02
It felt like I'd just opened my eyes for the first time in ages. And with excitement. It was funny. Who knew going to school would be this fun because of that girl I'd just met and hadn't even spoken to yet? I thought about putting on a little makeup, which I rarely do, but I thought it was too much, so I put it back. Finally, I looked in the mirror and thought I could use some lip balm, so I took it out and applied a light layer. I liked what I saw in the mirror, so I hummed and slung my bag over my shoulder. "I'm off."
I hesitated in front of Class 7, a class I'd never paid much attention to, fiddling with the four-leaf clover keychain in my pocket. Then, I grabbed a boy coming out the back door and asked him.
“Is Jeon Jungkook in your class right now?”
Then, the towering blue-haired man behind the boy stepped out of the class, asking in a low voice, "Jeon Jungkook? Why Jeon Jungkook?" The tall blue-haired man was, as expected, Kim Taehyung. Large, downcast eyes, a prominent nose, a mole set into his sallow cheekbones, and tightly closed, crimson lips. His features were dreamy enough. Instead of responding, I pulled a four-leaf clover keychain from my pocket and showed it to him.
Taehyung frowned slightly when he saw the keychain on my palm. "Why do you have this?" he asked me in a slightly nervous voice. Before he could finish, he sensed a presence beside him and stopped mid-sentence. Taehyung and I simultaneously turned our heads to look to the side, and it was Jungkook. Jungkook, dressed immaculately in his uniform again today, must have run, as he took a quick breath, glanced at me, and then looked at Taehyung.
"what's the matter?"
“Nothing has happened yet. He came looking for you.”
Hearing Taehyung's words, Jungkook looked at me, his eyes pleading for an answer. "Oh, we went to karaoke together yesterday. You left this behind, so I could pass it on to you." Jungkook listened to me, looked at the keychain in his hand, smiled, and took it.
“Thank you. I was really looking for it.”
"Jeon Jungkook. Are you going to lose this? Our friendship is over. Do you understand?"
Taehyung suddenly interrupted Jungkook's response. Taehyung's eyebrows drooped, as if he were resentful, but his eyes were piercing, as if he were angry, and he glared at Jungkook. Jungkook smiled and tapped a mole on Taehyung's cheek with his finger.
“Okay, okay. This won’t happen again.”
"Oh. And thank you so much for coming. Well… I want to repay you. If you have time today, would you like to grab a meal together? There are plenty of restaurants at the intersection, but if not, the convenience store is fine too. I'm just so grateful."
“No, no. It’s nothing, really.”
I awkwardly waved my hand and laughed, feeling embarrassed. Jungkook must have found that funny too, because his eyes widened brightly. Then, Jungkook suddenly pushed my hair, which was covering the name tag on my uniform, away and checked it.
“So… heroine, are you free today?”
“Uh… yeah. I have time today.”
“Then, would you like to have tteokbokki together after we’re done? Or maybe ice cream?”
“Yeah, I don’t mind.”
“Okay. I’ll see you in the hallway after school.”
Taehyung stared at the two awkwardly conversing, then as soon as the conversation ended, he put his arm around Jeongguk's shoulder and clung to him. "Jeonggu-gang, Hyung-ah wants ice cream. Let's go to the store together."
“Huh? Okay. See you later, heroine!”
“Uh uh…”
As Jungkook walked, almost as if being dragged along, the two of them, similar in height and build, tangled together and passed through the hallway. I watched them quietly until their forms blurred and disappeared. I felt a little strange. Perhaps it was because of the awkward atmosphere between us, or perhaps it was because of the expression on Kim Taehyung's face that I'd glimpsed when Jungkook spoke. My cheeks felt hot.
Throughout the class, I couldn't concentrate and just kept checking the time. Even when I tried to focus, it felt like 30 minutes had passed, but when I checked the time, only 10 had passed. It was just a meal, but I was secretly looking forward to it. I'd developed a crush on a guy I'd just met yesterday, and I'd been thinking about him all day. By some lucky chance, we'd even gotten to talk and have a meal together. It was unbelievable.
Whether I opened my eyes or closed them, those round, black, transparent eyes lingered in my mind. Stars kept appearing in Jeongguk's eyes. That's why I wanted to keep making eye contact. Those stars were simply so beautiful.
Time seemed to pass, but it finally ended. After the closing ceremony, I hurried out into the hallway, and there I saw Jungkook waiting. And next to him was...
“Hey. He’s out.”
It was Kim Taehyung again. He was leaning against the wall, looking askance, when he spotted me first and tapped Jungkook. Jungkook then turned to look at me.
“Sorry. Did you have to wait long?”
“No. I finished a little while ago.”
“What are you talking about? Our ceremony ended so quickly that I waited for a long time.”
Hey… Jungkook nudged Taehyung with his elbow, giving him a knowing look at his curtness. “Hey, Kim Taehyung. What else do you not like? You already got in on the act.”
“Oh right, if it’s really okay, can Taehyung eat it too?”
“He said he was hungry because he didn’t eat lunch and wanted to eat with me…”
“Ah… It’s okay. Let’s eat together then.”
"thank you…"
"See? It's okay, right? Let's go eat some tteokbokki. I'm hungry."
The intersection in front of the school was crowded with cars and people. The surrounding area was filled with karaoke bars, restaurants, and other businesses, making it a great environment for students to hang out. As a result, you're likely to run into familiar faces at the intersection.
“Hey, do you like spicy food?”
“Spicy food? I can’t eat it well.”
“Then I’ll order the mildest flavor.”
We entered a newly opened restaurant. Jungkook took his wallet and went to the counter to order and pay. The three of us sat at a four-person table. I sat across from Jungkook, and Taehyung sat next to him. While Jungkook went to pay, Taehyung and I were left alone. It was so awkward that I looked off into the distance. I felt a sharp gaze from Taehyung, either glaring at me or because his eyes were so large. Nevertheless, I met his gaze. He was handsome, as expected. Taehyung's gaze, which had been hesitant, became clear as I met his gaze that I suspected he was intentionally glaring. Taehyung's cool gaze made me fearful again, and I rolled my eyes. Then, Kim Taehyung spoke.
“Do you… like Jeon Jungkook?”
My heart grew cold, plummeting to the tips of my toes. Now that I think about it, did I like Jungkook? Since when? Is this what I like? My mind was a mess, and my insides were in turmoil. I figured I'd have to worry about this later. Taehyung was staring at me with the same squid-like eyes he'd been staring at me with earlier, so denying it was the priority. But Jungkook came back after paying, so I couldn't answer.
“What were you talking about?”
Taehyung kept looking at me and when he was about to open his mouth, I suddenly stood up.
“Huh? Yeoju? Why?”
“Huh? Uh… I’ll get you some water.”
"Oh, right. I need to get some water. There's three of us, so it'll be hard to lift the cups alone. Taehyung, don't just sit there. You help me. I'll get some radish kimchi."
“…Okay.”
I walked quickly a short distance and stood in front of the water purifier. The long shadow cast behind me sent shivers down my spine.
“The answer is.”
“…Yeah, I don’t like it.”
He continued to stare at me with his characteristically narrowed eyes, as if he was skeptical of my answer, and picked up his water glass. Taehyung then added urgently, "Really! I really don't like you. So…"
"Okay then. I'll take two cups. You take one."
Taehyung snatched a glass of water from my hand and walked over to my seat first. I stood there, dumbfounded, until I saw the two already seated, and I came to my senses and walked on.
I ate the tteokbokki for a long time and almost finished it all. Ah, I'm full, Yeoju. Was it good? Yes. It was good. Jungkook smiled brightly again at my answer. Thank goodness. Taehyung, who was sitting diagonally from me, was on the verge of death. He kept saying "s ...
“Taehyung can’t eat spicy food well… Do you still wash kimchi and eat it sometimes these days?”
“Use it. No, it’s not like that. Ha. Eat kimchi well. Use it. Kimchi.”
Taehyung barely managed to answer, and Jungkook and I burst out laughing. We cleaned up and stood up. Should we go now?
As I mentioned earlier, the intersection was a place where familiar faces abounded. And after school, the crowds were even more numerous. The point is that Jeon Jungkook was known as a handsome kid at school, while Kim Taehyung was even more famous, known by the entire student body. This meant that all eyes at the intersection were on us.
