01
I loved summer. As far as I can remember, that day was nothing special. I went to school in my uniform as usual, and sat under the whirring fan, doodling and joking with my seatmate as I took my classes. The sweltering heat made my whole body feel hot, and I felt a bit out of it. After school, I went to karaoke with my friends, holding a soda-flavored ice cream in one hand. I met him for the first time at that familiar karaoke, at the intersection in front of the school where I often went. This story is my story, but it's also the story of our love, which can't be found anywhere else.
I didn't like singing. I hated karaoke so much I hated it. Still, I went there three times a month. My friends would say the guy working at the karaoke bar at the intersection in front of my school was incredibly handsome. I couldn't tell. On either side of me, my friends were busy fixing their bangs with palm-sized hand mirrors. Jiwoo, on my right, must have noticed my gaze, so he turned and asked me.
“Do you think my bangs look okay?”
When I asked with a serious expression, I nodded. It's summer, so my bangs are always sticky. Should I just grow them out? He grumbled and kept touching his bangs.
The karaoke room I frequented was the largest in room 3. Perhaps because I'd arrived early after school, it was, as expected, deserted. If I came in even a little late, the famous karaoke part-timer would fight fiercely for a spot, so I'd always run to the karaoke room and break out in a sweat. As usual, I entered room 3 and took a corner seat on the sofa. I held a mini fan right up to my face, briefly enjoying the cool breeze. My friends, upon entering, put down their bags and busily made song reservations. They must be exhausted. They always give me free service and have time to spare, so why should they be so fussy? Maybe it's the heat, but I feel a little sensitive.
“Hey. Should I sing a ballad first or a girl group song first?”
“Of course it’s a girl group song. Don’t you know that the first song is a girl group song?”
I looked at my friends who were singing so hard that their faces turned red, as if I was amazed, and I even clapped and laughed for a long time when someone skipped a note. How much time had passed? We had finished singing all the girl idol songs and it was now our turn to sing a ballad. At that moment, I saw black shapes on the opaque glass window of the door. Knock. Knock. There was a knock and the door opened slightly.
“I’m really sorry, but can I play with you? This room is already full.”
A boy from Class 7, the class next door known for being flirtatious, asked with a pitiful expression. All the girls at that age, who would fall for any guy, were the same. Jiwoo, though secretly happy, looked at each other's faces as if they were contemplating something, then feigned defeat and answered with a blush. "It doesn't matter to us." The other friends pretended not to care and just fiddled with the karaoke remote control. I think the reason my friends were so embarrassed and shy was probably because Class 7, the class next door, was famous for having a lot of good-looking kids. Five or six boys from Class 7 who had received permission came in a huddle.
I sat there, not thinking much, and then suddenly turned my gaze. My eyes met the last boy to enter. It felt like the universe. In that brief moment, I saw the universe through those large, round eyes. The blood circulating through my body tingled, and my fingertips and toes continued to feel the stimulation. I immediately averted my gaze, but he didn't, as if he continued to feel my gaze. Suddenly, I felt a surge of excitement in my stomach.
“Wow, Jeon Jungkook is here too. Hi.”
"hi."
As Jiwoo greeted me, only then did the boy turn and greet me. The boy whose eyes met mine seemed to be named Jeon Jungkook. Jeon Jungkook. Maybe it was because we were in the next class, but I felt like I'd heard the name a lot. Did a kid like that exist in our school? All around me were boys moving around noisily, frowning as they tried to hit high notes, and I laughed out loud at the sight of them singing until my friends' faces turned red. Even though it was clearly that noisy, my attention was completely focused on Jeon Jungkook. Normally, I would have covered my ears and not noticed the noise.
He blinked his large eyes slowly. The bright lights from the karaoke screen reflected in his dark pupils. In funny situations, he covered his mouth and smiled faintly, but in serious situations, his already round eyes widened even more and he looked at his friends. Wow. How can someone look like that? I couldn't look at him directly, so I kept glancing at him and lowering my head again. This had never happened before. I was afraid he'd look at me, and my gaze automatically went to him. I guess that's what people call love at first sight.
“Hey, Jeon Jungkook, you should sing too. Guys, he’s the best singer among us. For real.”
“Oh right, I heard Jungkook sings well, right?”
When he came to, the boys from Class 7 were egging Jungkook on. Jungkook smiled awkwardly and fiddled with his hands as if in trouble. "It's a little embarrassing, but do I really have to?" he asked his friends with a bright smile. They insisted, "Do you call that a lie?" and forced Jungkook to his feet. Jungkook hesitated for a moment, then slowly typed out the karaoke remote, one letter at a time. "Oh, Jeon Jungkook, what song are you going to sing? Everyone, look forward to it. This kid's really good." Everyone was focused on the karaoke screen when Jungkook's phone rang loudly. "Kim Taehyung? A call from Kim Taehyung?" Jiwoo, who was next to him, picked up Jungkook's phone and read the caller's name aloud so Jungkook could hear. Jungkook then turned his head towards the phone.
“You said it came from Kim Taehyung? Just a moment.”
I grabbed my phone and hurried out of room 3. After Jungkook left and the atmosphere became a little awkward, the remaining boys tried to lighten the mood by choosing a recent song from Show Me the Money and rapping along like a song. Jungkook didn't come back into the room until one song was over. Kim Taehyung. Kim Taehyung, he's one of the few boys from my school whose name and face I remember. Honestly, I couldn't not know him. He was so famous at our school. He wasn't a bully, but he often caused trouble, so I often saw him get called to the teacher's office from the next class. He was really handsome, but he was more famous for the troubles he caused, big and small. I was thinking about Kim Taehyung for a while when the door suddenly opened loudly.
“Sorry. I think I should go first.”
“Oh, I knew it. Bye.”
“Yeah. Today was fun. See you tomorrow.”
As soon as Jungkook opened the door and came in, he quickly said what he wanted to say and went back out. I had wanted to see you for a long time. Of all things, a phone call came. With a feeling of regret, I looked back at the spot where Jungkook had just been when a small green object caught my eye. I carefully reached out and took a closer look. It was a green four-leaf clover keychain. What is this tacky keychain? Did Jeon Jungkook leave it behind? As I was concentrating on fiddling with the keychain, my friends in front of me had already stood up and prepared to leave.
"Should I go now? Jungkook's already gone, so I've been here a while."
“It’s a shame. You guys don’t know how good Jeon Jungkook is at singing. He’s seriously the best singer I’ve ever seen in my life.”
"Wow, really? What a shame. I wanted to hear it…"
"If Kim Taehyung calls, you can assume that no matter what I'm doing, I'll go straight to him. He always does that."
“Huh, why? What’s your relationship?”
"Just friends. They've been close since elementary school. They must care deeply for each other. They have a wonderful friendship."
Wow. Those good-looking guys are close. What's the use of being handsome? I don't understand why Kim Taehyung lives like that. I feel bad for Jeon Jungkook. It seems like he's always being dragged around. Honestly, it doesn't seem like there's anything good about them hanging out together, so I don't understand why they're always stuck together, right? I guess so. I was just blankly listening to Jungkook's friends talking. Jeon Jungkook was my first time seeing him today, but I felt like I already knew a lot about him. Even things I probably shouldn't have heard. My friends left one by one. I was lost in thought and couldn't come to my senses when, "Hey, Yeoju, let's go out." Jiwoo, who was next to me, called out to me. I barely got up and slowly walked out of the room, holding the keychain that Jungkook had left behind in one hand.
I climbed the stairs from the basement karaoke room and returned to the ground level after hours. The sun was still scorching, and the hot air was unpleasantly heavy. I tucked the four-leaf clover keychain deep into my skirt pocket. Jeon Jungkook's face came back to mind. It was utterly terrifying.
