They said we were too young.

It was just another teenage love story. A story that I didn't expect to happen. A love that I didn't expect to bloom. A guy that I didn't expect to love and love me back.

2010

It all started in a simple event at school. Different classes have a performance to make. There was a group of boys that were dancing, being the small girl I am, I pulled my friend and went to the front to watch the performance. And there he was. It was not the first time I saw him, because he was at the same school as me, although we were not classmates. But I can tell that it was the first time I saw him differently, I was awed by his smooth moves as the group dance. They were all synchronized but he just had this something that made me just stare at him. When the dance ended, I clapped my hands and smiled, my eyes still glued to him.

He also smiled with his group as they bowed to the audience around, and when his eyes met mine, he had this expression on his face, like surprised or something that I couldn't explain. Then the group went away. My friend pulled me now to go at another part and watch the other performances.

I already forgot about that boy, the event was already weeks ago and I haven't even seen him again at school, considering that our school was not really big. Or maybe it was really just because I didn't look for him. I'm always inside the classroom, on my seat and don't really mind the others. When there's no teacher, unlike my other classmates who roam around the room and sometimes hang out in the hallways, I just stay at my seat, talking with my friends or just staring out the window, being quiet.

It's that one Wednesday morning when I saw him again. The homeroom teacher announced that we are free for two periods because of a faculty meeting. As expected, my classmates were so happy and jump with joy. Me? Of course I like it too, who wouldn't want a break once in a while from studying right? But unlike them, I didn't jump with excitement; I just smiled at my friends and mouthed 'Yes'

I stayed at my seat again, having small chitchats with my friends once in a while. Four guys entered our room, I noticed that two of them were my classmate and I'm sure that the others are from another class. They went over to the desk of one of my classmates at the front before my classmate take out a CD from his bag. Boy's stuffs, I know. I was about to take my gaze off of them when I noticed that one of those boys from the other class is looking at my direction, more over he's looking straight at me. And that was the time I realize that it's him. The one that I watched danced.

My friend suddenly asked me something causing for me to look away from him and faced my friend. We have talked for a while before I excuse myself from them to go to the toilet. I walked out of our classroom and headed to my destination, entered a stall and finished my business. The boys' washroom is just across the girl's, the two doors facing each other and when I went out I saw him there walking out of the boys' washroom at the exact time as me. I didn't know why but I was a bit surprised to saw him there that I stopped in my track and just look at him. Noticing me, he also stopped and looks at me. Not knowing what to do, and I can already feel the awkwardness creeping up, I look away from him and just walk ahead, without knowing that I keep my poker face and didn't even smile a bit or bow to him. I just walk back to the classroom when I heard someone called me, but I don't know if it was me being called because it's just a hey. Just then I felt that someone is already walking beside me. I look up to that person and it's him. "Hey" he said with a smile.

But instead of answering, I just kept my poker face and stared at him blankly. He awkwardly smiled not knowing what to do. I felt guilty for making him feel like that so I answered him "Uhm,, hi?". Looking at me, he smiled again "Sorry, I know you don't know me. I shouldn't be just approaching you like this" He said and scratched the back of his neck. "It's okay, I'm sorry too... for uhm making you feel awkward" I answered. "No it's fine, it's also my fault, like I said I should be just talking to you like you know me" he said.

I look ahead and we're still walking together. "So why did you call me, I mean do you need something?" I asked. "Nothing really, I just notice that you're my friend's classmate and uhm also I saw you at the event when we danced, I just wanted to say hi?" He said like he wasn't sure of what he's talking about. My mouth formed an 'o' shape, so he remembered me? That's unusual, I think. "You remembered?" I asked and looked at him and he looks like he's in panic with what I said. I didn't notice that we're already in front of my classroom, before he answered me, I just said "nevermind that" and entered the classroom by the backdoor and went to my seat. I just talked to my friends again and noticed him entered the classroom and went to his friends. When the second period finished, he and his classmate went back to their own classroom and that's the last time I saw him on that day.

The following day was unexpected; or rather what happened the following day was unexpected. I saw him again, before I entered our classroom. He's standing at the hallway, outside their classroom. That's the day I realized that our classrooms were just beside each other. And I wonder how I don't see him that often before, oh right I'm a freaking nerd, that's how the others labeled me but I'm not really like that, I'm not a super smart girl that is just with books all day, but just a girl who's too shy and lazy to socialize that much. I saw him talking with his friends so I just walk ahead but then he looked at me and said "Hi!" with his beautiful smile. Okay now why do I really find his smile attractive? When he greeted me, I was a bit shock, so I just stared at him for a while before greeting him back. Then he walked with me to my classroom.

"So uhm... am I creeping you out?" he asked "No of course not" I said. "Oh, it's just uhm...may I know your name? You know if it's okay with you" he asked. I was a little unsure but hey it's just my name so I answered him "I'm Byun Daeun, and you?" "Jimin, Park Jimin" he said and offered a handshake which I gladly accepted. That unexpected awkward introduction unexpectedly starts the friendship between us. A friendship that will grow into love. A love that will turn to a goodbye. Just like that day, everything is unexpected.

From that day on, we became friends. During free time, he'll not only visit his friends on our classroom but also me. During lunch, he would invite me to go to that canteen with him. We always walk out the school together until at the intersection that leads us to our houses. He became the reason that I am now leaving my seat during free times. I learned a lot about him, he likes to dance, he likes to eat and he always has a joke to crack. Not all are funny but his cute face makes me laugh more than I should.

Our friendship didn't end when we graduated from middle school, since we enrolled at the same high school and fortunately, became classmates.

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2012

I was reading my notes one morning when someone called my name. I knew it was him since I knew his voice. I turned my head to the left to look at him who was sitting behind me, but a finger poked my cheeks. "Yah" I said in a warning voice and gave him a sharp stare but he just laughed at me "You!" I said and turn my body to him so I can fully reach for his left cheek and pinch it. "Aww aww stop it please!" he begged. I stuck out my tongue at him before letting go of his cheek. "It hurts" He said while caressing his left cheek. "Want to make it even?" I asked, preparing my hands to pinch his other cheek. "No!" He protested and held my hand and we both laugh

"Jimin, the teacher wants to see you in her office" the class president who just entered the room said. We both look at each other, his face seemed asking me why, but I just shrugged my shoulders. "What for?" He asked. "I don't know" our class pres said. "You're in trouble" I joked to him as he stood and he stuck out his tongue at me before leaving the class.

When he came back we already had a teacher so it means that I have to wait for lunch before I could hear the news. After a load of boring subjects, lunch finally came and the class came rushing out of the classroom. I went to the cafeteria with my friends and eat with them. After I finished my meal, I was just drinking milk and looked at the table where Jimin and his friends were. He was also looking at me and smiled at me before saying goodbye to his friends and walked out of the cafeteria. With that, I also stand "I'll go ahead" I told my friends and followed Jimin. I saw him along the hallways walking casually with his hands inside his pocket "Jiminnie pabo!" I called as I ran and jumped to him, causing for him to lost his balance but caught up immediately

"Yah! How many times I told you don't ran to me like that. What if I fell to the floor? It'll ruin my handsome face" He said. "Tss, handsome whatever pfft" I said and walked ahead of him to the stairs. We walked quietly until we reached the rooftop. We went to our usual place and I sat on the floor while he lay down. I get a lollipop from my pocket and unwrap it before putting it in his mouth, getting another one for myself after. It was always like this, we always finish our lunch earlier and then we will went to the rooftop to just look at sky and chat while eating lollipops.

"So, what did the teacher told you?" I asked starting the conversation. "We'll..." he sat up and looked at me "Remember when I and teacher Kim went to Seoul? I told you that I tried auditioning right?" he told me. "Hmm" I nodded "wait don't tell me?" "I got accepted!" He cheered. I widened my eyes, of course I was happy for him. "OMO! Yah Jimin really?! Wow!"

"Yes!" and we jumped in joy. "But..." he suddenly stopped jumping and seems that something is bothering him "Why?" I asked. "When I'm a trainee already, I won't be seeing you often" he said with sadness in his eyes.

I got sad too with that, of course, because Jimin is someone so dear to me, but I smiled at him. "Jimin, it's your dream right? It's not an easy path and along the way to success we really should sacrifice. I know that you'll be busy and we will lessen our hangout time, but we will still see each other. It's not like you're not going back for school" I said, reassuring him. "But, they said I have to transfer school" he said "What?" "It'll be a lot easier if I'll go to a school in Seoul once I started training so I can't visit Busan too much." I didn't see that coming. Maybe because I was just too happy for him, because finally the opportunity came to him. With the time I spent being his friend, there's never a time that he wouldn't tell me about his dreams, and I'm a witness that he's really working hard for it. We were dreaming together, but were not prepared when the dream becomes real and hit us. When we dream, we only think of happy thoughts, but of course with reality, it's not always happiness. "So?" he asked, breaking my thoughts "What?" "Will I accept it?"

"Why are you asking me? It's your life, it's your dream. You should decide" "But—" "Jimin, whatever you choose, I'll still be here for you. And you'll still be my friend right? Or you'll forget me once you're famous?" I joked, and unexpectedly he hugged me. He hugged me so tight as if he never want to let me go "Hey hey I know you'll miss me, but I can't breathe" I said tapping his back, he let go but when he did, I saw tears in his eyes.

That's the first time that I saw him cry. He was Park Jimin after all, he never showed that he's weak. "J-jimin? Yah! Why are you crying?" "I'll miss you" "Yah! Stop cying!" I said and punch his chest, because seeing him cry makes me cry too. "Can I hug you again?" He asked, I didn't answer but I'm the one who hugged him first this time. "I'm sorry" he said "Why are saying sorry now?" "Because I'll leave you alone here" "Yah, one day I'll audition too and follow you to Seoul haha" I joked "Really?" "Kidding" "Yah!"he said, but hugged me tighter making me surprised. And just when I thought I won't be surprised anymore that day, he just said three words, those three words that I loved to hear from him, those three words that I never thought he would say to me "I love you".

"I love you too" I answered, without thinking. Maybe because that's what I really wanted to say, maybe because that's what I felt too. But I hope that our confession for each other is not too late.