That Autumn

Hoobae

Seoul, spring 2009.

"Careful!" I led Shin Ah to her seat. Her leg still hurts from the ski incident a few days ago. She was taken to the hospital. The doctor said, luckily, no bones were broken. Just a sprain. Just. At the same time, the doctor said that it was lucky that only Shin Ah was injured, not him. Poor Shin Ah. She couldn't even put on her shoes because her feet were really swollen.

It is the first day of the new school year. We are in second grade now. As Shin Ah wished, she and I were in the same class. Not only us, but also Na Ra and Da Mi. Ah! And, of course, Gina. The girl is so happy to know that she can be in the same class as Da Mi. When she reads the class division announcement and finds her name and Da Mi in the same class, she immediately cheers and runs to find Da Mi. A girl like Gina running is something that deserves appreciation.

"I don't like sitting in the back." Shin Ah looked like she didn't like the place. She kept holding on to me. "I'm small! I can't see the blackboard."

I looked around. Na Ra was in the front row, right in front of the teacher's desk, along with Kim Kyu Ri from IC class. Da Mi got the last seat even though she came earlier and next to her, of course, Gina. Not surprisingly. She had no intention of studying. I got a place behind Na Ra. I sat with Min Ah Rin from the same class as Kyu Ri. There is no other place. This is all that's left, because Shin Ah can't walk fast. She can't even reach the third floor if I don't pick her down and help her up.

"Would you like to switch seats with me?" My offer. I don't mind giving it because Shin Ah needs it more than I do.

"It’s okay." Shin Ah put her wand on the side of the table and sat down. She looked at the empty side beside her. "By the way, am I sitting alone?"

"I guess so. The other kids have arrived. You're the last one."

"Sitting alone in the back.. How sad.." She complained. She sighed, staring out the window. A few seconds later, her face suddenly brightened at the thought of an idea. She looked at me with her twinkling eyes. "How about you move next to me?"

That is true! Why didn't I think of that before?

"Why? Why are you silent? You don't want to? No wonder you didn't get me a seat. You didn't want to sit next to me." Shin Ah grumbled.

"It is not like that." I didn't think about the last one either. Why don't I take Shin Ah's place up front with me? So she didn't have to sit at the back like that. "I just didn't realize I could do that."

"So?"

"Of course I'm very happy to be sitting next to you."

"Thank you!" Shin Ah smiled and her face turned bright again.

"Wait a minute! I'll get my things first."

Shin Ah nodded.

I went to my seat at the front to tidy up the books that I had prepared for the first lesson.

"Where are you going?" Ah Rin asked, seeing me take my things. "Class will be starting soon."

"I’m sorry, Ah Rin-ah! I will move to Shin Ah's place." I pointed to the back side. "She is sick."

"I understand." Ah Rin is busy with her cell phone again.

I picked up all my stuff and took it to Shin Ah's desk. Shin Ah was waiting for me with a big smile. She patted the dust that wasn't on the chair before inviting me to sit there.

"If I continue to be around you like this, I might soon get tired of you." Shin Ah chuckled.

"YA! You asked me to sit here." I pinched. "Or do you prefer me back up front there?"

"Eeii!! I was just kidding!" Shin Ah patted my shoulder then put on a face pretending to be surprised. "Omo! We're even wearing a couple of clothes today!"

"Ck! It's a uniform! You stupid boo!"

"Aah.. I really like that nickname."

Lee Sang Min just walked in. He is our sports teacher and homeroom teacher. Everyone was silent when he came to attend class. He is known to be fierce and likes to throw an eraser at students when he feels he is not being heard. Luckily, he teaches sports so that he often targets only the students in the class he holds.

"Isn't this better?" Shin Ah leans slightly towards me while whispering. "I don't have to secretly text you during class because you're right next to me."

"But I might soon get tired of you." I returned her words earlier.

The good news is, I don't have to hide while chatting with Shin Ah because right in front of me sits Choi Min Woo, the giant boy. The bad news is, as Shin Ah said before, the blackboard is not visible at all from here.

"I won't bore you." Shin Ah whispered confidently.

"Wang Anna!" Sem said my name.

"Yes!" I raised my hand as high as possible so that it passed Min Woo's body. After that, I whispered to Shin Ah again in a quieter voice. "How to?"

"Hmm..." Shin Ah thought while holding her chin. Then she smiled widely. "I do not know."

"Ck, you look convincing when you know nothing."

"I'm quite sticking with my charms."

"Okay." I rolled my eyes.

"So.. Later after school, you will come to my house, right?"

"The first lesson hasn't even started yet and you're already talking about coming home from school."

"Just answer my question."

"Lee Shin Ah!"

"I'm here, Sem!" Shin Ah stood up so sem could see her. She sat back down as Sem continued to call the other students.

"I'll be home early today." I answered her question, still in a whisper.

"Wow?" Shin Ah looks disappointed.

"I sat next to you all day. It would be boring to come home from school if I still had to see you." My tease.

"Ji Woo-ah!" Shin Ah whined a little. "Usually you come to my house. Why not today?"

"Then why ask? Stupid!" I giggled softly. "Of course I'll come to your house after school. Where else can I go? Unless you don't want to teach me anymore."

Shin Ah blushed while scratching her head. "But I'm not sure if I can still teach you."

"Huh?" Is it true that she doesn't want to teach me anymore?

"You went from a student in need of help into the top ten at school. I don't think there's anything else I can teach you." Obviously.

"Yes! I got good grades thanks to you."

"Hagsaeng!" Shin Ah and I were shocked when Sem hit the table with a ruler. His voice was very loud. "Sitting in the back doesn't mean you guys are free to chat."

We were silent. I think he didn't see me or Shin Ah. Sem looked furious. We lowered our heads even lower for fear that sem would throw stones at us.

"YA!" He took the blackboard eraser and threw it hard.

The square thing floated high in the classroom. The children lowered their heads to protect their heads. Except for one person. Da Mi. The eraser successfully hit her head. She looked surprised. Looks like Da Mi didn't expect sem to throw it. When the eraser hit her, she fell silent. She had been slightly tilted towards Gina, turned slowly facing the front. And she was even more surprised when she found Sem glaring while pointing a ruler at her.

At first, I thought Sem was mad at me and Shin Ah. Thank goodness it was just Da Mi.

"I warned you!" Sem continued with such a scary expression.

"Terrifying!" Shin Ah whispered softly.

"CHOI DA MI!" Sem continued absenteeism.

"YES!" Da Mi raised her hand. She then looked at Gina savagely, as if blaming the girl for having just been scolded.

After the incident that happened to Da Mi, no one dared to speak. After taking attendance, sem chooses the class president. She pointed at Na Ra because it was closest to his desk.

The first lesson is science. We got a group assignment to compile a report on scientific research. Sem asked Na Ra to divide the class into five groups. Me, Shin Ah, Na Ra, Da Mi, Gina, Kyu Ri and Ah Rin are in one group. That is an assignment to be submitted next week. We'll do it tonight at Shin Ah's house. Da Mi had already requested a special pick-up to transport us all.

In fact, Da Mi was the only one who disagreed with the division of the group. She didn't like Gina being in the same group with her. At first she protested and asked them to change groups. Then Gina joins in, wanting to move to Da Mi's new group. In the end she didn't move because wherever she went, Gina would follow her.

During lunch break, all the children went to the cafeteria for lunch. I stayed in class to accompany Shin Ah. She still had trouble walking and decided to avoid crowded places. She was worried that someone might bump into her and make her injuries worse. I told her I'd take care of her, but she wasn't sure.

We were just taking out lunch boxes when two female students came over. One looks like an iljin while the other looks like an accomplice. I was scared when I saw them coming. There's only me here. I was a weak girl when Shin Ah was hurt. I often hear that lately cases of bullying in schools are increasing. They really scared me.

"YA!" Iljin girl sits on Shin Ah's table. She hit Shin Ah's desk hard while chewing something in her mouth. Looks like chewing gum. I read the name tag attached to her chest. Jung Min Ji. That's her name. "Where's Wang Anna?"

Me? Why are they looking for me? I did nothing wrong with them. I don't even know them. I immediately closed my name tag so they wouldn't see it.

"Wang.. An.. Na?" Shin Ah stuttered. She's just as scared as I am. She glanced at me and I quickly signaled her not to say anything.

"Hmm.. it smells good." The other girl sat on Da Mi's chair. On her name tag is written Shin Ye Jin. Her face looked like that of a good girl. Why is she friends with this Iljin girl?

"Right! It smells like roast beef." Jung Min Ji sniffed the air in front of her. She glanced at my lunch box that was on the table. "What's that?"

"You want this? Sunbae?" I handed her my lunch box. They looked like they could hit anyone. I don't want to get into trouble with them. It's just lunch. I could buy bread in the cafeteria if they took it.

"SUNBAE?" The girl named Shin Ye Jin stood up. At first I thought she was just an accomplice, but now she is more terrifying than the iljin. "How dare you call her Sunbae!"

Then?

"Sunbae-nim?" Shin Ah said. Trying to address those seniors in a more polite manner.

"Right! You must address us with respect." Ye Jin laughed.

Min Ji takes my lunch box and is disappointed to see its contents. "It's not meat. Just sausage."

She did look disappointed but ate my food like a hungry person. She had not finished it when she saw Shin Ah's box and asked for it too and then gave it to Ye Jin. Shin Ah was forced to give up with a heavy heart.

"I found this." Ye Jin handed a folded paper while continuing to chew. On the outside it was written for Wang Anna. "While walking down the hall, we saw this tucked in the window over there. So we immediately thought maybe Wang Anna was in this class. Give it to her later when you meet her."

"Love letter?" Shin Ah grabbed the paper before I could touch it. "Does Sunbae-nim know who this is from?"

Min Ji shook her head. "Looks like a first year student. His body is small and pitiful."

Shin Ah opened the paper and her face crinkled as she read the contents. I poked my head out to read along. The letter was badly written and the content was nothing short of bad.

"Stay away from Lee Shin Ah. Or I'll cut your hands off so you can't touch her again." I read it aloud.

"Lee Shin Ah." Ye Jin tapped her chin with her index finger. "I heard she's quite famous among the boys."

"What is this!" Shin Ah tore the paper and then crushed it. She became angry after reading it. Her face was red all over. "I'm going to beat up whoever wrote this."

"There's no need to take this seriously. I think it's just a joke." I said to ease Shin Ah's anger.

Hearing the word 'beat', Min Ji became excited. "Want me to help?"

"Sunbae-nim want to help me?" Shin Ah cupped her hands so she looked like she was adoring Min Ji.

"I was able to take a picture of that person." Ye Jin took out her cellphone, then showed it to Shin Ah. I came to see. It's a photo. "Maybe you guys know this person. For sure, he's not from our class because we've never seen him."

In the photo, a boy is seen putting a piece of paper in the window. He tiptoed to look into the classroom and seemed scared. His body was small and his uniform was too big. He wears glasses. I don't know him. So is Shin Ah.

"You don’t have other things to do?" Min Ji's comment. "Why take pictures like that?"

"I wanted to reply to a message, but I pressed the wrong button," Ye Jin answered innocently.

"Thank you, Sunbae-nim. This is very helpful." Shin Ah said to Ye Jin.

"Don't hesitate." Ye Jin took her phone back after we finished looking. "By the way, why do you want to beat him up? This letter has nothing to do with you."

"I'm Lee Shin Ah." Shin Ah confessed. She then introduced me. "And this is Anna, my girlfriend."

"Aaah.." Min Ji and Ye Jin nodded in unison. Now they don't look bad. We're just scared of these two because they're seniors. But they turned out to be good seniors. And starving.

"Then I'll help you catch him." Ye Jin said then.

"There's no need to make a fuss just because of this. It's just a letter. That guy was just a prankster." Not that I'm defending the person who gave this threatening letter. It's just that the child who put this down looks so small and weak. He would not dare to do what he wrote. After all, wouldn't people who threaten usually actually carry out their threats?

"Anna-ya!" Min Ji lowered her head closer to her face, which looked terrible again. "What if he really cut off your hand?"

"That..." I stuttered. Not afraid of the threat. Min Ji is even more terrifying.

"Well! You're scared, right?" Min Ji crossed her arms. Feeling victorious because she was right.

"I won't let that person hurt you." Shin Ah touched my shoulder. Trying to calm me down even though I'm not too bothered by the threatening letter. It's nothing. "I will protect you."

"I am not sure." Ye Jin's turn to approach. She glanced at Shin Ah's feet and the stick next to her. "You even need a cane to walk."

Those words made Shin Ah look down sadly.

"But we will help you!" Ye Jin continued. "We will be your bodyguards, Anna-ya!"

"Really?" Shin Ah is very happy.

"You don't have to do that sunbae-nim. It will only trouble you." I refused.

"No Anna-ya!" Min Ji stands tall. Her face instantly changed from terrifying to wise. "You are good people. Only good people want to give their food to others when they are hungry themselves. That's why.. Someone has to protect people like you. We will do it!"

"So that you continue to give food to those in need," Ye Jin added.

"That is us." Connect Min Ji.

"Err.." It sounded reassuring at first. But now I'm not sure.

"No!" Shin Ah also stood up even though he had to hold on to the edge of the table. "It's not us who are good people but you two, sunbae-nim."

Unexpectedly, Shin Ah was moved by their words.

And that's how the deal started. No matter what I say, no matter how much I say, it's not necessary.

Before their dinner break, the three, Shin Ah, Min Ji, and Ye Jin, have an emergency meeting in the girls' toilet. They did not invite me on the grounds that the contents of the meeting were very confidential. Weird, because I thought they wanted to protect me from that person who wrote the threatening letter. But if they even kept it a secret from me, what exactly are they planning to do?

"You're not with Shin Ah?" Seeing me just sitting alone, Gina came over to me. Da Mi is in the teacher's room because she was punished for falling asleep during class. Gina has always followed Da Mi. Unless accompanying her is punished. "Is she able to walk on her own? I saw that she was always helped by you."

I shook my head. "She has a new friend."

"She has a new friend and was ignoring you?" Gina looked incredulous.

"I didn't say she was ignoring me. She was just going out with her new friends," I explained.

Gina nodded. "By the way, how did her leg get hurt?"

These are the kinds of questions I avoid. I haven't told her that Shin Ah and I got Da Mi's invitation to vacation at her ski resort. If she finds out she wasn't invited, she'll get mad at me and maybe kill Da Mi after that.

"A small accident happened because she was too careless," I answered carefully.

"Not that bad, right?" she asked again.

"Just a sprain. But Shin Ah said it hurts every time she walks." I tried to divert the conversation from Shin Ah, her injuries, and the vacation. Because maybe I'm going to skip over the holidays. "How about you? How are you doing with Da Mi? I see she's starting to seem comfortable sitting next to you all day."

"Comfortable my ass!" Gina punched her own palm and turned annoyed. "That i***t! She really sucks. She has absolutely no interest in me."

Yeah.. That's sad. But what can be done when Da Mi is not interested in girls from the start? "Maybe you should be gentler with her."

"I've done various ways, Anna-ya!" Gina looked frustrated. "Do I look cheap for chasing her blindly?"

"Errr..." I thought about it and.. "Cheap isn't. But.. I think it looks annoying."

Gina sighed, then pouted. "Then should I give up?"

I do not know the answer.

"But, I can not." Gina became discouraged. "Every time I see her, I always want to run to her."

"Maybe you can hold back a little?" My advice.

"Neither can I! You don't understand. I feel like I'd go crazy if I tried to stop myself from approaching her."

Yes, I really don't understand. I've never experienced one-sided love.

"Then just do according to your instincts." I put my books in the desk drawer then stood up. "Come on! Let's have dinner!"

Gina stood reluctantly. "Lets go!"