AT A DISTANCE, SPRING IS GREEN - BAE IN HYUK a.k.a NAM SOO HYUN

Part 1. Weird

봄... 청춘... 그리고... 우리 이야기... 시작되었다.

Spring... Youth... And... Our Story... Started.

*Author POV*

A girl rushing along the cherry blossom-strewn Myeong-Il University street to her first class.

It's 9.00 AM. The first day being a University Student is exciting for her but because the stupid alarm that didn't even ring, she should rushing to her class 15 minutes before the class started.  Thank you for the routine of her sister who called her several times to wake her up as usual.

"Ya! Yoon Hae-I!" (Hey! Yoon Hae-I!). Someone called her as she tried to catch her breathe in front of the class.

"Eo, Yeo Joon-ah" Smiling while they walk in to the class.

"You almost late in the first class huh?!" Teasing her is being a habit to Yeo Joon since they being friend after the MT. *Orientation.

"Nal geuman neollyeora jinjja!" (Please! Stop teasing me!) She give him a glare before sitting in the chair across from Yeo Joon and she noticed a guy who was sleepping in front of Yeo Joon's chair.

Yeo Joon tried to wake him up but one of the two sunbae (seniors) sitting behind him named Han Jung-ho told him not to. "Just leave him be." Hae-I never like those sunbaes, they close to Yeo Joon just because he is famous along the campus and because of his money.

"But professor is here" Yeo Joon confusing while looking at the sunbaes behind him. "It's best not to get on UP's nerves". "Is that UP? Joon, he saved you just now." Another sunbae named Oh Cheon-Kook says with a shitty expression. "UP?" Yeo Joon.

"UP as in Ultimate Psycho. That's Nam Soo-hyun." Cheon-kook sunbae whispering explained to Yeo Joon. "No one in this school has ever seen him smile. Eerie,right?" Jung-ho sunbae.

After the professor came in and checked the attendance of the class, Yeo Joon tried to wake up Soo-Hyun sunbae again but accidentally spilled the drink he brought into his shoes which was automatically awakened because of it but didn't look upset.

*Hae-I's POV

I was surprised at what happened and unknowingly grabbed the handkerchief in the pocket of my jeans and gave it to Soo-Hyun sunbae while Yeo Joon looking for tissue in his bag. Soo-Hyun sunbae grab my wrist and looking at me for a while before let go. "I'm present."

"Why he so calm in this kind of situation?"  I returned to my seat and fell silent looking at my handkerchief.

I went back to myself while after the class started yelling "You were the same!". I looking at Yeo Joon who looked guilty then somehow I got my eyes back on the back of Soo-Hyun sunbae. "Is he alright?"

- After Class

I went home and quickly packed up my things to move into the dorms, because the place I had rented with my sister was over. To save my living expenses and my college education, my sister decided to find a new place that was a little cheaper and smaller that would only fit for one person, and I decided to stay in a dorm.

Our life was not so hard after all because my sister worked for a book publisher company, but still we chose to save our living expenses for other things and my grandmother's hospital.

We only live three with my grandmother, my parents have been divorced since I was 12, and all I know is that my dad remarried one year after their divorced and went to Canada with his new family, and then my mom left us for we don't know where. But I don't feel like the world is against me, I know it's hard sometimes but I put my sadness behind the wall that I keep up and I hope it never comes down.

* Author POV

After stuffing her book in her new dorm room, Kim So-Bin drops down on the very middle of the bed between the other two. She prayed "I pray to all deities. Please send me kind, hardworking, and generous roommates, who are not too much of a loner but also not too much of chatterbox. I also want whoever it is to be tidy, but not on the verge of having OCD. And here's my last request. Someone too stunning will only disturpt our harmony, so please send someone only a little, just a little, prettier than me."

Hae-I went into her dorm room and was a little surprised to see So-Bin who was squatting from mopping the floor and looking at her who had just come in. Aware that sobin looked at her, Hae-I immediately greeted her with a smile"Annyeonghaseyo.(hello) My name is Yoon Hae-I a freshman majoring in business. Nice to meet you!"

"Ah! I'm Kim So-bin, a junior majoring in business. Bangaweoyo! (nice yo meet you)" Kim So-Bin stood up with an awkward. "Mal pyeonhage haeyo, eonni sunbaejanhayo, hehe" (You can speak comfortably, You're sunbae though). *eonni : older sister

Kim So-Bin now look comfortable with Hae-I, she smile and said "Ok, sure. Can I help you with that?."

"Will you? I didn't carry much, just two luggages and one large bag. Thank you!" Hae-I is a simple person so she didn't have to bring so much stuff. "Ok, I'll help you with your luggage. Let's go" Kim So-bin really liked her new roommate.

*Hae-I POV

My stomach has been aching since this afternoon so I decided to go to a pharmacy near my part-time job. "Can you give me medicine? My stomach's been aching since noon." I said to the pharmacist that greated me so nicely. "Here your medicine, you have to take it five minutes after eating."

After the pharmacist told me about eating, I realized that I was skipping breakfast and lunch because of classes, dorms and part time jobs nearby, while it's dinner time and I still have an hour to tutor so I payed the bill and decided to go to convenience store. At least I should eat dosirak (lunchbox) for my dinner.

I went inside the convenience store, held my stomach in my hand, I wasn't concerned about what was around me, I went to find dosirak and then to the cashier to pay.

I just kept my head down until I heard the shopkeeper say "5000 won imnida" I paid and walked over to the microwave to heat my dosirak then eat it after its done.

*Soo-Hyun POV

I was looking after the counter at the convenience store when I looked away at the girl who had offered me her handkerchief this morning.

"Is she sick? Why is she walking like that?" She rushed in to pick up a dosirak and suddenly was in front of me all the time holding down her aching stomach.

I kept watching her until she ate the dosirak quickly, "she could choke." I took a bottle of drink and gave it to the girl, she right now reminded me of myself, for me the time I spend on food I'd rather spend on work. Dating? Leisure? Those are a luxury for people like me. Because those who barely scrape by don't have any free time. But now, I don't understand why am I doing this to her.

*Author POV

Hae-I startled to see soo-hyun and the drink he put up. "Ige mwoeyo?" (what is this?) hesitantly look at the man with the wide-eyed. "Drink up. Eat slowly. You may choke." Before Hae-I can say another word a customer walk in to the store and Soo-Hyun return to the counter.

- TBC -