Watercolour

01

3pm. Finally that time. Jiho has spent her entire class staring at the clock, just waiting for it to turn 3 so she could leave and hurry to see her friends.

Lee Jiho was an art student at DKUAA. She'd been tirelessly pouring her heart and soul into art since she was fourteen. Though her passion remained the same over those seven years, her appearance had changed quite a bit. She had chin-length black hair with blunt cut bangs that came just above her eyebrows. She'd cut them herself after she'd seen an actress she liked with the same style of bangs. She was quite tall compared to other girls in her class, standing at about 5'6", 5'7" when she wore her sneakers. She had a rounded face, her cheeks more on the squishy side and her eyes round and bright; a feature she'd kept from childhood. Her nose had a higher bridge than most, causing her friends to say she looked like an animal crossing avatar, and her eyes were a deep shade of brown. She was the palest in her group of four, so white that anyone could have mistaken her for a ghost.

She saw the hour hand hit 3 and immediately started pushing and shoving her things into her bag. She threw it over her shoulder and rushed out of the room, leaving before anyone else even had a chance to tidy away. She ran down the stairs, being careful not to stand on her untied shoelaces as she went, and outside into the courtyard where her two friends, Myungdae and Dami were waiting for her. The pair had finished their classes an hour earlier than Jiho had, but chose to wait for her instead of going to see Chanyeol straight away.

Myungdae was a drama major, pursuing his dream of becoming an actor now that he had the freedom to do so. He was a slender man, the youngest of their group and yet the second tallest. Two months prior, he had shaved his head to support his brother suffering from cancer. Just like Jiho, Myungdae had a rounded face, sporting the same squishy cheeks as she did. He had small, dark eyes, thick eyebrows, and a large nose. He was handsome, without a doubt. Anyone could admit that.

Dami, the shortest of the group, and the most in shape by far, was a track and field student. She wanted to break records and, one day, compete in the Olympics. She had bleached blonde hair that she often wore tied up in a bun or ponytail. Her face was long and angular, with a pointed nose and cat-like eyes. Her looks made her seem cunning and cold, but in reality, she had a warm heart and thrived from making other people happy. She was an angel in disguise. That's how Jiho described her.

"Jiho! Finally!" Myungdae exclaimed, standing up as soon as he saw the woman burst through the door. "His competition has almost finished, we're gonna miss it."
"I'm sorry, I know. I haven't figured out how to speed up time yet, so I can't help but be late." Jiho excused herself, out of breath from rushing so much.
"Let's go. And tie your laces up Ji, you'll fall." Dami said before starting to hastily walk towards the natatorium. Jiho leaned down and quickly tied up her laces, Myungdae standing over her and waiting. Once she was done, the two of them caught up with Dami and the group walked together to find their missing companion.

Chanyeol, his competition over with, was back in the changing room. He pulled his shirt back over his head and smiled proudly to himself. He had done better than he had expected, especially since he'd fallen behind at training recently. His hair still damp, the tall male grabbed his bag and headed out to the lobby space of the natatorium to find his coach and the competitions judges. When they saw him, they all turned around and offered him a bow for his hard work, which he returned.
"I'm proud of you coming first." His coach said to him, gently patting Chanyeol's back as he spoke. "Keep it up. You'll make the national team." The younger male nodded, a bright smile on his face.

Then he heard an all too familiar voice shout from the door of the lobby. He turned his head to look at the door and saw his three best friends stood there, two of them out of breath and one of them standing fine and happy. Chanyeol excused himself and walked over to his friends.

The eldest of the group, only a month older than Dami, was immensely tall compared to the others. He had curly hair and a boyish face, making him appear a lot younger than he was. His ears stuck out as if he were an elf and despite being very extroverted, he had an awkward way of presenting himself, tucking his hands away into his pockets and shifting his weight from one foot to the other.

"We're sorry we're late. Someone finished class later than we though she would." Dami said, turning to look at Jiho with wide eyes.
"No it's fine, she finishes at 3:00 anyway. I knew you guys would be late. I just wish you'd been here while the race was still on. Maybe I would've done better." He said with a shrug and a fake frown. Myungdae saw right through Chanyeol's poor attempt at acting like he had lost and pulled on his ear.
"Don't be stupid, you didn't lose." The shorter man said with a shake of his head.
"I won. I came first. If I win my next race and then the big competition at the end of the year, chances are that I'll make the national team." The taller man said with an excited tone in his voice. This was all he ever wanted to do. He had loved swimming and being in the water ever since he was little. It felt like a second home to him. He loved it so much that he had even taught Jiho how to swim.
"I'm so proud of you!" Jiho exclaimed before stepping forward and hugging her friend, soon being followed by Dami and Myungdae. They were a cheesy group of friends. They would all say they hated how cheesy they were but deep down, they knew they all loved it more than anything. They'd be with each other right up until the very end.
"Shall we go and get some food to celebrate?" The tallest friend suggested after a moment. The answer was a unanimous yes. The hug broke up and the four friends left the natatorium together, then, arms linked, they went on their way.