Your's Pov:

When I reached home that evening, my only 1 best friend, Chorong was lying on the sofa, crunching a bag of potato chips I had bought a few days ago. 

"How is your first day of school?" Chorong asked. She had small eyes and a sharp nose. I had always believed she was one of the most beautiful women in the world, - if not, the most beautiful girl in South Korea. I always dream that I had the same features like her. I even desired to live her life: carefree, with boys queing up to know her and hold her hand.

I told Chorong everything about L.Joe, and the embarassment he had caused me. Chorong was only the one person to whom I could pour my sorrows to. She would often drop by my house for a chat. When I was not at home or was at school, my grandma would open the door for her. 

"So what? Are you going to avoid L.Joe for the next 2 years?" Chorong asked. "But I bet he is going to stick with you these 2 years!" She continued. 

"But... You know, I can't talk to him, I muttered... "I can't harm him..." I really don't wish to harm anyone again...

"Make sense." Chorong said and she poured herself a cup of tea and relaxed on the sofa.

"Don't you fall in love with him?" She said. I almost choked on drinking my tea when I heard what she said.

"I will never!! I mean...I..." I tered at my words.

"Never is a strong word. Remember your curse? Remember. If you fall in love with L.Joe, you will harm him..." Chorong said.

"You will harm him.. You will harm him..." 

These words keep repeating in my mind. I lay beside her and memories of how omma died came back to me.

"Araso." I said.

We spent the next 2 hours trying to firgure out how to stay away from L.Joe. And 2 hours later, we fell asleep on the sofa with no soloution in my mind.

There was no way for me to avoid L.Joe completely.

During lessons, L.Joe would sit beside me and I had no right to decide where he sat. He would try very hard to start a conversation with me, but I would always hint him to shut up by giving him a death glare. It often worked; but a few minutes later, he would be talking again.  And I really don't know what to do.

During our lunch break, we would eat together. L.Joe will always offered to help me buy my favourite drink, strawberry milk. I always wanted to tell him off, to tell him that I preferred to eat alone. But when he returned with my strawberry milk, I would ended up give in to him and eat my meal in silence, trying hard to keep my eyes off from him.

Few week passes, and there were rumours about us being in a relationship surfaced after a few weeks. L.Joe was especially concerned about disclaiming them. However, no one believed him. There was one day, L.Joe even threatened to beat anyone who spread the rumours, and that was the first time I saw his trademarked smile vanish from his face. 

"Why do you get so angry when students say something about us?" I asked L.Joe that day.

"I don't wanna tarnish your reputation. What if no one dares to woo you? I don't wanna destroy your future. He teased.

"Then why are you still sticking to me everyday?" I said. L.Joe had been following me my footsteps whenever I go, except- washroom.

It took him a while to register the question—or find the answer. “I…” He smiled once more. “I wanna help you. To see your smile.” He turned away, then whispered again, “To see you smile.”

"Wae?" I was quite puzzled.

"I wanna do something meaningful while I can." L.Joe said. 

Ironically, I frowned and ended the conversation. That night, I told Chorong about what L.Joe had said, and we spent over 3 hours pondering on what he had meant. And, as usual, we had no conclusion.

4 months later...

4 months had pass by, and on that Tuesday morning, our teacher, Mr Jung, declared that we have a drama performance competition organised by the school.

"Every class is encouraged to send a team forward. This competition, I believe, will help a lot in your literature. So I’m going to get this entire class to join.” Mr Jung said. 

The students whispered to protest, but Mr Jung insisted. "Every one of you will help out in creating a play."

Sungyeol, one of the noisier guys, volunteered to be the scriptwriter. We spent the next fifteen minutes trying to find a suitable plot. In the end, we settled for the final scene in William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. It was the scene when Romeo drinks the poison and Juliet wakes up to find a dead Romeo.

“Okay, who’s good at acting here?” Mr Jung glanced around the class. “Let’s find a Juliet first…hmm, whose name starts witha ‘J’?

"Me, me!!" L.Joe raised his hand in ecstasy. "Me, me!!" Aish that idiot. 

"You wanna be Juliet?" Mr Jung said and the whole class erupted into laughter. 

"We need a girl, L.Joe. It is supposed to be a sad scene not a funny scene where a macho guy like you acts as Juliet." Mr Jung said.

L.Joe giggled and said, "Ne, then I will volunteer to be Romeo." Several male students started to heaved a sighs of relief.

'But, I got a request." L.Joe said.

"What request?" Mr Jung asked.

I looked at L.Joe. He was staring through my eyes and with a smirk on his face. Oh , I don't  like that look on his face.

"I want Min Young to be the Juliet." L.Joe said. And the whole class cheered as if Super Junior had just sung a song. 

That guy, just won't let me study in peace, will he?

We had our first rehearsal in the school hall a few days later. It was unlike the normal tragic ending in Romeo and Juliet. I wondered if it would change the scene from tragedy to humour.

"Andwae, no... It cannot be. You cannot die." I cried without tears. L.Joe was laying on the floor with his eyes closed. His lips were trembling, threatening to laugh any moment.

"If you die, I also die then!" He can't no longer control it anymore, and he burst into laughter, infecting the entire class to broke into laughter as well.

And I always frowned when they laughed because it would mean another round of rehearsal. Every time there was a rehearsal scheduled after school, I would think of numerous excuses to skip it; but in the end, I would still attend the rehearsal.

When I told Chorong about my role as Juliet in the play, she laughed for 15 minutes. 

"You, Juliet? Juliet?!" Muahahahahaha. She keep on laughing for the next 10 minutes.

I didn't expected my best friend to react that way. Actually, I was hoping for some comforting words from her. I kept quiet and when sensed my displeasure, she lowered her voice and asked 

"You don't like it?" 

"I don't like it. I don't like talking." I answered.

"So are you going to 'curse' anyone in the script?" Chorong said.

"Aniyo, I will be following the script, no worries." I replied.

"Then it should be fine!" Chorong replied. "You will enjoy yourself! After all, L.Joe is Romeo. It will create a romantic..." 

"Chorong! Stop it! Don't start!" I cut in her words.

And then Grandma came out of her room and stared at both of us with her eyebrows lowered. She could not see well and often mistook any girl of my age as me while in the streets. She hobbled towards the kitchen with the help of her walking stick and muttered, “Is that Chorong? Are you talking to Chorong? It it late. Chorong, don’t you have to work tomorrow?”

“Tomorrow is my day off, Grandma. I’m going to have a nice, long chat with Min Young—I meant, Juliet!” Chorong exclaimed and we chuckled. I helped Grandma to the toilet and then back to her room. When we were alone again, Chorong said, “That L.Joe seems to be interested in you, Min Young.”

"ANI, don't give a damn, I will NEVER like him." I said.

“Let’s try to analyse what he meant when he said he wanted to help you.” Chorong replied.

With that, our girls’ talk lasted for more than 3 hours. And once again, we did not come to any conclusion.

We were supposed to get a song for our play.

Almost everyone had his or her own view. Some preferred a love song, whereas others preferred Mozart’s music. A few of us even thought that including a song in the play was a bad idea.

After discussion, we decided to go to a music store to see if we could find a suitable song.

When we reached the place, they rushed into HMV as if they were children store. I sat at the edge of a fountain outside the music shop. To my surprise, L.Joe did not go in as well. He sat beside me and cleared his throat. “Not going in?”

I shook my head. The loud music inside the store always gave me a headache.

“Well, me neither. Bad for the ears,” he said, slapping his ears. Then he laughed at his own joke.

“Well then, I’ve dug out another secret of yours. Secret number ninety-one of Lee Min Young: She does not like music stores. It’s the same secret as mine. I don’t like music stores too.” L.Joe said.

“Good for you.” I said.

“Then how did you get songs for your Mp3 player?" He asked.

“Through a friend.” I replied.

“Okay, great, secret number ninety-two of Lee Min Young: She does have friends outside school! That’s good! That’s very good! That’s damn really freaking good!” L.Joe said happily, like a kid.

“It’s not funny,” I mumbled and looked up. “I’m going up to that shoes store to have a look.”

“Count me in." He said.

We went up and browsed for about ten minutes, then met up with our classmates. They had all decided on a theme song. It was “Only Love” by Trademark. L.Joe and I both agreed with their choice.

We went back to school that evening for another rehearsal. The play was due in three months. For the first time, we did the entire play without any cut. The song was played first, and then it faded away as I entered the stage to see an unconscious L.Joe on the floor. I walked slowly towards him and sat beside him, my tears dripping (the magical eye drops).

"Romeo... Andwae, no...cannot be. You cannot die.." I pressed my head to his chest and could hear his heart beating. “You promised me so many things…so many things! You must not die…open your eyes…” I then yelled, “Andwae!”

The song played again for a while. When it faded away, I held up the cup of poison beside me and said, “What for I live when you died already…? If you die, I also die then!” Then, I downed the poison (it was green tea) and, within the same second, I shook my head gently and fell on L.Joe.

The chorus of the song played loudly for a minute or so. I could feel L.Joe moving a little, and then his voice came. “Juliet? Juliet! Juliet!”

He must have found out about the poison when he whispered, “Andwae, Juliet …” I knew he had stabbed himself when he slumped onto my back.

I knew why he had volunteered to be Romeo. He only needed to memorise two words and got to lie on a pretty girl’s back. Smart guy.