Hey do you want to go cheer for hoon today?  Was the message that Jaeseop recieved from Sumin the next morning.  Since his mother was still letting him take it easy, he agreed to meet with his friends even though he didn't really have an interest in watching taekwondo.

     When he arrived, he was surprised to see only Sumin there waiting for him.  She greeted him, and automatically explained why she was alone, "I asked Nayoung and Yerin to come with me but neither of them could and Dongho didn't want to."

     Jaeseop smiled at her, which put her worries that he was disapppointed to only be hanging out with her to rest.  "Well at least Hoon has two people cheering for him today."

      She nodded at him.  He had a way of making her feel less anxious, which was probably the main reason why she had invited him instead of the others.  Sumin was glad that he was able to join them this weekend, he was normally so busy studying.  "I'm guessing your exam results were fantastic," She commented as they took a seat in the bleachers of the gymnasium where the tournament was being held.  "That is the only reason I can think of that you got your nose out of the books."

       He chuckled.  "Yeah, it's a relief to know that all the hours of studying are paying off."  He looked at Sumin, who was sitting next to him and scanning the competitors as they were warming up, trying to pick out their friend.  She squinted her eyes cutely, and the corners of his lips couldn't help but raise.  

        She suddenly shifted her focus to him.  "You're smiling," Sumin said.  "You were too busy to smile back before the exam."  Sumin studied his face, noting how his nostrils twitched slightly when he blinked.  Feeling self-conscious, she looked away, trying not to blush.  He hadn't stopped smiling at her.

        Comfortable with the silence, he looked for Hoon among the teenagers who were lining up and milling around.  "There he is," Jaeseop pointed, so Sumin could locate their friend as well.  "Do you know if he expects to do well?"

        Sumin had spoken to Hoon about taekwondo quite a bit.  She seemed to always be interested in what others were passionate about, Jaeseop noted.  Instead of sharing about herself, she often turned the focus of the conversation to whatever  the other person was worried about.  Jaeseop noticed this again when he asked about how she was adapting back to high school in Korea.

      "Are you looking at attending university in America?"  Sumin asked him.  Jaeseop replied with questions about how school was different, in her experience.

       Sumin was eager to share all the information she had learned about colleges in the United States with Jaeseop.  She told him that he would probably be admitted into most of the universities there, with his grades, but he should look into the specific programs that certain schools offered.  Sumin was careful to avoid any personal anecdotes with him, rationalizing that she should be objective for his sake.  She wondered if Jaeseop would like the sort of schools that there were in America.  It was very different from Korea, but Sumin imagined that Jaeseop would probably thrive in an environment.

      Their chattering caused them to miss some exciting action down on the mats, but they were so engrossed in their conversation that they didn't notice or care.

      Sumin liked the way Jaeseop listened attentively when she spoke and didn't interrupt her.  His eyes remained focused on hers and his cheeks would rise into a smile from time to time, his lips curling into a smile.

      Jaeseop couldn't help but smile when he was around Sumin.  She made clear points and was a joy to talk to.  When he spoke, she would bite her full bottom lip or gaze off into the distance, thinking.  As the conversation turned more towards her personal experience at the American High School, she seemed to give a smile and brush off his questions without providing much detail, which puzzled him.

      When their conversation died off, they both watched the action, thinking to themselves.  Sumin's smiles had faded into her poker-face which she wore most of the time these days.  She thought back to the memories she wasn't telling Jaeseop about.  Why burden him with things that are in the past?  It's not his problem, she told herself, he doesn't need to know.

      He was thinking about what she might do after high school.  He was so focussed on studying, that he sometimes neglected to think about what life would be like once they all graduated.  He asked her what she thought it would be like.

     "I don't know," She replied.  Sumin didn't like thinking about the future, it made her chest tighten.  Leaving her friends again, having to make new friends, more years of studying- it was all overwhelming.

     "What do you think you want to study?"  Jaeseop asked her, expecting her to reply with at least one feild or subject.  She didn't reply. She just stared out across the gym.  She seemed tense.

     When Jaeseop tapped her shoulder, she startled, causing them both to apologize and laugh.  

     "Are you hungry?"  She asked suddenly.  "It's just about lunch time."  

     They went out and got some dumplings.