The rest of the week was uneventful. Key was always never at home. Once he even whined saying that he’s better off camping in the practice room cause he’s too tired to go anywhere after that. Of course I rolled my eyes and told him not to be such a cry baby. Kids these days.

Well, at least he has the decency to apologise and treated me to ddokbokki the weekend after his drunken escapade. Speaking of which got me reminded of the night I had with Jaejoong. Oppa. It’s still awkward though. I never had to call anyone oppa before. The Shinee kids I hang out with are all younger than me and my classmates are not close enough for me to address them as such.

Shrugging it off, I walked over to the library. Rather, I ran over. It’s freezing out, and my nose kept dripping like a broken tap. With no clinic in Seoul, I could only settle for an off the counter medicine, which I barely gotten, considering how I described my condition.

Looking around, I saw a boy sitting by the window. He was slouching, half his face buried in a book and the other half covered in a red beanie, which he matched with his scarf and shoes. Weird. Talk about color matching. Walking towards him, I tilted my head and asked, “Park Jaebum-shi?”

He looked up and replied, “Ruby-shi?”

Yup, there’s an accent alright. Is he not from around here? Nodding my head, I pulled a chair across from him and sat down. “You don’t sound like you’re from around here,” I said, as a matter-of-factly. Damn it, I should train this mouth to just not move on its own all the time.

He raised his eyebrows and replied, “Ditto.”

Offering my hand, I introduced myself, “Ruby, Singapore. Exchange student.”

Taking mine, he replied, “Jay, Seattle. Transfer student.”

I beamed. “You can speak English then,” I outright just said it, retracting my hand.

“You bet I do,” he replied, pulling down his scarf.

A sigh of relief came out. Yes! Finally. “You have no idea how much I’ve been itching to speak in my Native language. Speaking so much in Korean, makes me feel rusty.”

He chuckled and then smiled. He must have one of the most beautiful smiles ever. I was swooned. Partially. Maybe it’s the abundant female population in this school. My libido’s going crazy.

Getting out of the library, we went to a place where we can talk more freely. To discuss on the project of course. Pssh. Ok, at least he’s as tall as me. His wide shoulders and chest are reassuring too, making me feel totally normal walking aside him. Even Jaejoong, I mean Jaejoong-oppa, (phew that’s a mouthful) even though taller, isn’t as wide as he is. Now, I feel like a total ert and loser all at once. Man, I need to get laid.

The talk with him has been real fascinating. It seems like ever since I came to Korea, my life has been revolving around idols and idol-trainees and here I am with another. No wonder I don’t see him in lectures. He’s been practicing for his debut as well. He was saying something about a show he was on, but I have no clue. Being in Korea has made me less attentive to the K-pop scene despite. Actually the day I start my life as an undergraduate is the day my time is never free.

Apparently he only has to complete the assignments and go for the exam to pass this module. Lucky him, no attendance marks required. He’s very easy to talk to despite it just being our 1st meeting. After segregating the things we need to do, we’re more or less done for the session.

Stretching my arms above my head, I can hear cracks from my shoulder blade. Man, i’m so tense. Looking outside the window, I barely see people walking around. Wait, what time is it?

Looking at my arm, I cussed. Forgot to wear the damn watch again. “Hey man. What time is it?” I asked Jay.

He looked at his phone and said, “Almost 5.”

Ok, now I look stupid. My phone is just in front of me. I must be crazy. Not intending to continue with my work, I closed my journal and put my head on the table. Looking up, I see that he’s still intently doing his part of the assignment. “So..” I began.

“Don’t you have to go for practice or anything?”

He looked up, or rather down and replied, “Nah, today’s school day. I told them I won’t be coming in.”

I bobbed my head in understanding. He seemed like a good kids who most probably will have a better future doing what he does back in Seattle. Without thinking, I asked him, “Why dya come to Korea to be an idol?”

He shrugged. “Just cause.”

Oh kaaay. Not much of a talker this one. Or maybe I’m just too curious. Not caring to continue the conversation, I turned sideways and stared back at the window, with my head still on the table.

My phone buzzed jolting me up from the table. Staring at the screen, I wondered. Bwohya, unknown number? Rejecting the call, I placed it back on the table, disregarding it