The school from the outside looked peaceful. But from the inside, the real chaos lied. Students, in their teens, in conflicting emotions. With too much at stake, their attention divided, eyes wandering outside the four corners of the classroom.
Hundreds of trees were planted around the soccer fields. In one of the Korean Red Pine, that’s where Suho hid himself. Clad in a white shirt and brown scarf, tucking in both hands in his gray coat. The tree was the closest to the gate, giving him visibility of the senior’s classrooms. And he knew exactly where Hana sat. His small eyes fixated on that exact spot.
Two months have passed since the examination scores came out. But the conversation between Hana and Suho during his drunken state has left him scarred for life. And he couldn’t imagine its impact on Hana’s as they have not intentionally talked to each other ever since. Their encounters were more casual rather than friendly.&
August 2004Daegu“Did you invite them?” Kwanghee spun around, smoothing off his brown coat. He questioned Go-eun, who looked vexed for being asked the same question three times in a row.She rolled her eyes, fixed her pink ruffled blouse over bedazzled pants, and responded," NO" in defiance.Go-eun, together with their classmates from high school, met at a barbecue place in the newly developed hangout area in Daegu. Most of the girls and the only two boys were Kwanghee and Jin.“Quit asking if they want to be here they should’ve arrived by now,” Baekhina interjected, pouring beer in her glass. “I wish it would be Suho, though,” chuckling with the rest of the girls. She gawked at Kwanghee, “Call him,” she commanded.Kwanghee got up as he couldn’t take the heat any longer. His jitters getting the best of him as his military enlistment came close. Anxious staying among girls, he took out his new mobile phone from his pocket and about to step out of the restaurant when the door opened.
“It’s been cold summer nightsSince we drifted apartCold summer nights Since you walk out that doorCold summer nightsOoh, here on my own”The song Cold Summer Night blasted off in Hana’s ears from her MP3. Humming, while taking in the sight of the starless sky on a wooden bench next to a manmade pond in the new shopping district in Daegu. She fell for the rhythm and melody of Francis M’s single. But it was the lyrics that struck her the most. As if every word was meant for her. Sitting alone near the pond, gawking at lovers and friends crowding around the body of water.Buzz. Hana’s phone vibrated in her sling bag. It’s time. She rose from the wooden bench, smoothed off the long black jumper dress she purchased in Seoul. Combing her half-tied black hair with her fingers as if she’s meeting someone. Hana sauntered towards the cinema for the special screening of Before Sunset. The much-awaited sequel after years of waiting. And she promised to herself to watch it no matter what.F
“What should I do?” Hana demanded from Go-eun over the phone was presently in Seoul but will come home to Daegu for Chuseok.“Wait! Are you telling me you’re dating Suho?”“YES!”“Is Doomsday coming?” Go-eun teased her.“What?!”“I mean… FINALLY! You two are like the weirdest couple I ever met. It’s evident how you like each other and just stamped me why you’re not together.”“C’mon help me out here, Go-eun. That’s already past and has been settled. What should I do now? Chuseok is a week away!”That’s why girlfriends and boyfriends prefer to go home to their hometown rather than attending their partner’s event. Well, you can’t back out now. Let me think.”“What?”“First of all, CALM DOWN. It’s not like you’r