Jinhae, March 2008

Out of the four seasons, spring was my favorite. Mainly because the wind felt nice, like it were caressing your face. The earthy fragrance after rain and the evocative scent of newly mown grass always made my mind wander everywhere. I shifted my position, before leaning my back comfortably against the tree trunk behind me, my eyes caught the pleasing sight of my best friend, his nose burried in a thick- book.

On a day like this, when he wasn’t nagging me to study or do my homework, I would admit to myself that he was gorgeous.

“Sehun-ah,”

The said boy looked up, he lazily raised his eyebrow. 

“Have you submitted your form?”

My school had this tradition where they asked their last-year students to fill in a straightforward form, asking what you want to major in college and which college you’re going for. For what, I’m not sure. I couldn’t help thinking they just want to laugh at our life choices. I could imagine the teachers huddled in one of the cubicles in the teacher’s room, going through the stacks of forms, laughing at one form that read ‘ancient script expert’.

“I submitted it straight away.”

I heaved a sigh. Sehun shut his book closed, putting it aside and finally grabbed his lunch. Well, technically it’s mine, but my dear Mother always fuss me to share with Sehun. It was even his favorite food, wonjo kimbap and some of his favorite side dishes, sometimes I wonder whose Mom she was.

“What’s so hard about it? You told me once you want to be a defense lawyer. Just write that down.”

“Except I’m not sure if I CAN be one. My grades aren’t exactly the brightest. And law schools are expensive. My Mom insisted that I just go with the safe choices, economy, management, stuff like that.”

Sehun gave me a reassuring smile that I found really attractive. If you thought Sehun was good looking with his usual poker face then you don’t know the whole story. This smile of his, although he doesn’t show it, could light up the entire room.

“But you’re the most hardworking person I know.”

“Only because you keep reminding me to study. I don’t even have a life anymore.”

“But you can always ignore me, yet you always choose to study. You’re working really hard to get what you want. Have more faith in yourself, Hyein-ah. And you can always apply for a scholarship, there’s plenty of that.”

I stared at Sehun for a long time, his smile lingered around for a moment before he realized that I missed my cue to shift my eyes somewhere else.

“What? Is there something on my face?”

I shrugged.

“Tell me what you wrote.”

His face lit up like a christmas tree. Sehun always get excited about this kind of thing. He’s such a nerd.

“T