Somehow in a relationship
W. Dingdongdang
Tiring-tiring-
I woke up with a frown. As expected, the alarm was the one that interrupted my sweet dreams. This time, I gasped and jumped out of bed as soon as I looked at the time to see how many times it had gone off.
This is my first alarm. I sleep so much that waking up in the morning is the hardest part for me, so I always set my alarms for five-minute intervals, from 6:30 to 7:30.
I set my alarm for 6:30, confidently determined to wake up early and live the life I'd only ever heard of as a newbie. But my efforts quickly vanished. Throughout my three years of middle school, I was almost always forced to wake up at the last minute.
I, like that, woke up to the first alarm on a seemingly ordinary Wednesday morning, not a special day. I was filled with joy and a sense of accomplishment, but then I couldn't shake off a nagging feeling. Why am I waking up so suddenly at my usual time? It was a sign that something bad was about to happen today.
I've always been like that. Whenever I've managed to pull off something I'd never even attempted before, something not so great always follows. They say everything comes with a price. But that doesn't mean there aren't days when only good things happen. So, after rationalizing to myself that only good things would happen today, I clapped my hands a couple of times and stood up.
I must have had the delusion that I would wake up early and do something great. I didn't even expect to study. I thought I would at least practice dancing. But all I did was get out of bed, wash up, put on my school uniform, put on basic makeup, and eat cornflakes for breakfast, all with a determined look on my face as if I was ready to do something. Of course, I didn't prolong those steps. Absolutely not. It was just that I thought I would only use my phone for 10 minutes after breakfast, and that was the problem.
“Oh, that’s really too bad. I could have just finished the choreography this morning.”
“So all you did this morning was use your phone?”
"Hey, but it's true that since there's some room, the hairdo is actually pretty good. Look at this—"
It was when I was throwing a tantrum on the way to school with Yewon. I was so excited that I was showing off my beautifully styled bangs to her.
“Kim Yeo-ju.”
It was none other than Jeon Jungkook, who suddenly appeared from nowhere, tapped my bag, and called my name. Jeon Jungkook's face, smiling brightly on that pleasant morning, reminded me of something I'd forgotten.
"Do whatever Jeon Jungkook asks on the condition that the video call be kept a secret."
I wanted to lash out at Jungkook for his unwavering friendliness, but I remembered our promise from yesterday and let out an awkward laugh, pretending to know him. My pleasant morning was dampened by Jeon Jungkook's appearance, as if he'd poured cold water on it.
“Wow, what the heck? Are we already close?”
I was having this absurd fantasy that time would stop when I locked eyes with Jeon Jungkook, when Yewon's words barely brought me back to my senses. Just as I was about to reply to Yewon's excited voice that it just happened, Jeon Jungkook's voice suddenly rang out.
“I have a weakness for something, so I’ll probably hang out with you for a few days.”
As soon as he finished speaking, I felt a thrill of excitement, a pang of excitement running through my entire body, and a sinking feeling in my heart. I looked at Jeon Jungkook with a resentful look, asking why he'd said that, but he just chuckled, as if he found something so amusing.
Also, Yewon, who was caught in that situation, was looking back and forth between me and Jeongguk absentmindedly, and only her hair was tangled up.
“Then, Jeongguk, I’ll meet you at school. Yewon, let’s go quickly! I’ll be late.”
I hastily greeted Jeon Jungkook, as if telling him not to follow me, then linked arms with Yewon and walked briskly. And since I anticipated Yewon would ask about this situation, I quickly changed the subject.
“We had… uh, yeah. Did we have English homework today? Or something else?”
But Yewon wasn't one to be fooled by such flimsy words. She raised an eyebrow and asked about Jeon Jungkook. She asked if he and Jeon Jungkook had known each other before.
Tiring-
As I was pondering what to say, a text message notification, like a ray of light, saved my life. Yewon's eyes, which had been shaking, shifted from my phone to mine.
The sender of the text was none other than Jeon Jungkook. Filled with doubt, I unlocked my phone and saw the contents of the message.
Do you remember the promise you made to me?
“…”
Along with that, a stinging gaze felt from somewhere. I turned around to see Jeon Jungkook following me, his hands in his pockets, his bag swaying slightly, keeping a slight distance. When our eyes met, Jungkook waved his phone as if to ask for a reply. I tried to maintain a blank expression, but judging by the twitching of his lips, I could tell he was quite excited about tormenting me today.