2014 March 22

Kim Jong In,

       The first time we talked, the air was polluted with insults and death threats. I hated you, and you, too, did not bother to hide the fact that you hated my guts. It was too obvious for either of us to try to hide it. I don’t usually hate people but something about the way you act just screamed out “arrogant.” If there’s a word in the world that can describe you as a whole, that should be it. But yet, countless people like you and I could never see why in the four long years being your partner for every project the teachers could ever assigned us to do.

       I hated you ever since you first came over and asked to sit next to me. It was not that I was “anti-social”, as you have always used to describe me every time I refused to talk to you; it was the fact that you were wearing a red shirt. Well, now that I said it out loud, it does seems a bit stupid of a reason but anyways, I hated you. Out of all the colors you could have worn, you chose red, my absolute least favorite.

At this, the boy laughed. “I had no idea you hated me so much.”

“Well, now you know.” The girl shrugged, cocking a smile as she on her straw, embarrassed. “Do you have to read it now?” She whined, still staring down at her half-emptied cup of strawberry shakes.

He still remembered trying to get to know the girl during freshman year because she was the only one sitting alone.

“Hey, is anyone sitting here?”

She looked up, scanned his whole body, then shook her head.

“Oh great! Can I sit here then?”

She nodded, already returning to reading her book. She glanced over when he took his seat right next to her.

“Hi. My name is Kim Jong In. What’s yours?”

She slightly turned her head to him, looking obviously annoyed, “Park Miyeon.” She said, barely able to make a sound with her sore throat before immediately turned her attention back to her book.

          Since then, you have constantly created more and more reasons for me to despise you. Why would you bring me ice cream after lunch as a thank you gift for letting you sit next to me when you clearly knew that I could barely made a sound with my sore throat? Not to mention the time you brought me out to Hans river at 1 in the morning when it was negative degree outside, claiming that it was the perfect time to watch the stars for our science project and I came home with a cold that lasted for a week.

         I hate how you can be so damn smart yet so ridiculously dumb. You had no common sense whatsoever. Do you remember when you took Minsoo home and nearly got by her in sophomore year? Who the hell would follow offer to take a girl home when you know that she was totally obsessed over you and that she was not all that normal to begin with?

“She was scary.” He admitted as he put the pieces of paper down, looking at his girlfriend doodling on the table. “I was just being nice. Who would have known that the girl was not sane?” He chuckled, reminiscing his early high school years.

“Don’t you take her home.” Miyeon demanded when the boy told her that he would be late for the recital.

“It’s pretty dark and I already said that I would.”

“Don’t you see that she’s…” She raised her eyebrows, frustrated because of how dense her best friend was, when a girl appeared within her peripheral.

“Are we leaving?” The girl from the same class as them smiled, gripping onto the straps of her backpack.

“I will be fine. I will call you when I get there.”

Miyeon rolled her eyes as the two took off.

Miyeon received a call an hour later from Jong In.

“She tried to get me into her house!” The boy panted, half shouting.

“Did you get ?” The girl couldn’t help but laugh.

“Not funny!”

“I told you not to go didn’t I? Should have listened to me.” She smiled, somehow satisfied with how things turned out. He won’t be taking anyone home from now on. She thought.

“Everyone did except you.” She stuck out her tongue teasingly, glancing quickly at him with her chin still rested on the wooden table before returning to drawing circles with the water from the small puddle around her cup of strawberry shake.

The boy ruffled her hair and gave her a kiss on the forehead. She tilted her head and smiled at his gentle touch.

          I still don’t know how we started being best friend with me hating everything that you do. XD What I really don’t get is how my mom can come to adore you like her own son when she has always been so mean to her own daughter. Well, I guess you do have that charm (not trying to flatter you or anything :P). I guess the fact that we were bound to be partners forever for all the projects of our high school career had something to do with how we became friends. As much as I hated you as a person, you were such an amazing partner to work with. Partly because of the fact that you always want to do everything yourself and leaving the most simple tasks for me to do. Such an amazing partner! :P

“Jong In-ah! I bought some tangerines, do you want some?” Her mom’s voice echoed all the way from the entrance.

The boy rushed out of Miyeon’s room and helped with the groceries and was greeted by a warm hug from her mom.

“Here have more.” Her mom continuously passed him the tangerines.

“Mom! That was mine!” The girl protested when her mom took the tangerine from her hand and handed it over to Jong In.

“There’s still more! Just get another!” Her mom hissed and slapped her arm.

“Mommy!” The girl whined and shot a dirty look at Jong In, who stuffed his face with delicious tangerines and was oblivious of her rage.

           You were and still are such an amazing friend. I seriously do not think that I would have been able to go through high school if it wasn’t for you always being there for me. Do you remember when my dad left home and my mom disappeared for two days, searching for him and how you stayed with me at my house for those two days? I was really glad that you were there with me, comforting me through though rough nights. So, thank you for that.

The boy turned to her