Chapter: 1

back in 2016...

"Again?!" The teacher's voice echoed in the classroom, making Nari and the other three students startled.

"Huff!" He kept his hands on his waist.

"Nari-ah, this is enough. I can't cover up every time you beat people around." Nari lowered her head as she kept listening to her homeroom teacher.

"You are an excellent student and so I will help you. But you are aware of this too. Once things get out of my hands, you can be suspended. Do you know how much it will affect your report card?!" 

Nari quickly nodded. 

"Listen carefully, if you want to go to your dream college, you need to change this behaviour of yours. I can't back you up everywhere. I won't be there, so don't do this, please." 

Nari looked up from under her lashes and her eyes went out of the door for a second. For a glimpse, she saw a guy passing by. Her eyes lingered on him because he was looking at her. As he passed by, he smiled as if teasing her. Nari glared at him, but before she could swallow her anger, her teacher yelled again.

"Are you even listening?!" 

Nari looked up at her teacher. Her homeroom teacher was very kind. He backed up Nari every time she beat the guys of her school because of her anger. Nari respected her teacher, and she loved how every time he made her name clear out of all the stories. But this time, he was of no help to her. Nari understood why. This time, the boy whom Nari had beaten came up with his friend as his witness. A witness, she suspected, was fake. Nari knew this time it wouldn't be easy. She did not hurt the boy much except his lips were bleeding and his nose too. 

'Many had experienced worse than this but he created a fuss over nothing.' Thought Nari, but there was nothing she could do this time.

"Go apologise to him. That is the only way to resolve it. You all are young, just an apology is nothing." Said the teacher.

"But sir-"

"No!" He interrupted her.

"Just go, please. Because of you, I have had wrinkles now." 

"Tch!" she slightly exclaimed and moved outside.

"Apologise naturally!" He commanded from behind.

"Yes!" she replied with her face showing the least interest in apologising.

She sighed as she lazily walked out of the building to go to her class, in another building standing right opposite to her right now. She was in no mood to apologise to anyone, ever. Walking slowly towards her class, she was called out.

"Ahn Nari!" 

She looked up and found the boy she had beaten this time standing in front of her, Kim Eunji. A disgusting smile on his face. His one eye had a blue mark, and the nose was stuffed with cotton. Band aids covered his upper lip and he still dared to talk to her. She rolled her eyes in tiredness. Ignoring him, she lowered her head and walked again. As she walked past him, he commented again.

"I will make sure you get suspended." 

Nari stopped and looked at him from the corner of her eyes. He was laughing at her misery.

"YAH!!" she yelled and was about to punch him again when a guy held her hand.

"Yah, are you crazy?" He added.

Nari was fuming in anger. She glared at Eunji. The boy who stopped her jerked her hand down, grabbing her attention. She looked at him and her eyes widened.

"You-" She stopped. He was the guy who teased her with a smile when she was being scolded by the teacher. 

"Why?!" He yelled with a slight rise in his voice.

She glared at him; he glared back at her, but- his eyes had that warmth and a little tint of mischief she cannot unsee. Blowing her bangs off, she turned away from them and went inside the building. As she went away, the guy looked at her retreating and scoffed.

"Yah Park Ye Jun, why are you laughing?" Eunji asked.

Ye Jun shook his head and just mumbled, "Nothing."

"Just, she is interesting." He mumbled further.

~~~~~

Nari went inside her class stomping her feet, 

"Nari-yah, are you alright? What did the homeroom teacher say?" A friend of hers asked.

"Tch!" She fell in her seat and pouted.

"He says I have to apologise." 

Her friend looked at her, unsure how to react. Nari and apologies were never good friends. She knew Nari would never apologise.

"And so?..." she asked as she sat on the seat beside Nari.

Nari looked at her lazily.

"Huff." 

"I don't know." She rested her head on the desk and closed her eyes. 

"Park Ye Jun, Kim Eunji." She muttered, gritting her teeth.

~~~~~

Present, 2021...

Now that she thought about those high school days, she felt nothing. No emotions were left to express. Park Ye Jun was missing. She had no information about him. What does he do, how is he? She knew nothing. Thinking about him felt the same as thinking about a stranger. 

She sighed as she closed her laptop. Wherever she sat, whatever she did, the whole day, even for once, Park Ye Jun would cross her mind. What he might be doing right now? The question pops up too. She wondered if he looked the same or changed a bit. But in all those questions and thoughts, one thing remained the same, the hatred she carried for him in her heart. 

"Park Ye Jun, I hate you, really!" She mumbled again as she looked in front of her.