UNFORGIVEN (FORSAKEN #1)

pe class

The wind was harsh and unrelenting, causing me to shiver in my spot.

PE is the only class which allows students from different classes within the same year to come together. The boys and girls are separated, of course, so that they can focus on the task at hand. However, the weather is still gloomy and uninviting, with no improvement since earlier on.

It's been nearly 20 minutes since our PE teacher left us alone to attend the boys' class, cutting our session short. He gave us permission to do what we wanted, except for going back to the classroom, to avoid getting caught by Headmaster Oh.

I sit on the wooden stadium seats with Yunjin and Eunchae at the field, which also doubles as a pathway leading up to the school entrance. Even though we weren't in the same classes, I'm happy to have Yunjin in my PE class. She's sitting behind me, playing with my hair, braiding and unbraiding it, which felt relaxing.

"It's so freaking cold," Eunchae complains. I turn my head back to see her sprawled over the wooden seats beside Yunjin. She groans, "But, like, seriously what's up with our teacher? Why did he make us do PE outside? The gym is empty!" I can sense her frustration as she lets out a deep breath and sits up. "Ugh, I can't do this anymore. I need food." She looks at us with determination and asks, "I'm going to get food. Do you guys want anything?"

"I'm good," I reply, chuckling at her change in mood.

"Same here," Yunjin says, smiling.

We watch her leave and run off with a group of other girls.

I turn my head back to the track and see the boys running. They've been at it for a while, with our PE teacher blowing his whistle after each lap. Sunghoon is among them, running with his friends, taking his time. He's smiling and laughing at whatever they say to him, having fun despite the weather. But my eyes are drawn to Jaeyun, who is running alone ahead of everyone. His blonde hair bounces with every step he takes, and his form is perfect, like he's gliding on the track. His eyes are focused ahead, and he keeps a neutral expression as he runs.

"Why do you care so much about him?" Yunjins asks, out of the blue.

I look up at her, resting my head on her lap, and wonder who she's talking about. "Who?"

"Sim Jaeyun."

"Oh." I look back at the boys running on the track and spot Jaeyun again. There's nothing I could hide from Yunjin, she always seems to know what's on my mind. "I don't know," I reply, feeling a bit embarrassed. "I just want to be his friend, I guess."

She doesn't say anything for a few minutes. Curious about what she's thinking, I turn back to look at her. To my surprise, she's already staring at me, her eyes fixed on my face. "What if he doesn't want to be your friend?" Yunjin asks. "Then what? You can't force yourself to be friends."

Her words hit me like a brick. "But –"

"I don't think Jaeyun is someone you should be friends with anyway," she warns, letting go of my hair. I feel my braid coming undone. "He's not good for you. Can't you see how people look at him and his friends? They're scared of them. Look, Kazu, they're not the best people to hang out with and I don't want you to get hurt –"

"Okay." I interrupt her mid-sentence.

"Okay what?"

"I get it," I say, trying to reassure Yunjin. I know I'm not being completely honest. There's something about Jaeyun that I can't resist, and I'm not sure that I want to. I know that I shouldn't be getting involved with him, but I can't help but feel a pull. "I won't do anything that would worry you."