Can i love you ?

10

The evening turned out to be tiring: my parents talked a lot, showed pictures from their vacations, and asked how I was doing being alone. I tried to listen, but my thoughts were far away. I was thinking about what to do, about what Minji wanted.

The next day, I woke up feeling tired once again. It had been two weeks since I last had a proper rest. I couldn't sleep at night, and my eyes would close during the day.

After three lessons, I headed to the fourth. But in the corridor, Woodz approached me again.

"Yoohyeon, let's go to the cinema today," he said, not even asking, but stating it.

"Woodz, I can't. Sorry," I replied, entering the classroom. At that moment, the bell rang, and she approached the classroom.

"Weren't you just against it? What's wrong with you now?" the guy said roughly. Already? I didn't expect that. It was time to put an end to it.

"Young people, are you going to enter the classroom?" Miss Minji asked with dissatisfaction and coldness, obviously feeling irritated.

"Can we finish this conversation?" the guy asked. In response, the woman simply closed the door from the inside.

"I'm not going to talk to you. Please don't come near me," I replied, following her and feeling guilty as I looked at the floor.

"Will you regret it?" he ambiguously shouted after me, not entering the classroom.

Miss Minji followed me to the teacher's table and sighed. Something was bothering her.

Throughout the lecture, there was tension in the room. Students were afraid to move or breathe at the wrong time. She scolded someone, though they probably deserved it. I spent most of the lecture with my nose buried in my notebook, occasionally getting distracted to doodle. It felt like I was being watched, although it was probably just my imagination.

After the lecture, I approached her with the gradebook, for which she signed without even looking in my direction. But I decided to wait for her.

After finishing writing something in her diary, she got up and walked out of the classroom, which left me raising my eyebrows in surprise. She must have sensed my confusion and added:

"Wait for me in the parking lot, okay?

"As you like," I replied with a shrug.

Although I was more than happy with this. Maybe outside the university, we can talk normally.

Ten minutes later, Minji left the building and went to her car, inviting me to follow her with a gesture.

Sitting in the passenger seat of her car, she started driving in a direction known only to her. But I didn't care where we were going; next to her, I felt calm, even amidst all the pain and difficulties.

"I hope you don't mind grabbing a meal," she said, pulling into the parking lot of a cafe. Not a bad choice, Minji.

"I would be glad to keep you company," I answered sincerely.

When we entered the cafe, there weren't many people. We chose a table near the window. It was cozy, and the rain outside created a special atmosphere. Minji's words brought me back from my thoughts:

"Yoohyeon, go ahead and choose," she said, looking at me with surprise and a slight tension. I realized then that the menu had already been brought to our table, and I hadn't even noticed.

"Sorry, I was lost in thought," I replied perplexed, flipping through the menu.

"I asked if you had thought about my words at home, or if students always leave everything until the last moment," she said, injecting a hint of humor into her words. It seemed like her mood was improving.