Stepfather || Hyung Line

Chapter 2

That night while laying under the warm blanket, all snug and comfortable, I thought about the books I've been reading lately. How nice it would be to have my own story, I thought as I smiled to myself. But who would be the male protagonist? I sighed heavily, wondering when I would find the characters to my book. After awhile, I surrendered to social media. Once I was done with my share in the exploding group chats and skyrocketing comment sessions, I went to sleep.
The next day was another boring school day. Another extra hour in detention for staring out the window during math class, and trying to curl my hair with pencils and pens. You may be thinking, well, she goes to school. She can just find her so called male protagonist there. But no. A lot of guys were rumored to like me, they thought I was "cute". And they're all great, no doubt about it. I'd love to get to know all of them more, but they're just not it. When you think of a certain story in your head, the characters each have a certain personality and traits, and none of the guys at my school fit what I envision as my male protagonist. My female friends absolutely hate me, since I go around friend zoning their crushes, rejecting guys that they coo over. However, these girls are understanding, and although they may express utter frustration towards me in this regard, at the end of the day they get it.
I was walking home from school in the usual cluster of giggling school kids who live in my area. Usually we walk home together since we live close by, sometimes stopping for coffee or a movie. My house is the furthest, so one by one, everyone breaks away from the group to go to their house, until it's me alone, swaying to the beat of the music from my earphones and smiling at the sky. Although I don't express it at all, it's these happy moments alone that I cherish the most. I like the solitude of everyday life in Daegu to be my one and only company.
After kicking my shoes off once I got inside, I plopped down on the couch. After sitting there and aimlessly staring at random objects for a while, I went and changed into fresh clothes. I video called a few friends for about two hours, then began studying. In about three to four hours, I finished everything and anything I could possibly do. I head out for some ramyeon at the store. On my way, I saw a vaguely familiar figure sitting by the lake on a bench, looking at the horizon. I plopped down next to him and realized it was the guy with the freaky girl yesterday.
"Hey, you're that girl," he said instantly recognizing me.
"Yep," I said, grinning to show all my teeth. He smiled widely at me.
"Sorry about yesterday. That girl is from my school, and she clings to me like hell." He laughed nervously.
"Haha it's ok. She probably just likes you."
He shrugged his shoulders uncertainly, then held out his hand. "My name is Jung Hoseok, by the way. Nice to meet you."
I took his hand and shook it warmly. "Shim Nami. Nice to meet you too," I said with a bright smile. I added as an afterthought, "Hey, I was going over to the convenience store for some ramyeon. Wanna join?"
"I guess I could. Where is it?"