Chapter 2: The Admiration...

Sumin glance at her watch, and read the time. It was 8:30am, and there was about half an hour before schools start. She sat on the bench waiting for the bus to come. It had been about 10 minutes already, and she doesn’t like waiting. Sumin is an impatient person, she despised waiting. Tapping her feet against the cement sidewalk, she chewed on her nail. It was a habit for her to do this, when she was waiting. It makes her mad to wait, and when she is waiting for a long period of time she’ll pace around. It drives her to the point of insanity, just to wait.

Sunmin continued to chew her nails trying to contain herself.

“Where is the bus?” someone said out loud. Sumin glance up at the person. It was Jongin, he had his arms outstretch, and he was yawning. Sumin was silently telling Jonging to close his mouth, before more germs would enter. She couldn’t utter a word, it scared her. It wasn’t normal to talk to someone casually, it was Sumin’s thing.

In Sumin’s heart she wished she could. Every day, she’ll want to talk to people but it scares her. It always felt like she’s in a cage, and couldn’t break free from it.

Deep in her thought, someone nudged Sumin. She gazed up, and was staring directly at Jongin.

“The bus is here,” he said to her, and she could feel her heart beat. It always happens when someone is talking to her, that wasn’t close to her.

“Thank you,” she murmured, but she knew he couldn’t hear it.

---

Sumin tapped her pencil on the corner of her desk. There was about 10 minutes left of class, and she was bored. She can’t help but fall asleep every time the teacher opened his mouth. She hated this class, which was History. This subject isn’t her strongest, and it’s also the one she despise.

Glancing at the clock in front of the class, Sumin started to do doodles on her notebook. 

“What was the Great War?” the teacher asked, and no one in class raised their hand to answer. The teacher skimmed through the class list, and chose someone random. “Sumin, will you answer,” Mr. Kim said. Sumin had her eyes wide open, like she just witnessed a murder. She was freaking out, her heart pounding hard against her ribcage. Her insecurity and fright eating her up right on the spot, she could feel precipitation forming on her forehead.

For a whole 10 seconds, she just stared at the teacher, loss in her words. She couldn’t utter a word. It was like was taped up.

“World War 1,” Sumin said quietly that no one could hear her.

“Pardon me,” the teacher said, and she couldn’t bring herself to say anything again. The heat was reaching up to her cheeks. Sumin knew that she was red. She felt embarrassed, but her silent.

“She said, WORLD WAR 1,” someone shouted, and the whole class looked at who the voice belonged to. Sumin turned her head, and saw Jongin. This was the second time he helped her. She felt admiration.

Jongin was someone Sumin wanted to be like, the carefree guy, and could voice his opinions easily. Sumin wished she could bring the courage to speak out loud. Every day, she’ll daydream that one day, she might be able to speak out loud to people.

---

Sooyoung looked at her friend, Sumin. She always felt that Sumin needed some pushing, but Sooyoung doesn’t know how to.

“Sooyoung, it was scary,” Sumin started as she was unpacking her lunch, “but Jongin answered for me, it was the second time in a week.”

“That’s nice of him,” Sooyoung smiled at Sumin.

“I wish I could be like him,” Sumin said and took her sandwich out of the container, then started to eat.

The remaining of lunch, the two girls, laughed and joked with each other.

“I don’t get why you can’t socialize with people,” Sooyoung smiled at her best friend.

“I just can’t,” Sumin looked down at her lap. It’s not something she could just automatically do, it takes time.

---

Sumin counted her steps as she walked to the bus stop. It was afterschool, and Sumin decided slowly walk to the station today. She wanted some fresh air, and it was a nice spring day. The sun was high up in the sky, and there were puddles of water from last night’s rain. She loved the season spring, it was nice. The weather isn’t too warm or too cold, it was just perfect. Sumin loved it. Every year, she’ll go to the market to buy flower seeds when spring was evident.

Sumin let her mind wonder, and she thought of today. She was saved by Kim Jongin twice already, she felt admiration for him. He was someone outgoing, and spoke their mind, unlike Sumin.

“Excuse me,” someone yelled, and Sumin glanced back, but it was too late. She could feel herself panic, the bike was going to crash into her. Closing her eyes, she was ready to get hit, but after a few long seconds, she felt nothing, no impact. All she felt was someone holding onto her. Slowly she opened her eyes, and met with a set of chocolate brown orbs.

“Are you alright?” he said.     

hi! here is chapter 2...sorry it took forever ><