I met a national representative at a class reunion.
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"Oh really? You gave it only to me? LOL"
"huh."
"There's one more reason not to throw it away."
I smiled, tucked the post-it note inside my wallet, and put it back in my bag. And then... My thoughts naturally vanished. Feeling like I needed to bring up the old story again, I was about to speak first.
"Ah, that time"
"liaison···"
We both spoke at the same time, so we were both flustered. We kept passing the buck, saying, "You speak first. No, you first. No, I'm fine. You speak first." This made the atmosphere even more awkward. We kept giving each other turns like that until the very end, and then we both burst out laughing.
"Can we talk about it today?"
"Ah... so... hahaha"
Jimin, who had been hesitating, cautiously offered to speak first. He swallowed thickly, but barely managed to open his mouth...
"The reason we lost contact is···"
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On the day of my first day of high school, I walked to the auditorium where the entrance ceremony was scheduled. I was assigned to Class 7, Year 1. Standing in the line marked with a sign pointing to the number 7, I looked around at my busy-looking friends.Wow, awesome. I couldn't be happier to have a friend in my class. A friend from my third year of middle school... I was so happy to see him that I gave him a big hug and almost kissed him. I barely held myself back because I didn't want any strange rumors to start spreading on my first day of school.
Anyway, I was chatting with a friend about this and that... After some time, the men's and women's lines were roughly aligned. When a man with a shaved head in a suit, presumably the principal, stood in front of the podium, everything became quiet as if nothing had happened. I think I grew a bit during winter break, but the uniform that had been fitted for me had gotten a little too small, and the length of the skirt was a little bothersome... and they told me to sit on the bare floor without any chairs.
I had no choice but to take off my uniform and cover it with my knees. I'd put my new school bag, which I'd bought for the new semester, on my knees, but with all the textbooks I'd brought, my knees almost fell apart. Thinking it was too much, I just put it on the seat next to me, but hey! There's another bag with the same name.
The only difference was that the girl's bag had a holographic keychain attached. The friend who owned the bag seemed to notice, as she looked back and forth between my bag and hers, then met my eyes and smiled. Oh... her smile was beautiful. That was probably when I suddenly felt a surge of desire to become close to her.
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The principal's speech was truly so relatable, I looked around to see if there was anyone in my class, and right next to me in the group of boys... there was a familiar face.
That... Park Jimin, who transferred to our class a month before graduating from the 3rd year of middle school to enter a high school with a soccer club.
"······."
Our eyes met by chance, so I raised my hand, thinking I should at least say hello, but he turned his head away with a tired expression. My hand, which had stopped in mid-air, naturally returned to its original position, pretending to tuck his hair behind his ear.
Have you already forgotten me? I took such good care of you? A feeling of inexplicable resentment welled up in my stomach... Phew. I think I was unconsciously disappointed.
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When we started talking again... it wasn't a special occasion. We were just sitting next to each other in class... and we started talking. It wasn't even me who started it; Park Jimin did.
"I don't have a textbook."
"······uh?"
He often spoke in a way that wasn't even a question, as if he were simply asking me to listen. I thought he wouldn't care much about grades since he was an athlete... but unlike the other kids on the soccer team, he was actually quite diligent in his assigned tasks.
When I give her homework, she does it well, and although she can be a bit sloppy, she sometimes gives off the vibe of a model student... She's the kind of girl who, even though she doesn't show it, has probably harbored feelings for someone at least once. I'm one of those girls.
We were just ordinary friends, just like everyone else. Just boyfriend and girlfriend. We just joked around once or twice... But then, strangely enough, at some point, every time I was with him and talked to him, the way he looked at me seemed to change.
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That day, I overslept, so I didn't have a proper breakfast. I brought my usual Whiteheim treat to school in my bag... Luckily, no one was in the classroom, so I opened the bag with relief. "Oh yeah," I thought, "sweet and sour," and took a bite...
"Kim Yeo-ju?"
"···?!"
I was secretly lowering my head and slowly eating... and then they caught me. Wow... Kim Yeo-ju, seriously, I wanted to hide in a hole. It wasn't something I really needed to hide, but it remains such a shameful memory.
Jimin saw me and strode over to me. He must have seen me eating something and said it looked delicious, so he sat down next to me. I felt a little uncomfortable and put down the remaining piece... but before I knew it, he just snatched the snack away.
"···What are you doing?"
Before I could say anything, he stuffed the piece into his mouth, leaving it there in ice. He said he was hungry too and thanked me... I felt wronged that my only food had disappeared, but at that moment, my mind went blank.
"I just finished eating it, it's okay..."
"It's delicious. Do you have one more?"
I desperately wanted to say, "You ate it all," but... I, Kim Yeo-ju, have a personality like that, and I absolutely can't do that. I just avoided answering, blushed, and ran to the bathroom, that's all.
Actually, even before Park Jimin transferred to my school, there was a kid who was a pain in the ass. A really bad pain in the ass. There was a kid who was just like Park Jimin and I, who was my friend. Well, to be precise,Someone I want to be friends with.
After we became close, he'd constantly show me kindness, and even frequently slyly request physical contact, as if he were desperate to show off his affection. I thought things would quiet down after I started my first year of high school, but even that was my mistake. He'd contact me without fail, and it was different from before.
Yoon Jae-hoo
Kim Yeo-ju
Are you sleeping now?
yet
It went well
I have something to say.
that
Date me
It was a call I didn't even want to reply to. By now, he should have realized I hated myself. Why was he so clingy? I planned to say something when I got to school the next day.
That night, and into the next morning, I was plagued by worries about what would happen if I pushed my opinions too hard. Still, I tried to forget about it during class, and finally, lunchtime arrived.
While the other friends were off to lunch, Yoon Jae-hoo came to the classroom himself and led me to the school's emergency stairs. Honestly, it was my first time being alone together since starting high school, so I was a bit scared. Sure enough, he asked if I'd give him just one more chance, confident he'd treat me well as a boyfriend, and he put his hand on my shoulder, hinting at a hug. Thinking back, he really was a crazy kid.
Somehow, I managed to push him away, and, out of sheer terror, I opened the emergency exit and went out, unable to hold back the tears that flowed. It seemed as if the heavens weren't even on my side. As I opened the emergency exit and went out into the school hallway, my face streaked with tears, I saw Park Jimin, and next to him, a member of the soccer team.
"Kim, yi,"
Park Jimin and all, everything he saw was just a joke. So I ran without giving him a chance to catch up. Just in case he was following me, I ran as fast as I could and headed outside.
After lunch, class. As always, we sat next to each other, but no conversation took place. Jimin was afraid Yeoju would feel uncomfortable asking.
But, unlike usual, the child was hanging her head and not paying attention in class, so I scribbled on Yeoju's book. "Are you okay?"
Then, the female protagonist, who had been staring intently at the awkward handwriting, soon lowered her head again. Jimin, seeing her like this, decided to ask more directly, "What's going on?"
The heroine, who had been silently observing the two questions, finally grasped a mechanical pencil and began to write, pressing down on each letter. "I'm just dealing with a strange kid."
Jimin, who felt like shouting out "Who's that weird kid?" right then and there, was in class, so he composed himself and continued writing below. "Who."
The heroine, who had been hesitating for a moment, was slightly frightened by Jimin's sharp gaze, as if something big would happen to her if she didn't tell him, so she slowly wrote down the three letters of his name. 'It's Yoon Jae-hoo...'
Jimin nods, saying he's heard it before. When he finally asks, "What did he do to make you cry?", Jimin ends up bursting out laughing at the female lead's response.
"······That kid is crazy, that's totally it."
Out of his mouth. He finally blurted it out. It seemed he'd offended his Korean teacher, as Jimin was immediately sent back with his textbook. The only one who was even more shocked was Yeo-ju.Why is he so angry...?It is said that Yeoju was worried that the soccer game would not go well.
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Of course, the female protagonist doesn't know, but Jimin went to find Yoon Jae-hoo after hearing what the female protagonist said.
"We lost contact..."
"······I'm sorry. I couldn't help it."
I was the one who promised to keep in touch, but as I watched him finally lower his head and apologetically refuse to meet my eyes, a smile welled up in my face. Then I smiled brightly, thinking, "That's only natural."
"You must be busy preparing for the match, when will you have time to contact me-."
"I'm someone who understands that much," he said, but Park Jimin still couldn't raise his head, so he changed the subject. "Oh, there's something I was going to say."
"Back then... it was just good."
Maybe the alcohol hasn't worn off yet, but thinking back, I don't even know why I brought that up... I just loved the emotions I felt during those times you and I had. Half innocence, half excitement.
Because you gave me feelings that I might never feel again.
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As the cool night air brushed my nose and the leaves rustled softly, I thought a brief silence would follow those words... but then you suddenly turned your head toward me and opened your mouth.
"Okay, me too."
"······Huh? Huh"
"It was good. When I was with you." Jimin, who emphasized his point again, smiled. Then he quickly turned his head again. His reddened ears showed how embarrassed he was.
The night deepened, and with the weather growing colder, we moved on. Neither of us felt like the first one to say goodbye, so we simply walked along, chatting about trivial things.
Since we have been given this much time,They were two people who had long ago decided to spend time with each other.
[Manggaemanggae Saddam]
Exams over. Holololol!
Actually, this is... a material based on a true story. Yes, yes. Anyway, that's it. The soccer team that appears in "I'm a Man, Too" also exists at my school, so I started writing it down. And... what other stories are there? Oh, the post-it note incident in the first part, and the flashback scene in today's article are 90% based on true stories, so they may be childish and lack development!!! Why?! It's easier to think of it as just a story that was spun off. (But that happened two years ago.)
Oh, and the friend with the same bag as the heroine in the beginning, with a pretty smile, is Chae-yong. Chae-yong. The writer Chae-yong, who is famous for his writing skills in the fanfics you all know! We were in the same class.
Of course, the flashback scene is real, and the story of Jimin and Yeoju meeting at the class reunion is a made-up story! I just hope you can read this comfortably! Have a nice day everyone🌞🤍🙆🏻♂️