Wonwoo's POV

“Finals are right around the corner everyone! Please, start your research assignment as soon as possible. Class dismissed,” said Professor YG.

Man, if they think a ten page paper is a final assignment, they wouldn’t survive a day at U.G.T. Back then, we had a science and calc module due everyday, where we would have to present it in front of an assembly of well known professors. Wonwoo, you seriously have to forget about that school.

I shake off the memory and remember why I left, most importantly who I left. I was treated like a robot, without the capability of being loved or valued. I was a trophy to my professors and my friends, including her.

You see, University of The Gifted and Talented (U.G.T. for short) was the country’s breeding grounds for talented youth. For some students though, there was less talent and more wealth. Parents of the nation’s elite would buy their children’s way into the school, just so their airheaded kids could be called “smart”.

I on the other hand earned my way there, even if I was under a lot of pressure from my family. From an early age, I learned much quicker than most kids, especially when it came to math. By the time kindergarten came along, I was doing basic algebra and mastering Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata on my mini cello, all before I could ride a bike. My parents wanted to support my young ambitions, using any money they had after paying the rent to get me the math books and cello lessons I begged for. I honestly loved learning and the attention I got from my hometown.

Times definitely got tough. My parents’ small bakery, which they put their blood, sweat and tears into, was losing business. Rent wasn’t getting any cheaper and my parents were desperate for money. My mom came up with an idea, one that would shape me for the better and the worst. She started taking weekend trips to Seoul with me and my cello, specifically Hongdae. Each weekend she would beg me to play in front of the immense crowds, hoping that some people would be amazed enough to give us cash and cello gigs.

It must have been because I was so young but I gained the attention quickly. People surrounded me and I kept getting gigs from who I thought was the rudest and snobbiest family of Seoul. The Song family, who owned the biggest cafe chain in the country, treated me like room decor for any little occasion at their penthouse. I would stand in a specific corner of the dining room, cello in hand, and was instructed to ONLY play the same 5 songs over and over again. Man those rich jerks love their Mozart. Despite it all, I was grateful for the pay and for the one person who made all the humiliation bearable: Eunha. She was the Song’s family only daughter, and although it sounds cheesy, she had a heart of gold.

“I think I’ll call you Won-boohoo because you always look so sad when you play that king size violin,” she teased. Her smile made all my frustration melt away.

“My name is Wonwoo, not won-boo whatever. I play the cello not-,” I remember that I could never act serious with her adorable expressions. I burst out laughing as she pouted embarrassingly.

Eunha was the only one I could be genuine with and let my cold facade melt away . Soon after we met, we became friends almost instantly. Since I performed almost every weekend, we started to make our own secret hideouts throughout the penthouse, where we would play silly games during my breaks and laugh until our stomachs hurt. The family chef knew of our “secret friendship” and thought it was cute, so she always baked us our favorite dessert out of the kindness of her heart: peanut butter cookies. At 12 and 13 years old, we thought that life couldn’t get better. We made the most of our little time together, stuffing our faces with cookies, talking about our dreams, and telling each other our deepest secrets. All except one: she was my first crush.

Eventually, her parents noticed how friendly we became and used it to their’s and my parent’s advantage. I was to tutor her and enroll in the music boarding school she was about to attend as a freshman, which meant I had to move all the way to Seoul and leave my family behind. The Song family was to pay for my tuition and give me an allowance all under one condition: Eunha had to rank #1 at all times.

Years passed and senior year was almost done. Each semester since the first, I made sure that she was on the top, which didn’t come easily. Each and every exam, I had to calculate how many questions I needed to get wrong so that she could get a higher score than me. The thing was, I almost always knew the answers to the questions and my teachers noticed that I really was doing this on purpose. Yet, since her parents donated the most funds to the school, they didn’t peep a word. Soon she was almost as good as me at playing cello, all because I was her teacher. The instrument I begged my parents for was now forbidden for me to play, unless it was for her benefit.

I was told not to make many friends, not to date, not to interfere with her life. Her father constantly threatened to stop giving money to my parents, which they solely relied on once they sold the bakery they used to cherish. I mean, they used to cherish me too. Mom and dad started to live large, moving to Jeju Island to enjoy retirement. They had faith in me that I wouldn’t disappoint them, and that was the burden that made my highschool years a nightmare. Sleepless nights became almost regular to me as I made mock-tests, study guides, and cello compositions for Eunha, but really for the sake of my parent’s getting back what they gave to me.

Honestly, I did it out of love. Maybe it wasn’t the type of love that was worthwhile but the kind that seemed right at the time. That one smile or acknowledgement from her made life just a little easier. The laughs I heard from mom and dad on the phone when they talked about the island life lightened my burden.

Maybe I was a just a complainer. I mean I had my best bud Seungcheol who was always there with a listening ear to hear out my endless rants. He got along well with Eunha too, and we soon became known as the “nerd cliche” since she was ranked first, I was ranked second, and he was ranked third. Unlike the stereotype, we escaped our dorms, usually after exams to catch a bus to the Han River. We would have a late-night picnic, which was mostly just store bought peanut butter cookies that brought us back to our childhood. High school was honestly like those convenience store cookies. It wasn’t the same as when we first met, there were moments that were either too sweet or too bitter, and things were just too artificial.

Just as promised, Eunha graduated ranked first, with admittance into U.G.T. for their music program. What was not promised though was that I also got accepted there too but for mathematics. I definitely didn’t expect it, and neither did Eunha, her parents, and Seungcheol. That’s when everything went downhill.

After the graduation ceremony, the plan was for us three to meet up at Han River for the last time. Finally, I actually felt at ease. Graduation meant a few meaningful things for me. First of all, my tutoring days were over since we are majoring in two different fields. Next, it meant that I could show people my true potential. Most of all, it queued that it was time for me to confess to Eunha.

So I went to that same convenience store and bought a couple boxes of peanut butter cookies, since it would probably be our last time enjoying it together. Seungcheol’s plan since freshman year was to either go to U.G.T. or study abroad in California. Since her and I were the only students in the academy to get in, he was left with no choice but to go to Cali and live that good old “American Dream” those tv shows always talked about. It was going to be a fresh start for all of us.

As I walked toward the river, I noticed a couple being all lovey dovey at the spot where we usually set up our picnic blanket. Gross. I called up Seungcheol to let him know that I was going to set up somewhere else, but the craziest thing happened. That same guy making out with his girlfriend picked up his phone right when I called Seungcheol’s number. No way. Once I heard the lyrics to Super Junior’s “Sorry Sorry” from his ringtone, it was a dead giveaway.

I ran up to them, clenching my fists. Violence was something I never wanted to mess with, but for the first time in my life, I punched someone. The thing though was that it was my best friend.

The funny thing was that she stopped me before I could do more damage.

“Eunha, I went through so much for you and you couldn’t help but tell me you were with my best friend. I-I gave you my everything and-” I couldn’t even muster up the words to say how I felt.

“I know Wonwoo, you like me but if you loved me, you would have wanted me to be happy! Why did you get into U.G.T and make my Seungcheol leave?” she screamed. “My family had helped you so much and this is what you repay me with? Punching my boyfriend and ripping him apart from us as friends?” Her mascara melted into dark streaks, just like my perception of her melted into emptiness.

Once she said those words, I turned back, feeling bitter. In a matter of minutes, my entire youth was crushed into nothing.

“Wonwoo, are you okay?”

I wake up from my day dream turned into nightmare and see that girl, Jenn, looking at me with a worried look. Wait where was I?

A/N: ~Poor Wonwoo~ they did him dirty.