bubble pop.

“Can’t I just stay home?” Miyoon questioned at the table as she was having breakfast with her parents for the first time in a long while.

“No. You’re not sick anymore, so why would you stay home? Besides it’s Valentine’s Day, I’m sure you’ll be receiving a lot of gifts, no?” Mr. Wu stated as he sipped his morning tea.

“That’s exactly why I don’t want to go.” She grumbled, pushing her plate of food towards the center of the table. “If I have to then I’ll be on my way.” And without a goodbye, hug or kiss, she embarked towards school, the last place she wanted to be especially on a day like this.

As she entered the cool breezy air after Mr. Kam had opened the door for her, she was already beginning to feel awful. She stared at the gates and between the two poles on either side, some idiot decided to post a huge banner announcing his love for Taela. Miyoon couldn’t help but scoff since she knew her friend would find such a strategy dorky and tacky.

If he really wanted to impress her, he should have bought her expensive jewelry or taken her out to a fancy restaurant. At least then the chances of Taela remembering his name would be higher.

Strolling into campus because Miyoon figured Taela would have already arrived since she adored this day, so she didn’t bother waiting. Walking through the halls, she saw several scenes taking place. Guys confessing to girls, girls confessing to guys. Some unfortunate souls getting rejected while others are being accepted. Chocolates, stuffed animals and flowers are being exchanged along with corny words which made Miyoon want to regurgitate the breakfast she didn’t bother to touch.

“Whoever created this day must be an idiot.” She hissed, putting in her combination. Miyoon was never really a big fan of Valentine’s Day for she never fully understand it’s concept. It was a day meant to be filled with love and importance. A day where one partner would show their companion how significant and special they are by getting them gifts, taking them out on special dates and things like that.

But the way Miyoon thought about it was, if you really loved your partner and they are as important and special as you claim them to be, you shouldn’t just show that appreciation on one day. You should be displaying that kind of affection every time you’re with them. Every waking moment you spend with them should show how much you love them. You shouldn’t have to do those things on a scheduled day, how romantic and spontaneous would that be? Not very.

But that was not the only reason she grew a disdain for this lovers’ day.

For the past eight years on this very same day, Myungsoo had received love confessions, dozens of them which Miyoon got tired of counting. It looked like every girl in the world was able to admit their feelings for him but her. And this year she was certain it was going to happen again. It was like a never-ending cycle. However this year she was glad because she wouldn’t have to witness it anymore because they were no longer the best of friends.

Although in her heart, Miyoon knew he would always be her best friend no matter how hard she tried to deny it. Even if she wanted him to be more than that.

As she snapped out of her thoughts, she finally realized the dozens of letters and notes suffocating in her locker. This was a first for her since she never received much on Valentine’s Day other than candy from Myungsoo or her geges. This scene was definitely foreign and unusual but what should she expect with her looks? She was aware that these shallow boys only had “feelings” for her because of her exterior and she was nowhere near interested.

When Miyoon had opened her locker, she didn’t even notice a few had fallen to the ground. She scowled and picked them up, “Even when they know Chunji is my boyfriend, they still give me these? Seriously?”

Miyoon looked around the hall and found a garbage bin. “Hey you!” she yelled, pointing at a boy with big glasses reading his book. The halls were becoming vacant and the few people still there were couples too engrossed with one another to be giving any thoughts to their surroundings.

“M-me?” he stuttered, directing his finger at his face.

“Yes you, bring me that trashcan over there.” Miyoon ordered.

“O-oh, neh.” He obeyed.

“Stupid love letters,” Miyoon grumbled as she started dumping them into the bin. The boy looked at her in awe and disbelief. He thought girls like her loved getting buried in those types of things. “Who said I wanted to hear about your dumb emotions? Feelings are useless. If I didn’t look like this, none of you would have bothered.” She babbled on to herself, ignoring his presence.

Once her locker was confession free, Miyoon spat into the garbage can. If you can’t admit your feelings in person, don’t bother at all and if they’re only based on appearance, you have no hope in life. She might have seemed harsh but it was how she felt. And it wasn’t like she was going to return their feelings. Reading them would just be giving them false hope.

They should have known that from the start, just like how she knew Myungsoo would never return his.

Miyoon kicked the can and found the boy still standing there, eyes rounded. “What?!”  He jerked back at her voice and shook his head. She leaned in and read his nametag, “Kim Joonmyeon?” she looked back at him and saw him swallowing. “If you tell anyone what I said seconds ago, you’ll regret it. Got it?” Joonmyeon immediately nodded before scurrying off.

“Yah! You forgot to put the bin back!” she screamed but he was already gone. “Aish.” Miyoon hissed, dragging it back to its original place. “I swear my locker better stay clean after break.”

Trudging to class with her hands stuffed into the pockets of her blazer, Miyoon kept her eyes on the floor. “I don’t want to be here.” As she turned the corner to where her class would be waiting for her, Chunji jumped out. Miyoon was a bit startled as she pinched her nose bridge up. “Are you trying to give me a heart attack?”

He chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck. His cheeks were pink and he had his hand behind his back. Miyoon realized he probably got her something for Valentine’s Day and eased her expression. “Are those flowers, chocolate or a teddy bear?” she asked. Those were always the generic gifts she saw guys giving to girls.

“None.” Chunji chimed.

“Well, they better not be jewelry because I don’t like wearing those.” Miyoon commented. And the latter shook his head.

“Care to guess again?” he grinned.

“I don’t know.” She huffed. Then he pulled out a thin envelope. “What? You wrote me a confession?”

“Nope,” he pulled out two move tickets and handed them over to Miyoon. Her eyes widened and she jumped with joy.

“The Cat?! Are you serious? I wanted to go see this but no one wanted to go with me!” she shrieked, throwing her arms quickly around his neck.

“I thought you’d like to go watch it.” He smiled, curling a strand of her hair behind her ear, something he did often.

“Of course, Park Minyeong is in there too!” Miyoon exclaimed. “I watched the trailer and it looked intense.” Horror films were always a soft spot for her even after all these years and Chunji was aware of that very fact.

“Well, I’m glad I made a good choice. I knew you’d like this much better than flowers or chocolates.” He remarked, pressing a chaste kiss on her lips. “You’re so cute.”

Miyoon didn’t know why but she blushed at his words and actions. “Y-yeah.” She stammered, her heart fluttering. She stepped back and handed him back the tickets. “So when are we going to see it?”

“Saturday.” He answered.

That was three days away.

“Sounds great.” She let out a small smile, ecstatic that she would finally be able to wat