"Lee Jaehwan!"

The strict tone of the voice made Jaehwan jump. He turned around only to find Wonshik laughing at him. He scowled. He had genuinely believed it had been the professor who had caught him doodling in class instead of solving the problem on the board.

"Very funny" he growled. "What's got you in so sulky in the morning?" Wonshik asked. "Nothing" Jaehwan said, going back to his drawing. He hadn't started with anything specific in mind but his doodle had evolved from a simple butterfly to an intricate floral design. 

What was he doing in economics? 

If only his father would understand the same.

"Clearly you are in no mood for games. But finish the problem or you will be in trouble" Wonshik reminded him. Jaehwan shrugged as he had finished the problem beforehand. He idly added a bit to his design before wandering around to see where the professor was. He found her five desks away, explaining a concept they had covered earlier to a student.

"Who's that?" Jaehwan wondered out loud. "What?" Hakyeon asked, looking at his benchmate now that he had finished the problem as well. "Nothing" he replied quickly, going back to the problem he had solved. 

She had looked cute.

Jaehwan found himself looking at her in the school cafeteria. She had black wavy hair, tied halfway with whatever those things were called. And a smile. It was amplified by the presence of company she was comfortable in. It looked nice on her.

"Are you going to eat that?" Taekeoon asked, gesturing to the half eaten noodles that lay forgotten on his plate. "Oh yeah" Jaehwan remembered, shoving a huge portion into his mouth. How had he forgotten to eat? Oh god. Had he been staring?? He prayed not, forcefully chewing to make up for the lapse in judgement.

Taekwoon shook his head. "I'm going to get an apple" he declared, still feeling hungry. "Sure. I'm off to class" Jaehwan told him. He took his lunch tray along, his ears slightly pink from embarrassment at his own actions.

Do you know the weird thing your eyes and brain do when you keep seeing a certain person everywhere when your brain momentarily notices them?

At first Jaehwan saw her talking to Hongbin. The couple attracted jealous onlookers and gossip mongers who were always ready to create scandals even though they just had to work together in a class. 

He supposed there was some reason for the speculation. Hongbin was known to be kind and courteous. Almost every girl would like to have such a guy pay attention to them. And she was pretty. And sociable as well. The kind of person Hongbin would get along with easily.

He didn't know when she had changed from cute to pretty but she had. She had dark coloured eyes. They must have been brown. It was a common combination among Koreans. Brown eyes, black hair and a wheatish complexion. Not fair but still attractive. And well proportioned features. One could look at them for a while.

And Jaehwan got plenty of opportunities. He saw her in class, the cafeteria, the gym and in the library. They were in the same class after all. Of late, he even managed to find her in study hall regardless of their seating arrangement. 

It was a puzzle. How could someone with everyday features stand out to him like this? All his life he had been taught that beauty came from something extraordinary. Yet here she was. She was beautiful to him. Like art.

Art!

That must probably be the reason why he kept looking. The artist in him must have recognised the potential for a muse or a subject. That must be it. He relaxed a little. This would probably be the reason for him noticing her. It would go away soon.

"I don't suppose you will ever talk to her, will you?" Hakyeon  asked. Jaehwan nearly choked on the water he had been drinking. "What?" he asked, gaining his bearing after all the spluttering. "You know what I mean" Hakyeon said, simultaneously massaging his back to ease the pain. 

Jaehwan stole a glance at her, still five benches away from him. Near yet far. Since when did he use poetic irony? "I have no idea what you mean" he said looking away.  Hakyeon shook his head, saying something about people in denial.

He would probably never talk to her to be honest with you. But she had been beautiful.