Jong-in

March 2011

            Everyone clapped their hands, shouting the winner’s name in chorus. It didn’t matter if I didn’t win the trophy, as long as I did my best, nothing matters anymore. I went off the stage, but at a sudden, someone tapped from my back.

            “Congratulations! Jong-in-ssi. I still think you deserved the trophy.” I felt myself blush at the sudden message; I didn’t know what her name was. She was the new girl in town, everything around me seemed to be in slow motion. She flashed a smile at me and before I could even get to know her, she had already disappeared from my vision.

            “Thanks.” I muttered to myself since she couldn’t hear it anymore.

            Another day in school, everyone around me seemed to have been walking with companions and friends. While I’m here walking alone towards my locker, I deposited all my books and grabbed the lunch-set that my mother had prepared for me.

            But as I closed my locker, a voice out of nowhere suddenly popped up. “You know what? I still think you should have received the trophy.”

            “Gosh.” I was shocked at the sudden appearance of the girl; she was leaning against the locker beside mine. Since when did she arrive there? Or was she there all the time why I looked so lonesome? She raised her eyebrows in confusion when I seemed to have not answered her question.

            “Sorry…” I heard her say, but she was smiling and she reached her hand out to me, “I’m Bae Suji.”

            Her smile could have ended wars, I swear. My vision of her was very clear than it was the other day. Bae Suji, was that her name? I need to remember her name.

            I reached my hand to shake hers, “Kim Jong-in.”

            I settled at my seat as soon as I entered the classroom, I was quite early for the last class to start. T a p . . .  t a p . . . t a p . . . Someone had tapped the table beside mine; I shook my head in annoyance. I decided to ignore it. T a p . . .  t a p . . . t a p . . .

            I hated the sound of tapping; I glared at my side only to see someone grinning so widely. Bae Suji. She raised her eyebrows the same way she did earlier, was it because she was confused?

            Oh yeah… I was glaring at her. I straightened at my seat. “Does someone sit here?”

            Why? “Ye