[CONTENTID1] CHAPTER 2 [/CONTENTID1]

[CONTENTID2]

March passed by rather slowly, reluctantly giving way to April. School tired Ah Young way too much way to quickly. All the material would go through one ear and fly out the other. Bo Gum tried helping her, but with her lack of concentration, it was all a waste of time.

"You know, I really worry about you," Hyeri told her a few minutes before school started.

Ah Young laughed lightly. She didn't worry a bit, mainly because she has three more years left. There was more than enough time. "Just worry about how you're going to beat Bo Gum's test score for finals."

Hyeri only glared at her, half-playful and half-serious. Before she could reply, the bell rang, signaling the start of school. She hurried towards her seat in the front as the teacher entered. Eunji just arrived in the class as the teacher stood in front of the class. She slid into the chair next to Ah Young, panting.

"Listen up!" Seonsangnim called, silencing the last of the chatter. "We have a new student today."

This rose noises of curiosity and wonder, but they were quickly extinguished by the teacher's glare.

"You can come in now," she said, nodding at the door.

The door slowly opened to reveal a slightly nervous, but extremely handsome, boy. He had purposely disheveled hair, thick eyebrows, and large lips. Fully stepping in the class, Ah Young noticed that he was fairly tall, but about five centimeters shorter than Bo Gum.

"Go ahead, introduce yourself," Seonsangnim told him.

The boy faced us and bowed. "Annyeonghaseyo. My name is Seo In Guk. Please take care of me." He flashed a smile.

Ah Young watched a few girls swoon.

"Go ahead and take a seat," Seonsangnim said. She turned to the chalkboard and began writing the lesson.

"Ne." He walked down an aisle towards the two empty desk in front of Ah Young and Eunji.

Eunji nudged Ah Young with her elbow, a small smirk on her face. Ah Young only rolled her eyes, even though she'll admit that In Guk was super cute.

Halfway into class, Ah Young fell asleep. She planned to sleep until lunch, but that didn't go as planned when she felt the familiar feeling of a chalk stick hitting her head.

"Kim Ah Young! Pay attention, jebal!"

She smiled sheepishly. "Ne. Chwesonhamnida."

The teacher only gave her a disapproving look before slowly resuming the lesson. Ah Young sighed. She was having a good nap. Feeling someone at her right poke her arm, she turned her head towards Eunji. She silently motioned at her cheek.

"What?" Ah Young whispered.

Before Eunji could reply, someone in front of her held out a blue handkerchief. Her eyes followed the handkerchief to the arm attached and up to the face of the new boy. In Guk smiled and motioned towards her cheek. She reached up and felt something wet. Drool.

Hastily, she took the piece of clothe and wiped both sides of her face, as well as the little pool on her desk. Oh crap, how embarrassing, especially in front of an attractive guy. Handing it back, she shot him a grateful smile, which he returned with one his heart-stopping ones before turning back to the front.

Before Ah Young could process what happened, Eunji grabbed her elbow. Her face held uncontrollable excitement, and she bit her lip to keep herself from squealing.

"Stop that," Ah Young hissed quietly. "He's just being nice."

♦♦♦

Eunji let out another squeal. "They're in love, I just know it! They'll have six, no, eight babies. We could be the bridesmaids Hyeri!"

Hyeri laughed at her excitement while Ah Young groaned in embarrassment. When Eunji shipped two people, she shipped hard. Thankfully, In Guk left with a few guys to get some lunch.

"Eunji ah, why do you hate me so much?" she whined. "He was just being nice. It's not like there was any deep meaning."

"You don't know that!" Eunji replied, her energy refusing to diminish.

Ah Young only sighed. Knowing that arguing with Eunji would be a waste of energy, she continued to eat her lunch.

"Oh, Ah Young." Hyeri swallowed some food. "Um, when does Bo Gum have cram school?"

"Bo Gum? Uh, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday nights," she answered. "Cram school doesn't help Bo Gum a lot. He's a naturally fast learner, so he only goes three days a week."

"Ahhh... so he won't come today." She paused before quickly adding, "I just transferred cram schools on Sunday, and we're in the same class."

"You know, I don't think Bo Gum likes us," Eunji said, chewing her fried egg. "We don't see him very often, even when we go to your house. Is he avoiding us?"

Ah Young shrugged. "No. Well, sort of, but not really. Bo Gum's just not very good at making friends."

This shocked her friends.

"Jinja?" Eunji asked. "I heard that he has a lot of friends though."

Many people said that, and it was true, but he didn't make friends easily. Ah Young nodded, not fazed by their surprised. "Bo Gum's easy to approach. That's why he has a lot of friends. He's really nice to everyone, but he usually has a hard time approaching others. You gotta go up to him first if you want to be friends with him."

"Hmmm," Hyeri hummed, seeming deep in thought.

Ah Young went back to eating her lunch.

♦♦♦

"Ah Young ah! Could you buy some vegetable oil for me?"

Ah Young heaved herself from the couch and headed into the kitchen. "Vegetable oil? Is that all?"

Her mom took out twenty thousand won (~$17) from her wallet and handed it to her. "Oh, and some tofu. You know what brand, right?"

"Yup." She took the money and pulled on her coat that hung from a hook. "Be back soon!"

In her purple sweatpants, black coat, and messy bun, she hurried towards the local store that sat just a block away from her apartment building. She took her time since the store's heating system was on and it was a little cold outside.

"Oh, Kim Ah Young?"

She turned, spotting the new boy. "Oh, annyeonghaseyo." She gave a small nod with her head. They were the same age, so she wasn't too formal.

In Guk smiled warmly, nodding back. An empty basket hung from his arm. "Annyeonghaseyo. Shopping for dinner?"

She shrugged, grabbing a bottle of vegetable oil from the shelf. "Sort of. Just getting some side dishes. You?"

"No, I'm just getting some ingredients for tomorrow," he answered. He paused slightly. "Tomorrow's my eomma's birthday, so Appa is going to make seaweed soup in the morning."

"Oh really? How old is she?" Ah Young asked, smiling. Her dad never learned how to cook, so she usually cooked for her mom's birthday. Of course, it never really worked out perfectly, so she always asked Bo Gum's mom for help.

In Guk took a few seconds before answering. "Well, she would have been forty-two, but she died when I was born."

Ah Young froze. She didn't reply. How could she? What are you supposed to say when someone confesses that his mother died? A mini mental breakdown went through her head. Eotteoke?

In Guk quickly went on, as if he felt guilty for making her feel awkward. "We're making seaweed soup since we're going to, you know, set up a small memoria