Academy Youth
Time passed, and before we knew it, the weekend had arrived. Weekends at the academy always carried a relaxed, free-spirited atmosphere. But today, Ju Si-eun was starting her day in a complete frenzy.
She hadn't slept a wink all night. Every time she closed her eyes, the fact that tomorrow was her first date with Ha Yeonjun completely filled her mind. She knew she needed to sleep—had to fall asleep soon so she could wake up in good condition. But despite those thoughts, her body betrayed her, buzzing with excitement and keeping her wide awake through the night.
It felt similar to the night before a big trip. No, it was even stronger than that. Like she'd downed dozens of cups of coffee. Her body burned with heat even after kicking off the blanket, and her heart kept pounding so loudly that covering her ears did nothing to muffle it.
As a result, she ended up oversleeping.
"What do I do, what do I do?!"
Ju Si-eun scrambled around, hurriedly changing her clothes. She patted herself down carefully, checking for anything she might have missed. Was her outfit too much? Was her makeup too heavy? She wanted to look naturally pretty, like she hadn't tried too hard. After checking two or three times, Ju Si-eun finally let out a small sigh of relief.
"Makeup's done too."
She finally looked up at the clock on the wall. The good news was that the current time wasn't too tight. If she left now, she'd arrive at the meeting spot with plenty of time to spare.
Taking one last look in the mirror, Ju Si-eun let out a short breath. The reflection showed her wearing the yellow dress she'd been saving for a special occasion. She usually looked like any other teenage girl, but today there was an undeniable air of maturity about her. And that was exactly what she wanted.
Seeing herself in the mirror gave her a boost of confidence. She clenched her fists tightly, then opened the door with a determined expression and stepped outside.
As soon as she entered the living room, her eyes met Oh Ha-yul's, who had been watching TV.
"……?"
The Nobility Hall was unique in that two people shared a room, making it the worst of the three dorms in terms of privacy. Of course, for close friends like them it wasn't usually a problem. But at times like this, even Ju Si-eun felt awkward.
Her face flushed slightly. A brief silence followed. Feeling caught, Ju Si-eun froze mid-step and turned her head. Oh Ha-yul grinned mischievously and fired the first shot.
"What's this? Where are you going all dressed up so prettily?"
She knew exactly what was happening but still teased her anyway. Her smile was full of playful mischief.
"Hehe."
Instead of answering, Ju Si-eun simply gave her a shy smile. Then, very slowly, she opened her mouth. Her reply left out a lot of details on purpose.
"Yeah, I'll be back later."
With that, Ju Si-eun rushed to the shoe rack and started putting on her shoes. Oh Ha-yul peeked her head over the back of the sofa, giggling.
She watched her with a warm, satisfied expression. A curious sparkle danced behind her glasses.
"You have to tell me all the juicy details when you get back."
"Okay!"
Having spent so much time together, they knew each other better than anyone. Seeing Ju Si-eun's embarrassed yet happy face made Oh Ha-yul feel good too. She just wanted her best friend's crush to work out.
Every single night, Ju Si-eun had talked about Ha Yeonjun. She'd gone on and on about how amazing he was until her mouth went dry. Even though they'd been friends for a long time, Oh Ha-yul had never seen her talk about a guy like that before. This was probably her first real love.
And the fact that she'd been so bold about approaching him had come as quite a shock to Oh Ha-yul.
I always thought the Ju Si-eun I knew was the passive type.
Before she knew it, Oh Ha-yul found herself thinking, She's all grown up now, as she watched her friend's retreating figure. The girl she'd always thought was so innocent was now leaving the Nobility Hall behind.
There was still plenty of time. Ju Si-eun had arrived first and was waiting for Ha Yeonjun. She wondered if she should have taken her time getting ready instead of rushing. Sitting on the bench in front of the fountain, she looked up at the sky.
The weather was perfect. She thought there couldn't possibly be a better day than today.
She sat as primly as possible, imagining what it would be like to meet him soon. She even entertained the negative thought that maybe he wouldn't show up. But she quickly shook her head and chose to stay positive.
That's when she sensed a familiar figure approaching from across the way. She immediately realized it was Ha Yeonjun. Her heart started racing wildly.
Should she stay still? Or wait until he got closer? In the end, she decided to gather her courage. She squeezed her eyes shut tightly.
"H-hi!"
Ju Si-eun shyly raised her hand in greeting. Ha Yeonjun, now standing in front of her, smiled and replied.
"You're early, huh?"
"No, I just got here too."
Ju Si-eun gave a small nod. She had a feeling her face was turning bright red.
"That's a relief, then."
Ha Yeonjun answered with his hands on his hips. His voice had an extra touch of gentleness to it. Ju Si-eun stole a quick glance at him standing there. Since she was used to seeing him only in his school uniform, his casual clothes felt refreshingly different. He even looked more handsome than yesterday.
It was like he got better-looking every single day—she could barely keep up. She could hear women passing by whispering among themselves. They all seemed to be commenting on how attractive he was.
"Wow! That guy is seriously handsome... No way."
"Is the girl next to him his girlfriend?"
Ju Si-eun was once again reminded of how much Ha Yeonjun's popularity had grown.
"U-um, then..."
"Shall we go?"
Before Ju Si-eun could even finish her sentence, Ha Yeonjun spoke first and took the lead. She nodded at him, and they started walking together.
Before long, evening had fallen and the sky had grown dark. She and I walked side by side without saying a word.
"……."
"……."
After watching a movie and sharing a meal, Ju Si-eun and I were walking together through the academy grounds. We hadn't grown particularly close yet, but the fact that this was our first date still made my heart flutter. Maybe we'd even taken a step toward something like a budding romance.
Today had been satisfying enough.
Of course, not everything had been perfect. Since it was our first time, everything felt awkward. From the moment we entered the theater, we'd been reading each other's moods the whole time. She didn't offer any opinions of her own. With a flushed face, Ju Si-eun simply went along with whatever movie I chose.
Is this really okay?
Yeah, I like action movies too. Really...
I hadn't expected it, but she genuinely enjoyed action films. For a moment, I might have forgotten she was a hunter cadet. Watching her eyes light up as she got absorbed in the movie, I felt relieved that we shared similar tastes.
After that, we continued with light conversation, getting to know each other better. The more we talked, the more I understood why the students in Class 2 supported her so passionately. It was probably because of the kindness that formed the foundation of her personality.
It had been a short meeting, but I'd received a lot of consideration from her.
"Yeonjun."
When we reached the living quarters, she spoke first. She turned to face me, continuing shyly.
"T-today was really fun! If you have time next time, maybe we could..."
Watching her fingers fidget nervously, I couldn't help but chuckle. She looked even cuter like this.
"Of course. I'd like that too."
"Really?"
Ju Si-eun looked up with a bright smile. Her smile was contagious, and I found myself mirroring the same expression.
"Well, we should head in now. Only five minutes left until curfew."
"R-right, we should!"
She seemed a little reluctant, but there was nothing we could do about it. The academy's rules had to be followed. One thing was certain: even though my dorm was right next door, my footsteps felt heavier than I'd expected as I walked away.
And so, carrying the memory of our first date in our hearts, we parted ways and returned to our respective dorms.
As soon as I entered the Citizen Hall, the area grew noisy. Someone's hand wrapped around the back of my neck. When I turned my head, I saw Cheol-i grinning with his teeth on full display. The chubby guy and the skinny one were with him too.
"Hey, Ha Yeonjun."
"Yeah?"
I tilted my head in response.
"We're asking because we seriously can't believe it, but... did you just come back from a date with Ju Si-eun?"
The three of them were staring at me with eyes full of curiosity and jealousy. But there was no hostility in their gazes—only pure, unfiltered doubt.
I gave a slight nod.
"Well... yeah, I did."
Cheol-i let out a small laugh and stepped closer. He paused for a moment before speaking.
"So, how was it?"
"……?"
"Was it good?"
At those words, I couldn't hold back my smile. The corners of my mouth lifted in response. The chubby guy and the skinny one finally burst out laughing and gave me a thumbs-up.