Hongki is searching for the reason he was born into this world. Even if he has to struggle in vain, it doesn’t matter. No matter how many times he stumbles and falls down, he will get back up again.

She, in contrary, is a girl who always achieves successes in everything she does. She never fails, either in academic or skills building. One day, something makes her realize that she won’t be forever successful. 

Long, wooden ruler darts out of the teacher’s hand and pokes Hongki’s hard chest. That is harsh. The shove makes him staggers backwards and falls onto a chair behind. The chair squeaks and looks unsteady once he stumbles down.

“Lee Hongki.”

The teenager glares up through his bangs as soon as the teacher calls out his name with the same strict, nerve-wrecking tone like the last time he stepped into the discipline room for his past misdeeds.

“Do you know what you’ve done this time?”

Hongki glances to somewhere else and crosses his arms. Everything about this teacher that the students of the school are afraid of does not make sense on him. He is used to it and almost getting bored already.

However, he keeps quiet as a route for the teacher to continue throwing his tantrum.

“This school isn’t a place where you can show off your fighting skill!” He hits the desk on his side with the ruler. “The student that you’ve beaten almost reports this case to the police but luckily our school acts fast. We have excuse.” He points square towards the troublemaker.

“One more time you cause a big chaos, you’re expelled from this school.”

Hongki rubs his head and nods with his usual blank face. “This is the last warning!” The teacher roars, totally unsatisfied to see such student who looks emotionless and in total disregard on everything he does.

Without the teacher’s permission, Hongki lazily stands up and kicks the door open to get lost of the school’s hell.

“What a bothersome.” He throws his head behind and sighs. He doesn’t know what to do with his life. Everyday turns out the same with yesterday and the day before yesterday and the same days go on forward. He feels tired. He feels sick of his life. Why he was born anyway?

Widely yawning, he his aching shoulder and stuffs his hands inside the pocket of his pants.  

While, in the other way around, there is a girl running on her two feet, listlessly chasing a paper which is being kidnapped by the morning wind.

Hongki’s heavy eyelids shot open as he hears the rapid thumping of the girl’s shoes against the cemented-pavement. His eyes follow her movement, from the end of the way to the grass field. She immediately stops as the thing that she pursues for is being dragged by the wind to another part of the school which is separated by fence.

He watches her shoulders slump down in disappointment. Minding nothing, he jogs across the field and makes a high jump over the fence in the meantime. He takes the paper, half-squatting, and turns around to jump back. It looks like he makes no effort in doing the averagely hard task.

The girl gawks at him, eyes wide and dazedly thanks him.  “Thank you.”

He slightly squints by the sun rays peeped among the clouds from the sky and holds out the paper for her to reach. She gratefully accepts it with both hands. He rubs his nape and retreats back his hand into his blazer pocket. Tongue-tied, he turns around and starts to leave, but the girl follows him from behind with an unexpected comment.

“Your jump is awesome.”

Fluttered, the compliment freezes him on the spot. He feels surprised and far ahead to the bottom of his heart, he also feels worthy. He doesn’t experience the feeling yet. He never feels the same way like today.

Albeit of the suddenness, he resumes trudging on the grass field and forward, leaving everything behind for that time. If anyone could see, he has been keeping a very small smile since then, as his mind starts whirling and planning on something.

...

It is the other day at the school. She walks towards her locker, undoes the code and rummages into it. She is ferreting about her Mathematics’ examination paper that she totally upsets with. Everything is going down the drain when the teacher of her class announced that she only managed to get B, yesterday.

How can she get into a prestigious university with that low grade?

She feels like crying when one of her classmates kicks up the matter. She really does crying when thinking of that. This is out of her expectation. How come, she always get As for Mathematics and they are not merely A, they are A plus, but on this test, she fails to keep up with her past, brilliant grade? Everyone would think that it is impossible.

She can’t help from feeling lose out. Does the effort that she puts in isn’t much? Why it has to be this way?

Taking in a deep breath, she closes her locker, attaches the paper in her grip and walks away. Her grip slightly tightens on every step she makes. “It’s okay.” With the reassurance words come out of , she tightens her fist even more. “I can do it.”

This time she has to do it.

...

Today, he skips class again and he does when he feels like it. To him, it is heaven.

It is the same spot where he stepped onto the day before. His eyes are fixed at the same view that he saw yesterday. There are grass field, pole at the edge and the fence. Even though, he only zeroes in the fence. At the moment, the girl’s words rung again, for an umpteenth time in his mind. It sounds crazy but the girl does make him wants to blow out a laugh- the sarcastic one.

“My jump is awesome?” He topples down to a bench and crosses his legs. There is nothing in his mind apart from her and her words. Again, he doesn’t think that this thought makes him feeling lighter and he keeps laughing to himself, though it is slow. He is alone but he laughs.

“Say that thing out of nowhere even I can’t do a single thing.” Somehow, his state which is in the brink of getting expelled from the school worries him.

Momentarily, he throws his head behind and loosens the tie on his neck. He plants both palms on either side of the bench and starts to close his eyes.

“Stupid girl.” He emits the same, small smile without his acknowledgement.

“Do you mean me?” His eyes instantly fly open, once the familiar, sweet voice chimes between his earshot, only to come face to face with the same girl that fills his whole mind. He is still cocking his head and to one knows, their faces are way too close in this position.

Hongki squints a little and tilts his head. “What are you doing here?”

She scrambles backwards as if she just realizes what she has just got into this time. This is a challenge to talk to an exact opposite gender since she doesn’t talk to boys much. “I-I was just feeding a lost kitten.”

He moves his head to a normal position. “Lost kitten?”

“Yes.” She holds up her finger and points to the corner of the wall. There it is with a saucer of milk and some cookies.

“You feed the kitten with cookies?” He asks incredulously. She looks straight into his eyes nods a little, abashed.

“I only have some cookies. So I guess the kitten will eat.”

He frowns at her antic and unexpectedly chuckles although he means to keep it to himself.  “Stupid girl.”

Hearing to that, she places both of her hands on her hips and snorts. “Hey. That’s not funny.”

Hongki just looks forward, obviously ignoring her outcome. “I’m going then.”  He quickly folds his neck aside as the girl is starting to walk. He wants her to stay but it seems like he doesn’t bear to reveal it. He has too much ego for that. Simply, he gazes on her back, secretly hoping that she will turn around.

And she does. His attention instantly draws to her, feeling eager to hear what she will say this time.  

“You,” Her index finger is pointed sharp at him. “What do you mean that you can’t do a single thing?” He is slightly taken aback by the question. He creases his brows and looks intently at her face. He can’t read her. He feels that somehow, she is angry and completely disagree with his statement.

He just shrugs. She thinks that he will ignore her again but at this moment, he doesn’t and she takes the chance to continue.

“If you’re frustrated with yourself whether your achievement or what, then it doesn’t mean that you’ve thrown away your future just like that.”

Again, she has caught him off guard. He just can’t contain the curious feeling which for him, it is beyond the truth. “What?”

“I see you walking out of the discipline room every day. I see you lounging here every day too. I see you with those lazy steps you take every time you pass by the sidewalk. What are you trying to do actually? Don’t you have dream? Don’t you have something to do?” She bursts and attacks him with her continuous question.

“You’re intriguing me.” She mumbles the last part.

“I have a dream that I can’t achieve.” She fixes her gaze on his handsome face when he continues. “I lost it.”

“How?” She comes nearer.

“Because I can’t do it.” He naturally shrugs- again.

“That’s it.” She sounds annoyed and turns around to leave. “I’m really going.”

“Where to?” Hongki stands up as the adrenaline in his veins force him to rise. By the time, he tucks in his white dress shirt and fixes his loose tie. He dusts off the back of his pant and approaches her.

“I’ve class.” She walks away but this time, he follows her.

...

“You mean extra class.” Hongki mutters behind her while examining the surrounding of the slightly deserted classroom. There are only some students and to his knowledge, they are the students who at certain subject.

He sits next to her and crosses his arms. “I thought you’re top student.”

She gives a sidelong look at him and makes a face. “It’s not like I’m the one who watching you.”

She can feel that he is shrugging as it is his habit. “I watch everyone.”

When neither of them says anything, they keep silent and concentrate to the teacher who is teaching a certain subject in the front. However, it doesn’t last long as she finds herself having a hard time paying full attention to class since Hongki keeps staring at her while making his two fingers walk on her hand.

“What’s your name?” His fingers walk back and forth, turning around and step onto her fingers as well. It is ticklish and she turns red to stand it.  

“Shut up.” She hisses and pulls her hands underneath the table, letting them stay still above her thighs.

He chuckles while takes off his dark blue blazer and loosens his necktie again as the atmosphere gets hot. “Why are you taking this extra Math class since you’re already expert in this subject?”

“I fail to get ‘A’ and that’s already shameful to say.” She whispers back.

“Is that your dream? To get ‘A’?”

She nods. “I strive for straight ‘A’s on every subject.”

“And you feel regret for getting B?” She looks forward and keeps quiet before she nods slowly. Though, she knows that there’s no use to regret over the past thing. It is forever cannot be turn back. Hence, she does regret for not working hard beforehand. She takes the examination easily just because she is...good in it.

And this situation makes her realize that it is okay to lose without fighting, working, making any effort to achieve success.

“Then work hard for this. You’ve to give shape to what you can do now.” He plants his elbow on the desk and rests his head onto his hand. Seeing that she doesn’t respond, he pokes her cheek with the same black-inked pen that he uses to whirl around his fingers just now.

She turns her head and faces him to give a heart-melting smile. “I know.”

He gazes at her side profile and smile genuinely, although she doesn’t see that.

...

A week has passed and the birds have already flied to the South during spring. Also, the weather changes and the kingdom of clouds move day by day.

She walks briskly out of a room and clutches her chest. She is feeling so content and pleased. She finally makes it! She finally makes it to the last question of the test -with ease. She is hoping for the best when the result comes out.

Humming a joyous tune, she skips forward and walks happily, but her steps are glued once her name is called from behind. She whirls around and bumps into the guy that has drawn her attention since no time.  “Hongki.” She waves gently and beams.  

He is not in the usual school uniform. Instead, he wears some kind of sport attire, the school’s sport attire. “Where are you going?” He begins to ask.

“Nowhere,” She shakes her head and remains her cheerful face. “I’m from the make-up examination room actually. I take a re-test.”

“Guess you’re doing well.” He reckons and nudges her shoulder playfully. She laughs lightly at his josh.  “Hey, can you come with me?” He asks with a huge grin on his face.

“Sure.” Without hesitation, she agrees.

“Let’s go.” Hongki snatches her arm and jogs up, dragging her along the corridor to the same field where they first met a few days ago.

There is no vast amount of change happens to the place, especially the green leaves of the field. It looks like the gardener has mowed the green carpet.

Every day meets with the same place and surrounding but today, the situation isn’t same anymore. The dullness of days ago is replaced by the brightness of light that shines their faces.

“What are we doing here?” She asks, confused yet pleased to be there.

“Me. You’re watching me.” He chuckles and points to himself as he walks backwards to the high-jump’s horizontal bar.

She does as told and watches him runs from the running track, coming nearer and makes a high jump over the horizontal bar. She claps and cheers as the one and only audience that present. He tries to jump higher and even higher for many times. Amongst the many times that he has went through, he  stumbles and falls down along with the bar, but he gets back up and does it again, jumps again until he can reach what he want to achieve.

His dream.