You sat on the bench in the school park as you released a hefty sigh. You took off your backpack, ping it to find your sketchbook and pencil case. You pulled your knees up to your chest as you shifted your sitting position on the bench, so you were sitting sideways. You propped up the sketchbook on your lap as you took your pencil and eraser from your pencil case.

You flipped your sketchbook to a blank page. You gripped your pencil firmly and stared at the blank page and closed your eyes in frustration when you couldn’t seem to come up with an idea of what to draw. You couldn’t concentrate, disturbed by the noise around the school park: lots of students chatting and joking; the shouts coming from the soccer field just beside the park; similar noises coming from the basketball court.

You tilted your head back as you looked up at one of the windows of the school building, your eyes fixated at one particular window that was clearly visible from your current position in the park. The only window of the art club room that was facing the park. You sighed heavily once again as you tore your gaze away from said window, trying to focus on the sketchbook.

Whenever you wanted to draw in your spare time at school, you would go to the art club room. The best thing about that room was that the room was only used for art club activities, and when there wasn’t any club meeting going on, the room would remain unlocked and conveniently empty. Quiet and peaceful. Perfect spot for sketching things, undisturbed.

But you had come to the art club room, opening the door, only to pause at the sight of Ms. Go’s table, and the memories of that day came rushing to you. It was ridiculous, and you berated yourself for avoiding the room because of such a stupid reason. But you just couldn’t stay in the room.

So here you were, on the bench.

You finally gave up on trying to think of some beautiful thing to draw and just began to sketch a nearby tree, when suddenly something blocked the sunlight, casting a shadow over you. You looked up to see Howon sitting down on the bench beside you, panting. He obviously had been running.

“Hey, why are you not in the art club room? I thought you ditched me or something.”

“I don't know. Just felt like being in the park,” you said, as you sketched one of the branches of the tree.

“Hm. Okay,” Howon said, before his eyes lit up as he changed the subject. “By the way, I need to tell you something.”

You took in his expression before going back to sketching the tree, focusing on the leaves, this time. “Yeah?”

“I… I’m seeing someone,” he confessed, and even though you were looking at your sketchbook, you could tell that he was staring at you expectantly. Maybe he was expecting you to be surprised or shocked.

You held back from saying I know, congratulating him instead. “Ah, congratulations,” you said, looking up with a small smile. “Let me guess, is it… Ms. Go?”

He blinked, caught off-guard. “Uh, yes. It’s her. Um, how did you know?”

You leaned forward, smirking at him. “Uh, I don’t know. Maybe from you always creepily staring at her?”

Howon laughed, a tint of pink in his cheeks. The sight of Howon blushing was a rare sight, you noted absentmindedly. He slapped your knees. “Oh, shut up.”

You flashed him a playful grin in return. Howon smiled, as he leaned back in his seat. “I always thought she was pretty… But I just started liking her a few months ago.”

You tried your best to ignore the pain as your heart clenched at his words. You rolled your eyes to mask your genuine feelings. “Believe me, I know. That was when all the creepy staring started.”

Howon glared at you. “Will you shut up already?” He rebuked sharply, but there was no heat behind it, as he was biting his lower lip to keep from smiling.

“Hey,” you lowered your voice, reaching for his hand and squeezing it softly, “I’m happy for you.” It wasn’t entirely true, but it wasn’t a lie. No matter what happened, at the end of the day, you were still his best friend and seeing him happy made you happy, too.

Howon softened as he squeezed your hand in return. “Thanks. It means a lot. I hate the thought of dating someone my best friend doesn’t approve of,” he admitted as he looked into your eyes.

You tilted your head slightly, curious.

“But even if I didn’t approve, it wouldn’t stop you, wouldn’t it?”

Howon shook his head, laughing. “Probably not.” You smiled weakly. Howon wasn’t one of those people who would let something like that get in the way of him being with someone he loved.

He patted your knee lightly, giving you a look. “Sometimes it scares me that you know me so well.”

You simply smiled in reply.