It was summer.
The love I saw in books and dramas as a child was grand and powerful. I thought it was a default option to experience a situation where everything but that person fades out on a street with fluttering cherry blossom petals, to do whatever it takes to win the other person, and to give up one's life for the one one loves. For me, the definition of love I learned from childhood was like this: 'Falling in love at first sight, and being able to do everything for that person.' Perhaps that's why the beginning of my love wasn't that grand, and it took me quite a while to realize what love was. He was just an unlucky lucky guy who shattered all the clichés about falling in love at first sight. A arrogant lucky guy who took my number one spot. To describe him a little more, he was the complete opposite of me, someone who would shine a light on me.He was always bright and had many people around him.
The first time I met him was on the day the midterm exam results came out for my first year of high school. I knew him well because his existence was mentioned in class ten times a day. He was a kid who was loved by many girls because he was handsome, tall, kind, and even good at studying. The first time I started to get annoyed by him, who always passed by with a bright smile, was when he came to our class on the day the midterm exam results came out. Unlike me who was indifferent to everyone, he always had many people around him, so I thought there was no way he would know about my existence.
"Hello, I'm Jeon Jungkook. You're Goo Hyewon, right?"
"Do you know me?"
After the teacher who handed out the report cards during the closing ceremony left, I was sitting there in shock at the '2nd place' grade I received for the first time, but then I heard a rather bright voice coming from the class where only 'I' was present, and when I looked up, there before me was Jeon Jungkook, the main character of the rumors I heard every day.
"Well... of course, right? Your friends told me that you were really good at studying. You were always number one until you entered high school.."
"Do you have something to say to me? It's probably not something to do with studying. I heard a rumor that you're the top student in the whole school. If you want to brag about being the top student, tell the kids around you."
"I was lucky this time. I came here not just for studying, but because I wanted to be friends with you, but you're so cold..."
My mental state was shattered by my first drop in rank, and then this guy who claimed to be number one showed up and asked me to be his friend. I closed my eyes for a moment, wondering if this was a dream, and pulled myself together. He already had friends all around him, so why would he bother coming to me like this? My only reason was this: he wanted to find out who I was, since I was second place and the only person I could come up with was me.
"I'm sorry, but I didn't come to this school to make friends. And you have so many friends around you, so I don't understand why you insist on being friendly with me. If you're done talking, would you mind leaving now? I have to study."
"Then let's do this. From now on, I'll keep trying to be your friend. If you don't like that, try to beat me and get first place in this final exam. Then I won't bother you anymore. But if I get first place then, you grant me one wish. What do you think?"
"Why should I do that?"
"If you don't like it, then be my friend~"
He suddenly came to me and asked me to be his friend, and if I didn't want to be his friend, he told me to beat him in the final exam and get first place. My head was aching from all the incomprehensible things, and I didn't have time to waste on things like this, so I packed my bag, passed him by, and headed home. On the way home, I thought about what had happened earlier, but after a while, I came to my senses again, and memorized English words as I headed home.
Time passed, and a week had already passed. I was having a hectic day, having been bothered by him on my way home for a week, but thankfully, he only came to see me after school, so I didn't have to deal with a barrage of questions from other kids. That was the case until yesterday. On my way home,I faced the next day not knowing what kind of state I would experience after telling myself not to bother them after school anymore. I left home in the morning and, as usual, put on earphones in both ears to avoid wasting time and headed to the classroom while listening to the online lecture. The atmosphere was a bit chaotic every morning because of the noisy girls putting on makeup and the boys playing games, but I turned up the volume and as soon as I arrived at the classroom, I unpacked and took out the books and pencil case I would be studying that morning on my desk. While listening to the online lecture, my neck hurt because I studied in one position too much, so I took out my earphones for a moment and turned my neck, when suddenly someone next to me spoke to me.
"Hyewon, hello."