view

noun

i. the ability to see something or to be seen from a particular place.

ii. a particular way of considering or regarding something; an attitude or opinion.

verb

i. look at or inspect (something)

ii. regard in particular light or with a particular attitude. 

alternative meaning;

the cloudburst was coming down with promise of a cold or  flu,

but it didn't stop their watching hearts from blooming anew

Howon realized that he always looking forward to hear the last ring of Jaeseok High more than the recess’s bell. He knew that it’s because her, he wanted to meet her, talk to her and most of all, to spend his evening with her. There was always a new thing about her he will learn every time they meet.

She was one of those fascinations that keep his life vigil, other than his passion for dancing. And Howon never regretted that night he decided to help her with her garlics sack. Howon was perfectly blissful to befriended Danbi whom for him is like a lost star.

The last thing he would turn his head to be when people throw dirty glance towards them when they walk side by side, or the disturbing whisper people utter behind their back whenever they saw them together. He just didn’t bat a .

Or so he thought.

~

It was a cloudy day and the sun has been playing behind the puffs of grey wool-look-alike more than it supposed to.

Howon paid no attention to Mr Choi who was mostly dedicated in telling the students about his neighbours rather than taking the algebra equations he wrote on the green board forty-four minutes ago seriously.

Howon pitied his classmate who had to sit adjacently to where Mr Choi was standing though, since he spit his saliva a lot when he’s talking.

It was just a normal, dull day at school that trigger his desire to spending time at his favourite escapade, the meadow where he believes she was spending time to wait for him at this very moment.

The bell rang, giving a cue for Howon to wake up from his reverie and Mr Choi to stop spitting more saliva to his student.

There was nothing different happening at present where he saw his classmates bowing and muttered empty thanks to Mr Choi for his ‘dedication’ to spend almost eighty minutes to ‘teach them Mathematics’, or the fact that his friends would shriek and yell ‘goodbyes’ to their seatmates before kicking their chair unceremoniously under table and run to the hallway to meet others from other classes whom they will walk back home together.

Howon collectively looking around his nearly empty class, while stuffing his books and stationery into his backpack where he then saw Woohyun and Dongwoo were walking towards him.

“Hey Hoya. Do you have plan after school?”

“I do but I guess I have spare time before that. Why?”

“Wanna get some ramyun at the Grandmother’s place with us?”

“Sounds good to me.”

There was nothing odd, to hangout and walking home with his friends until Woohyun had decided to ask something that Howon had never wanted to ever hear directly.

“So, Hoya,”

“What?” Howon raised one of his thick eyebrows in anticipation.

“Uh, tell me. You and that girl living across your house, are you guys friends or what?”

Howon saw a flash of awkwardness across that friend’s face. Dongwoo on the other hand had his attention diverted to the trees that marching besides as they walked along the empty road at his friend’s inquiry. Clearly faking ignorance of not seemingly interested to the topic yet he knew that Dongwoo pretty much had his ears opened intently to the conversation.

“We are.”

Howon said, not yet catching the subtlety of Woohyun’s question. For some reason unknown, Howon’s hands turn clammy as the look that Woohyun sent to Dongwoo didn’t go unnoticed by him.

Howon decided not to dwell anymore as he clearly understand the situation when his friend throw him another trap that apparently manage to crack open the darkest pool in his mind.

“Why?” Woohyun asked again.

This time with worried plastered on their faces, including Dongwoo who was now directly facing Howon, searching for the unspeakable truth from his orbs. Howon decided to linger more on the silence side, clearly shamming the uncomfortable whirl that had his stomach churned under the glints of his friends’ eyes that were focusing on him.

However, some parts of him had bustling of queries inside of his mind and those are the things that had him to the point of realization. Since then he noticed the glance that their neighbours gave to him, the mocking whispers from his schoolmates whenever they took the same path as Danbi and him were en route together. He began to notice the peculiar situation was down upon him.

Han Danbi, the girl with shady background and Lee Howon are befriending each other. The next thing he realized, he had begun avoiding her.

~

One week and four days passed without uneventful occurrence, and Howon had been trying hard to dismiss the empty feelings that was dawdling in his heart. He had taken the longest route from and to his house (through the back gate) whenever he’s leaving to somewhere.

He skipped his dance lesson at night to make sure he wouldn’t meet her at the junction to their houses where they first met, and mostly, he never loiter at the small trail that lead to the grassy field anymore.

Howon avoided Danbi, and he didn’t approach her. He spends more time with his friends, especially Dongwoo, Woohyun and sometimes with his dancing crew.  Or perhaps, to phrase it neatly, he was actually trying to return back to his old, normal days before Danbi came into the picture and became a part of his life. 

Everything was smooth and well, until she had taken the initiative one afternoon, she decided to turn up in front on his school, approaching him one day.

Howon was walking with Dongwoo and Woohyun out of the school’s gate, conversing about their soccer’s team which Howon had his interest invested quite