From Afar | Winrina

08 | Too High

| Kim Minjeong

How to avoid someone?

Ningning is an expert in avoiding. Of course she'll have some kinds of fans who she doesn't really want to bump into. Those fans who follow her everywhere. Sasaengs. 

Her rule number one is simple, just never bump into them.

Avoid all the places, avoid all the situations, avoid all the possibilities. It's as simple as that. You won't see them, so they won't see you too.

Rule number two: Avoid the connections. 

Maybe some of your stalkers have a connection with your friends or someone you work with? Ningning has a solution for that. Avoid those people that have connections with who you wanted to avoid. Don't chat, just pretend, and hide. 

And Rule number three: Don't walk alone.

Avoid walking alone in the streets, try to have some company. Who knows? Maybe the stalker sees it as a lesser chance to approach you or talk to you. Maybe they don't want any other people seeing them.

I have done all of that.

No, I don't have sasaengs. That's probably the least thing that I will have in my life right now.

I just really want to avoid someone.

Hence why I literally barged into Ningning's condo unit in the middle of the night just to get some advice about avoiding someone.

Ningning asked me if someone is stalking me. 

I just said that yes, someone is stalking me.

Ningning offered to tell it to the authorities, but I declined.

Of course I don't want it to go that far, Yuji hasn't done anything bad. 

Yeah, Yuji. It was the girl whom I wanted to avoid. 

And Aeri too, Kinda. 

They haven't really done anything to make me avoid them. It's just all for the sake of my feelings and for the sake of friendship. I figured out that I wouldn't really be truly happy watching Yuji being happy if I still have this stupid feelings deep inside me. 

I'm planning to move on. 

That is, if I can.

But I'll try, I will really try. 

I might as well force myself if I need to. 

It didn't really come into my mind that I will consider moving on from feelings for Yuji before. I was already happy just by seeing her. Even just the idea of being a mere friend didn't come to me.

Until Aeri said it, those words.

That she likes Yuji. 

I didn't know how to react. Should I be happy for my friend? Or should I pity myself? 

Honestly, I felt both. 

I felt happy because that's Yuji, she's a great girl. Aeri wouldn't regret liking her because you will never find another Yu Jimin in this world. She's kind, smart, beautiful, and talented. She's someone who's worth liking. 

At the same time, I pity myself because I just know that I could never pull off something like what Aeri plans to do. 

Or just simply because I could never be Aeri. 

I never cared about those things.

I never wished to become another person.

I was okay being me.