Leaning my chin into my hand, I naturally found my eyelids growing heavier and heavier. Blinking only made it easier to completely give in and close them. Before I could drift off deeper, the bell rang, sending everyone to gather his or her belongings to head for the cafeteria and I, awake. 

Breathing in to wash away the drowsiness, I also move to my feet. 

Jiwon’s visit definitely made me lose a lot of sleep but I wasn’t going to be holding it against him. 

“Seon, I’m going ahead.” Jinhwan said from the doorway and with a nod from me, he hurried off. 

***

“Am I learning something good today?” Jinhwan questioned while looking at the surroundings. Maybe some rumors about Jiwon being a fighter is true and he was about to be taught by the best.

“I have to ask you something.” Jiwon merely states.

Making up his mind to be fully committed to whatever the boy before him had planned Jinhwan inhaled a deep breath. “Okay…I’m ready.”

“How ready are you to get hit?” Jiwon suddenly asks and it renders Jinhwan speechless.

“…What? Jiwon, I’m trying not to get hit.” Jinhwan replied. “That’s the point of all of this.”

“You’re scared because you don’t want to get hit.” Jiwon reasoned. “Once you don’t worry about that, you won’t be scared any longer.” 

Jinhwan’s arms dropped to his sides. “That’s it? That’s what you’re going to teach me?”

Simply, Jiwon nodded. 

Once getting over his initial disbelief, Jinhwan thought about Jiwon’s words. By the second, it was making more sense. The only reason he is afraid of Jungmin is because of the constant bullying he was forced to endure. 

“I don’t want to get hit – it hurts.” Jinhwan stated bluntly upon coming to a conclusion. Sure, Jiwon’s words were sensible but really not ideal.

“Jungmin knows that, that’s why he’s still picking on you.”

“So, it’s still the big picking on the small even in high school.” Jinhwan stated to himself with a sigh.

It’s like that in the real world also but Jiwon kept the thought to himself.

Silence welled up and Jinhwan blinked back before looking up at Jiwon. “So…this is it?”

“This is it.” Without another word, Jiwon turned around and went back into the school building leaving the boy behind.

Taking in the situation, Jinhwan muttered to himself – “He could have just told me inside…” After all those days chasing after him, this is all he gets?

Staring after the two from the window, I watched their interaction. Within minutes, it ended – a lot quicker than I had expected. Jiwon walked away first, leaving a very dumbfounded Jinhwan in his spot. With the window beside the door, I was the first person Jiwon ran into. Stopping abruptly, he met my eyes.

“You look like you’re going to fall over any minute now.” Jiwon commented first.

Rubbing my eyes, I chuckled genuinely. “The nap during class wasn’t enough.” 

“…Last night won’t happen