The first time Hoseok saw her was on the rooftop.

 

She was sitting on the edge of the school building, with a cigarette in between her index and middle finger. There were a few cans of beer beside her, and she picked one up, putting it to her lips.

 

Hoseok found her oddly familiar, yet he couldn't quite put a name to her.

 

She turned slightly and leaned downwards to get another can when she caught him watching her from afar.

 

Hoseok had been looking at her so intently, trying his best to figure out the girl's name before he could even realise the said girl was staring right back at him.

 

"It's rude to stare, just saying."

 

"I-I'm sorry! I didn't mean to."

 

Silence enveloped them once more, and she took another sip from her beer.

 

"Are you of legal age to drink?"

 

"Nope, I'm still a minor. Like you."

 

Hoseok tilted his head slightly, unable to catch on and she added, "We're in the same class."

 

Realisation hit Hoseok, and he finally seemed to be able to remember her name.

 

"You're... you're Minjoo right?"

 

"Myungjoo. But close enough."

 

"Sorry about that."

 

She let out a dry laugh, "It's alright. My existence is like non-existent, anyway."

 

Hoseok walked forward slowly, wanting to say some nice words out of courtesy but decides not to in the end.

 

"So what are you doing up here?"

 

"Just getting away from my friends, I wanted to get some fresh air and alone time."

 

"Yet there's this kid sitting here, drinking beer when she's not even of age."

 

Hoseok wants to ask her why she's drinking, but he doesn't.

 

"You shouldn't smoke, you know. It's bad for health. And we're underage."

 

"You mean 'pretend-smoke'. It's fake. It's just rolled up paper, see? I burned the end of the paper with a lighter."

 

Hoseok peers at the so-called 'cigarette', and mentally slaps himself for not noticing earlier. He looks down and catches a glimpse of more cans of beer in a plastic bag on the ground, a slight frown forming on his forehead.

 

"Are you planning to finish all these? Won't you get drunk?"

 

"I've been drinking long enough to be able to hold my liquor, but those are for my secret stash in the cupboard over there."

 

Myungjoo gestures to the dusty old cupboard in the corner, and gulps down a mouthful from the can she's holding.

 

"The janitor's going to find it and you'll get into trouble."

 

"No one ever checks that cupboard because rumour said a severed hand was found in there."

 

Hoseok felt his heart stop beating momentarily.

 

"What?"

 

"Relax, I was just kidding. The janitor in charge of the upper floors here really hates lizards, and that cupboard pretty much has a whole family of lizards living in there, so I won't get caught."

 

Hoseok finds himself letting out a breath he didn't even realise he was holding. No one would want to hear about severed hands in their own school compound, would they?

 

He stepped forward and contemplated whether he should take a seat next to Myungjoo. Would she think he was being too friendly? She didn't seem like the type to like people much.

 

"If you're wondering whether you can sit, go ahead."

 

How did she know what he was thinking?

 

"I can read minds, by the way."

 

Hoseok was starting to get a little creeped out.

 

She chuckled, “But I don't think I need to use my powers when you're just like an open book. Your expression gives you away, my dear classmate."

 

He scoffed and sat down next to the girl, body facing inwards, legs dangling.

 

"Hey, try facing the outside. It feels really good."

"No thanks, I'm good. It looks kind of dangerous."

 

"Why, are you afraid of heights?"

 

Indeed, Hoseok was afraid of many things, but he never really liked to openly admit that he was such a scaredy-cat unless he was with Taehyung or Jimin, or basically the bunch of boys he usually hung out with. His pride was way too important to him.

 

And it was exactly this darned pride that told him to swing his legs over the ledge, facing the same vast blue sky as Myungjoo.

 

Hoseok was terrified, to say the least. In the whole long list of fears he had, heights always hovered around the top few ranks. He nearly let loose a string of curses when he slowly looked downwards, stopping himself just in time before Myungjoo could hear it and proceed to laugh at him, a man, for being afraid of heights.

 

"It's okay to have fears, you know. Not everyone is perfect. We all have fears, including me."

 

Hoseok decided to probe further.

 

"What kind of fears do you have?"

 

"It's a bit too early for me to tell you about my fears, isn't it? Considering the fact that I've only met you for twenty minutes," she laughed.

 

Hoseok nodded, silently agreeing. He was about to try and strike another conversation when she swung her legs over the edge, feet landing on the concrete ground of the rooftop. She dusted off the back of her skirt and picked up the bag of unopened cans on the ground, chucking them into the dirty old cupboard.

 

"Wait, are you leaving already?"

 

"Class is starting in about two minutes or so, if you didn't realise."

 

Hoseok checked his watch and true enough, their thirty minute lunch break was coming to an end. He made his way down from the ledge and frowned.

 

"Damn it, why didn't the bell ring?"

 

"Hasn't been ringing for two weeks already. Everyone's just too caught up in their own stuff to even notice it."

 

Hoseok glanced at Myungjoo, then back at his watch. When he looked up again, she had already gone down the stairs leading back to the classrooms.

 

He hoped this wouldn't be the first and the last time they met.