"I don't know, she seems like a pretty nice girl. Maybe you're just being too harsh on her Kim," Sunhi suggested, plucking a pale pink shirt from the rack of clothes. She held the article up to her torso in question and Mikyong and I both shook our heads in disagreement. She sighed and placed it back in the same place, rummaging through the array of clothes once more. "It doesn't change the face that I don't like her. Any other human being who likes Kai is a sworn enemy of mine," I said as-a-matter-of-factly, scoffing as I did so. Mikyong chirped along next to me, "I don't like her either. She's so snotty."

Defeated, Sunhi shrugged her shoulders and stepped back from the clothes. "I'm just saying. Maybe she's a really good person," The tall female crossed her arms slowly, continuing to stare at her feet. 

"Sunhi, are you trying to say I'm not a good person?" I questioned, stopping from flipping through the rack to turn back to her and raise my eyebrows.

"No! That's not what I-- ugh, nevermind." She pouted as she reached over to grab the shirt she was eyeing earlier and ran to the cash register, dodging my question. 

Mikyong let out a gentle sigh as she watched Sunhi. "It's okay Kimmy. You know how she is. She just tries to see the good in everyone," she said in an attempt to lighten up my mood. I nodded, knowing she was right. Once in the seventh grade when a boy called me ugly in front of everyone in the class, Sunhi was the first one to stand up and say something. She kept going on about how I appreciated everyone and how I was really a generous and kind person. The most surprising part was that she didn't even scold the other person, but starting pointing out his good qualities as well. After that she said something among the lines of "Everyone is different and special than any other individual. Please don't say those things," and no one said anything to me or any one else afterwards. She was the most mature person in the class and we all looked up to her.

I ended up not buying much, surprisingly. However, I did purchase a lot of food. I frowned at the now half empty wallet in my hands. "Man, I wanted to save some money too," I muttered to myself. Looking up, I'm startled by Kai's figure looming over me. I jolted backwards and collided with the wall behind me in the process, hitting the back of my head as I did so. Kai laughed, picking up my wallet which I didn't notice had slipped from my grasp. He opened it and started counting the bills. Before I could scold him and demand that he returned it, he laughed once more, his eyes slightly closing and his forehead wrinkling in amusement. "Wasted your money again, huh?" he asked, tossing it back to me so suddenly that I barely had any time to pay attention and catch it.

I puffed my cheeks, shoving the leather article back into my purse. "What do you mean by again?" I huffed, stomping past him. He followed behind me cooly, his long legs moving in a slow stride as my shorter legs struggled to keep up the rapid pace I had set for myself. "Oh come on," he began once more, easily walking ahead of me without slowing down. I had to start to jog to keep up with him. "Remember that time in the sixth grade when our class went to the museum as a field trip and you bought one stuffed toy of every kind in the gift shop?" he asked, grinning to himself as he did so. I blushed, refusing to listen to him any longer and quickening my pace.

He noticed that I started to speed up so he picked up the pace as well. "I can't believe you remember that," I called out, struggling to get the words out past my panting. "I didn't know that you were paying attention!" My cheeks only became redder when he didn't reply. 

"Hey, you two! No running in the mall!" a security guard from across the walkway shouted at us.

We both stopped running. Everyone near us seemed to grin and giggle in our direction. Feeling bashful, I hung my head in embarrassment and turned around to walk back the same way we came from. "Why did you start running anyway?" Kai said, still tailing me.

"You were the one who wouldn't stop following me," I replied. 

"You didn't have to start running."

"You didn't have to follow me."

"You're weird," he says, shoving his hands into his pockets.

I grinned. "Says the one who ran with me-- ow!" I exclaimed, rubbing the sore spot from where he hit me on the top of my head.

There was a long pause before he spoke again. "Of course I would remember."

"Remember what?" I asked, grinning. 

Kai clicked his tongue. "...you know what I'm talking about, idiot."

"Stupid."

"Weirdo."

I finished tossing my suitcase into the bottom compartment of the bus. Stretching some after shuffling away from the crowd of students who were doing the same, I brushed off my hands and turned around to watch the other students. It was going to be a long bus ride back and I wanted to get a little bit more fresh air before the trip. In the corner of my eye, I spot Kai and Jeong. Suddenly, I didn't feel so bad as I did yesterday. 

Maybe I was getting used to the sight of them already. Maybe it was because Kai's glazed eyes hinted that something wasn't right between them.

I studied him closer. Jeong didn't seem to notice at all. Honestly, how stupid could she be? Without realizing it, Kai was already staring back at me. When I made eye contact with him, I could see that his mysterious expression was replaced with a soft smile.

Turning around, I quickly boarded the bus without returning the gesture. Feeling a pang of guilt for doing so, I stared out of the tinted windows and watched his group board the bus.

The engine revved up and I sank back in my seat as a suspicious feeling took pit in my stomach.