Inside a room, four walls surrounded the 33 arm chairs facing the blackboard at the front. A student stands at the front writing large capital letters of the names of the assigned officers. Some students are fidgeting in their seats - obviously very nervous in their first day of senior year - and others who are busy expressing their nervousness slash happiness to the ones they already encountered or have known for the past school years.

"This is boring..." Jin Young carefully scribbles down on the back page of his notebook - the only thing he brought besides his pen - while carefully watching the professor, avoiding a scolding in his first day yet atleast his first class.

From his back, he put the notebook on a girl's desk and motioned to pass it to the guy behind her. The girl looked at the spiral notebook oddly but her hands still rested by the sides of her thighs. Ever so slowly, the girl did what her classmate opted her to do but the boy at her back just stared at her for a second - not minding the notebook - and shifted his attention to the window. Jin Young waited, and waited, and waited, but to no avail his notebook hasn't returned to the original owner. Ever so slowly, his head turned around, his eyes shifting from Baekhyun one seat back from him, to the girl behind him, to the notebook on the girls desk then back to Baekhyun again. Facing the front, his palm met his forehead as he closed his eyes for a slight moment of how his friend is unaware and just staring into the void.

He figured that Baekhyun didn't notice the notebook that was being handed to him by the girl. That's why right now the girl looks pale. She does not know what to do. Jinyoung wondered why it seemed like it is so hard for her to give it back to him and say, "Your friend just looked at me" or "I'm sorry. He seems preoccupied by something right now" or something along those lines. 

 

Homeroom ended with Jin Young hurrying to the girl's desk taking his notebook with him after apologizing for the interruption. There was one thing that disturbed him though. How the girl never replied or  looked at him when he was talking to her. 

*****

Slam. Bomi catches everyone's attention in the hall as she carelessly closes her locker. 

"Sorry, sorry," she apologizes half-heartedly to the complaining bypassers. With heavy books under the care of her arms, she mutters under her breath, "Aish, stupid transferee."

The sound of her hard skull banging to the lockers took the attention of the students but it was not enough for Yoon Bomi to get her head straight. Just the sight of that boy can cause the disruption of her sanity.

Someone has been watching her amusing act for a while now; not wanting to watch any longer. "I can sense a gloomy aura in here.I wonder where does it come from..."

"You... again." Bomi sighs in annoyance at the boy who's shamelessly pretending to be cool with his back on the lockers.

Brightly, the lad replies back, "Its me again! Wha! How exciting!"

*****

It's been a week since school started. Seniors were hanging around town: meeting with friends, strolling at the park, chatting at a cafe. Oh! So many things to do to have some fun and create happy memories before the approach of their busy days, meaning pop quiz, assignments, projects, club activties/events, and the dreadful exams. 

Meanwhile, there is one senior out there in town. Bomi had been instructed by her mother to go grocery shopping. She thought to herself back when she was wearing her coat of what a great way to spend her Saturday. Usually her Saturdays are scheduled for long naps on the living room couch (while the television is on) and strange experiments at her backyard with Freddie, her step father's son who as you can see are both Canadians. When others would ask about those two, she replies with "It's a weird family. The end."

The air oustide is fresh and cool like the way her eyes automatically relax at the sight of the blue sky and the white puffy clouds hanging above her head. Too bad, she is stuck at the grocery store, breathing in the air-conditioned place while holding on a basket already half full with canned goods, chips, pancake mix, a dozen eggs and orange juice. She was busy looking at her list when a fast hand snatched away her basket. Too shocked to react, she glared at the person responsible for this. She was just about to take back her basket but the person took the list her mother gave her from her hand. Although it was a good thing the list wasn't ripped into two pieces, she has been trying to supress her annoyance and anger for too long now that when the person in front of him, told her he would help her finish she exploded right there at the store.

"Kim Jongdae!" 

The lad was taken aback by this. He was not expecting her to shout, more or less even say anything. For the past few days, she was handling him quite well - not minding him when he sits at her table at the library, ignoring his stories - beacuse she showed no sign of care, not even a glance in his direction and not even a word after their fateful encounter on the first day of school. For her, his presence does not affect her at all. Well, atleast, not anymore. But this, what is this exactly?

"Bomi..." He tried to calm her down. They are in grocery store and he does not want things to go badly. But him saying her name again, hearing her name again, it was fuel to the fire for her.

"Stop," she breathed. His presence, for her, is making her chest heavy. Her mind hasn't been processing properly like before. He knew that. He knew his effect on her. Is he torturing me? Why now? Endless questions that don't even have an answer anymore. The past which she had already forgotten.

"Can you please give my basket and my list back to me?" she asked him, no, she begged him as she looked staright into his eyes. It was her begging him to stay out of her life. And dreadfully, Jongdae knew it. 

He placed the list inside the basket and handed it to her but he saw her trembling hands as they gripped on the sides of her shirt, so he put it in front of her instead.

"I'm sorry for disturbing your peace," he says that with a gloomy voice. But, in his mind, he realized something that he shouldn't have. Because it would mean great pain to someone he holds dear. 

He already gave up before meeting her here. He really thought Bomi didn't care about him anymore. Yet this, her shout, her shiny eyes, her small frightened movements, it was enough.

He turned his back on her. "And I'm sorry for the future. I'm really sorry."

 

Bomi stood there, confused, scared and hurt. She saw him smile while turning his back on her. She saw him smile!

 

It was enough for Kim Jongdae. How she reacted to him made him realize his stand in her heart. Even if its because of hate, its hope. A glint of hope.

*****

Something's off with Park Jinyoung's class. He sensed it when he noticed that for two whole weeks, one students has yet to be called to recite by all of their teachers. He realized it after a student, namely Eunji, was courageous enough to ask to their History teacher.

 

"Ms. Jung, why can't you even answer a simple question?" the teacher asked. "You are not listening, aren't you Ms. Jung?"

"Tch," she smirked at his statement. "The why don't you ask that silent little girl there?" She pointed at Son Naeun. The name Jinyoung got to know due to seeing it as she passed her notebook to the front one day, which is to him. 

Son Naeun remained silent even with her classmates remark. She continued on copying the lecture written on the blackboard. This act of hers infuriated Eunji.

"Why you little!" She looked like she was about to eat Naeun whole. The students had all their eyes on Naeun because they noticed this too.

"Ms. Jung Eunji! I advice you to sit down and shut up right now or else."

She sat down without a word after glaring at Naeun. 

"Before we continue," the teacher said, "Ms. Son Naeun came from a very prestigious school for very smart students. Now, anyone of you still have any question on why many teachers don't even bother asking her anymore? Anyone?"

The room remained quiet. A lot of the students was astonished by what their teacher just said. 

 

Jinyoung felt that it is completely weird. So what if Son Naeun came from a prestigious school? Why can't they ask her to answer such simple answers then? It sounded like an excuse to hide the truth from them.

Also, nobody has heard her speak since the first day. Some would try to start a conversation with her, but she cocked an eyebrow at their faces like a would do. No wonder she was outcasted right away by our classmates. They would speak badly about her even with her presence in the room, she eats alone during break and whenever there's a group work she would immediately approach the teacher quietly and the teacher will tell us that she will do it individually. Though his classmates tell him that she must think she's a higher level than all of them and that's the reason why she never talked to them or she's playing innocent and a , it still did not make any sense at all.

Something about her makes him so curious. Something about her is wrong. He wants to find out what that something is. 

"Don't you find it weird, Baekhyun?" He asked him again today after eating lunch at the cafeteria.

"Not really." Baekhyun stopped in his tracks and looked at him.

"What?" Jinyoung puffed his cheeks. 

"..." Baekhyun shook his head and started walking. "Nevermind."

Jinyoung stared at Baekhyun's back. He looked like he was about to say something but he changed his mind. He thought that maybe his best friend is keeping something very important from him. Something important enough that Baekhyun even hesitated to tell him about it. When he thought of what that something is, he instantly thought of the girl sitting behind him.

"Hey... where'd Baek go?" He wondered by himself.

He decided to head to the classroom since Baekhyun excuses himself to go to there before break ends. He was about to open the door when he heard Baekhyun's voice.

"Are you really okay with this?" His friend's voice echoed in the room. It looks like he is talking to somebody. But nobody answered back. Struck by a sudden guess, Jinyoung took a peek on the window.

 

He can't believe what he is seeing.  "Son Naeun?"