Ha-yeon really noticed Tae-wan for the first time when she was 18, the day the new school year began.
Arriving at school earlier than usual, she saw a man arriving before herself. Tae-wan, wearing a school uniform, put a chair near the window and stretched his legs. It was still cold enough to take in the brisk air, but it looked like he’s enjoying the breeze.
What to do?
While standing with a paralyzed expression, Tae-wan turned to see if he could hear the sound of the door opening. He looked puzzled as if he didn’t know anyone would come his early.
Then he glanced at Ha-yeon’s face with a long, poignant expression. He seemed to be questioning the mirage he was looking at. That period of time lasted quite a while, to the extent that she thought that her face might be pierced through by it.
As she was thinking about going back, their eyes had already met, but it seemed strange for either one of them to turn around.
She felt him gazing continuously at her side profile. She hadn’t made any customary polite greetings yet so why was he constantly staring at her?
Even now, while she felt compelled to at least say hello, it seemed like she had lagged on her timing. She came out early because the house was uncomfortable, but even that failed as she found herself uncomfortable even at school.
Ha-yeon laid down on her face, turning her head to face the corridor.
What if she said something, but he didn’t reciprocate?
A cool breeze blew. She liked the breeze that touched her back, so her mind relaxed a little. She knew about Kang Tae-wan well. Kang Tae-wan has been famous since enrolling at her school.
At a height of 186cm which was overwhelmingly taller than everybody else in the same grade, he caught everyone’s attention.
In addition, with wide shoulders and wide eyes, he exuded a daunting air. Although his face was still somewhat youthful befitting his age, he had an aloof and untouchable aura which caused male seniors to stop and balk whenever any of them saw him for the first time.
His career as a model early on was also a hot topic. It was said that his photos were regularly featured in a rather famous magazine. In fact, Ha-yeon had seen Tae-wan’s snapshots several times in one of her favorite magazines.
The most memorable image was the beach shoot. In a series of monochromatic photographs, he stood with his back to the beach. In a loose shirt, his expression and pose took on an indolent and languid air, it was dreamy.
Ha-yeon couldn’t take her eyes off him for a while, still lingering in the memories of the photo which was markedly different from how he looks in a school uniform. Not only girls in the same grade, but also the seniors and juniors, they all liked Kang Tae-wan.
Wherever Tae-wan was, there were also girls running around. The girls expected Kang Tae-wan to become a celebrity eventually. So, they joked about whether it would be nice to befriend him before that. Ha-yeon was dubious at first, but then realized Kang Tae-wan could be a pretty good entertainment industry artist.
She even thought about who would become a celebrity if such a person as him did not become a celebrity. However, that was as far as where Ha Yeon’s interest extended – a handsome and popular classmate with an unusual background.
She had no contact with him. They didn’t share the same gender, and they never had to converse. They would run into each other from time to time in the school corridors or at the vending machines, and when they did, they would make eye contact but avoid each other. That was the entire scope of their interactions.
The school girls will pass by their classroom on purpose, so the area around the class was typically noisy. That was the extent of Ha Yeon’s experience as Kang Tae-wan’s classmate.
* * *
As expected, the area around the class became noisy. It was a fuss she had never experienced while she was in first grade. And what was different from usual was that Kang Tae-wan had become her seat mate. When it was Ha-yeon’s turn to draw lots for her seat mate, she ended up sitting next to Tae-wan. Luckily for Ha-yeon, she sat in the very back seat next to the window.
Originally, Kang Tae-wan was supposed to be sitting right in front of the school table, but when he sat down, the view of all the students who sat behind him in the same row were completely blocked. The homeroom teacher, who reflected on the welfare of the other students, asked Tae-wan.
“Would you like to go to the back seat and sit down?” The homeroom teacher also seemed sorry to say this to Tae-wan.
“Back seat. Where exactly do you mean?”
“Well, where would you like to be… ? How about the back seat by the window?” The homeroom teacher pointed to the seat next to Ha Yeon.
It just so happened that Ha-yeon’s seat mate that year was a very short and near-sighted friend. This change would also be in consideration for him. Tae-wan looked back. Naturally, their eyes met. Ha-yeon felt that it would have been awkward to avoid his eyes. It was also ambiguous to laugh, so they just looked at each other. He looked at her for a long time, then replied while looking at her.
“… Okay.”
Afterwards, although she was partnered with Tae-wan, they didn’t really chat much.
He often left early for work and didn’t speak much even on school days. After being paired with Kang Tae-wan, there was nothing that made her particularly uncomfortable, nonetheless there was an inscrutable discomfort.
For example, while the female students watched Kang Tae-wan during their break, they also watched the one who was paired with him. And the girls were chomping at the seams asking her for details about Kang Tae-wan.
“Hey, Ha Ha-yeon. Hey.”
Ha-yeon, who had avoided the gaze of the female students, pretended to have finished eating to head for the convenience store, turned around. Three other female students approached her.
These girls were in the same class Ha-yeon when they were in the first grade but weren’t the kind of friends she had ever had a deeper relationship beyond the superficial because of their disposition.
Ha-yeon looked at them quizzically wondering what was going on