joohyun turned her head to the side to inspect her hair. so far so good, not one strand out of place, just as her sister said. the hairspray was expensive but it worked wonders on her unruly hair. satisfied with her look, she gathered her hair into one side and prayed it wouldn't be blown away on her way to school. it usually didn't but the weather forecast said it would be a windy autumn. joohyun could only hope.

luckily, joohyun's father dropped her off the school today so nothing was amiss with her look by the time she arrived at the school gate. instead of heading off to her homeroom, she stood by the gate and glanced at her watch. it was quarter to seven. just in time until, he arrives. she prepared herself as she heard the familiar greetings reserved for him and then his visage appeared suddenly, his suit neat and pressed and his smile bright and sunny. joohyun froze like an idiot, her well practiced 'good morning' stuck in . lee jinki, the new student-teacher, had already passed when she realized how late she had acted and so with disappointment on her shoulders she trudged unwillingly towards her homeroom. 

"school hasn't even started, what's with that sour look on your face?" chorong asked.

"it's nothing." joohyun slumped on her desk with a pout and sighed.

"yeah okay that is so nothing," chorong whined. she casted a sly look at joohyun. "is it that baby teacher guy again?" she brought her hand mirror from her pocket and examined her face. "you're one of the most popular girl in school and yet your love is unrequited. life surely is fair." 

"you're a great friend."

"yeah i know. seriously though, you think changing your hair would make him notice you? because unless you're an auntie, he won't even bat an eyelash in your direction, miss highschooler."

joohyun raised her head from the table to glare at chorong. "one of these days i am going to expose your fanfics of that stupid band boy you oh-so like."

"ditto, you hopeless fool."

it is true though. joohyun is a hopeless fool. her "love" for the new teacher could never go anywhere. lee jinki was a teacher and she was his student, dating in school was off-limits. plus, there were rumors flying around girls that he only dated girls older than him, which meant she was out of the option. still, joohyun couldn't help but nurture the growing bud of her crush towards lee jinki and started changing her style so that she could look older. she started with her face first. although she was considered pretty by others' standard, joohyun thought she was still lacking. she learned how to apply make up and wore it to school, despite hating the heaviness of cosmetics. she changed her hairstyle as well. gone were the days were she tied her hair into a messy bun and girly braids. these days, she wore her hair like a crown, down in waves and neatness. although it was uncharacteristic of her, joohyun held her head high and became self-conscious. she would act mature in a situation where she is normally clueless about. most of her friends say that people around them have told them how they admire joohyun for her maturity and elegance but all of these fall short on her because they were not lee jinki.

"bae joohyun, please see me after class." 

joohyun had no time to stop the smile creeping in her face as teacher lee jinki called her name before he dismissed english class. she stood up almost too suddenly to follow teacher lee out of the classroom. he was waiting by the door, his glasses folded in his hands. joohyun thought he looked cuter without his glasses.

"what is it, teach?"

"i noticed that on the last quiz, your score became shockingly low." jinki inclined his head to the side. "is there something wrong with the way i'm teaching or is there a part in the lesson you don't understand?"

joohyun flushed in his attentive gaze. "n-no, teacher lee. i understood everything and you teach perfectly."

"you're graduating in a few months, so i expect you start picking up the slacks, okay?"

joohyun nodded, glancing up.

teacher lee jinki was smiling at her softly, she felt like she was melting. "good. i'm counting on you, joohyun. i know you can do it!" he then patted her head and ruffled her hair a little before saying goodbye. joohyun didn't even bother fixing her hair when she went to her next class, grinning like an idiot.

"maybe you should confess." chorong suggested one day. joohyun coughed her juice out. "you never know."

"i doubt it." joohyun swiped with the sleeve of her jacket. if anyone could see her right now, they would think she was anything but elegant. "you said it yourself: i'm not his type."

"joohyun, don't take this the wrong way but you can't hide behind your caked-face and one-sided hair forever. sooner or later, you would have to realize that you will never be his type no matter how much you change your apperance." chorong held her hand like a good friend. her words stung a little but joohyun knew she was right. "besides, teacher lee isn't shallow... maybe. i mean, so what if you're not a granny that he prefers? it will be his loss when he decides to reject you!"

joohyun smiled and squeezed their joined hands. "thank you, chorong. you're a good friend."

the day the letter from her first choice arrived, joohyun broke down in the teachers' room. her counseling teacher then was teacher lee. he dragged her away in an empty classroom when her knees gave away. she was being waitlisted.

"it isn't a bad thing. usually it will only take a month before you find out if you're in or not. and you still have your second choice."

joohyun wheezed. "but i want to go there!"

teacher lee crouched in front of her and placed his hand on her shoulder comfortingly. "i'm sure you'll get in. you're very smart joohyun. you're my top student after all!"

joohyun managed to quip a smile at his bright expression. her tears rolled down and she wiped it with her hands. jinki was about to stand when she caught his wrist and asked him not to go.

"what is it?" he asked, still concerned. 

joohyun wasn't nervous like she thought she would be. instead a strange calmness came over her and spoke out of the abundance of her heart. her confession came in a soft whisper. "teacher lee, i like you. i like you more than as a teacher." once she opened , she couldn't stop anymore. "i really like your smile and your gentle eyes. you're smart and your kind and i love that about you. you don't hesitate to help anyone whether it would be a fellow teacher or a student. i like you, teach. a lot. so much that i changed myself so you could come to like me too."

jinki stood for a while before he lowered himself so they could meet in eye-level. "why would you need to change for me to be able to like you?"

now that she had said what she needed to say, joohyun reverted back to her embarrassed self. she was probably red as a tomato. "i h-heard that you liked o-older women so i tried to look older for you."

"where did you hear that?" jinki shook his head, bemused."it's true that i used to date a lot of older women but it doesn't mean that i exclusively like someone older."

joohyun was astounded. well, so much for her transformation. "oh."

teacher lee placed his hand on top of her head. his smile was blindingly dazzling. "thank you for liking me. but please don't change yourself for me. i like you just the way you are."

joohyun wasn't hopless after all.