A week passed. 

On one of the days, a classmate’s friend came to the class, straight to my desk.

“Wow, you look very western-like.”

I was not sure what it meant, so I just thanked him. He got told off by Jin-woo after, though.

“If you bastards have nothing good to say, get lost!”

Ki-sung, another classmate, gasped and covered my ears. I froze and blinked nervously. Nam-il is also there, chuckling his head out. They are funny. I never got this many friends around me before.

“Are you guys bullying Lukas?”

I know that voice. In the spaces between the boys, I seek the owner. In-ho stood near the circle. He is about to go somewhere. There are  two exercise books and stationaries in his right hold.

“No. I’m protecting him, sir.” Jin-woo firmly stated, in honorifics, as if talking to a commander in the army.

“Don’t worry, sir!” Nam-il held out a salutation.

In-ho glared at Jin-woo before leaving.

Ki-sung and Nam-il dropped down laughing. Jin-woo rolled his eyes.

“He really knows who is the bad influence!” 

“No one is safe from ‘half-machine’ In-ho!”

“That was funny!”

I smiled. Did I get the jokes? Maybe. I’m trying my best to.

Ki-sung is the tallest out of the three. He is the only one in the class that can joke with the teachers. After In-ho, many kids came to him to ask questions. Only recently did I find out that he is the class president. 

Nam-il is 1.66m. How did I know? He mentioned it every time he makes a comment on someone’s height. He is funny but he talks a lot, and very fast too. I will either smile or nod at his words, not getting most of it.

Jin-woo is popular, they said. According to Ki-sung, his middle school friend, he became skillful at warding people off after years of experience in rejecting girls. Ki-sung however, got beaten by Jin-woo for telling me about it.

Even so, I can tell they are all comparably popular. They have people turning heads in the hallway, all the way to the cafeteria. Bonus points if they are laughing hysterically at each others' jokes. With me in the middle of them, I feel like burying myself. 

“Don’t you think everyone is looking at us more because of Lukas?” Nam-il commented, looking around the cafeteria. Ki-sung nodded in approval.

“Of course, he is an attention-grabber. He is born to be a star.”

A star doesn’t sound good to me. I want to blend in and go unnoticed from the others, like grass probably.

When In-ho joined in, my alertness spiked up. I tried extra hard to listen and understand him. I also responded to him more than with the others. They probably noticed my difference in attitude towards In-ho.

“We lost to the ‘half-machine’, guys.”

“He is Lukas’ favourite.”

“Who?” The topic picked In-ho's interest. "It's nothing." I answered fast. The trio looked at each other. 

"Ooooh..Is there something going on here?" 

In-ho frowned. "What?" 

I panicked. "Nothing! We.. are just messing around." 

###

"Hey."

Kang In-ho glances to his left. A tall, neat-looking boy walks by and sits in front of him. The library was empty after school that day. There are only two of them.

"Where are your books? You said you want to study together."

"I forgot them." He responded with a smile— one that almost seems like a mockery.

"Hey, Dohan…Be serious, will you?"

"There isn't any difference if I bring books or not. You're still going to study, aren't you? Dr. Kang." The boy called 'Dohan' giggled. 

"You have to study too…President Do." Kang In-ho directed his attention back to his books. If he had to admit, the boy did annoy him. Though, he is used to it. He already put up with him for 10 years, after all.