ACROSS THE BALCONY

Chapter 1

It was when Jaemin drags Mark by his shoulder to go to the school cafetaria when he first sees the girl he dreamt of last night for today. Ko Eun is standing there, or she is actually tiptoeing on her shoes, looks like she is almost drown in a crowd of students who gather in front of the school announcement board on the side of coridor. Mark has no idea what she and the other students are doing there - he knows exactly they look at a school announcement but what questioning his mind is why they look so excited, especially for the girls, some of them even cup their own cheeks and yell like a mess as they just got asked to a date by their crush.

"Have you seen that?"

Jaemin nudges Mark, nodding in the direction of the crowd as they stop for a while because Mark's steps has been rooting on the floor since he saw Ko Eun few meters away from him, and Jaemin won't bother to tell how Mark didn't notice it by himself, again.

Mark turns his head too quickly, like he is afraid of being caught up staring at someone he never meant to stare. The other guy gives him a knowing smile before swipe it away for another question, "Have you asked her to be your prom already?"

Mark looks confused, "What prom?" And a second later his heart skips a beat as he feels like he was indeed being caught up, "And who's her?"

Jaemin disgustingly makes a squeal sound as he notices a slight shade of red creeping up Mark's ear. Mark really wants to punch him now and there for being a little too loud he doesn't want everyone's eyes on them, or he actually just doesn't want that girl to notice his presence few meters away from her with his embarassingly oblivious flushed ear.

"Stop playing stupid, Mark. I know there are at least five girls asked you to be their prom already." Jaemin's sudden answer doesn't give any explanation for Mark's stupid brain. "But I swear Ko Eun also got asked as many as you. A school primadona indeed." Jaemin's eyes scanning Ko Eun from distance and blows a quiet whistle only to get a secretly dislike look from Mark.

"I seriously don't understand what you are talking about." Mark tries to keep his eyes on Jaemin instead of the crowd where Ko Eun is with her group of girl friends now. Jaemin almost rolls his eyes in disbelieving way before he could catch the pure innocentness in Mark's eyes.

"Oh my God, are you being serious now? It's the school's routine event that holds every two years. And please, Mark, this event is a co-existing event along with our basketball team match, you've heard about this, havent you?"

Mark nodes his head unsurely, more like because he is afraid of Jaemin's reaction if he shakes his head instead. His poor memory reminds him two years ago when he was still in the 1st grade of senior high school, when he was in his room's balcony, sitting on a rocking chair he always sat on side by side with his childhood bestfriend when they were still like five or six - now that they were growing mature, the chair only fitted for one of them. That day, Mark was playing with his guitar while lazily listening to Ko Eun in her own balcony, she looked all excited and happy moving both of her hands when she talked about the school's legendary prom. The event is indeed a little bit different from any usual prom. Like what Jaemin had said, it's a coexisting event along with the basketball match, and it is supposed to be attended by two schools who join the match. The prom will be held before the basketball match, and the purpose is to make the both of school get close before the match. It's like a bonding party and actually Mark doesn't get it why the party itself more look like a golden chance for the students to get a girlfriend or boyfriend rather than just a friend from another school. Mark still remember Ko Eun talked about the basketball captain from the opposite school named Jaehyun or Jeffrey and how she adored him so much she wished he would asked her to be his prom (in which made Mark's chest tightened to the thought of his bestfriend will be dancing and being touched by other guy who's not him - not like Mark ever touched her in a coupleish way before, but rather in a bestfriend way where Ko Eun slapped him here and there when he made a dad joke). But luckily, only the second and last year student allowed to join the party, so Ko Eun should waited two years later until she is in the 3rd grade in which is the present.