“Remember Eun Ju,” Jae Hwa said as I held the knob. “You have to go straight home today. We will be traveling all night.”

            “I know,” I replied. “But I have track and field on the afternoon. It would be weird if I just suddenly skip it.”

            “After that,” she said sternly. “Don’t stray.”

            “I won’t,” I said, opening the door wider. “See you later, Jae Hwa.”

            I was glad to finally be out of the house. Jae Hwa has been acting weird all week, it’s unsettling. She kept pacing around the house, even in the middle of the night and won’t stop packing for even one minute. She has done this routine before, but never this agitatedly. I’ve asked her what’s wrong, but she said it’s nothing. I know she’s lying, but there was no point arguing with her about it. She never shared to me her concerns, and maybe that’s why we could never have a filial relationship.

            The walk to school was nothing but peaceful. It feels a bit weird knowing that it’s my last day. Jae Hwa made the decision so suddenly that there was not even time to officially drop out. All I would have to do is disappear without a trace. I hate that method the most. I’ve had to do it once and dang was it such a bummer. I know all my friends and the bonds I made with them have to be temporary, but a sudden cutting of strings is still too much to do. I just hope I would get through this whole ordeal without an emotional dysregulation like the last time, or worse. Perhaps, my desire to keep away from Sehun be much stronger that I wouldn’t even have the need to worry about all of this.  

            To give him credit though, Sehun has the decency to not talk about my confession to anyone. Maybe it’s because it really meant nothing to him, but I’m grateful nonetheless or I would have been an outcast ‘til my last day of school. Still, what’s noticeable is how it seems like he’s completely ignoring my existence now. I mean, he never really looked at me before, but this time it just feels like I’ve gone invisible to him. I wouldn’t be able to tell for sure, but it must have got something to do with my birthmark. His expression turned obviously sore after seeing it.

I don’t know what his problem with it is though. The mark’s been there for ages and it hasn’t done a single thing.  My previous classmates thought it is cool, even. Sehun is the only one who acted so repulsively against it.  Maybe he hates planets, or things that look like it. In any case, if that’s the only reason he rejected me, then probably, he doesn’t deserve my admiration at all.

            Forget his gorgeous face, maybe I can find another guy in the next school I’ll enroll in.

            “Haerin!” a voice suddenly broke my trail of my thoughts. It was my girl, So Min, the first I befriended after I transferred schools. She let her hand down after waving it in front of my face for who knows how long. “Did you even hear a word I said?”

            “I’m sorry,” I said, and smiled apologetically.

            “Figures,” she rolled her eyes.

            “Well, what is it?” We were at our usual lunch table. The apple I got from the counter was still untouched and there’s no point wondering why. On a regular basis, So Min and I would eat with the rest of our friends from the other class, but today they couldn’t because they have a science project to work on. It’s a pity though, because I wouldn’t be able to eat lunch with them ever again. Only that I couldn’t let that fact straight out to beg.

            “Not hungry are you? What are you even thinking so deeply about?” she asked, but it was obvious she doesn’t really want to know. That’s the thing I like about So Min. She’s an easy-going girl, and she doesn’t like to pry too much. I wouldn’t have to worry about leaving her so suddenly. She would definitely get over it in a day or two. “Anyway, you better stop daydreaming right now because I could bet my whole life, he just checked you out!”

            So Min looked so freaked out and excited that I just wanted to get in the conversation for her sake. “Who?”

            “Oh-ing-Sehun,” she stated so dramatically, it’s as if she’s declaring the name of the winner in some award show.

            On my part however, as soon as she mentioned the name, I felt myself choke badly on my own saliva.

            “Are you kidding?” I croaked out. I didn’t ask because I was overwhelmed by the fact that my unrequited crush is staring at me. I asked because Sehun looking at me could only mean trouble.

            “Yes He Did,” So Min enunciated each syllable like she was talking to a retarded person. “You just scored a hundred points Yoon Haerin!”

            “What is he doing now?” I asked frantically, not even daring to look behind me. It really felt like something horrible went down my stomach. “Does he look mad? Frustrated? Out of his mind? What???”

            “Why on Earth would he look mad?” So Min frowned at me, but when I didn’t say anything, she continued. “Jesus, he just looked at you maybe once, or twice, but not