Yeoreum sighed.  Listening to her classmates gossip was never fun, and hearing them gossip about the new student, who hadn’t moved from his seat since his introduction in the morning, made her feel a sense of pity toward him.

            “Yeo~reum!” Minji skipped up to Yeoreum’s desk.  “Wanna buy something to eat?”

            “Ah,” Yeoreum replied.  “Sorry, I brought lunch from home today.  Tomorrow, okay?”

            “Okay.” Minji smiled.  “But I still really really really want to buy you a coffee from the vending machine.” She shifted her eyes toward the new student, and then back to Yeoreum, and then to the new student, and then to Yeoreum again.  “So?  What do you say?”

            “Ah...I suppose.” Yeoreum stood up and followed Minji out of the classroom.  Once they had turned around the corner, Minji stopped walking and hit Yeoreum.

            “You were right.”

            “Huh?”

            “About there being a new student.  I would’ve never thought…” Minji shook her head.  “He’s crazy, transferring in now.”

            “I suppose.  Maybe his parents had to move, and so he transferred here?”

            “No way!” Minji replied.  “Did you see the way he glared at everyone?  And his hair!  He must’ve gotten expelled from his old school.  Where’d he say he was from?”

            “I think it was Daegu…”

            “And you’re next to the new student!”

            “Yeah.” Yeoreum nodded.

            “He scares me.  Aren’t you scared, Yeoreum-ah?”

            Yeoreum paused, thinking of the strange coincidence in the mysterious letter.  “Maybe he’s just misunderstood?”

            “As if.  While you were in the restroom during morning break, I heard that some of the guys tried to talk to him.  They barely got a word out of him.”

            “Really?”

            “Yeah.  Switch seats with someone.”

            “Eh?” Yeoreum said.  “I don’t want to trouble anyone…”

            “The new kid doesn’t seem safe to me, Yeoreum.  Tell you what?  Hoseok owes me a favor, so I’ll just get him to--”

            “It’s fine, really.” Yeoreum smiled and laughed.  “Besides, he transferred in at a weird part of the semester, and it’s his first day.  Maybe he just needs time to open up?”

            “But--”

            “Thank you for worrying, Minji-yah.” Yeoreum squeezed her hand.  “It’s because I have a great friend like you that school is bearable.”

            “Fine, but if he ever scares you, let me know, okay?” Minji said.  “I’ll teach him a lesson.”

<:>

            Please talk to him.

            The words from the letter bothered Yeoreum as she took a bite of her lunch.  She still found the whole “letter from the future” thing hard to believe, but as the day went on, she wondered if the letter could actually be from the future.  After all, no one could have possibly known that someone named Min Yoongi would transfer into Class 3-C today, right?  Not even Minji knew, and she’s the first to know everything…

            Glancing over, she noted that the new student still sat in his place, music blasting through his headphones, staring off into space.  He didn’t show any indication that he had brought lunch, and she wondered if he was hungry.  C’mon, Yeoreum.  You can do it.  Just ask him if he has lunch.  That’s polite, right?  

She cleared .  It wouldn’t hurt to try.  “Um…”

            He didn’t hear her.  Or, if he did, he pretended not to.  Yeoreum felt her face redden in embarrassment.

            She tried again, speaking a little louder.  “Um…”

            “What are you looking at?” he growled, turning his head to face her.

            “L-lunch?” Yeoreum stammered.  Wait, that didn’t make any sense.  Yeoreum, you idiot--

            “I don’t eat lunch.”

            She bit her lip and stared down at her own lunch.  What should I do?  Should I offer him some of mine?  Would that seem weird?  Remembering that her mother had bought her some curry bread from the convenience store that morning, Yeoreum opened her backpack.  I was going to eat this after school, but it’d probably be better if he ate it instead.  She placed the bread on his desk before continuing to eat.

            “What is this?” he snarled.

            “C-curry bread.”

            “I don’t need it.”

            She cringed.  “I-I just thought…”

            “What part of not eating lunch didn’t you understand?” he clenched his fist.  “I don’t need your pity.”

            “But--”

            “Don’t talk to me.”

            You don’t have to tell me twice.  Yeoreum simply took her curry bread back and stuffed it into her bag.  

            They didn’t talk for the rest of the day.

<:>

            “Mr. Kim!”

            Kim Namjoon turned around, surprised to see the librarian, Mrs. Lee, standing in front of him.

            “Why hello, Mrs. Lee.  How can I help you today?”

            “Well, a student found this book in the library yesterday, and when I checked the inside cover, your name was on it...”

            “I don’t think that’s mine.”

            “Just take a look,” she replied, holding out the book.

            Mr. Kim frowned, taking the book into his hands.  Opening the front cover, he was surprised to find his name, written in his own handwriting, on the inside cover.  “Well, I’ll admit that this is my handwriting, but…”

            “Are you writing a novel, Mr. Kim?” she asked.

            “Huh?”

            “Well, you see, I didn’t mean to intrude, but as I was skimming through the book, I noticed that the first entry was today, and they continue until New Years or so.”

            “Hm.”

            “Well, since it’s your book, I’ll leave it with you.” She smiled before walking off.

            Mr. Kim tucked the book under his arm and walked back to the teacher’s office, lost in thought, and took a seat at his desk.  Opening the book, he scanned the pages and couldn’t deny that it was his handwriting.  As Mrs. Lee said, the entries started on September 30, 2009 and ran until New Years Eve.  Only...it sounds like I’m a high school student in these entries.  Mr. Kim tried to recall his high school days, which seemed so far away.  The dates don’t add up at all.  Once he reached the last page, his eyes widened.  

            Searching his desk drawers, he pulled out a few books about parallel universes, one of his latest obsessions.  He wasn’t sure how he ended up developing an interest in the mysteries of the universe, but something about the topic seemed to draw him in.  Could it be?  He flipped through the book again, and again, and again.  There’s no way...right?