PART 1 ~ 2

It was just like any other day at school. Only this time, a new student was introduced to the class. We have just resumed class after our spring break.

               I remembered the first time I saw him. He clutched onto his backpack as he made his way into the class. I sat at the front of the class so I had a good view of him. He had dark brown hair and dark eyes. His cheeks were red from shyness. He had his eyes on the floor most of the time and only lifted his gaze slightly when the teacher introduced him to the class.

              Our eyes met and he smiled a little. I noticed that he liked things colourful. For his first day of class, he had picked out a bright orange shirt and red checkered pants. His sneakers were a mixture of bright green and blue.

              He was assigned to sit at the back of the class where there was only one empty seat left. He was doing pretty well for a newcomer. We didn’t know each other then, nor did we make the effort to. He was a little shy. And I had my gang of friends.

              It was after around 5 or 6 months when he suddenly came to me during recess. It was almost winter. It was the last day of class before the holidays. He gave me a small carton of milk with a note stuck to it.

              ‘ Nice to meet you. Let’s be friends?’

              I noticed a little name written just underneath those words.

             Hoseok.

              I looked up and saw him hiding by the classroom door, not daring to stand nearby. I smiled at him and gradually, he began to walk towards me.

             “Hi,” he began nervously, scratching the back of his head. I offered him my hand in which he took it with a trembling hand.

             “I’m Yoongi,” I replied and shook his hand, “Nice to meet you too.”

             Finally, he relaxed and smiled with relief. That was when I noticed his smile. It was so bright that it could literally melt the snow in winter. His smile instantly brought happiness to my heart just by looking at it.

            We exchanged numbers and promised to contact each other during the holiday season. It was a nice holiday with snowball battles and building snowmen. But we grew up too fast and soon it was time for college.

           It was funny how we thought it was time for us to part. To our surprise, we’ve enrolled into the same college. We hugged each other tightly the first time we saw each other in college. Both of us were so relieved that we weren’t alone in the big unfamiliar world of adulthood.

          We made friends along the way but it was never the same. Hoseok and I, we were special. We came from the same hometown, we’ve known each other from school. He felt like family to me. We were so far away from home and all we had was each other.

          In times of sorrow and frustration, we’d always had each other to lean on. We made sure to make time for each other in between our busy assignments and schedules. A simple and peaceful afternoon with a warm cup of coffee in the café was enough for me to rest my mind.

         On one stressful night, I couldn’t continue anymore. I held onto my head as if it was going to explode. I needed fresh air. I texted Hoseok to let him know that I was going to the dorm’s rooftop. He’d join me if he wanted to. Sure enough, just as I was lying down on my back, I heard footsteps approaching.

“Admiring the stars now, are we?”

         I c