hallway⤵ park wonbin

03. SECOND BENCH FIRST ROW

WONBIN

As soon as i stepped inside the classroom of my final year, my eyes shot to the side with mere attention to check the new room, when instead I was met with a girl, sitting quietly at the second seat of first row.

In any circumstances I wouldn't have recognised her if she wasn't wearing the similar white mask. Her hair has grown quite alot.

After going through the third lockdown just when offline classes started, I almost forgotten about her. So there came a stop to our passing by in the hallways which I started finding funny but ridiculously amusing, noticing how it became almost regular to see her.

She peered back in seconds catching me staring at her. I tried to cut it away but she did it before I even attempted.

I don't think she recognised me as i have started to keep my hair longer and wasn't wearing my mask. Or maybe it just me who noticed those cross paths in the hallway.

We are in the same class now, so maybe there would be chances of getting to know her. I never had any starting to ask about her to any of my friends due to the frequent seconds of walking by each other's sides. It was reasonable not to try to know about her.

She looked reserved as she always did in those hallways of late summer.

That's what i thought so...before two girls entered the class, after some minutes and how her eyes glinted with joy over seeing them. The classes were badly shuffled so they probably were happy being together, in the same class.

IM MYEONG

Being now satisfied about not having to pass the last year without my two friends, I sat with the happiness that was bubbling inside me but didn't know how to show any of it. I don't think it was necessary to.

But still something was bugging me for a while.

I did bad results, atleast not to the standard of performance to deserve a seat in the class with the toppers.

Ever since the classes started, there were these specific people who were always ready to answer the questions of the teacher or when asked, they didn't seem to hesitant in answering anything, whether right or wrong.

I kind of felt outcasted for how odd I looked, moreover, sitting at the second bench of first row which makes me clearly exposed to the teacher but not active to his questions.

Haneul seemed timid too, although I knew she would be able to answer any queries but she's been not asked by the teacher yet.

During the breaktime, I once again was awestruck by the fact that how outgoing my friend, Sora, is. It looked like as if she has known everybody in the room. Me and Haneul smiled at few of the girls Sora introduced us to, during the short break. But I can't recall the names yet properly.

The girls seemed pretty nice and most of them easy to get along. I realised they too were anxious about new classmates but not anymore, like me and Haneul.

I don't know about the boys.

Sora, too, didn't seem to know them properly but she would, within days if she wants to for she's that of like a dancing butterfly, as I would like to call her.

She's light-heartedly funny and the other girls seemed to like that about her just like how Haneul and I did.

About the boys...I only knew Eunseok who used to be my playschool friend and the acquaintance of our parents cause of shared friendship of his and my elder sister through the same math tuition they used to attend. We used to be good friends I know because I still slightly remember the playful memories of us in the playschool ground and during the art classes.

But not much specifically.

I wish I wasn't so much of an introverted just because I couldn't send a smile at him although how many times our eyes fell on each other. But I don't think he minded.

There was this nine years of complete lack of contact between us, after all.

I didn't know I was pondering about so many stuffs whilst looking at the cream colored wall by the window, unbeknownst to what my friends were saying. But the advent of a boy into my view field pulled me out of my continuous near stupor.

Again him.

He has appeared before my eyes so many times till now that i have recognised he's the guy I used to see in the hallways.

I haven't learned anything about him from four hours since classes started. There was this lack of any sign of effort from me after all.

And also, maybe it's only me who was even thinking of knowing atleast his name.

[A/N]

short chapter as i didn't
want to put additional things
which won't lead to any outcome