Only Friends ?

III. At the cinema

 We entered a semi"routine. He was always waiting for us outside the gate with a snack. I suspected that Iana had explained to him what our preferences were. During the lunch break, he was often called on by other friends and then he played football or basketball. Needless to say, the sports teachers put him on a pedestal. He spoke more often in French, so he didn't have to ask me questions all the time. In the evenings we'd do our homework together and he'd talk to me about Korea, his friends and his French lessons.

Two weeks after meeting him, I could no longer imagine my school days without him. He would explain to me what I didn't understand in maths and he insisted on carrying my things. He'd been given his own locker but he wasn't using it yet. I wasn't sure how to interpret this. His father and sister had arrived and they all moved into a big house. He could walk to school now. He'd invited the boys to play basketball in his backyard. I wasn't jealous, just a bit sad. He'd never invited me to his house but neither had I, that being said.

What I liked best of all were his messages. He never missed an opportunity to say good night or to make me laugh by sending me funny photos. I returned the favour. His written French was improving and so was my Korean. My Korean teacher congratulated me. I was happy to have a boy friend. "Just a friend, wasn't that a dream?"

He spent all his free time with the boys in his class, and they went with him into town to watch football matches and eat at McDonald's. Wonbin often sent me photos of these outings, making fun of his ignorance of the way things were done and lived in Brussels, and telling me about the boys' antics. At least he hadn't fallen in with the gang of smokers and dunces. I always replied, but in my soul I was nostalgic for the time when he had said he wanted to go out with me and Iana. He never mentioned it again.

One Monday morning he told me that the prefect had asked his mother to come and that he had to be there. He was a bit freaked out but I reassured him. The prefect didn't deal with punishments, only the headmaster.

"You know, the prefect wants me to change my profile to science-laboratory or science-latin."

I wanted to cry but I couldn't show it. I replied:

"That makes sense, given your science skills."

"But I don't want to change classes, I've barely made a few friends and I like watching drama classes even if I don't take part much."

"But Wonbin, you must be bored given the level of science in this class."

"That's not true because I still don't understand everything in French. "

"What does your mother say?"

"She's leaving it up to me because she doesn't know anything about the system and anyway, what I do won't count when I get back to Korea. You know, that I'm continuing the correspondence course so that I don't lose my level and have to repeat a year when I get back to Busan."

"Ah, you didn't tell me that. You know, there's also a science-drama profile."

"Is that really true? So we'd only be together for drama classes?"

"Yes, and maybe in Philosophy."

"No, I don't want to do that. I want to stay in your class, close to you and the others. I'll tell my mum to confirm it at school."

In my head I jumped for joy. He wasn't staying because of me, but just a little bit anyway, and that put a smile on my face.

"Are we eating together today? It's been a long time since I've spoken to Iana and been able to eat with my chopsticks without having to answer questions."