You pressed your cheek against your palm, bent over the counter of Baskin Robbins. It was still early and the weather windy, so the parlour was empty save for you and the employees, Jenn Im and James Lee. “I need a job,” you complained, voice muffled from the way the heel of your hand was pushing up your cheek.

“Why?” Jenn raised her eyebrows as she rinsed the ice cream scooper in a tub of lukewarm water. When she bent her head, her short hair slipped from its nest behind her ear, falling into her eyes in waves of black, brown and gold to touch her chin. “I mean, it’s good to have some money but your parents still give you an allowance, right? Wasn’t the whole point because they didn’t want you to waste time working when you could be studying? It’s our last year of high school, after all.”

“I think getting a job is a good idea,” James said in his deep but cheerful voice as he emerged from the backroom with an unopened tub of ice cream. A quick glance told you it was their newest flavour. As he set it onto the counter with a slight thud, you wondered if the reason he didn’t find it heavy was because he worked out. He propped his arms on top of the large carton, the short pink sleeves of his Baskin Robbins uniform taut against his biceps, and glanced down at you. “Statistics show that students with jobs usually do well in their finals. I think it’s because it teaches them how to manage their time and be more organised.”

“Yeah, but who’s gonna hire me?” You sighed and dropped your forehead onto the table despite Jenn’s protests that she hadn’t wiped it down yet. “I’ve never had a job before and I’m already seventeen. Everyone wants experienced workers these days.”

“Someone’s bound to hire you,” said Jenn as she tried to lift your head up by grabbing it on both sides. “That’s the only way you’ll get experience, right?”

“If we’re hiring in the future, we’ll let you know,” James promised, smiling at you. You looked away and bit your lip, thinking about what a nice smile he had.

“Yeah, you’re here all the time anyway; you’re practically an employee already.” Jenn grinned and you batted your hand at her, mock-glaring.

“I’m leaving,” you announced with a sigh, heaving yourself up from the counter. You swiped your hair away from your face with a yawn and flashed a smile when Jenn passed you a taste-tester of your favourite flavour. “See you tomorrow!”

The two called out their goodbyes as you waved over your shoulder and pushed your way out the door. Instantly, the wind slapped you in the face. You winced and turned your collar up against it, tucking your hair behind your ears. Popping the small spoon of ice cream into your mouth, you kept an eye on the windows of all the shops you passed—the bubble tea island, sushi bar, coffee shop, bakery, music store—but none of them seemed to be hiring.

I guess people don’t really hire when winter’s approaching, you realised. But you couldn’t wait until summer to find a job. Even though all the stores would be looking for part-timers, they would probably pick students with more experience than you and you’d be back to square one anyway.

Deciding not to fret about it, you took out the book you were currently studying in class. Midterms were almost a month away and you had no idea whether you were supposed to start studying for it or not. The teachers hadn’t mentioned anything about it and kept assigning homework for each night, giving you no time to do your own notes. Is this how university is gonna be like? You didn’t think you could cope so easily without any direction from the teachers.

Sitting down at the bus stop, you placed the book on your lap and held it down so the wind didn’t make you lose your page. However, you couldn’t bring yourself to read. Your eyes took in the words but your mind was more interested in listening to the murmur of the people around you and the birds cawing in the tree above. Cars rumbled past just as minutes did but you didn’t even turn to the next page.

Thankfully, your bus arrived as another distraction, forcing you to close your book. You scanned your ticket and found a window seat halfway through. It was then that you realised two other students from your school had been waiting at the bus stop with you, Kim Moonchul and Lee Sooah. Although you felt rude doing so, you averted your gaze before making eye contact. You felt like you didn’t know them well enough to greet them outside of school—they were just people in your grade—although you wished you didn’t worry about that in the first place. It’s not like they would think you’re weird for saying hello.

You couldn’t help but watch as Moonchul let Sooah take the window seat a few rows in front of you. She gave a dainty smile and pushed her long black hair behind her ear before sliding in, holding onto the hem of her white skirt. Moonchul sat beside her, flashing something not quite a smile but not quite a smirk, and then lifted an arm onto the back of their seat so that it hovered around her, his leather jacket squeaking as he did so. Are they dating? Of course, if it was Moonchul, you doubted they would last very long. You stared at the back of his head, knowing somehow that he was housing a smug expression. He’d gotten increasingly cockier after cutting and dyeing his hair. What remained of its dark colour and chin-length now came to his ears, shining golden brown with styling mousse.

You opened your book but ultimately realised that it was pointless; you just weren’t in the mood to study. You plugged in some earphones and listened to music as you watched the world go by out the window. Surprisingly, no one sat beside you.

You got off before Moonchul and Sooah, feeling awkward as you crawled past their seat. Although you were curious, you didn’t turn to see whether they had recognised you. Probably not—they’d be too absorbed in each other to notice. You thanked the bus driver and got off, wondering if they were going to spend the day at one of their houses.

Getting your keys out, you unlocked the door to your house and went inside. Your mother looked up from the coffee table where she was simultaneously folding clothes and watching a drama. “Hi, sweetie. How was school?”

“Okay,” you said, pulling off your coat and laying it on the couch. You ventured into the kitchen to throw away the taste-tester spoon and suddenly had a craving for more ice cream. You brought out a tub from the freezer and stood in thought. Should I wait for it to soften or just put it in the microwave? Your mother had always said it was bad to heat up ice cream. You had forgotten the reason but you decided to just leave it on the counter and wait for it to melt.

“Can’t you go change?” your mother complained, nodding at your school uniform. Grumbling, you did as she said, throwing everything onto the bed and putting on a large shirt and some old denim shorts. The tiles were cold so you kept your socks on even though there were slippers by your bed. “Yah! At least hang your blazer!” your mother yelled before you could even join her in the living room. Sometimes the degree of which she knew you was astounding.

By the time you were comfortable, your ice cream was soft enough to scoop. You took out a coffee mug and filled it to the brim. Your mother came in just as you were rinsing the spoon. “We have ice cream bowls for a reason,” she said, eyeing the mug.

“Yeah, but they only fit two scoops.”

Your mother stared at you, appalled. “How many scoops do you need?”

“As many as I can fit in a coffee mug,” you said with a shrug, plucking the cup from the counter and heading to your room to enjoy your snack.

“Watch your sugar level!” your mother called after you.

--

“My cousins are coming to visit,” you announced through a mouthful of rice, leaning your elbows onto the cafeteria table. It was kind of sticky and you regretted taking off your blazer and rolling up your shirtsleeves to the elbow but nothing could be done now.

“Chew, swallow, then talk,” Jenn complained, hitting you lightly on the arm. She unscrewed the cap of your bottle of pulp-free orange juice and took a sip as you pouted at her and chewed your food, shying away from James’ amused smile.

“When?” he asked.

You gulped slowly before saying, “Two weeks after midterms? So in around two months.” You scraped the rice off the side of your bowl and dipped your spoon in some seaweed soup before popping it into your mouth.

“Are you gonna take them around?” asked Jenn, tearing off some of her kimbap with her teeth.

“Mm, probably.” You bent forward to pick at Jenn’s plate with your chopsticks when you felt a slight tap on your shoulder. Blinking, you turned around and met the dark, slanted gaze of Kim Sooyoon, a second-year whom you grew close to when you worked on the school musical last year. He had been a part of the band. “Oh, Sooyoon,” you greeted, slowly sinking down into your chair again and looking up at him.

He gave a sheepish bow of his head, ignoring the curious gazes of your two friends. “Can I speak to you in private?” he asked.

Eyebrows raised, you nodded and motioned for Jenn and James to continue without you. You rested your chopsticks on your bowl before sliding out of your seat and following Sooyoon out of the cafeteria. You noticed his clenched fists as you trailed behind him, tilting your head. “Is something wrong?”

He came to a halt, so sudden that you stumbled in your effort not to crash into him, and swivelled around to stare into your eyes. “I like you.”

You blinked at him and then looked away shyly. “Eh?”

Sensing your uncertainty, Sooyoon seized both your hands in his, making you snap your gaze back to him. “I’ve had a crush on you ever since the musical.”

You looked down at your joined hands for a moment before shifting so that yours now encased his. You gave him a small smile. “Sooyoon, you’re a great guy and I would have loved to go on a date with you but…I don’t like anyone, and I don’t want to lead you on.”

“But—” Sooyoon shook his head, staring at his shoes. “If you just give me a chance. You don’t have to like me right away. I’m willing to wait.”

You patted the back of his hand affectionately. “I just don’t think dating someone would be good for me; it’s my final year of high school. Besides, I think you should go into a relationship with someone who already has feelings for you.”

From around the corner, Moonchul tilted his head, a slight smirk on his face. “Don’t like anyone, huh? I can change that.”