I hadn't asked to be popular. In the beginning, I hadn't thought about it. The only thing I'd thought about was the cute boy with the round eyes and floppy brown hair. He wasn't afraid to admit he liked chocolate chip cookies, Spiderman movies, and me.

Only later did that boy turn into Minwoo, the most popular guy in the junior class. But when we were freshmen, he was just Minwoo, who loved cookies and I was just Mihyo, who thought she could love Minwoo.

We were happy. But then we became popular, and it happended so gradually that I hadn't noticed that, pretty soon, popularity was what out entire relationship about.

Minwoo and I first met at the country club where our fathers played golf. My parents had just gotten a divorce and it was my dad's idea of farther-daughter time to take me to the country club and then dump me at the pool while he hit the links.

So, I spent my days hanging out there with my best friend, Son Haemi. Back then, she'd just started calling herself that.

My best friend had interesting theories, one of which  that she had given the wrong name. We'd agreed that since we'd both be starting high school in the fall, we would reinvent ourselves. To that end, I wasn't allowed to breathe a word of her real name to anybody.

Even back then, Haemi and I had big plans. We were going to move to New York and become famous. She was was going to rock the art world with her moody abstract painting and I was going to become a film star.

I was sure Haemi will going to make it but for me?

You could look like a troll to bacome a character actor, but a film star had to be beautiful. I was determined to have a physical metamorphosis and turn my plain old caterpillar self into a butterfly.

Back then, I'd just started to work out on a regular basis and actually wearing a bikini to the pool for the first time. My braces were off and my hair was behaving. I remember thinking that I might actually be getting pretty.

My transformation was well on its way.

Haemi's older brother, Dongwoon, was there too. He splashed around the pool, showing off for a couple of girls in his sophomore class. But they ignored him.

He hauled himself out of the pool to come to bug us.

"Haewoon, can I borrow a dollar? I want something from the vending machine."

She ignored him.

"Haewoon?" Dongwoon said.

"Don't you dare call me that in public." Haemi hissed.

"It's your name." he pointed out.

"It's my legal name. But I've told you from now on I'm Haemi. And just for that, no, you can't borrow my money."

Dongwoon shrugged and dove cleanly into the water.

"He's a good swimmer." I commented.

Haemi said, " He made the varsity swim team and it's totally gone to his head now."

"He's on the varsity swim team?"

I made a conversation, but I wasn't really paying attention.

I was busy looking for someone.

I'd had my eye on a gorgeous and cute guy, Minwoo, who was on the swim team too. We'd joked and flirted but he hadn't asked me out yet.

"Well,It's the only swim team in Seoul." Haemi replied. Seoul High School was an arts magnet school, mostly known for its drama and music departments.

We talked and giggled when finally, I saw Minwoo as he entered the pool area, and my heart started to sped up.

Would he come over here and talk to me?

We's met formally a few weeks before. Some loser guy had hassled me in front of the school  and Minwoo had gotten rid of him for me. But we'd been noticing each other since the beginning of that summer.

He took a seat next to his friend Kwangmin. There were a couple of girls nearby, but Minwoo didn't pay any attention to them.

I kept my eyes on him, hoping that he will look up and acknowledge my presence, but he was absorbed in his conversation.

A few minutes later, Dongwoon came out of the water and flopped down beside me.

"Dongwoon, you're dripping water all over!" I scolded, but I didn't take my eyes off Minwoo.

Dongwoon followed my gaze and snickered. "You like that kid?" he said.

"I don't know who you're talking about." I said.

"No Minwoo." he replied."That's who."

I flinched when I saw Minwoo raise his head and stare over at us. He'd heard us talking about him.

"Could you keep it down, Dongwoon?" Haemi said. She turned around to me. "He is perfect for you. Cute but shallow."

"Hey, wait a minute!" I said

"You know what I mean." she replied and rolled her eyes. "I'm not saying you're shallow,smarty pants. But Minwoo has future prom king written all over him. Mark my words, he'll be one of the most popular kids in school." she said the word popular the way other people said serial killer.

I noticed that Dongwoon was listening to every word and gave Haemi a nudge to shut her up.

"Hey, watch this!" Dongwoon did a cannonball into the pool, soaking us in the process.

"Dongwoon, you idiot!" Haemi said. My hair was all drenched now. I went to the pool to be seen, not to actually  get wet!

That's when I saw Minwoo was walking towards us with his best friend and a girl I didn't know who.

"What am I going to do?" I wailed to Haemi. "I'm going to have clown hair in about 10 seconds!"

"You look fine, Mihyo." she surveyed me. "But if it bugs you, why don't you braid it?"

Genius! I rummaged through my beach bag and found a couple of rubber bands and quickly did my hair.

"Hello, ladies. How are you two doing today?" he finally greeted us.

Haemi stifled a snort and then said, "I'm going to swim laps. Later." she got up and dove in to the pool.

"This is Eunrim." he said. Who was she? His girlfriend? Was this his way of letting me down easy?

Eunrim acknowledge me with a wave and said something to Minwoo. She examined her nail polish, clearly already bored with me.

"Do you want to get together and hang out tomorrow night?" Minwoo asked.

"You mean..with you?"

He smiled at me. "I mean me, with you."

"I'd love to." I replied. But then, I remember about Eunrim.

Minwoo, who seemed that he can read my mind, said, "Relax.She's Kwangmin's girlfriend."

I just smiled at him.

Back then, little did I know that he actually likes me too.

During that summer, we became inseparable and our lovey dovey story continued until our junior year.

When everything fell apart.

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