03 Lee Howon; The Boy Who Eventually Stole My Heart
All These Years2000; JUNG EUNJI
Lee Howon (or Hoya, as his close friends and family called him) was a new student in Yeoju High School. His family had just moved to Yeoju from Busan and the guy stuck out like a sore thumb.
Hoya was in Dongwoo's class and Dongwoo was appointed as his buddy. I remember Dongwoo bringing this new kid to the lunch table. My first impression of him was neutral. His dashing good-looks caught my eye but he seemed sort of unapproachable.
The boys were curious about him; they played 20 questions with him and they most asked about Busan. I ended up being the translator because no one else could understand Hoya's strong Busan accent. I guess learning the Busan dialect from my father wasn't useless after all.
I found out that Hoya was not your average guy. He was a sweet, sensible and considerate gentleman—these traits were rarely found in teenage boys. Being the only one who could freely communicate with him for the first three months or so, I became really close to Hoya. I think Woohyun got a bit jealous because I started spending less time with him and more time with Hoya.
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I remember I left something important in school that afternoon, and that's why I had to run back to school to get it. I found what I needed to find and was about to head back home to meet Woohyun for our weekly Friday Movie Marathon but I noticed that one of the classroom lights were still on. Curiousity took the better of me and I went to check out who was still in school.
At first, I was amazed. And then I think I entered some sort of trance watching him. The desks and chairs in the classroom were pushed out of the way, clearing a huge space in the middle of the classroom. And there, Hoya was dancing. He had his earphones plugged into his ears and was moving effortlessly to the music that I couldn't hear. But I didn't need to have heard the music to appreciate his flawless dancing skills. At that time, I couldn't believe he had kept this amazing talent hidden all this while.
I don't know for how long I just stood there, watching him. I couldn't tear my eyes off of him. That afternoon, I discovered a new side of Hoya. He was normally a very gentle person but whenever he danced, he turned into a whole other person. He was tenacious, and you could see his heated passion through his sharp movements.
In the end, I got caught by Hoya. He seemed shocked at first, but it quickly turned into embarrassment. He told me I was the first person in Yeoju who had seen me dance, and I felt honoured after hearing that.
Hoya told me all about his love for dancing after that. He told me that he has been dancing all his life and that there was nothing in this world that could make him feel more alive than dancing. But there was one problem. His family didn't approve of his dancing. Hoya wanted to make dancing his career, but the Lee household had other plans for him. Being the eldest child in the family meant that his parents expected him to take over their family company.
Talking about his family, Hoya teared up a bit. And it was the first time ever that I saw this vulnerable side of him. And after that day, Hoya and I only grew closer.
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