There was this guy that I once knew. We weren’t strangers but we weren’t friends either, we just knew each other. We talked but it was only when deemed necessary –like when we get grouped together or when he asks me a question.

I couldn’t exactly pinpoint when and how Byun Baekhyun got into my life but for some reason, he did. Unlike me, he had transferred into the school sometime in the middle of the year and for a while; he had been the talk of the town all-the-more when he became associated with Park Chanyeol and his posy of flower boys that most of the school’s female population swooned over every single day.

He was known as this loud, outgoing and hyper kid and unlike everyone’s typical view of those flower boys in dramas wherein they can be complete s… he was not. In my own point of view, Baekhyun was nice. He was polite and well mannered most of the time, he was friends with a lot of people and I won’t deny it, he has good looks.

It was one of those afternoons when he arrived late in class and the only chair available was the one next to mine. Ofcourse, the teacher wasn’t all too happy with his tardiness but he was accepted inside nonetheless.

“Hello,” he said and that was probably the first time we talked. I responded with a brief ‘hi’ and a smile before turning my attention back to the teacher infront as he solved math problems on the board. The subject wasn’t my forte but hey, I was passing and that was good enough for me.

“I’m Baekhyun” he introduced himself out of the blues and not wanting to be rude, I turned back to him with another smile and shook the hand he offered, “Shin Yeol Mi”

He was quiet after that –or I guess he was trying to be, sensing as to how much he was trying to be a good seatmate and let me concentrate but the fact that he tapped his fingers on top of his hardbound notebook bothered me. I understand though, loud people usually do things like this when they are forced to keep quiet. They find other means of exerting their energy.

“Are you alright?” I finally asked him and he beams a bright smile at me as if glad that I asked him, “Oh right… uh, do you have a pen? I kind of… lost mine”

I ended up lending him my extra pen and he was silenced for the rest of the class hours. I was positive that he too must be taking down notes but when I accidentally glanced at his paper and saw scribbles of dinosaurs and other whatnot, perhaps not.

Classes ended and everyone began to exit the room. He returned the pen but I insisted for him to keep it as there was still one more subject before students could call it a day and go home. He smiled at me, grateful then we parted ways.

During the next days, on that certain class, Baekhyun and I repeatedly retained out seats next to each other. He hadn’t returned my pen as he had kept on using it still and I didn’t mind much. Our conversations slowly began to escalate day by day, he relieved my boredom every now and then and I was thankful that he came up with little jokes or I would end up sleeping and get scolded by the teacher.

Eventually, one day at lunch time, I happened to have passed by him at the hallway. He was talking with his friends and I was on my way to my locker to get some stuff when he called out my name and ran over.

“Hey,” he smiled, almost breathless and I returned the greeting with the same, “Hey”

“So, uh… I was wondering if you wanted to get lunch” he asked, we stopped at my locker and I opened it up to grab some books and papers inside. I was a bit surprised at the offer but politely declined, “Sorry but I didn’t get to do an assignment last night so I have to get it down right now… maybe, next time?”

Baekhyun, being Baekhyun, he smiled at me and nodded his head. I’m not sure but I swear I saw a hint of disappointment in his eyes… then again, it could just be me. Get over yourself, Yeol Mi… I sighed, closed the locker and headed for the opposite way.

The rest of the days passed and all was normal; classes happened, friends got together, quizzes were thrown here and there, gossips and such. The same was for me… or so I thought. Maybe I was oblivious but I never really paid much mind to it until a friend pointed out.

“Yeol Mi!” Bora shouts with a grin as she leans against the locker next to mine while I took out books that I would need for the day. It was far too early in the morning to shout, “You could whisper you know, it’s too early”

“So… did you hear?” she asks, giddy and excited as she grinned. I raise a brow at her and close my locker, “hear what?” she hums for a moment perhaps making me much curious but then eventually gives in, “The school’s abuzz, they say that Baekhyun’s interested in you” she giggles as if being tickled while there I was, scoffing to the side and finding it absurd and at the same time not much of a news.

People and their assumptions, tsk. “Well they need to get their facts straight because we are just friends” I emphasize but Bora doesn’t heed it and continues to smile like a love-struck idiot, “Aigo ~ don’t say that, you might end up eating your words ~” she coos, I highly doubt it though because if there’s one thing I know about Baekhyun… it’s that he’s far too loud for me and definitely not my ideal type.

Besides, two people can be friends and stay friends. Whatever other people perceive of us, for me we are just friends, it’s just talking and laughing, what’s so bad about it? We all need to expand our circle of friends and it wasn’t like Baekhyun was a bad guy. In fact, he’s great company.

“I doubt it, Bora… I doubt it”

“Alrighty then ~” she sing songs and walks away to her usual seat as we entered the room and I went to mine. Like everyday, we all sat inside the four walled room trying to absorb what we can and get through it all.

By lunch, I accidentally bumped into Baekhyun and with a bright smile he greets me.

“Lunch? Bora said you have no homework to do and starving yourself isn’t good” he beams and without much of a choice, I accept his invitation. It wasn’t much of a big deal though; it’s just lunch… if only people could stop staring.

Our conversation over the lunch table ranged from classes to classmates; girls to boys; clothes to brands; childhood to friends, it was a lot for a piece of burger, fries and soda but it was a great conversation and I was convinced of just how much of a nice guy he was but one question in particular seemed to have knocked the air out of me.

“So… have you been in a relationship before?” he asked.

I just blanked out completely after that, I didn’t know how to respond, how to take in his words, I was beginning my habit of deciphering the smallest of words and came to the most absurd of conclusions. Things suddenly seemed so weird after that… atleast for me.

Everything changed after that.

I began avoiding Baekhyun the following day; I declined his lunch offer, didn’t spare him a glance at the hallways, sat in a different seat during math class and I was even the first one out of the room as soon as the bell rang –the cycle repeated like that and it went on from days to weeks but somehow, the more I drew myself away, the more he pushed himself closer.

Are the odds not in my favor? Apparently so, then again… he always said he was persistent.

But why was I avoiding him? Simple: I’m afraid.

The thing is I’m not very fond of boyfriend-girlfriend things. I know that I may be just assuming things here but hey, hear me out; isn’t this usually the part of the novel wherein the boy and the girl begin to develop feelings for each other? Then by some sort of twist of fate, one of them finds out the other just did it for the sake of a bet or something? Ugh.

The downside to situations like these is the over analysis of even the tiniest of words, things, actions and the like. Like I said, it’s a habit of mine –which I so badly want gone. Ever since that day, I began to over analyze every single thing and time that we talked.

It’s both frustrating and ridiculous.

The following week was similar to a game of cat and mouse. Baekhyun –maybe somehow… noticed- began cornering me whenever he can yet I would always manage to slip myself out or the bell saving me.

But not for long, I have up on it. Baekhyun always seemed to have found his way through my attempts –which at one point, was kind of irritating but at the same time amusing. Truth be told, I grew kind of fond of how he manages to pop up infront of me, sometimes out of breath and saying “I looked everywhere for you”

Things went back to normal –if you would call it. My discomfort slowly dissipated during the span of time and we both began to laugh in the hallways again. I found myself enjoying Baekhyun’s company again until I began to look forward to every tomorrow for us to talk again.

Then it dawned upon me one evening.

We were both walking home from school as he had offered me earlier. I was going to decline but he insisted, saying that he had so much time in his hands that he needed to find a way to kill it, “and besides… my mom and dad aren’t home yet so that means I’d be lonely at home” he pouts and I chuckle at his childishness. He did once mention how he hated being alone.

“So… I’ve been meaning to ask” he scratches the back of his neck. “Ask what?”

“Why were you avoiding me?”

I was quiet; I looked away from him after sensing that my face was beginning to change color. Such a simple question yet I couldn’t bring myself to answer. “I-it’s okay! You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to” he says, his voice a little panicked. He diverted to another topic which was about coffees and thank goodness that he did, otherwise it would be a long awkward walk home.

“What’s your favorite? Mine’s mango frap, it’s sweet, a little tangy and all but it’s the flavor that makes me happy!” he grins widely while I smiled listening to him then replied, “I like the usual latte, it’s uh… normal?” and he laughs, probably at my lack of reasoning.

We eventually arrived at my house; he whistled as he beheld the two-storey townhouse. I took note of the parked up car in the garage and figured my parents are home, seeing as the lights were also on.

“Cool house, so modern…” he points out. I glanced at my own house and scratched the back of my neck, “Yeah… my dad’s an architect, so…”

“Cool, he must have built a lot of stuff then?”

“He sticks to residential houses” I say and he nods, he looks at the house for a few more seconds before finally turning to me with a smile, “I guess I’ll see you tomorrow then!” he chimes and I nod my head, retuning his smile. He finally turns to walk off and I do the same.

“Oops, forgot something” a second later, I then found myself engulfed in his warm embrace and it felt like forever until he finally let go and ran off waving. I knew then… I was doomed.

The next day, the cycle of avoiding him repeated once more and this time… I succeeded. The odds were finally in my favor and I had not interacted with Baekhyun for weeks. Bora began to pester me though, there was not a day that she failed to whine at me to talk to the guy but I was standing my ground.

“Can you atleast tell me why you don’t want to talk to him?”

I sighed for the nth time that day, “I already told you… we have nothing to talk about” I close my locker and pick up my bag, she continues to walk alongside and piped some more, “Did something happen?”

“Nothing happened, Bora… we just don’t have anything to talk about. Why are you even so concerned about this?” we walk past the people crowding the halls, it was far too early in the morning and I had not gotten ample amount of sleep last night to finish a report due today. “Because,” she starts, “Baekhyun is confused and every single day he’s been asking me what’s gotten your button pressed”

I sighed, again, “just… leave him be” and with a heavy heart, I get to class and hope to get through the day once again without this stupid feeling boiling up in me.

Ofcourse, I couldn’t hide from him for eternity –although I hoped I could- since the school wasn’t that big and add to the fact that we still had classes together. I would often slip in and slip out unnoticed as best as I can though, it was the most effective and easiest of strategies to avoid him.

Then one day, fate told me that enough was enough.

It was Valentine’s Day and the school was decorated red and pink with guys asking girls out to and fro, roses and cards and candies were everywhere. There were even those that surprised their girlfriends and there I was at the school’s back garden watching by the benches, the novel that I had been reading lay on my lap now ignored and because my guard had been down, I was cornered.

I didn’t even see him coming at all and I cursed my distracted thoughts for it. All was too late when he had sat down beside me, there was no ‘hi’, no ‘hello’, no smile and it made me grow nervous.

“Why are you avoiding me? Again?” he asked, getting straight to the point. I felt like my vocal chords disappeared, I didn’t know how to answer him but like every other person, I denied his claim. He, ofcourse, didn’t take it for an answer and told me, “Don’t lie”

My throat just ran dry after that, the words died on my tongue and we both sat there in silence. Neither of us moved, not even after the bell rang and the students began to empty the garden, we just sat there.

Eventually he sighs, “Why do you act like it’s a bad thing?” he asks and I, dumfounded and all, turn to him with a questioning look as he then continues, “Liking me…” he mumbles, “What’s so bad about that? I mean… I like you too”

I fluster at his words and if I found it difficult to speak before, I find it much more difficult now. He turns to me and laughs, “Ah… this will probably drive you away some more but I’ll take my chances, anyway… I was wondering if I could borrow your Sunday?”

“M-my Sunday?” I was still in a state of disbelief and shock; I couldn’t even move my head to hide my flustered face. Baekhyun continues to smile at me, “I know this really great coffee shop”

It was ridiculous, it was unbelievable, it was odd but one thing’s for sure, he somehow convinced me. I found myself then laughing and nodding my head, “Yes. Sunday would be good”

And he grins at me just as bright as the first time he flashed it, “I’ll pick you up at eight then?”

Yeol Mi closes up the coffee shop for the day, she turns the knob to check for good measure and when she was a hundred percent sure that it was locked, she smiled to herself and walked away. It was getting late and snow has started to fall since this afternoon thus covering the city with a fair layer of white.

She was used to it though, New York was known for it especially during December and now that New Year was up in just a couple of hours, she was pretty much alone walking home while people gathered at Times Square. It’s not that she didn’t like the party scene, she’s had her fair share of it when she moved in for college, and it was just that she would rather spend the night sleeping in her warm socks than bear the cold of the night wand risk a stranger pulling her for a kiss when the clock strikes twelve.

Blek, definitely not, on my bucket list. She cringes at the thought.

Along the walk home, she begins to reminisce the good times wherein she had spent her New Year in Seoul with her family. There were a lot of good things that happened, a lot of first times that she had experienced thanks to that one guy in high school that she met.

She began to wonder what had happened to that guy.

What happened to Byun Baekhyun? The guy who took her out for coffee, the guy who gave her surprises like filling up her room with balloons on her birthday, and the guy who made her experience things she’s never done before like falling in love? What happened to that guy that kissed her on New Year’s Eve three years ago?

Whatever happened to Byun Baekhyun after Shin Yeol Mi left Seoul for New York? He never told her.

No phone calls, no Skype sessions, no letters, no ‘hi’ nor ‘hello’. It wasn’t the kind of thing that Yeol Mi expected when she got here three years ago and it left her confused and wondering as to what happened to him, to her, to them.

She shook off her boots and jacket before entering her apartment, she took heavy steps up to the third floor, tired from the day’s work and just wanting to throw herself onto bed. When she reached her floor, her female neighbor from across the room greeted her; she was all dressed up and from what Yeol Mi could tell, she wouldn’t be home until tomorrow comes.

“By the way, someone came over your apartment” her neighbor informs, “I couldn’t understand him much and he kept banging on your door so Mrs. Jones had to call the police… poor guy was so clueless”

“Did he say who he was?” she asks; her neighbor thinks for a moment as she tries to recall, “Kun, Hyun? Something? I don’t know but he was Korean for sure. I have to go or I’m going to be late, Happy New Year” she greets once more then leaves. With brows raised, she shrugs it off and enters thinking that someone must’ve mistaken her apartment.

As she takes the first step inside, the sound of paper crackling catches her attention and she looks down to find a piece of pink paper and with the words: Please open the door, are you there? Written in Korean.

Confused, she inspects the paper’s backside as she walks to the phone and presses the button for any voicemails. There was a brief beeping sound then her mother’s voice;

“Yeol Mi-ah, Happy New Year! I’m sure you’ll be celebrating it well this year especially because of the surprise; you must be very happy, neh? Your dad is outside setting up the fireworks for the family dinner tonight. I wish you were here with us, baby. But nevermind, next time you can come home. Call me back okay? We miss you. By the way… how is Baekhyun doing? Are you both going to Times Square for the night?”

Baekhyun? Yeol Mi looks down at the paper and recalls her neighbor’s words. Everything slowly made sense after that and she didn’t know what emotion overflowed, happiness, sadness, anger? She didn’t know but one thing she was sure of at the moment that if she didn’t move, Baekhyun was sure to spend his New Year at the police.

As much as she wanted to punch him the face, she was just as equally glad.

She rushes down to Mrs. Jones and asks about the police station before sprinting out into the winter cold night. She reaches the nearest one in her apartment and walks up front, immediately asking via description. Sure enough, they had him.

“Byun… Bacon?” Close enough, she thinks and nods at the cop. Another police officer then assists her and he takes her to the little cell and there he was, sitting beside his luggage muttering Korean curses under his breath. The officer opens the gate for him and he stands up, his eyes then widen as he sees the girl and without another thought, he rushes to her, engulfing her in an embrace.

Yeol Mi was lucky enough to stop the cop from tazing him for such rash actions.

“What happened to you?” was her first question and he sniffles before breaking away from the hug, “I spent three years saving up to get here, New York flights are expensive, you know” and then he grins.