It’s like that little patch of sunshine everyone hopes to have; a nearly impossible wish in the heart of Seoul but nonetheless a daydream only one particular high schooler has on a daily basis. Jung Soojung wasn’t always one to doze off. Sure, she wasn’t first in her year but she did all of her work, turned in her assignments on time, and actually paid attention in class.

Though not today, for that lovely green meadow flooded with sunlight kept occupying her mind, the thought of school and reality pushed farther back and out of mental grasp.

The fantasy comes crashing around her, the pieces scattering along the ground and she’s brought back to reality; the dreary white classroom, the windows partly open that let in a dry breeze, and students not caring about the teacher’s droning lecture.

A slight smile was visible on her pink lips, a small fact Myungsoo couldn’t help but notice. Sure, he was interested in Soojung but he didn’t like her. All that much anyways; yeah, she was a pretty face but when she got riled up and angry, she could be the meanest on the planet. Naturally, Soojung was rarely angry and for the most part she hid her emotions behind her cold exterior, her schooled expression always in place.

But then again, that was a given because her older sister, Sooyeon was it?, was known as the ice queen of her year. So it would be painfully obvious to anyone who is anyone that the Jung sisters were like two peas in a pod, except one just happened to be five years older than the other.

In a way, their resemblance was scary and slightly unnerving, but the main difference was that Sooyeon had a sharp tongue and had no mercy for the things she said. Soojung, on the other hand, had more bite than most would expect. Yes, she was demure and quiet most of the time (minus the time she spent with her closest friends) but it was as if it were a silent rule to never piss of Jung Soojung. Of course, there was always that one who wanted to one up her (without stating the obvious, everyone knew he’d lose one way or another; Soojung packs quite a punch, and if she was feeling particularly irritable she’d just kick him in the face, no joke.)

Even with all of her imperfections, many people, guys and girls alike, sought after her like flies; becoming her friend, boyfriend, or even an acquaintance would have been enough for those vultures.

Some may consider Soojung and Myungsoo to be childhood friends, though not quite. They were never really friends to begin with, rather just acquaintances with a slight animosity towards one another. Briefly during middle school they had a huge rivalry going on between them, vying for the highest marks of their year (only to be bested by some quiet kid from Class 7.) They had both laughed at the matter, eventually, once graduation was over and he was hanging out at her house on an extremely hot summer day.



At first, some may ask what’s so special about Jung Soojung?

But that’s the thing: there’s absolutely nothing special about her, but it’s the fact that she’s extraordinarily normal (beautiful, smart, witty… all the things a guy could want in a girl and so much more.) Without a doubt, Myungsoo wouldn’t tell anyone about his little delusions and thoughts of his class’ ice princess.


She still sits there, day in and day out, paying attention to boring lessons and diligently takes notes. Once in a while she’d run her fingers through her hair in a futile attempt, eventually resulting in tossing the mass of jet black waves over her shoulder. Soojung’s too good for all of them, though she doesn’t know any better.

It’s become a fact, in Myungsoo’s head anyways, that maybe Soojung doesn’t know her appeal towards other people; why guys find her attractive and why girls want to be her. As the saying goes, ignorance is bliss.

The thing he doesn’t know is that Soojung is highly aware of all of these things, but chooses to ignore them all.


If she had to choose, she’d rather stay at home curled up on the couch marathoning chick flicks rather than sit in this dull classroom five days a week (or maybe more, depending on the exam schedule.)

No matter how big the desire, Soojung knows better so she continues to sit at her desk listening to the teacher drawl on about a subject she already learnt about in middle school. Sometimes she wishes she was still in that little green meadow, with the bright sunshine warming her face and the blades of grass lightly cutting the bottoms of her feet.

Another wistful smile graces her lips and she’s gone off in her own little world with no one else in it.


Hey, do you remember that one promise we made in grade school? You know, the one we made in the far back of the playground in that small patch of grass behind the swing set?

Soojung asks the question suddenly, her eyes never leaving Myungsoo’s face as she watches it gracefully shift through a variety of expressions.

He smiles, a slight tilt of the corner of his lips and replies with a curt Of course I do, because you were so set on it.

It’s her turn to smile, a lopsided grin and Myungsoo chuckles at her antics.

I still love you, you know Myungsoo?

And I still love you, silly Jung Soojung.

It’s moments like these that Myungsoo finds himself so grateful and happy that he was able to stick around.


There are moments like this that Myungsoo cherishes, for he knows he shouldn’t take them for granted; it’s in these small, fleeting seconds where he truly believes that Soojung is completely herself.

No one’s ogling them from the side, watching their every move and fellow peers aren’t there to silently judge them.

It’s a world with just the two of them.

A place he likes to call sunshine lane.