Seventeen, and Patience (1)
The bell rang, and the classroom fell silent in an instant.
"Alright, that's it. Pass the OMR cards from the back to the front."
At the proctor teacher's words, everyone set down their pens all at once, and the OMR cards started passing forward from the very back. I placed mine on top of the pretty thick stack and handed it to Minjae in the front seat. The teacher collected the cards from the front-row kids and left the classroom.
"Finally over!"
A cheer-like shout burst out from somewhere diagonal. Like a signal, chairs scraped back as kids jumped to their feet one by one.
Midterms were done today. The whole class looked thrilled, their faces free of the heavy pressure that had weighed everyone down for the entire testing period.
I felt pretty good too. Like with the mock exams, this time hadn't been too tough either. Even if I bombed, I'd still clear 80s, no problem. As I swept my writing tools into my pencil case with that thought, a shadow fell over my desk.
"Hey, Bunny. Where you headed after?"
It was Kim Yuha's voice. My mood soured a bit.
"Ha... Home, duh. No big plans or anything. Why?"
I swallowed my irritation and tossed out a vague reply. His face lit up instantly.
"Perfect. We're doing an after-party with the crew right now? Come with."
"After-party?"
I like parties, but hanging with the kids didn't sound that fun. Plus, if I couldn't enjoy it, I'd probably kill the vibe. Not a great idea.
I was half-formulating a rejection in my head when Jisu and Hyeji approached my desk from the side.
"The other kids are coming to our class too!"
Jisu and Hyeji buzzed with excitement. Soon, others started gathering—it was just middle school friends. I fiddled with my backpack strap, listening quietly.
Letting them chatter on their own, before I knew it, the talk had shifted to assuming I'd come along. Why me?
"Hey, let's go already!"
Excited voices piped up one after another, and the kids slung on their bags, crowding toward the door. Looking around, other groups were forming up to head out too. Maybe because ours was the only mixed-gender bunch, some kids glanced our way.
Then Kim Yuha, closest to the door, poked his head out and said, "Bunny, you keep dawdling like that, and the tortoise'll lap you again?"
That pissed me off. I snatched my bag and slung it over my shoulder.
"Who're you calling slow?"
I yelled back shortly and dashed after them. We all poured into the hallway in a stampede, and some teacher from behind shouted, "You kids! No running in the halls!"
But no one paid any mind. Just the slap of backpack straps and sneaker soles echoing down the corridor.
Youth, huh.
I muttered to myself inside, following along—but the gap wasn't closing; it kept widening. My chest tightened with impatience. Irritation bubbled up. Gritting my teeth, I pushed harder.
The moment we burst through the school gate, they hit a red light and lined up at the crosswalk. I caught up, panting hard. Almost made it. But as the light turned green, not one looked back—they all bolted again.
Well, one did glance back.
"Ah, hurry up! This is killing me!"
Kim Yuha, waving his arms like an annoying jerk. I nearly yelled to slow down, but my breath caught it in my throat. Too winded to speak properly, I just stomped harder.
A bit further, and I spotted the crew at the tteokbokki joint.
"Hah... hah..."
I finally caught up, hands on knees, gasping. "Man, we thought you'd bailed. Thought you were that slow."
The boys grumbled like that and headed inside first. The girls, spotting my face, rushed over flustered.
"Ah, uh... Seojin, sorry! We should've looked out for you..."
Too out of breath to reply, I glared daggers at the boys instead. One or two looked sorry, but most just shrugged and went in.
We crammed around a long table, and they ordered massive sets of tteokbokki, fritters, and sundae. As the plates arrived one by one, the girls—still guilty—piled stuff onto my side plate.
"Here, Bunny—ahh."
Hyeji picked up a tteokbokki with her chopsticks and held it to my mouth. I leaned in just enough to take it. The soft rice cake chews nice. Sweet at first, then the spice kicks in. Not that fake, capsaicin-blasted heat—perfectly balanced, not too much.
Mm... this place is good.
My expression softened a touch, and Jisu held out her chopsticks next. "This too."
Squid fritter this time. Crispy shell shatters right away, but the squid inside is chewy and firm. Not too oily since the batter's thin. Dipped lightly in the tteokbokki broth, the spicy sauce seeps into the cracks—sweet-spicy crunch hitting all at once.
Can't resist this combo for real.
Letting them feed me kept improving my mood. Eyes half-closed, hand on cheek, I savored the fritter, chewing slowly.
"Eat this too!"
Someone else chimed in. I opened wide without looking.
"Ah, that's—!"
Jisu's urgent shout from the side. Too late. Two chews in, and my mouth flipped upside down.
"Urp—cough, cough!"
Nausea hit; my tongue recoiled on instinct. I spat it onto my side plate, pushing it out. Coughing wouldn't stop.
...Sundae?
My absolute number-one no-go. Not allergic, but the second it touches my tongue, I wanna hurl—can't chew, can't swallow. Beyond like or dislike; I physically can't. Everyone here knows that.
As I hacked, the girls nearby panicked, handing me water and patting my back gently. Eyes watering, I turned to glare where the chopsticks had come from.
Kim Yuha was snickering, shoulders shaking.
"Hey, Kim Yuha! That's too much!"
Hyeji yelled, slamming down her chopsticks. Jisu scowled hard too.
"Ah, come on. Just a prank. What's the big deal."
Kim Yuha couldn't hide his grin.
"Dude, that's crossing the line. You knew."
"Psh, it's a joke. Why so serious?"
A few boys looked pissed, but the rest laughed along with him. I took a long swig of water, steadying my breath. Stomach still churning, but at least my throat calmed. In the suddenly frosty vibe, the boys' laughs—especially that jerk Kim Yuha's—grated extra hard.
"Ahem... ahem..."
They noticed the chill; the snickerers started fake-coughing, glancing around. Jisu and Hyeji on either side went full menace.
"Kim Yuha. Apologize to Seojin. Right now."
Only then did he look at me seriously. I kept glaring, and he flinched a bit. Shoulders hunching, he mumbled in a subdued voice, "...S-sorry."
He ducked his head, but I kept staring. No forgiveness in me. He scratches at my nerves constantly; just seeing his face stresses me out now.
But then it hit. Deep in my chest, right where my heart should be. A strange but very familiar warmth spread. That cozy feeling tugged my lips up just a smidge without thinking.
I let out a long sigh. "Fine. But you're paying for today instead."
Jisu next to me blinked, puzzled. "That enough?"
I nodded. "Yeah. We're square. Don't wanna drag it out."
With that, I grabbed my chopsticks for a garlic fritter. Dipped deep in the tteokbokki broth, red sauce gleaming. One bite—crunch, then sweet-spicy broth flooding in.
Kim Yuha pulled a sad face, muttering, "My allowance this month..." but pulled out his card wallet anyway. The others snickered at him.
After settling up and leaving the tteokbokki place, Kim Yuha offered to carry my bag—unprompted. His face said he knew he'd gone too far. Well, duh—he saw me freak out over sundae back in elementary school.
That made it even more infuriating. Thinking that, we headed to karaoke next. Most belted out tunes in rotation, hyped; I mostly spectated. If handed the mic, I'd hum along roughly. Never picked first.
Next stop: arcade. Kids screamed, glued to the two-player zombie shooter. I wasn't as into it.
Ah, that's not how you do it.
Alone, I'd have relaxed more—solo both sides, guns blazing. But even if it wasn't that fun, I could keep smiling. I placed my left hand over my chest. Faint warmth lingered against my palm.
Was it a premonition that that day was near? My heart fluttered for no reason. When would it be? A week? ...Or today? I'd waited so long. Come soon.