Just when I thought the weather of the day was going to be different, I was wrong. When I woke up, the first thing I checked out was the view outside my window. To my greatest dismay, the sky was gray and rain was promising. Nonetheless life had to go on, regardless what kind of weather each day would be, so I got out of the bed, and got ready for school.

Before I went out of my room I made sure to shut my window—my favorite part of my room. Though somewhat small, I like it. When I get distracted while studying the view outside would be the cause. Some people are scared of looking out the window when it’s night, but I guess I’m the opposite of that. That’s just what I love to do. But today, just like yesterday, the skies were dark and most probably the clouds would again prohibit the sun from blessing its joyful light upon this planet, I felt disheartened that my nightly stargazing would be again not granted.

It was in the middle of the day when the bell rang, signaling the end of the last period of my morning. I had to go to the lockers with my best buddy Jongup, since he had the same purpose as I did—that was, to put in his books.

Careful to have arranged all my books and notebooks in a neat, single file, I took one last gaze upon how I’ve been managing to keep it in that glorious tidiness because usually, it wasn’t like that. Two weeks ago I had embarrassed myself by having nearly all of my things spilling from my locker because of how badly they were piled, Closing the door, I was suddenly startled when I saw someone present behind my locker’s door. I yelped, and there he was, Kim Himchan—leaning on the locker beside mine, folding his arms, the usual smug look plastered on his pretty face.

“I almost had a heart attack!” I exclaimed, undecided whether I should be angry or just let him be. He’s trolled me for more than once this was not really a surprise.

“Hello, Riri,” he greeted in his usual husky voice, which would have increased the mortality rate of the girls here in school if they heard it.

I nodded once, thinking I was going to have to deal with his usual flirting. Himchan-ssi was perhaps the most terrible flirt  I have come across among all the terrible flirts here at school. He wasn’t touchy, but his words were just enough to prove that he was a walking greaseball. “What’s up?”

“Nothing’s up. Except for my spirits that have been lifted for you have just looked at me,” he intoned, which made my insides turn in disgust.

I did a face-gag at this, covering my mouth and pretended that I was about to puke, and lightly kicked his shin. “Himchan-ssi, up to when do you plan on doing this to me?”

The pretty boy shook his head with a smile, which quite confused me whether it was out of self-contentment or just plain amusement. Instead of answering, he took out a flower—a rose to be exact (who the heck still offers flowers nowadays? Oh wait, this is Himchan I’m talking about)—and handed it to me. “For you,”

I flattened my eyes at him. “Rose. Really. A rose.”

His eye-smile showed, evincing how pleased he was at my reaction. He’s been too used to my nonchalant ways of dealing with him he doesn’t mind me regarding him with a slight degree of indifference.

I would’ve gladly accepted it, since that was quite nice of him, but I had some sort of ethic I’ve been living with all my life, established ever since I became a teenager. “I’m sorry, Himchan-ssi, but I’ll only accept flowers from a guy whom I like,”

This was when the usual smug look vacated his face. He suddenly looked crestfallen, almost sadly so—that I somehow regretted my words the moment they went out of my mouth. I didn’t want to disgrace Kim Himchan, no matter how disgustingly greasy he may be. “Do you…hate me, Riri-ssi?”

I blinked. “Ah, ani, ani; that’s not the case. It’s just that…” my shoulders slacked as I sighed. “I don’t see you…the way you see me,”

The puzzled look on his face remained there. “You don’t like me?”

“I do, I really do. But not…romantically.” I swallowed the lump in my throat. Part of me wanted to apologize, but I didn’t see why I should, so I didn’t.

A moment of silence passed. I don’t know how long it took but it was rather hard for me to look at him tossing a great thought in mind. Once upon a time Kim Himchan was one of the fellow senior students that I looked up to. We’ve been acquaintances for many a school year but I don’t see why now did he just started hitting on me. It’s been told that he’s had many girlfriends before, and I didn’t want to be the next in line, so I kept my distance from him as far as possible. Unfortunately, my best buddy Jongup likes to hang out with him, along with four other boys and they call themselves by an acronym of some sort. Every time I had to look for Jongup I would always have to go to their hang-out (usually it would be in the third music room) and there I would see them—or Himchan, specifically, and I was forced, for more than once, to stay in that room for the sake of waiting for my best friend. I think that’s when he started fancying me (probably along with other girls across the school whom he had been flirting with) because once, he told me I was quite striking, character-wise (why, thank you).

“What does it take for you to like someone?” he spoke, finally, a gleam of eagerness present in his eyes.

The question caught me off-guard. I honestly didn’t know. “You mean my standards?”

“Yes.”

“Well…” I tried to formulate a response in my head, just so I could get this over with. “As long as I’d know he thinks of me on a daily basis. I mean, not that I’m being self-centered, it’d be more preferable if he shows that he likes me through his actions,”

Returning, the smile spread slowly across his face. Just in time Jongup appeared next to me, and looked rather like he was having fun watching his hyung flirt with me again. “Riri-ya, kaja?” he invited.

I nodded with a smile.

“You, hyung, would you like to come with us?” Moon invited him.

Himchan gracefully refused. “Ani, I’ll go look for Bang first. I told him that we’d have lunch together,”

“Alright then,” Moon smiled, and off we went, and I looked back while walking. Kim Himchan was waving at us, a pleasant, sincere smile on his face, not the usual haughty one on it. He looked better-looking in that, honestly.

“Ririiiiiiiii,” Jongup looked at me, almost whining. “Come on, I’m craving for fruits. Give me at least a single pulp,” he begged, while I was happily eating my oranges, which I had no intention of giving him even just a slice.

“Here,” I pinched a pulp from what I was eating, and gave it to him.

Now he really whined. “Come on! Don’t be so cruel!” he whined, but with a laugh, because of my comic antic.

“Fine, fine, you whiney baby