Sketchbook

Chapter 2

Chaeyoung arrived early at the bus stop, but not as early as yesterday. She didn't have nearly as much time to kill.

Sitting on the bench, she saw the cute girl, nibbling on a biscuit. A small bag containing plain crackers gently rested in her lap, the wind lightly blowing the plastic.

Chaeyoung sat down on the opposite side of the bench, flipping to a blank page in her sketchbook.

She drew the pretty girl, drew her eating the crackers. Seeing the girl again had brought a smile onto Chaeyoung's face, and butterflies began fluttering in her stomach.

The bus arrived, and Chaeyoung got up, tightly holding the sketchbook against her chest. She looked the girl in the eyes for the first time, making eye contact. It didn't last for long, seconds at most, but enough time for Chaeyoung to take in all the emotions in the girl's gaze.

Kindness and warmth but laced with weariness. She wondered what went on inside the girl's mind. She wondered what the girl was like. She was curious, curious to know who this person was, exactly.

Chaeyoung's first class was mathematics. The teacher wanted them to work in pairs, but Chaeyoung stayed seated at her desk, flipping to a blank page in her sketchbook.

The teacher was explaining their assignment. She wasn't listening.

The girl was on her mind.

She drew her eyes as if she were directly making eye contact with her. The girl's face is so pretty. Chaeyoung felt butterflies in her stomach.

If Chaeyoung was honest with herself, she was one to judge a book by its cover.

She looked at the girl's face and immediately thought she must be a nice girl. She had a kind, welcoming face. It reminded her of her mother's, in some way.

Her mother looked kind, with big, warm eyes, though she had a sharp tongue. Chaeyoung didn't have many fond memories of her.

"Son Chaeyoung." The teacher called her name loud and clear. She lifted her gaze, meeting the teacher's. "Do you want to show your artwork to the class?"

The question was rhetorical. Chaeyoung felt herself crumbling up into a ball, muttering a quiet, "No." Her face was beet red from embarrassment. She felt completely overwhelmed.

She looked back down at her drawing. She smiled, and a blush swept across her cheeks when she thought back to that earlier that morning.