Dandelions | Moon Bin

Prologue

The school bell rang for the final time for the day, signaling the end of the school semester and the beginning of Spring break. Ok Jin could sense the rest of her classmates gradually standing up and submitting their final assignment before rushing back to their seats to pack up as quickly as possible so that they could enjoy their freedom sooner. She furrowed her brows and stared blankly at the paper in front of her, unsure why they had to answer the questions on the paper because it was too early to predict the future, according to her.

“Ya, are you still not done with that?” A voice interrupted her thoughts as she looked up at Moon Bin, her best friend of fifteen years. And yes, it was as if they had been best friends since birth. Similarly, to them, their father were classmates in high school and became close friends afterwards which is why their lives have revolved around each other, even though they occasionally dreaded each other’s company.

“I can’t think of anything right now.” She replied, frankly and let out a sigh.

Moon Bin sat down on his seat beside her and observed her with a teasing smile. “Just write whatever you can think of.”

“What did you write?’

Moon Bin hesitated for a while before answering her, “Dancing of course. You knew I always love to dance. If not, I would want to become an athlete.”

“You? As an athlete?” Ok Jin snorted as she rolled her eyes at him.

“Unlike someone who nearly failed her physical fitness test.” Moon Bin grumbled as he packed his books in his bag. “You need to learn to be grateful that I trained you up for it.” 

“Well, says that someone who had a leg cramp in the middle of our swimming class.” Ok Jin reminded him, swinging her pen at him.

“That’s because I did not warm up for it.” Moon Bin explained.

“Over confidence at its best.”

The two of them continued bickering at each other until a chalk landed on Ok Jin’s head, knocking her back to her senses while their homeroom teacher’s voice boomed throughout the classroom.

“Lee Ok Jin!” She screamed. “Where is your assignment?! You are the last one left!”

“Oh shit!” Ok Jin cursed silently as she quickly scribbled something down on her paper, ignoring the fact that Moon Bin is enjoying the sight of her being scolded by their teacher. She quickly walked to the front and handed over her paper, avoiding her teacher’s gaze as she returned to her seat to pack, only to realize that her bag and books had vanished, leaving her looking at an empty desk. When she turned to face the corridor, she saw that her best friend had already taken it out for her.

She immediately joined Moon Bin outside, knowing he was waiting for her as they would go home together after school as a pair without fail. A gust of cold wind blew against them as they exited their school, and Ok Jin noticed something floating in the air.

“Dandelions.” She lifted her hand up as she grabbed hold of the pappus of the flower and admiring it on her hand.

“Spring is finally here.” Moon Bin softly commented.

“Do you have any plans in mind during the break? Do you want to join me and the girls for a day trip to Nami Island tomorrow?” Ok Jin asked, nudging him at the same time.

Moon Bin smiled inwardly and shook his head. “No. And finally, I can get away from you. It’s a chore to see you every day in school, not to mention going to and off school with you.”

Ok Jin remained quiet as she knew that he was just joking around like always does and did not care much. Anyway, that is how they communicate in their daily lives. They walked towards the food cart outside their school and joined the other students waiting in line for a quick snack before getting on their way home.