I took a deep breath and stepped into my new school. It was a bother. I never liked changing environments; it would take me a few months to adapt. I did a quick scan of the sea of faces. Maybe - just maybe - there would be someone I knew.

“Sungyeol?”

Amid the noise and all the hustle and bustle, I heard my name. The voice was soft, and it was filled with uncertainty. I turned around to find a stout boy. His hair was neatly combed while mine was a mess.

“Howon,” I greeted. We weren’t exactly the closest of friends but, at least we had been classmates for four years. Actually, I doubted that I had even spoken to him before. His husky voice was new to me. I wouldn’t say it was music to my ears; after all, my voice was the most pleasant.

Howon smiled. “You’re alone?”

I nodded my head. My close buddies all went to different schools, leaving me alone. It wasn’t like what I had planned in the beginning. We were supposed to stick together, just like old times. I sighed. It was no use dwelling on the past.

“Are you alone too?” I asked after a long pause.

He shook his head and pointed to a person walking our way.

“Sorry, I’m late!” The person gave an apologetic smile.

“What took you so long, Jinwoon?” Howon nudged him playfully.

“You’ll forgive me, right?” Jinwoon gave his widest smile, and both of his eyes disappeared.

Jinwoon was my ex-classmate too. We had been classmates for six whole years; he was my close acquaintance. He was