The next afternoon, the two were sitting on a bench in front of the convenience store right beside the Han River. Clouds covered the sky, so the water didn’t glisten that day, but the air was still fresh and the view scenic. Taehyung couldn’t help but think how peaceful it was for the first time since he debuted. It was a nice change from the hectic schedule he had stuck to the last couple of years.

The boy and girl weren’t talking, but the quiet wasn’t awkward; Taehyung had never been this at ease. He wished that every day could be like this, with him and Eunkyung sitting or walking at the Han River Park.

“What made you choose Journalism and Broadcasting as your major? Do you want to be an announcer or a producer when you graduate?” Taehyung asked, breaking the serene silence.

Eunkyung shook her head. “I want to be a reporter or a journalist. I guess I want to move the world with my words. I love reading newspapers and writing articles. I also enjoy going around to different places and talking to or interviewing diverse people. It’s a wonderful experience that allows me to explore worlds and thoughts I’ve never seen or heard of before.”

Taehyung nodded slowly. “So you’re interested in gathering information and writing, not TV, right?” He had thought it would be nice if she was interested in broadcasting; they might even get to work with each other later in the future.

“Yeah. Maybe I’ll apply to a newspaper company as a Current Events reporter someday.”

Taehyung smiled at her. “I’ll support your dream. Fighting!” he exclaimed, making his hand into an encouraging fist. Eunkyung laughed, and to Taehyung’s ears it sounded like the tinkle of wind chimes in the spring breeze. It was a lovely sound.

“What is your dream?” Eunkyung asked.

Taehyung bit his lip, racking his brains for an answer. “I don’t know.” That was the closest to the truth he could get. He knew that when he was young, his dream was to be a singer merely because he loved to sing. After he really became a singer, he realized that the idol world wasn’t just about singing; it was also about speaking wittily and grabbing the audience’s attention. Right now, he didn’t know what his real dream was. He had just sung the songs his producer assigned for him and attended shows or interviews as his manager told him to.

Noting his silence, Eunkyung didn’t press for any more information.

After a few minutes, a reminder passed through Taehyung’s mind. Hastily, he took off his backpack and removed a small item from the front pocket. He glanced at Eunkyung’s book bag, which lay by her feet. “Can I borrow this?” he asked. Eunkyung nodded. She had a quizzical expression on her face.

Taehyung clipped the item onto one of the zippers. Smiling, he held the bag up so Eunkyung could see. It was a keychain of a tiny, furry dog. Eunkyung’s lips parted into a grin. “Oh my gosh, it’s so cute!”

Letting out a soft chuckle, Taehyung averted his gaze, as if embarrassed. “It’s for being so nice to me when I was new here. Thanks for… for hanging out with me.” ‘For smiling at me. For talking to me. For making me happy,’ he privately added.

Eunkyung the toy. “You didn’t have to! I enjoy hanging out with you. It’s so… blissful.” She laughed, making Taehyung smile. “Thank you for this.”

Without speaking, they gazed at the river and enjoyed a moment from their busy lives, together.

**********

“Oh, it’s V!” A smile curved on Eunkyung’s face as she noticed the tall boy standing in front of her building again.

Iseul stared at her friend suspiciously. “You look awfully eager to see him.” She raised an eyebrow and added excitedly, “Do you like him?”

Eunkyung parted her lips but no sound came out. She stared back at Iseul, confused. “What?” Then she regained her composure. “He’s just a new friend who needs help adjusting to life here. Since he’s so gentle and shy, I want him so open up and get along with the other students.”

Iseul smirked. “Well, he obviously has something for you. It’s been a week and he’s always here in front of your building early in the morning. He’s like an adorable puppy, waiting for you every day.”

Mortified, Eunkyung slapped Iseul’s arm. “It’s not like that! He just wants to be friends but he doesn’t know how!” Iseul stuck her tongue out.

When the two girls greeted Taehyung, he noticed that Eunkyung seemed distracted. “Good morning,” he said. “Is something wrong?” He turned to completely face Eunkyung.

Eunkyung startled. “N-no,” she stammered. Taehyung eyed her quizzically.

“Hey, V, you haven’t been hanging out with the whole group since the first time I introduced you to everyone, right? Let’s all go to the BBQ this evening after classes! I’ll text Hoseok Sunbae and Jin Sunbae, okay? Then, I’ll see you guys later!” Without waiting for a reply, Iseul dashed away to her building.

Eunkyung stared after her with an exasperated sigh. “She’s always matching people to her schedule.”

Taehyung smiled. “So I’ll get to see you later, right?” She nodded. Looking at his smile, she couldn’t help but think that it was the first time she was actually looking forward to one of Iseul’s random hang-outs.

**********

“The meat on the grill is too hot right now. You can have one of mine.” Quickly, Taehyung picked up a piece of meat on his plate with his chopsticks and placed it near Eunkyung’s lips. Eyes widening, she hesitated, but then she carefully ate it. Taehyung broke into a smile.

“You should eat some vegetables, too.” With his chopsticks, he dropped various vegetables, including grilled baby carrots and paprika, onto the girl’s empty plate.

“Thank you.” Eunkyung glanced at the boy’s plate. With her chopsticks, she placed some vegetables on his. As Taehyung widened his eyes, she smiled shyly.

“Those two seem to be really close now,” Jin commented in an undertone. Iseul looked up to see a wave of unhappiness pass by on the older boy’s face. Iseul sighed. In her excitement about the possibility of Eunkyung being interested in the new student, she had forgotten the person who had silently liked Eunkyung for so long.

“Eunkyung’s just being nice. When we were young she’d always be the one to lead the new student around to make new friends and get used to the unfamiliar atmosphere. That’s why she was the New Student Director in our high school’s student government.” However, even Iseul could see that her friend looked truly happy talking to the new student. The girl was obviously drawn to him, although Iseul doubted that Eunkyung knew it herself. Iseul knew Eunkyung to be a girl absorbed in her studies and Journalism, not boys. She wondered if Taehyung was Eunkyung’s first crush.