Congratulations class of 2011, you made it. The principle's simple words of conclusion echoed in Jung Sae Rin's ears as she weaved her way through the crowded halls. She was done. There would be no more stopping by Granny Bit Na's cafe in the mornings; no more hosting all-night study sessions at the local coffee house before exams; no more super-fanning for the champion basketball team. It was all over. And, although her high school experience was fairly uneventful upon reflection, the knowledge that these traditions were now simply memories left a feeling of emptiness in her heart. She felt that there were still so many words she had left unsaid; so many a spects of high school she still hadn't experienced. In a way, she was glad it was over but disappointed in herself for not taking more chances. 

Sae Rin escaped from the bustling building into the warm summer air, easing the feeling of claustrophobia from her chest momentarily before she was engulfed by a pair of beefy arms. She giggled despite the feeling of her bones being crushed and wrapped her arms around the massive figure that was her father. With his significant height, large body frame, and even larger muscles, many people failed to see the resemblance to his daughter's soft and delicate features. 

"I'm so proud of you!" Her father praised as he finally released her. Sae Rin took a breath, grateful to find that her ribs weren't entirely crushed, and smiled. "Th-" Before she could get a full word out, Jung Kwan was shoved out of the way and replaced by a stout, balding man. 

"My little Sae Rinnie has grown up so much~" He whined, his bright eyes becoming watery. He then swiftly wound himself around her arm and cuddled into the young woman's shoulder, sniffling continuously. Sae Rin laughed and patted the head of her melodramatic uncle. Although he was at least two heads shorter than his brother, Uncle Dongwook still looked like he belonged in a motorcycle gang with his unexpected muscles and harsh facial structure. "Your mother is overjoyed." He continued. "I can feel it."

Sae Rin nodded, forcing down the lump that always appeared in at the mention of her mother. As she did so, her uncle was forcibly removed from her arm by his younger brother. "Alright you freeloader, I think that's enough." He grumbled, evidently taking notice of his daughter's dampened mood. 

Dongwook faught his way out of his brother's grip. "I'm the hyung!" He cried. "Show some respect."

Sae Rin's father chuckled. "I'll treat you like a hyung when you start acting like one, get a significant job, and move out of my house!" 

The brothers continued to bicker back and forth as it had been a daily occurrence in their lives since they were young. Oddly enough, their fighting made Sae Rin feel better. It was something familiar and, unlike most arguing, wasn't stressful in the least. After all, it was all just words with no substance; Sae Rin knew uncle was her father's best friend and that if he ever decided to move out he would find some excuse to make him stay. That was just how their relationship worked. 

"Well I've got to go help with clean up." Sae Rin attempted to interject, speaking up successfully for the first time. "I'll see you both at home!" Both men abruptly paused and waved to her lovingly as she backed away before immediately returning to their entergetic argument. Sae Rin shook her head and scoffed at their peculiarity as she passed through the threshold of her school. 

Her footsteps echoed down the vacated halls while she reminisced on the past four years. As class president, she had been given many responsibilities and therefore spent more time in this building than she did her actual home. She didn't mind it though. In fact, she had enjoyed her position for it allowed her to grow close to the student body as a whole. Many people relied on her which made Sae Rin feel like a child being handed candy. She always wanted to be someone dependable like her mother and, although people evidently took advantage of her from time to time, it felt like a great accomplishment every time someone relied on her.

"Well, if it isn't just the girl I was looking for!" Sae Rin blinked out of her daze and turned around, quickly locating the person who'd called out to her. 

"Oh, hello!" She greeted happily, bowing slightly to her home room teacher, Kang Changwoo. He was a rather young and handsome man with skin that tanned in the summer, thick dark hair, and kind eyes. He was also athletic and the coach of the basketball team. All these attributes put together caused many of the female students to develop crushes for him which Sae Rin personally found pretty strange. Regardless, Changwoo had helped her significantly and was someone she admired despite his uncontrollable flirtatiousness.

Her teacher smiled as he handed her a clipboard. "Here's a checklist the other student council members put together. As you can see most of the tasks have been checked off but they still left quite a bit for you to do..." He looked at her guiltily as though somehow his students' incompetence was his fault. 

"It's okay." Sae Rin responded breezily, taking the clipboard from him.

"Really?" He checked.

Sae Rin mentally rolled her eyes. Although she enjoyed it in moderation, sometimes her teacher's playfulness got old. Knowing what was coming, she dead panned an "Absolutely"

"You sure?" 

"Uh huh."

"Positive?"

"One hundred percent."

"You swear?"

"On my life."

"Okay then!" He chuckled, clasping his hands together. "Man, what am I going to do without you?" Sae Rin shrugged as if to say hell if I know? Changwoo put his hands on his hips and shook his head. "Seriously, all the past class presidents acted like they had some huge stick up their or something but not you Sae Rin. You," He announced, pointing at her for emphasis. "You're a keeper." Sae Rin giggled at his absurdity and kiddingly flicked her hair over her shoulder as Changwoo laughed appreciatevly. He secretly had a soft spot for Sae Rin simply because she knew how to carry an enjoyable conversation and always had a fresh supply of witty quips to respond to whatever he had to say. It was honestly refreshing to see considering how antisocial his students were becoming as the years stretched on. In fact, one student in particular comes to mind...

"Say," Changwoo said, effortlessly changing the conversation. "Have you seen my little rascal anywhere?" Sae Rin felt her heart squeeze in her chest, almost painfully, at the mere mention of him. Her expression evidently changed from jovial to deer-in-the-headlights but she quickly attempted to cover it up, praying that Changwoo wouldn't notice. He did, as he always had, but pretended that he didn't and continued talking "He's going to get an earful if he leaves without saying goodbye to me." He threatened.

Sae Rin attempted to laugh but her sudden nerves made it sound as though she was choking. God, why was she still acting like this? She was technically an adult now! She mentally slapped herself into composure, no longer allowing herself to act like an immature school girl. Those days were over; they had to be. "I don't know." She managed. "I haven't seen him around."

"Hmmm" Changwoo responded, pretending to be in deep thought. "What's up with that kid always wandering off? I guess I'll have to go find him..." 

The duo then proceeded to exchange words of departing, promises to keep in touch, and encouragement for the future before officially separating and heading down opposite ends of the hallway. Once she was at least five steps away, Sae Rin released a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. She was sure Kang Changwoo was going to find out if that conversation lasted any longer.

"Oh, and Sae Rin?" Her teacher called, standing at opposite end of the corridor with his fist raised. "Fighting! That rascal will come around one day."

Sae Rin ignored the sinking feeling in her stomach and shot Changwoo a quizzical expression. "What are you talking about?"

The young man simply chuckled and tapped his face with a teasing glint in his eye. Sae Rin gasped, cupping her hands over her warm cheeks. How could she not notice such an atrocious blush?! Feeling nauseous and embarassed, she quickly whipped her body back around and made a furious beeline for the gymnasium.

Once she was safely trapped within the large, vacated area, Sae Rin slammed her back against the door, questioning if it was possible for one to shrivel up in a ball and cease to exist. Kang Changwoo had figured out her secret? Her homeroom teacher? The class president screamed under her breath and smacked herself in the forehead with her clipboard. It wasn't too awful since she was graduated and could choose if she ever wanted to see Changwoo again...Nevertheless, Sae Rin felt that if she could choose to die at any moment, she would prefer for it to be now. 

"No, Sae Rin, get yourself together!" She said aloud, slapping her face lightly. "This is what Mom was talking about. You have to be honest. There's no shame in your feelings. No regrets." Her little pep talk made the class president feel well enough to alternate her attention to her checklist. 

Although she attempted to focus her mind on other things, her subconcious wandered into the past as she progressed through her chores. For the first time in a while, she recalled the day her unrequited saga began. She could still feel the cold nipping at her nose; the discomfort of her feet in her flooded sneakers. She remembered how her phone suddenly felt like a ton of bricks as it slipped from her hand. She sensed the cold raindrops attacking her skin and how they contrasted with the hot tears rolling down her face. Your mother has been diagnosed with leukemia. Her father's broken-hearted words played on repeat in Sae Rin's fifteen year old mind. Leukemia. Leukemia. Leukemia. 

The first year was in such a daze that she didn't realize a figure had appeared before her. Upon blinking, somewhere in her clouded mind she recognized that it was a boy. His mouth was moving but all his words sounded like muffled static to Sae Rin's ears. I bet his mother is already preparing him hot porridge to come home to on a rainy day like today. She found herself bitterly thinking. Ideas like this transformed Sae Rin's denial into anger. Why did he get to have a mother when hers was being unrightfully taken away from her? Just like that, before the grieving student could control herself, she was hysterically pounding on the stranger's chest. 

"It's not fair!" She cried, beating her human punching bag with no mercy. "How is this even possible?! She didn't look sick when she woke me up this morning! She seemed perfectly healthy when we said goodbye and she reminded me to stop by the grocery store! They give her a year at most! Only a year!" Suddenly, all of Sae Rin's anger was exhausted and replaced by horrible, heart-wrenching sadness. "I just...don't get it...Leukemia...Why did it have to be Leukemia?" She whispered hoarsely, slowly unclenching her fists and allowing them to dangle lifelessly at her sides. 

She could only imagine how helpless she looked standing there with her hair hanging in soaking clumps around her blotchy, tear-stricken face. Not to mention she was no longer quietly crying as she was earlier, but was now full-on sobbing which included additional sniffling and weird hiccuping noises to the stream of saltwater that dripped continuosly down her cheeks, nose, and chin. Although she normally would have felt stupid to be seen in such a predicament by a male, Sae Rin's mind was so preoccupied by other emotions that she had no room for humility. Due to this, she was content with standing there in the pouring rain and bawling to her heart's content.

Nothing that the boy may have said or done registered in Sae Rin's mind until the rain suddenly stopped crashing against her body. When she raised her eyes, she found a hand holding out an umbrella handle for her to take. The emotionally unstable girl messily wiped lingering tears from her eyes and wrapped her red fingers around the polished wood, looking up into the eyes of the last person she could have ever imagined to witness her breakdown: Kim Myung Soo.

From that day on, Sae Rin's one-sided love for Myung Soo flourished. It's not like she wanted it to happen, though. Myung Soo was possibly the most popular boy at her school. A plethora of girls were obsessed with his mysterious silence, musical abilities, handsome looks, and cool image; girls that were far better looking and more popular than Sae Rin. However, Sae Rin found herself falling for the part of Myung Soo that almost everyone else seemed to overlook- his true self.

The person that comforted her in the rain was not consistent with the person who acted unapproachable and notoriously gave the cold shoulder. Every once in a while though, Sae Rin would catch glimpses of the boy with the umbrella, forcing her to be drawn back to Myung Soo again and again. 

In a way, she knew her love was destined for heartbreak. A boy like Myung Soo wanted a girl he could show off to his friends, not the average-looking class president. Furthermore, he'd only ever addressed her as "Pres" or "President" which, since she was in charge of roll call and therefore never had to call out her own name, meant that he didn't even know her name. Regardless of this fact, Sae Rin couldn't shake the hopeless connection she felt to the 'ice prince' (as everyone called him) who'd shown her warmth when she needed it most.

Unfortunately, Sae Rin had never admitted any of this to Myung Soo. They had been in some of the same classes and consistently the same homeroom throughout highschool, but she could never find the right time to tell him. Now, unfortunately, she was out of time.

Sae Rin sighed and slumped against the handle of her mop. Why did she have to be so hesitant? Now she would have to live with the guilt of never truly confessing to the boy she somehow knew she was meant to end up with (don't try to get her to explain it- it was just a weird feeling she had) This was what her mother had been talking about in her letter. Since Sae Rin doubted herself and made excuses, she no longer had so much as a chance with Myung Soo. If she didn't want to crawl into a cave of despair before, she definitely did now. 

Unsure of what else to do in this desperate state, Sae Rin squeezed her eyes shut and gripped onto her mop tightly. "Mom," She whispered inaudibly. "Please give me one more opportunity. I won't pass it up this time I promise." The class president cracked her eyes open slowly, secretly thinking in a disallusioned part of her mind that Myung Soo would be magically appear before her. Of course, all she was greeted by was the vacated gymnasium. Sae Rin groaned and knocked herself in the head with her fist, furious at her own stupidity.

"Hey." 

Sae Rin snapped her body around so quickly she briefly experienced whiplash. She closed her eyes and shook her head, forcing herself to recover before analyzing the figure who'd appeared in the threshold of the back enterance. With his glossy hair, cat-like eyes, casually loosend tie, and worn-down Converse it was none other than the one and only Kim Myung Soo.

The astonished class president clumsily lost her grip on her mop, awkwardly fighting to regain control of it as it made its way to the floor but eventually losing the battle. As it crashed to the floor with a painful clap, Sae Rin briefly hid her face in her hands. Get yourself together! She mentally screamed. Your mother is giving you a final chance- You can't blow it! Full of determination, the young woman removed her hands and tried to play off her minor breakdown by cutely pushing a strand of hair back behind her ear. Well, at least she hoped it was cute.

"Sorry," She said casually as if she hadn't just made a huge embarrassment of herself. She attempted to ignore the amusement evident on Myung Soo's face for it made her want to swim all the way to America and never return. "I didn't -uh- see you there."

Myung Soo smirked slightly and proceeded into the large room. "My bad." He apologized. "I just ran into Changwoo and he told me I should come help you clean up."

Sae Rin internally screamed at the top of her lungs. That meddlesome teacher! Honestly she couldn't seem to figure out if he was some sort of gift from God or if he was a disciple of Satan.

Although within her mind Sae Rin was murderous, externally she resembled a fish out of water. "You really don't have to do that." She stammered. "Honestly I'm almost done and there's only-"

"It's really no big deal." Myung Soo shrugged. "It's not right for you to have to do this all on your own."

Hyo Rin's insides did a full 360. In a desperate state to hide the ridiculous grin that'd appeared on her face, she quickly ran over and picked up her clipboard. Unable to restrain herself, she peeked over at Myung Soo who was already busying himself with mopping and smiled a little bit wider. Thanks Mom! She silently cheered.

After her minor fan girl moment, Sae Rin and Myunh Soo worked together very effectively to finish off her checklist within a mere ten minutes. Although they had efficiently gotten everything done without any arguing or awkwardness, Sae Rin still felt panicked. She hadn't found the right opportunity to talk to him and now they were done. She knew it was now or never, a fact that made her feel sick to her stomach as she handed Myung Soo, who was unnecessarily bothering himself with compacting the bleachers, a well-deserved water bottle. 

"Honestly, I think one of the teachers was put in charge of handling that." Sae Rin reminded him for what felt like the thousandth time.

Myung Soo shrugged, pushing them back into their original position with ease. "Might as well do it while I'm here." Sae Rin smiled (although she's positive it came out as a grimace) and pretended to look over her checklist again as Myung Soo took a sip of his water. She had to do it. She absolutely had to. Even if he rejected her that was better than never knowing at all right? Right?

 "Hey," Myung Soo said abruptly, startling Sae Rin out of her mental conflictions. She watched attentively as he placed his water bottle on the ground and casually slipped his hands into the front pockets of his pants. "I'm just asking you this because I've been really curious and it's graduation so I don't know if I'll get another chance, alright?" His eyes flicked to Sae Rin's face as she nodded slowly. "Well," He chuckled lightly. "There was a rumor going around earlier this year that you had a crush on me, Pres. Just wanted to know if that was true or not..."

In that moment, Sae Rin's entire body froze. It was as though every single nerve within her had become numb; everything except her heart which sunk deep into the pit of her stomach. She understood the puzzle that was Myung Soo well enough to decipher the light mockery present in his tone. He wanted to see if he had somehow managed to hook the class president because it would be useful information when bragging to his friends about his charisma.

Thousands of thoughts flooded Sae Rin's mind as she attempted to decide on her next move. Should she deny it? Should she officially give up on Myung Soo? No, there was no way she was doing that. Even if it meant possibly humiliating herself, she had to follow her mother's instructions and be honest.

Filled with firey determination, Sae Rin felt ready to set this kid straight. However, the instant she met his piecing gaze, she felt all her gusto melt away into childish insecurity.

After standing there like a deer in the headlights for a few moments, trapped in his patronizing stare, she used her clipboard as a shield and trained her eyes on his beat up sneakers. "I....I-" Sae Rin felt the anxiety within her reaching unbearable levels. She felt so incredibly stupid and humiliated and honestly just wanted to pretend that she'd never met Kim Myung Soo. However, just as she began to plan her escape, a new idea hit her. What did she have to be afraid of? Why was she embarassed of her feelings? There was no reason for her to feel insecure about herself for, although she may pale in comparison to the girls he wanted now, she was going to be the one he relied on in the end. These realizations forced a new sort of confidence within Sae Rin to surface.

"I've admired you ever since we were first years." She started, surprised by how composed she felt and how easily the words began to flow out of . "You're a really complex dude, Kim Myung Soo. I know everyone sees you for your face value which is the ice prince or whatever but I've noticed that that is not all there is to you. You're compassionate and, although you don't like to show it, you grow really attached to people. You're understanding and hardworking and you never cease to surprise me all the time. For example, you literally just folded up those bleachers like it was no big deal." She giggled slightly before releasing a small sigh. "I know I'm not who you want right now. I'm not gorgeous or popular or ty; I'm just...here..." She cleared , removing the vulnerability from her voice. "I'm not a stop along the way; I'm not some girl you can get with and get over. I'm a destination. And, one day, you're going to get sick of these girls who want you just for the image. That's not me. I want you, Myung Soo, because I have fallen for who you truly are, not who everyone sees you as. So, if you genuinely want me too, I'll wait for you."

She'd done it; she'd actually done it! Suddenly it felt as though a gigantic weight was lifted off Sae Rin's chest. However, she wasn't prepared to hear his reaction. Therefore, the instant his beat up Converse took a step towards her, Sae Rin's inner panic alarms began to go crazy. Abort, abort, abort! She mentally chanted, quickly turning on her heel and making a beeline for the exit. 

"Wait!" She heard Myung Soo cry as a lightly callaused hand wrapped around her's and tugged her back into her former position. Although he had one of her hands captive, Sae Rin continued to stubbornly hold the clipboard over her face with the other. She feared that if she actually looked into his eyes, she'd go insane. "Will you please look at me, just for a second?" He softly begged.

Although everything last nerve in her body was screaming at her not to, Sae Rin slowly lowered her trustworthy shield, his foreign, pleading tone enforcing some kind of hypnotism on the young female. As painful as if was, she forced herself to look into his eyes, quickly getting lost in their beautiful composition. In the distance there were faint calls for Myung Soo, most likely his parents, but both the young adults ignored them. In this moment, there was only the two of them, just as it had been the day they met. 

"Do you promise?" Sae Rin swore on her life that, although she'd seen many sides of Myung Soo, she'd never seen this delicate one. His soft words were tinted with sincerity and what almost sounded like desperation as his eyes scanned every inch of the smitten girl's face. 

Seeing as she'd once again lost the ability to speak when looking in his eyes, she closed hers as she voiced her greatest fear "You're not saying that as a joke right? Because I swear to god Myung Soo if you are-" 

"Please look at me." Myungsoo breathed, his words lace with desperation. He was so close that his warm breath lightly caressed Sae Rin's face each time he spoke, causing unexpected goosebumps to erupt all over her skin. She shakily swallowed, attempting to ignore the stabbing pain in her chest, and allowed herself to be captured in his gaze once again. The effect it had on her was unreal. Just by looking into his dark irses, Sae Rin felt like she could read all the emotions he permanently kept bottled inside. She could stare directly into the puzzle that was Kim Myung Soo and slowly, piece by piece, start truly deciphering him. "It's not a joke." He stated evenly. "Do you promise? No matter what I do or how long we're apart, you'll wait for me?"

Sae Rin's whole body felt as though it was made of glass; like one wrong word or action would shatter everything and force her to realize that none of this was actually happening. 

In that moment, Myung Soo's thumb rubbed warm little circles onto the back of her hand, providing evidence that this was, in fact, reality. She took a shaky breath, forcing herself to speak even under his intense stare. "Only if you promise to come back..."

Suddenly, an unexpected grin crossed Myung Soo's face; a genuine, full on smile. Sae Rin wished she could've soaked it in longer but then his hands had worked their way into her hair and he was kissing her. Kim Myung Soo was actually kissing her. 

His lips were soft and warm. In fact, contrary to his icy image, all this boy seemed to do was spread fire throughout Sae Rin's whole body. But then, just as quickly as they'd come, his lips were gone. 

Sae Rin stared as Myung Soo broke apart from her and lightly tapped his nose to hers. As her mind finally seem to grasp what just happened, her heart began to beat so loudly and irratically in her chest she feared he could hear it. If he did though, he didn't show it. Instead he just smiled again, seeming to enjoy the warmth Sae Rin's blush was passing onto his thumb as it gently caressed her cheek. Myung Soo bit his lip and leaned his forehead against Sae Rin's, causing her stomach to convulse with butterflies. 

"I'll come back." He whispered. "Once I'm ready, I'll come right back to you." 

"It's a promise then." Jae Rin replied, surprised that her vocal chords were willing to cooperate. In the distance the calls for Myung Soo were getting louder and louder. Jae Rin silently wished they'd disappear altogether. 

Her breath caught in as Myung Soo's hands left her face, delicately traced her arms, and intertwined through her fingers."Looks like I have to go." He breathed. Jae Rin nodded and, all of a sudden, his touch was gone so quickly she briefly wondered if it was ever there in the first place.

Before he crossed the threshold into the outdoors, Myung Soo turned and faced the frozen girl. He targeted her, directing his pointer finger to her and only her. "Don't you dare forget, Jung Sae Rin." He threatened and, with that, he was gone. 

Sae Rin stood in place, one thought crossing her mind: So he actually knew my name after all. Suddenly she crumbled into a crouched position on the floor, hiding her face in her hands and cursed Kim Myung Soo for all he was worth. Don't forget? Don't forget? Sae Rin shook her head. "Trust me, I won't."

 

"I want you, Myung Soo" LOL that RHYMES

Hahaha oh god sometimes I think I'm funny *wipes tear*

Anywho I hope you all enjoyed this first chapter! It was moderately fluffy because you know what they're still young and cute and innocent so let them have their fluff okay?

Tehe please leave a comment on what you think about their cuteness and look forward to the next chapter!

Thank you for reading 😘