301 days before

The sound of the alarm ringing woke me up. I’ve always been the girl just like those in the movies and in the books. The typical girl – doesn’t asked out on dates by her seniors, after school, I immediately visit the public library (in fact, I have read most of the books in the Fiction and History section, not that I am bragging), go straight at home, browse the internet, etc. I don’t have parents anymore (told you typical girl you read in most of the books and watched in the movies). They died when I was 10 because of plane crash. I don’t have any siblings. However, my mother’s sister, Aunt Haenim took care of me since she doesn’t have a family on her own. My name is Lee Haru, 20 years old, a college student at Seoul National University taking up Korean Music. I have friends. In fact, I have a lot of friends. Most of them are from different departments but I have friends too, here in our department. My parents, though my time with them was short-lived, raised me well. My mother would often teach me the proper ways on how a lady must act in front of people just like in the past. I remember that she once took me to a tea ceremony but that never happened again because I kept making mistakes. My father really wanted a son. So when I came out in my mother’s womb, he confessed to me that he got really disappointed. He always knew that their child is a girl but he kept wishing that somehow a miracle would happen and I’d be a boy. I was very close to my parents. As far as I can remember, they were both cool. My mother would buy me dolls and teddy bears and my father would buy me cars and action figures. I know that this is so arrogant for me to say but we’re rich. My aunt manages our toy company since I am still too young to manage it myself. Nevertheless, I have learned the basics.

I got up from my bed and started to get ready. I don’t why but I’m a bit nervous today. Normally, I would go to university pretty confident because I never fail to study and read my lessons, but today is very nerve-wracking. After I got out from the shower, my phone rang.

“Hello? Joonmyeon-oppa! Wait for me downstairs I’ll be there in 30 minutes. Okay?”

“Okay. But can you make it faster? Yi Fan and I have something to show you,” he said.

I immediately dressed myself. I like the color black. Most of the times, I go to school wearing all black garments. People would sometimes call me the Black Lady. I think the name’s quite cool. Anyways, Joonmyeon-oppa and Yi Fan-oppa are both my classmates. Yi Fan-oppa should have graduated four years earlier than I and two earlier than Joonmyeon-oppa. However, he has to stop due to health issues. I sometimes call him by his English name, Kevin. He grew up in Canada and decided to study in Korea. Joonmyun-oppa also stopped going to school due to financial reasons. We’re all second year students with the same courses. The three of us got close because we all liked the same thing – music.

“Haru! We missed you!” Kevin said.

“We met last week. In fact, we always meet. Stop acting like that, Kevin.”

“Okay, Haru. Remember you said last week that you wanted new headphones?” Joonmyeon said.

“Yeah, I did. But I don’t have time to buy one, right? We’re all so busy. Exams are coming.” I answered.

“Since you’re busy, Yi Fan-hyung and I decided to buy you one!”

“Yeah, we did. You better thank us, midget.”

They would always tease me for being small. They said that no guy would ever ask me out because I’m too small to become their ideal girl. I would always answer the same thing, “I don’t care and it’s not a bother.”

“Thank you! It’s color black! Thank you so much!” I said as I hang each of my arms to their necks.

“Should we go to school now? We can skip it, you know?” Kevin suggested.

“Shut up.” Joonmyeon-oppa and I said simultaneously while dragging him inside the car. This is going to be long day.

I’m still wondering why I am so nervous.