3

Chapter 3

"Mi-Yeong, have you seen the latest post on the school forum?!" I was slowly awoken by the sound of my phone ringing. I brought the phone towards my ear as I hummed softly.

"What business do you have with Jae Hwa? The post says that the two of you came into school together!" Ha Eun exclaimed - she was my best friend since childhood; we were connected by our families.

I paused for a moment, trying to take a moment to think before responding. However, all I could utter was a simple "What?". I quickly opened the forum and searched for the link that Ha Eun talked about. On the main page, me and Jae Hwa were the first result that showed up.

"Why were you with her? She never comes to school."

"Haa." I breathed a long sigh before responding. "Well, certain circumstances happened."

"What kind of situation could force you to be with her?" Ha Eun asked with some doubt in her voice.

"It's a long story."

"Are you okay? What happened?" I could hear Ha Eun's voice start to get worried.

"I'm fine. Nothing happened to me."

I couldn't bring myself to explain any further. I had no idea what happened myself - it just all felt so surreal, like a dream.

"Okay. I won't probe any further, but just remember to be careful." Ha Eun said before hanging up.

I continued to stare at the forum post, which had by now accumulated many comments. Attached was the picture of the both of us arriving at the school gate together. Her silver hair was pushed to the side, her posture firm and her beautiful, golden eyes looked into mine, affectionately. Her very presence exuded a sense of elegance and perfection; it was as if she was a sculpture carved out of white marble.

Scrolling through the comments, I began to read some of them.

"What do you think happened between them?"

"I think they look really close in the picture. Like childhood friends, but I've never seen them together before." If only they knew the truth...

"Every day, God is testing my patience. How can they be so beautiful?! This is so unfair!"

I chuckled slightly to myself as I read through more comments. They were getting more and more ridiculous. I looked at the time - it was still early in the morning and I had no classes today. Deciding to take a quick shower, I got out of bed and proceeded to head towards the bathroom to freshen up. Scrubbing my face with cold water, I looked into the mirror.

"How did I get here?" I muttered softly to myself.

-

I lazily reached for my textbook. It was exam season and I was in the middle of studying for the English language exam: it was my worst subject. Completely drained of energy, my eyes bore heavy as I attempted to read the textbook. The words on the page were starting to blur and I had to rub my eyes before I could see clearly again. That was enough studying for today, I decided - 3 hours had already passed by yet the sun's rays still shone brightly through the window. All of a sudden, my phone started ringing as the screen flashed in front of me. I glanced at the caller ID; it was an unfamiliar number.

I took a deep breath as I slowly picked up the phone. "Hello?"

"Hey, Mi-Yeong." a sweet voice rang out through the other end of the line.

I was startled for a moment before finally recognizing the voice.

"Jae Hwa! How did you get my number?" I exclaimed, still surprised.

"Does it matter?" Jae Hwa replied with a soft tone.

"No, it doesn't..." I responded, smiling. "What's wrong?"

"Do you want to go out today?"

I hesitated for a moment as I bit my lip. "I can't go out today."

"Why?"

"I have a test next week. I need to study, especially in English." I replied.

"You can do it at my house." Jae Hwa said, like it was that simple.

"Wait, what?" I couldn't believe what I was hearing.

"Come over to my house and study at my house. I'll make sure you pass." I could almost see the proud look on her face through the phone as she said those words.

"Fine, I'll come over to your house right now."

"Where do you live? I'll come pick you up."

With my heart in my throat, I gave her the directions to my house. I slowly put down the phone and my head began to spin. I couldn't believe what had just happened. A small pang of guilt welled up inside of me as I began to think about what my family would say if they found out that I would be staying at Jae Hwa's house. However, they probably wouldn't care much anyways, even if they did find out. They were never at home anyways.

My heart began to beat in my throat once again as I heard the sound of a car pulling into my driveway. The doorbell rang as I hurried down the stairs and opened the door. I was greeted by the sight of a sleek, black BMW. And then, at that moment -

She appeared.

Although I was certain that I was familiar with her presence, I couldn't help but feel as if this was our first meeting. She walked forwards, dressed in a long blazer and a pair of tight jeans that accentuated her slender legs. With graceful strides, her steps glided, making me forget to breathe for a moment. A beaming smile appeared on her face as she greeted me. It was like looking at something that only existed in fiction, something that was too perfect for this world.

She looked at me affectionately. "Are you ready?" she asked, placing a hand on mine, leading me towards her car. Her voice was gentle and soft, yet her eyes still held a hint of mischievousness.

I nodded.

As we got in the car, she turned to face me. "I'm glad you decided to come."