Chapter 3- Smile

It was a lazy Thursday morning and among the half-awake students was Dambi, who couldn’t stop thinking about a certain boy. Sori, who sat a desk ahead of her, went chattering about some hot DJ she met at a party during the weekend.

“Do you think I should date him? I really need your advice Dambi!” Sori would say and Dambi would just nod, pretending to care.

Sori suddenly shook Dambi’s arm which prompted her to wake up from her daydream. “So as I was saying he smokes, drinks and parties all weekend with those all peo--“, Sori continued and Dambi, once again, lost her connection to reality. Dambi really did want to listen but Sori had guy troubles every week about a different boy each time. Dambi had already lost count of all her crushes, exes and past infatuations. Dambi added a short comment here and a nod there and Sori would go on rambling.

Dambi couldn’t stop thinking about the unpredictable Oh Sehun. He hadn’t showed up at the rooftop all week. Monday arrived. He didn’t show up. Tuesday passed—she didn’t see Sehun. When Wednesday ended, she long-established in her heart that it was all just a fun “in the moment” experience for Sehun and that he never enjoyed the long hour of one on one conversations he had with her. He was after all: one of the most popular seniors in her school. Why would he want to spend time with someone like her?

Dambi demanded herself to stop thinking about him but she thought about all the stories he shared with her. And his smile. That rare smile that made her melt. She then dropped her face flat down on her desk. Sori and Kyungsoo jumped at the sudden, unexpected breakdown. Kyungsoo’s eyes widened and he quickly asked her if everything was okay.

Dambi replied a weak yes.

“You look really down this week Dambi. Is anything up?” asked Kyungsoo, with a clearly concerned voice.

“Yeah you looked so happy just last month, especially after you came back from the lunch periods. But now you suddenly look so miserable.” Sori vocalized the word miserable dramatically, as she pouted her lips. Dambi was taken by surprise to hear the worries of her friends. She had been clearly miserable the whole week but it had not occurred to her that others took notice of her sudden change of mood as well. Had it to do anything with Sehun's disappearance? She prayed that it didn’t.

“I’m fine guys. I’m just a little stressed with all the school work,” she lied and was glad to see the sign of relief on her friend’s faces. She wanted to tell them all about the past few weeks when Sehun invaded her loving space at the school rooftop and how he was ignoring her now. But she couldn't. They wouldn't believe that Sehun would have spent all those weeks with her. It just seemed too impossible. “You guys are so cute. What would I do without you two in my life?” She pulled both of them into a tight hug.

“Dambi, your hold is too tight. I can’t--breathe!” Kyungsoo commented, sounding all exasperated and Dambi just chuckled.
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Dambi sat down on her chair and unconsciously checked her watch again. It had been the hundredth time she had looked at her watch that noon. So this is it, she thought. Oh Sehun just accompanied her for the whole month of October in her most sacred rooftop. He won’t return again, she said to herself. She opened her lunchbox and ate the first dumpling in her hand. She put away the rest of her lunch, not feeling hungry at all. She chewed the dumpling and tried to swallow it. She couldn’t taste anything.

It was Friday which meant it was the last day of school for that week. Screw Sehun, she muttered under her breath. Why was it so disappointing that he wasn’t there the entire week? She couldn’t understand herself. She lightly smacked her head. This is the moment you’ve been waiting for since he intruded your rooftop, she convinced herself.

“I can finally have this rooftop all to myself again!” She cried in glee--followed with a victory dance and just at that moment, she heard the door squeak open. Had she spoken too soon? Her heart started to beat a little too fast. Was it Sehun? She turned around to only see the figure of another stranger. She had seen this boy’s face around the school on multiple occasions. He smiled at her so warmly—he looked kind. But he looked too kind.

“Hello Dambi.” The stranger said ever so lightly as if they had been friends for years. And the bothersome smile never left his face. His smile was too dazzling like the sun and if she stared for too long, it troubled her eyes.

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I added Kai to the story. He will be a very important character in the near future. But I can assure you that it was not him who appeared in this chapter...or was it?