Yuri and Victoria sat on the benches, stretching out their muscles after a long math class. They observed the people passing by casually. Everyone in the school was plastic, dressing like Barbie dolls and models every single day. This annoyed Yuri entirely. Most people treated her the same: like a thief, as if she were exactly like her father. The only people who didn’t judge her by her background were TaecYeon, but mostly Victoria. She was the only girl that Yuri appreciated and considered a true friend.

   They shared a bag of chocolate that Victoria kept in her bag. The taste was different, but absolutely scrumptious.

   “Hmmm… This is really good,” commented Yuri while melting the chocolate tenderly on her tongue.

   “Jin-Jja-ya? Really? I actually brought it for someone, but, to be honest, I was too shy to give it to him. So I decided to share it with you,” she added timidly.

   “Someone you say… I bet that it’s the guy that you had a crush on eh? Who is he? Aren’t you going to tell me?” asked Yuri still stuffing her cheeks with food. Her concentration was split in two. From afar, a mob of students gathered in a circle, making Yuri curious. Perhaps, another fight was breaking out? From the angle they were sitting in, it appeared to be Doojoon bothering someone again.  

   Yuri rolled her eyes in irritation. Doojoon and his group of friends annoyed her every time they would mess around with weaker people. Victoria’s voice could be heard in the background of her thoughts.

   “Well, the person I liked was actually…” Before she could finish her sentence answering the question, Yuri put her finger over her friend’s mouth.

   “Wait a second unni,” she interrupted in exasperation. Victoria’s eyes followed Yuri’s, looking for the scene she was staring at peculiarly. Yuri pulled her hand away and got up from her seat. After dusting off a few crumbs, she began to walk towards the crowd. “I’ll be back in a minute. I can’t stand this guy anymore.”

   She always wondered where her brave friend got all this courage. It probably existed because of her overwhelming father. Yuri was completely the opposite of Victoria: One didn’t dare utter a word, and the other wasn’t even shy to mess with the most popular guy in school. Victoria watched Yuri march towards Doojoon before she pushed him violently away from the victim.

   “Who on earth do you think you are?” she shouted in annoyance. Doojoon turned his focus towards Yuri who gave him a strong glare.

   “Yah! You again? Can’t you see that I’m trying to get rid of worthless students in this school?” he said while kicking a piece of tin can towards the boy. Yuri got a glimpse of him and realized that this boy was blind. His hands played through the cement looking for his things. She could spot his books scattered a little everywhere. For some reason, Yuri couldn’t get her eyes off him. Even if he was blind, he was tremendously handsome. Nobody ever gave Yuri the need to gaze at them this way.

   Yuri came back to her senses and continued to attack.

   “And you’re reason for messing around with him is…?”

   “He’s just annoying. Everywhere I go, all I hear is how amazing this guy is and what not. And in the end, he’s blind. I mean… What blind guy would possibly be useful in society?” Yuri smirked to herself as the crowd listened to the arguing. She was amused by his ignorance.

   “So… You’re jealous of him because people like him more than you. Is that it?” Doojoon glared.

   “A-Aniyo! I’m just mad that someone that worthless can hog so much attention without deserving it! Plus, he can’t do anything by himself. What’s the point in having him in society?

   “I don’t know why this is bothering you right now, but I do know one thing. He’s a lot more competent than you, especially after what you said,” she fought back before helping the boy up. The people around were surprised. She got a glimpse of his tag that read ‘Nichkhun Horvejkul’ and lifted her head to stare at his malfunctioning eyes. Asides from those, he was flawless. He didn’t appear to be Korean. Although he was good looking, he seemed to be awfully scared.

   “Oh really… Is he now? If he’s so smart and amazing, this is my next question: Can he get a girlfriend faster than I can?” Yuri made the boy stand and placed him behind her.

   “If we had to bet, you would have lost,” she stated with a bit hesitation.

   “What are you basing this on?” he questioned feeling a little less confident.

   “Simple. I’m his girlfriend!” The whole mob made noise of disbelief. The most admired guy at school got beaten by a blind guy. Without being sure of what was happening around him, Nichkhun raised his eyebrows. He didn’t even know who this girl was. He could only feel her soft hand trapped between his, and hear her voice yell words of defense.

   “That’s impossible. You said it yourself; you have no interest in boys. You’re just saying that to defend him,” he uttered full of doubt. Yuri nodded with poise.

   “Nichkhun oppa IS going out with me whether you believe it or not. You just can’t accept that you lost, Doojoon-sshi.” Her stare intimidated him. Yuri walked past the compact bunch of spectators while guiding Nichkhun out of it as well, leaving Doojoon and his friends, baffled and speechless.

   Everyone eyed the ‘couple’ at their exit. Some looked in disgust since Yuri wasn’t very appreciated in the school no matter how friendly she was. Nichkhun could hear grumbles of dissatisfaction. Victoria watched them go past her, astonished. She couldn’t believe her friend’s actions at all!

   Yuri led her ‘boyfriend’ away from everyone else, further down the school yards. They stopped on front of the bleachers and Yuri made him sit, secured from other students.

   “Mian. I kind of lied without your consent,” apologized Yuri after awkwardly letting go of his hand.

   “That’s okay. I’m just thankful you saved me back there,” he said before proceeding. “May I know who you are?”

   “Yuri… Kwon Yuri. And you’re Nichkhun Horvejkul. Right?” He nodded. She could spot an uncomfortable expression on his face. “Are you okay?”

   “I’m fine. It’s just that I was a bit confused and scared back there. I only heard shouts. I had no idea what was going on until someone threw me to the floor. It’s really daunting, especially when everything is pitch black.” Yuri came closer to get a better look at his eyes.

   “It must be terrifying.” Her voice was soft and full of compassion. Nichkhun felt her breath blowing on his face. It was warm and soothing. “Why do you still seem a bit worried? Are you still scared?” Nichkhun swallowed.

   “I’m not. I’m just a little nervous.”

   “Wae? Is it because of me?”

   “Ani! It’s just that I have no idea how you look like. It’s weird talking to someone I don’t know anything about.” He suddenly got an idea. “Do you mind if I see you?” Yuri was confused. What on earth was he saying?

   “How will you do that?” she asked perplexed.

   “The only way I can make an image in my head is with my touch. But I don’t know if you would be comfortable if I felt you.” The thought was weird at first, but she accepted anyways. He put his hand on the top of her head and slowly worked his way down until her neck. He felt her every detail. The shape of every part of her face was perfect. “You’re beautiful Yuri-ah.”

   She gazed away, feeling a bit prickly at their position. “Ani, I’m not very appealing if you could really see me,” she said as he slowly drew away. At his touch, Yuri felt mixed emotions. It was a feeling that she never felt before: sweet yet oddly different. There was an awkward silence. Yuri decided to brush those emotions away.

   “I’ve heard a lot about you Kwon Yuri. You know… Here and there.”

   “Pff… I bet it was all bad. I don’t have such a good reputation at this school. Everyone is scared of me because my father went to jail numerous times. They think that I’m a thief like him,” explained Yuri. Nichkhun smiled with charm, almost making Yuri surprised.

   “That’s true. I haven’t heard many good things about you. But I’m beginning to think that those accusations were all false. I think that you’re a good person. You’re a lot better than a lot of people here.” This made Yuri smile. It was a rare thing to get compliments like that. Receiving one made her feel overjoyed.

   “Nichkhun-sshi, that’s the sweetest thing anyone has ever told me.” Her tone was very sincere and touching all at once. “When people tell me that, it makes me feel so much better.” Yuri retreated and gave him his books that he dropped previously. Nichkhun could feel, just talking to her at the moment, that she was someone who rarely received love.

   He was glad to be able to cheer her up, even if he barely knew her. Yuri glanced at her watch and got out of the emotional side of her.

   “I know that we can be good friends if we got to knew each other better. We should do something together next time, if you want,” she suggested while taking his hand and shaking it. The thought also came to her that Victoria was still waiting for her at their initial spot. “If you ever need help, don’t be shy to call me. I’ll introduce you to my friend, Victoria-sshi, one day. But for now, I really need to leave.”

   Before running off, Yuri felt the need to say one last thing. Nichkhun could hear her footsteps stop moving forward and waited for her last words.

   “Nichkhun-sshi. Thank you for not judging me even if the whole world has,” she said genuinely. Yuri meant it. Even if he had just met her a few minutes ago, he knew for certain that the young lady had a good heart.

   Yuri found Victoria still sitting at the table they were on initially. Her facial expression looked quite irritated, and Yuri couldn’t make up why. She sat beside her friend and leaned forward to see what was wrong. At her arrival, Victoria rolled her eyes and gazed away.

   “Yah! What’s the matter with you? Why are you mad at me all of a sudden?” Victoria looked at her again. She seemed frustrated for whatever reason.

   “Yuri-ah, you never told me that you were dating Nichkhun-sshi. Why did you never warn me?” she asked aggravated.

   “Of course I didn’t tell you. It’s because I never did!” she confirmed. “I met him now. I just said that to keep Doojoon from bullying him.” Yuri sat up and found her concern suspicious. “Wae? Even if I did go out with Nichkhun-sshi, why is it bothering you?” Victoria shied away and avoided the question. Yuri didn’t give up and bothered her until she gave an explanation.

   “Okay fine… It’s because Nichkhun-sshi was the one I was talking about. You know… The one I had a crush on for a long time,” she revealed embarrassed. Yuri giggled and hit her friend on the shoulder.

   “You should’ve said that earlier. I could’ve helped you.” Victoria was surprised that Yuri didn’t begin to , as her usual. “I just talked to him now. He seems like a nice guy. I can help you two be together if you want.”

   “Really? You would do that?” exclaimed Victoria, excited and glad at this suggestion.

   “Of course! You’re my best friend!” Helping someone she loved was a huge joy to her, but this time, she didn’t understand why it felt different. There was a tight feeling in her stomach. Ignoring it, Yuri grabbed Victoria in a tight embrace.

Yuri loved Victoria very much. Making her smile brought peace in her heart.