting at Minh desk, with her leg stretching her legs out across Trung's lap. Another example for their weird thirst for skinship and cuddles, to the point it's getting pathetic to look at. Linh just sarcastically glance at Minh for a moment and then quickly buried in her dark-romance novel that she has been squirming for a whole week straight. What is the title of the novel called? The Phantom of the Opera? But isn't that just only in musical opera? Hell could Minh remembers. "Not so surprising tho, classic petty cunt behaviour."
"Did anyone ever tell you that you would be so much prettier if you shut your bitch-ass mouth, my beloved Linh?"
"Oh, my Romeo! I would love to!" Linh replied with a sarcastic tone, yet her eyes still looked at the printed text line on the novel. "But your superior brain is so dirty and shallow, I couldn't help it but to give a piece of my mind. Would you forgive me, o'beloved?"
"Oh, go fuck yourself."
"Very glad to."
Ever since Linh started to join their shitty little drama club last year, she's always used this kind of dramatic and sarcastic tone to mock them three, especially Minh. Or maybe she has used that sarcastic tone for a long time now and that drama club just highlights her sarcasticness more. Minh doesn't know, all he knows is that he didn't really enjoy it sometimes.
It's nothing personal, just that one time, Linh just randomly struck Minh's ego so hard that he became very petty with her. Even though that has been for more than half a year, Minh still held onto that grudge up until now. Because he is a petty cunt.
"But it's kinda surprising tho, that you signed up for drama club." Vy said, scrolling through tik tok and chuckles at some brainrot video she finds funny. "Wasn't your life already a play?"
"Yeah, but it doesn't have enough spotlight I need."
"Attention-seeking whore."
"What? I can't help it. It's my calling."
"Calling my ass." Trung finally puts away his ps5 and looks at Linh. "Couldn't believe my own best friend threw away my advice out of the window and joined my ex's drama club."
When they heard that Linh is a member of the school drama club, Trung is the most unhappy about it. It's quite understandable. Trung is an attractive guy, in fact, none of the four is unattractive, they're just unserious with serious things and serious with unserious things. And Trung is the most unserious of the four, despite that, he's one of the most popular guys in school. What is he famous for? A lot of things.
Coming from a very well-off background, Minh and Trung life have a very different path. While Minh's childhood often revolved around studying and fancy meetings, Trung's childhood was more vibrant that revolved around fancy trips and parties. Having lived in that environment at that very early age, Trung has developed this oddly attractive charisma. He has this wild, free and rebellious appearance that almost no one could replicate, with his blonde-dyed hair and his fiercely chocolate brown eyes. It's uncommon for him to draw attention from pretty girls with that much aura, especially the crazy ones. And the craziest of them all is Diễm Quỳnh.
Trung met Quỳnh at that very same drama club in grade ninth and quickly fell in love with her. She's pretty, smart, has a strong personality, and wild like him. Back at that time, Trung and Quỳnh are end game, they are the definition of Vietnamese version of high school sweethearts. Despite all that glazing, only Trung and his friends know how rotten their relationship has been inside. It's so rotten that their break up ended badly, so bad that Trung has to quit the drama club and avoid Diễm Quỳnh's face as much as he could till this day.
And now, his girl best friend secretly applied to that drama club, which his ex now became this year's president, without him noticing about it. It's normal for Trung to be furious about it. If Minh were in his shoes, he would've had another outburst and punch that stubborn brat on the nose, honestly. But Trung knew he's better than that, so what did he do? He threw a tantrum and stopped talking to Linh for a week until today, when Minh invited them all to his penthouse did Trung stopped sulking.
"Yeah, yeah... But seriously, what's with all the inner peace thing about?" Linh casually changed the topic. Clearly wouldn't dare to upset Trung anymore.
"I don't know, just some random thoughts in my head." Minh replied, as he was still laying on Vy's lap and looking at the ceiling. "Still, it kinda struck me a little bit."
"Want some inner peace? That's easy." Vy said, still glueing on to her phone screen, scrolling tik tok. "Just make up with your ex friends. I'm sure they would love to be friends with you again, and take advantage of you too."
"Fuck you!!!" Minh said while grabbing a pillow nearby and aimed right at Vy's face and hit her with it. "You three are the reason why I lost my inner peace in the first place."
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oh dont mind me=)))))I just publish this chapter out to gain some motivation to write the next one. And English is also not my second language so their would, of course, have some spellings and grammars, its inevitable lol! Hope you enjoy my poor amateur writing!!!!!!! Although I uploaded this chapter, there's likely a high chance that I would take it down to change it until I'm satisfied!
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