Hyejin's pov

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Every since I was young I couldn't understand why people keep saying mean things to me.

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"why are you so ugly and dark skin?" "are you really a person or a pig?" "you want to hang out with us? You?" 

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I planted hatred to people...I couldn't help it. But I learned as I grew up, that it is no use to get emotionally tired from it. I guess they won't even remember saying those words that pierced me. But there is one thing that is always by my side and made me happy...it is books. 

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I have a very few people around me who treated me nice. I couldn't call them friend at all. It was very clear that they didn't want to be excluded from their circle by having a connection with me. Books are the only friend I have, they could take me to places I haven't been before. All the beautiful places and life...that is different from mine. 

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When I was in highschool, my love for reading and books became greater that led me to pursue being a writer. I want to give strength to people who are like me, being different isn't a bad thing and I wanted to deliver it to them with my words. Of course my life is a bumpy road. Highschool days was even worst with all the physical bullying. It didn't bother me a bit, it was the harsh words they throw that crushed me a lot. 

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But that's when I met her. It sounds cheesy I know, and she came into my life as a savior. I would not forget how she smiled at me as a dimple shows on her cheeks. I couldn't see anything else on her eyes except a genuine care for me. She offered her hand, gesturing at me to take it. I hesitated, but she gently held my hand. 

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"leave her alone from now on okay?" 

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She glared at the people who were making fun of me, but it melted as soon as she beamed at my sight. 

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The girl dragged me out of the scene.

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I couldn't ask her why she did that because I was too struck observing her beauty. Maybe she was my guardian angel. 

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When we are far from crowded places in our school, her soft hands let me go and she looked at me. I couldn't understand that expression, she looked either annoyed or worried. 

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"why do you let those people hurt you?!" I jumped a little from her voice that opposes her soft features. 

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"I can't do anything about it" 

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"are you dumb?! Of course you can, you can fight back. Smack them if you want too!" She shoots back. 

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"No, it will make things worse than it is..."

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Forget that she looks like an angel, my knees are shaking right now even though she's the one who saved me. I couldn't look at her.

When she noticed I was scared, her face and voice soften again. 

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"I'm sorry if I raised my voice...I'm not mad at you just...worried and I can't stand bullying" 

She tilted her head at my direction looking like a puppy and it calmed me down a little bit.

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"it's okay...I understand, and I'm thankful for you saving me back there" 

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"I know they will still bother you. I have seen them a lot of times harassing you and I couldn't hold it anymore. I'm sorry if I didn't take an action earlier than this...it is wrong to be blind eye for this kind of things" 

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She was now the one who is averting her eyes. 

I can't describe it, but it was the first time that I felt a happiness that is different from what the books had given me. 

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"Thank you...you're the first one who actually stood up for me" 

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"that's what everyone should do...what is your name?" 

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"it's Hyejin, Ahn Hyejin" 

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"I'm Jung Wheein, from now on we are friends and I will not let them hurt you anymore understand?" 

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"Thank you..." I couldn't speak words anymore, and I just smiled hoping she understood my overwhelming emotions. I'm finally having a friend that is an actual person. 

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She invited me for a lunch, and I was convinced when she said it's her treat. She jumped like a child and started skipping ahead of me. Why is she happier than me? 

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"Wheein ah" 

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"hmm?" she stopped her trails and waited for me. 

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"nothing, your name is pretty and unique" 

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"as it should, my mom said I was unrealistically pretty like a cartoon character and named me after one"

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She acted cute in a disgusting way while doing those blinking eyes thing. We both cringe and laugh at what she had done. 

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We became comfortable being together that fast as if we are the missing piece to each other. 

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Apparently Wheein was known as 'that small gangster' all over the school except for me. 

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She is small and an angel like mostly to teachers and other students. But when it comes to those bully and mean girls, her tiny body could fire a lot of nasty words back at them and could even take them head on. Nobody dares to touch her as she was close with teachers and her mother is also a known artist in Korea. Everyone that she had helped before even thought she was secretly an angel including me. Just how can someone this good exists? Except from her not-so-innocent mouth though.

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She gained a lot of friends by those actions and yet she is still too attached to me even until college. Well, I don't complain, I just don't see myself worth spending time with. 

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Every weekend, it's either she comes over to my place or vice versa. We don't do anything special at all, we just like being together. She would randomly draw while as always I like reading. 

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"Hyejin, have you already thought what you want to be in the future?" 

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"yup...I want to be a writer" I didn't bother to look as I was so sure about my answer. 

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"why?" 

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The sounds of scribbling stopped for a while and I could feel her eyes on me. 

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"I don't have anything else in my life other than books you know, and I also want to be an inspiration for others" I closed the book that I was reading to face at her and she continued to observe me. 

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"what? You have a question about it?" 

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"no, I just admire how sure you are and passionate about it. And also don't forget it's not just your books....you have me now" she beamed and continued what she was doing before.

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"hyejin ah, look at this" she called me again after a while.

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She showed me the paper she had been working on. It was a drawing, specifically drawing of me. Every of lines amazed me of how precise and accurate it is, as if I was looking at the mirror. 

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"wow you're not a human, aren't you? You are literally good at anything. And you even made me pretty here" I said in awe while studying the illustration. So this is why I could feel her eyes on me for a long time. 

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"not really, you're prettier and it wasn't even close to how I see you" 

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My best friend giggled at me with proudness. It made me feel something in my stomach, not quite literally but I shrugged it off. I might be thinking a wrong idea. 

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"I want to be like my mom, a visual artist as well. I know we can become what we want and face anything as long as we have each other. So promise me that we will be together to chase our dream okay?"

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She was looking inside me, I know she wasn't kidding on this one. 

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"okay, we will be together" I smiled back at her. 

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We pinky swear to each other, don't judge it we love doing those. And as life comes with a lot of surprise, later on our friendship bloomed into something more. I was in love with her as she is with me.

Our parents do not seem surprised at all when we came out to them. Instead, they had expected it and were happy to support us. It's just cloud nine everytime we're together. Like every other couple we also had thos