Woohyun’s POV

         The next morning, I woke up because an early call from mom.

         “Woohyun-ah, are you ready for work?” Her voice was hastily, even though I was still asleep.

         “Eh? Eomma, it’s not time yet. ” I said with my eyes still closed, not even looking at the hour because she might be right.

         “It is time now. You must be early for work. You can’t make your mother look like she has an irresponsible kid in front of Yuri!” Even if I was still asleep, I could know she was scolding me.

         “Oh, Kim Yuri-ssi!” I remembered how sweet Kim Yuri had been the last day and I couldn’t let her down. “Yes, yes. I’m going, mom!” I said with a long yawn and opened my eyes.

         “Aigoo, don’t be late!”

         “Um, I won’t! Bye, eomma.” I hung up, woke up from the bed, went to the bathroom and took a bath in a fast.

         When I was on the way to the bus station, Kang Hyewon was walking in front of me. This time she didn’t have her usual backpack but a bigger one and it looked quite full. She didn’t wear her usual dark jeans but more formal black pants.

         But Kang Hyewon has school in the morning, where is she going? I asked to myself.

         Naturally, she didn’t see me and I didn’t do anything to let her see me either. I wanted to follow her to where she was going but I had to go to work and she took a different bus from mine so I went to work still thinking about where she was going.

         “Hi, Woohyun!”  Kim Yuri greeted me as I entered the kitchen and I smiled back at her beaming face. I took my apron and started to cook what was in the orders list.

         After noon, it was my break and I sat on the table of the workers to eat the rice and the kimchi that Yuri had made for us. It was really funny to eat things cooked by other people when I wasn’t paying for it since I could cook my own food but well, that was part of the things she had to do as my boss.

         I ate my food still thinking about Kang Hyewon and where she was going that morning. She definitely couldn’t quit her university but her dressing wasn’t her style to go to her university. She’d always use not too tight dark jeans, a dark t-shirt under her black or dark blue hoddie and black or gray converses. Why she was dressed with those drilled pants, a white blouse and low heels? It wasn’t her style at all, why she was dressed like that?

         But most of all, why the I was thinking about that? Why I was thinking about her so much? Why I was aware of what her style was? Why I was too worried about knowing where she was going?

         I shook my head and kept eating my half-finished kimchi.

         “Woohyun-ah, are you okay?” Kim Yuri was standing in front of me for who knows how long. I looked up at her and stared at her concerned face some minutes more and then I realized she was waiting for my response.

         “Oh? Oh! Yeah, yeah, I’m fine, I’m fine! I’m just… eating!” I took a bit of rice and put it in my mouth and then a piece of kimchi and lifted the chopsticks to her. “See?” I smiled nervously.

         She stared at me for a minute before letting out a groan. “Aigoo, Woohyun-ah, what did I tell you yesterday?” She crossed her arms on her chest and was frowning.

         “Eh? Yesterday?” I opened my mouth and clenched my eyebrows, thinking about what she was talking about.

         She smiled, maybe noticing that I didn’t know at all what she was talking about. “Don’t call me like that.” She pinched my nose playfully and smiled widely.

         “Ohh! Yes, yes! I’m sorry, Yuri-ssi— I mean, Yuri-ah, Yuri-ah!” I smiled nervously again, with food still on my mouth while shaking my hands. Kim Yuri just smiled which made me feel more miserable.

         I went home that night tired as the day before and while I was walking home, I saw again Kang Hyewon was going into the building. I slowed my steps to wait her till she got in and then I went inside the building. I didn’t want to talk to her that night but I wasn’t sure why. I just wanted to go home and rest before talking to her. Maybe I didn’t want her to see me as tired as I was that day; or maybe because I didn’t know what to tell her —or maybe I didn’t know anything. How I didn’t even know the reasons why I didn’t want to do something?

         God, that girl was making my head feel so heavy to even want to think. That’s why I lied on the bed as I reached home and felt asleep immediately.

         The days passed fast and monotonously. Mom would call me every morning to wake me up and go to work. I’d see Kang Hyewon every morning walking towards the bus station but she never looked back so I guessed she didn’t ever see me. I’d see her every night coming from wherever she was and I’d wait till she went inside the building so I went then to my house. She’d never look behind her so she’d never see me walking behind her. I’d never stop her to ask her anything because I didn’t know what to say. I guessed I was too tired everyday to talk with people —or that was what I wanted to believe. I’d go to work early in the morning and go home tired every night.

         Even though I met other girls in the restaurant and many girls wanted me to go out with them, waitresses and costumers, I’d always tell them I couldn’t go, that I was be busy at home, that I had to go out with my mom, or that I had many things to do. I’d always tell them no, giving reasons that were lies and I didn’t know why. I didn’t know why I refused the pretty girls that asked me to go out with them.

         In the other hand, my day would start so good whenever I see her and I am sure that if I had not seen her those days, I’d have been a disaster at work.

         Nam Woohyun, what is happening to you with her? She isn’t even pretty, why are you thinking so much about her? Obviously, she might not be coming from a good family, you can’t just think about her in the way you’re! What’s wrong with you?

         That’s what I was thinking one day when I was walking back home from the bus station. Kang Hyewon was… ruining me. What had she done to me so I was thinking about her so hard? I wanted to talk to her every morning and every night I saw her but I was such a coward or who knows what that I couldn’t talk to her. I wasn’t like this before. I wasn’t a man who was afraid of talking with