I.                   

Fast forward to the present. Year 2013, marked Goo Hye sun’s year as a college student in Busan University. She took up medical law, a particularly challenging course. By this time, Hye sun’s shady past seemed to be behind her as she had matured into an intelligent, articulate, and confident young woman who no longer sought fights, no longer got into trouble with her friends. Even the three boys whom Hye sun spent the majority of her growing up years with had matured into decent young men who were more focused on the future than on simple, childish, boyish pleasures. So was Hye sun.

As a matter of fact, those who bullied Hye sun as a high schooler were probably kicking themselves now at the success she had. Hye sun was a brilliant student who would without a doubt succeed and move on to be a prestigious doctor-lawyer. After all, the qualities were in her: intelligent and hardworking.

Apart from academics, Hye sun was also deeply involved in the art department of the university. Hyesun was a revered student artist as well as musician. Despite her involvement in the art department, it was in the music department where her life would start falling into place.

Hyesun had never been in love for the past 19 years of existence. She had her eyes set on some girls, sure but those girls found her interests to be weird, especially the part about her gruesome drawings. Now that Hyesun was no longer a troublemaker and since she believed she had changed in the course of time, she felt that it was time for her to start dating.

Even in college, Hyesun’s introversion still persisted. She still made very few friends and barely attended social occasions. Her confidence was exceptional, especially during classes but it was limited only to this field. Beyond academics, Hyesun perpetually considered herself a failure.

That February, an announcement of a Valentines Day dance party was posted on the walls around the campus. Taeyang and G-Dragon, two of Hyesun’s friends, saw this and started talking amongst themselves who to take out on a date.

“Man, I’m taking Dara to this one.” said Taeyang, his lips and rubbing his palms like he was gonna get lucky. “V-Day, bro. Who knows what’ll happen?” Taeyang was another medical law student who had a mohawk and dressed like a superstar. It was quite surprising (as many had found it surprising) that he and GD, the two flyest, most stylish people on campus were friends with a reserved, mousy, plain-dressing tomboy like Goo Hyesun whom people either ignored or only spoke to when needed.

Taeyang’s real name was Dong Young Bae while G-Dragon’s was Kwon Ji Young. These two were talented, socially immersed young men taking up medical law. From the looks of it, judging by their good looks and stylish clothes, they didn’t really look like lawyers-to-be but they were. They came from rich families who spent a whole lot of money  just to send them to this prestigious political science centered university. Ladies loved them and boys wanted to be them. Why wouldn’t they? Smart, handsome, talented. That was them.

Hyesun was also smart, good looking and talented, it just didn’t show that much.

“Homie, I’m taking Chae Rin to this one!”

“What you gonna wear? Those geometrical suits and ties and gowns?” Taeyang joked. GD laughed at him and said,

“You wish, bro. You wish.” he had other intentions for CL. As Young Bae and Ji Young were reading up on the party, a blazer and jeans with a t-shirt inside clad Hyesun appeared behind her bros.

“Dudes, what’s up?” she placed her arms around her friends’ shoulders and read the poster along with them.

“Ya’ll going?” asked GD. Hyesun smirked at it and shrugged.

“Nah.” she said. Her two friends looked rather disappointed that she declined to take part in this social event.

“Why not? Don’t you want to meet some hot young college ladies?” asked Taeyang.

“I don’t know.” Hyesun said. She was going through a period of depression, academic focus, and libido declination. “I’m just not in the mood to look for any women today. I just want to like go home and finish my stuff and all...” she said.

“C’mon, it’s gonna be great!” Taeyang tried to encourage their withdrawn friend to join this once in a lifetime opportunity.

“We have so many years ahead of us before we actually become lawyers.” Ji Young said. “Take some time off and relax.”

“N...no thanks guys. Not really my thing. I’m not the kind to dress up for events. I’d rather stay home. Besides, Jason’s and mom are gonna be out for that night for their date so I have to stay behind and make sure their children don’t rip the house apart.”

“You sure, Sunny?” asked Taeyang. “You might meet the girl of your dreams.” Hyesun scoffed and smirked an annoyed smirk.

“Please. There is no lady of my dreams.” she said as she walked away from her two flamboyant friends. As Taeyang and GD continued to read, the ladies walked up from behind them and stared at them, giggled as they passed by the two boys. Unlike their friend, they were increasingly popular and had so many women breaking the traditional code and asking them out to the dance. Unfortunately, their hearts were set on their girls.

Hyesun had no lovelife. She never had a girlfriend and never even given the thought of a relationship because she simply couldn’t stick to one. Of all the students in medical law, she only had two friends and only considered the rest as acquaintances. Her inability to form a relationship with people caused her to withdraw and to lose interest in social activities.

That was, until Hyesun saw her...

She was one of the pretty female lawyers. Not a medical law student but a law student. Standing at 5’5”, she had long legs, pale white skin with a pinkish blush on the cheeks, lidded eyes that differentiated her from the other monolid beauties in campus, an oval face that was dwarfed by a sea of long, brown hair and bangs. Her brown hair was made beautiful not only by its length but by its waviness. The way it looked like the waves of an ocean. The pretty law student was doll-like in motion as well. Her demure steps and soft voice almost made it impossible to believe that she was taking up law, a pressuring and gutsy course.

Who. The . Is. That? For the first time in her life, Hyesun actually felt drawn to someone. It was at an instant, when the pretty doll walked past her to read about the V-Day dance, she captivated Hyesun who was shaking in her Chucks, skinny knees weak. The flimsy 19 year old lawyer-to-be nervously approached her from behind and wished to know her but lacked the social skills to do so due to years of living as a hermit in her bedroom.

Miss, what is your name? She rehearsed in her mind. Hyesun allowed her eyes to navigate the lady’s back view. From the top of her brown head, her eyes trailed her curvaceous body and down to her long legs. Hyesun’s eyes were fixed on her long legs and so stiff was she in her staring that she failed to notice the girl whip around.

“Excuse me, do you need anything?” she noticed Hye sun’s fixation on the ground. Embarrassed, Hye sun snapped out of her daze and looked straight up at her, swallowing hard and breathing quite heavily. Her beauty was breathtaking but the living doll did not seem to know that it was her Hyesun was fixated on.

“Uhm. No. No. I don’t. I don’t. Sorry. Was I...Uh.. I was...uhm...” when Hyesun got nervous, she stammered. A lot. To the point of incoherence. 

“I’m Park Bom Lee.” the girl extended her hand. Hyesun’s heart raced faster than  a cheetah. She did not know whether to grasp Park Bom’s slender hand with beautiful fingers that had well buffered nails or to just smile and nod.

“Goo Hyesun.” she grabbed Bom’s hand and shook it, sweating from the palm.

“You’re taking up...”

“Medical law.” Hyesun snappily answered. “You?”

“Law.” Bom answered. “Doesn’t really show, doesn’t it?”

“What?” Hyesun was lost in Bom’s brown eyes and brown hair. She just wanted to run her hands through that sea of beautiful hair.

“It doesn’t really show that I’m taking up  law. I look like someone who’s taking up...I don’t know...”

“Huh? No! No! You look like you’d make a good lawyer. Trust me.” Hyesun smiled. Bom giggled at her spontaneity but a chord hadn’t struck yet.”

“Oh and uh...” Hyesun stammered. Her face-which was also pale-turned a bright shade of pink. “Are you going to that dance?” she asked.

“I’m going to think about it.” Bom said as she placed a slender pointer finger on the base of her chin and twisted about in cute motion. Hyesun was melting in her boots. The bell rang and Bom’s eyes enlarged at the sight of the clock.

“Oh I have a class. It was nice meeting you...” Bom struggled to remember her name.

“Goo Hyesun.”

“Goo Hyesun.” Bom repeated. “I’ll see you around.” she waved goodbye and took off in her red high heels. All the while Hyesun never took her eyes off her.

Goodbye my lover...she thought. Hyesun sighed hopelessly for she will never get a chance to be with Bom.

I know she doesn’t like me. Or at least doesn’t see me in that way. She probably likes men. Those people of the likes of Young Bae or Ji Young. Not someone like me. I’m a nobody.

Hyesun had her own class to attend to but the whole time, it was Bom on her mind. She tried to figure out if she could get to know Bom or maybe  ask her out to the Valentines Day dance. But she made her mind up and even told Taeyang and GD that she wasn’t going and there was no lady of her dreams.

But why does she feel so different with Bom?

The class she attended with Young Bae and Ji Young was Politics and Governance 101, a class that they shared with the law students. In the large auditorium where an attorney conducted the class, there was a sea of students, both medical law and law students. Hyesun and her two friends were lost among their classmates and just took seats about anywhere in the far middle where the professor could not see them sleep and talk. The ever driven Hyesun was attentive while the two were just idyllic. As she took down notes and paid attention to their professor’s words, something or someone caught her eye.

There, seated a shy 3 rows ahead of her, was Park Bom. She knew because there could only be one girl that she had seen who had hair as luscious as hers. Hyesun looked closely in the darkness of the auditorium to try to make out the shape of the head and she was sure it was Bom! Her palms started to sweat, her legs started to fidget and her heart started to race. All the things her professor said had gone out of her ear. She had forgotten everything. Hyesun stopped writing and like her two friends, just idly sat around.

Little did Hyesun know that this flower would sting her like a bee...