Han Yeoreum
The bell rang, signaling the end of first period.
Ding-dong-dang-dong~
I stretched once and glanced over at the seat next to me.
My desk partner, Han Yeoreum.
She looked like she was bawling her eyes out or something. Must have been my imagination, right?
No way… is she crying because she regrets giving me that eraser?
Just kidding. Now was my chance.
What with the eraser incident earlier, I figured I should at least introduce myself and clear the awkwardness.
"Hey, Han Yeoreum."
Flinch!
The moment I called her name, her shoulders jumped high.
And then—
She shot up!
Tadadadadak!!
"Na-Nariyaaa!!"
In a flash she kicked her chair back and sprinted full speed toward Seo Nari on the opposite side of the classroom.
"···············."
My outstretched hand hung awkwardly in the air.
Even a gazelle fleeing a lion wouldn't run like that.
Han Yeoreum sniffling in Seo Nari's arms.
Seo Nari stroked her, cooing, "Yeoreum, what's wrong~ Did someone pick on you?"
The kids around shot me sharp looks, clearly deciding I was the culprit.
I was wronged.
All I did was call her name once.
And the situation continued even after second period ended.
To clear up the earlier misunderstanding, I put on my friendliest smile and said,
"Hey, sorry for startling you earlier—"
"Na-Nariyaaaaa!!!"
Tadadadadak!!
She bolted before I could finish.
······Yeah, maybe I approached too suddenly.
Third period.
I didn't say a word.
We just made eye contact.
"Na-Nariyaaaaa!!!"
She ran.
Come on, eye contact is fine, right?!
Are we elementary schoolers who drew a line between our desks and yelled "if you cross it, it's mine"?!
Finally, fourth period.
This time I really did nothing.
The bell simply rang to end class.
Ding-dong-dang-dong~
"Na-Nariyaaaaa!!!"
By now she was like Pavlov's dog, automatically bolting to Seo Nari the second the bell rang.
"···············."
At this point my self-esteem was scraping the floor.
Am I… that unattractive? Unbearably so?
I looked pretty decent in the mirror this morning.
Mom even said I was handsome.
Anyway, the long-awaited lunchtime arrived.
The moment the teacher said "Class dismissed," everyone kicked their chairs back to rush the cafeteria.
"Yo, Taekyeong."
Jinhyeok, who had somehow slipped in through the front door, walked over to my desk.
"Did you check today's menu?"
"No. What is it?"
"Dried pollack gangjeong."
"Oh shit!"
"Just hit the snack shop?"
"Hell yeah, let's go."
Dried pollack gangjeong was crossing the line.
We headed straight for the snack shop without looking back.
Under the parasol out front, Jinhyeok had a pizza bread and chocolate milk. I bought a cream bread and sat across from him.
"Sigh."
"What? First day of the new semester and you're sighing like the ground's about to swallow you."
As I tore open the cream-bread bag, I spilled the entire dynamic saga of my morning with my desk partner—the sad legend of how she fled yelling "Nariyaaa!!" the second our eyes met.
Jinhyeok's reaction after hearing it all was:
"Puhahahahahahat!!!!"
He laughed his ass off.
"Ahahahak!!"
"No, I really didn't do anything! I just sat there breathing!"
"Kwahahahat!!"
Aren't you laughing too hard?
I feel like punching you in the face with this cream bread.
"Don't laugh. I'm seriously hurt."
"Heh, hah. Sorry, sorry. Ah, but Han Yeoreum's always been a bit like that."
Jinhyeok took a sip of chocolate milk as he spoke.
"Last year the guys in her class tried their hardest just to talk to her once, and they all failed. She's ridiculously shy around strangers, and apparently she avoids guys like they're bugs."
"Really?"
"Yeah. Seems like she's just scared of men in general. That's why she was famous as Seo Nari's clingy sidekick."
"······So that was it."
At least it wasn't just me she was avoiding. That was a relief, sort of.
"But what are you gonna do?"
"About what?"
"Our school doesn't change seats unless there's a special reason. You're desk partners—you've gotta at least exchange a word or two."
Jinhyeok snickered annoyingly.
"Haa, tell me about it."
At the same time, in the cafeteria.
Hweong-eong, I ruined it on the first day.
The dried pollack gangjeong sitting in one corner of her tray.
Han Yeoreum poked at it with her chopsticks, bawling her eyes out inside.
Her desk partner, Ryu Taekyeong.
He was a nice guy.
Kind enough to pick up the eraser she dropped that morning.
And yet, to him…
Noooo!! What was that "take it" about, "take it"!!
Even she thought it was ridiculous.
I must have looked like a complete weirdo to him, right? He's going to think I'm a total bitch!
Even when he kindly called her name after first period.
Even when he approached with a good-natured smile after second period.
Beep! Beep! Danger! Unfamiliar male approaching! Initiate evasion maneuver!!
The result was her full-speed sprint toward Seo Nari.
By third period, the look of injustice in Taekyeong's eyes when he glanced at her made her feel so guilty she wanted to die.
So when the fourth-period bell rang, she really tried to just sit still.
But her body reflexively shot up and ran.
She was such an idiot.
"Yeoreum, what's wrong? Is the food not good?"
Nari, sitting across from her and eating, asked with a worried expression.
"Ah, no, Nari······. It's just that I'm such an idiot······."
"Hm? What happened? Did your desk partner bully you or something?"
Nari's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Ah, no!! Absolutely not!!"
Yeoreum waved her hands in a panic.
Ryu Taekyeong had done nothing wrong. He'd just been breathing.
If anything, he was the one who'd been hurt, so she couldn't let him get misunderstood here too.
"He-he didn't do anything······. I was just being weird······."
As Yeoreum spoke in a voice that seemed to crawl into the ground, Nari finally let out a sigh of relief.
"Aww, our Yeoreum's shyness is flaring up again? It's okay, it's okay. You'll get closer slowly."
"Mm······."
Nari smiled kindly, but Yeoreum's heart was still heavy.
I can't go on like this······. I promised myself I'd fix my shyness a bit in the new semester······.
Slap slap!
Yeoreum smacked both her cheeks loudly.
Alright, this afternoon I'll properly greet him for sure!
Yeoreum made a firm resolution in her heart.
And she started practicing.
"Hey, thanks for earlier… No, is that too random?"
Should I lightly tap his shoulder and speak? No, that's overdoing it.
"Taekyeong, hi? Sorry for running away earlier. Thanks for picking up the eraser······."
Yeah, this is it.
With a line like this, she felt like she could speak naturally without trembling, even to a guy.
Alright, you can do it, Han Yeoreum! Just give it a shot!
Yeoreum scooped a big spoonful of rice from her tray and shoved it into her mouth, burning with determination.
This afternoon, she would absolutely not run away.
And then came fifth period.
After lunch ended, Taekyeong returned to the classroom and plopped down in his seat.
"Whew."
Maybe because some time had passed, his mood seemed a bit better.
Yeoreum took a deep breath.
Hoo, haa.
Fortunately there was still a little time left until fifth period started.
Now was the chance.
Yeoreum clenched her fists tightly and slowly turned her head to look at Taekyeong.
Swoosh.
At that exact moment Taekyeong also turned his head, and their eyes met perfectly.
"Oh."
Taekyeong's lips parted slightly.
Yeoreum tried to bring out the line she'd practiced earlier.
"Taekyeong, hi? Sorry for running away earlier······."
But—
Beep! Beep! Danger! Danger!
Her mind went completely blank.
The practiced lines flew off into outer space, and something completely different came out of her mouth.
"Na-Nariyaaaaaaa!!!"
She shot up!
Tadadadadak!!
In the end Yeoreum kicked her chair away again and ran to Seo Nari.
"············."
Left alone at his seat, Ryu Taekyeong's expression this time crumpled quite spectacularly.
Hweong-eong······. I really ruined it······.
Stuck tightly to Seo Nari's back, Han Yeoreum bawled her eyes out inside once more.
Fifth period arrived after lunch.
It was the timing when food coma would hit, but of course it had to be PE class.
The location was the indoor gymnasium.
Even though it was spring the weather was still chilly, so everyone gathered wearing long-sleeved PE uniforms.
"Hey, I heard we're doing the basic fitness test today?"
"Damn, doing sit-ups right after eating is gonna make me throw up."
"How many push-ups for a perfect score?"
The basic fitness test.
That annoying annual event at the start of every semester.
"Alright, everyone pay attention!"
Soon the gym door opened and the PE teacher walked in.
He was the classic PE teacher you find at every school—potbelly sticking out in front of him.
"Since it's the first class of the new semester, today we'll lightly do a basic fitness test. You roughly know the events, right?"
"Aaaaaah~!!"
Sighs erupted from everywhere.
"Quiet! And we don't have much time. The numbers are even, so don't waste time making groups—just pair up with your desk partners, two per team!"
What?
What did you say, teacher?
Pair up with who?
I reflexively turned my head to look for my desk partner.
"························."
Far away I saw Han Yeoreum already trembling.
Her gaze was naturally fixed on Seo Nari, who was already pairing up with someone else.
She looked ready to yell "Na-Nariyaaa!!" and dash over any second.
Not this time.
Even if she ran to Seo Nari, she already had her own partner.
If I got left alone here, I'd really feel like a total loner trash.
I took a deep breath and carefully stepped closer, with the mindset of a zookeeper approaching a wild beast.
Swoosh.
As I approached, Han Yeoreum's pupils shook like an earthquake.
Flinch!
Sure enough, she was getting ready to run again.
"Wait, stop."
I quickly raised both hands above my head in a surrender pose.
This was the universal gesture meaning I mean no harm.
"You know I have no choice, right? If you run away here, I have to do sit-ups alone."
"························."
"I'll really just stay still. So can you please not run away just this once?"
Han Yeoreum looked back and forth between my hands and face, then bit her lip tightly and nodded very, very slowly.
Whew······. Saved.
It really felt like taming a stray cat.
By the way, her in PE clothes.
No wonder she's popular.
Looks go without saying, and more than anything—
She's got a big chest.
No, wait.
"Want to go first?"
"U-uh. Okay!"
Yeoreum nodded in a fluster.