Winter, 2015

"I've got new socks. Please congratulate me." Seohyun lifts up her foot for me to see.

I raise my eyebrow from behind the counter. "Congratulations. Kindly take your foot off my counter. People can see up your skirt."

Me and Seohyun have been friends since forever. She's always been really popular. She's really pretty.

Seohyun has nice stye. But not for her socks. She has a strange attachment to character socks. Her socks right now have a little pororo the little penguin on them.

"They sell all sorts of socks now, I swear." I sigh. The tinny song starts as the door opens and a customer comes in. Seohyun's face brightens.

"Hotness alert!" She whisper-giggles into my ear.

Correction: She has a strange attatchment to character socks and boys.

"Tell me, Hyunnie, where exactly that guy is hot, because I can't see it." Seohyun looks at me with lovestruck eyes.

"Like, all of him?" The guy's phone rings.

The small screen displays the words;

There is someone that likes you within 10 meters!

The words are inside a heart surrounded by round circles, kind of like a wifi signal. His face turns red as he shoots a glance at us.

Right now, Seohyun has made that guy's Love alarm ring.

Love alarm is a name of an app.

When I was in my second year of high school, the app first appeared. The reactions that the people gave? Incredible.

Of course some people doubted the integrity of the app.

But now? Everyone uses the app like it's been there forever.

It's easy to use.

You take the app and download it. 

You register.

You turn it on.

An empty heart will appear in between your wifi signal and your bluetooth signal.

If the app is on, as soon as someone who is attracted to you comes within 10 meters of you...

The phone will ring.

When it rings, the heart icon will be filled up with pink.

In the middle of the heart there is a number.

The number is the number of people in a 10 meter radius of you that are attracted to you.

When the person attracted to you is out of the 10 meter range, the heart goes blank again.

Of course, the person attracted to you needs the app on as well.

If the person attracted to you loses attraction, the heart disappears.

The app does not tell you who likes you.

If there are many people within a 10 meter radius, you may never be able to find the person who rang your alarm.

But when there are only two people...

The guy looks at us and glances at me. I try sending him a signal. 'It's not me.'

Of course, he doesn't get my signal.

Remember I said when there are many people, you can't find the person who rung your alarm?

Well, they can still make guesses. Usually wrong guesses.

The tinny song plays again as another customer comes in.

"EVEN MORE HOT!" Seohyun squeals. I groan.

The tiny alarm sounds again.

One man's face falls as the heart goes blank.

One man's face lights up as he looks up...

Straight at me.

Of course.

Here we go again.

Seohyun is a P.W.E.F.L.

Person who easily falls in love.

Her phone rings.

'Yonghwa <3' says the screen.

Did I mention Seohyun has a boyfriend?

"Yeah, babe, I'll be there!" She smiles and hangs up.

She catches me staring.

"If you're jealous, go get a boyfriend!" She sticks her tounge out.

"No thanks." I shake my head.

"What, are you going to be a loner for life? I can match you up with Minhyuk, you know he likes you." I shake my head again.

Minhyuk is one of Yonghwa's bandmates. He's nice, but not really my type.

"You're never going to get a boyfriend! I'm going to make sure your tombstone reads 'Here lies Ji-Eun, who never had a boyfriend."

"I had a boyfriend once. In high school."

"Really?" Seohyun looks at me suspiciously.

"Yes."

High school.

High school. That was when I was prettiest, even if I didn't know it. 

That was when things were different.

When how people dated was different.

When Love alarm...

didn't exist.

10 years ago, Winter

"Welcome!" I shout.

"Ji-Eun." I look at the customer.

"Oh, hi!"

It's Junhyung.

He's in my grade, but not in the same class.

He's tall and good at sports...

But he seems like a bit of a bully.

"I heard you work here." He blushes.

"Not exactly work... It's my aunt's shop, so..." I trail off.

"Cool." He mumbles.

"What time does work end?" He asks.

I pause.

"At 7." I answer.

"I'll wait, then." He brightens.

"It's still two more hours."

"Can't I wait?"

"Well, you can, but... Why?"

He hesitates. "We can... go for a walk!"

I look outside. The wind is freezing and the snow is heavy.

"In this weather?"

He blushes again.

"I... kind of searched up pickup lines for sunny days."

I laugh. "Sunny day pick up lines are for sunny days, stupid." 

I think for a moment. "I'm pretty sure that's what guys say to girls who look easy." I tease.

"No, no. Just... I'm not good at this." He can't stop blushing.

"Really? I couldn't tell." I can't help it. We both burst out laughing.

Those were the days when we didn't have the love alarm.

When we didn't have to rely on an app to tell us who liked us.

When we could know by the way the person looked at you.

By the way they talked to you.

We could tell.

Oh, he likes me.

2015 Winter

"Why'd you break up?"

I'm washing the windows.

"Did you like someone else?"

"Don't dig too deep."

"Ooh, I know! Did you date two guys at once?"

"No."

"Omigod, then three guys at once?"

I don't reply.

"Oh my god, my best friend is a player!"

I glare. Seohyun giggles.

"I think I like you better now!" She laughs.

I sigh. "There, your boyfriend. Go bother him."

Seohyun sticks out her tounge and waves.

I wave back.

So many things changed since the Love alarm came out.

Many people find their soulmate thanks to the app.

"Look at my new socks!" Seohyun says proudly.

Yonghwa looks at her lovingly. "They're beautiful. You're beautiful."

But... I think sometimes.

If the app had never came out then...

Couldn't I have lived my normal life?

Couldn't I have graduated?

If the app had never came out then...

And if I never knew their feelings then...

Wouldn't it have been for the better...

If I hadn't known?

Aieeeeeee!!!!!! What do u think?

Oh, and leave in the comments what you think is a better title..,

1. Love Alarm

2. My heart is ringing

3. Ringing of my heart

COMMENT AND SUBSCRIBE!!!!!