“I’m sorry. I thought that you were the one, but…”

He smiled as he watch the red leaves fall to the ground.

It was the same old thing again.

You aren’t the person I thought you will be

How many times had he heard such things? And how many times it stabbed him like a knife into his heart.

As Sunggyu watched the girl walked away from him with a look of disappointment, he remembered about the time she confessed to him.

Flashback*

“Sunggyu-ssi! I… liked you from the first day I met you!” She looked upon him, with such teary and sincere eyes.

Sunggyu shrugged. Even though he knew how it would turn out, he could not bear to make a girl cry.

She kept her head down, not daring to look at him. She could not bear to look at that super-model and perfect face.

“Ok.” His answer shocked her as she raised her head up excitedly, looking upon that smiling, sweet face. She blushed.

“Then… er… tomorrow…” She stammered, still unwilling to believe her ears.

“Ok. I’ll walk home with you tomorrow. Seo In-ssi right?” He replied easily as he gave her another cheerful and sweet smile.

“Nae!” She exclaimed happily, skipping off back to class light-heartedly and cheerfully.

He grinned to himself. After hearing just those few words of his can make her feel so happy. Maybe this time, he will finally be able to fall in love.

Flashback end*

Sunggyu sighed. How many times had he been through this already? He should have learnt something from it by now. Sighing once again, he decided not to think about it anymore. He picked himself up and grabbed a bow.

“Hyung!”  Sunggyu turned to see his juniors, Hoya and Sungjong rushing up to him.

“That freshman! He’s not here again today!” Panting, his juniors complained to him.

“Again?” Sunggyu scratched his head in a very laidback manner.

“Sunggyu-hyung!” His juniors shouted, disapprovingly.

Shocked by their sudden outburst, Sunggyu burst into laughter.

“Yeah, yeah! I’ll handle it somehow.”

He patronizingly dismissed them.

‘Still, that freshman is getting too much. Even if he was great at archery, he could at least make an effort to attend the activities. That was the least he could do since he joined.’

Effortlessly, Sunggyu released the bow.

Bullseye. Applause erupted.

“Kyaa! Oppa!” The girls cheered from the sidelines, much to the displeasure of the other members.

“Quiet!” The captain of the archery club yelled.

The area regained its silence in a second.

Sunggyu snorted.

It was just a day like any other wasn’t it?

~

The bell signaling the end of school rang.

“Hyung!”

Hoya and Sungjong surrounded him as he walked to the main gate, spouting comments all around him and he couldn’t really hear a thing. The only thing he heard was ‘freshman’ and the rest were a string of incoherent nonsense.

Feeling irritated, Sunggyu screamed “Ah! arasso!”, scaring Hoya and Sungjong.

“As long as I make him come for club activities, it’s okay right?!” Sunggyu shouted exasperatedly.

“Ye..ah..” His juniors stuttered.

Sunggyu sighed. Why was he always the one that needs to clear up the mess? It was so much pain and trouble. He ought to be thinking of his own problem, not forcing someone else to show his face.

‘This is so irritating!’ Sunggyu thought, ruffling his hazel-brown hair while walking out the school’s main gate.

Just then, a car zoomed past the main gate entrance, stopping right in front of Sunggyu.

Alarmed, Sunggyu waited for the person to exit the car.

The car door opened, and out stepped a tall, slim figure. His short, jet-black hair shimmered and shone in the setting sun. His face reflected the light, showing off his pale-white skin and gentle features.

Sunggyu recognized him immediately. Nam Woo Hyun, the handsome freshman.

“Noona, thanks,” Woohyun smiled at the driver, who was a gorgeous, obviously older lady.

“Call me anytime, Hyun,” The lady replied, bringing her face as close as possible to Woohyun’s.

Woohyun didn’t answer, and turned to face the large and prestigious school building. He walked on, without noticing Sunggyu right in front of him. As soon as he stepped into the school compound, all eyes were on him. They were all captivated by his beauty and elegance. The girls were all awed and fascinated by this epitome of perfection, all unable to utter a word. The guys could not help but stare, and be jealous of his lovely features.

Woohyun continued walking, totally oblivious to the eyes that were all glued to him.

‘Bastard!’ Sunggyu thought as he wanted to go and knock the reason of skipping club activities out of this guy. He followed Woohyun into the school compound.

~

‘Where?’ Sunggyu thought as he walked aimlessly around the school compound, in search for the younger man. He lost Woohyun who was moving forward with quick steps.

Sunggyu searched everywhere.

‘Where could that guy be?’ He thought.

“Ah! Rooftop!” He exclaimed excitedly as he quickened his steps to the highest floor.

He opened the door of the rooftop.

Bullseye.

Standing there was Sunggyu and a girl.

The girl seemed to be about to cry.

‘Yoona?’ Sunggyu thought as he recognized that girl.

“Sorry,” Sunggyu heard Woohyun’s voice.

“Why?” Yoona asked, her voice trembling.

Woohyun just looked at her blankly, as if he didn’t understand her question.

“Can you at least give me a reason why?” Yoona asked again, this time, more anxious, more afraid, more desperate.

A cold wind blew past them and even Sunggyu could feel the breeze freezing him up.

“I… just can’t seem to fall in love with you,” Woohyun replied.

Sunggyu’s eyes widened.

“Sorry,” Woohyun repeated.

Sunggyu could not stand it anymore. He marched up to Woohyun and punched him in the face.

“Bastard!” Sunggyu yelled as he punched Woohyun to the floor. The latter was taken aback.

Yoona’s mouth hung agape as she witnessed the scene unfolding in front of her.

“Damn you!” Sunggyu didn’t stop just at the sole punch. He reached to the fallen Woohyun and grabbed his collar, his hand forming into another fist that swung threateningly in front of the younger’s bruised face.

“Sunggyu!” Yoona finally came back to her thoughts and held Sunggyu’s arms back, preventing him from hurting Woohyun another time.

“Stop! Please stop!” Yoona screamed, hoping that her words would reach the angered Sunggyu.

Woohyun stared back at Sunggyu, not saying a single word and with no sign of retaliation.
Seeing that Woohyun was not going to fight back, Sunggyu felt like an idiot for punching the guy. He released his tight grip on the younger’s collar.

“Sorry Woohyun,” Yoona apologized to the younger guy and dragged Sunggyu away.

~

“What the hell are you doing Kim Sunggyu!” Yoona shouted at the nonchalant guy.

“Ignoring you…” Sunggyu turned away from Yoona, pouting like a small boy.

Yoona frowned. “So now you think you’re a genius for punching him?” Yoona accused.

“What!? I helped you to get back at him. Why in the world are you screaming at me now?” Sunggyu couldn’t keep his cool anymore.

“Helped me? I could have done it by myself if I wanted to.”

“Aren’t you angry at all after hearing what he said? That bastard said he didn’t love you! Why did he even go out with you if he didn’t like you?”

“It wasn’t like he had to love me! Besides, I asked him out.”

“You what!?” Sunggyu’s small eyes widened.

Yoona, now embarrassed, tried to avert her eyes from Sunggyu’s. “Yeah, I did. What’s wrong?”

Sunggyu stared at his friend as if she had gone crazy. Yoona was freaking popular. She was the flower in this school. Pretty, had good grades, a model student and popular. It wasn’t as if she didn’t have a own fan club chasing after her. And besides, Sunggyu knew Yoona was proud enough not to ask a guy out even if she really fancied him.

“What is your problem? I liked him, so I asked him out,” Yoona was getting pissed at Sunggyu’s shocked face.

“Okay, so even if you liked him, asked him out, he agreed! Why would he agree when he doesn’t even like you,” Sunggyu tried to calm his thoughts down and think rationally.

“Did you like Seo In then?” Yoona’s rebuttal was short, but hit straight to the point.

Sunggyu didn’t know what to say at that. True, he didn’t like Seo In, but but…

“Sunggyu ah… It’s just like that. He didn’t like me. But I was fine with that. I was sure I could change his mind in 7 days, but I was wrong…” Yoona’s tone softened and it seemed as if she was going to cry.

“7 days?” Sunggyu asked.

“You haven’t heard about that? Wow gyu hyung, you’re REALLY fast,” Another’s voice interrupted Sunggyu and Yoona’s conversation.

The two spun and saw Myungsoo, who was beaming at them, obviously eavesdropping on their conversation before.

“Nam Woo Hyun. Handsome. Smart. Athletic and the rising star of the Shin Academy. Well, there was this rumor going around him. On the Sunday of every week, he breaks up with his girlfriend. And from my source, the lines he always says are ‘I couldn’t fall in love with you’. The next day, it appears that the first person to ask him out, whether you’re pretty or ugly, fat or stupid, will go out with him for the next 7 days. End of repot” Myungsoo explained patiently to the blank Sunggyu.

“there you go. Your perfect manga: a hot guy, an awesome dating plan and many girls waiting eagerly for him every week.”

“What?” was the only thing Sunggyu could muster after hearing that ridiculous explanation.

“Who the hell does that? Is he a narcissist or something?” Sunggyu couldn’t stop the string of insults and disbelief.

“Shut up Kim Sunggyu! You’re just the same!” Yoona protested.

Myung Soo smiled.

“Kim Sunggyu. Good-looking, goes for the bad-boy look. The best archer; and prince of the Shin Academy. Girls go crazy at his prince-like good looks. He doesn’t reject any girl that ask him out but for some reason, the girls always end up being the one who wants a break-up. According to my sources, the lines that they always say are ‘You are not who I thought you to be…’ ‘I thought you to be somebody else...’. End of report.” Myungsoo grinned even wider.

“There you go. The best continuation: a guy who always dump, a guy who always gets dumped and conflict between the two.”

“Oh my god,” Sunggyu face-palmed.

“I knew that gyu-hyung and Woohyun-hyung were going to come into conflict one day,” Myungsoo grinned.

“But the thing that didn’t go according to my expectations was actually you, Yoona. I cannot believe that someone as proud… oh no wait, I mean self-loving as you, would ask him out,” Myungsoo shook his head, disappointingly.

“You know.. I don’t regret it. Even if you reverse time back, I’m sure that I’ll insist on asking him out even though I know that he won’t love me in the end,” Yoona said.

Sunggyu raised an eyebrow.

“He’s much better than you, Kim Sunggyu! You always think that you’re the victim because you got dumped. But have you ever thought why? Have you ever tried to retain their hearts?” Yoona burst out, angrily.

Sunggyu looked at her weirdly, as if not understanding her.

“You. Don’t even like them. No wait, you don’t even try to like them. You know, I bet all this time, those girls that dumped you, were waiting for you to retain them, hold them back. They were waiting for you to ask why. But, you never will. I bet you don’t even remember the girl you first dated, her face, her name!” Yoona challenged the hazel-brown haired guy.

But she was right, he didn’t have a clue.

“Beside you, they don’t feel loved. But Woohyun, he’s different. Even though it’s for a short 7 days, I always felt loved, treasured and respected. Woohyun treats you like you’re the most precious thing to him. He remembers all your favorite food, music and even your schedule!” Yoona started sobbing.

Both Sunggyu and Myungsoo didn’t know how to react to their friend’s sudden outburst and just looked blank at one another.

‘Nam Woohyun… honestly… who are you?’ Sunggyu thought.