I checked my watch.
8:10 am.
I sighed. Of course, Jenny was late. She knew how precious daylight was for me, with it being the only time I could exist in society without the risk of snapping and becoming a menace.
“GomiiiiiiiiI!!” Jenny howled as she ran across the crosswalk with her arm waving in the air. Once she reached me, she had her hands on both knees, huffing and puffing.
“You’re late…” I said.
She smiled widely. “Sorry, friend. I just couldn’t decide what to wear. I wanted to make sure I made a good first impression.”
Jenny twirled in her floral babydoll dress that fluttered around her.
I had to admit, she did look cute, and I was sure boys would take a second glance at her long blonde hair and wispy bangs that framed her small heart-shaped face.
She linked her arm with mine and tugged me through the gate. “Let’s not waste any more time!”
Today was the first unofficial day of college. The main courtyard at K University was bustling with life as each tented station had a few students handing out flyers or displaying their club for the incoming students.
A lean student wearing a sash that read, Campus Aide, handed us a pamphlet with a map and a list of clubs.
“Thank you.” I smiled at him.
He blinked at me. “N-no problem. Let me know if you need any help.”
Jenny giggled as we walked away. “Tone down your charm a bit.”
I scrunched my face. “When did basic courtesy become ‘charm’?”
“When you’re as tall as a model, with curves sliding down your body, and have the smile of an angel would convert a devil,” she rambled along.
I shook my head as I felt the warmth fill my cheeks. “You’re ridiculous…”
“It’s true, though. You and I are the deadly duo–femme fatale and cute cinnamon roll." She paused. "Actually, I guess Day Gomi is also a cinnamon roll, and Night Gomi is more of the femme fatale."
We laughed and caught up on all the missed time while we visited the different clubs.
Jenny was my closest friend. We’d grown up in Jeonju together, but her family moved when her dad got offered a high-paying job at Daesung Enterprise, one of the leading import and export companies.
And though we always stayed in touch during the two years after she moved away, I’d definitely missed this effortless social interaction with someone who I knew I didn’t have to hide anything from.
The refreshing breath of fresh air was something I’d never take for granted.
“Oh! Look!” Jenny pointed. “A Tea Club!”
My eyes widened. Tea.
She tugged me forward because my legs had suddenly stopped moving. “Let’s go check it out.”
Mom loved tea and a lot of our fond memories together were related to it.
A student with hair the color of chai tea smiled and stepped toward us.
I noticed he was slightly taller than me when he handed us a pamphlet. “Do you have an interest in tea?”
“Not me, but she definitely does.” Jenny grinned and pulled me so that I was standing directly in front of the boy.
“If you’re interested in tea, we have weekly meetings and even travel to Japan to create our own tea,” he explained. “My name is Dukhwan and I’m a second year.”
“My name is Gomi Kim,” I replied.
“If you’re interested, you can give me your phone number and we’ll message you information for our first meeting,” he said.
I hesitated. And Jenny’s hands flew to her mouth in glee.
Dukhwan realized what he said and a flush bloomed on his cheeks as he quickly explained, “I-I mean, we have a sign-up sheet that you can write your name on with your number to get more information. We ask for everyone’s number if they’re interested in joining…!”
I laughed. “Okay. That sounds good.”
He handed me the clipboard and looked away, trying to cover his face with the pamphlets, as I wrote my information down.
Handing it back to him, I said, “Thank you. I’ll look forward to the message, then.”
“S-sure,” he said softly.
Jenny and I walked away and I saw Dukhwan shaking off a female sunbae* (*upperclassman or senior) who was slapping him on the back, laughing.
“He was cute! I’d join the Tea Club just to see him once a week,” Jenny admitted.
Bzzt. Bzzt. Bzzt.
I was smiling when I pulled my phone out to see who was calling.
Seoul Medical Facility.
My face along with my heart dropped. They never called unless something was wrong.
I picked up and trembled when pulling the phone to my ear.
“What’s wrong?” Jenny peered over and concern washed over her face as the blood drained from mine.
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