Youth. What did it mean? Did it mean to pursue the pleasures of life while you are young and able? Taehyung had zero clue what youth meant, but he was confident of one thing. If youth could be personified into a portrait. She had been its mold.

Laying in the center of the school courtyard, her head rested comfortably on the grass, she appeared the incarnation of serenity.

Bright rays of sunlight reflected onto her milky white skin only further accenting her already perfect features. Beautiful.

Taehyung watched quietly from his desk near the window, as twenty other boys rushed to the edges of the classroom all staring out at her.

“That’s Han Sohee isn’t it?” 

“Wow she’s so freaking pretty.” 

“She’s our year isn’t she?” 

Han Sohee. How could he even begin to describe her? 

To Taehyung, it seemed impossible. But if he had to, he would’ve simplified her resume to something along the lines of: The prettiest girl at their school. The Number 1 Ranked Student. The popular and extroverted Student body Vice President. The Captain of the Volleyball team. The adoration of every teacher because of her model student image. 

Such was Han Sohee. Every girl envied her, and every boy would’ve given anything to date her. Put simply… she was the it girl. 

“She’s the one dating Choi Minho isn’t she?” 

Then there was that… she was rumored to be dating him.

Choi Minho, the captain of the basketball team, the president of the student body, and the dashing king of the school. Every King deserved a queen didn’t they?

In other words she was way out of Taehyung's league. Like way out... like another galaxy... another universe... what stretched further than that?

“Wow, what I would do to date her.” 

“Shut up, you and everyone else.”

"All of her volleyball games are packed, because of her. I mean and can you blame them. Look at that body." 

The comments of the other boys only made Taehyung feel worse, he had harbored an innocent crush on Sohee since he had transferred to this town his 2nd year of middle school. 

Now, 4 years later they were High school Seniors. 

He had known her since then, I mean how could he not? Her name was always directly above his in class ranking.

Since he moved from Seoul he remembered reading the name above his and wondering who she might be. 

At the time, it felt humiliating thinking he had lost the top spot. He became upset hering her name constantly repeated by others.

Who was this girl anyways? But that had all changed the moment he laid eyes on her.

 ~~ 4 years ago ~~

Taehyung nudged his way through the large crowd of students all rushing to see the results of the most recent test. He had just moved from Seoul about a week ago and let's say he wasn't exactly worried.

After all he had always been the top of his class, even at a prestigious international middle school, who at a school in the middle of nowhere was going to beat him?

He scanned upwards towards the top paper looking for his name in the small print. 

There it was— 2?

2

He was always 1st. Whatever he lacked in popularity, athletics, he always prided himself in having the best grades.

Suddenly he heard a series of gasps. He turned around and saw that the other kids had all parted forming a path.

“It’s her.”

“Han Sohee.”

He had heard her name several times since he transferred.

“She got 1st again.”

Walking calmly towards the test results she appeared, and— Wow. She was really pretty.

Taehyung swallowed nervously. Was this even allowed? To be this pretty and smart at the same time?

He quickly parted to the side as well. The beautiful girl calmly walking towards the paper. There were two other girls behind her, likely part of her clique.

“Sohee you got 1st again!” One of the girls praised her.

She smiled— her small lips formed a confident grin. Revealing pearly white teeth, her eyes scrunching to form tiny upside down smiles. Taehyung had never seen such a beautiful smile.

“Are you Kim Taehyung?” 

Taehyung froze. Was she talking to him?

Glancing around him he noticed that all eyes had laid on him. Uncomfortable with all the attention he nodded.

“Congrats on getting second. I look forward to competing with you.” She reached her hand forward.

Taehyung smiled awkwardly. What was he supposed to do? 

“I… yes I am.” 

His entire arm shaking he reached forward and grabbed her hand.

She smiled and then retracted her arm, as he realized he was still holding her hand awkwardly. 

“See you around. Kim Taehyung-si.” She waved flashing a final smile.

~.  end flashback  ~

That had been almost four years ago. Their relationship had changed quite drastically since, transforming from awkward competitors to good friends.

“Alright I can see quite clearly I’m not going to be getting your attention so that’s it for today.” The teacher finally finished as he began to pack up his textbooks.

A series of cheers erupted from the boys the moment he did.

Taehyung grabbed his backpack as he placed his books neatly into his bag. He slung his bag over his shoulder as he walked out of the classroom, through the hallways, ignoring the other students who cheerfully rushed out in pairs and cliques.

Instead of heading outside to go grab a snack, play sports, or even to hangout, like the others. He went straight to the library.

This was his routine. He enjoyed studying after school, the library the only quiet place he could focus. His house though empty was right next to the small clinic his dad operated and it was often noisy and hard to concentrate at. If he wanted to maintain his grades and get into medical school, he had to study hard.

An hour in, he was finally in a groove, studying applications of differential equations when— “I knew you’d be here.” Taehyung glanced up from his table and came face to face with her. A bright smile that caught him off guard. Her round brown eyes bore into him with fascination… 

173   182   198  200 BPM. His heart... he couldn't stop it. Unable to meet her eyes, he quickly turned away. 

Looking for anything else to be drawn into besides her alluring eyes.

“Guilty.” Taehyung replied clearing his throat, nervously staring at the bookshelf behind her. His eyes deciphering the tiny gold Hangul. Homer's Odyssey. A great read if you have the time. Taehyung who didn't do much besides study and sleep. Did.

“Why do you always study after school? When you do, it scares me that you’ll overtake me in ranking one day.” She teased playfully. His eyes drawn to her long black hair tied loosely into a ponytail. 

“We’ll maybe then you’d stop distracting yourself with useless things.” Taehyung mumbled passive aggressively. 

“Useless things? Like what?” She questioned subtly calling him out for his comments.

She sighed immediately after, resting her head against her arm as she sat in front of him. Her lips forming a curious pout.

Taehyung for a second wasn’t sure what to say. He wanted to reveal his jealousy, say something along the lines of 'like dating some jock'. But he couldn’t… that would be too obvious.

Please understand, he didn’t want to ruin their friendship. He couldn’t lose her like that. He liked her too much. But, what was he supposed to do? Just her gaze was enough to make his legs into gelatin.

“Like playing sports, and student council stuff…” He finally answered clearing his throat.

“Well, you’re just jealous because you probably at sports.” She teased immediately. 

“Am not.” He stumbled in his response. 

He knew she was right. He couldn’t play sports for his life. All the Blood Sweat and Tears that came with physical activities like that. It just wasn't his style.

“And for why I'm in the student council? I just like meeting new people. Imagine if I had never met you, my bus buddy.” Sohee defended herself. 

Her bus buddy. It was true that both lived near each other so they both had to walk around 10 minutes from school to the bus stop and take the bus for another 30 minutes to get to their rural neighborhood.

Was that all he was though? A bus buddy.

“Well don’t you have practice? I can’t wait for you to finish today, my dad wants help with patients tonight.” He announced. 

“Mhm I have practice… but I’m going to skip today. Let’s go help your dad!” Sohee stood up abruptly offering her hand to him.

Taehyung, couldn’t hide a grin so he dropped his pencil. 

She like him, wanted to go into the medical field and enjoyed having the hands on experience of working with his father. 

“But, I mean, can you really—” He questioned suspiciously. 

“It’s fine.” Sohee assured him lightly shaking his shoulder. “Now come on, let’s go. We’re going to miss the bus at this rate.

Seeing that she had already made up her mind, he packed his stuff in his backpack. Slinging it around his shoulder as they both exited the school library towards the exit of the school.

“Hey Sohee-si!” Taehyung turned to see a shorter girl run towards them wearing the P.E. uniform.

“Sohee!” Kim Dahyun yelled as she struggled to catch her breath. “Aren’t you coming to volleyball practice?” 

“Not today Dahyun-a.” Sohee replied nonchalantly. “I’m going home early with Taehyung today.” 

“Ya! Is practice something you can just skip whenever you want to? Coach won’t be happy.” Dahyun questioned raising an eyebrow.

Taehyung took the opportunity to give Sohee his ‘didn’t-I-tell-you?’ look. She shook her head brushing both of them off.

“We won our last 6 games, it’s ok if I skip this once. Come on Taehyung let’s go.” Suddenly she reached down and grabbed his hand. Clasping her soft fingers around his. Before he knew it he was being pulled arm first towards the bus stop.

He stumbled behind her as the spirited girl dragged him forward, his legs barely able to keep him in distance of her. His arm being tugged to the point it felt like it could detach at any second.

Taehyung found himself struggling to keep up, his heart pounding as he watched her silky black hair flow behind her. 

Now standing in front of the bus stop, both gasping for breath, they could see the bus lurching towards the stop. 

“Is it really ok for you to skip like that?” Taehyung double checked still gasping for breath. “Besides don’t you skip enough?” 

“What do you mean?” 

“I mean, it’s just… I always see you laying in the courtyard final period.” 

“Oh that. I just like to relax every once in a while.” She answered, before coming to her own realization. 

“You were watching me?” She interrogated eyeing him suspiciously.

Realizing she had caught him, he stumbled nervously thinking of an excuse.

“Well all the other boys always rush to watch you. I just hear them talking.” 

At that moment the bus lurched to a stop in front of them. Taehyung quickly beckoned towards the opening door, sighing in relief to have found an excuse to avoid the conversation.

They both sat in their normal row, two seats near the back of the bus. To be honest… this was his favorite time of the day. when they sat next to each other. Although it