☀     EVERYTHING HAS ALWAYS revolved around our sun. But it can be nice, to revolve around the sun, think. How bright, warm, comforting its sunlight is. I glanced down at my phone, whimpering quietly at the sight - still twenty-three minutes left. I could only nervously jitter my leg, energetic like charged molecules.

I observed the airport I was seated in, how the short hour hand of a nearby clock ticked slowly, tracking each second. More obviously, much slower than light would travel. Watching how students at Freizer waited expectantly, for the sun to arrive and shine bright. I could feel how my head tilted its axis in confusion when a classmate came and sat next to me. Nobody sits next to me...

"Hey," She beamed a smile, but it didn't touch the brightness of Sunhi's. "Remember me?"

I scratched at the back of my neck for a few seconds, exploring my brain for her name. No, "Yeah?"

Her face brightened even more which triggered mine to darken in guilt, but I didn't retract the lie no matter how much worse it made me feel - better me than her. "Wanna be seat buddies? On the bus, I mean."

I wanted to sit with Sunhi but- who am I kidding? "Yeah, sure. Sounds nice." She has better planets- people to surround herself with and she does, so why would she wanna sit with me now? My new seat-buddy fist-pumped the air, hissing a small, "Yes!"

But how will I figure out her name, without her finding out... I ruffled my hair, shaking my head and the nagging thought - they'll probably just say it during roll call. It was uncomfortable, the silence between us, cold like Uranus. "Hey, so... tell me about yourself."

She grinned at me, just ask someone to talk about themself - they all love to do it. "Well, I have three other siblings and but I'm the youngest. My older brother always- hey! Are you listening?"

My attention had drifted unintentionally, our sun had arrived and she sparkled prettily as always. "Sunhi!" Plenty of her friends called, gravitating to her. Hearing a low grumble to my left, I turned to look at my seat-buddy.

Her eyes squinted at Sunhi, in a way that one would watch an annoying fly they couldn't swat buzz around. "Stupid... Sunhi... always... Dae... attention." Was all I could filter through the low noises.

My eyebrow quirked and I pursed my lips, "What's wrong?"

"Mh?" She hummed in question without glancing in my direction until her face transferred into one of shock as if remembering her surroundings. "Noth-thing."

Sunhi spun around on her axis, searching through the starry-eyed cluster of students surrounding her but then her eyes landed on mine. Parting through the asteroid belt of others, she waved at me eagerly. "Dae, Dae!"

I was frozen within my spot, wh- she's coming over here? "Dae." Hearing her voice lower her voice as she comes closer, my seat buddy backs away.

"Geurae?" I stammer.

Sunhi pauses for a second, eyes flickering to the female by my side. She stares in thought for a few moments before making a noise of conclusion, "Wanna be my tour guide?"

My left eyebrow twitches, a habit of confusion. "Huh?"

"Like- you were born in Korea, sooo... show me around maybe?" Sunhi laughed sheepishly, actually laughed - and it was enough to brighten my day. In fact, there wasn't a day without the sun.

How do I tell her? This could be my cha- "He wasn't born in Seoul, remember?" My seat-buddy informed sourly. Sunhi looks taken aback, embarrassed, and out of place. And trust me when I say, it doesn't match her.

Without thinking and jumping at the sign of opportunity, I rush my words out quickly. "Geurae!"

My seat-buddy pivoted toward me, "But I'm already your seat buddy!" Ah, I double-booked, I realized.

Who should I decline? But I already told he- "Chandni, right?"

My seat buddy, who Sunhi called Chandni, turned toward Sunhi reluctantly, "Yeah, and?"

"I know you don't like me but I can find someone else to be my seat buddy if you guys already arranged something..." My stomach clenched in anxiety at the thought, nononono.

"Yeah," Chandni grumbled snarkily. "You do that... like the little people-pleaser you are."

I glanced at her, expression surely screwed-up. "What's your problem with her?"

Chandni looked at me, zoned out for a few seconds until my question clicked - flushed look coming along with it. "No, uh- nothing." I frowned, that's not an answer...

"I don't think I'd enjoy my time with you, who doesn't seem to accommodate people at all." Turning back to Sunhi, I gave a smile, complete contrast to how I treated Chandni. "Instead of being a tour guide, how about we both learn together?"

"Wait," Chandni grasped at my bicep, tugging on me lightly but just enough to catch my attention. "I didn't mean to say that, can you still be my seat buddy?" You have to understand, I wasn't like Sunhi, I didn't have all the attributes that made her such a person-magnet. It was also why she didn't like me the same way I liked her; I wasn't as kind, merciful, and forgiving.

"No," I gently pulled away from her grip. "I'll see you around." See? I felt guilty as she stayed rooted in her spot, watching me walk away. Sunhi stood back too, maybe she was doing damage control. Cleaning up the mess I made after hurting Chandni's feelings, she always picked up after others like that - apologizing on their behalf and putting in a good word.

But despite the lack of patience and mercy I showed, Sunhi still caught up to me a few moments later. No matter if she was a little out of breath and panting, she placed a gentle hand on my shoulder. "Thanks," And just like that... just like that, I felt my guilt melt away with her beaming rays, and a smile fuse onto my lips.

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geurae ☀ yes, yup, okay

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