School had just ended. Finally.

I was sitting on a bench under a tree, waiting for my mom to pick me up. While I waited, I was scrolling through my phone looking at pictures of food. I really like to cook on my free time and love finding new recipes. There's something about cooking that helps me to calm down after a stressful day. I looked up from my phone every few minutes to check and see if mom's white SUV would roll into the parking lot. 

I heard some loud noises behind me and turned around. I saw a group of guys heading toward me and I rolled my eyes. No, it was not because I thought they were annoying. Well -- maybe. It was my older brother and his friends. Growing up, they would always pick on me but not in a mean way. In a brotherly way. Why am I telling you this? Well ... this will be important later. 

From the corner of my eye, I could see someone walking towards me. A girl. I tried to do that thing where you stare at your phone so that people won't bother you? It didn't work. 

"Hey!" Her voice was friendly, warm, inviting. How could I possibly ignore it? I looked up at her and took out my headphones. "Hi?" I looked towards the parking lot hoping to see my mom's car.... no luck. 

"So... my friend over there," She pointed towards the school entrance at a group of what I could tell, some guys? The entrance was pretty far away. I looked back at her really confused. "He thinks you're really cute and wants to know if he could someone get in touch with you!" She smiled and waited for me to respond. 

What is this? Why do people not have the guts to come up to others themselves? I thought it was a joke so I raised my eyebrows and chuckled. "Um... I'm flattered but uh. I'm not really looking for anything close to a relationship with a guy right now." No, I have never been in a relationship. I don't really think I would be great at it. I'm extremely lazy. I don't like to be responsible of another person. Outside of studying for school, I don't really have great memory. I can barely remember my best friend's birthday or what she likes to call our "friend-iversary". 

She frowned and looked unsure about what she should do. "Well, okay. Could I at least get your name?" I sat there debating whether I should tell her my real name or not. I could be a Eunbi or a Yejin. I sighed and looked up. YES! My mom's car rolled up and I stood up, grabbing my bag and books. "I'm sorry, um.. I need to go. It was good talking to you though!" I quickly ran away, avoiding any more questions she may ask. 

I know you may be thinking, "why is it such a big deal? why not tell her your name?" I'm not a huge fan of giving away personal information to people I probably will not be close to down the line in my life. I think the whole "having a huge circle of friends" is a load of bull. I really do not see the point in having a ton of friends. The amount of drama just terrifies me. That's why I stick with my best friend, Dayeon. 

Oh. Have I told you my name yet? I'm Nayoung. Kim Nayoung. And this is my story. 

As soon as we got home, I went straight to my room to start my homework. NO, I'm not a "nerd" as you may call it. I enjoy knowing that I have completed my homework and not spend hours worrying about when I should start working on it. Do you listen to music when you do your homework? I find that that is the only way I can work. 

An hour must have passed because by the time I looked out my window again, the sun had almost disappeared from the sky. I picked up my phone to take a picture of the skyline; it was too beautiful to not capture. 

*Notification from Instagram* popped up on my homescreen. Instagram? Must be Dayeon. We send each other funny images and videos, except she usually has volleyball practice until 7pm. It was currently 6:45pm. I opened the app and clicked on the message button. 

Message from Park Jinwoo.  Accept?  Yes | No

Park Jinwoo? I don't know a Park Jinwoo. I exited the app and stared at my home page. What was I trying to do again? Oh right, take a picture of the sunset. 

I spent the next half hour taking pictures before I noticed a notification show up on the top of the screen. Another message from this Park Jinwoo person. This was starting to get a little weird. Who is this?

Maybe it was one of Dayeon's friends. I guess I'll just text her and ask who this is. 

Me: Do you know a Park Jinwoo? I keep getting these notifications from this person on instagram. I thought maybe he's a friend of yours?  Dayeon: Park Jinwoo? I've never heard of him. Did you respond?  Me: I didn't open the message! I don't even know this person.  Dayeon: What if it's a serial killer? Or some old man pretending to be our age? Don't open it. Or open it? What if it's a really cute guy??

 

I rolled my eyes and threw my phone on my bed. This was too distracting. I do NOT have time to deal with this. 

"Nayouuung! Dinnnneeeer!" My mom shouted from downstairs. I groaned and stared at my homework. I was so close to finishing the last assignment. I blame technology for being so distracting. Or maybe Dayeon was too distracting. No... no, it was my phone. 

If you're wondering about whether or not I'll open the message, no I will not. I'm not a huge fan of messaging strangers. 

After dinner, I finished my homework and jumped into the shower. My favorite part of the day is destressing before sleep. I love that feeling when the piping hot water hits against the skin all over my body. Scrubbing the loofa that's full of soap all around my body followed by a thorough slather of body butter all across the surface of my body after patting my skin dry lightly with a towel. Then comes the face masks and then my night time moisturizing routine to keep my face baby smooth. 

Now my favorite, FAVORITE part: sleep. 

The next morning, dad dropped me off for class. "You have a great day, sweetie! Make sure to text me when you end school today. Mom has to stay a little later for work so I'll pick you up." I gave him a quick hug and got out his car. "See you later, appa!" I waved him goodbye and watched his black sportscar drive off out of the parking lot. 

It was such a cold morning. You could see the smoke coming out of my mouth whenever I breathed out. I walked through the front doors and was welcomed into the warm, heated school building. I headed towards the lockers and found mine; the top locker, number 288. I usually leave my locker unlocked for easy access to my books or snacks but for some reason it was locked. 

I groaned and hit my locker. I must have forgotten yesterday? I put in the combo and opened the door of my locker. I noticed something like a smushed piece of paper in front of me and raised my eyebrows. What is this garbage? Certainly not mine! 

I opened the crumpled paper and inside of it in messy, scribbly handwriting was written:

 I think you're cute. 

You've got to be kidding me. Must be from the girl yesterday. I rolled my eyes and crumpled the paper back up. This started to seem like a joke. I grabbed my textbook and notebook, my phone in my other hand and I closed my locker. Just as I was about to walk off to my first class, I felt a hand grab my arm and stop me from walking any further. I looked at my arm and at the hand holding me back. I opened my mouth to say something but froze. This guy was ... I mean, I guess he was attractive. I coughed and pulled my arm away. "Can I help you with something??" Who is this guy? 

The guy pulled his arm back embarrassed and scratched the back of his head. "Um, yeah I was just wondering why you didn't respond to me?" 

I blinked multiple times and looked at him really confused. "Respond? Respond to what?" 

He pointed at my phone in my hand. "To my messages. I'm Park Jinwoo."