It was 8AM, the school bus would be arrived in 15 minutes but Jong In hadn't move anywhere from his bed. He got his books packed up inside his bagpack already, and the black hoodie he always wear to school had covered his head, hid the black circles under his eyes. He listened carefully to the sound around him, the ticking clock, the blowing wind, moving the curtains in his room danced back and forth. It was boring. It was as boring as the routine he stuck into everyday. He would be forced to sit down on his desk in his classroom, listen to his teacher's voice, teaching things he knew he wouldn't even need for his life to carry on, just another dull, boring sound. "Jong In, your bus is here!"

With a light groan, Jong In lifted his bagpack and hang it on his right shoulder. "Jong In?" The voice called him in repetition, like whoever owns it wouldn't stop until he shouted back in answer.

"Dad, I heard you." He finally said as he walked downstairs. His eyes met his father's, they were as tired as his with dark cirles under them. It makes him nervous sometimes, his stare, like he was begging him to look back at him, in which he would not.

"Your bus..."

"I said I heard you, alright." Jong In opened the door in a swing, stepped outside and walked toward the bus that had been waiting for him. Why am I surrounded by dull boring people, making dull boring sound. He could still feel his father's stare as he stepped into the bus, he could see from the corner of his eyes that he waved him goodbye with a smile on his face. He rolled his eyes and walked straightly to his seat, the seat he had been taking since his first day of highschool. The earlier ticking clock was replaced with some giggles, mutter, and chatter around. Some students on the bus have they seatmate, while some, just like him, prefer to sit alone. But still, they were communicating, socializing, and Jong In hated that. He hated the fact that he, himself, should be like them, talking to others, socializing. Quietly, just like he did almost every morning, he wished that he wasn't there.

Usually, the bus would go straight to Jong In's school since he was the last one to get picked up, but after about 10 minutes on road, the bus stopped. He raised his head, curious to see what has happened that made the bus stop. His eyes wondered around, none of the students seemed to bother why, they kept on producing those sounds, giggles, mutter, chatter. And then a girl stepped into the bus, her head down, he could barely see her face. She let her hairs fall down on her shoulders, and her skin... she was so pale Jong In couldn't look away. She hasn't reach any empty seat when the bus started moving again. Quickly her hands held the nearest seat for balance.

He was trying to ignore her, but her awkward body movements every single time the bus wheels turned right or left disturbed him. Why hasn't anyone give her a seat? He thought, referring to some students who was also sitting alone. He put both of his hands inside the pockets of his hoodie, trying not to give a damn about the girl. But he couldn't lie that he waited, waited for someone to just move aside and give her a sit so she would stop making those awkward gestures every time she was about to fall. But no one did.

The girl kept on walking, her cheeks were bright red, maybe the almost-falling thing earlier embarassed her, maybe she was too shy to ask someone for a seat, he didn't know. He also didn't know why, when the girl arrived at the side of his seat, he spontaneously moved aside, bumped his elbow lightly on the window. "Sit." Did I just say that?

"I-I'm sorry?" She raised her head, looked at Jong In's direction in confusion, as if she didn't believe that a scary boy with a hoodie on just offered her a seat. Addition: when noone else in the bus did.

"I said sit down, dammit." He said louder, just loud enough for her to hear. He didn't mean to curse, and now he felt a wave of guilt in his chest as the girl's expression changed, and he could clearly see that she was holding up her tears. Slowly, she sat down next to him, leaving some space in between them so their thighs wouldn't touch. Jong In took a quick glimpse on the umbrella she was holding, his eyes stopped at the name written inside a label hung on the umbrella's handle: Jung Soo Jung. He turned his head away right after, to the moving scenery on the window. The rest of the way to the school felt like forever for him now that he had an accidental seatmate. He was planning to apologize when they both get off the bus, but he didn't because her words cut him first.

"Thank you very much, and I'm so sorry." Just like that the girl walked away, fast, disappeared among other students. Jong In chuckled lightly, lame, he thought.

*****

Jong In didn't see the girl again at school, neither on his way home. Either she missed the bus, or she stayed late at school because she had something to do. He couldn't find her in any seat inside the bus. He was thinking of asking one of the students about her, but the thought seemed like a big joke to himself he buried the plan back down. Just as he reached his seat, he opened the window to feel the night breeze on his face, one of a very few things he could enjoy in his "dull, boring" life. The houses seemed like moving beside him, and the trees, and the street lamps... until he saw her. The girl this earlier morning sat next to him, was walking on the street alone, hugging her bag as she walked. Jung Soo Jung, he repeated the name he read hung on the little umbrella. Just as the bus passed her, she raised her head and looked straight to Jong In's direction. Their eyes met, and that surprisingly didn't startle him, he stayed still and didn't look away. He got his eyes stuck on her until the bus was way too far he couldn't see her again.