It’s bright, warm and beautiful yet far away. It’s no other than Ren’s favorite thing ever; the sky. Ren was resting on the school building’s rooftop (he’s skipping class). Laying down and watching the sky. It’s a good day. Ren thought and he smiled a little while closing his eyes to feel the warmth from the morning sun.  

“Yah, Ren!”

Ren expression changed to annoyed and he put his hand over his face, trying to cover his face or maybe pretending to sleep.

“Teacher GaIn is calling for you just now. I told her that you don’t feel well and gone to the infirmary” Baekho came and sat beside Ren. “Stop skipping teacher GaIn’s class. I can’t always cover for you.”

Ren was not answering. He didn’t have anything to say. He just simply hate teacher GaIn’s class. It’s not that he hates teacher GaIn… there’s no way a male student to hate teacher GaIn. She’s very beautiful and sometimes a bit y. But Ren hate Physic and teacher GaIn is a strict teacher. She gave extra attentions (by asking questions in class) to the weak students. Ren found it unreasonable to study subjects that he hate. It’s not like he’s going to be a physician or engineer later on.

“Yah, Ren. Are you listening?” Baekho pull both of Ren’s hands from his face. Ren stared at Baekho for a moment before he gets up.

“what time is it now? Is it luch time already?” Ren asked.

“Yeah, I’ve brought you melon bun.” Baekho took a bun from a white plastic bag which Ren just realized Baekho had with him since then.  “Here. Do you want apple juice or orange juice?” Baekho handed Ren the bun without looking at him while taking out the drinks.

“No… Baekho… ”

“Well, well, well… look who’s here today.” A boy with styled bangs and wearing untidy school uniform and his friend; a boy with short hair, thick eye brows and wearing a t-shirt instead of the school jacket, standing not far away from Ren and Baekho.  

Ren let out a sighed and look away. These stupid people again, he thought. JR, the boy with styled bangs is the bully in the school. He’s a sunbaenim and Aron, the other boy is JR’s bully friend and he’s in the same grade with JR even though it was rumored that he’s a bit older than the others. JR and Aron have been disturbing Ren since Ren’s first day at that school. But they never did anything that hurts Ren.

“let’s go, Baekho” Ren said to Baekho and walking away. Baekho tried to protest but he canceled it and followed Red.  But as they passed the two-bully-boys, JR gripped Ren’s wrist.

“Where are you going?” He asked in a cold tone without looking at Ren.  

“what are you doing?” Baekho hold the boy’s hand, trying to snapped it from Ren’s wrist. The boy glared at Baekho but Baekho also glared at the boy.

“Can’t we just eat? I’m hungry” Aron went over, found a spot and sat down. “Ren, come here” he patted the spot beside him. Ren, Baekho and JR looked at each other, speechless.  Silently, Ren pulled away his hand from JR, walked towards Aron sat beside him and eat his melon bun.

“What a cute boy” Aron patted Ren’s blonde head and grinned stupidly. Ren didn’t really like people call him cute or pretty but he just got used to it. “Omo, you’ve got bread crisp on your cheek” Aron suddenly Ren’s right cheek.

“YAAAHHHHH!!!”  Baekho and JR shouted at the same time. Ren stared at Baekho and JR blankly making both of JR and Baekho blushed and Aron laughed hysterically.  Ren keeps on munching his melon bread, not understanding what just happened.

***

“Ren, I have class duty today. You go home first” Baekho told Ren as he helped Ren putting his books in the bag. Ren nodded.  

Ren was going home when he saw JR and Aaron were bullying some geeky boy in the middle of Ren’s usual home route. Ren knew, JR and Aron were waiting for him. They always are but usually they got sent away by Baekho. Since today he’s not with Baekho, Ren doesn’t feel safe. Luckily, Aron and JR didn’t see Ren, so  Ren decided to use different route to go home. He has to use school’s back gate, cross a wide field (used to be grazing field for horses), climb the old fence and go through behind an old fortune teller shop to finally meet the main road and walk about 1 km from there to his house. It’s a long way but he hates meeting those two more. He knew that JR and Aron won’t hurt him but they were a bit annoying to Ren.    

So, Ren went to the back gate and escaped.  As he walked across the wide green grassy field, he passed a big shady Oak tree. Under the shady tree, he saw a girl sitting on the grass. She wore Ren’s school uniform. Ren walked closer (not to see the girl, he has to go pass it to get to the fence) but indirectly, he has better view of the girl. She was sitting with her knees pulled closer to her chest and she was hugging her knees with both hands. She has fair skin, rosy and a bit plump cheeks and a pair of pretty black eyes. She was staring to the sky. Her black natural straight hair sways a bit as the wind blew over.  She was too immersed watching the sky or in her thought that she didn’t realize Ren even though he was just a few meters away from her. At that moment, for the first time, Ren felt something warm inside his chest and his heart beats faster.

Suddenly, a strong wind blew over, shakes the tree and a branch as big as half of Ren’s arm fell on the girl’s head.

“Omo!” the girl was shocked and maybe hurt as it hit directly her head. “Aishh…” she rubbed her head and tried to take off the branch but unfortunately, the branch’s twigs get tangled in her hair and it make it hard to be removed. The girls’ hair got messier and the branch got even more tangled as she tried to remove it. Feeling sorry for her, Ren stepped forward towards the girl.

“omo…this thing… get off my hair… ouch…” the girl tried to tucked the branch away but she pull her hair together with it. Then, she felt an unknown hand touching her hair. She looked up and saw a man’s collarbone close to her face. Ren tried to untangle her top hairs from the branch slowly. The girl blushed a bit. “Who are you?” she asked faintly. Ren looked at the girl and saw her red face and somehow it made Ren blushed too.

“I’m sorry… I just thought… I should help” He let go of the girl’s hair and sat on his both knees while looking at the ground (because he blushed).

“It’s ok” the girl chuckled a bit “No… please help me” she pointed to her head and laughed. She looked very funny with her messy hair and the twigs and leaves in her hair. Ren laughed too and he helped her remove them. It’s the first time, Ren felt so easy being near a girl because usually he doesn’t speak to girls much.  

“Thanks you so much for helping me” the girl thanked Ren as she tied her hair back.

“No… it’s ok” Ren tried to hide his smile.

“Are you going back home?”

“ah… yes…”  Ren’s heart wanted him to stay, but his mouth just not good in making excuses or lying. Ren cursed his stupid mouth inside his heart.

“Then, I’ll see you again next time” she waved to Ren with a bright smile.

 “You are not going back home too?”

“Not yet. I’m still waiting for someone”

“I see… ” Ren can’t find anything more to keep the conversation go on. Well, he is indeed not good in conversing. “Then, I’ll be going first” Ren turned around heavily and about to walked away when the girl stopped him.

“I forgot to ask. I’m IU, what’s your name?”

“I’m Ren”