[Ongoing] [Tubato Beomgyu's Bingeul] Clear Boy Episode 3

06.

I wanted to go to the school I hated so much, so I stomped my feet all night. What should I talk about when we meet tomorrow? Hello? You’re so ordinary. Aren’t you beautiful? This is like a stalker. Have you heard a lot of stories? What if I ask who told you? Are you really pretty? Crazy. You’re so crazy. No matter how much I thought about what to say as my first greeting, there was no answer. In the end, after thinking for a long time, I decided to do something spontaneous tomorrow. And then I overslept. It was because I slept too late. I couldn’t even put on my school uniform properly and ran out of breath. I ran until my throat tasted blood, but I ended up being late. I even got a penalty point. It was a really uneasy start. As soon as I entered the classroom, I collapsed on my desk. My heart was pounding because I ran too much.

""Choi Beomgyu, what's wrong?""

"I overslept and was late."

"You came running?"

"Ugh... I'm dying."

My classmate smiled and handed me water. I thanked her and drank the water. My dazed mind seemed to be coming to my senses a little. Yeah, I need to come to my senses today. I’ll go to the second-grade classroom during break time. I wonder if I can meet her. I rested my chin on my hand and thought quietly. My hands and feet kept trembling because I wanted to meet her soon. As if my expectations were shattered, Yoon Ah-reum was nowhere to be seen. I’ve been to and from the first-grade classroom dozens of times, but I’ve never seen a head that looks similar. A round head with brown hair. I should know right away. Did I look at the name tag wrong? No matter how I looked at it, it was our school’s name tag. I touched the name tag I had picked up yesterday again. I was just rubbing the three letters of my name, but I felt vaguely nostalgic for no reason.

I tried going down during lunch time, but as expected, I failed. School was already approaching its closing time. Let’s go down for the last time. Really, really the last time. If there’s no more… what should I do? Will there be a tomorrow? I barely made it down one floor when all sorts of thoughts crossed my mind. What kind of fate is that? I almost fell down the stairs. My sprained ankle was throbbing. Oh, it’s all different. The second-year students were also noisy as they prepared to leave school. I tried to wander my round head through the crowd, but I failed again. Where did he hide? It’s not even raining today. I grumbled to myself. Just then, the bell rang. I should just come back tomorrow. I took heavy steps that wouldn’t go down. The moment I turned the corner to go up the stairs,

"ah...""

""ah."

I bumped into someone. Both I and the other person lost our balance and fell over due to the sudden collision. The ankle I had sprained earlier started to hurt again. My brow furrowed slightly. My luck today was really... ok. Who am I to blame? It was my fault for bumping into someone. There were textbooks, notebooks, and writing instruments rolling around on the floor. The other person had dropped them when he fell. I quickly got up and picked them up. The other person also got up and picked them up without saying a word. Unlike my textbook, which was tattered, the other person's textbook wasn't dusty at all. Wow, it was really neatly written. Not a single page was wrinkled, and it was crisp. The writing instruments were also clean without a single scratch. It seemed like I could tell a person's personality without having to look at them. As I was picking up the notebook, I happened to find a name written on it. The handwriting was neat and tidy. And the name written in that handwriting.

""..Yoon A-reum?""

It was Yoon Areum. Surprised by her name being called out of nowhere, Yoon Areum turned her gaze toward me. Our eyes met. They were big, pretty eyes. My whole body tingled.

""That's true.""

""..Do you know me?""

Oh my. My true feelings came out without me knowing. I didn’t expect this kind of first meeting. I tried to think of something to say, but my mind was blank. My eyes just rolled. Yoon Areum stared at me indifferently and soon started picking things up again.

"...I'll pick it up. Sorry for bumping into you."

"No, it's okay."

"But you fell because of me."

"Don't worry about it."

As he said that, he took the bag I was holding. It was only for a moment, but our hands brushed against each other. The part where we brushed against each other tickled incredibly. My stomach churned for no reason. Even I couldn't understand why.

"I'm sorry too."

""No. You don't have to feel sorry...”

""You have nothing more to say?""

""huh?""

""I'm going to go now.""

There was a problem. Yoon Areum was incredibly stubborn. She hadn’t even looked at me properly since our first eye contact. Her indifferent eyes and indifferent expression. I wondered if she was the same person I saw yesterday. Yoon Areum gave a brief greeting and leisurely walked past me. Should I grab her and say something? But what should I say? Her actions were faster than I thought. Before I knew it, I grabbed Yoon Areum’s wrist as she passed by. I could feel her warm body heat. Yoon Areum’s eyes widened in surprise at being suddenly grabbed. Like a squirrel. She was just as pretty as yesterday. And yet.

""excuse me.""

"".....""

""I'm Choi Beom-gyu.""

That was all he could say after holding on. A statement. He wanted to bite his tongue and die from being sold out. Crazy Choi Beom-gyu. Being ambitious was just a name. Yoon A-reum looked at me with eyes that said, "What should I do?" But I couldn't let go of the wrist I was holding.

"That's it, that's it."

"".....""

""...Remember my name.""

""yes?""

"Choi Beom-gyu. My name. Please remember it."

""..why?""

There was no wavering in the voice asking. What should I say this time? Cold sweat dripped down the large eyes looking at me. What is that big and clear? I had a gut feeling that if I answered wrongly, it would be the end of the beginning and everything. However, there was no other way. I had no choice but to just shout.

"I want to become close with you."

"".....""

"I've known you for a long time."

"".....""

“I wanted to become close with you, so I told you my name, uh...”

"".....""

"It may be strange, but I'm serious. So I hope you remember."

It must have been an amazing first meeting. I was also amazed. I had never been nervous when dating someone. I had never been nervous. Now, I was so nervous that my back was soaked with sweat. There was a moment of silence between me and Yoon Areum. I swallowed hard. After a long silence, Yoon Areum took my hand off my wrist. And then she said.

"I don't want to be close to you."

""uh?""

"I don't want to be friends with you."

"".....""

"Don't waste your energy on useless things."

I'm sorry I bumped into you. Thank you for picking me up. That's it. This time, I really couldn't catch you. It was a gentle rejection. It had been a long time since I'd seen you, but I couldn't go up to the classroom. I froze in place. I was being kicked. Before I could even start. My head rolled slowly. When I finally figured out the situation, unexpectedly, I laughed rather than cried. I held my stomach and laughed. Just like when I broke my arm imitating Superman.

""It really hits the mark.""

After hearing the story, instead of hating it, I liked it even more. My body, which had been tense, relaxed and my mood became relaxed. She was so incredibly cute. If you asked me what was cute about her, it would be hard to answer. She was just cute. The way she opened her eyes wide and spoke clearly. Yoon Ah Reum said no, but I was sure that she would never forget my name. It’s not easy to forget someone who suddenly asks you to remember your name. Maybe it was a good thing. If I was going to give up so easily, I wouldn’t have searched for her all day. My heart was pounding. I was so optimistic after being rejected. But it didn’t matter.

Destiny is always sudden. It suddenly appears at an unexpected moment, at an unexpected time, and turns everyday life upside down. I knew that all too well. And how fate, which comes like that, can turn life upside down. I made a promise as I walked up to the classroom. I would become Yoon Areum’s sudden destiny. I would become someone who could turn life upside down. I would make her laugh. Every time I walked, Yoon Areum’s name tag rang in my pocket. Even that was good.

The sky was clear without a single cloud. It was a new beginning.

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