This was his chance. Yongguk spotted her sitting alone underneath the only willow tree on campus. She was leaning against the truck eyes closed, the wind blowing her hair perfectly, even asleep she smiled. Yongguk wasn’t sure what to say, he was hoping he would find the right words as soon as he reached her.

“Excuse me, Kang Yejin-ssi—ooff.” Yes, Yongguk has, once again, made a fool of his self and tripped over the trees roots. He groans in pain and mumbles colorful curses as he props himself off the ground.

“Oh, are you alright?” Already on his feet, Yongguk turns his head to face his dream girl with a concerned expression drawn across her features. A bright pink tint covers Yongguk’s facial structure. He places a hand on top of his head, a habit he has unconsciously developed when embarrassed, and nervously rubs the back of his neck.

“Yeah… I…” Yongguk stutters. He instantly regrets getting up so quickly, anything is better than the complete idiot he was probably sounding like at this moment.

“Kris!” Yejin, unaware of words that came out (or didn’t come out) of the clumsy student, her focus switched to the golden-haired boy walking a couple feet away from where she is standing. “I have to go. Please, be more careful.” She shouts over her shoulder, and rushes off before she loses the tall blond boy in the crowd.

“I just wanted to say hello.” Yongguk sighs, and kicks the dirt on the ground. He settles himself in the same spot Yejin had occupied earlier and grunts in frustration. He rashly throws his head back, meeting the solid surface of the tree truck.

“Idiot.” Yongguk squints to look up at the figure standing before him. His guardian angel had come to his rescue. Jenny held a water bottle to his face. Yongguk takes the bottle and tries to open the seal. “It’s not for you to drink, stupid.’’ She snatches the bottle from his hands, sits on the ground beside him, and gently places the cold drink on the throbbing spot on the back of his head.

“You saw all of that?” Yongguk sheepishly asks his best friend.

“The entire campus saw.” She replies curtly. Yongguk glances at his surroundings. A few male and female students are pointing and snickering at his direction or it could be imagination. His eyes meet with Kim Himchan, his second best friend, who smirks at his direction with a teasing glance. Yup, they all saw.

“Ignore him.” Jenny nudges Yongguk’s leg with her knee. She transmits an annoyed glare at Himchan’s direction but he was once again distracted by the crowd of girls around him to notice the girl’s hostility.

“Does it bother you, seeing him like that?” Yongguk asks, turning to face the girl beside him. She scoffs and rolls her eyes.

“Why would it bother me? We both know how Himchan is.” Her good humor quickly diminishes the side of her lip curls back, and her eyes flicker in displeasure. “Speak of the devil.” Yongguk twists his head to the direction Jenny has fixated her defiant stare. He sighs in discontent wondering which scenario is worse; Himchan’s teasing or being in the center of his feuding friends.

“Bang, I don’t know what to say.” The dark haired boy before Yongguk and Jenny, he catches the line of vision the irritated girl and winks, she grimaces in response, nothing that Himchan wasn’t accustomed to.

“Then don’t say anything at all.” Yongguk didn’t need to hear Himchan’s words. He was already thinking them himself. The cool touch of the water bottle behind his head is removed, Yongguk peers at Jenny shifting to stand on her feet. “Where are you going?”

“I have to meet a classmate for a Philosophy project. We are arranged to meet at the library in about 10 minutes.” She replies, while digging into her shoulder bag, Jenny pulls out a rectangular packet and tears two aspirins off the plastic. “Take these for the pain.” She hands the bottle and pills to Yongguk. She departs with a wave and ignores Himchan’s extended arms for a parting hug.

-

Jenny didn’t hate Himchan but she didn’t like him much either. There was a time when Jenny and Himchan did get along. Sometimes Jenny blames herself for the sleaze ball Himchan is today. He isn’t a womanizer, like sleeping around the campus for example, but he wasn’t a saint either. Himchan was just the average flirt. He liked to fill girls with pretty words and illusions. Empty promises, as Jenny liked to say.

But Himchan’s appeal to the female student body was the least of Jenny’s concern. Unfortunately for Jenny, Himchan knew all the secrets inside her journal. She had forgotten the book in the back of Himchan’s car, by the next day he knew about everything in it. Her journal was more of a day tracker than diary, really. Jenny was a compulsive organizer. She had everything filled out until the day of graduation, gradually checking off each achievement she had set a goal for.

She isn’t quite sure how Himchan had bore through the entire journal, according to his short attention span he would have given up from the first page. But unto Jenny’s knowledge, Himchan bared an unreciprocated affection towards her since the beginning of high school. He had always assumed he would the one designated in Jenny’s future plans but he had learned otherwise. At least he has the rest of his life to taunt Jenny in what she is missing

Jenny has reached the third level of the library, exactly where she had agreed to meet her partner for her philosophy assignment. Kris Wu, a Chinese foreign exchange student with ill mannerism. He always carried the same stoic expression, Jenny wondered if it was permanently like that. He was handsome and had various girls giggling and lingering around his vicinity. By the grim expression carried on his face it was quite evident Kris did not like this at all.

Jenny spots Kris, seated on their agreed spot. Beside him is a petite brunette prodding at the blond. Jenny couldn’t tell if he’s aggravated by the girl beside him, his appearance was different from when other girls bothered him. The deadly glare was missing.

“Kris-ssi?” Both figures turn to face Jenny. She recognizes the female immediately, Kang Yejin.

“Oh, hello, I’m Yejin.” The girl gifts Jenny with a cheery smile (Yongguk had always dreamt on obtaining).

“Moon Ji Ae.” Jenny nods stiffly. 

“Wow, you’re so formal.” Yejin remarks, she then twists her torso formulating an annoyed stance and rolls her eyes at Kris’ glaring, on her right. “I’ll take that as my cue to leave.” She smiles apologetically at Jenny and stands up. “It was nice to meet you, Ji Ae. I hope this grouchy man doesn’t give you a hard time.” Yejin makes her leave, but not before running her hand through Kris’ hair and messing it in the process.

“She seems like a handful.” Jenny remarks, she takes a seat on the opposite side of the table.

A thin line forms across Kris’ lips. “Do you perhaps loathe Yejin?”

“What?”

“Because I cannot work with someone who sustains ill sentiments towards a friend of mine,” He continues. 

“Kris, I just met Yejin. I don’t believe I know her well enough to harbor any aversion towards your friend.” Kris remains still in silence due to Jenny’s words. If he was embarrassed for his odd accusations towards Jenny, she could not tell. He did not seem a tad minimal interest in apologizing either. Jenny let the tension slide and continued on the true purpose of their meeting.

“Kris-ssi, did you by chance think of subject for our presentation?”

“Kris.” He answers.

“Excuse me?”

“Drop the ssi and just call me Kris.” Kris pushes his notebook across the table towards Jenny. She turns the book right side up and skims through Kris’ illegible writing. She squints at the words and looks at Kris. “Am I supposed to understand this?” To Jenny’s surprise a smile stretches across his standard stagnant complexion.

“Here read mind, while I try to decipher this mess.” She pushes her own notebook to Kris. The two share diminutive smiles and focus their attention on the written ideas of the other.

“You pretty much wrote what I had in mind.” Kris concludes his reading.

“Oh good, because I wasn’t getting through your chicken scratch,” Jenny teases. She wasn’t joking about having difficulty understanding Kris’ handwriting; however, she managed to gather a couple of understandable sentences that mirrored a few of her thoughts. At least now she knew Kris and her were on the same boat, figuratively speaking.

-

Kris wasn’t a people person. His cold exterior is an example of that. The only person that has managed to penetrate through Kris’ antisocial bubble is Yejin. Their relationship is peculiar because the two don’t have anything to relate. Kris likes his personal space while Yejin is all into invading others. He doesn’t particularly enjoy Yejin’s company but he doesn’t despise it either. Yejin says that’s how friendships develop.

He begins to wonder if that’s the case with Jenny. Kris never enjoyed another’s company until today. Three things he had learned about Ji Ae, since the first day of the semester:

1. She always sits perfectly straight in her seat (not once had he seen her slouch).

2. She participates vigorously in class discussions.

3. She always carries a particular pink notebook at all times.

In a way Kris has always been interested by Ji Ae but he had never built up the courage to approach her. He isn’t keen into starting friendships like Yejin. He doesn’t even know what the fundamentals of friendships are either. With Yejin, she is the one to drag him out to places, she is the one to call him, and search for him. It’s not like she hasn’t tried to entail him to be more social. She even created him a Facebook account. Kris has only logged in twice, Yejin as his only friend and an accumulative amount of unanswered friend requests.

In the short time of their meeting more information was revealed about Moon Ji Ae, she is more of a perfectionist than she appears to be (the color-highlighted notes is an example of that), her favorite animal are dinosaurs (just dinosaurs, she revealed that somewhere in their conversation), and she chews on her pen cap when she concentrates.  Kris wasn’t sure why he found these characteristics fascinating but he felt disappointed that their time together was coming to a quick end. After all, they both have other classes to attend.

“I want to apologize for my irrational accusation.” She looked at him in surprise. Even Kris, himself, was surprised.

“Don’t worry about. I get it, she’s your friend. I’m protective of my friends as well.” Ji Ae gathers the last of her books and smiles sincerely at Kris.

“Maybe we can hang out sometime. I mean the three of us, with Yejin. She’s really great. The two of you would really hit it off.” Kris couldn’t understand where all these words were coming from. Did he just tell her he wants her to hang out with Yejin?

“Yea, that would be great.” Ji Ae presses her lips in a thin line and nods at Kris. She opens her lips to say something, hesitates, but continues, “There’s an exhibit this weekend, and they’re bringing in paintings from popular Renaissance artists. I posted flyers around campus but I haven’t seen anyone interested in going. Everything gets shipped back after Sunday. You mentioned Yejin is an art major, right? My friends and I are going this Saturday, if you’d like the two of you can join us.”

“Yes, we would love to. I think Yejin has mentioned something about the exhibit before.” A smile forms on Kris’ lips and Ji Ae beams at his response.

“Awesome. I’ll email you what time we’re meeting tonight.” She smiles again, Kris notes it to be pleasant. I wasn’t like Yejin’s smiles that tended to reach her eyes but he felt a sort of warmth towards it. Ji Ae waves goodbye and leaves to her final class. Kris remained in his seat, with 25 minutes still left before his class began, and processed the occurrence of the recent conversation. He felt an overwhelming feeling inside, like something in his stomach was uncontrollably fluttering inside. He grunts in displeasure, Kris had enough talking for the day.

-

Her class had not yet to begin and Yejin was already bored. She shifted her eyes from the classroom entrance, waiting for Kris to arrive, and to the wall clock, wishing the time would miraculously move fast. Kris did eventually show up but the time remained the same.

He sat on the seat beside her and opened his notebook to yesterday’s lesson. Yejin didn’t take notes; instead, she doodled in her notebook. She didn’t worry because she knew Kris would let her read his notes, even though his handwriting is inapprehensible.

Yejin noted Kris to be a little off. Many of their peers label Kris as difficult to read, but Yejin sees through Kris’ well known poker face. His eyebrows were scrunch more than usual and a minor grimace hid in the corner of his lips. Asking Kris what’s wrong, is never an option. He either remains silent or responds by asking why I was still there.

She shrugs her shoulders, opens her notebook to yesterday’s doodles and continues where she had left off. There probably isn’t a need for Yejin to panic. Kris could most likely be upset that other girl had confessed her undying love to him. Those were always fun to watch for Yejin, some poor soul would build the coverage to confess to Kris, and he would harshly stare at the girl for wasting his time. Was it selfish for Yejin to feel proud that she is the only human being Kris has let past his defenses?

An hour and a half later, Yejin was more than relieved to be done with class. It was the weekend after all. Yejin did what she did best; drag Kris out class to her favorite bubble tea shop a couple blocks away from campus. Whether Kris liked the bubble tea or not she wasn’t quite sure but if Kris didn’t walk away or complain it was always a good sign.

“Tomorrow there’s that exhibit I was telling you about with the…” Yejin takes a sip of her tea.

“Renaissance painters.” Kris finishes her sentence.

“Yes! You remember?”

“Ji Ae was telling me about it today. I told her we would go. She said the paintings will be shipped back on Sunday.” Kris causally sips out his drinks and scrolls through his phone. Yejin raises an eyebrow unnoticed by Kris. She had been talking about this exhibit for the past couple days and he had not shown an ounce of interest until today.

“I didn’t know that. What else did she say?” Yejin looks at Kris inquisitively; he raises his eyes to meet hers and she notices a slight tint of pink on his cheeks. She blinks several times unsure if her mind was playing tricks on her about a blushing Kris.

“She said we can join her and her friends at the exhibit.” He shifts his focus back to his phone and refuses to look at Yejin.

“So, she just casually invited you to go the museum with her and her friends?” She pressed on.

“No, it was after I told her you were an art major.” Yejin wasn’t so sure what Kris was doing on his phone anymore because he kept scrolling and scrolling. But his last statement captured her attention.

“You talked to her about me?” A smile ran across Yejin’s lips and the butterflies rose in her stomach.

“Yeah, we talked about a lot of things.” Yejin’s smile drops. In her past recollection of conversations with Kris it consisted of her doing most of the talking or book discussions but never about a lot of things.

Kris tucks his phone into his pocket and stands. “I have homework to complete, so I will be leaving first. I will message you once Ji Ae emails me the time to meet at the museum. Goodbye Yejin.” Kris slings his messenger bag over his shoulder and exits the shop. Yejin sips her bubble tea and wonders how many emails Kris and Ji Ae have already exchanged without her knowledge.