Strange.

This was the first word that came into Jongin’s mind when he met her for the first time one late afternoon; when the yellow trees outside his high school building were dancing and the crisp, cool weather grazed his skin.

He was playing basketball with his friends at the school court when he accidentally injured his arm and had to go to the school clinic. He was expecting for the school nurse to attend to him but he found a girl, looking almost his age, inside the clinic instead.

She had a jet black straight hair, accentuating her pale skin; it falls loosely on the small of her back. She was smiling at him as though she was expecting him to arrive.

Strange, Jongin thought a bit confusedly as he hesitantly entered the clinic.

Naturally, Jongin asked if she was a student at the school because he had never seen her before. But the girl cleverly avoided his questions. She tended his injured arm instead, like how the school nurse would. She had a soft and warm touch, Jongin noted, and keen observation. She began her monologue about different kinds of sprains while he was left to stare at her, mouth slightly agape, his head in a muddle.

“What?” the girl said abruptly while wrapping a baby blue handkerchief around Jongin’s arm. “Why are you looking at me like that?

“You’re not the nurse,” he pointed out.

The girl cocked her head and said, “Why do you say so?”

“I’ve been attending this school for three years,” Jongin began, “I’m sure I know how our school nurse looks like. And you look like my age, too.”

“Maybe I’m just a young-looking woman in her late twenties,” the girl raised an eyebrow, “You never know.”

“You’re not,”

“Fine, I’m not a nurse,” the girl sighed frustratingly, “I’m a nurse assistant.”

“You’re not,” Jongin repeated, slightly shaking his head.

The girl narrowed her eyes at him. She was about to open , perhaps to utter another argument. She pressed her lips instead, as if holding back a smile, after seeing Jongin’s don’t-even-think-about-making-another-lame-excuse look on his face.

She burst out laughing, then.

Jongin laughs, too, in spite of himself.

Jongin didn’t see the girl around school the next day. Or the next few days after that.

Every now and then he’d find himself taking a quick glance inside the classroom he’d pass by or wander his eyes around the crowded cafeteria. But she’s nowhere.

For a moment, Jongin began to think she was merely a figment of his imagination. But then again, he’s still got her baby blue handkerchief—which he kept safely in his pocket—its smell of jasmine seemed to linger in his skin. The girl told him to keep it wrapped around his arm while he waits for the school nurse (the real one) before leaving. He didn’t even have the chance to ask for her name and he couldn’t understand why this fact made him feel a little disappointed.

“That looks familiar,”

Jongin nearly jumped from his seat. He was on his gym class and was sitting all by himself on the bleachers, taking a small break from playing dodge ball with his classmates.

He looked up and there she was the fragment of his stupid imagination.

“It’s me,” the girl says, beaming at him as though it was natural for her to smile at strangers, her long hair cascading down her shoulders. “I don’t suppose you remember me?” she said again, this time a bit hesitantly, perhaps because of Jongin’s insipid expression.

“The nurse assistant,” Jongin managed to say.

The smile on the girl’s face stretched. “The one and only,” she said, taking the empty seat next to him.

What came next was a short pause then the girl asked him about his arm. Jongin said it had gotten better than before.

“Do you attend this school now?” he asked her curiously. He assumed she must be because she was wearing their school uniform now.

“My first day, yes,” the girl nods.

As if Jongin asked her, the girl began telling him about her day at the school so far. The next few minutes, she rambled about the halls and department she likes (“The library looks very neat,” she said, “They have a wide variety of book selections as well,”), the teachers she thought who were cool (“My homeroom teacher seems pretty decent,” she told him, with a small smile, “I think I’ll like her,”) Jongin nodded at this statement because she used to be his homeroom teacher last year and he thought she was cool, too.

“What’s your best class?” she asked, shifting her gaze at him.

After gulping his orange drink, Jongin glanced at her. “Uh, writing class, I guess.”

“That’s cool!” she smiled, “I like chemistry the most. It’s my favorite.” The girl continued, glancing briefly at Jongin as she speaks, then back to the students playing dodge ball.

Then, there was a tiny pause and she turned to him and asked him if he could tell her where the laboratory is because chemistry was her next class and she had been wandering around the halls for the last fifteen minutes looking for it.

“You do realize you’re already late for your class, right?” Jongin asked after glancing at the huge wall clock across the gym. The girl merely shrugged her shoulders. “And you decided to go to the gym because….?”

“I saw you,”

“So?”

“You’re the only one I know around here,” she explained, but her expression still composed despite the fact that she was already late, “I thought maybe you could help me.”

Slightly confused, Jongin glanced at his classmates playing dodge ball and their PE instructor watching the game rather intently. It wasn’t like he’s going to skip the entire class. He’ll just skip a few minutes for this silly girl who inadvertently helped his injured arm. Eventually, Jongin agreed to help her.

“But don’t you have a map?” he asked the girl as they walk side by side along the empty hall leading back to the classrooms.

The girl avoided his eyes, “Err, I think I misplaced it during my second period,” she said sheepishly.

Jongin outwardly sighed hopelessly, but he turned his head to the other side to hide his amused smile.

Later that afternoon, Jongin and the girl found themselves kneeling on the floor across the Principal’s office with both of their hands up in the air. While they were making their way to the laboratory, a teacher called them out and he assumed they were trying to skip class.

Technically, they were. But before Jongin could explain, the girl grabbed his hand and dragged him toward the opposite corridor, running down the hallway away from the teacher who began yelling infuriatingly at them.

“Where are we going?” Jongin asked, looking at her sideways as they jogged down a flight of stairs.

“I don’t know,” she exclaimed cheerfully, “But this is fun!”

Before he could stop himself, a chuckle escaped his mouth when Jongin realized what they were doing was actually fun. In fact, he had never done anything like this before—running away from a teacher with no certain direction and… holding a girl’s hand.

However, their fun times ended rather abruptly when the teacher caught up with them quickly. The teacher had Jongin and the girl at the Principal’s office where the two of them got reprimanded and ended up doing the punishment.

Some students would giggle when they pass by the two of them but Jongin and the girl seem to be having fun doing it. For the first hour. The second hour though, one of them had to start conversation just to ease the creeping soreness in their arms and legs. They had to whisper though because they were not allowed to talk to each other, otherwise, another hour will be added on their punishment.

“Hey,” the girl says in a soft voice. Their punishment was finally over and both of them were walking up the stairs, heading back to their respective homerooms.

Jongin looked at her sideways and waited for her to continue.

“I just realized I never know your name,” she said, glancing at him, her eyes were bright like star lights.

Jongin grinned, realizing she was right. They were together for a few hours yet none of them thought about asking each other’s names. “Kim Jongin,” he supplied.

“Im Sooyeon,”

Jongin nodded his head slightly. Mentally repeating her name once or twice. He likes the sound of it.

“I bet you regret hanging out with me now.” she added, averting her gaze from him and smiling rather timidly. “It’s my first day and I already got you into trouble,”

“It was fun,” Jongin shrugged his shoulders.

Sooyeon looked at him and Jongin couldn’t help but to hold her gaze. He couldn’t figure out what she was thinking, not that he’s an expert in reading a girl’s mind, but from the past few hours they’ve been hanging out, Jongin found it uncomplicated to read Sooyeon’s thoughts. It surprised him, too.

“It was fun,” she agreed, her eyes locked with his.

Before parting, Sooyeon made Jongin promise to not disappear after that day because he still ought to show her where the laboratory was located.

“What’s that for?” Jongin laughed.

Sooyeon had her pinky stuck out. “It’s called pinky swear, dummy,” she said, “Now, stick out your pinky!”

“Is that really necessary?” Jongin said, suppressing another laugh. “That’s too—”

Annoyingly, Sooyeon puffed out a breath. She grabbed Jongin’s hand and linked her pinky with his. “Friends do this all the time,” she said, “You’re my friend now so you have to promise me you’ll not disappear tomorrow.”

Jongin sighed and gazed at Sooyeon’s serious expression. “Alright, I promise,” he said, smiling at her reassuringly.

The next day, however, Jongin broke his pinky promise. He wasn’t able to go to school because of the sudden changes in his schedule (it happens a lot) at the company he was training on. He had no idea how to contact Sooyeon because he doesn’t know her number.

When he came back to school the following day, he saw her sitting on the stone bench by the school’s courtyard. Jongin was about to speak, but he noticed her head swaying a little. She had her back on him and when Jongin approached her, he was expecting him to get noticed. But he realized that Sooyeon had her eyes closed, her blue ear phones were plugged and she was humming to the song she was listening to.

For a brief moment, Jongin just stood beside the stone bench, watching her get absorbed with the song she was listening to. A surge of curiosity hits him, wondering what could possibly the song Sooyeon was listening to. He hadn’t seen anyone get so lost into the music they were listening to, until now.

As Jongin occupied the vacant space next to her, gently so he wouldn’t disturb her, Sooyeon began to sing a few parts of the song:

My heart is yours,

It’s you that I hold onto,

That’s what I do…

Magic—the first word that came into his mind as he listened to Sooyeon singing. Her voice had a classic feel to it, pulling his heart strings straight out.

“You’re back,” Sooyeon said after realizing Jongin was sitting next to her. She unplugged her ear phones and replaced her phone back inside her bag. “I didn’t notice you at all,”

“You seemed busy,” Jongin shrugged coolly.

“You’re one to talk, Mr. Cool Guy,” Sooyeon remarked with a teasing smile, “You never told me you’re an idol trainee,” she nudged Jongin’s side.

“You never asked,” he said, “By the way, this one’s for you,” he added as casually as he could and handing a small box to Sooyeon.

It was an ice cream cake which Jongin brought on his way to school as an apology to Sooyeon for not showing up just like he promised. But of course, Jongin didn’t tell her that.

“My mom bought too many of those yesterday,” he said awkwardly, averting his gaze from Sooyeon who’s busy dipping her finger onto to the cake and giving it a try. Jongin tried to come up with a plausible reason but failed miserably, “And she thought—I thought—well, it’s a waste if no one eats—”

“Thank you,” Sooyeon cut him off, half full. “It tastes really good. I like it.”

Jongin merely nodded and hoped he doesn’t look as flushed as he felt at the moment.

“So, tell me,” Sooyeon said while munching on the ice cream cake.

“Tell you what?”

“Your adventures as a trainee, duh.” she remarked, as she continue to munch on her ice cream cake. “You said I never ask. Now I’m asking.”

And so Jongin spent the next couple of minutes telling Sooyeon how his practice turned out yesterday. Sooyeon asked him questions after questions. Their conversation eventually led on how Jongin decided to become a performer. He said he had always wanted to be on stage, dancing his heart out.

“I can’t imagine myself doing other thing than dancing,” he mused out loud, “It’s always the path I wanted to go on,”

Jongin stopped talking then, realizing he had been talking way too much about the thoughts in his head—his dreams. Normally, whenever he talks about his dreams, people get bored and they mostly prefer to ask him about the other artists from the company he’s working on, the perks he could possibly get once he debut, other trivial things like that. That's why he doesn’t talk about his life as a trainee.

But Sooyeon was looking at him wholeheartedly the entire time he was speaking. She was gazing at him with such brightness in her eyes, and Jongin realized a little too late that his heart was racing as he gazed back at her.

“Go on,” she encouraged him with a soft smile. “Tell me more,”

And it was in that brief moment—the way her hair softly falls over her shoulders, the way her eyes shine and the way she was looking at him as if he’s the most interesting person she ever met—Jongin realized he’ll be breaking another promise he made with Sooyeon.

After a couple more months, they spent more time with each other. Sooyeon helped Jongin in catching up with the lecture notes and homework he missed by lending him her own notes. Jongin appreciated her every effort though he felt horrified with himself because he couldn’t tell her just that.

He wasn’t always the type who wears his heart on sleeves. Thinking of a way to show his gratitude, Jongin offered to walk her home when he can since they both found out they live in the same neighborhood. And he’d also buy her ice cream cakes.

For some reason, Jongin felt like Sooyeon already knows what the ice cream cakes are meant for.

 And this is one of the things why Jongin likes her. Sometimes, he doesn’t need to say anything. Sooyeon gets it. The more they get closer, the more Jongin was convinced he’ll never be able to stay friends with her. Not with the way she makes him feel.

It was so easy to fall for Im Sooyeon. Yes, Jongin had already fallen for her and he keeps on falling for her every single day. She was kind and giving and lovely person as a whole. Jongin practically adored everything about her and he was always super sensitive of her words and the way she acts. He love the way she laughs at herself when she does something embarrassing. She laughs too when she gets shy. He loves the way she looks when the moonlight shines over her features when they walk together home.

But most of all, Jongin loves it when she would smile his favorite smile— the sides of her eyes crinkles and there’s a beautiful and warm glow dancing in her eyes.

Jongin didn’t want to presume anything, but every time Sooyeon smiles at him this way, something tells him the smile was only meant for him.

When summer break began, Jongin was on the edge of panicking as he contemplating on how he can confess his feelings toward Sooyeon. He was running out of time.

Never, in his 18 years of existence, had he ever confess his feelings to any girl. He barely tells his mom or his sisters how he cares about them upfront. He knows he’s a complete fail when it comes to voicing out his feelings and he wasn’t proud of that.

What was more depressing was when he heard a rumor about some guy on Sooyeon’s class taking advances on her. The news didn’t surprise him. S