Trees, almost dead with hardly any leaves, swayed in the cool autumn breeze, as if they were bringing themselves back to life from the touch of air. The leaves scattered themselves on the concrete and on patches of grass, which seem to hope to survive through the coming winter. The clouds, thick with white and traced with silver-lining, drifted themselves against the sky, hiding the sun's radiant beauty occasionally. Squirrels began to climb down and up the trees, preparing for the winter's chill. Sparrows slowly flew down to rest on trees, ready to migrate to the warmest parts of the world.

Suddenly, the birds flapped their wings in a hurry, and the small animals scurried off into their homes. The large cloud swept over to cover the sun, and the sky darkened almost like night. A boy around his teens tapped his foot slowly against the concrete. He flipped his black bangs to his side, and plugged his earphones inside his ears to listen to some music. The hip-hop song disturbed nature around it, for it was put on its highest volume. However, the man just shoved his hands in his pockets and continued walking in an unpleasant manner.

"Oh shoot. I'm late!" a voice whispered. The boy slowed down, and slightly turned his head around to see a woman around his age (probably younger) dash right pass him. For a brief moment, both eyes met each other's. Their glances were undisturbed, yet there was a feeling that sparked in both hearts. When the girl looked away from his gaze, so did the man lagging behind her. When he glanced back, he noticed the young girl holding her literature book upside down with an unusual branch hanging out of the book like a bookmark.

Is that an… olive branch? he wondered to himself. He stopped his tracks, then broke into a smile -- a smile so captivating, almost any woman would fall for him. He laughed quietly, and covered his chapped lips with his scarf. What am I thinking. Yes, it is an olive branch.

"Jaejoong!" a voice behind him called. Jaejoong finally turned his whole body, recognizing this voice. He scowled and blasted his iPod to full volume, walking away even faster to avoid his friend. "Aw, come on, Jaejoong! Wait up!"

"Stay away from me, Yunho," Jaejoong muttered quietly to himself. He felt a heavy arm draping across his shoulders, causing him to sulk. The handsome man besides him, who happened to be Jaejoong's "friend," laughed with glee and beamed. 

"Hey! It's the second week of school! Aren't you excited?" Yunho asked.

"Not one bit."

"Aw, don't be like that buddy! Oh, I heard that there's a student who enrolled to this school late. Heard she's a girl. I call dibs if she's-"

"Cute," Jaejoong finished. "Good for you, Yunho. Aren't you going to be late?"

Yunho frowned. "What are you talking about? We still have twenty minutes until school starts. The school is just about five minutes away."

The other man blinked his eyes. "But a girl just said she would be late…"

"You're imagining things, buddy," Yunho said, patting Jaejoong's shoulder. He paused, then grinned. "Hey, um, look. I'm kind of short on money. Do you mind if you lend me… I don't know, roughly around a hundred thousand won-"

"A hundred thousand!" Jaejoong exclaimed, bewildered by the large price. "Yunho, what on earth do you need so much money for?"

"Well, there's this dance competition coming up. It costs about five thousand won to join…" Yunho paused, then grinned. "Plus another twenty thousand won for my back-up crew."

Jaejoong mentally calculated the price in his head. "Alright, so there's five people in your group. It's only twenty five thousand won. What's the other cash for?"

"Clothes," Yunho breathed, his eyes glowing with excitement. "Flashy clothes. The ones where you can wear almost anywhere and look good. I'm popular, Jaejoong. I'm the latest fashion trend. To be popular, I need the money."

The rich man sighed to himself. Why was he friends with this idiot again? He shook his head and pulled out his wallet from his pocket. Then, he handed him a stack of cash, bundled up with a rubber band. He flicked his hand, motioning Yunho to leave him in peace. Yunho thanked him once and ran to school, exciteded to win the future dance competition. 

"Are you allowed to do that?" another voice (this time more femine) asked Jaejoong. Jaejoong groaned and slapped his hand over his eyes. He glanced over to the skinny woman besides him, who only stared at him with wonder.

"Who the heck are you?" Jaejoong snapped. The woman beamed and extended her hand. Jaejoong gave her a strange stare, then shook it.

"Kwon Yuri. The new student enrolling to this school. Did you perhaps see a blonde girl run pass by here?" Yuri asked, slightly tilting her head. Jaejoong paused, then remembered the brightest chocolate eyes he had ever seen. The moment when he exchanged looks with the stranger flashed back in his mind, reminding him that he had, indeed, met her earlier. 

"No," he lied. "Never saw her."

Yuri groaned and frowned. She diverted her attention away from the handsome man and began to mutter something under her breath. There were only a few words Jaejoong was able to catch, such as "damn you" and "Jessica."

"Curse you Jessica!" she muttered. Turning around to Jaejoong, she said with a smile, "Oh. Alright, thanks…"

"Jaejoong. Kim Jaejoong."

"Thanks Jaejoong! I guess I'll see you later today?"

"Nope," he responded. The woman gave him an offended look, then dashed off to the direction where Yunho had disappeared to. 

Once again, Jaejoong took his time to head to school. His sneakers seemed to glide against the concrete with his chill aurora. The birds rested on every branch they found, and the squirrels came out to burry their nuts. The cloud, which had shaded the earth for the past ten or five minutes, finally lifted itself away and allowed the sun to beam against the grounds. A cold wind blew the colorful leaves off the dead branches, and the fallen plant was drifted away in the wind. Jaejoong sighed, and watched time pass by him like the fluffy clouds in the air.

He didn't need to think twice to know if his day would be dull and boring.