First Encounters Are Never Easy (Part 3)
After that day, I couldn't bring myself to speak to Ban Soyeong for a while. Convinced that I had messed up somehow, stepping forward didn't come easily.
Yet even that hesitation didn't last very long. Unable to hold out any longer, I eventually worked up the nerve, walked over to her desk, and struck up a conversation.
"What are you reading?"
She simply kept reading in silence, as if she hadn't heard a word. A quick glance confirmed there was nothing in her ears this time—no earphones, nothing.
I blew it.
Just as I began to spiral into despair at her icy indifference—
"...A novel."
"...Huh?"
Her voice caught me completely off guard.
"Just... a novel."
Flustered, I blinked repeatedly. Her eyes were still glued to the pages, but there was no mistaking it—she had just answered me.
A strange flutter of excitement rose in my chest. A grin slipped onto my face before I could stop it, and I pressed on.
"What kind of novel? Is it good? If it is, maybe you could lend it to—"
"..."
She lifted her head and shot me a sharp, sideways glare. Having me chattering away beside her had clearly grated on her nerves.
"...Ah, right. I'm disturbing you. Sorry."
I zipped my mouth shut and discreetly took a step back. Still, my mood wasn't nearly as sour as it had been before. While I couldn't be certain, a vague hunch whispered that I might actually be able to get closer to her.
And fortunately, that hunch didn't seem wrong.
"Huh? What's this?"
During the next recess, after I had stepped away from my desk for a bit, I returned to find a book sitting squarely on it: The Little Prince, an old literary classic. Wondering what was going on, I picked it up, flipped it around, and suddenly glanced up toward Ban Soyeong.
"..."
She happened to be looking right at me, only to promptly whip her head away the instant our eyes locked.
...It seemed Ban Soyeong was a far sweeter girl than I had ever given her credit for.
From then on, I sought her out whenever I had a spare moment.
"Did you do the math homework?"
"Yeah."
"Seriously? I haven't even started. Man, I really hope the teacher doesn't check today."
Her responses were always curt, and it felt far more like a one-sided monologue than an actual conversation, but the simple fact that she silently listened convinced me she didn't entirely mind my company.
Whenever no one else was around, I even grew bold enough to slip in a few discreet questions about her powers.
"...Hey, by the way. Doesn't it get cold when you fly outside?"
"...Not really."
"What if it rains?"
"..."
Whenever I asked things like that, she would give me a look that practically screamed, What kind of weird question is that?
"...I don't know. Never been hit by rain."
"Ah... I see."
Still, the fact that she answered every single question told me she didn't hate it completely—or at least, that's what I chose to believe.
"So, how high can you fly?"
"..."
Just like that, bit by bit, we grew to understand one another. It was still a stretch to call us close, but to say we weren't close at all didn't feel right either. Being around each other no longer felt awkward.
Then, one ordinary day.
"Ugh. Today's lunch is an absolute disaster."
Groans erupted from the cluster of boys gathered around the cafeteria menu on the bulletin board.
"It's literally all grass!"
"Well, technically fish counts as meat."
"Fried yellow corvina counts as meat? Are you out of your damn mind...?"
Checking the menu myself, I could hardly blame them for groaning. The school's food waste disposal crew was going to have a field day today.
How does a school not even have a tuck shop?
Unfortunately, our school lacked a cafeteria snack bar or tuck shop entirely. Sure, there were several convenience stores just a short walk outside the gates, but leaving campus during lunch required a hall pass—and there wasn't a teacher alive who would write one just so a student could grab snacks.
Faking sick... is out of the question.
Claiming a stomachache wouldn't fly either. The nurse's office would immediately call my parents, and I had no desire to explain to my mom that I had faked an illness just because I hated the lunch menu.
I should've bought snacks beforehand!
Just as I sighed, resigning myself to choking down rice soaked in bland soup, my gaze drifted past the classroom window toward the school gates and the towering perimeter wall. And then, shifting my eyes slightly to the side, I spotted Ban Soyeong quietly reading her book.
That's it!
A brilliant idea flashed in my mind.
The moment the next period ended, I made a beeline for her desk.
"Ban Soyeong. Are you going to eat lunch today?"
She looked up from packing her textbooks, a visible question mark hanging over her face. Her expression said: What nonsense are you on about now?
Gulping down my nerves, I dropped my voice to a conspiratorial whisper.
"Can we talk for a second?"
Leading her past the flowerbeds behind the school building, I stopped near the back wall. After checking that nobody was around, I turned to face her cautiously.
"Phew... Okay. Look, could you do me a favor?"
She gave me a questioning look.
"Do you happen to know what's on the lunch menu today?"
"No."
"Figured as much."
With grim solemnity, I laid out every single item on the day's tragic menu.
"Well? What do you think?"
"...About what?"
She genuinely had no clue what the problem was. This was bad.
"I mean, doesn't today's lunch sound completely awful?"
"...Not really."
Of all things, Ban Soyeong turned out to be the model child who didn't know the meaning of being a picky eater.
What on earth does this girl normally eat?
Having failed miserably to appeal to her culinary sympathy, I had no choice but to pivot to plan B: shameless begging.
"...I'm planning on hitting the convenience store for lunch. Could you help me out, just this once?"
"Convenience store? ...What about school lunch?"
"I'm going because I don't want to eat school lunch! There's a convenience store just down the street. I'll buy yours too, so please, just come with me once...!"
At that moment, Ban Soyeong's eyes narrowed.
"You're... skipping school lunch?" she asked, her voice laced with sheer disbelief, as if I had suggested breaking a sacred commandment.
Wait. That was her hang-up?
Caught off guard by her unexpected reaction, I tried to sound as reasonable as possible.
"I mean, it's not like the world's gonna end if we skip lunch once. It's just two portions, yours and mine. Sure, we'll get chewed out if we get caught sneaking out, but..."
Skipping cafeteria food wasn't an offense in itself.
"So... what do you say? We can just wolf something down during lunch break and sneak right back in..."
Ban Soyeong stared at me, looking mildly stunned.
Yeah, asking too much, wasn't I?
I had thrown the request out blindly, but for someone like her, it was probably an unreasonable ask. Getting caught off campus could cause a massive scene. Just as my temporary bout of reckless rebellion faded and my common sense returned—resigning me to accept my destiny of fried corvina—she spoke up softly.
"...Where do we go?"
"...Huh?"
For a second, I thought my hearing was playing tricks on me.
"Do we just need to jump the wall?"
"Y-Yeah! Exactly! If we go over right here, it's super close! Hardly anyone walks around here either..."
"Got it."
"Uh... okay..."
"Can I go back now?"
"Y-Yeah..."
And just like that, after readily agreeing to my rogue scheme, she turned on her heel and walked away. I had pulled off the impossible and convinced her, but...
...Is this really going to be okay?
A heavy pang of second thoughts struck me.
The lunch bell chimed, and a tidal wave of students stampeded down the corridors toward the cafeteria. Meanwhile, having slipped cleanly past school grounds, we were strolling toward the nearby convenience store.
"Whoa..."
Having been lifted effortlessly over the high wall in Ban Soyeong's arms, I was still marveling at the lingering sensation.
So this is what flying feels like.
It felt like shooting into the sky on a high-altitude amusement park drop tower. An utterly surreal, magical experience. Of course, Ban Soyeong didn't look the least bit phased.
Well, I guess if you fly every day, there's nothing novel about it.
If anything, she was the one looking around in fascination, gazing at the mundane streetscape as though it were foreign territory. I couldn't fathom what was going through her head.
Must be nice, being born so gifted.
Envious of her superpowers, I walked beside her until our destination came into view.
"Welcome."
The clerk's generic greeting welcomed us as the chime rang, and the thrill of ditching school finally sank in. Self-consciously glancing at the clerk, I quickly snatched up a cup of instant ramen and a triangle gimbap.
"What do you want to eat? Pick whatever looks good."
I was ready to treat her as promised, but...
"..."
She merely stood there, staring blankly at me.
"Aren't you going to choose something?"
Ban Soyeong glanced at the cup ramen cradled in my arms before slowly making her way toward the instant noodle aisle. Yet—
"..."
She reached out a hand, only to hesitate, completely paralyzed before the towering wall of brightly colored noodle bowls. For someone usually as calm and unreadable as stone, she looked distinctly lost. Assuming she was just struck by decision paralysis, I offered:
"If you can't decide, just grab two."
"...It's not that..."
"Hm?"
"...Which one am I supposed to buy?"
Turns out, it wasn't indecision at all.
"Huh...? What do you mean, which one? Just pick whatever flavors you usually like..."
"..."
"Wait... Have you never eaten cup ramen before?"
Ban Soyeong slowly nodded. Her eyes dipped downward, looking almost embarrassed.
I figured she was from some rich, sheltered family, but she's never even had cup ramen?
Stunned as I was, I pretended it was no big deal and turned back to scan the shelves.
What can I get her that'll make this an unforgettable first experience?
That was when a stack of Buldak spicy chicken noodles caught my eye. It was insanely popular among middle school girls lately.
"How about this one? People say it's amazing if you melt cheese into it."
Ban Soyeong looked down at the cup I pointed to.
"A lot of girls eat this. Even the girls in our class are crazy about it."
"...Really?"
"Yeah. Want to try it?"
She gave a small nod.
"Alright, let's hurry, eat up, and head back."
I grabbed some string cheese and a couple of drinks, paid at the counter, and we took our seats at the high table along the front window. As I swiftly peeled open the lid of my cup ramen, I noticed—
"..."
Ban Soyeong had only peeled a tiny corner of her lid, watching my every move intently. When I tore open my seasoning packet and poured it over the noodles, she reached for the sauce packet inside her bowl.
"Wait, yours is a stir-fried noodle, so the sauce goes in later. After you drain the water."
Her hand froze right over the packet.
"..."
"You go get the hot water first."
I pointed out the fill line stamped inside her cup.
"Yeah, right around there. Since you're dumping the water out anyway, putting a little more or less doesn't matter much."
"...Okay."
After filling both cups from the hot water dispenser, we sat side by side at the window counter waiting for the noodles to soften. While our lids were weighed down with wooden chopsticks, Ban Soyeong spent the whole time quietly studying the instructions printed on the side of the cup.
...She really has never had this in her life.
Once the timer was up, she picked up her cup and stood up. But right before tipping it over the sink, she paused and looked back at me.
"Just pour it straight out. Careful not to burn your hands."
"..."
Only then did the cup slowly tilt. When she glanced back one more time just to be sure, I gave her an encouraging nod.
Having checked with me multiple times, Ban Soyeong returned to her seat, drizzled the fiery red sauce over the noodles, and mixed it thoroughly. We tore the string cheese over the top and popped it in the microwave for a quick zap; the melted cheese draped over the noodles made it look genuinely appetizing.
"Give it a try."
"...Okay."
She pinched a modest bundle of noodles with her chopsticks, twirled them carefully, and placed them into her mouth. A moment later, as she chewed, her shoulders gave a sudden jerk. The porcelain pale skin of her cheeks began to flush a vivid crimson.
...Did I pick something way too spicy?
Guilt creeping in, I slid my untouched cup of mild ramen toward her.
"If it's too spicy, do you want to switch with mine? This one isn't spicy at all..."
"...I'm fine."
Yet she flatly refused, already reaching her chopsticks back into the bowl. Panting hot breaths past her reddened lips, she kept lifting mouthful after mouthful. To my relief, she actually seemed to enjoy it.
Look at her go.
A fond smile found its way onto my lips. I pulled back my own steaming cup and dug in, ravenously filling my empty stomach. For some reason, it tasted a hundred times better than any cup ramen I had ever eaten.
Some time after that day.
Come on, finish up already.
Today happened to feature my absolute favorite meal on the school menu. If you showed up late to the cafeteria, the good dishes would be picked clean, so I was poised to sprint down the moment the bell rang.
Man, I'm starving today.
Clutching my growling stomach as I counted down the seconds to lunch—
"Kim Daehyun."
The bell had barely finished echoing when Ban Soyeong called out to me.
"...Huh?"
Ban Soyeong. Speaking to me first.
"W-What is it?"
She just stared down at me in silence.
"Hey, let's move!"
"I'm freaking starving!"
All around us, hungry students scrambled out of the classroom in droves. Keeping her lips sealed until the rush cleared, Ban Soyeong finally spoke in a quiet, hesitant murmur.
"Aren't we going... to the convenience store?"
"Uh...?"
I stared up at her with a blank, dumbfounded expression. It took several long seconds for the meaning of her words to click in my head.
"Should... we go?"
"Yeah."
It seemed I hadn't been the only one who enjoyed our little escape that day.