The week following friendly chatters under the bright lights of the Moon Side Avenue had been quite hectic; a strong cocktail of chaos and unsweetened rush. Through the hallways of local universities and in countless book stores, students of all age were found strolling around with anxious steps and attentive eyes, their arms filled with chunky books and endless lists of school supplies.

Caught in that very same wave of constant worry and last minute races, you had spent the whole week running from one task to the other without the benefit of a little break. Being a student was already a big baggage to bear by itself but being a new student was – to your misfortune – much heavier on the shoulders.

Goodness, why did I think that doing this alone was a great idea?

Now a survivor of the past dreadful week, you had finally found the time to sit down at a local coffee shop and sigh for a while. Looking through your texts – which mostly consisted of parental trepidation – your attention drifted to a familiar name that made your stomach twist in a knot.

I haven’t even had the time to properly talk to Hyomin about the... ‘bathroom incident’ yet. I wish I knew what exactly made her go frenzy. Boy crush? Disappointment? Embarrassment? She can’t possibly be as embarrassed as I am.

Incidentally, since your busy-schedules kept getting under your skin, you hadn’t had the chance to chat with any of the ‘new friends’ you’ve made at the Late Night Wonders restaurant – had they even come to your sight at all. Thus, you were left quite lonely despite daily phone calls from your mom and you came to believe that dealing with such high amount of stress all by yourself couldn’t be beneficial for your health. Munching on your lower lips, you looked at Hyomin’s name on your phone and hesitated upon called her.

I can’t possibly lose the only friend I have here over some random boy. I was alone back at home and I came here to change; to show Jay that I can keep up with him. Come on Jihyun! Reach out for others; it’s not that hard!

 But before you could sort out all of your conflicted thoughts, the door of the coffee shop burst open to let in a group of girls with the brightest smiles – one that you could recognize anywhere.

While Hyomin and her friends – apparently unaware of your presence – slid in a small booth a couple of tables away from yours, your mind went into a fit.

Did she see me? Is that really her? How small is this town! Oh God, am I really ready for this? This is so unexpected!

Alright Jihyun. Be kind. Be fair.

As you heard Hyomin and her friends laugh with much heart, you wondered for a second whether your timing was wisely chosen. Nonetheless, you quickly snapped out of your cowardice and took all remaining courage into tight fists, sat up and held your head high while making your way towards the loud booth of three girls, “Hey Hyomin, I just noticed you coming in! How are you?”

“Oh, Jihyun,” as expected, the blonde girl dropped her smile and seemed quite irritated by your presence although she tried to hide it, “Hello, I’m rather fine.”

“Could I talk to you, just for a bit?” you asked while trying to ignore the other girls’ dirty looks. Though as equally uncomfortable as your friend – if not more – you tried to keep a gentle smile on your face to dismiss any kind of bad intention.

Biting her lower lip, Hyomin lightly scratched the back of her neck and thought for a moment, “Sure.”

As you walked back to your table with your friend following behind, you could feel your throat dehydrate and your stomach weight heavier. Immediately, you could imagine Jay rolling his eyes at your low tolerance for confrontation; his arms typically crossed and a mocking look stuck on his face.

Oh shush, I can do this.

“Hyomin, I’m sorry for what happened in the restaurant the other night,” you turned around and started pretty straight-forward, “You were being so good to me by helping me make new friends and organizing such great event. I’m sorry I hurt you in any way. I’ll make sure it doesn’t happen again, really.”

The tall girl had her arms crossed and her lips slightly parted as if she hadn’t expected a bold confession coming from you. Honest, you kept looking at her in the eyes.

“Look Jihyun,” she finally spoke, “I’m not the kind of girl who would go out of her ways for a friend just to get my back stabbed by them. You wouldn’t want to know what names people would call you if they saw what I witnessed.”

You could feel your heart beat stronger as you digested the words.

“Though, I have to admit that it is my fault for not telling you that Yongguk is off limits,” her voice took a softer tone and she reached to hold your hand, “Listen, I was really hurt by what I saw but I am ready to forget about it. However, if you want us to be friends again, there are some things that you have to respect... Like a Girls’ Code, you get me?”

Relieved upon receiving a second chance, you lightly nodded with yet an unknown feeling of discomfort lingering in your stomach.

“Good, I knew you were smart!” Hyomin’s bright smile came back to her face as she took you by the wrist and dragged you to the booth where her other friends had been waiting.

.   .   .

The second week of class surprisingly faded away with much grace than the first one and as you were ready to welcome the weekend ahead, hope was starting to peek through your mind again. With the help of Hyomin who seemed to be quite friendly with anyone she’d run into in the hallways, you managed to recognize quite a few faces every day; sometimes bumping into Natasha with the beautiful tattoos, or chatting with Junhee who loved cats, or even studying with Kyungsoo the bitter bookworm. With that you were already content, for you didn’t have many faces to miss back in your hometown.

Ultimately, all had been well; all except the search for a certain Jay who hadn’t been in anyone’s contact list – not even Hyomin’s although she became a regular on the Moon Side Avenue. As you sat down in front of your wooden desk with a cup of tea to make the afternoon pleasant, you had yet another one of your older brother’s postcards under your eyes.

On the front; a beach on a sunny day and at the back; a message in green ink.

"Happy Birthday! 15 years-old, already?

Mom said that you refused to participate in the

school’s Dance Competition because it ‘isn’t like you at all’.

Aigoo, ever so shy Jihyunnie.

Sometimes, all it takes is to burry a part of yourself to discover another.

So don’t run away from the things you love –  

Especially not me, by the way, because I’ll always be waiting

Where the lights are.

Jay x"

A smile came along with the warm memory of an older brother nearby and before strong feelings of nostalgia would hit you abruptly, the postcard was put away between two of your favorite books.

“Anyways, why aren’t you with Yongguk tonight?” a girl you weren’t quite familiar with was sitting the floor of your room, her fingers stretched apart as she painted her nails rather clumsily; “Don’t you usually hang out together on Fridays?”

Hyomin – who had settled on your bed – displayed a bitter look on her face and sighed heavily, “He’s busy again with those goddamn kids.”

Following the conversation with a sneaky ear, you reached to grab one of your notebooks and pretended to study instead. By the by, ever since you’ve made sure that your relationship with Hyomin ended on good terms, the name “Bang Yongguk” had turned taboo to the point where you even felt guilty to display the slightest interest in a conversation dedicated to him. While you didn’t quite know the guy, Hyomin seemed to be rather infatuated by his charms as she would always talk about his good looks or whine about his every move. Yongguk was never a topic of conversation between you and your friend – though she would often drop his name here and there when conversing with others.

Lost in your own thoughts, your attention let go of Hyomin’s discussion as you recalled the last chat you had with the forbidden boy.

What was it again? Punching. He taught me how to punch. How odd, though, isn’t that? I don’t think that I can remember the tips he gave me, though. Put your wrist near your waist? Or was it the hips...

“Can’t they properly find someone else who would teach those kids though?” Hyomin seemed to get more upset by the second, “I mean, there must be plenty of Taekwondo teachers out there who would gladly take the job. Yongguk is a full-time student for crying out loud; they can’t just make him work every goddamn day! They could at least pay him.”

“I bet that they keep him because he’s young and good-looking,” the unknown girl scoffed, “It attracts all the moms.”

While Hyomin and her friend exchanged laughs, you couldn’t help but to be left astounded by what you had just heard.

Kids? That guy teaches Taekwondo to kids? That explains the random punching session.

“Ughh, I don’t even get to hang out with him anymore,” Hyomin shifted position and lied on her stomach, “And when we do, his stupid friends always tag along. Can’t they get a hint? I mean, I’ve been having my eye on Yongguk for a long time now. Maybe I should just directly tell them to leave us alone.”

“Totally. Idiots.”

With a red pen you started to doodle on the cover of your notebook, had you quickly lost interest in their conversation that always took a similar twist. The drawings started from idle thoughts but soon turned into words, then sentences, and just like that, your first letter to Jay was written at the back of a measly notebook.

“Dear Jay,

I miss our clever conversations.

Jihyun x”

Admiring your very modest message, you smiled in satisfaction and wished to be able to fold it into a paper plane and have it land wherever your brother was hiding.

.   .   .

A few weeks later – 8.a.m

 “Okay guys, but seriously; should I get a new haircut for the new semester or not?”

A choir of grumpy sighs erupted in the renowned coffee shop and a few pairs of eyes rolled in response to the question that had been asked in vain.

“For the love of God, Youngjae, just dye your hair bright orange now that you’re at it,” a familiar husky voice sounded exasperated.

“Ha. Ha. Honestly Yongguk, I thought that out of all of these dorks, you’d be the one giving me good fashion advice,” Youngjae answered and sank down his seat.

Surprised rather than apologetic, Yongguk brought his hand to his chest with a bright smile and faked a flattered gasp, “Me?”

“Uhm, Yongguk has been wearing the same flannel shirts for over three years,” Himchan protested with a judging look stuck on his face, “And he’s the first one you’d call for fashion advice? Really?”

“Says the guy who owns furry sandals,” Junhong, the youngest of the six, cringed at the thought of his friend’s latest purchase.

“They are trending, you fetus.”

“They are not, grandma.”

“Yes they ARE.”

“No they AREN’T.”

“YES THEY ARE.”

“Guys! We are not going over the furry shoes conversation again!” Youngjae interrupted the quarrel.

“They’re sandals,” Himchan corrected.

“Shut up!”

A few dirty stares coming from people surrounding the group of boys managed to tone their voices down and as Jongup and Daehyun came back with a few cups of coffee in their hands, all were tamed.

“Girls love flannel shirts, by the way,” Yongguk grabbed his cup of dark coffee and took a sip from it.

“True,” Daehyun nodded in agreement.

“Oh, I know a girl who isn’t so fond of your stupid shirts,” Himchan displayed a wicked smile as Yongguk glared at him – knowing very well to whom he was referring, “I’d even say that she’s allergic to them.”

“Toilet girl,” Jongup called and smirked to mock his friend.

“Toilet girl is my new hero.”

“Honestly though,” Daehyun leaned on the armrest of his chair, “What in the world did you do to her in that bathroom to get her to run for her life every time she sees you?”

Yongguk – quite amused by the nickname his friends came up with – smiled and put his cup aside, “She is not avoiding me.”

The five boys burst into hysteric laughter from their oldest friend’s statement, disturbing then again the customers surrounding them.

“SHE IS N-” Daehyun started to shout but lowered his voice when a staff threw him a warning glare, “’She is not avoiding me’?? Are you freakin’ serious right now?!”

“And I thought that he was the smartest among us,” Youngjae pinched the bridge of his nose with a sigh of disappointment.

“Dude, she totally ran out of the vinyl store the other day when she saw you,” Himchan informed his friend with a stern look on his face.

Junhong threw himself on a green couch near the windows, “And that time we saw her at school? It’s like her brain didn’t register that we didn’t actually try to kill her.”

“That girl is a cougar,” Jongup stated and quickly noticed his friends’ confused looks, “I mean, in terms of speed.”

Yongguk – not believing a word coming out of his friends’ mouth – brushed the edge of his coffee cup with his thumb, a smirk clearly drawn on his face, “You guys are mad.”

“Alright,” Himchan replied, slightly offended, “Since you’re so certain, why don’t you go check for yourself?”

“You might want to hang on tight to your pride, my friend,” Youngjae was now busy reading a piece of newspaper that he found lying around.

“You can cry on my shoulder in case of trauma,” Daehyun patted his shoulder and nodded in confirmation.

Jongup laughed and fished his phone out of his pockets, “I bet he won’t even try.”

Yongguk looked at his friends who all raised their eyebrows at him; awaiting for his answer. Usually, a conversation alike that one always ended in laughter and sneers before the topic would slowly dissipate from the circle. This time, however, stubborn silence and a particular glint in the boys’ eyes hinted otherwise.

Making sure that they weren’t just goofing around, Yongguk glanced once again at his friends’ expression that didn’t seem to budge and scoffed before chugging the remaining coffee from his cup, “Fine. Challenge accepted.”

The group of boys cheered and lifted their own cup of coffee in the air while Yongguk stood and left the place. As he walked towards a bus stop – his hands drowned in the pockets of his pair of jeans – the conversation strangely stuck in his head. Nine times out of ten, nothing was truly worth occupying Yongguk’s mind; especially if it came from the mouth of his silly friends. He wasn’t the kind of person to ever be found neither preoccupied nor engrossed by engulfing thoughts which often led some people to either believe that he was incapable of sympathy or that he was purely oblivious.

Truth to be said, Yongguk simply did not care – and that, about most things.

However, struck by boredom – or perhaps, by genuine interest – the tall boy found himself thinking a little bit too much about a certain shy girl with a feisty fist. As he hopped on the bus to school, the memory of her face lingered and turned into deeper thoughts until a shriek suddenly pulled him out of his reflection.

Boarding the bus a tad later than you were supposed to, you took a few seconds to catch your breath from an exhausting run and apologized to the bus driver for screaming so loudly. Yongguk – surprised by your unexpected but opportune appearance – smirked and silently watched you walk towards him with a book under your eyes; completely unaware of his presence.

Another scream erupted from your lips when you felt someone pull you down on a seat and you were even more shocked to lock eyes with the boy who had been forbidden to you, “Hey there. Your voice is pretty loud early in the morning.”

Taken aback but trying to remain calm, you quickly cleared up the mess in your mind and threw Yongguk a gentle smile, “Oh, good morning! Yongguk, am I right?”

“Jihyun,” he replied and smirked – clearly noticing the bewilderment in your eyes.

“I didn’t know you also took this bus,” you attempted, for the second time, to look more natural.

“Only when I catch it,” he replied. Yongguk was surprised to find himself quite smitten by your fresh look in the morning which was well-matched with the little color in your cheeks from your usual timidity. In fact, your skin was glowing, your eyes were bright and a certain aura glistening around you showed beyond doubt that you were an early bird.

Yongguk couldn’t enjoy another second in your presence, however, because right when he was about to mock his friends for wrongly assuming that he was being avoided by such nice girl, you abruptly stood from your seat with an anxious gleam in your eyes, “I actually planned on sitting with a friend. I’m so sorry. It was very nice meeting you again, though! See you around.”

Before you could walk away in relief, you were suddenly pulled down by the wrist again, “We can still chat until your friend arrives, can’t we? We didn’t get to talk much the other night.”

Still nervous, you subtly threw a couple of glances over your shoulders and fought with your thoughts.

Oh no, he’s insisting. But I can’t possibly risk Hyomin seeing us getting off the bus together! She would be furious. But he’s being so kind to me and I’m just... Plus, we’re alone, right? No. I can’t just put everything in danger...!

Though he could clearly see that you were hesitant – which affected him a little – Yongguk remained stubborn and pulled out his charming smile, “Is this about the prank? I’ll apology a thousand times if that’s what it takes.”

Touched by his words and somehow thankful that someone cared about how you had felt after the god awful scare-prank Hyomin pulled on you, your mind suddenly softened to him as your lips parted without letting any words out. For the first time but very shortly, you wondered if Yongguk’s friendship was actually worth losing another.

Nevertheless, you quickly snapped out of that idle thought when the doors of the vehicle squeaked opened to let in a young bookworm whose face was familiar to you.

“Oh, oh my God!” you stood, partly relieved, “That’s Kyungsoo! My friend Kyungsoo. Kyungsoo, over here!”

Kyungsoo who was holding a couple of books tight against his chest threw a quick glance towards you and hurried to a seat without a word – always looking as though he permanently had a bad taste in his mouth.

“U-uhm,” you tried to make the situation seem normal, “He’s just shy. That silly boy! Maybe that’s why we’re friends. Bunch of shy folks. Oh well, I think he’s a little upset because I promised that I was going to sit with him – which I am clearly not –  so better go now before he gets cranky all day! It’s pretty ugly when he does. Trust me. Anyways, see you around!”

Yongguk kept his eyes on you as you rushed to the grouchy-looking boy; both speechless and amused by your quick escape. Defeated, he let his back land against his seat and wore his earphones to clear his head with a couple of great tracks. For the first time, while the ride lasted, he recalled the memory of the ‘bathroom incident’; from your clumsy fists against his wrist to the terrified look in your eyes when a certain blonde girl went into a frenzy of rage over innocent interactions. Yongguk suddenly felt uneasy upon knowing all too well what girls like Hyomin could do to good-natured and passive girls like you, but his lack of sympathy kicked in like a habit as he decided not to get involved.

Nonetheless, by the time you got off the bus after throwing him a subtle apologetic glance, he had decided – against all odds – to keep you in his mind.

---------------

Should I change the font? I am no font expert...

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