Jiyoon didn’t have to tell me that she saw the dream again; I can see it all over her face. Her dark, tired eyes scream for mercy as she struggled to keep them open. Her shoulders hunched over slightly in protest. And yet, my best friend still looked lovely. I wished to tell her my thoughts but I think she might not believe me. Jiyoon would chastise me for complimenting her, and not complimenting myself. She sighed, and looked over at me.

“Stop staring at me. It’s annoying, Gayoon.” 

Gayoon. Jiyoon almost never called me Gayoon. It was always a term of endearment; sweetheart, darling, love. She only called me Gayoon when it was something serious, or if she was upset. I turned my gaze from her and instead looked down at my shoes as we walked through the semi-crowded hallways of the school. I kept quiet; I wasn’t sure what to say to her. She seemed frustrated. Not at me, but with herself. At this dream she was constantly having. At this boy in the dream.

“I’m sorry.” Jiyoon muttered when we stepped into our first period class. “I am psyching myself out too much about this. I just..I am not getting any sleep at all and my parents are freaking out..they say that I’m studying too much.” She chuckled lightly, shaking her head as we sat down in the first row of the class. It was true though. Jiyoon did study a lot, but she always knew her limits.

“Hey..maybe you’re just stressing. It is our last year, after all.” I tried to console her, smiling softly when she looked at me. Jiyoon smiled back before looking ahead as the teacher, Mrs.Kwon came in, standing in front of her desk. Beside her, a young man stood, hands clasped behind his back, his eyes focused on the floor. He was pale, almost as pale as Jiyoon, perhaps paler, and his hair was jet-black. He seemed tall, and was a little slim. He was handsome looking.

I liked our English teacher. She was a nice woman, but she knew when to bring the hammer down when she needed to. And she was also really pretty. “We have a new student. I don’t think I need to tell you all to be polite. This is Kim Kibum.” Mrs.Kwon gestured to the boy, now christened Kibum.

Normally this was the time when new students introduced themselves, but Kibum said nothing, and just walked to the only empty seat in the classroom; the one beside Jiyoon. I glanced over at the boy for a moment, and then I saw Jiyoon’s face. She was pale, paler than usual, and her hands were scribbling something messily on a small piece of paper before slipping it onto my desk. I stared at her curiously but Jiyoon said nothing, staring ahead. She clenched her hands together tightly. I looked down and squinted at the small writing. What I read might have come as a complete shock had I not been so tired.

‘Gayoon..it’s him. That’s the guy I’ve been dreaming about.’

The person that has been haunting Jiyoon’s dreams for almost a week now..was now sitting beside her. And Jiyoon looked as if she was going to pass out. I would have replied, but the teacher spoke again. 

“Alright, so..now there are eighteen of you in this class. Good. I assume you have all done your homework, yes?” The class nodded, murmuring. Mrs. Kwon looked at Kibum.

“Mr. Kim..have you ever read The Scarlet Letter?” She asked him. Kibum responded with a slight nod.

“Alrighty then. You will all gather into groups of three and discuss the comparisons between our society and the setting of the book, as well as the morals. Gayoon and Jiyoon,” Mrs. Kwon glanced at Jiyoon first, and cocked an eyebrow at her before turning to me. “Work with Kibum.” She said, and left us to begin. 

Jiyoon looked like she was frozen. She hadn’t moved a muscle since Mrs.Kwon introduced Kibum. I frowned, and leaned in to whisper in her ear. “Listen..” I spoke under my breath, making sure only she could hear me. “You need to relax. This is really freaky but please try and be yourself, alright?”

For a few seconds she didn’t answer me, and I wasn’t even sure she heard me. But then Jiyoon looked at me and tried to smile, nodding once. She turned her desk around so that she was facing Kibum. Kibum looked up from his lap, and stared at Jiyoon for a few moments. She stared back, and it seemed like she didn’t know what to do first. Her lips curved up into a small smile, and for a second the Jiyoon I recognized had shone through. Kibum blinked before smiling back, opening his notebook. I felt like a vulture honestly; just hovering over the both of them, watching closely. I dragged my desk over and sat closer to Jiyoon.

“Okay.” I spoke, pulling out my copy of the Scarlet Letter. “Where should we begin?”