Sketchbook

Chapter 1

A chilly breeze struck Chaeyoung in the face the moment she set foot outside. She pulled her hood over her head, making her way down the sidewalk.

She tightly held her sketchbook against her chest, taking in her surroundings. The sun peeked from the horizon, painted like an orange.

She could see the bus stop further down the street, covered by a light layer of mist. She tasted the humid air, reminiscent of the heavy rainfall the previous night.

Chaeyoung reached the bus stop, halting to look at the timetable. She found her bus, number 402.

She was a bit early, meaning she had to wait for a while. Turning around, she looked inside the open glass cage, deciding she should sit if she had to wait for that long.

She rushed over, placing herself on the cold, humid wood. She lifted her gaze, she was alone. Fair enough, she thought. She lived on the outskirts of town, and it was only 8 in the morning.

She let her sketchbook drop onto her lap, pulling out a pencil from her bag. She had sharpened the pencil that morning before leaving, knowing she'd be scribbling a lot.

She flipped to an empty page, pencil tip lingering over the paper. She looked around, hoping to garner inspiration from her surroundings.

Maybe she should draw the trees on the other side of the road. She noticed the leaves were turning into shades of brown and orange.

Chaeyoung pondered what she should draw. She turned her head, eyes locked on a girl.

The girl was rather chubby - cute in appearance, a green pullover at least a size too large for her adorning her frame. She wore black skinny jeans that tightly hugged her firm thighs.

The girl is pretty. She has a puppy face, with soft, rounded cheeks and big dark eyes reflecting the sky. Her lips were slightly pouty, naturally so.

Chaeyoung stared at her, stared as the girl glared blankly ahead of her, looking at nothing but the group of trees on the opposite side of the road.

She had an idea. Turning her attention to the blank page beneath her, she started sketching, placing messy lines until a picture of the girl was formed.

Chaeyoung glanced up at her, studying the girl's petite body. She polished the sketch, happy with the result.
She had always cherished that ability of her. She could create realistic images if she had something to look after in front of her. Her parents always thought she was talented at drawing.

She wondered what the girl's name was. She wanted to give the drawing a title.

Pretty Girl, she wrote next to the chubby girl.

She looked up, gazing at the girl. A smile formed on her face, the girl left such a strange feeling inside of her.

Down the road, she could see her bus. She wondered if the pretty girl was going on the same bus. She figured she was watching as the girl got up before her, walking up to the side of the road. The bus stopped, doors opening to let them both inside.

It was warm, compared to the chilly temperature outside. Chaeyoung walked in right behind the girl, peeking over her shoulder. The girl was tall, taller than her.

The girl sat down against a window. Chaeyoung's body subconsciously moved to the seat right behind.

When the bus started moving, Chaeyoung flipped to a new page in her sketchbook. She looked out the window. She had a hard time figuring out what to draw. The bus was moving too fast. Perhaps, she should draw a mix of everything she saw.

She drew a neighborhood, decorated by occasional cherry blossoms and bypassing cars. Time passed fast before she knew it, she had to get off. She was bummed when the girl remained seated, meaning she had another destination.

The bus stopped, and Chaeyoung stepped out into the fresh air. She was intimidated by the giant building before her. It was a new place, and she didn't know anyone there. Her first day of university was going to be bad, she predicted. She'd never had great luck with unfamiliar places and people.

She had always been a loner who kept to herself. All through High School, she had been that kid, sitting at the back of the cafeteria during lunch, scribbling in her sketchbook, perhaps while munching on a sandwich or some fruit.

Chaeyoung located the entrance, already feeling lost once she was standing inside the interior of the university. She pulled her schedule up on her phone. She had to find the conference room.

The first few hours passed slowly for Chaeyoung. It wasn't until she was sitting in a classroom, in front of a desk, that she had the chance to draw.

She drew the classroom from where she was sitting, minus the people. Just a room full of empty chairs and desks. Chaeyoung wasn't listening to a word the teacher was saying. History was boring, anyways.

Chaeyoung didn't know what else to draw. She looked up at the chalkboard, full of history notes. Notes she was supposed to have written down. An idea struck her.

She flipped to a blank page, beginning to doodle the cute girl from that morning. She had been thinking about her throughout the day. She had grown to like her, despite knowing nothing about her. She didn't even know her name.

For now, her name remained as pretty girl. She strained her mind, thinking back to every single detail she remembered about the girl. She hadn't forgotten her big eyes, her chubby cheeks, nor those plump lips she had. She drew exactly what she remembered, fresh out of her memory.

She was so engrossed in the drawing, so focused that she jumped in shock when someone cleared their throat, spotting a tall figure out of the corner of her eye.

"Who are you drawing, Son?" The teacher's menacing voice sent shivers down her spine.

She let go of her pencil, carefully eyeing the man who was glaring down at her attentively. "A girl I saw this morning."

"Hm," muttered the teacher, "You're talented."

Shyly, Chaeyoung played with the gray sleeves of her hoodie, unable to force out a response.

"Don't forget to take notes, Son." The teacher gave her shoulder a gentle pat before returning to his desk.

Perhaps she should do a bit of work.

It wasn't until she was on the bus on her way home that she had the chance to draw again. The day had been draining, even though she had sat still and interacted with no one.

Chaeyoung thought about the cute girl. She flipped to the drawing she made in class. Chaeyoung wished to see her again.