Love Me Not

Blind at Heart

Chapter One

"Thank you Jongdae, for that very, er, well-informed essay."

The class representative nodded and went back to his seat.

"You can read your essay now, Chaeri." Junmyeon smiled warmly at her from the front of the classroom. Months ago, Mr. Kim had assigned an essay to them, regarding love. Today they had to recite it to the class.

The students of Class 2 turned their eyes to a brunette who sat at the back of the room. Min Chaeri lifted her head from her gaze on the floor and stood up, making her way towards the front. Her eyes were oddly red and puffy like she had been crying the entire night.

The sixteen-year-old girl had a dismal expression on her face. It looked so out of place on her; normally, she was the life and soul of their class. The other students eyed her. Some with pity, some with haughtiness, others with sympathy. Either way, she stood her ground and glanced at the blonde teacher.

"Should I start now, Mr. Kim?" she asked softly. He nodded, and with that, she closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and spoke.

"'Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.' A passage taken from the book of Corinthians.

The feeling of love can be explained in many ways. I'm sure we've all felt love at one point in our lives. For me, love is when my father tells me I'm still his little girl every night before I go to sleep, even though I'm far from little now. Love is when you tell a guy you like his shirt, and he wears it every day. Love is in the form of my friends, who choose to ignore my moodiness on bad days and take it upon themselves to cheer me up. However, trying to define love in the first place is complicated in and of itself. And complication, for me, results in emotional blindness. That is why I concluded that love is also blind..."

…

Students made way back to their homes after a long and tiring day in school. Chaeri was whining and throwing herself at her stoic and cold best friend, Bae Joohyun. Seulgi and Sooyoung sighed as they watched the two arguing. It was because of the upcoming examinations that Chaeri was being childish and Joohyun even colder.

"Geez, Joohyun, just help the girl. It's the best way to stop her," Seulgi said, giggling with Sooyoung. Chaeri and Joohyun’s antics were so familiar to them, that they ended up pleading with Chaeri’s case to stop the arguing.

"Yeah, I know, right? Mr. Oh’s math problems kill me a little inside," laughed Sooyoung.

Joohyun glared icily at them. "I've told you once. I've told you a thousand times. Study on your own and don't bother me." At the looks she received from the other girls, she sighed and pulled something out of her bag. "Here are the questions that'll most likely be included in the exams. Just go study at the library or something. There. I've helped you now. Don't bother me."

"You're amazing, Joohyun!" chorused Sooyoung and Seulgi.

"What, are you serious? Joohyun! I love you so, so, so much! Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Chaeri bounced on her heels ecstatically. There's one load off her shoulders. She turned to the other two. "Hey, you guys, want to come to the library with me?"

Seulgi shook her head. "I've got to cook dinner tonight."

"And I've got a report to do. Maybe next time," Sooyoung said apologetically. Chaeri smiled at them reassuringly and the four parted ways.

She was now searching for the library when she bumped into somebody.

"Ah, I’m sorry, Kyungsoo," Chaeri apologized, laughing a little. "I wasn't paying attention."

The auburn-haired heartthrob of Seoul High blushed at her smile. To cover it, he glanced at his wristwatch. "It's fine. By the way, what are you doing here? It's kind of late."

"I’m heading to the library. Exams are in a few weeks, and if I don't pass, my mom's going to kill me!" she told him, a look of fear on her face before Chaeri ultimately grinned, scratching the back of her head sheepishly.

Do Kyungsoo smiled shyly. "Good luck with your studies,” he encouraged. Just as he was about to turn around and leave, he recalled the advice his friend once gave him. He cleared his throat, stuffing his hands in his pockets so she would not notice them shaking. “Do you need any help? The library's going to close soon."