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Always Not Me
"You better call me after acting classes!"
Jaehee hollered as she ran out of the classroom, rushing to catch her academics club meeting that took place in less than a minute.
I sighed in reply, pulling my sling bag carelessly on my shoulder.
I glanced at the time-
3:07
I should rush too.
Acting class sessions start at 3:15, and it's a 10 minute bus ride away.
Merging into the dismissal crowd, I exited the school building along with the crowd of students flowing out the building with me.
"Unnie!"
Heejung bursted out from the crowd, reaching for me.
"Wait for me!"
She panted, tugging herself out of the sea of students.
Lightly laughing, I grabbed her hand and helped her out.
"Why are you always so clumsy?"
I asked Heejung, who scowled.
"Well excuse me if I'm on the second floor during dismissal! It's unfair that upperclassmen get the lower floors while freshies and softies have to struggle down the stairs."
Heejung pouted as we walked quickly towards the nearest bus stop.
"Hey I've been there before, and I don't complain."
I scolded the sophomore, a mother-like smile forming on my lips.
I've known Heejung for 7 years now, since we've been attending the same acting academy for as long as I can remember.
Even though she's only a year below me, I always took care of her as a sister.
"Come on Unnie! The bus is here!"
She urged, and we sprinted into the bus.
Once we were seated and on our way, I eagerly checked my kakaotalk, expecting a kattok from him.
Jung Jinyoung.
He's the newly transferred student in our acting academy, and most girls have a secret crush on him-
I don't blame them. He's got the charm to knock any girl off her feet.
One day, I stumbled upon his Kakaotalk ID in a group chat created from our acting academy principal.
I saved it in my contacts, and kind of forgot about it.
Since Kakaotalk sends a friend request to others even when they are already in your contacts, I felt a bit happy when he voluntarily accepted my "friend request".
After that, I was added on to a kakaotalk game that lists me as a possible friend to send game lives to, which gives you gift points as well.
He sent me game lives almost every single day, and I decided to contact him, half in annoyance, half in curiosity.
Our first conversation had me hooked even with the first reply.
10:15pm
Me : You play games a lot, don't you think?
10:15pm
Jinyoung : Yeah.. Want me to stop sending things to you? ㅋㅋㅋ
10:15pm
Me : I don't mind really...^^ I just stopped playing it a long time ago. Help yourself to the gift points.
10:16pm
Jinyoung : Assa*! (yeahh!) Oh by the way did you hear about our new project at Act It Academy?
... And so on we ended messaging until 2 AM the next day.
"Unnie why are you smiling like that?"
Heejung interrupted my thoughts, and I locked my phone casually.
"Mm I was just thinking about that new guy at the academy. He's pretty cute I think."
I smiled inwardly.
The more I knew about him, the cuter he got.
"You mean Jinyoung sunbae? He's really.... Pretty."
Heejung laughed, literally meaning that Jinyoung was a prettyboy.
As Heejung got distracted by her own friends text messages, I went back to check Jinyoung and my conversation,
1 New Message.
3:09pm
Jinyoung : I haven't seen you come through the door. Are you late?!
I smiled.
He noticed.
3:09pm
Me : I think I'll be able to make it. On the bus with Heejung! >,<
*kkattok!*
3:09pm
Jinyoung : Clock's ticking! You better hurry! (keke)
The time was 3:10, and the bus came to an expected stop.
The bus doors flipped open and I grabbed Heejung as we sprinted towards the building.
I slammed my palms on the glass double doors, snapping them open and running for my class.
"See you later Unnie!"
Heejung called out, and I gave her a hurried wave as I rushed to go to my own class.
"I'm here!"
I yelled as I opened the classroom door.
All eyes fell on me, and sunsaengnim only smiled.
"That almost broke your prompt streak of this week, Miss Baek."
Mr.Kim chuckled, motioning to my seat.
I grinned and nodded in gratitude and slowly made my way towards my seat when I heard a snicker erupt from a classmate.
My eyes landed on the mischievious figure looking at me and giving me a thumbs up, holding up his phone.
*Close one*
Jinyoung mouthed.
I stuck my tongue out in response as I slid into my seat.
The class went smoothly as we recited and rehearsed the famous sonnets of Shakespeare, consiting of mostly me staring at Jinyoung as he poured out impressively controlled emotions into every word.
When he gave me an insecure look after his presentation, I gave him a thumbs up of approval.
*Cute*
I thought.
+_*_+_*_+_*_+_*_+_*_+_*_+
I only have one class session with Jinyoung, so the rest of the day I didn't see him.
"You guys did well today, and don't forget your partner project due in two weeks!"
Mrs.Lee dismissed us as the clock struck 5:30, and everyone started gathering their things and left.
"Mrs.Lee?"
I asked as curisity poked at my courage to speak.
"Yes, Ahnah?"
Mrs.Lee filed the papers neatly as she answred.
"Can you have a partner from a different time schedule?"
I asked out of pure curiosity.
"Yes of course! Just make sure you both take each other's redponsibilities well! Okay?"
Mrs.Lee smiled, and I politely nodded before stepping out the door.
"Took you long enough."
Jinyoung's voice startled me.
"Aish! What are you still doing here?"
I gasped, scolding him for scaring me.
"I told you I'll walk you home, didn't I?"
Jinyoung shrugged.
Oh yeah.
He did.
12:36am
Jinyoung : You live nearby :) If it's cool with you I'll walk you home after academy sessions.
12:37am
Me : Really? It feels like I'm asking for so much but gomaweo ^^
So he did.
"Wait up I have to say good bye to Heejung."
I tapped Jinyoung's shoulder, and he gladly followed me to meet Heejung.
"Heejung-ah!"
I called out, catching the girl's attention as she packed her belongings.
Her smile widened as her eyes landed on Jinyoung, and back to me.
"Bye Unnie~ have fun~"
She giggled, and I simply gave her an excited wink before I officially headed out on my walk home with Jinyoung.
"She's your school hoobae?"
Jinyoung asked once we stepped out of the building.
"Yeah. We attended Act It Academy for 7 years now, and we went to all the same schools so I take care of her like a sister."
I smiled, adjusting my bag.
"Woah. You must have a pretty big dream to be attending academy for 7 years."
Jinyoung whistled.
"Hmm I just can't think of anything else I want to do except act on a stage or a set. What about you?"
I turned my head to face Jinyoung's delighted one.
"I want to sing,act, and produce music. Do I sound greedy much?"
He chuckled.
Wow... such a big dream.
"No! When you want something, just go for it. The bigger your dream is, the higher you'll soar."
I ranted, not trying to give away the fact that I'm taken away by his confession.
"I really do love music."
I took a breath, and continued.
"What genre?"
He asked.
"Anything really. I can listen to ballad all day but I'm a closet hiphop fan. But for right now, Bigbang's my main favorite as to k-pop."
Blushing a little, I had to think about G-Dragon for a minute.
His recent Heartbreaker solo promotions were just, too unexplanable by the human tongue.
"Then I better step up my game and become your new favorite, huh?"
Jinyoung teasingly joked.
"Yah! Nobody can beat GD Oppa!"
I got a little defensive.
"You said bigger the dream, higher you soar. So I'm taking that advice. G-Dragon better watch out."
He laughed, and skipped a few steps ahead of me, turning around to see my reaction.
I only huffed in annoyance, which broke into a helplessly girly grin.
"Whatever. You can try."
I coolly defended, and walked faster.
"And I will try!"
Jinyoung shot back, catching up beside me.
His spirit was so alive and caring, I actually forgot that it's me he was talking to.
Me, a selfish coward when it comes to ever liking someone.
No guy has ever come close to me as Jinyoung, and without me realizing it, I was already scared for what was to come.
I already knew he'd get tired of me just like everyone else.
All this amazing conversations with him, I couldn't tell whether I was being me or not.
I felt like someone else.
"Well this is my stop."
I spoke as we came by my apartment building.
"I live like, right across the street. Next time you keep me up texting, I'll come over and make you go to sleep."
He smirked with a simple shrug.
"Arasseo, I'll keep that in mind. Annyeong~"
I waved, and he waved back.
Just his carefree hair and laid back stance somehow made my heart feel like jelly.
As he gave me a light salute, I watched him walk across the street to his apartment building.
*Sweet*
I thought.
I smiled all the way to my apartment door and punched in the security code
It was weird, coming home this early.
I stepped inside my home, and the comforting aroma of dwenjang (fermented soybean paste) jjigae welcomed my senses.
"Honey you're home already? Usually you miss dinner because you're at the academy practicing."
Umma spoke from the kitchen as she heard the door close.
"Yeah. I just felt like eating Umma's dwenjang jjiggae tonight!"
I laughed as I hurriedly slipped into my bunny home floor slippers and skidded to the floor, clinging on to Umma's arm excitedly.
"Eesh! I'm cooking!"
Umma protested as I tightened my giddy grip on her.
"What's gotten into you?"
She jokingly knocked on my head.
"Umma! You know I'm smart!"
I whined, feeling offended.
"I know Ahnah, I know. So what's happening to my giddy girl?"
Mom stirred around the freshly chopped ingredients in the boiling pot, and turned around to face me.
"Nothing much, just happy to come home."
I shrugged-
I couldn't dare tell her about Jinyoung yet.
"Well please make that your new habit. Your Appa worries every night that you're piling on more stress from balancing out your academy and school schedules. It worries is that you come home late."
Umma sighed, giving me a tight smile.
"You aren't fooling around with a boy behind my back now are you?"
Mom asked, her tone serious.
"Of course not!"
I blurted almost too quickly.
"I'm too busy with school homework itself."
I added, trying to relieve the quickened tension.
"Okay. As long as you know what you're doing. Go scoop the rice. Appa should be here any moment."
Umma ordered, and I followed.
*Nobody else has to know about Jinyoung yet.*
I thought.
He's just a friend anyways-
I'm just over-thinking this.
I took a deep breath in and exhaled it out.
What's wrong with me?
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