male friend

04. This is my first unrequited love

male friend,

Episode 4. This is my first unrequited love.

I don't know why, but Park Jimin, who followed me out of the alley, is now walking down the street next to me.

윤여주

Aren't you going home?

박지민

Go to school.

Oh…? You’re going to school? I looked at him with that look in my eyes, and you smiled as if you couldn’t believe it.

박지민

What is that look?

윤여주

… No, it’s just, I’m curious.

To be honest, I feel a bit uneasy even when I'm walking in step with our school's representative problem student during our private time.

The fact that I was able to be with someone I hadn't spoken to even once in the first semester, as if we were friends I'd always seen, without any awkwardness.

윤여주

…Can I ask you one thing?

Ask. He answered without hesitation, so I cautiously opened my mouth. Well… you know.

윤여주

…….

윤여주

……no.

At my reaction, his gaze, which had been staring straight ahead, turned to me. He stopped talking.

Actually, I didn't have anything to ask. Now that he's finally started talking, why would I care about him?

I just wanted to lighten the awkward silence, but I had no idea what to ask.

Without even realizing it, I must have been staring at him while I was walking down the street. I thought, "His profile is no joke. He could be a celebrity." Maybe I was lost in thought.

He opened his mouth as if he found that gaze burdensome.

박지민

My face is going to be pierced, really.

Only then did I come to my senses, leaving me speechless. My face flushed brightly, and I wondered if I really liked him.

…I can definitely feel my heart beating, but I don't know what it is. You have to experience unrequited love to know.

윤여주

… Oh right!

First, let's change the subject.

윤여주

But who do you hang out with at school?

First of all… Since you’ll probably become my unrequited love interest sooner or later, I need to know if you’re a bad guy or a good guy.

If you're a good guy who hangs out with good kids, you'll pass, but if you're a bad guy who hangs out with bad kids...

I think I'll think about it.

박지민

… Well, I often go out alone.

윤여주

There will be friends.

박지민

you.

윤여주

…me?

Hey, look, it's only been two days since we last spoke.

윤여주

Not me…!

박지민

I usually travel alone.

Well, I've never seen him hanging out with anyone. He's probably not a bad guy.

윤여주

But you… do you happen to have a cat?

박지민

no.

윤여주

Oh… really?

The hand that touched the little one earlier… it seemed so familiar. I was thinking about it alone when it suddenly occurred to me,

You said you didn't know what to ask earlier, but now you're asking too many questions. Control yourself, Yoon Yeo-ju.

박지민

Where are you going?

윤여주

Me…? I’m going home,

Hey? Where am I?

Only then did I come to my senses and look around. Unfamiliar buildings greeted me. I realized I'd already passed my house.

윤여주

… Ah. I missed it.

윤여주

I'm late for tutoring... ... .

The heroine glanced at her watch. Perhaps she felt she needed to run, so she gave Jimin a quick greeting and turned around...

박지민

wait for a sec.

The female protagonist turned around as Jimin grabbed her wrist and told her to stop for a moment.

윤여주

If you have anything to say, please contact me separately…

Before the heroine could even finish speaking, Jimin took a step forward and zipped up the wide-open bag on her back. "What the hell is this?"

Thanks to that, the two people who were facing each other appeared to be hugging each other for a moment.

After falling asleep for the rest of his life, Jimin moved away from the female protagonist again and spoke to her while getting down to her eye level.

박지민

Bye. See you tomorrow.

With those words, Jimin leisurely turned around and went his own way. Of course, Yeoju,

I couldn't leave that spot for a while.

···

The next day.

I got a kick out of coming early, so I topped attendance today. I even thought I'd do some volunteer work, so I left the classroom door wide open to ventilate the room.

And then I just plopped down on my desk. Coming in early is nice, being alone in a quiet classroom—but it gets boring pretty quickly.

I lay face down, closed my eyes, and began counting the white sheep walking in the darkness. This is what they call a waste of time.

Was I wasting my morning like that? I heard the front door open.

As I counted close to 100 sheep, I felt a presence next to me. I raised my head, thinking, "No way..."

As expected to some extent… it was Park Jimin.

윤여주

…You came early?

You weren't like that originally. I ask, raising my upper body from the desk. Well, his answer is

박지민

I wish you would come early.

It was that look.

You were smiling at me, with the same look in your eyes as you did when you looked at a cat a while ago.

++ This writing came overnight. It's so boring I want to cry.