#1.

Son Seungwan's first memory of those mysterious brown eyes was back when she was sixteen.

Initially, she was uninterested. Sitting at the upper left most portion of her classroom, the notorious, energetic Seungwan was tapping mindlessly while looking at how the trees slowly sway, matching the rhythm of the morning's lull.

Classes are drag. My teacher’s voice is a drag.

Son Seungwan is a firm believer that youth should be spent at each heart’s content. Youth should be a fun memory. Well, once they grew up, there’s no way they will talk about their childhood like how their teacher continues to blabber about mathematics or describe how the planets are aligned.

She will always think classes are a drag.

She just wanted the day to be done to finally play ball throw with her best friends, like Sooyoung and Seulgi. Those two girls are the only people that she considers making her youth enjoyable.

Classes are a drag. She hates it.

“… Okay now, class. I have an announcement.” Their teacher briefed. “I’d like to introduce a new classmate starting today onwards. I’d like everyone to make her feel welcome in this school.”

Seungwan won’t deny that this piqued her interest… only for a little. She glanced albeit slightly to the small movement of the door, revealing an unfamiliar petite girl peeking with a tinge of nervousness on each step she makes.

Interesting . Seungwan didn’t ponder much about her tiny, blooming interest about the transferee. Anything new is interesting. It’s normal. It won’t hurt much to listen to her introduction because well, why not? It’s much more interesting than the chirping of the little birds from the tree that she had been boringly looking at for countless hours and days.

The new girl slowly scanned the unfamiliar ocean of people.

“…My name is Bae Joohyun. I am seventeen years old…” she bowed. “…Nice to meet you. Please take care of me starting from today.”

Hmm?

That’s weird. Like, totally weird. How is it possible that a voice can sound that sweet?

Seungwan unconsciously started to look directly at this weird girl.

“Our Joohyun here recently moved from Daegu to Seoul. I want everyone to accept her and guide her in and out of the classroom, is that clear?”

A collective “Yes, ma’am”s ringed in Seungwan’s ears and she didn’t bother joining in. The girl was weird. She feels braced, defensive and kind of threatened for some unknown reason.

The teacher pointed out to Joohyun an empty seat at the back and gently ushered her. An obedient girl she is, she unquestioningly followed, her head shyly down as she walked along Seungwan’s aisle as it was the quickest route.

That’s the first time Seungwan looked properly at those pairs of brown eyes.

Small but pretty, hesitant but determined.

A haze of a purple backpack moved within her peripherals. That small haze slightly bothered her like that won’t be the last time that she will look at it.

Okay, she will admit. Maybe this new girl is new and really interesting.

Seungwan shrugged. At least, there’s finally something interesting in this classroom. She can live with it.

“…So the transferee is in your class?”

Kang Seulgi precisely threw the ball to the questioned Seungwan. Like an expert, she caught it with vigor before replying.

“Yeah… Kinda an uproar when she entered.” She rolled the small ball within her palms. “Everyone kept on looking at her until the end of the class. Everyone’s going weird for her.”

“I mean, you can’t blame everyone .” It was now Sooyoung’s turn to receive the ball to which she slightly raised her hands. “I peeked into your classroom during lunch, and girl, she was really, really pretty.”

“Really?” The brunette raised her brows confusingly. “I think she looks… normal.”

“Are you serious?” Sooyoung hastily threw the ball to Seulgi. “Her eyes, nose, mouth… I can go on for a long while. Her face is like, a perfect ratio.”

“That’s ridiculous. You’re giving the transferee too much credit when you only saw her for a second.”

“Maybe you’re the one not giving the credit, Wannie.” Seulgi threw the ball a bit harder than her usual to Seungwan. “I was with Sooyoung when she peeked, and I agree. She’s really pretty.”

That’s weird. Seungwan tilted her head out of disbelief. Maybe it’s her that’s weird.

She admits she looked at Bae Joohyun a few more times, just barely enough. She looked at her during class and she noticed how attentive she was, scribbling every word each of their teachers uttered despite her adjustments and her new condition. She looked at her during lunchtime before she reunited with her best friends that were, unfortunately, assigned to a different class, and Joohyun was silently eating alone the whole time. She noticed how some of the girls talked to her for an invite, but all of them received a shook of a head. Seungwan also looked at her after dismissal, how she neatly organizes her books and notes inside the sturdy purple bag before slinging it into her right shoulder and then timidly exits the rowdy classroom filled with kids like her, excited for the freedom they’ve been waiting for since morning, unlike Joohyun .

She only looked at her at those times. Rather than pretty, Seungwan internally defined the new girl as weird, and maybe interesting, but only that much; nothing more, nothing less.

“You guys have weird tastes, you know that?”

“Ugh. Seulgi, why are we close friends with such a person with a bland taste?” Sooyoung rolled her eyes annoyingly.

“Yeah. Words can’t express how much I agree with you, Soo. Imagine not liking Mint Chocolate? That’s our poor Son Seungwan over there, missing a lot of things.”

“You asses…!”

Seungwan threw their white play ball with a heavy force to answer their playful mockery, and the universe somewhat loves to play with her sometimes, as well.

Like on cue, a strong gust of wind aggressively wafted their tiny space along the school’s backyard. The cold breeze of spring tickles the trio’s skin and instinctively pull up their tightly worn scarves for a little bit of protective cover.

The wind calmed down after a few odd seconds and the trio thought it was their sign.

“All right, let’s go home.” Sooyoung was the first to open up. “I’m shivering now.”

“Same.”

“Seconded. But you guys go first, I’ll just…” Seungwan pointed in the opposite direction. “I’ll just go fetch the ball. It blew off.”

The brunette didn’t wait for the replies anymore and just proceeds to jog mindlessly following the huff of winds.

But it was weird.

She was sure the ball flew off in this direction.

After jogging for a few meters, it was weird that their playball still could not be seen. With its white color, she was almost sure she would notice it in just a glance. No one misses a white color.

She slowly scanned the area with skepticism.

Connected to their school’s backyard wherein lies the waiting shed where numerous benches and pavilions are located. It stretches long and wide, which kind of serves like a hall connecting two buildings; One allotted for their everyday classes, and one for club rooms and extracurricular activities. It’s not an understatement to say that the said path felt like a portal every dismissal. Students flock in and out like ants lining up, it goes on and on endlessly that sometimes staying too long in one place stagnant would make you feel out of place.

And Seungwan currently felt out of place. She just wanted to find their ball. Why the hell did it roll in this crowded place, out of all locations?

The exasperated woman heaved a heavy sigh. If the worst has to come then she should just replace it with a new one, right? She almost gave up until she, once again, saw a hazy purple shade in her peripheral vision.

She saw Bae Joohyun, in the same stagnant place, with a non-stop flow of people surrounding them.

Once again, Seungwan watches her.

Those pretty, nervous eyes flickered into her right hand. Holding a spherical object like what Seungwan had been holding just a few moments ago. Oh. That’s her ball.

Thank you, universe. For giving me wrong situations and wrong people all of the time. Great.

Actually, she doesn’t hate Bae Joohyun. She doesn’t have any ill feelings at all. The woman was silent, resilient, mysterious, and they don’t have any interaction at all so far. That enough, Seungwan thought, was weird. And she kind of doesn't want to be involved in anything she feels weirded of, and actually, she knew why.

Seungwan was starting to get curious, and she knew she can get easily attached to anything that interests her. She’s an unknown, and unknown is a scary place.

She just had to shrug it off as soon as she got the ball, she declares.

In small steps, she walked into the direction of the woman she just eyed out with a heavy heart. Finally, in just a few centimeters away, Joohyun turned, causing those alluring brown eyes to land into her own.

Seungwan is a social butterfly, if she can define herself. She can talk to everyone easily, blend in easily, and befriends anyone easily… But now she looks like an awkward hamster in front of this new woman. 

This woman, Bae Joohyun, is weird.

“Uhhmm…”

Joohyun remained still with her stoic expression.

“The ball you’re holding…” Seungwan pointed timidly. “…That’s mine.”

J