She always felt like she was inadequate.

“Suji-ah.” she whispered, her breath constructed a small fog in the snug cabin, “Are you still awake?”

Sighing at the silence, she straightened up and descended down the wooden ladder of the stiff bunk. Passing her arms through the sleeves of her thick grey wool coat and bundling her neck with a scarf the deep shade of blue.  She glanced at her friend to hear her mild snores; so distant and unreachable.

The hinges of the door screeched and echoed the room along with the tense breeze as she ambled away from her cabin.

She wanted to replace the indecent feeling with fresh air.

Her legs became anesthetized as she let herself walk absentmindedly through the forest; inhaling the frosty winter air and ogling at the snowflakes that stumbled down like pieces of paper. An hour had overhauled before she found the trees giving way to a clearing, a beautiful limpid lake that still remained azure. There were rocks and stones enclosing the lake, ranging from different sizes. Small coloured figures roamed as a flock around the lake, leaving a trail of bubbles behind.

It was simple yet so elegant. Captivating.

She needn’t to think twice before positioning herself at one of the secure rocks, her arms clutching her knees.

Staring down at her reflection somberly, she couldn’t help but wonder why she kept feeling so disorientated. So mystified.

She felt that she couldn’t be someone that they desired, couldn’t be what they required. She could barely even be what she aspired to be, or what she demanded. She detested it. She was growing weary about it.

Her gaze fell to the timid sky above her, acclaiming the celestial body. The galaxy was an immense locale, a vast home. She took note that the stars in this fragment of the province really radiated energy; they weren’t concealing themselves anymore. Shimmering. The stars in the city weren’t as articulated. It made her exhilarated. She inaudibly wished that people could be like this too. More evident. More genuine. More humane.

Starting to hum a doughy tune to diminish her boredom, she didn’t notice that her cheeks started to blotch because of her wet tears.

She was a tenacious person, little things got her down, but still there were times she’d just relinquish and let herself become vulnerable. She was that kind of girl. 'One of a kind,' he’d say.

Because she was too spellbound; too adrift in her mind, she didn’t grasp the silhouette approaching her. A fuse of mud and snow stifled his footsteps.

A guy with a pair of black-rimmed glasses ensconced himself to the stone next to her and watched her yearningly, wishing she’d stop crying. He was clothed in a white flannel shirt under his V-neck sweater and under a blue coat. His gelled hair had gone astray. Making him look much less like the nerd he was.

She hoisted her head up from her knees, as she perceived that someone had tapped her shoulder and handed her a toasty cup of Vanilla Frappuccino. Her eyes enlarged and she peered away, hiding her eyes in her scarf.

The latter then enfolded his arms around her. For such a frail-looking boy, his embrace was strong and tenacious. The warmth of another body pressing into her after so much intense cold made her almost want to cry. She hugged back hard.

“It’s okay.”

She then peered up at him as she nibbled her lip, giving a meager smile.

“Here,” the nerdy boy handed her the same cup that she had yet to accept, “Trust me. Drink some, it’ll help.”

Whiffing in the delicious aroma, she couldn’t help but cite it away from him, “Thank you.” Consuming it with a grin, she was stunned. This nerdy boy’s blending skills are so much better then she’d expected. She noted the way the cream was manipulated into the liquid and how the coffee was affixed the way she liked it. The way the bitterness was not overdone. “But what are you doing here?”

“I couldn’t sleep.”

“Ah. Me too.”

They both chuckled. The tyrannous wind and frost mixed with the amiability that only this certain boy could accord her made her blood boil.

The latter stood up, trudging for a bit off to the dark of the forest as she gawked, and watching him come back out with a few raw wooden chunks. Situating them down just about the two people and snatching two silver objects from his blue canvas backpack, which oddly hasn’t rung a bell in her mind, and enjoining them together to ignite a fire.

She was astonished at his simple yet majestic adroitness but decided to for it, “Well. I’m not surprised the school nerd knows how to ignite a fire.”

He frowned and mumbled, “Whatever.”

“Yah. I was just kidding.”

“Sure you were.”

“I was,” she spoke sheepishly, “Anyways how old are you?”

“I’m the same age as you, silly.”

“And that is?”

“Uhm… fifteen.”

“I’m the one that acts like a fifteen year old, but you’re like a child prodigy.”

The boy chortled, “I’ll take that as a compliment.”

“You know,” she stated, giggling lightly, “You talk more now. And you look less nerdy that way.” She pointed a finger at his hair.

He apprehended his mistake and commenced to smoothen his hair, caressing it back to its accustomed posture.

“Put it back up,” she demanded.

He uplifted a brow at her precipitate outburst, “And why should I?”

“Just do it.”

“Okay, okay.”

She then listed in and observed him leisurely. Although it wasn’t noticed in her countenance, she couldn’t contradict that he was gravely cute.

The latter was grateful that it was one of those dim nights, so that the rosiness on his cheeks weren’t as evident.

His eyes scanned away but promptly felt an impact under his chin, drawing his face back to her. They looked at each other in tranquility, flabbergasted, before she let her hand trace his features and considerately taking off his heavy glasses.

A gasped echoed the silence that was the deep of the night.

He was perfect. His eyes were an alluring shade of brown with blunt steaks of blue and in the absence of his spectacles; his skin became juvenile, milkier and virtue. She muddled with his hair briefly and shook her head, while he just scrutinize at her timorously.

He was beyond compare, a little too exemplary.

The boy gazed at her. It was so passionate that she flushed; so intimate she couldn't breathe, so gorgeous that she couldn't tear her eyes away. Not even for a second.

“Oh my god.”

Instantaneously, she felt her right foot get severely hot. Too hot to be customary. She almost shrieked when she saw the flame creeping up her lower limb. She felt herself be heaved and carried bridal style, by the nerdy boy whose glasses had been caught up in the blaze and he gently placed her back down, sprinting back by himself.

The latter exploited the water from the lake with his bare hands relentlessly as an endeavor to put the inferno out. Since they were in the woods, if the fire abided, it would set the whole forest ablaze.

“Go!” he cried; his voice was curt and nervous.

She finally found an excuse to hesitate.

“Seriously! Go.”

But no, she didn’t feel like she was insufficient anymore. She detected that she was the girl that made everyone lack.

“Soojung! Go!” he said, and she almost scurried off but she took a glimpse at the prior clearing to distinguish him blanketed in fire; he was burning. Bursting into a column of searing white flame. Yet he managed to stop the fire from disseminating, even if he had to sacrifice himself as their prey.

The pain on his face took hold of her heart and squeezed it, wringing her out completely. On top of all the grief and perplexity she felt, spotting his agony was distressingly worse.

When he saw her gaping, he gave her a crestfallen smile, “I love you, Soojung. I’m so sorry.”

And then she woke up.

She was trying to listen solicitously to the teacher, like she always did. Like the inner artistic nerd she always was. But there were moments when her brain was a goner to her pile of indecisions. Her insecurities. Although her irresolution was conspicuous, like an open book, no one really took notice.

Her dream from last night was still fresh in her mind.

A student behind Soojung saw her getting fidgety, and he deliberately tapped her shoulder. Causing her to look up and caress the soft frittle on her elbows.

“Yah,” the student mused, “Ideate it. The new kid and me. Maybe we can assemble a band.”

She looked at him barrenly. Dumbfounded.

“I’ve always yearned for a band.”

“What?”

“I demand a new friend anyways, not a gormless one like you,” he chortled, poking his tongue out, “I don’t even know why we’re friends in the first place.”

She grumbled, “Then shall we stop?”

“Pft, you know you need me.”

“I seriously don’t even know what you’re getting at.”

The student chuckled before clasping her ears and nudging her head back to the front, “You’ll see. Professor acquainted me beforehand but I already know what’s going to happen.”

She scoffed as she glanced forward. Having an American music maven as their professor, their class was full of high-degree accomplished students. And yet, she was amongst the best. A child prodigy, they'd say. And even though she hid it, it made her content. Her professor was the one who inculcated her with a respect for music.

Right now he was scribbling something on the board, which Soojung failed to notice, as she was mesmerized at the realisation of how much she alternated due to this certain professor.

He then turned around to face the students. “Okay, once you’re done jotting down the notes of the ancient music style, I have an communiqué to make,” he concluded with his eloquent Korean, “There is going to be a new student coming in a few minutes. He is a full Korean and is going to study here for the upcoming years.”

The class murmured at the idea itself, sinking back to their desks and doodling on their notebooks. Others scowled at Soojung as if they knew it was her. Her to acquire the new guy. Her to attract him first. Her for them to dissociate him with.

Her to construct another freaking gain.

“Oh yeah, right. He’s probably going go through the whole love-at-first-sight thing with you again,” the fellow classmate from before huffed.

But they never apprehended, that he’d be deprived away from her too.

Or maybe, he’d stay this time. But that was seriously unlikely.

A blunt knock was heard from the door; nevertheless, the students remained focused on what they were doing. Except for one.

“Come in,” the professor chided.

He softly opened the door and there emerged one of the most breathtaking guys that she had ever seen. It was the equivalent guy from the two previous encounters, yet she ceased to realize that small fact. The initial time she solely saw his figure, and then it was his face. But to perceive them both, she lost it. Maybe it was simply because her gaze was besotted to his eyes and his eyes to hers. Erstwhile, Soojung never truly saw the pridian faces. Only now did she every single one of his features become conspicuous.

It would’ve been contemplated as a beautiful beginning, but now it was starting to own to becoming an origin.

“Welcome! Kim Myungsoo, right?” the professor beamed, lending out a hand for the newcomer to shake, “Well, why don’t you introduce yourself to the class.”

Myungsoo bobbed his head and faced the class, his face stoic and indecipherable, “Uh, hi. My name is Myungsoo, Kim Myungsoo, and I’m going to be attending SPAS for a while. Beats me how long. But yeah, hi.” He resulted with a soft eye smile and a bow.

The whole class, well mostly the females, had burst into audible awes and oohs. They were already getting the righteous side of him, and only he just came in. But what could he do? It’s in his nature to be likeable.

The professor led a humble clap, “Thank you. Hope you like it here in School of Performing Arts Seoul, please take a seat.”

Sehun had second thoughts; his irresolution was leading him to hover at the front.

“Anywhere you want, don’t worry too much about it.”

There were two unoccupied seats in the study group room, one was near the school’s jock  and one was next to Soojung. He hesitated again. But in the end, with a small glance to Soojung, he bit his lip and headed to flop on the seat adjacent to the student named Yifan.

Soojung permitted her eyes away from him as she rested her head on her fists and looked forward.

She was almost anticipating for him to sit next to her. Almost.