Oh Sehun looked up at the board, then back down, scribbiling the notes onto the paper infront of him. He sighed, putting down his pencil when he had completed it. His right hand had been throbbing for the past fifteen minutes and he surely was glad that he could finally set his pencil down. He checked his watch to discover there was only two minutes left of class. He packed up his bag and watched the hands on his watch tick. Just as it read 3:00(exactly by the second) the bell  rang. The students stood, bowed and thanked the teacher, and left. 
    The hallways were crowded as always. Laughter echoed loudly enough to cover the sound of the bell. Boys were running around, trying to tag eachother, and girls giggled on the side. Suddenly, the girls on the side fixed thier posture and didnt forget to shoot a death glare to the few boys who still had not cleared the pathway. The loud hallway fell to a calm hum for the oh-so-loved boy who walked past. Oh sehun gave a slight smile, despite how uncomfortable he felt, as he walked by. Just as he reached the end of the hallway, the chatter and laughter began again. He stopped and turned to look at the crowded mess, silently wishing he could be apart of it. 
    Sehun was a highly respected student. Why, you ask? Well, besides his dashing looks, Sehun was only a freshman but was highly intelligent. Infact, he was ranked first in his class. Heck, he was ranked first throughout the entire school. Though he didn't make a big deal about it, the school did. He had barely been in this school for a year now, but the teachers never forgot to say hello. Once in a while, the principal would even call him into the office for a small chat. All the girls in the school always gave him gifts and giggled when he walked by. The boys always asking if he'd like to join in a game of basketball(in which he mostly refused). When he walked in the hallway, the crowd would part like the Red Sea did for Moses. That was the sort of power he had in the school. Yet, for some reason, he didn't like it. 
    As he turned back around, he felt an arm, slide around the back of his neck and the loud laughter of his hyung. 
    "Sehun-ah, you got money with you? Mind buying me lunch?", his hyung asked. Kim Jongin, or better known as Kai, was covered in sweat. 
    "Hyung, you stink", Sehun laughed, covering his nose. 
    "I just got out of PE", Kai replied, dropping his arm from Sehuns shoulder. Together they walked down the schools steps.
    "Wheres the others?"
    "Probably somewhere by the front, waiting for us", Kai shrugged, sighing.  Just then a girl from the side called out. 
    "Kai Oppa, have a nice day!", she said with a smile. Kai was quite popular with the girls too. Well all of Sehun's friends were eye-catching. Though they all had different attractive points. Kai's being his undeniably suave smirk. And not to mention his great dancing skills. 
    "Thanks", Kai turned around now facing this  unfamiliar face, walking backwards. "hope you do too, beautiful", he winked, turning away, catching up to Sehun who had already walked ahead. Behind them, they could hear the sound of her group of friends squealing. Kai was a huge flirt but had a big heart. He knew his limits. 
    "Ah, hyung, was the wink really necessary?", Sehun asked. 
    "Howd you know I winked at  her?"
    "did you hear how loud they shrieked?", Sehun scoffed. Ahead of them, four boys stood, awaiting their arrival. 
    "Yah, lets go get some chicken!", Suho, the eldest called. "Im paying!" Sehun and Kai jogged the rest of the distance upon hearing this proposal. Sehun sighed in relief, glad he didnt have to pay for Kai. 
    "I was craving chicken", Kai smiled.
          "You're always craving chicken", the member in front of him mumbled with a blank face. 
        "Chicken is the best food in the world, Hyung. When will you realize that?", Kai said with a chuckle, hanging his arm around the back of his Hyungs neck and pulling him along as he walked. 
"You're lucky you're tall", He scowled. This Hyung, Do Kyungsoo but usually referred to as D.O, was older than Kai by a year but was much shorter. It was something he was teased about on a daily basis. 
Chanyeol, the happy virus of the group, skipped ahead of his friends with that signature smile of his that seemed to cover half of his face. Who knows what was going through his head? His mind was always running. Like a shark, if it stopped for even a moment, Chanyeol might just drop dead. 
    “Yah! Wait up for me!”, a black-haired boy called out, his backpack slung around his right shoulder. 
    “Nah”, Chanyeol called back, picking up his pace. 
    “Kaebsong~”, he playfully frowned. The always shining and bubbly Baekhyun ran to catch up with Chanyeol. Baekhyun was a senior but his maturity level was lower than Sehun's. Not to mention his intelligence. But then again, no one in their group of friends could out smart Sehun. 
    So with Chanyeol and Baekhyun racing eachother in front, and the others following behind, this group of friends walked along, with empty stomaches, and a mind set on chicken. 

Their table was a mess. Crumpled napkins, half empty cups of water, and plates of chicken bones covered the table. The boys leaned back in their seats, resting thier stomaches. 
    Suho got up, walked over to the register, and pulled out his card to pay. As he walked back, putting his wallet into his back pocket, Sehun got up and patted his back. 
    "Thanks for paying this time, Hyung".
    "Aish, when do I not pay? You're the richest one here, but why am I always treating you", he scolded.
    "When I inherit the company, just come by. Ill get you a job", Sehun laughed. 
    "Yah, you becoming my boss would be more embarassing!"
    "Fine", Sehun continued to laugh "Ill pay the next time we go out to eat".
    "You always say that", Suho scowled, walking towards the table, where the boys were now shooting eachother with spit balls. 
    "Yah, look at the mess you guys are making! Dont make the ajumma's job harder. Lets go", he beckoned. 
    They stood from their seats almost immediately and pushed in thier chairs. They skipped out of the restaurant, holding thier jackets over thier shoulders. 
    "Where to now?", Kai asked, pulling out a piece of gum to chew on. 
    "give me one", D.O asked.
    "No way, this is my pack", Kai laughed, about to put it away. D.O stopped walking just in time for Kai to look up at his hyung. D.O had a blank expression on. Now, in many occasions, D.O had a blank expression. It was sort of his charm. But when you were about to get hit by him, you knew whether his face expressed it or not. This was one of those times. Kai's big smile turned into a fearful frown as he quickly pulled out a stick of gum for his hyung. D.O smiled, taking it from Kai's hand. D.O was probably the most picked on one in the group, but when his fist came out, he was the most feared. 
    "Lets go play basketball", Chanyeol suggested. 
    "Sorry hyungs, Ive got to go. Ive got to finish writing out the chinese characters. Its due tomorrow. Maybe next time", Sehun apologized, already beginning to walk the opposite direction. 
    "Ah, I forgot about that", Kai sighed.
    "Youre always missing out on the fun",  Chanyeol chimed. 
    "Well, being a genius doesnt come easy", Sehun shrugged with a laugh. 
    "Just dont do it, im sure itd barely effect your grade", Baekhyun tried to convince him. He shook his head to say no and baekhyun sighed in defeat. Sehun was the type to do whaat he was told. He always did his homework and did as his parents told him to. He avoided getting into trouble as much as possible and most importantly, he never took risks. He never believed that risks were sometimes a good thing. He believed risks were always bad. He believed risks makes situations harder and he did not have the time to clean up the mess it makes. 
    "Yeah, Whatever, but you better come next time", Baekhyun warned. 
    "Arasso. I promise ill make time", Sehun said, waving."See you guys tomorrow". He turned around, facing his back to his group of friends. The sound of thier laughter becoming faint with each step he took. 
    The sun was just beginning to set but still managed to shine down on Sehun. His caramel brown hair sort of glistened in the sunlight. He listened to the rustling trees and watched the people walking past him, yet the whole scene seemed sort of dull. Then again, everything seemed colorless when he wasnt with his friends. 

    *SEHUN POV*
    The leaves were falling off the branches as the wind blew. It was cold and i softly cursed at the wind. Making my way home everything seemed the same. The same dull sidewalks and people taking strolls. Somehow, life had become so dull for me. The laughter from children and giggles from couples didnt sound as heartwarming as it once was. 
  Wanting nothing more than to be at home, i quickly sped up my pace. I entered my neighborhood, walking toward my home. Then suddenly, i heard a squeaking. At first, it didndt seem like a big deal, but then it didnt go away. I stopped, listening. It was clearly from the rusted swings in the old playground- no one visited that playground. Not since I, as well as the other kids in the neighboorhood grew up, anyway. We got to old to use it, and we havent had a new family move here in years. No one could really afford it. And though, logically, it made sense that it was just a little kid, probably new to the neighborhood, something in my heart told me to go check it out. So, I did. 
    Well, it was definitely someone new, but clearly not a kid. Infact, she seemed to be around my age. But she seemed to be having the time of her life, swinging on the swings. Despite her age and despite the fact the swings were old, she was smiling and looking up to the sky as she swung back in forth. Her legs swung in sinchronization with the movement of the swing. She swung back with so much force, it rocked the whole swing set, but it didnt seem to bother her. Her smile remained unfazed and the swing set avoided colapsing. It seemed almost as if her laughter gave that old swingset thenstrength to hold up. As she swung down her feet kicked up the leaves on the ground, proving see was taller than the structures purpose. And still she didn't care. And she was so beautiful. 
    Suddenly the blowing wind didnt seem so cold and the sound of laughter didnt sound dull. Infact, it was a bit more comforting. Time seemed to stop at that moment, her laugh suddenly amplifying. and I've never believed in love at first sight, but as i felt my heart begin to beat faster, i realized this was exactly that. And incouldnt figure out what it was exactly that made her so interesting. Maybe it was her smile. Maybe it was how different she was because i can assure you, no other freshman in this neighborhood would be caught dead here. Maybe it was the way her laughter rang loudly or the way her hair sashayed so perfectly. Or maybe it was just how happy and careless she looked but something about her made this seemingly dull place shine so brightly. And i liked that. I liked her. Yet, i didnt even know a single thing about her. Like her age. Or her name. Or where shes from. Or her favorite color. Or the reason she was even here in the first place. And that is exactly what was so funny about thissituation. It's reckless. Imature. Unstable. A shot in the dark. Risky. It was everything i was not and everything i was against, but i wanted to pursue it. I wanted to like her despite the calculations that said it was wrong. 
      And suddenly she got up and made her way to the entrance and locked the gates. Suddenly, i felt panicked and sat on the bench beside me and took out my phone. I stared at the black screen and concentrated to the sounds of her footsteps. They got louder and louder and louder until she was right infront of me, and she smelt of perfume. But it was only for a second because she didnt stop. She didnt stop to stare at me or question why someone was actually sitting on the bench by the old abandoned playground. then again, how would she know no one came around here? She just kept walking. And when she passed me, i looked up and only had the view of her back.
    Her steps had a an extra skip in them and i swear, i could faintly hear her humming a song. And somehow, without even a word spoken to me, i had a few more things to add to the list of things i liked about her.
    The girl with no name. 
    Would fate bring her past me again?

    I sat at my desk, finishing up the last character, then setting my pencil down. I looked out my window to see the dark, empty sky. It boggled my mind how endless space was. There really was no end to the sky, i thought, staring. Suddenly, i remembered that girl from the playground. I didnt know much about her, but i knew one thing; she lived here. How else would she have gotten to the abandoned playground?  But that still left all the important questions unanswered. Like what her name was. what school she went too. What things she good at and what things she likes to do. Everything I want to know about her. I walked over to my bed, closing my eyes. 
    If I prayed for it, would I be able to see her again? Would I ever see her again? If she were to cross my path again, would it be the act of fate or coincidence? And with this thought, I went to bed. 

*JIHYUNS POV*
    "Heres your new home!", the real estate agent announed as the truck came to a stop. I took a look at the house in front of me. It was much bigger than I had imagined. Though, it was everything I dreamed of. I ran inside, taking a look around. The two story house was quite luxurious. With a kitchen the same size of the living room, and a closest the same size as the master bathroom, I just knew I was going to like it here.
    "Are you really going to be okay here alone?", the real estate agent asked for the thousandth time. 
    "Im sure. My parents should be back from the states in a couple of months'', i lied as the movers brought in the furniture. 
    "Well, if you need anything just call. i might just be your real estate agent, but think of me as an aunty", She smiled at me. i nodded. "Well, Ive got to go. Dont forget to call me when you have the time!", she waved one final time, leaving. 
    I waited in the yard as my furniture was being arranged. Out of my backpack, I pulled out an envelope. Just before I could peek inside, a mover came out. 
    "We're done", He announced. I nodded an dropped the envelope, got up, and escorted him out. With the keys already around my neck, I decided to go out for a walk.

    I took my time walking. The neighborhood was quiet, but I could still pick out the smallest sounds; Footsteps. Leaves rustling. Doors opening. I hummed to myself, trying to block out those tiny sounds. Trying to forget everything I've learned to do since I was little. I was a new person now. I was Park Jihyun. 
  As I approached the middle of the neighborhood, a creaking sound caught my attention. I stopped in my place and stopped humming, determining which direction it was coming from. Okay, maybe these skills will be helpful once in a while. 
  I turned to my right and continued my stride, determined to find what I assumed to be a swing set. Within a couple of minutes, I found it. 
  The playground was surrounded by a gate. I skipped my way over, only to discover a lock on the entrance. I slumped my shoulders and sighed. I pulled out a hair pin, promising myself this will be the very last time I do this and silently asked god for forgiveness. 
  Using the hairpin, I unlocked the lock within seconds. I smiled happily to myself, and walked into the gates. That was when I spotted the three keys dangling around my neck with the middle one labeled- Playground. 
  Are you ing kidding me? 
  I went straight for the swingset, trying to remember the last time I had been on one. 
  I settled onto the swing, and swung myself back and forth. 
  Though it was long ago, I can still remember that giddy feeling at the bottom of my stomach when my father pushed me. When I reached my highest peak, it felt as if I might fall right off. But I didn't. And at that age, that was probably the most happiest time of my life. My mother laughed on the side, screaming 
  "Yeobo, don't push to hard! She might fall off!"
  Her hair was a light brown in the sunlight. Her lipstick was a a pinkish shade and her laugh sounded like bells. I remember almost everything about my mother, but her laugh is the most memorable feature. Though it's been almost a decade since I've heard it.
 After her death, things were never really the same. My dad never pushed me on the swings or even brought me to a park for that matter. Instead, he took me out to crowded streets and taught me everything he knew. He taught me to pit pocket. He taught me how to blend, disappear. He taught me to be attentive and always know your surroundings. He taught me how to sense the littlest sounds and movements. He taught me how to have multiple identities. He taught me many things. But in all, he taught me his line of business; he taught me to be him.
    But my mother, she was different. She had told me a lot of things. Like how trees are living too and the soft breeze was their laughter. She taught me that during fall, when the leaves began to fall from their trees, it was their way of crying. She taught me imaginary things that little girls would believe until they were old enough to realize how ridiculous it was. But on her death bed, as she struggled to breathe, I can never forget what she taught me that day. She told me, with barely a whisper, 
  "Life is meant to be lived. Follow your heart and make the best of it". 
  It went against everything my father taught me, but it was the one phrase I lived by. And I wondered how a person like my mother fell in love with someone as cold as my father. 

  The sound of footsteps snapped me out of my thoughts. I prepared for something to happen, but nothing did. Instead, he stood there and just watched. I didn't look directly at him, because that was how I was trained. Instead, I listened carefully to his movements. And he didn't move. So, instead, I did. I got off and made my way to the gate, locked it and walked. Well, he ran to the bench on the side and pulled out his phone. 
    I tried not to laugh at his effort to blend in. It was then that I realized he was harmless. Probably not even a bit trained. And definitely not sent by my father. It was cute though. At least he tried. I began humming to myself again, preparing to block out the little sounds throughout the neighborhood again, and walked right past him. I took a peek at his phone screen before I passed, and it was completely black. Yeah, he was definitely untrained. 
  And so, without a worry, I made my way home. 

*NARRATORS POV*
  Oh Sehun's eyes shot open, the sound of his alarm clock not haven rung yet. He quickly turned it off before it could,  as to not wake his parents. The clock read 5. He looked out the window, the sun still awakening from its rest. Seeing as there was a lot of time on his hands, he made his way to his bathroom to have a nice warm shower. It was quite odd, as usually he never had this luxury in the morning. You see, Sleep was a very precious thing to Oh Sehun. Always being up late studying, he rested every second he could. In fact, most of the time his alarm clock couldn't wake him up. One of the maids usually had to shake him awake. 
  But today was different. Something in his heart seemed to flutter and rest seemed to escape from his usually tired mind. Perhaps, today was a day to look forward to.  

Park Jihyun was far from tired and even more farther from relaxed. Like Oh Sehun, there was a fluttering sensation keeping her awake but instead, this fluttering sensation was in the pit of her stomach. Park Jihyun was nervous. 
  Being nervous wasn't completely a new thing for Jihyun, but going to school was. Jihyun can barely remember what it was like to sit in a classroom full of kids. Growing up in the line of work she did, she didn't have the luxury for people to know her name or her identity. She was always a different person everywhere she went. But of course, she was taught what other kids were taught. But instead of in a classroom, it was in a car. And instead of with a teacher, it was with her father. 
  Her father probably taught her everything she knew. Every detail and every skill.  And with a great memory, it wasn't hard for her to memorize what she was taught either. The only thing her father had not been able to teach her, was how to dream. Fortunately, her mother did. 
  Still, dreaming would not fix how nervous she felt. She put on her uniform, dusting it multiple times and repeating her introduction in front of her mirror. She went back and forth, putting her hair up and taking it back down again, not knowing which looked better. Today was a big day. And one to look forward to. 

After breakfast, at 6:45, Oh Sehun left to school. No, actually, he walked to school. Which was something he usually didn't do. Today was full of firsts for Sehun. 
  As he trudged along, kicking whatever sort of trash laid in his path, he enjoyed the cold morning air. There was something exhilarating about the way it felt against his skin. 
    As he slowly reached the corner to exit his neighborhood, he caught the slightest glimpse of dark brown hair. His breath hitched inside of his throat as he sped up his pace. He turned the corner and there she was, her back facing him. She was humming again. 
    Sehun slowly followed behind, trying his best to be quite. He found himself smiling, even though there was truly nothing to smile about. Just the fact that she was there in front of him seemed to raise his heart rate. Was this fate or pure coincidence? 
   
  Park Jihyun could hear Sehun's every step. Unlike what Sehun thought, no matter how quite he was she could still hear it. She let him follow her however, just to confirm if he was really following her. And he was. As she turned another corner, she pressed her back against the wall, waiting. 
  Sehun sped up, not wanting to lose sight of her. As he turned the corner, he felt a tug at his arm and a sudden pressure on his chest. With his back against the wall and his mind a bit shaken up, it took him a while to realize who was pinning him up against the wall. 
   Jihyun pressed against his chest harder, in hopes to intimidate him more and hell, was working. 

  *OH SEHUN*
   "Why are you following me? Did someone send you?", she asked. Her breath tickled the tip of my nose and she smelt of perfume. Fortunately she was shorter than me, so she instead of towering over me she was looking up. Her eyes weren't a significant color but something about them made me not want to look away. It had sort of a sad look hidden behind that intimidating gleam, and it made me want to hug her. But with her arm pressing against my chest, I wasn't really in the position to do so.
  "A-aniya", I stuttered. "I wasn't following you! I mean, I was, but-", I looked around, trying to find some sort of excuse. That's when I noticed her uniform. "We go to the same school! See, the same uniform", I pointed at my chest. God, I must've looked like a coward in front of her. 
  She looked me up and down, studying my uniform. Finally, she released me. I coughed and dusted myself up. I fixed my posture, hoping it'd make me look a little bit more manly. 
  "I catch you following me again, you're dead", she threatened, walking away. I followed behind slowly. She turned back around, pointing her finger at me.
  "We're going the same way", I quickly defended, backing up a bit. I tried to keep an icy tone when I spoke, but it came out more panicked than I hoped. She scowled as she turned back around, speeding up her pace. For the rest of the way, we walked in silence. 

  We entered the school gates, the sound of chatter soothing me a bit. 
  I slowly walked behind her, searching for my friends. Thankfully, they found me.
  "Is that THE Oh Sehun? What's he doing here so early?", Kai teased as they walked towards me.
   "I woke up early, so I decided to walk to school", I replied with a chuckle, watching her walk straight ahead. 
   "You okay? You look a bit shaken up", Suho asked. 
   "Yeah", I Said as she disappeared in the crowd of students. "I'm fine", I turned my attention back to the group. 
   

  
  Just as we finished our little game of basketball, the bell rang. We all picked up our backpacks, agreeing to meet up at lunch by the gym. Kai and I made our way to homeroom together while the others went to theirs. 
  I took my usual seat on the last desk in the second to the last row and leaned back. I set my backpack in the seat beside me; no one sat next to me anyway. 
  The classroom was loud just like any other morning. As the bell rang, students took their seat and waited for the teachers arrival. I leaned back in my chair, rubbing my chest and yawned. Maybe I should've slept a bit more. 
   I pulled out my notebook and pencil just to have something laying on my desk. the teacher strolled in with her usual smile on her face. The classroom came down to a hush as she began to speak. 
   "We have a new student today. Please treat her kindly", she said. She looked towards the door and waved whoever it was in. I was quite curious myself as to who we'd be welcoming to our class. But as the familiar figure strolled in, I felt more embarrassed than elated. 
  There, standing infront of the classroom, was the girl from the swings and the girl from this morning. It was a bit unbelievable that they were even the same person. And more unbelievable that we were in the same class when there was tons of other freshman homerooms she could've been placed in. Having this much encounters was definitely not the work of coincidence anymore. 
   As she walked in, her eyes scanned the room and for just a second, we locked eyes. And though it was short, it was enough for her to recognize who I was. She looked just surprised as I did, I thought. I lowered my head and picked up my pencil, scribbling my nerves away. 
   "She's quite pretty", Kai leaned over from behind me and whispered. 
    "Oh shut up", I answered back, my eyes never leaving the paper. 
    "You seem shy", Kai teased. "Do you know her?"
    "No, it's not like that", I turned around and scowled. He chuckled and leaned back in his seat and I turned back to my paper. 
   "Ahnnyounghaseyo. Joneun Jihyun imnida. Park Jihyun. Mannaseo bangaweoyo", she bowed. The whole class clapped and a few guys whistled. I guess there was going to be some competition within this class. 
   "You can sit wherever you want. There's an empty seat beside Choi Eunji... Kim Sohee and.... Oh Sehun", the teacher instructed. 
   I winced, hearing my name. As I scribbled on my paper, I prayed and prayed she would not choose the seat beside me. 
  The class was silent as she walked to choose her seat. I could hear her footsteps. And they were coming closer
And closer 
And closer
And closer.
I winced at every sound. 
Finally her footsteps stopped. Not looking up, I looked down at the floor beside my desk. Blue shoes were planted there and I sighed in defeat. She stuck her hand out for a hand shake when I finally looked up at her. She was smiling now. Much different from our encounter this morning. She tilted her head and brightened her smile. In the sweetest tone possible, she said, 
  "It's nice to meet you Oh Sehun. I'm Park Jihyun and I'll be sitting next to you for the rest of the year".