The First Picture

                August was still hot but a little less muggy than the month previous; Youngbae thanked the spirits that be for that fact. He had barely survived July when he could stay at home all day with the AC blasting wearing nothing but a pair of boxer shorts. Now, he had to spend all day in classes with a few hundred of his closest friends wearing brand name, but slightly uncomfortable, clothing.

                He sighed and readjusted his bag as he walked through the Econ building to find his next class. His second year of college came with a few perks like actually knowing where the buildings were on campus. He smiled at a few first years carrying maps looking hopelessly lost. He would’ve helped try and find out where they were going but, due to an unforeseen traffic jam, he was about to be late for his first class of the fall semester.

                He opened the door and grinned when he noticed his best friend, Jiyong, lounging in the back. He immediately commandeered the desk next to him, crushing the hopes of a cute girl with bright blue hair. “What’s up?” he asked.

                “Nothing,” Jiyong replied before offering Youngbae the customary fist bump of bro-hood.

                “Excited to learn about Korean Economic Policy throughout the ages?” Youngbae joked. Jiyong rolled his eyes as the aforementioned male pulled out a brand new notebook and pen. From experience, he knew Youngbae had a different colored notebook for each subject and probably a different colored pen so he could doodle the same thing in a multitude of colors during each successive lecture.

                “Once a nerd, always a nerd,” Jiyong snorted as he stole a piece of paper from Youngbae’s notebook. He had brought his own pencil though.

                “Says the one who aces all of the tests,” Youngbae replied as the professor walked in. Instead of replying, Jiyong let out a puff of air that caused both boys to chuckle before the professor began writing on the whiteboard in front of the class. With broad that would surely get his sleeve covered in black smudges, the professor wrote the course title before blubbering on about why an understanding of Korea’s past economic history was vital to understanding its future.

                “The only thing in my future is a nap,” Jiyong mumbled, causing the girl next to him to giggle. He turned and gave her his usual wink and half-smile combo. Youngbae rolled his eyes but secretly wished he could be that smooth.

                The professor continued to drone on as Jiyong quietly flirting with the girl next to him. Occasionally, the self-proclaimed genius would write something down but halfway through the hour and twenty minutes, only a quarter of the page was filled. Youngbae, on the other hand, had written and doodled on three pages of binder paper by the end of the class.

                Next was a business class on the other side of campus. Luckily, he had about fifteen minutes to get there. He put his now broken in red notebook in the back of his bag to remind himself that it had been used before closing the bag and getting up. He waved goodbye to Jiyong who was currently exchanging contact info with the girl who had been sitting in front of them; Youngbae had no idea how he managed to accomplish that.

                 He didn’t dwell on the thought long. Instead, he hurriedly walked to the closest coffee cart and ordered a small latte to help keep him awake. The iced beverage helped to cool him down slightly even as his pace quickened. He was always afraid that he was going to be late even if it had never happened yet.

                Finally, the building he was heading to was in sight and he still had about eight minutes to kill. He hadn’t expected to walk that quickly. He slurped up the last slightly watery remains of his drink before tossing it into the nearest trashcan. He sighed softly before glancing up at the sky.

                He heard her before he ever saw her. The click of the camera’s shutter announced her entrance into his world. However, at the time, he was a little annoyed that someone had taken a picture of him without his permission. He turned to say something but was caught slightly off-guard.

                The girl was standing about one meter back from where he was. She was wearing a few more layers than what the weather necessitated over her tiny frame. She had dark circles under her eyes and straight, limp hair that was covered with a black beanie. She seemed so odd that it almost made sense that she had used a Polaroid camera to take a picture of him.

                She grabbed the white and gray sheet the camera spit out and waved it in the air as she waited for the picture to develop. “Hey,” Youngbae called out in an attempt to grab her attention, “Why’d you do that?”

                “Do what?” she asked, cocking her head to the side.

                “Why’d you take a picture of me?”

                “Why?” she asked, as if the thought had never occurred to her. She tapped a corner of the developing picture to her thin lips as she thought. Finally, when he was just about to grow impatient from waiting for so long she answered with a smile, “Probably because you’re beautiful.”

                His cheeks flushed pink at the compliment. He wanted to correct her that no, in fact, he was not beautiful. He was average looking at best with his small eyes and oddly shaped head. The only really attractive thing about him was the muscles he had worked so hard on.

                He wanted to correct her but he had already spent too much time talking to her. So, he turned away from her and jogged to his next class, barely making it in time. The only seat that was left was in the front row. He sat in between two very pretty girls. He attempted to smile at them but the looks he received told him that his smile didn’t have the effect he had been hoping for.

                He kept his head down until the professor began talking. Even then, except for when he looked up to check what the prof had written on the board, he still kept his head down as he wrote down all the major points of the lecture. Luckily for him, once the lecture was over, he had an hour and a half break before his third and final class of the day.

                This time, he walked a little slower, especially through the quad where he had seen that girl before. And there she was, taking pictures of the leaves in the trees. He let out a small laugh as a couple walking by raised their eyebrows at her. He had to admit she was definitely strange but he couldn’t help but stare at her.

                He walked over to where she was and noticed that they were about the same height. She was only a centimeter shorter than him, if that. Her height combined with her thin frame made her seem fragile. He paused, wondering why he was so curious about her before asking, “What are you taking pictures of?”

              She didn’t even jump. Slowly, she looked over at him before smiling softly, “Oh, you’re the pretty guy from before.”

                “Youngbae,” he corrected, “You didn’t answer my question though.”

                “I thought I told you why I took a picture of you earlier,” she laughed, making Youngbae feel embarrassed.

                “I didn’t mean that. I meant what I just asked you.”

                “You asked me something?” She genuinely looked confused as she tapped her bottom lip. He sighed and readjusted his bag. Maybe she hadn’t been paying attention.

                “Yeah, I asked you what your name is,” he lied.

                “Oh! I’m Moon Chohee. Nice to meet you, pretty guy,” she greeted with a bow and a smile that seemed to take up the whole of her face. He was surprised at how big her smile was.

                “Dong Youngbae,” he corrected again as he returned the bow. How forgetful could she be?

                “Well, it’s still nice to meet you,” she replied wearing that silly grin, “Are you thirsty? I’m thirsty. Do you want a soda?”

                “Sure,” Youngbae nodded. Immediately, she her heel and walked towards the university café. She never even looked back to check if he was there. She just assumed that he would follow. Fortunately, she was right. Youngbae remained a few steps behind her, wondering why he had started this mess.

                When they reached the café, she grabbed two melon sodas and paid for them without even asking if Youngbae liked them or not. She tossed him one of the cans before sitting down at an unoccupied table meant for two. For some strange reason, Youngbae sat down too instead of running away and pretending that he had never met such a strange person.

                “So, you like melon sodas?” he asked. She nodded and tapped twice on the lid of hers before popping the tab. She slurped up the foamy liquid that came out before finishing her task of opening the can. Youngbae waited for his soda to settle, he was a little bit afraid about opening it so soon after the carbonated contents had flown through the air.

                “It seemed like a melon soda day.”

                “Are there days that seem like a different beverage?”

                “Rainy days are cappuccinos, muggy days are water, crisp days are apple juice, snowy days are hot chocolate, and lovely days are melon soda,” she explained but Youngbae was not understanding her at all. He nodded and she took another sip of her soda.

                “What makes today a lovely day?”

                “Meeting you,” she stated. He was taken aback by her straightforwardness, but it seemed in line with her character so far. Instead of replying, he took a chance and popped the top of his drink. It quickly foamed up but died back down almost as quickly. She watched approvingly as he sipped up the bits that remained trapped in the grooves of the metal lip before taking a real drink.

                “Is your major photography or something?” he inquired in an attempt to start up the conversation.

                “Major? My major is… Ah! Yes, it’s photography,” she giggled. She blushed from having forgotten what her major was but seemed proud she had remembered.

                “Nice. I’m majoring in economics with a minor in business,” Youngbae sighed and took another sip from the soda. He admitted, it was nice and refreshing on a day like the one they were experiencing. Chohee stared at him, her smile fading from her lips.

                “You don’t like your major?” She was spot on.

                “It’s fine,” he lied. She snorted at that but his stomach grumbling interrupted any further questioning she might have had. He excused himself from the table to buy a pre-made roll of kimbap from the café. He was only a little relieved that she was still sitting at the table, playing with the tab of her soda.

                “Want some?” Youngbae asked as he resumed his seat. She shook her head but thanked him for the offer. He opened the cellophane wrap and popped a piece of kimbap into his mouth as she downed the rest of her soda. He reached for another one and was only slightly surprised when Chohee picked up her camera to take another picture of him. “What’s that for?”

                “You’re still pretty,” she laughed, “I have to go to class now though. I’ll see you later, pretty-boy Youngbae-ssi.” She got up but left her can strangely missing its tab. Chohee waved at him once more as she walked out of the café. Youngbae finished up the rest of the roll before tossing both of their sodas away.

                He wandered around campus and bought another snack before his class began. He sat in the back next to one of his high school buddies, Seunghyun, but couldn’t seem to concentrate on the lecture. Unlike his previous notebooks he had used that day, this one barely had a page of notes by the time the lecture was over. What it did have though were numerous doodles of Polaroid cameras and melon soda cans.