"And I, was Water."

  "Can't wait to freaking graduate!" I whispered to myself as I stretched my arms. It's almost midday, and I'm sitting in Jim's Burgers for a study session. Open books fill the table in front of me. Physics here, economics there, words and words everywhere. The only kind of words I can tolerate (and really work on right now) are song lyrics. 

  Once school's over, I'll focus on my passion for singing and songwriting better. It's just a hobby for now, but I'll have to take it seriously to get recognized by real artists and companies. I dream of being on stage, expressing myself through what I love doing, and writing lyrics people can relate to.  

  I lean back for a short shut-eye break. The sun angles towards my face, giving a warm feeling to my skin. Feels relaxing. I can't wait for my school life to be finally over.  

  And it will, soon. I'm in my last year of school, which means finals. Which also means, once finals are over, there will be no more of this crap. And, most importantly, no more lonel-

  "Hey hey hey! Dongmin-hyung! When did you come? Did you see me today?" Yay, here comes Woonhak. I open my tired eyes to follow him as he jumps happily in his stained apron. He giggles in excitement. I wonder why he's smiling bigger today.

  "I feel that I'm no longer awkward when I give the menu! She finally smiled at me!" he slams his hands on the table. I dart at my books and pretend to ignore him while he continues. Sigh. He fell in love with a girl again; honestly, it's nothing extraordinary. He'll be chatting about her for a bit now. 

I take a double-take. What's with his hair?

  "Actually? Are you sure it wasn't your hair?" He looks like an absolute mess. Woonhak's dad owns this fast-food place, so he helps Mr. Kim out here and there and goes home late. Woonhak volunteers to hand out the menu and serve. Which doesn't make sense for him to look like this, but he does. He furrows his eyebrows and heads to the glass behind me. 

  "Ah, Dongmin-hyung. This is my new hairstyle," he boldly says.  

Huh? New hairstyle?

  "Th-thats your new hairstyle?" I turn and point at him with my pencil, surprised. No way he tried to get the girl looking like that. "No offense at all, but you look like a cockatoo." I laugh at him. 

  For Woonhak, it's his courage that makes him likable. This kid's all about confidence, something I don't have. He might even get a girlfriend before me. 

  Falling in love is nothing new to me. I've been there many times, trying to impress the one I love. But every single time, I failed to get the words out of my mouth. I begin lagging and make a complete fool of myself. 

  There was a time when I did speak properly in front of a girl. She always kept her hair neatly in a braid, spoke smartly, and carried a big yellow bag everywhere she went. To school, this restaurant, and the community mall. 

  One day, I believed I had enough "courage" to confess. I fidgeted with my hands and exhaled as I walked towards her. Suddenly, her smile became awkward. I should have known what was coming. That was the last time I tried falling in love. 

  "I figured I needed to change up my appearance a bit for more confidence," Woonhak explained. He takes a seat on the white booth in front of me and squints his eyes to examine my all-over-the-place handwriting. He says something about it, but my mind is occupied. "Huh, confidence," I say to myself. 

  "RRRINGGG!" Right then, my alarm went off. It's already 4 PM? I snatch my book from Woonhak's hand and pack up quickly. My day curfew was already over. 

"Hey, I was gonna get a paper cut!" 

End of Han Dongmin: #1