I was pacing back and forth in my school's corridor as I heard my twin sister, Jeong-Suk, was sent to the nurse's office. Jeong-Suk apparently fell ill and was sent there to get a checkup. I was fiddling with a piece of paper, trying to make an origami paper boat. I usually do this when I'm anxious. I don't know why, but it's just a useless habit of mine for keeping my hands occupied while I worry about things. I looked up from my origami boat a few times.

The door suddenly opened and Suk came out. "Suk!" I screamed and hugged her. "What in the...? Hui?? I'm okay." she said. The nurse looked outside and smiled at me. "Ah, look. The Moon sisters are reunited." she said calmly. She turned her gaze towards Suk. "Moon Jeong-Hui, may I have a word with you in private?" she said while glaring at Suk.

I followed the nurse inside. "Apparently, your sister, Jeong-Suk, lied to the teacher about feeling sick again." she said, looking out the door. "Again?" I sighed. Suk had always been the rule-breaker. She was always the prettier one. I had always been the smart but quiet one. Teachers liked me better, but students liked Suk better because of her rebelliousness. But because she was younger by a few minutes, she always got away with everything.

"I'll sort it out with Suk again." I said, thanking the nurse for everything. I walked out of the room and crossed my arm as I looked at Suk.

"Oops," she said.

My name is Moon Jeong-Hui. I'm 16. I have a twin sister, her name is Jeong-Suk. I was abandoned by both of my parents when I was at a young age. I barely remembered their faces. I was adopted by a kind-hearted woman. Ever since then, me and my twin sister had been living here all our lives.

Why am I telling you all this?

Well, a good story needs a proper introduction. So here it is. Now we're acquainted, what about we move on?

---

I woke up by the sound of my alarm clock ringing in my ears. "WAKE UP!" Suk was screaming. I opened my eyes and screamed. "STOP!! OH MY GOD MY EARS ARE BLEEDING" I yelled. I swatted the alarm clock away from my ears. Suk giggled. "Come on, silly. Time to get ready for school." I got out of my bed. I swear I would've punched Suk in the face. Especially what happened yesterday. I wonder how Suk could've gotten away with her lies. She tried to skip class just by saying she felt a little woozy. I sigh.

What am I to do? Suk isn't going to learn from her actions anytime soon. But no matter what, I have to be the older sister. I am tasked to take care of her. I grab my towel and clothes and showered. I quickly slid on my clothes and went downstairs. Our adoptive mother was already serving us our breakfast just right before we go to school. "Ah, Hui's finally awake, I see. How's school?" she asked. I smiled at her. "School's fine. Although there was some problems with a certain someone." I said with a forced smile as I looked at Suk. She gave me a huge eye roll. "Just because I'm popular it doesn't mean you have to be jealous," she said with a laugh. I had no idea what she was talking about. I made a face and stuck my tongue out. "H-hey!! You can't do that!" she said.

"Alright, alright, calm down, you two. No need to fight." our mother said. "Yes, mom." we said together in sync. "JINX! JINX! You owe me a soda!!" I screamed at Suk. She eyeballed me. "No fair! I was just about to say it!" she moaned. There was a muffled laugh coming from our mother. I looked at Suk and we both laughed.

"Don't worry, Suk. I'll buy you a soda if you buy me a soda first," I said. Suk held out her hand. I shook it. "Deal," she said. I looked at my watch and saw that it was already 6.30. "Oh, heck!" I screamed. "Come on, Suk! We'll be late!" I said. We both grabbed our lunch packs and schoolbags. Suk and I hurriedly put on our shoes and ran towards the bus stop. "Wait for us!!" we cried out. Our schoolmates boarded the bus and we got onto the bus just in the nick of time. "Phew," I said, out of breath. Suk laughed with me. We sat down beside each other on the bus.

"Hey, hey," I heard someone say. I looked around. "Hey, Jeong-Hui!" I turned around and saw Kang Min, the new student in my class. "Hello, Min." I said with a smile. He smiled back and remembered what he wanted to say. "May I... um... sit next to you?" he said as he pointed to the empty seat beside me. "Sure," I said with a smile.

Min sat down beside me. "So, who do you like-- I mean, um, what do you like to do?" he said. I giggled and smiled at him. "I like to read books," I said. Suk gave me a huge eye roll and decided to leave me with Min. She mouthed "I'm going to sit with Sung-Hyun." to me and I nodded. Mun Sung-Hyun was her best friend and I trust her with Suk. Min stared at Suk for a while and took his eyes off of her. "So, what books do you like to read?" he asked. I wanted to ask him why he was asking all of these questions but I kept it to myself. I wasn't rude. "Well, I do like to read poems and science-y facts." I said. Min nodded. He seemed to be writing stuff in his notepad. I pointed at it. "What's that?" I asked.

Min's face turned red and he hid it. "It's uh, um, it's nothing!! Just a boring old notepad!" He said. He scratched his head. "It's okay if you don't want to tell me, I don't mind." I said with a smile. Min shyly smiled back.

---

As we arrived at school, Min offered to walk me to class. I said no, thank you to him and he nodded. I looked around for Suk. She was with Sung-Hyun and some other few of her friends. They giggled and when they saw me they gave me a smile. The kind of smile someone who's up to something would give to a person. I decided not to bother with them. I had better things to do.

As I arrived at my class, I saw that Min was already there. He waved at me and I smiled. I set my bag down at my desk and sat down. I pulled out my book and started to read. Two girls walked up to my table. I looked up and saw Choi Young-Ja and Kim Su-Jin. "Oh, hello there, Young-Ja, Su-Jin." I smile. They gave each other looks. "I heard you were dating that Kang Min guy," Young-Ja said. I looked at Min. He smiled nervously as three guys approached him. "What do you mean?" I said. They gave me a look. "What do you mean 'what do you mean?'? I mean what I mean. I heard that you've been dating that guy." Su-Jin said. I looked at Min again. He seemed to be nervous. "I'm not. Who told you that?" I said. They looked at each other and they laughed. "Your little twin sister, of course! She told everyone in the school." Young-Ja said.

My eyes widened and I looked at Suk at the back. She was smirking. "Sorry," she mouthed and smiled at me. I shook my head and turned back to the two girls in front of me. "I'm sorry, but she's lying. You know how Suk can be." I said. "Oh, sure." Su-Jin said and made a sarcastic face. "And I'm a guy," she said sarcasticly. "Don't lie to us." I shook my head. "I'm not! I swear!" I said and shot Suk a look. "Don't hide it, Jeong-Hui. We know that you're dating that loser. No wonder you're such a loser." Young-Ja said. I stood up. "I am not lying!! I swear to god that I am not! Stop forcing the words you want to hear out of my mouth! I am not saying that I am!! I am not dating him!" I screamed and ran out of the class.

"Wow, what a drama queen of a sister you have, Jeong-Suk." I heard Sung-Hyun say.

"She's not usually like this." Suk replied as I ran towards the bathroom.

"Love isn't always good," people say. Well, I see it's true. Since this is the way Suk would love her sister.

I washed my face and took a deep breath. Why would Suk do this? It's so unlike her. She never really cared about who I talk with or what I do. She's always just being her. Why did she tell everyone I was dating Min? That's so unlike her. I had to stay calm and not have a breakdown. I couldn't.

I washed my hands and went out of the restroom. I quickly went back to class and took another deep breath. I picked up my book and sat down again. I placed my book back inside my bag and waited for our teacher to come in. I looked at Suk and saw that she was busy talking with her friends and I looked away as soon as she noticed me watching her. Min was still being interrogated by the three guys. I decided I shouldn't bother. I'm not usually like this. If I hadn't been accused for dating him I would've helped him get those guys out of his business. But apparently, I am accused of so. So I hadn't any choice but let his luck do his bidding.

"The teacher's coming! Ya'll better sit down!" one of my classmates said and the boys confronting Min quickly shot him a disgusted look and went back to their seats. They kept looking at me with a smile and blew kisses towards my direction and I just shook my head.

---

It was recess, I avoided all my classmates and sat at the back of the canteen. I ate alone, I didn't want to talk to anyone. Then suddenly someone came by my table. "Hey, what's wrong?" a voice said. I looked up and saw a boy smiling at me. He had dark hair, his features were very fine. He seemed strong, looking at his well-built body. He looked at least one year older than me. "Nothing," I said and looked away. He frowned. "It wouldn't be nothing if you're sitting alone," he said. "May I sit here?" He pointed at the chair in front of me. I nodded.

"So, what happened?" The boy asked. I smiled shyly. "Someone spread rumors that were wrong about me." I said. He was still frowning even though I smiled. "Who was it?" he said in a tone that scared me. "I don't think you should know, I mean, I don't even know your name." I said, looking away. He gave me a cute laugh. "Okay, sure. The name's Park Hyun-Joo. Just call me Hyun. You don't have to call me anything other than that." he said. "Now, what's yours?" I looked away for a moment and saw Min staring at me from afar, his face had a shocked and hurt expression. I smiled at him. I didn't know why he was like that. He looked away and walked away.

I turned my head back towards Hyun. He turned his head too. "Who was that?" he asked. "A friend," I said. "My name's Moon Jeong-Hui. Just call me Hui, please," I said. Hyun nodded and smiled. I looked down at my food. I sighed. "My twin sister's the one spreading rumors about me, saying I was dating my friend." I said, I wasn't sure if he was still listening. I looked up and saw Hyun looking at me with a serious expression. "I see," he said, and looked away.

He stood up and smiled at me. "Well, recess is almost over, so I'm going to quickly run to the bookshop," he said. He waved at me and I smiled at him and waved back. I finished up my food and quickly went back to class. And the first thing I got was Suk in my face.

---

"I saw you talking to that boy, the one that's a year older than us!" she whispered loudly at me. "Why are you whispering?" I asked. She rolled her eyes at me. "How did you get him to talk to you?" she asked. "Which one? There are so many boys that are a year older than us!" I asked. "The black-haired, handsome guy. The one who cares about others! The one constantly staring at you!" Suk said and my eyes widened when she said the last sentence. I sighed. "Please don't talk to me about this right now," I said and Suk gave me a huger eye roll. "Fine. I'll talk about it with you later." she said.

She went back into class and I saw Hyun at the other side of the hallway. He waved at me. I waved back with a smile. I walked back into class and Min wasn't around. I wanted to ask the others but it'll only make it seem like Suk's lies were true. i just shook my head and sighed.

I sat down in my chair and waited for the teacher to come by, and to ask Min about some things.

I waited, and waited.

The teacher came into the class, still no Min.

I kept waiting.

The school bell rang. Time to go home. I was kinda worried. Where was Min?

---

As I got out of the school building, I saw Min getting interrogated by the three boys from before. He looked agitated. "Guys? What's going on?" I said, as I approached them. I couldn't let them bully him like this. They turned around and smiled when they saw me. "Well, seems like your girlfriend is here, Min." they chuckled. I clenched my fists. "He is not my boyfriend." I said. I wanted to punch those three boys as they laughed. "Oh, sure." one of them said. I closed my eyes and sighed. My hand was twitching, begging me to punch him. I opened my eyes again and smiled. "He isn't my boyfriend, alright?" I said again.

They laughed again. "If he isn't then what is he to you?" another one of them said. "Something that's not my boyfriend," I said. One of them (the leader, I presumed) stepped in front of the two others. "You know, I hate it when people repeat themselves." he said. "Sure," I said and smirked. "I'm willing to repeat myself again if you won't accept the truth." I froze when I saw him about to grab me.

Suddenly, Hyun stepped in front of me and grabbed the boy's hand. "Please don't disrespect girls." he said and pushed him backwards. Min looked at him in shock, just like the three boys.The two boys picked up their leader and ran away. I realized Hyun had his arm out like he was trying to protect me. Which, in fact, he was. I blushed a bit and looked away. Min stood up and wanted to run away when Hyun said, "Wait!!" Min looked at Hyun with a "please don't attack me" expression.

"Leaving without a thank you? How rude!" Hyun said, teasingly. "Especially after I've saved you from those fiends." He made a dramatic pose. He still had his hand out to protect me. I pushed it down. Hyun noticed and looked at me while blushing. I looked away. Min was still in shock. "Well, u-uh... tha-thanks..?" he said. Hyun laughed. "I'm just kidding, man, who asks for a thank you?" he said, while laughing. Min looked very tiny compared to Hyun when he patted Min's back. "Just stay safe, kid." he said with a smile. "Um, aren't you just a year older?" he said. "In that case, I'm not a kid!" Hyun laughed again. "You're funny and I like that." he grinned.

---

Hyun stuck around to send me home, since I've already missed the bus. Hyun asked if I wanted to hold his hand and I said no and he grinned and said that he was kidding. "Are you sure you don't want to hold it?" He asked again with a playful smile. "No, and I'm sure." I smiled back. We were still quite a long way from my house. "Hey, can we get something to snack on? Like chips or an ice cream?" I said. Hyun brought out money and smiled. "I'll buy some at the nearest store." he said. "No, no! Please don't use your own money on me, please. I got my own money." I said and I reached for my wallet. Hyun grabbed my hand. "Please." he said.

"Fine," I said. "Just don't spend too much. Besides, we've just met today." Hyun grinned. "Well, to me, it felt like I've met you for more than just a few hours." he said. I rolled my eyes playfully. "Dork." I said. "Lady." he smiled. I punch his arm. He made a playful "ow" noise and grinned.

We stopped at a store near my house and bought some ice cream. We walked together while enjoying our ice cream. "So, your twin sister? Does she wait to go home with you or..?" Hyun asked. I looked at him. "N-no.. she doesn't. She has her friends." I said, looking at the ground. Hyun frowned. "Don't you have friends?" he asked and then his eyes widened as he realized that he should never had asked that question. "I... I'm sorry." I looked at him and smiled. "Don't be. I have you, and Min. And I have Suk." I said. Hyun's eyes kinda sparkled for a moment and he looked away. "I'm glad to be called your friend." he said.

I stopped in front of my house. "We're here." I said. Hyun looked at my house. "Well, since you're home, I should better get going." he said. "Alrigh--" I was about to say when the door opened and Suk was there. "Hui! What are you doing?? You came home late--" She said while glaring at me. She was cut off when she saw Hyun. "Um, hello." she said while blushing. I felt something pulling at my heart. I wasn't sure about the feeling I felt. Hyun waved at Suk. "Suk, this is Park Hyun-Joo." I said. "Hyun, this is my sister, her name is Jeong-Suk." I said. Hyun grinned. "Pleasure to meet you, Jeong-Suk." he said. Suk blushed even more.

"Suk?? Who's that at the door? Please invite them in!!" I heard our mother said. "Mom! It's Hui! And she brought a friend home." Suk said. "Well, what are you doing? Invite them in!" our mother said. "Yes, mom!" Suk said. Suk looked at Hyun shyly. "Come on in," Suk said.

I excused myself from the living room to take a shower. Although I didn't say I wanted to take a shower cause that's embarrassing. I put on some clothing and quickly headed downstairs. Hyun's eyes sparkled when he saw me and looked away. I felt my cheeks burning and just shook the feeling off. My mother was asking Hyun some questions. "So, you know Hui? When did you two meet?" my mom asked, kind of interested in knowing about my newborn friendship with Hyun.

"We met today, at the canteen, miss." Hyun said politely, with a smile. Suk was making tea in the kitchen and she constantly looked out of the kitchen. I sat opposite from Hyun and just fiddled around with a piece of paper. Hyun was frantically looking at me fiddling with the piece of paper. "What are you doing with that?" he asked and I looked up from it. "Oh.. this..?" I said. "It's.. it's nothing.. just a silly old habit of mine." I looked away. Suk brought some tea to the table and sat beside me. "So how exactly did the two of you met?" Suk said, with a tone I didn't like.

"Oh, I saw that she looked a bit... down.. so I came by to cheer her up," Hyun said, scratching the back of his head. "It's nothing, really," He looked away as Suk's expression turned into a frown. "Oh.. I see." she said, looking away from me and Hyun. Our mother seemed to have sensed the change of mood and quickly offered a drink to Hyun. "It's-- It's alright!! You don't have to!" he said, smiling. "Please, I insist." Our mother said, handing out a cup of tea. "It's the least we can do for sending Hui home." Hyun took the cup of tea from her with a smile and a thank you.

Our mother liked talking to Hyun and offered him to stay at our house for dinner but Hyun had to leave. "I'm sorry, ma'am, I would love to stay for dinner, but it's really getting late and I have to get home. My parent's might be worried sick about me." he said politely. He stood up and picked up his bag. Suk was preparing dinner in the kitchen, so she didn't get the chance to say bye to Hyun.

I was going to see him off at the front door. I clutched the origami boat I had made in my hand tightly. "Wait! Hyun, before you go..." I called out just as Hyun was leaving. Hyun turned around and I held the origami boat out. "It... it might not be much, but I want you to have this. To mark our friendship and as a token of gratitude." I said. "Gosh, I probably sound so cheesy right now..." I laugh in such a way that I couldn't believe I could. I adjusted my dorky glasses and looked up from the ground and saw Hyun smiling. "Don't worry, Hui. You don't sound so cheesy." he said as he grabbed the origami boat from my hand. "I will remember this." He smiled.

I punched his arm playfully. "Now go home, you dork." I said. "Will do, m'lady." he said playfully. He stuffed the origami boat in his pocket and waved. "Annyeong!" he called out as he walked away. "Annyeong.." I whispered with a smile. I waved at him as he looked back to give me a dorky smile.

---

My dreams weren't as pleasant as yesterday had been.

I was drowning. I didn't know what to do. I couldn't breathe. I couldn't swim. I didn't know how to. I cried out.

Again, and again. I cried out, in hope that someone would hear me.

I was about to lose hope when a strong hand grabbed onto mine. It was the only thing that was bright in the ocean of darkness. I held onto it tightly. I woke just as I almost reach the surface.

---

Suk probably had noticed my fast breathing and the way my face looked like. "Hui? What's wrong?" she asked. It was as if I had actually been drowning. I looked at her and laughed. "It's... it's nothing. Just a nightmare. It isn't real." I said. She frowned, but she nodded anyways. "I'm taking a shower first." she said as she grabbed her towel and her school uniform.

"Hui? You better be ready because your handsome prince from yesterday is waiting for you!" Our mother called out from downstairs. "MOM!! HE ISN'T MY PRINCE!! PLEASE STOP EMBARRASSING ME!" I cried out in protest with my eyes widened. Hyun's here? Oh god, oh god. Why is he here?? And why the heck did my mom just embarrass me like that?!!?! This is gonna be the worse day ever.

I quickly grabbed my towel and my school uniform. I also grabbed my glasses from my desk. I knocked on the bathroom door. "Suk!! You better hurry up 'cause you knooow!!!" I cried out. "In a second," Suk said from behind the door. I could hear her humming. "Hurry up, man!! You're gonna make us both late." I said. Suk opened the door and she looked, you know, kinda overdressed. She looked like she was puked out of a unicorn. I gave her a look and she was like, "What?" I just looked away. "It's.. nothing. What's the occasion?" I asked. "Well, your new friend is waiting so you better get going, girl." Suk said, avoiding my question. "Well, you've got to tell me either way!" I said as she went down.

I quickly showered and put on my school uniform. I tied my hair up and wore my glasses. I looked like I was the messiest kid in school. I just shook it off and hurried downstairs. Hyun was drinking some tea our mother made. "It's good, right?" she asked him. Hyun smiled and nodded. Suk was munching on a sandwich. I grabbed my lunch and said goodbye to my mother when we were ready to go to school. Hyun walked beside me and Suk told me she would catch up with us later.

"So.. why's Suk wearing all that makeup?" Hyun asked me. I looked behind us and saw that Suk was busy looking at our neighbours. "I have no idea," I said, turning my gaze towards the ground. "Well, whatever it is, I think she looks great." Hyun said and smiled. "Though, I prefer natural beauty over those who wore makeup." he said and turned his glanced towards me. I hid my face with my scarf. I started blushing. "Just kidding." Hyun said, laughing. "Dork." I said and punched him in the arm.

We reached the bus stop and saw that the bus was already there. We boarded the bus and Suk tapped me on the shoulder as we walked into it. "I'm sitting with Sung-Hyun. If you need me, I'll be there." she said, frowning. "Weird." Hyun said. I smiled at Suk. "Alright." I said. I sat down in a seat and Hyun sat beside me. "Is she always like this?" he asked me. "No.." I said. "Well, whatever is on her mind, I'm sure she would tell you soon. She is your sister after all." he said. I smiled at him. "Thanks," I said.

"Hey, Jeong-Huuuu..." I saw Min waving and he stopped when he saw Hyun. "....i?" Hyun waved at Min. "Hello," he said with a smile. "Um, nevemind.." Min said with a frown. He sat a few seats away from us. "Why's everyone so weird today?" I muttered under my breath. I look at Hyun and sigh. "Why did you come by my house today?" I asked him. His eyes widened and he blushed. "Well, uh, I just wanna get you to school safe-- uh, I mean, now that we're friends, we should act like it?" he said with a shy smile.

I laugh. "Alright then."

I was sitting next to Hui, possibly the most beautiful girl I had ever met in my entire life. She was also a smart girl and I loved the way she laughed. As she said "Alright then.", my heart fluttered. She smiled in such a way that melted me down. I held my hand out in front of Hui just as the three boys from yesterday approached our seats. "What do you want?" I ask them. The first one had his eyes wide as if to look out for any attack I could be planning to use on him. "We-- we're terribly sorry for yesterday." he said. The second one came forward and held his hand out. "Please accept our apology." he said. I still had my hand out in front of Hui. Hui placed her hands on them as if she was hiding behind them.

"It's-- it's really okay, Hyun. I think they're telling the truth." Hui said, pushing my arm down. I shook the second boy's hand. "We accept your apology." I said, though I still had a frown on my face. The three boys then hurriedly took their seats at the back of the bus. "What's with you and having your hand out like you're trying to protect me?" Hui asked me. I blushed and smiled. "Well, it's just instincts I guess." I said and placed my hand at the back of my neck. Hui gave a cute laugh and said 'whatever'. I laugh too.

"Who's that Jeong-Hui sitting next to, Suk?" I heard a girl whisper. I could hear Jeong-Suk shushing the girl. "Sung, I don't think it's necessary to ask." she replied in an angry whisper. "Alright, alright, jeez." the girl replied. I just stayed calm and sighed. Hui looked at me. "Is something wrong?" she asked. I looked at her and smiled. "It's okay, everything's fine." I said with a wide grin. She stiffled a laugh and looked away. "Come on, I saw that!" I said, grinning. Hui punched my arm. "Ow," I said with a smile. "Shut up," she said and hid her face.

---

After we unboarded the bus, Hui told me she wanted to go to her class by herself and I said sure. I walked in the opposite direction and looked back to give her a smile. I walked up the stairs leading to my class. I park my bag into my chair and went to the library to help out the librarians. All of the librarians encouraged me to actually become a librarian one day and I simply refused because I prefer being a volunteer. They nodded as they understood.

"Hey, there Hyun-Joo!" one of the librarians said as they saw me entering. "Hello, again." I smiled. I started picking up the books that were laying around to put them back. "So how was school yesterday?" one of the librarians asked me. "Oh, it was a bit.. fun, I guess." I said. The librarian looked at me with a confused expression. "How so?" he asked me. I smiled shyly at him. "Well..." I started, placing my hand behind my neck. "I met someone who's nice yesterday." The librarian gave me a face. "Oh?" he said. I rolled my eyes. "Come on, do you need to know?" I said with a grin. He laughed. "Of course not! But please do tell me, who is this person?" he said with a smile.

"She's.. a very nice person. She can be very stupid at times, but she's a good friend. She.. cares." I said with a smile creeping up my face. "She's different." The librarian looked at me with interest. "You sound like you haven't known an actual person before her." he said with a playful grin. I blushed and grinned at him. "Shut up," I said. I looked at the clock and saw that it was almost time for me to get back to class.

I quickly returned the books to their rightful places on the bookshelves and swept the floors of the library. The librarians thanked me for my help and kindness and I quickly went back to my class. I accidentally bumped into Kang Min, the boy I saved from the three other boys yesterday. "Ah!! I'm-- I'm so sorry for bumping into you! I didn't-- I didn't mean to!!" he screamed while picking up his books. He looked up and his face turned into pure shock. "I-I'm so sorry!! Please forgive me!"
I helped him pick up his books and helped him up. I brushed his shoulders. "it's alright, now. Go and do what you need to. There's no need to be afraid of me, man. I'm just a human being like you are." I said with a smile. "Y-y-yes.. I su-suppose so..." he stuttered and nodded. He quickly pulled away from me.

"Um, bye then." I said as he walked away from me. I quickly went to class just in time for the teacher to walk in just a minute after.

---

The recess bell rang and I quickly went towards the canteen. I saw Hui sitting alone again and decided to accompany her. "Hey," I said. Hui looked up from her food and saw me. She smiled. "Hello, again." Hui said. I sat down in front of her. "Sitting alone again?" I asked. Hui looked down at her food and picked on a carrot. "I just didn't want to sit with anyone today. But I guess you're an exception." she said. "Haha, thanks." I laughed. She smiled a little.

"I have no idea what's wrong with Suk today. She seems unlike herself." Hui said. I looked at the table at the front of the canteen. Jeong-Suk was frowning. "I've noticed." I said as I looked back at Hui. She looked down at her food and sighed. "I'm just, worried, you know?" she said. "It's so hard being a sister, you know?" I look at her with a frown. "I know." I said.

"You seem so happy, so upbeat." Hui suddenly said. "I wonder how it feels like to be you." My eyes widened and I look away. I look at her. "It's... it's not what you think it feels like, you know? Being so happy-looking, so upbeat." I said, frowning. "I'm not.. who you think I am." I look away. Hui looked down at her food. "I-I'm sorry for bringing that up." she said, picking at her food. "I just.. I don't know, I don't feel like myself anymore. I'm just so tired, so worried." I look at her with a frown. "You don't have to worry about Suk. She's old enough to worry about herself." I said, looking in Jeong-Suk's direction. Hui looked at me. "I suppose." she said quietly.

I smiled. "Come on, let's not be gloomy now." I said. Hui looked at me like 'are you seriously bringing this up now?' and laughed. We finished our food just as the bell rang.

---

The school bell rang when it was time to go home. Right before I went to see Hui, I went to the bathroom and looked at myself in the mirror. I washed my face. "What's wrong with me?" I whisper to myself. I was breathing heavily. I was probably sick, but I could stand whatever sickness the world throws at me. I am a fighter, I thought to myself.

I could feel my bruises from yesterday worsen. "Dang it," I whisper. Please don't do this to me, right now, I thought to myself. I quickly washed my hands and went downstairs to meet Hui. She was waiting while talking to Min. Her face brightened when she saw me. "Where were you?" she asked, there was a little bit of worry in her voice. "I was feeling a bit woozy, but I'm fine now." I smiled. Min was shivering beside Hui. "What's wrong with him?" I asked Hui and pointed at Min. Min looked a bit embarrassed. "Oh, Min? He's just, I don't know, he gets nervous around people, I guess." Hui said.

"Come on, man, I've told you already. It's okay. I'm just a human being, see?" I said as I looked at Min with a smile. "Come on now, we'll miss the bus." The three of us hurriedly walked towards the bus to board it.

---

After saying goodbye to Hui and Min, I walked into my cold, dark home. The place I didn't want to be in. "Joo? Is that you? Come on, now. Did you bring back some beer for dear old mummy?" I heard my mom call me. I walked up the stairs and placed my bag down. "No, mom. I don't have beer." I said. "Please leave me alone."

"Fine." I heard her call back. "Next time you come back late, I might have to cripple you myself." I took off my shirt and looked into my mirror. The bruises I had from when I was a kid, the bruises I had from when my dad left my mom. I wanted to fight back, but I couldn't. She was my mother. I sighed and looked away. I grabbed my towel and some clothes and went to take a shower. I looked at myself in my broken mirror. "Broken, just like me." I whispered with a sigh. I wonder how it feels to be like you, Hui had said. Clearly, she doesn't know about my broken past.

I washed my face and looked at myself once more. "I wonder how it feels to be like you," I said loudly.

You don't even know.

How bad it feels to be me.

to be continued