II : LETTER

After I bumped into the guy earlier, I ran into my brother who was sweating. He must be running from someone.

He then quickly pulled me into an empty room and made me shush. We then peeked through the door and saw a bunch of girls running and calling for his name.

So, that's why we were running so fast. He was running away from them; the day hasn't even gone by, and yet he has already caused chaos.

When he saw them running from the opposite direction, he sighed in relief while looking at me in confusion.

"What's with that face?" I asked, but then added, "You know what, you don't have to answer to that. Anyways, someone wanted to give you this. They gave it to me earlier when they were calling your name but you didn't hear them."

"You keep it, I don't want to be part of who ever gave you that letter," He said while peeking through the door once again before opening it. As he added, "Also, stop being a cupid for everyone you know that it will only hurt you like last time you became one," he left.

I rolled my eyes while crossing my arms. Tsk, why would I keep it if this isn't for me? We might as well read what it says, but let's go someplace where there's no crowd.

How about the garden? Yeah, let's go there. Then let's sit by the swing for more emotion.

Hopefully, no one will see me here.

N: Before she read the letter, she looked left and right to see if anyone was watching her. When the coast was clear, she then opened the letter.

To: Junji

I hope you'll appreciate this letter that I've written for you because you have no idea how much I've been saving up the courage to hand this letter to you.

Whenever I tried to hand it to you, I always shook in fear and ran away without handing it to you, but this time it will all change.

Because of the past year of having to keep these feelings at bay, I know thatI should make my move and not walk away like I always did.

You have no idea how much you've changed me whenever you encourage me to stand up for myself and to face my fear. You are really the best senior that I've encountered.

You were always so smart yet so dumb when it came to love; why can't you see that there is someone like me trying to get your attention, and yet you can't see that I am also right here with you, just appreciating the beauty that you have from afar?

We're so close yet so far at times that you'll only see him as a friend and not a lover that you'll end up with.

From: E♡

"So, he's friends with my brother?" I asked to myself while adding, "Then why didn't he give it to him personally if he's friends with my brother?"

"Because I was afraid that letter would change how he sees me and we wouldn't go back to how we used to treat each other, that's why I gave you the letter instead." I suddenly jumped when someone talked over my shoulder.

"Kamchagiya!" I yelled while holding the sorry. I then realized that it was E who talked over my shoulders.

"Sorry if I scared you there." He slightly laughed as he apologized.

"I'm sorry also for reading your letter. I should've given it to my brother, though I already tried to give it to him, but he said to keep it instead." I apologize while explaining to him.

I could clearly see the worry in his eyes as he talked. I looked into his eyes trying to comprehend what he was feeling.

He continued, "He won't even look at me, let alone read the letter that I wrote for him. I know he won't but I still want to try and reach out to him. It's fine, even if you tried he won't read it anyways. But, thanks for trying and besides you don't have to say sorry" He said in a relax voice as he sat besides me by the swing.

I gave him a hug, telling him not to worry too much.

He looked up towards the sky, "You know, I just wish he could understand how much I care about him"

"I know you do, and one day he will" I said trying to reassure him.

He smiled, giving me a hug. We sat there for a while, talking about everything, until the sun sets.

He looked at me with a sparkle of optimism in his eyes, "Thanks for being here."

"You don't have to thank me, I'm here for you" I said with a warm smile.

He smiled back, nodding his head in agreement before getting up to go.

"See you tomorrow" He said as he waved goodbye.

"See you" I said, waving back.

As I watched him walked away, I prayed that one day he will be able to find the courage to reach out to the person he loves.

It had been a while since E had made it known that he had strong feelings for my brother, and even though I had been hesitant at first, I had since grown to accept the blossoming relationship.

My brother, on the other hand, seemed to be completely oblivious to E's affections. He seemed determined to be in denial of them and I found myself hoping that one day he'd open his eyes and see the same way I had.

E was a gentle soul; he was kind, caring and thoughtful, and he had my brother's best interests at heart. He had been a great friend to him for a long time and I was sure that if my brother could only see how much E loved him, it would make all the difference.

I wasn't sure how my brother and E's relationship would turn out in the end, but I had faith that it would eventually work its way out. I just wanted my brother to be happy, and if it made him happy to be with E, then I could support that.

I may not be able to get my brother to see things the way I did, but I could be there to pick up the pieces if it didn't work out. I didn't want either of them to get hurt, so I'd just have to have faith that it would all work out for the best.

"Maybe it's better to leave their romance be and let it run its course," I said to myself, a hint of longing in my voice. As I turned to head back to class, I couldn't help but wish for a love story of my own, instead of just watching others from the sidelines.

Oh, how I yearned for the experiences I could only write about in the characters of my stories. They were nothing more than ink on paper, their emotions carefully crafted to perfection. But what I longed for was the rawness of living it myself, to feel the thrill and heartache of love, to experience the ups and downs that breathes life into a story.

Yet, here I was, confined to the pages in front of me, forever wishing for my own tale to unfold. Perhaps one day, a whisper of hope whispered, my words would come alive and transform into a reality. Until then, I would continue to fantasize about the romances I created, and dream of a time when my own heart would beat with the intensity I so often wrote about.

I sighed as I daydreamed about him one last time, imagining him right beside me by the swing, touching his face, and asking, "Why aren't you real?" I turned to face him and felt a mix of confusion and excitement.

As he responded, "Are you sure I'm not real, Ally?" Julius smiled at me, and I couldn't help but scream, both surprised and relieved that he indeed seemed real. I pinched his face to make sure, and he was tangible. Embarrassment washed over me, and I quickly turned around, covering my face.

Julius gently turned me around, concern in his voice as he asked, "Why are you here all alone?"

I managed to gather my thoughts and replied, "I was just reading this letter that I was going to give my brother, but he said I could keep it. So, I kept it and read it here, where no one could find me. But before anything else, I was just trying to help a friend of mine, a woman I want to see happy."

"I know you do, but sometimes it's better to let things happen naturally. You can't force love; it either happens or it doesn't. And besides, you have me. You don't need to worry about anyone else's relationship." Julius wrapped his arms around me, and I leaned into him, feeling grateful for his understanding.

"Hold on, hold on," I interrupted. "You're right. But did I hear this right? Are we in a relationship that I don't know about?" Confusion filled my voice.

"Why, don't you want to be in one?" Julius raised an eyebrow, looking genuinely interested.

"Well, I do, but I thought you never liked me. Did you know that I've had a crush on you for months now?" I asked, still struggling to process everything.

"Who said I never liked you, Ally? I've been crushing on you since the day we entered college," he replied, hugging me tightly.

"Really?" I asked, my heart racing. "I've never guessed that you liked me too, but I'm so glad I found out this way." I hugged him back. "Also, I'll try to be less involved in other people's love lives and focus on our own."

"Good," he said, gently kissing the top of my head. "Because I don't want to share you with anyone else."

We both smiled and continued embracing each other. I thanked the universe for making my wish come true, even though he wasn't fictional. I was still grateful that he was real.

"What's real, Ms. Ally?" Professor Joy interrupted my thoughts, smacking her ruler on my desk.

I suddenly woke up, looking around in confusion. It was all just a dream?

"Instead of sleeping in my class, Ms. Ally, why don't you answer what's on the board? Quickly stand up," Professor Joy commanded in a strict voice.

"I'm sorry, ma'am, I don't know the answer," I said while lowering my voice.

She smacked her ruler onto my desk, making me scared as she crossed her arms and said, "Such a nonsense answer, remain standing until class is over."

I remained standing until the class ended while she kept asking the class the same question over and over again until someone got the correct answer.

"Mr. Julius, can you give me the answer since none of the class knows," she said while pointing the ruler at Julius.

Julius gulped before answering her, "Jigeum mwohaseyo?" means "What are you doing?" in English. If we are going to use it in a proper sentence like "Jigeum ilhago isseoyo," it means "I'm working now" or "Jeonhwa hago isseoyo," it means "I'm on the phone." That is all, ma'am," Julius answered with confidence.

That's why I like this guy; he's so smart and eye-catching, especially when he talks.

"Very good, Mr. Julius. Were you able to catch what Mr. Julius answered, class?" She asked while raising her eyebrow at us.

Everyone nodded in response. She then stood up and said, "Very well, next meeting I expect each and every one of you to learn and speak Korean in front of the class. I'll be calling you one by one. Class dismissed," she added, then left.

After she left the room, everyone also left for lunch. Phil invited me to eat lunch with him, but I said I'd eat a little later. He then nodded and left.

After Phil left, It was just me and Julius, the only ones left in the room.

Even though Julius and I are friends, we don't usually talk that much if it's just us.

Well, time to kill this silence and sleep. I wasn't hungry anyway. As I was sleeping, I felt a heaving breath beside me.

I opened my eyes and saw Julius leaning against me while facing my face.

I tried to move slowly and steadily without waking him up, but he suddenly opened his eyes while smiling at me as he whispered, "So, is this real enough for you to not have a dream about me?" He slightly laughed.

Startled by Julius's sudden proximity and his amusing remark, I couldn't help but let out an involuntary chuckle.

"Oh, Julius," I replied, matching his playful tone. "If this were a dream, I would have conjured up something far more exciting than you smothering me in my sleep."

He grinned mischievously, his eyes dancing with an apparent satisfaction of catching me off guard. "Well, who knows what dreams may come in the future?" he teased, his voice barely above a whisper.

I rolled my eyes playfully. "Please, Julius. My dreamland is too wild to be corrupted by your antics."

He mockingly put his hand over his heart. "Ouch! I never knew my presence was deemed unworthy of your fantastical adventures."

I couldn't hide my smile any longer. Julius had a way of effortlessly breaking through the silence and making me feel at ease. "Believe me, Julius, your presence is definitely noteworthy," I replied with a twinkle in my eye.

He leaned back, still maintaining his smile. "Well, I'll take that as a compliment, my dear friend. But for now, let's conquer our waking reality before we start dreaming up new worlds, shall we?"

I nodded and stretched, energized by the sudden burst of laughter and banter. The silence between us had transformed into a vibrant connection, reminding me of why our friendship was so special.

As we prepared to leave the room together, I couldn't help but think that sometimes the best moments aren't scripted in our dreams but rather created through unexpected, witty encounters with the people we hold dear.

Thanks for reading this far, I hoped you liked chapter II. Now, stay tuned for chapter III.