It was a normal day at Seoul University. You sat in a circle on the grass of the quad with your friends. Your friends were having their normal chats and arguments while you simply watched while eating your lunch. You reall did love each one of your friends and were happy to have them even though half the time you had no clue what they were talking about, so you just zoned out and pretended to be interested.

“That is so not true, Jihoon!” Sunhwa yelled before huffing and crossing her arms. She faced you and yelled out in a whining tone. “Don’t you think that’s the most stupid thing Jihoon’s said yet?”

You blinked a few times, unaware of what was going on. You looked down at your food, nibbling on it and hoping that Sunhwa moved on. When she continued staring at you, you let out a deep sigh and put down your sandwich.

“I wasn’t paying attention again. What is this about?” you asked, tilting your head to the side to show some sort of interest in the conversation.

“You never listen to us do you? Whatever. We were talking about the new student Jihoon said he saw registering yesterday. Jihoon claims that the kids father is part of the mafia.” Sunhwa said with her eyebrows slightly raised. When you heard that absured claim, you instantly faced Jihoon, staring at him with furrowed brows. Sunhwa soon joined in on staring down Jihoon.

“What kind of silly thing is that to say?” you shot at Jihoon. You knew Jihoon was known for always being silly and a little bit creative, but this was a new level, even for him.

“Look, I know you two are looking at me like I’m crazy now, but wait ‘till you see this kid. He gives off the “mobsters-son” vibe. I know I could’ve felt it from a mile away.” Jihoon said, shrugging his shoulders matter of factly. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you guys. You’ll see when he starts coming here.”

Both you and Sunhwa exchanged glances and instantly burst out in laughter. Jihoon simply rolled his eyes and gnawed at his sandwich. Soon you went back to eating your lunch as well. Sunhwa stood up and grabbed her things. You looked up at Sunhwa with a questionable look in your eyes.

“I’m going to get going; I have a class on the other side of the campus.” Sunhwa informed them, she waved goodbye at you and gave Jihoon a pat on the head before she was on her way.

Jihoon’s eyes watched Sunhwa leave, and as soon as she was out of earshot, he leaned in closer to you, narrowing his eyes. Confused by the gesture, you backed away from Jihoon a bit, looking at him with a slight hint of confusion mixed with curiosity of why he got so close after Sunhwa left. Both of you stayed frozen in this position for a minute before Jihoon went back to sitting normally, but he still kept his eyes on you.

“Don’t associate with the new guy.” Jihoon finally said in a monotone voice. “Trust me Yejin. I’m telling you as a friend to just stay away from him, please.” you paused, blinking a few times and tilting your head to the side. Honestly, you were quite confused about your friends silly yet rather serious sounding request. He wasn’t usually like this and you had no idea why he was saying this to you of all people. Seeing the look of confusion on your face, Jihoon decided to elaborate further on what he said. “Yejin, you always fall for boys who are no good for you.”

“What are you talking about?” you were speechless. You didn’t know if you should feel grateful towards your friend for caring, or if you should be offended because he saw you in that way. Jihoon just shook his head and sighed before standing up with his jacket in hand.

“I’m going to go home now, my afternoon class was canceled.” you watched Jihoon leave with your mouth hanging open. You knew this boy was crazy, but today he seemed to be on a whole new level of weird.

You saw no point in sitting by yourself, so you got up and walked to your next class. With both of your friends gone, you could honestly say you felt lonely, but you tried to push that thought out of your mind as soon as it entered. The rest of the day was a blur. You managed to get through English class not really comprehending a thing that went on. It was amazing to you that you were even able to find your way home after you were done with school. When you arrived home, you went straight to bed. Your brain was dead and you felt slightly emotionless, so there was nothing else you could do.