Genuine | Park Jisung

2

Imina spent her entire morning wondering if she'd see the new boy again, not the way she always did at school but like what happened at the bakery. She couldn't help wondering if that meant something or she was just being delusional, which she honestly thought was more likely.

She sat down in homeroom and immediately went on her phone to distract her thoughts. She watched videos of her favorite group, NCT, silently. She was nervous someone might say something to her about it as she'd never really spoke to anyone about the things she liked, especially people and music. No one paid any attention to her and for just a second, she wondered why she thought they would.

It didn't particularly hurt her feelings but she didn't love it either.

When the bell rang, following the rotation schedule, she went to her fifth period class. Students filed in and everyone began talking. It felt just like homeroom had, except Imina was more at ease. The class was easy and the teacher was laid-back. From the first day, she realized exactly how she fit into the classroom and she was fine with it.

Ninety minutes later, it was time to go the sixth period. As Imina walked in, she realized that this class was with Jisung. He didn't seem to notice her as he rushed to his seat with his head down.

"Late already, Jisung?" The teacher asked, amused.

He responded but it was too quiet for Imina to hear. Just as she did yesterday, she took glances at the boy and noticed that he seemed extremely shy compared to yesterday. Even when people spoke to him, the conversations were short and he couldn't seem to look at anyone.

It made her feel kind of bad. She knew what it was like to be shy, having used to be a shy person herself, so she could guess how he was feeling. A part of her wanted to talk to him but she wasn't sure that was a good idea and decided to give him space.

Though she convinced herself not to, she still tried to be near as Jisung as they left for lunch so she could offer her friendship. But as they walked, him unaware of her, she saw some people approach him. They stopped in the middle of the hallway and fell into conversation. Not being able to do anything, Imina gave up and continued on her way to the library.

During passing to go to third period, Jisung saw the same girl from yesterday. He thought she looked cute. She was dressed in a white top tucked into a black pleated skirt with a white stripe above them, a thigh-length grey cardigan over, black knee-high socks with a white stripe at the top, and white ankle converse.

Her nose was buried in a book which was a new sight as literally no one reads. Most teenages preferred technology and socializing. But for her, it looked normal. People didn't really bat an eye at the sight, too focused on other things.

A guy smacked Jisung on the back, startling the boy. "Sorry. What were you thinking about?"

The peach-haired boy shook his head and barely above a whisper, said, "Nothing."

"Okay, cool. We're gonna go but catch you later?"

Jisung started to nod but then shook his head. "I can't. I have to do something with my mom."

"Oh. Maybe next time."

With a double pat on his arm, the boy left and joined three people who were waiting for him so they could go to class together. Jisung turned and went in the direction of his class, thoughts starting to cloud his mind.

Something felt odd about that guy. And everyone who spoke to him today. They were nice and friendly, sure, but that didn't stop the feeling of almost disliking them. He couldn't explain why.

The end of school was just as chaotic as it normally was but Imina walked through the halls like she was ignoring everything, which she pretty much was. She was a girl on a mission to get out of the building and nothing was going to stop her.