High Tide | 김태형

03

Adronitis
*

I'd surprised myself; I didn't think I'd see his face as much now that we'd introduced ourselves to one another, but it was actually the opposite. On the way to school on Thursday morning, just as I'd left my gate, I'd spotted him by the other side of the road, a grey beanie and black sweater on with that black bag slung off his shoulder as he casually scrolled on his phone.

"You waited for me?" I asked, raising my eyebrows in suspicion as he locked his phone and slid it in the back of his jean pocket. "No." He said, and I continued to stare at him.

"...maybe."

We just seemed to click. There was no uncomfortable tension, he didn't feel need to explain himself to me; and I didn't want him to. I spent most of Thursday mindlessly chatting with him, so much so that I missed meeting up with the boys at break and by lunch had completely forgotten about my social obligations, instead showing him around the school grounds.

"Y/N, where were you at Lunch?" Jungkook asked, a clear pout on his face as we sat through Biology together. I shrugged, not thinking much of it as I told him where I was. "But you never miss our hangouts." He said in a tone that reminded me of my little brother.

"I was just showing the new guy around, maybe you guys should try talk to him too, he seems nice." I said as I looked to the head of blond hair a few metres away from me, it focusing on the teacher unlike ourselves.
Jungkook audibly whined, and before I could even comprehend, the teacher snapped his head towards us.

"Will you two ever stop talking? Anymore distractions and I'll move you!"

I rested my head on my hand the rest of the day, bored by the flower diagrams before me.

*

Although I knew Taehyung would be walking the same route home as we would, I didn't see him at all until Jimin had left; turning around to find him walking a fair distance behind Jungkook and I.

I wasn't confident enough around him to simply shout for him, so I stayed quiet, listening to Jungkook as he pointed out the various birds littering the streets.

"I hate seagulls." I said as he threw a piece of his bread for one, attracting many more to follow. "Why?" He asked as he threw another, now atleast a dozen following us.

"They're flying rats. If you keep throwing food for them they're gonna attack you." I said, and Jungkook laughed, throwing the rest of his sandwich in the air above my head to startle me as they dive-bombed us.

"Asshole!" I shouted, reaching to hit him, but he ran through the alleyway to his house with a bright grin on his face.

"What's wrong?" A familiar deep voice asked from behind me as I walked with my eyes trained to the floor, the thoughts in my mind dissipating instantly.

"I was just dreaming." I said, now looking to the shingled roofs, admiring how clean they could look despite being so old and broken. "Daydreaming?"

There was a silence, only the sounds of our footsteps echoing the street as we made our way down the road. "I daydream a lot, too." He admitted, and I glanced to look at him, now realising he wasn't wearing his beanie. "Daegu was so busy I never got any quiet time, but here, I feel like I can just get lost in my thoughts."

"Have you been down to the beach yet?" I asked, knowing his answer would be yes, but I wondered if he'd seen that special part of the beach, the quietest part.

"Yeah, I go down quite a lot. Your family own the lodges there, right?"

"Yeah, the watersports place also. I work there in the summer."