CRP Ch 2

“Even though I told you I could go all the way up…”

“It’s okay, I only have my backpack and a clothes bag.”

“Still, they said the dorm is all the way up that hill?”

“It’s good exercise. Go on now. Grandpa! Drive safe!”

“Of course. Have a good day, my dear!”

Onyu waved her hand as she got out of the 1-ton truck driven by Sunseop. She watched until the truck was out of sight before turning around.

As she smoothed her bare arms exposed under her short-sleeved blouse, the corners of her lips tickled. Wearing her summer uniform after a long time felt awkward, yet somehow exciting.

“Nice.”

Even the slightly chilly air of the early morning felt pleasant. The campus, at the beginning of summer, was filled with the fresh scent of grass. Her steps were light as she walked through the faint fog.

Onyu planned to quickly drop off her bag with her summer clothes at the dorm and enjoy the morning tranquility a bit longer.

She had given in to Sunseop’s coaxing to sleep in one more day since he would drive her to school early in the morning. As a result, she spent the whole weekend relaxing and eating at her home in Cheongdam-ri.

Onyu’s cheeks, energized by the abundant love she received, glowed brightly. Basking in the moist morning air against her skin, she naturally began to hum.

She was humming <First Love – Jang Yoon Jeong> , a song she often sang since childhood because Sunseop liked it, as she walked up the hill from the playground towards the dormitory.

A popping sound startled her. Looking back, she saw the net of the soccer goal on one side of the wide playground shake violently with a flapping sound.

“…….”

She hadn’t realized anyone was on the playground while she was walking along its edge. As Onyu, startled, blinked her wide eyes, a figure came running through the fog, getting closer.

It was a boy she had never seen before. He was wearing a long-sleeved school uniform shirt loosely over a white t-shirt, but it wasn’t the Taeju High School uniform. Even though Onyu was looking down from the top of the spectator stairs surrounding the playground, he seemed very tall.

The boy, who was approaching to retrieve the soccer ball that had gone into the goal, stopped when he spotted Onyu.

“…….”

“…….”

In the hazy fog, the boy stared up at Onyu. Onyu, too, quietly looked down at the boy who wouldn’t take his eyes off her.

She couldn’t tell if he was trying to pick a fight or if there was another reason he was staring so intently. Because of the thick fog, she couldn’t see his eyes clearly, making it difficult to judge.

After staring blankly at each other for a while, the boy spoke first.

“Um, sorry. Did I surprise you? I didn’t know anyone was there.”

His voice, carried by the fog, was lower than she expected. Onyu shook her head at the boy who was apologizing to her.

“…It’s okay.”

She was surprised, but it wasn’t something to make a fuss about.

“I’m Kang Taehyung.”

As Onyu looked down at Taehyung, who abruptly introduced himself, wondering if she should also tell him her name…

“Nice to meet you.”

Taehyung was faster.

“…Yeah.”

She thought it was a bit much to say it was nice to meet someone she had just seen for the first time, but there was no need to embarrass him for his smiling face.

Besides, he was handsome. The fog must have started to clear because the bright sunlight fell on the boy’s grinning face. His clearly visible smile felt refreshing.

She had lived her life thinking the only handsome person in the world was her dad. However, Taehyung, with his tanned skin and strong features, different from her gentle-looking dad, had a different appeal.

But so what?

Whether the boy she met today was handsome or not had nothing to do with her. It was more important to get her bag to the dorm quickly. Onyu nodded and turned around.

“Hey…!”

Onyu, who had taken a step at the sound clearly calling her, hesitated.

“Will you tell me your name?”

Just as she was about to turn around and reply with what he needed her name for… Vroom, vroom. A familiar truck entered her view, accompanied by the sound of its engine.

“Wandu! You haven’t gone up yet? That’s lucky! I forgot to give my dear her allowance!”

Onyu’s eyes widened as she saw Sunseop yelling loudly from the window. Seeing the security guard running from behind, having belatedly noticed the truck entering the school grounds, Onyu quickened her pace.

“Grandpa! I don’t need an allowance!”

“What do you mean you don’t need an allowance? You need it to buy snacks you like, and books.”

“Mom and Dad already gave me some!”

“That’s that, and this is this. I work the orchard all this time to give my Wandu and Yeondoo allowance. If you’re not going to take it, do you want Grandpa to quit the orchard?”

The usual back-and-forth ensued: take more allowance without your parents knowing, I don’t need it. With the addition of the security guard appearing and blowing his whistle, the quiet morning school grounds became noisy in an instant.

“Oh dear, Mr. Security Guard, I’m sorry. I saw no one around, so I just came in to give my dear some allowance. I’ll leave right away. Wandu, is Grandpa really leaving now?”

After the commotion subsided, Onyu, clutching the tightly folded fifty-thousand won bill, turned around. The fog had completely lifted, and the school grounds were bathed in clear light.

The boy who had been playing soccer in the fog was nowhere to be seen.

🌼˳༄꠶

“You’re curious, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Liar. Cha Onyu, you’re not curious at all, you’re just giving me perfunctory answers again.”

Onyu giggled and put the straw from her banana milk in her mouth. Her gaze remained fixed on the math problem.

“The class president saw him when he collected the homework. He’s really, really, really handsome. I really, really, really hope he comes to our class.”

“Right.”

“Oh, Cha Onyu! Can you even focus on the math problem right now?”

The second period had just ended. It was break time, but Onyu, sitting at her desk reviewing her incorrect answers notebook, sensed a different atmosphere and looked up. Her roommate and best friend, Heeju, appeared, making a fuss.

Heeju pulled up a chair and sat in front of Onyu, excitedly relaying the news of the handsome transfer student. However, Onyu’s unexpectedly lukewarm response deflated her, and she slumped onto the incorrect answers notebook.

“Honestly, you have no interest in the guys who like you, and no interest in handsome guys either. Is that how the top student in the school is?”

“It’s just that I have high standards.”

“Well… I guess if I grew up watching someone like your father, I’d be the same. No one would be good enough.”

Onyu smiled and nodded at Heeju’s quick acknowledgment.

“Anyway, anyway! I finally have a reason to come to school. Ha, I really hope the rumors are true.”

The bell signaling the start of the third period rang. Onyu quickly finished her milk and stood up.

“Heeju, weren’t you into the class president of Class 2?”

“Whether I like someone or not! He’s handsome! Even the cafeteria lady is excited. You’re the weird one, being like a stone Buddha.”

Onyu nodded in understanding, threw away the empty milk carton, and turned around. Several students rushing in through the front door shouted that the teacher was coming. But strangely, everyone’s faces were bright.

Onyu quickly sat down. Heeju also returned to her seat, gesturing towards the front door with her eyes, as if telling Onyu to watch closely.

Well, how amazing could he be.

Sitting upright as usual, Onyu recalled the boy she had seen in the morning during the brief moment the teacher entered the room.

What was his name again? Kang Taehyung? Kang Taeyoung?

Onyu, unknowingly writing down the first two syllables of the name that came to mind, belatedly realized what she had done. Flustered, she scribbled over it, just as the teacher’s voice rang out.

“Are you all happy?”

“Yes!”

Heeju’s voice was the loudest among those who answered. Heeju turned to Onyu and smiled with wide eyes, as if it was even better than she expected. She seemed excited.

“I bet you are. Now, transfer student, introduce yourself.”

As Onyu, successful in hiding the traces of her momentary distraction, turned her head to the front…

“…….”

Her round eyes widened slightly. Her plump lips parted a little.

“I’m Kang Taehyung.”

It was him. The boy she had just recalled was standing next to the teacher. Unlike the bright smile he had in the morning amidst the clearing fog, he now wore a gentle smile, but his unusually broad shoulders and the unfamiliar uniform she had seen earlier confirmed it was the same person.

“Nice to meet you all.”

Taehyung, after his brief introduction, scanned the class, his gaze stopping when he saw Onyu with her wide eyes.

As their eyes met, Taehyung’s eyes also widened slightly, as if recognizing her. Then, they softly crinkled into a smile. It was a more refreshing smile than the grin he had shown in the morning when he told her his name.

A short shriek of “Kyaa!” erupted from somewhere. Needless to say, sighs of admiration poured out from all around.

Why is he smiling so prettily, even though he’s a boy?

Onyu, realizing that the boy she met in the morning was the transfer student everyone was talking about, lowered her head as if shaking off the gazes fixed on her.

Because of his large height and build, Taehyung was seated in the back row, right behind Onyu. It was also the last seat in the row where Heeju sat.

Onyu felt a strange itch on the back of her head throughout the class. But she didn’t look back. She was too busy taking notes in Korean history class, switching pen colors, to have time for that.

Onyu’s face, focused on the class, was as clear as usual.