He starts off jogging on his spot and then jogs forwards and backwards. Pumping his arms up and down in rhythm with his steps, keeping the elbows bent and the fists soft. He bends his knees, as he stands with his feet shoulder-width apart and his hands stretched out. He rose his head to breathe in deeply and,

“Hah!” He exhaled.

It was a warm up exercise for their PE class, because all of them will be doing a 50-metre-dash. The purpose of this test is to determine acceleration, maximum running speed and speed endurance.

Running is his forte.

He finishes his warm up with a crack on his neck and knuckles; he’s ready to take the test. He was about to approach his teacher to volunteer for the first runner, but someone grabbed his shirt behind him; he turns around and faced the girl with Brunette hair.

“Jongin, have you seen Taeyeon?”

“I don’t know but she said she’ll be back.”

“Are you sure? She isn’t skipping PE class again, is she?” She looked at him with a concerned face, folding her arms. She expected him to answer every questions she ask.

“Don’t worry Hwang, she’s not skipping today, not when she has her final warning.” Jongin patted Tiffany’s shoulder and smiled as a guarantee that Taeyeon will be back for class.

“Aish~ I’ll kill that kid if she decides to skip class.” She crinkled her nose and stomp her left foot on the ground.

“Trust the kid. She won’t” Jongin grins, as he turns around to approach their PE teacher.

Tiffany looks at his back and sighed. “I hope she won’t.”

• • •

Taeyeon walks by each classroom starting from the ground floor. She was searching for the cute girl whom she met two days ago. Her face was still clear from her memory; she didn’t give up the search until she finds her. She dragged her feet to the stairs going to the 2nd floor of the building. She realized there's no use of looking for her since she doesn't know what year section she belongs to. She paused in her pace as the door slides open.


Her former homeroom teacher went out of the classroom and was eyeing at her. She approached Taeyeon and talked to her.

“Taeyeon, what are you doing here? You know classes are going on and you shouldn’t be loitering around the corridors.” She said in a kind voice.

“Sorry Ms. Han”

Ms. Han patted her head.

“Are you searching for someone?” She teases her.

Taeyeon didn’t answer.

“Well, go back to your class. Find that person when it’s not class hour” She pinched her cheeks lightly and smiled.

“Yes Ms. Han” She bows and walks away. Teachers were supposed to be confiscating the IDs of the students loitering around the corridors while classes are going on. But Ms. Han didn’t confiscate hers; she’s too kind to Taeyeon.

Taeyeon sighed in defeat, dragging herself to go back to her PE class. If she wouldn't go back, she’ll be sent again in the prefect of discipline for cutting class. But this time it’s scarier since she was given the last warning, or else they will be calling her mom to come to school. She doesn’t want to give her mom a heart attack if she knows that her daughter is behaving different at school. She's avoiding that scenario.

She walks down the stairs and saw the girl she was looking for. She stopped and stood still on the fourth step of the stairs. Gawking at her, she was petrified by an angelic beauty that she thought only Tiffany could posses. Unconsciously, Taeyeon dropped her jaw slightly open.

The girl looked at her in surprise. She didn’t expect to see Taeyeon right in front of her. Although she had always hoped for this kind of encounter, but seeing her standing on the stairs, looking at her, is giving her a flinch. Her heart is thumping like crazy; she wondered how a girl could make her feel this way.

She doesn’t understand herself. She pursed her lips; she wanted to break her tense into a conversation. It's her chance to talk to her but her voice box wasn’t functioning properly.

She became mute.

And begins to get more nervous.

She froze.

“I believe this is yours?” Taeyeon spoke first, as she gets the panda strap out of her pocket. She handed it to her.

The girl nods. She nervously gets it on Taeyeon’s hand, as their skin touched each other. “T-thank you…” She stuttered.

Taeyeon rubs her nape. “No problem, really…” She smiled sheepishly.

“T-Taeyeon.. sunbaemin..?”

Taeyeon was shocked, the girl knows her name and it’s the first conversation they have. She felt unfair for not knowing her name. It made her got intrigued why the girl knew her name. She’s not even that popular. She doesn’t know that some of her schoolmates know her. Does Taeyeon know she’s also one of the cutest girls in the campus?

She doesn’t have an idea about that.

“How did you know my name?” Taeyeon asked.

“I saw you in the school article, the one who got hit by a ball…”

Taeyeon immediately remembers the ty article published by the news club few months ago. It really embarrassed her a lot! She hated that cheap trash news about her being hit on the face. She thought AllKpop was the only one who publishes such crappy news, so was her school too. She massaged her nose bridge and snorted.

“As I thought.” She sighed heavily, annoyed and embarrassed at the same time. “I know, I look dumb and funny. Yeah~ I get that a lot. I hate that news club.” She groaned.

“Oh no, for me it was cute.” She smiled.

“I kno─ what!?“ Taeyeon raised her voice in surprise.

“I think it’s… cute.” Her face flushed as she cups her cheeks of embarrassment.

“Aii~ don’t say that..” Taeyeon got embarrassed; she turned her head away to break their eye contact. She was getting anxious, she looked at the wall, the floor, the window pane, and even smallest details in that space just to avoid her eye contact. But secretly both of them were stealing glances. None of them came up of another topic, as the silence made it more awkward. Taeyeon doesn't want to cut their conversation just like that. She wants to know more about her, she finds her interesting.

Taeyeon slowly stepped down from the stairs. Reaching the bottom where the girl was standing, she realized they were equal in height. Their distance became more measurable by an arm-reach.

“May I know you name?”

The girl was definitely surprised, she didn't expect Taeyeon would ask for her name. Does Taeyeon give importance of who she is? She's just a hoobae anyway.

She forcefully opens , and spoke.

“Minri. Shim Minri” She said it in a hoarse voice. She was still nervous though. She doesn't want to make it obvious, so she wrapped it up with a genuine smile in her face.

“That’s a pretty name.” Taeyeon slips her fingers on her hair and tucks it behind Minri’s ears which made her flushed furiously. She turned her head down and bit her lips to control herself from bursting.

Taeyeon is obviously teasing her.

“Minri? Are you ok? You look so red. Are you sick?” Taeyeon pressed her palm, touching her forehead to check her temperature. But it even made Minri flushed more from her touch.

“Taeyeon sunbaemin, I-I’m fine, really... No worries…” She took her hand off her forehead, she rattled.

“You sure? I can send you to the clinic.”

“Nononono I’m fine, really! I-I’m healthy! J-just the weather. It’s hot, don’t you think so?”

Taeyeon move her hand, fanning on the mid-air. “Yeah you’re right it’s kind a hot here.” She agrees.

She started fanning Minri with her hands.

“Sunbaemin─” She winced back as Taeyeon was moving closer to her. Her heart sank in nervousness.

“You said it’s hot here. I want to cool you off.” Taeyeon winks.
 

• • •

“What took her so long? You said she’ll be back.” Tiffany scratched her head as she starting to get irritated.

“Yeah she did, keep your cool Hwang. You sounded you miss your lover already” Jongin joked. But when he saw Tiffany giving him a deadly glares he winced, he clears his throat. “Sorry, I-I was just kidding”

“Excuse me? I’m her bestfriend, it’s obvious I’m concerned about her whereabouts because I care for her. I don’t want her to end in the prefect of the discipline.” She scoffed.

She stood up on the ground and dust off her pants. “Ugh!”

“Where are you going?” Jongin asked.

“To get her of course!” Tiffany walks away from him, stepping out from the track and field. She heads inside the school building to find Taeyeon.

• • •

“I have class right now.” She broke free from Taeyeon's stare, as she steps back.

“Right.” Taeyeon was busy teasing her hoobae, she totally forgot she still have PE class to attend.

“I have to go now.” Minri bows at her and started to walk upstairs. Taeyeon immediately grabs her hand.

“Wait!”

Minri looks at her, still flushing.

“I'll walk you to class.” Taeyeon reprimanded.

“B-but you also have class t─”

“It's ok, really.” Taeyeon smiles at her gingerly.

Minri cups her face in embarrassment. Taeyeon finds it cute and adorable, she laughs.

“Taeyeon sunbaemin, don’t...” She blushed.

Taeyeon pushed her gently on the back. “Don't be shy. I said it's ok. Lead the way Minri.” She laughs.

She started dragging her feet up the stairs, but still she's hesitant to Taeyeon’s demand to walk her to class. She doesn't want to make an issue of it and moreover, she doesn't want to bother her sunbae, who's also having a class. She wants to face her courageously, and apologize to Taeyeon that she declines to be walk to class.

Minri stopped walking and turned behind. Her hair flew in the air, whipping like sharp blades; it eventually hit Taeyeon's eyes.

“Ow!”

Taeyeon groans, as her eyes were totally shut. It got hurt by the accidental hair whipped. She winced, and stepped her foot back, she forgot her step was elevated from the next step. She did not manage her balance, she felt like there's no way she can do anything but to fall. Her adrenaline rush activated, as her hand automatically respond to grab something. She half consciously grabbed Minri's arm and eventually both of them fell off the stairs.

Taeyeon's back hit the cold floor but she didn't feel much pain from it. Taeyeon’s back is as solid as steel. She couldn’t imagine if Minri was the one who fell. It would have hurt her seriously, thank goodness it wasn’t her. She thought. She opened her eyes and blinked thrice. She felt the weigh and realized Minri was on her top; leaning.

Minri raised her head and looked at Taeyeon's eyes. “Taeyeon sunbaemin are you hurt!?”

She looks directly in her orbs with a concerned face. But she finds Taeyeon just smiling at her, she was confused. But then she realized their body was pressing each other, furthermore she was top on her. The gap of their faces was just one span of a human hand to be exact in measurement. She cringes in tense; she can feel Taeyeon's warmness. It made her mind gone short circuit. Oblivion of doing next was explicit. Her body froze, as her heart starts to beat fast. She swallowed hard.

“It's ok. Don't worry I'm fine.” Taeyeon smiled at her, patting her head to assure her that everything was alright.

Suddenly someone loudly clearing .

Taeyeon and Minri looked at their left side, as they saw the girl in brunette hair standing on the side. Minri immediately stood up and helped Taeyeon to get up from lying on the floor. She grabbed her hands and pulls her up. Taeyeon stood up and flattens her rumpled uniform. She looks at Minri and helps her dust off her skirt.

“I'll be going now” Minri bows at her sunbaes and walks up the stairs to go back in her class.

Taeyeon looks at Tiffany, who was raising her left eyebrow and was glaring at her like she owes an explaination.

“Whattt??” Taeyeon asked in confusion.

“Yeah right, a freshmen? Really?” Tiffany scoffs.

“I was just returning something to her”

“Ahh... Like leaning on top of you?” She folded her arms crossed.

“No~ ...” Taeyeon holds the bridge of her nose and puts her right hand down. “Look. I was just returning her missing phone strap, and... what are you doing here anyway? “

“I'm here for you!” She started raising her voice.

Taeyeon raised her left eye brow.

“I'm here for you 'cos I know you'll be skipping your most hated class. I was assuming that you were in the rooftop sleeping like Sleeping Beauty again, but no~ you're flirting with the first year student who was on top of you.” She rolled her eyes.

Flirting?!!

“So what if I am?” Taeyeon shot back.

“I don't care Kim Taeyeon. I just want you to go back to class.”

“Really?!”

“Yes! Really!”

“Fine. I'm going, Miyoung!”

Taeyeon walks passed Tiffany, as she heads down to the ground floor. Both of them got pissed on each other. As their day ends with bad vibes. Obviously another day for another usual arguemnent for the both of them.

• • •

She crushed the milk in her palms, as the liquid flows down. It dripped on the floor; she throws it away, as it fell on the ground accidentally hitting a student. Jongin grabbed Taeyeon swiftly off the edge of the roof top to avoid being spotted by the person below.

“Are you nuts! We’ll get caught here!”

“I hate her! I hate her! I hate her!” Taeyeon’s brows meet on the center. She greeted her teeth and stomp on the floor.

“I told you. Move on. Hwang’s a ─”

“ you! Don’t ever say that to her!” She raised her index finger to Jongin.

“I didn’t mean as like bad a thing. What I mean was the other way of as, .. Like an expre─ ow whatever~ you won’t probably get it!” He whipped his hands in the mid-air.

“I don’t really get it.” Taeyeon sat on the bleachers. She frowns.

“I know. Because has many meanings─”

“I wasn’t talking to that!”

“Ow, then what is it?”

“Ugh!” She wiped her sticky wet hands with her hankie. “I don’t really get her. Sometimes she acts like she doesn’t want me, and then the next things she’ll do is WANT ME. It’s getting unfair. I don’t want this anymore, Jongin.”

Tiffany is like a literature book. You need to understand the words deeply before you figure out what it meant. That’s how complicated Hwang Miyoung is for Taeyeon.

“You keep saying you’re tired but you keep coming back to her─“

“Because she keeps pulling me back and when I’m back, she’ll push me away again. The next day she'd be wanting a boyfriend, but she got furious when she caught us. I just don’t understand!”

“Wait wait wait... What do you mean by ‘she caught us?’ ”

“Oh just a hoobae─”

“That’s it! Make her jealous! Date that hoobae to make Tiffany jealous and bam! REVENGE!”

“What are you stupid!? I’m not evil like you! I don’t do dates for fun! And mostly I don’t want to hurt the hoobae’s feelings.” She leans her back and crosses her legs. “I’m totally not taking advantage of her, especially when she’s so obviously crushing on me.”

“What?  Really?” Jongin laughs. “I didn’t know there were so many gays in this school. You make a good president in the gay club.”

“ you!” She glares at him.

“Seriously, try opening your heart for other people. It’s the only way to move on. Trust me.” Jongin stood up and walks to the door.

“Jongin, where are you going?”

“Somewhere.”

“Are you paying him a visit?” Taeyeon guessed.

Jongin shrieked in surprise. “Just. Somewhere! Leave me be!” He opens the door and stepped inside.

“Ok if you say so.”

She looks at her hankie.

It was pink.

She’s not fond of pink.

Obviously it wasn’t hers.

Tiffany was the owner of it.

She folds it neatly and puts it inside her pocket.

She sighed.

Taeyeon thought deeply on Jongin’s words. Will it be able to forget her feelings if she starts dating? Will she move on from Tiffany, who’s been giving her mixed signals? Her decisions are still vague as she doubts the idea. What if she fails loving others and end up hurting them? She doesn’t really want that to happen but she’s totally willing to make herself fall for others just to forget Tiffany.

It’s for the best.

She rests her face on her palm trying to elude herself from her thoughts; she breathes deeply.

“How could I do that?” She muttered.