𝐆𝐀𝐋𝐀𝐗𝐘. 𝑠𝑢ℎ𝑜 ✔︎

t h r e e

I closed the door slowly, only to meet eye to eye with that one person from next door. Why.. Just why. On the day I decided to actually go out from the house and refill the refrigerator with food, just why would I meet him here too. After one hour debating whether I should go or not because it would waste my energy, I ended up going since the stock of my noodle cup was literally on verge of dying.

"Hello there, girl." He spoke, instantly breaking the silence that was about to engulf. Now that I notice it, we didn't even know each other's names yet after a week. But it wasn't like it was a big deal. I'd rather to have him asking first, that wasㅡif he ever ended up being curious.

"Where are you heading to?" He added.

I kept on a small smile, "Convenience store."

"Oh, I'm heading to the same place. Let's go there with my car."

The coincidence is making me scared. And inviting a girl into his car was utterly suspicious.. I cleared my throat to resist the urge from thinking any unnecessary horror thoughts about serial killer or kidnappers. "The distance is actually short, so I can manage by just walking."

"Let's go together, then." Though I had made it visible to refuse any offer to be together with him, he seemed to let it pass by unnoticed. As we started walking together involuntarily, he kept on opening new topics to engage in conversation. "Junhee keeps nagging because I end up eating her son's junk food."

"Excuse me for asking, but how old are you actually?" I asked straightforwardly. Seeing him day by day made me convinced that he had the face of an adult, but the behaviour of a merely fifteen year old boy.

He stiffened with the sudden question, but he laughed it off as if it was something amusing for him. "The only thing I can tell you is that I'm 20 and above. Although my face looks young, I can't deny the reality that I'm already a mature man."

"Let me take a guess." I surprised myself with my own words. Since when I had been this talkative? "Maybe..27? 28?"

"Keep going." He snickered.

"88 year old, then."

He widened his eyes, not expecting the childish answer. "I'm not that old yet! Please refrain from teasing me or else I can sue you for a defamation case."

I let out a chuckle unconsciously. He was certainly happy with the first heartfelt response he ever gotten so far, so he continued blabbering funny things he could say along the way. It was dragged on even after we finished buying everything we needed in the convenience store. He ended up paying for my things, though. As he claims, he wants to show his gratitude. I was wondering what kind of gratitude he had been talking all these times.

I pretty much thought everything was going smoothly. After all, it had been more than two weeks since the last time I went outㅡ and now I was starting to drag on skipping school for the same period as well. Three school girls were walking around, heading to the opposite direction for the convenience store. I subconsciously hid behind the guy; straightaway noticing that it was my school uniform.

"You okay there?" He furrowed his brows as he watched the three girls passed by with no care. Obviously, they weren't that eager to even see me a bit since I was a speck of dust now. The problem was me, it seemed like I was the cause of all problems existed. I quietly nodded. "Why are you hiding?" He asked with an unsure tone, afraid of hurting my feelings.

"Do you want to hear my story? It's full of high school dramas." I scratched the back of my neck. Somehow, there was a part of me deep down there felt grateful with someone asking for that. It was as if a burden would be lifted up from me whenever I tell me story. The only problem was that I was a loner; there was no one around to hear what I wanted to spill.

And so I told him everything that caused me to stop going to school. The fact that I actually wasn't intended to go to that school, but since I failed the entrance exam of my first school choiceㅡ I had to hold myself in somewhere I didn't want for three years already. I shut myself down, growing apart from the crowd because it a hassle to keep up with them. Sure, there were still many students who approached me, but at the end of the day, they usually gave up after I didn't react to most of what they said.

I was pulled into the Student Council since I was in the top list of the most hardworking studentsㅡ which I suspected was full of rig and fraud since there would be no way I could be in there in the first place, because I was a lazy bum. I tended to push away my responsibilities, doing works with half assed efforts especially with them expecting me doing a great job. Of course, I failed. But I remembered, there was one girlㅡ someone who didn't blame me, and instead encourage me to keep on fighting to change people's opinion. We were friends, but I didn't think I was in her closest friend's list.

Once again, I repeat, I was too lazy so I ended up not fixing the situation and all of that. Because I was just that kind of person. Skipping school like this only going to add up pile of works to her since she was also in the Student Council, and there was a tiny feeling of guilt inside me because of that.

"I don't really know what to do." I looked up to see him staring back at me.

"I can understand that you've gone through a lot." He started. "But I advise you to never ever leave your friends hanging like that. When you go to school again, tell sorry to her first."

"So fixing my friendship is more necessary?"

"Of course. You're like this because you just don't have the courage to open up to people. Look at two of us. Aren't we a good pair already?" A grin was drawn on his attractive face. "You gradually opened your heart and changed your perspective. If you fix that shut in personality of yours, I'm sure you'll be a more incredible girl than you are now." He ruffled the top of my head as a sign of encouragement.

For once, he really sound like a matured adult. I looked down as I felt my cheeks flushed in red. He understood me better than my parents, and I was grateful for that act.