promises | ahn sooho

[3]

The next morning started as usual. Harin entered the classroom twenty minutes before class started and greeted her friends and Sieun before she grabbed the straps of her baby blue bag and turned 180 degrees.

Her eyes caught Sooho's figure. His head layed on his pillow, squished in between his arms. His really muscul-

Harin stopped herself before she lost herself in weird thoughts and approached the resting boy in the corner.

This is just like greeting Sieun. This is normal between friends.

C'mon, Harin, don't make it weird.

Don't make it weird.

Don't make it weird.

Somehow, Harin missed someone's backback straps. It happened very quickly, disorienting Harin as she found herself sitting on the floor. Her left knee was throbbing in pain, and Sooho was staring directly into her eyes.

"Oh! Are you okay, princess?" The concern was clear in his eyes as he stood from his seat, kneeling down next to her.

Harin was mesmerized for a moment, just staring at the boy in front of her.

His high cheekbones, the way his hair is cut right above his eyebrows, his pointy nose, his-

Harin didn't dare let her eyes drift any lower, but got lost in his eyes instead. The way his eyelids shone like marbles. Her gaze switched between the two, as though she were unable to decide which one to look at.

A strange warmth on her arm snapped Harin out of the daze she was in. It was like a bubble around her burst as she could suddenly hear again. Sooho, who had been her muse to marvel at a few seconds ago, speaks to someone next to her with a concerned look in his eyes.

"I think she's in shock. I'll bring her to the infirmary."

His hand was still on her arm. Harin blushed and stood up abruptly at the thought of being alone with Sooho. That absolutely couldn't happen with the way she seemed to be making a fool of herself whenever he was around lately.

Only then did she noticed the other girls around her. Eunhae was the one Sooho was talking to, and Mina was right next to her. Jieun and Nari stood behind Sooho, thankfully, as the two were giving her suggestive looks, clearly indicating that they knew she was indeed not in shock from her fall but at Sooho's face.

"Uh, I'm fine; I'm okay." Harin stumbled back in her haste to get away from the situation. "I was just surprised for a second. I'll be right back-"

With that, Harin turned right around and virtually made a break for the door. She didn't stop running, ignoring the now-only slight pain in her knee, until she reached the toilet and barrackaded herself in the red pubicle.

She closed the toilet lid and almost fell to sit on it, her hands burying her head in shame.

You idiot, I told you not to make it weird.

•••

Harin entered the class room right when the bell rang, making sure no one could mention the embarrassing incident to her. She bowed to the homeroom teacher as she made her way to her designated seat, pointedly ignoring a certain stare to the side of her head.

"We have a new student. Beomseok, say hi to your classmates."

Only then did Harin notice the scrawny boy next to the teacher. He looked at the teacher hesitantly, clearly wanting the torture to end. He cleared his throat, but his voice still cracked, full of nerves, when he began to talk.

"Hi, I'm Oh Beomseok."

The class erupted in cheers, some more enthusiastically than others. Harin joined in, smiling at the anxious boy and clapping. Still, she couldn't help but wonder why he was changing schools right before exams.