Hyun Young POV.
I Felt Someone Waking Me Up And I Fluttered My Eyes Open. I Looked At The Person And It Was Hwa-Young Unnie. I Then Asked, "Yes Unnie??" She Replied With, "Aren't You Going To Go To School??" I Nodded And Asked, "What Time Is It??" She Replied With, "It's 6AM" I Nodded. I Got Up And Headed To The Bathroom.
When I Was Done Showering, Brushing My Teeth And Washing My Face, I Dressed Up In My School Uniform. For The Shoes, I Decided On White Converse High. For The Hairstyle, I Wore My Hair Down. For The Makeup, I Applied Concealer, Mascara, Eyeliner On The Waterline, Blush And Lip Balm. I Decided Not To Wear My Jacket For Today. I Then Grabbed My Bag And Headed Downstairs.
Eunha Was Downstairs Waiting For Me, I Greeted Her And We Both Headed Out. Eunha Then Asked, "Hyunie, Did You Do The Presentation??" I Nodded. She Then High Fived Me And We Both Continued Our Way. When We Reached The School, A Crowd Came Up To Me And Started Asking, "Hyunie, Are You Dating Anyone?" Eunha Then Said, "Hyunie, Ignore Them." I Nodded And Said, "Excuse Me." I Then Dashed Through The Crowd And Eunha Came Behind Me. I Then Ran To The First Class And Immediately Closed The Door.
Eunha Then Said, "You Are Really Popular." I Was Just Breathing Heavily. Someone Then Opened The Door And It Was Heaven. She Came Up To Me And Hugged Me Saying, "You Have A Lot Of Fans Waiting For You In There." I Nodded And Said, "This Is Crazy. How Did I Get That Popular?" Eunha And Heaven Agreed With Me. Eventually The English Teacher Came In And The Students Too. When The Bell Rang, The Lesson Started And We Had To Present Our Presentation.
The Teacher Said, "OK, So Basically, I Told You All Last Week To Prepare A Presentation About Best Friends Goals And You Have To Choose What You Are Going To Talk About In That Topic. So Hyunie Will Be First." I Got Up And Stood In Front Of The Class, Jungkook Looked At Me And Whispered, "Fighting." I Smiled At Him And Started My Presentation Saying, "Well, Today I'll Be Talking About Best Friends Goals And The Topic I Chose Is 'How To Make Your Best Friend Feel Special.' There Are 16 Ways To Make Your Best Friend Feel Special."
I Then Said, "Number 1, Give Them An Unusual Compliment. You Don't Need To Be Creative Or Just Think About Giving Them A Compliment That Will Change Their Face, But Let's Face, It's Probably Awkward To Make Your Friends Feel Appreciated. An Original Compliment, Especially On Something Other Than Clothing Or Appearance, Can Go A Long Way. Think About The Characteristics That You Love About Your Friends. Here Are Some Examples:
I really admire how kind you are to others! respect how engaged you are with politics and justice. Your faith really inspires me, You're so fun to be around.
Do Your Best To Be Thoughtful And Authentic. Your Compliment Can Really Make Someone's Day!
Number 2, Introduce Them Thoughtfully. A Great Way To Make Your Friends Feel Included Is To Introduce Them With An Interesting Fact To Spark Future Conversations. For Example: "Emefa, This Is Julie. Julie Is A Computer Science Major Who Is Involved With Jewish Life On Campus. Julie, Emefa Studies English And Volunteers With Habitat For Humanity On The Weekends." This Way, When You Leave The Table Or If Julie and Emefa Run Into Each Other Later, They Already Know Enough About Each Other To Start Asking Questions.
Number 3, Help Them Feel Included. In Group Settings, Inside Jokes And Stories May Come Up. Make Sure That If Someone At The Table Wasn't There Or Doesn't Get It, You Either Briefly Explain The Comment To Them, Or Bring Up Something That You Experienced Together So They Feel Included.
Number 4, Don't Be On Your Phone Around Them. In The Technology-driven World We Live In, It's Very Normal For People To Constantly Be On Their Cell Phones. As A Result, When Someone I'm With Puts Their Phone Away And Really Focuses On Me, I Am Extra Appreciative And It Really Makes Me Feel Special! I Now Do My Best To Put My Phone Away Around My Friends, As Well, And To Let Them Know When I'm About To Glance At It ("I Quickly Need To Check Who's Calling, But After That, I'm All Yours"). Staying Off My Phone Also Helps Me Be A Better Listener And Be More Attentive To My Friend!
Number 5, Give Them A Thoughtful Gift.Gift-giving Is A Great Way To Show Your Care For Someone. Gifts Don't Need To Be Expensive Or Elaborate To Be Thoughtful. If You're Looking For A Thoughtful Gift, Think Of Small Things That Might Make Your Friend Feel Appreciated, Whether It's A Copy Of Her Favorite Magazine And A Bottle Of Nail Polish For A "Self-care Kit," Or A Book She Mentioned A Few Weeks Ago.
Number 6, Text Them When Something Reminds You Of Them. When I See A Funny Sign, A Street That Shares A Name With My Friend, Or Even A Cute Puppy In A Sweater, I'll Take A Picture And Send It To The Friend It Reminded Me Of. It's A Nice Way To Stay Connected And Remind Your Friends That You're Thinking Of Them! Also, Who Wouldn't Want To See A Puppy In A Sweater? Seriously.
Number 7, Ask Them About Their Thoughts And Opinions. Especially When We're Swamped With Work Or Midterms, It's Easy To Let Conversation Slip Into Small Talk. But Asking Your Friends About More Serious Or Interesting Topics Is A Great Way To Get To Know Them Better And Make Them Feel Heard. Ask About What They're Reading Or Which Class Is Their Favorite And Why.
Number 8, Help Them Feel Safe. We're Living In A Time When A Lot Of People Are Made To Feel Unsafe By The Language And Behavior Of Others. Do Your Best Not Just To Be A Good Friend, But To Be An Ally To Your Friends. Confront Language That Marginalizes Them Or Makes Them Feel Unsafe. Offer To Walk With Them If They're Nervous To Go Somewhere Alone. Listen To Them When They Need To Vent, And Do Your Best To Understand And Legitimize Their Feelings. Friends Need To Stick Together!
Number 9, Take Them Out To Something Fun. Time Together Is Always Fun, But Unusual Trips Make For Extra-special Memories. If You're Celebrating A Birthday Or The End Of A Semester, Offer To Take Your Friends To Something Fun And Different. Some Great Ideas Would Be Ice Skating, Rock Climbing, Or The Zoo. Used Bookstores Are Also Always Fun, And There Are Usually Great Free Events In The City If You Go To School In Or Near A Metropolitan Area.
Number 10, Take Them Out For Coffee. On The Other Hand, It Can Also Be Really Nice To Actually Take Your Friend Out For Coffee. I Love Getting Coffee Or Tea With My Friends And Chatting, Hanging Out, Or Doing Work Together. Paying For Yourself Is Enough, But Offering To Pay For The Other Person Is Also A Nice, Small Way To Be Generous.
Number 11, Talk To Them About Their Family Members (By Names). A Lot Of My Friends Have Siblings That They're Really Close To. I Always Find It Extra Thoughtful When My Friends Ask After My Siblings By Name. I've Started Making An Effort To Memorize The Names Of My Friends' Family Members To Ask About Them And How They're Doing. Better Yet, Try To Remember What You Can About Your Friends' Siblings.
Number 12, Follow Up On Important Conversations. If My Friend Is Struggling With Something, Whether It's Schoolwork, Future Plans, Or A Family Issue, I Always Do My Best To Ask About It In The Weeks After. Sometimes It Takes A Long Time To Process Difficult Things, And Making Sure That Your Friend Is Doing Okay In The Weeks After A Challenge Is Always Appreciated.
Number 13, Craft Them Something. If You Like To Craft, Making A Gift For Your Friend Is A Great Way To Make Them Feel Special. One Of My Friends Has Been Watercolor Painting Decorations For My Room Back In The US, And It Always Brightens My Day!
Number 14, Write Them A Card. When I Go To A New City, I Like To Pick Out Post-cards For My Friends. Cards For Birthdays And Holidays Are Also A Nice Way To Leave A Lasting Memory. I Know A Lot Of My Friends Like To Tack Up Cards To Their Walls, Or Save Them In A Binder.
Number 15, Go To Something That's Important To Them. Your Friend Has Probably Invited You to Their Plays, Art Shows, Meets, Or Even Lectures In Their Department. If You Have The Time, Going To Something That's Important To Your Friend Is A Really Thoughtful Way To Make Your Friends Feel Special!
Number 16, Invite Them To Your Events. If You Have A Meet, A Play, Or Something Else Going On That You're Proud Of, Invite Your Friends! Especially If You're Already Taking Care To Be A Kind And Thoughtful Friend To Them, I'm Sure They Would Love To Come And Support You.
Thank You For Listening And I Hope You Enjoyed It."
Everyone Then Clapped Their Hands For Me And The Teacher Said, "Thank You Hyunie, That Was Really Splendid." I Thanked Her And I Was Gonna Go Back To My Place But The English Teacher Said, "Hyunie, After The Lesson Ends, I Want To Talk To You OK." I Nodded And I Went Back To My Place.
*When The Lesson Ended*
I Stayed In The Class And Said To Eunha And Heaven, "Look, The English Teacher Said That She Wants To Say Something To Me. You Both Go On." They Nodded And Went Ahead. I Then Headed To The Teacher's Table And Asked, "Yes, Mrs.Kim." She Smiled At Me And Asked Me While Playing With My Hair, "Do You Want To Participate On A Singing Event??" I Then Asked Her About It And She Replied With, "Actually, It's A Singing Event On Lotte World Mall, On Valentines Day, And Anyone Who Wants To Participate, Will Sing Up There And They Will Announce Who Won The Week After."
I Nodded And Said, "I Do Want, But I'll Check My Schedule And Then Tell You OK." She Agreed And Gave Me Her Phone Number. I Then Headed Out Of The Class And Headed To The Music Class.
*Thank You For Reading*
(1773 Words)