Waffle

'Goin to class early. c u.' Byeol texted Ha-Eun. She looked down at her phone as it vibrated violently, being notified of Byeol's message. She was sitting on a bench in the middle of a busy subway station, people walking by in school uniforms and suits, all looking down at their phone.

"No, not yet. I'll pay you back by tomorrow." A familiar voice sat next to Ha-Eun. He was speaking on the phone.

Ha-Eun looked to her left and it was Jaeneung, eating a waffle in one hand and holding his phone in the other. He was talking while bits of waffles flew out of his mouth.

"Fine, I'll give it to you by today. Bye." He bitterly turned the phone off and placed it into his pocket. He took another bite of his waffle and crossed his leg. Ha-Eun couldn't help but just look at him. Her eyes were fixated on him, hundreds of people walking by but all she could look at was him.

"Who's that?" Jaeneung looked to his right. "Are you staring at me?" He picked up his stick, pointing it at Ha-Eun. "That's creepy." He said as he hit his chest, forcibly swallowing the lump of food in his mouth.

"It was me, Ha-Eun. The girl who sits next to you." Ha-Eun said awkwardly as she pushed away his stick.

"Oh! Ha-Eun! Why didn't you say so?" Jaeneung seemed way more at peace, he put his stick down and took another bite from his waffle. "When's the next train coming?"

"In 5 minutes." She looked down at her lap awkwardly, tapping her finger.

"That's great." Jaeneung took another bite from his waffle.

"So-" The two of them turned to each other and said in unison. "Oh, you go first." Jaeneung said.

Ha-Eun smiled. "You left your shoe bag at school yesterday."

"Was that where I left it?" Jaeneung touched his feet, he was wearing bright orange shoes but he couldn't tell. "What color are these shoes?" Jaeneung smiled awkwardly at Ha-Eun.

"Orange. Vibrant orange." Ha-Eun smiled awkwardly.

"Shit." Jaeneung placed his waffle on the seat and leaned forward, pulling his shoe laces. "That old hag, she lied to me! She said these were white." Jaeneung was talking about Jessica.

"Well, I have you shoes here." Ha-Eun placed Jaeneung's shoes into Jaeneung's lap. "I found them next to your desk."

Jaeneung stops untying his shoelaces. He simply looks up at Ha-Eun. "What." He looks at her with a disgusted face. "Why do you have my shoes?" He touched his lap, picking up the two shoes. He touches the front part of the left shoe, there was a hole. "These are my shoes."

Ha-Eun gave him an awkward thumbs-up, even though Jaeneung couldn't see her. "I washed them."

"That's creepy!" Jaeneung said in a high pitched voice.

"Well, they had holes and dust and gunk in all the crevices! I didn't know!" Ha-Eun said, panicking.

Jaeneung looked at Ha-Eun, he knew she was uncomfortable. "It's okay." Jaeneung turned his head back down, untying his shoe laces. "Just don't steal my shoes and bring them back to your home and clean them ever again." He put on his shoes.

"I promise, I won't." Ha-Eun crossed her fingers. The two of them just looked around awkwardly. "What was it you wanted to talk to me about earlier?"

"Oh, yeah." Jaeneung put on both shoes and placed the bright orange shoes back into the shoe bag. "What club are you going to?" Jaeneung asks Ha-Eun.

"What club?" Ha-Eun looks down at her own hands. Her own voice echoed through her mind as she recalled what happened yesterday. "I don't know." She hesitated to answer.

"Well, if you wanted to, you could join the art club. It's low on members and we need some bright people." Jaeneung stomped on his foot, securing his foot into his shoe. "It'll be fun, I promise."

"Are you in the art club?" Ha-Eun asks Jaeneung.

"Well, I think I am. Atleast he said I was in it." Jaeneung raised a finger to his chin, pondering. "I'm probably in it." He shrugged his shoulders.

"Well, no other club really interests me, so maybe I'll join the art club." Ha-Eun looks around, everyone had gone. She looks down at her watch, it had been 5 minutes.

"Do you happen to know when the trains are coming?" Jaeneung was sitting comfortably with his feet crossed and his arms around the back of the bench.

"Yeah." Ha-Eun sounded disappointed. "About 20 seconds ago."

xxxxx

"Faster!" Jaeneung ran through the streets, running past cars and people walking around. Behind him was Ha-Eun, trailing behind him.

"What the hell is wrong with him?" Jaeneung took a sharp right turn by pivoting his feet but it took Ha-Eun a full two seconds to register that Jaeneung was going to the right. "He's so fast!" Ha-Eun was running out of breath. The two of them found themselves at a red light. Jaeneung stopped abruptly but Ha-Eun couldn't stop herself in time.

"Hey!" Jaeneung grabbed Ha-Eun's hand, stopping her from falling into the oncoming traffic.

"Woah!" She nearly face planted into the cement road. Jaeneung held onto Ha-Eun's hand, not letting her go.

"You okay?" Jaeneung pulled Ha-Eun up with just one hand. "You nearly died!" He laughed.

"Yeah." Ha-Eun was amazed at how Jaeneung could pull her entire body weight up with just one arm. She creepily poked Jaeneung's arm.

"What are you doing?" Jaeneung could feel a long fingernail poking him in the arm.

"It's squishy." Ha-Eun poked around Jaeneung's biceps, checking his arms.

"What's the time?" Jaeneung asks Ha-Eun for the time.

"It's 6:58." Ha-Eun looked down at her watch. "We've got two minutes." She looks over the oncoming cars and sees the school. "I don't think we're going to make it."

"Why won't we?" Jaeneung grabs onto Ha-Eun's hand. "Two minutes is plenty of time."

"Huh?" Ha-Eun looks at Jaeneung with a worrying look. "NO-!"

Jaeneung grabbed Ha-Eun's hand, running straight into the oncoming traffic. "Trust me!"