I muster my courage and march my way to the left corner of the shop where the unaccompanied guy is sitting. I’m telling you the truth, this is something I would not usually do—to say hi to someone I’m not familiar with—but I’m doing it today.

“Hi,” I say confidently as soon as I reach the table. He looks up at me and unplugs his earphone from his ear, an awfully flustered look splashes on his face. “You’re Lu Han, right?”

“Yes,” he replies awkwardly. This is the first time I’ve ever heard his voice—and it’s actually quite nice, to be honest.

He pulls a long frown. “Do… I know you?”

“I’m your classmate in English class.” I flash a small smile, looking over the vacant seat in front of him. “May I sit here?”

His eyes narrow to a degree where he looks like I want to hit on him. But he nods to my request, anyway. “Sure, you may.”

“Thank you.” Delighted, I pull the chair and quickly plop down on the seat.

A waitress comes to take my order when it’s done, she stalks off from our table. That’s when awkward silence starts to ensue. He’s completely taken his earphones off from his ears as though he wants to talk to me. However, my guess goes down the drain. He’s drowning into silence.

“Do you really not know who I am, Lu Han?” I say on an attempt to break the ice.

He frowns at me, looking dead serious. “Do… I have to know who you are?”

“Oh, obviously you don’t have to!” I let out a dry chuckle. Goodness, he’s a really straightforward person. His words—with his deadly expression—give me goose bumps and pierce right through my heart. “I was just wondering. That’s all.”

The half-Chinese sips his Cappuccino and gives me a blank stare. “Why are you sitting here with me? It’s not like the tables are all taken.”

“I guess I want to make friends with you?” My Iced Mocha Frappuccino comes the moment I really need a large sip of it; my throat feels suddenly dry.

“I don’t need friends.”

“Sorry?”

“I don’t need friends.” He looks away curtly. “I prefer to be alone.”

“Why do you prefer to be alone, Lu Han?” I ask. “It’s rare for me to find a person like you, who prefers to be alone and does everything on your own.”

“Who do you think is the most pathetic person in the world?”

“Sorry?”

“Do you think one who lives in poverty or one who hasn’t eaten for days to the extent he’d die is the most pathetic person in the world?”

“I… don’t know.” I blink my eyes. I’m taken aback by his sudden question, really. I have no idea how to respond. “Who is the most pathetic person in the world?” I repeat his question.

“It is someone who acts so nicely towards his friends, but ironically stab them in the back one day. That kind of person is the most pathetic in the world.”

Lu Han puts down the cup, pushes the chair backwards, grabs his backpack and walks away without even sparing me one final glance.

///

Class has started for almost half an hour, but I would say that I only get ¼ of what Mrs. Jo is teaching. I get what adverb means, but I don’t get what adverb clause means. I try to pretend like I’m listening to her lecture attentively, but I can’t help myself to lie. It’s just sick.

Who would have thought that my intention to get to know Lu Han yesterday would make us more distant? It would be a lie if I didn’t feel upset with what he said—and I still do, at times—but when I thought it thoroughly, he’s actually right. I just can’t judge him just because he’s alone and has no friends. He must have felt so offended.

Surreptitiously, I crane my neck around the classroom only to scan where he’s sitting. I emit a forlorn sigh when I realize that he’s not here today. He could’ve decided not to come to class today because of me, or he just feels lazy whatsoever. Either way, his absence gives me this stupid swell of emotion. I feel bad and wonder where he could be now.

“Yoona, what are you wondering about?” My best friend, Nam Jihyun, nudges me. “Pull yourself together. You don’t want to be told off by Mrs. Jo, do you?”

I look at her and sigh. “I can’t help it.” My gaze lingers at the blank page of my notebook. I write nothing but today’s topic.

“What’s the matter?” she inquires, her voice going down in volume. She doesn’t intend to be caught red handed by the lecturer, though she’s too immersed in teaching to even notice us talking at the back. “Now that I’m looking at you meticulously, you look horrible. Is there anything bothering you right now?”

“It is,” I say. “It’s a long story, though.”

“Make it short.”

“You know about the formal dance, right?”

“Of course I do,” she replies at once. “What’s up with it?”

“We had a club meeting yesterday and since the formal dance is managed by us, we discovered that there’s apparently a student who doesn’t want to attend the night event,” I say. “It’s a really big problem, Jihyun. So to not let the upper management be devastated once they know about this news, Jinki sunbae-nim asked me to persuade him.”

“Hold on.” She cuts me off. “You haven’t told me who that person is.”

“It’s Lu Han.”

“Lu Han? That transfer student?” Jihyun seems shocked. “Why isn’t he coming?”

I shake my head helplessly. “No idea. One of the club members did approach him a few times for that reason, but he would rather say nothing.” My attention on the lecture is completely gone. “After the club meeting ended yesterday, I came across him when I was at the coffee shop nearby our campus.”

“Then, what happened?”

“I decided to get to know him, so I sat at his table. Luckily he didn’t shove me away. I was afraid he’d do so because you know, he’s had the reputation of having no friends here.”

“I heard about it.” Jihyun nods in agreement. “Is that really true?”

“Well, I guess so,” I say, and a sigh coming out of lips. “I thought I’d get to ask him about the formal dance after breaking the ice, but it turned out within my expectation. I didn’t know why, though. He left after spitting me such hostile words. I didn’t even get to start about the formal dance, for God’s sake.”

“Oh my God, really, Yoona?” she asks, staring at me incredulously. “That was seriously shocking! I never thought he’d do that to you! What did you ask him to the point he walked out?”

“I don’t know. Just a simple question,” I answer nonchalantly. I wouldn’t want to share it with her because I’ve mulled it over and deemed that my question was a tad bit sensitive. Asking him why he has no friends was too much, wasn’t it? I guess that was why he left me dumbfounded (and somewhat ashamed).

“So now, Yoona… what are you planning on doing?” Jihyun crosses her arms over her chest. “You can’t just give up on him just because of that. You should be doing something by this time. The formal dance’s on March 2nd, isn’t it? So that means you only have about two weeks to court him to the formal dance.”

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