The Realest Thing

TWENTY EIGHT

A/N: TABISAN BACK STORY.

17 years ago...

Seung Hyun quietly brought his lunchbox. He doesn't like attention but since he's the 'tall fat nerd', people easily get noticed of him. He walks the hallway heading outside the school building. He went to the open bleacher and sat down. He unpacked the lunchbox that his mother made for him. He smiles because his mom put everything he likes in it.

"Look! The pig is going to eat his lunch!" someone said. Seung Hyun looks around and saw the group of boys who likes to bully him ever since the school year started. Seung Hyun packed his lunch back when one of the boys stopped him. He nervously looks up to him.

"Why are you packing it back? Eat! We want to see how a pig like you eat!" the bully said. His other friends laugh. Seung Hyun is scared and pissed at the same time. For sure, if he lets them bully him, they will just bully him again and again. If he fights back, the school will call his mother and his mom will worry about him. Seung Hyun was about to say something when someone calls his name.

"Seung Hyun!"

Seung Hyun and the bullies look around and saw a girl approaching them. She's carrying a lunch box and smiling brightly at him.

"There you are! I was looking for you!" she said as she sat down beside Seung Hyun. She starts unpacking her lunch box, "This is a nice spot to eat. It's a bit hot on the rooftop," she said and she looks at the bullies. "Ohh. What are you doing with Seung Hyun? Can you just leave? We're going to eat our lunch," she said while glaring at them. The bullies took a step back. Seung Hyun noticed that some of them look shocked and flustered. Who wouldn't? One of the popular girls is talking to them and now, this girl is pretending to have lunch with him.

The bullies left them as the girl finishes unpacking her lunch. She looks up at Seung Hyun, "Are you not going to eat?" she asks.

"They left," Seung Hyun said.

The girl raised her eyebrow at him, "And?"

"You can leave too. Thanks for saving me," Seung Hyun mutters. The girl sighs and picks up her chopsticks, "Just unpack your lunch and eat, Seung Hyun-ssi," she said before picking up some meat from her lunch box.

"But why? Why do you want to have lunch with me?" Seung Hyun asks in confusion. The girl shrugs, "I just want to. Can't I?"

"But..."

The girl groans in frustration, "I want to be friends with you,"

Seung Hyun blinks as he stares at the girl. Did he hear her right? She wants to be friends with him? But why?

"Why? Do you need a sidekick or something?" Seung Hyun whispers. The girl laughs heartily and Seung Hyun finds it cute. He blushes.

"Sidekick? Do I look like I need a sidekick?" she giggles. Then she stares at Seung Hyun seriously and smiling genuinely.

"I just want to be your friend. Can't we?"

Seung Hyun sighs and just stares at his lunch box. The girl noticed that Seung Hyun is overthinking so she put down her chopsticks and grabs his lunch box so she can unpack his lunch. Seung Hyun watches her do it.

"I'm Park Sandara. You can call me Dara," she said after she finished arranging his lunch box, "Let's be friends, hmm?"

---

Seung Hyun and Dara have slowly become friends since then. After their lunch that day, Dara asks for his number. Since then, they go to lunch together. Dara even joins him at the library to study. They even go to a snack bar to eat street food together. Seung Hyun just listens to her stories about school, about her favorite idols, and her Aunt. Dara made sure that no one will bother Seung Hyun again.