December 9, 2009

            “Class, today, I’m handing back the assignments that you wrote about a month ago about your seatmates,” Mr. Kim announced.  “I haven’t graded them.  I haven’t read them either.”

            “Why’d we write them then?” one student grumbled.

            “Instead, I’ll be giving the reports you wrote to your seatmates.  They’ll grade you based on how well they think you did.”

            Yeoreum didn’t bother to look up, even as he placed Yoongi’s written report on her desk.  Yoongi didn’t move when Mr. Kim placed Yeoreum’s report on his desk either.

            “Please read them, and then discuss with your partner.”

            “Mr. Kim, isn’t that too much?” another student grumbled.

            “Aren’t you all curious to see how you look from someone else’s perspective?” Mr. Kim asked.

            With shaky hands, Yeoreum picked up Yoongi’s report.

            The person I’m interviewing is Han Yeoreum, named after the summer her parents met each other.  She’s a very warm person, even though she thinks otherwise.  I wish that I could be as warm as she is.

     Yeoreum’s favorite song is “Sunset Glow” by Big Bang, which is a remake of Lee Moon Sae’s hit song from the 1980s.  Although I had heard of the song before, I never truly had the chance to listen to it until she mentioned it.  I looked it up, listened to the lyrics, and I can see why Yeoreum picked this song.

     You see, “Sunset Glow” is about faith and hope.  Although a lot of the lyrics are sad, the melody is uplifting, and I couldn’t help but hum along, even after the song ended.  I think that the ability to find faith and hope among the sadness makes a person very strong.  Yeoreum is that kind of a person.  She makes you feel warm inside, and she makes you want to hope, even when hope doesn’t seem possible at all.  I hope that she never loses her smile.

            She could feel her eyes water with tears, though she tried to wipe them away secretly.  Glancing at Yoongi out of the corner of her eye, she hoped that her report would move him as much as his report moved her.

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            When Yoongi opened Yeoreum’s report, he felt his heartbeat increase, though he wasn’t sure why.

            The person that I interviewed is my friend, Min Yoongi.  Of course, we weren’t always friends, and our relationship is still peculiar enough to question whether “friends” is the appropriate word to describe us.  I hope that there comes a day when I can comfortably use the word “friend” around him.

            Yoongi is the type of person who holds everything in so that the people around him aren’t hurt.  Even when we weren’t on very good terms, he saved me from some bad people and carried me when he realized that I was having a hard time keeping up with him.  To be honest, I noticed that he was holding his hand afterward, but I was too scared to press further when he insisted he was okay.

            And then, when I attended his mother’s funeral and saw him cry for the first time, I realized something.  Yoongi may have thought that showing his pain was a sign of weakness.  But, seeing him sob in the arms of Mr. Kim, I could only see strength in him.  It takes a lot of courage to express your true feelings and burden someone else, but Yoongi did that.  I wish that he would realize more often that there are people willing to carry his burden with him.  

            Yoongi’s favorite song at the moment is “One” by Epik High, and although he won’t admit it out loud, I think that this song resonates with him.  The lyrics are beautiful, lonely, and hopeful all at the same time.  This may sound a little selfish on my part, but I’d like to be the “one” that is mentioned in this song for Yoongi.  I want to save Yoongi.  Because he deserves to live.  Because he deserves more than what he currently has.  Because he’s my friend.

            He glanced over at Yeoreum, who seemed to be focusing on the pleats in her skirt.  I’m sorry for hurting you.  I miss talking to you.  I want us to be friends again.  ...But you deserve a better friend than me, and I’m sorry.

            “You’re so unfair.” Yeoreum blurted out.

            “Huh?”

            She turned to face him.  “I don’t want you to push me away.”

            “I…”

            “Because to me, it doesn’t matter how rich you are, or what university you go to, or whether you even go to university or not.  I like you because you’re Min Yoongi.”

            No, Yeoreum.  You’re supposed to hate me for hurting you.  You’re supposed to forget me and move on.

            “So please stop pushing me away, Yoongi.”

            “I...okay.” He felt dumb.  He didn’t know what to say.  He wondered if he was doing the right thing.  But Yeoreum was smiling, so it had to be okay, right?  People were looking at the two of them.  But maybe everything would be okay.

            Yoongi smiled.