"Take the ball, Eun Sun!"
"Behind you!"
"Pass it to him!"
There was a basketball tournament between classes on Tuesday, students have taken the time off their break to see the tournament.
When Eun Sun passed the ball to one of his teammates, the teammate received it but he accidentally threw it at a person who was watching the tournament at the bleachers.
"Oh my goodness, are you okay? I'm so sorry." The guy rushed to the girl who got hit.
"I'm fine," Juhi said out of reflex, trying to cover her head out of embarrassment.
"I'm really sorry," He said again and passed the ball to Eun Sun.
"Everything good?" Eun Sun asked him and he nodded sheepishly, "Then let's continue the game."
"Teacher wants to see me? What for?"
"I don't know," A girl who was in the same class as Seung Rye replied, "I'm just following orders."
Seung Rye was curious. Did he do anything peculiar on his first week of school? Has Mrs Shin told the school anything about him? He was sure he did all his homework and started his revision for catching up with the other student.
He opened the teachers' room slowly, saw Eun Sun and a girl whom he had never seen before.
"Seung Rye, come here please." His class teacher said and he did.
"Eun Sun, Seung Rye, Laina, you're called here because I want to inform all of you that you'll be moving to the upper class."
"Why?" Eun Sun voiced all their thoughts.
"Well, you should have already figured it out for you, Mr Shin. You were originally supposed to be in this upper class based on your grades last year, but two new transfer students took your place in the class because of having higher grades than you. But since then a few students have transferred out of school, so you're back into the upper class." The teacher explained to him.
"What about me?" Seung Rye asked.
"Your manager requested it."
"What about me?" The girl asked.
"Your parents requested it, Laina." He referred to Juhi's neighbour.
"That sounds a little bit ridiculous, don't you think? No offence to my friend and classmate here, but that's a bit too easy to get into a higher class." Eun Sun questioned the fairness.
"You're thinking correctly, but what else can the headmaster do when rich and upper-class parents paid him money to get their kids to a better class and they'll report him if he didn't?"
Then all of them stayed silent.
"You'll be moving next week, Linh Juhi will tell you about the topics that they have gone through so that you can read it before the class." The teacher instructed them and his tone became warmer, "You can go back to class now."
"What's up with that?" Seung Rye said to Eun Sun, then accidentally bumped into Laina because he didn't watch where he was walking, "Sorry girl."
"Oh, it's okay." She said it like it was a rap, trying to look him in the eye boldly.
✃- - - - - - - - - - -
"I'm so excited to ring his alarm!"
"When is he coming to the cafeteria?"
"My heart is beating so fast, what if he likes me back?"
Juhi just realises that she was eavesdropping a group of girls' conversation. She received a nudge from Tara to eat the cookie she gave her.
She finished off the small cookie in one bite. "Oh my god, Juhi Juhi Juhi." Tara nudges her repeatedly.
"What?" She prolonged her word, "Look there." Tana said, slighting pointing to a direction.
Juhi looked to see a bony and lean boy walking into the cafeteria with a couple of friends. Tara expected her to hide under the table, but instead, she just widened her eyes and blinked.
"What is he doing here?" She was talking to Tara, but her eyes were still looking at him, "I thought he wants to transfer school?"
"Who cares about that now? Juhi, your horrible ex-boyfriend is back at school." Tara is quite surprised at her reaction.
"Kim Jung An is horrible, all right. But I don't want to be afraid of him anymore." She was still staring at him.
Jung An scanned around the room and spot Juhi too, suddenly looking wryly, which made Juhi angrier than she already was at him.
"Linh Juhi?"
Juhi broke her menacing eye contact with Jung An and looked up to see Eun Sun. He was surprisingly tall, Eun Sun bent down a little so that Juhi won't have a sore neck.
"Seung Rye and I will be moving to your class and the teacher said you'll give us our timetables and show us topics that the class have done?"
"Oh, yeah I've been told." She shifts her attention to Eun Su, "I'll give you a list when I get back to class. Take it from me after recess."
"No problem." Just as he replied, he saw a piece of lavender lemon cake uneaten in front of Juhi, remembering the old lady muttering the name 'Juhi' when ordering the same cake, he realised it was her daughter is her.
He felt a presence behind him as he turned around.
"Get out of the way." Jung An said, but Eun Sun just stood there dully. He looked back at Juhi, "You know him?" he asked Juhi and she nodded hesitantly.
Eun Sun was unsure of what to do, he could tell that Juhi is not on good terms with him, but there's no reason to protect her. After all, he barely knew her and her relationship with this guy.
"You're gonna be fine?" He tried to ask casually.
"You can leave, thanks," Juhi said softly, but gratefully so that Jung An can't hear it.
Eun Sun left Juhi to sit back with Seung Rye, who was originally bombarded with love alarms, had just silent his phone. "So what's up with her and that stupid-looking dude?"
"I'm not sure..." Eun Sun replied, looking at Jung An sitting next to her and her appearing to be uncomfortable, "something we don't need to butt in, I suppose."
"Why do we have to ask for her to help? Do you know her? I saw her a couple of times with that girl." He pointed at Tara briefly.
"Hhmm," He thought hard, he doesn't remember anything he did in school involving her, but he could've sworn he has seen her around him before many times. "Oh, her and I were in the same classes from the start of high school to last year." He snapped his fingers.
"I see." He merely said and that made Eun Sun give him a glare. Seung Rye doesn't usually let something like him talking about any girl slide, so Eun Sun happily ignored him.