HER POV

“Ya!” I called the moment I spot him by the lockers.

He jumped in surprise. “Ya! Don’t scare me like that!” he complained.

“Do you like me?” I asked.

His brows rose. He laughed out loud and walked away.

I twitched my lips in frustration. How could he laugh at my face like that? He has been following me for days now and now when I confront him about his feelings for me, he just laughs? Really? In case he forgot, I’m SANDARA PARK.

I decided to wave it off and proceed to my locker. What I saw made my brow rose.

“Is this some kind of a joke?” I asked. I glanced from my left to right and faced straight ahead again. I put my hands on my waist and read it over and over again.

                If you’re going to frown like that, at 18, you’ll look like 48.

I tore it off my locker, crumpled, and threw it away.

“It’s still early, but people are already making fun of me,” I mumbled.

It was break time when I returned to my locker. I saw another note stuck on it.

                It doesn’t hurt to smile, right? Why don’t you turn that frown upside down?

“Aish, so persistent,” I complained and tore it off the locker.

Lunch break came, and a new note came too.

                Smile though your heart is aching

Smile even though it’s breaking

When there are clouds in the sky, you'll get by

If you smile with your fear and sorrow

Smile and maybe tomorrow

You'll find that life is still worthwhile.

I recognized that what he wrote this time was a song. I did the same though. I crumpled and threw it away. I started to walk away but stopped in my tracks. I walked backwards towards the trash can and stared at the paper I just crumpled. Unbelievably though, I picked it up and smoothened it.

I sang the lyrics to myself and smiled. Then my smile faltered. I groaned out loud. “This is so corny!” I shouted. I threw it again and walked away.

However, I found myself buying sticky notes too. Aish! I can’t believe this. Why am I doing this anyway?

I wrote my note and stick it up on my locker. I stared at it then read. I changed my mind and tore it off my locker and threw it away. I was about to leave when I changed my mind again. I wrote a new note again however I found myself tearing it off the locker again. I was like that for a couple of times, repeating the same things over and over again.

Finally, I’ve made up my mind. I stared at the new note and smiled to myself.

                What are you? You’re creeping me out. Get lost!

I walked away with satisfaction on my face.

After I ate lunch with Jiyong, I told him that I’m busy with personal stuffs so he would leave me. He argued but he let me be.

I hopped excitedly towards my locker. I saw a new note and I read it.

                Yes! Finally! You’ve replied. Thank you so much! Anyway, to answer your question… I won’t get lost until I see a permanent smile on your face. So even if you drive me away or not reply on my notes, it’s okay. I don’t mind. Now... SMILE!

I stared blankly at the note. I thought I misread it, that’s why I reread it. And reread it. And reread it. I groaned out loud. This guy’s a headache, really.

I wrote a note and stuck it up on my locker.

                Oh, you won’t give up, will you? Who are you to order me to smile? Are you a clown? You’re just creeping me out. What are you really? Santa Claus? Daddy-Long-Legs?

I stomped my way towards my room. I met Kwon Jiyong along the way.

“Hey! Hey! Hey! You’ll be creating craters while stomping,” he told me, stopping me by my shoulders.

I pushed him away and continued walking.

“OW!” he grunted out loud.

That stopped me. I turned around and saw him standing and smiling at me. He looked perfectly fine.

“Oh, I see you started caring for me,” he said.

I rolled my eyes and started stomping my way towards my room. He stayed by my side, ranting how I looked ugly with the expression on my face right now. But I didn’t care.

When the whole day of classes ended, I hurriedly stomped my way towards my locker. As expected, there’s a new note.

                If you want, then, will you be my Judy Abbot?

I creased my forehead and stared at this new note. I took it off the locker and held it firmly on my hand. I reread it many times. Maybe there’s some code in it. Gosh! This creep is freaking me out.

While reading the note, I bumped onto someone. I immediately apologized. When I looked up, I saw Jiyong.

“Wow! You actually apologized,” he said, amazement apparent on his face.

I rolled my eyes.

“What’s that?” he said, looking from behind my shoulder.

I stared at him, which was actually a bad move. His face was just inches from mine. He immediately leaned away.

“What’s that?” he repeated.

“Do you think I can be Judy Abbot?” I asked him.

He tilted his head to the right and blinked many times. “Who’s Judy Abbot? Isn’t it Judy Garland? Like the American artist?”

I sighed.

“Oh, it isn’t her? Then maybe it’s Judy Blumberg? An American former ice dancer. I know her. I used to-“

I cut her off by sighing heavily again.

“Oh, not her either? Is Judy Abbot a comic character? Or a new K-Pop artist? Or an anime character?” he paused. “Oh, I know! Judy Abbot’s a name of a pet!” he said excitedly but his smile faltered. “Why do you want to be a pet, anyway?”

I sighed impatiently and walked away.

“Hey!” he called. “Wait up!”

“After the choir practice,” I paused to face him. “We’re going to the bookstore.”

“Bookstore?” he asked.

But I was already inside the music room.

HIS POV

I can’t believe that she’s actually serious. She really went to buy me a novel. I told her many times already how I hate reading. How it makes me just fall asleep. But she insisted. She said that she’s paying for it. I told her I don’t need to read the book just to find out who Judy Abbot is. I told her I would just search it up later but she shoot me a glare and mumbled to herself darkly. Though, I catch a few phrases. Lazy… Judy… Long-Legs… Reading…

“So I really have to read this?” I asked her the moment I dropped her off in the hospital. She just glared at me. I groaned out loud. “Aish. Really. How many times shall I tell you that those kinds of stares make you uglier than you really are,” I said, kicking the engine to a start. “Okay. Adios!” I waved and drove off.