Chapter 1 - Byulyi's Fault

Yongsun sighed audibly, resting her elbows on the desk as she rested her head on her palm as she sat in the classroom, absentmindedly spinning a pencil between her fingers.

She should be at home rather than at school – she frowned at the thought, quickly glancing at the clock and sighed loudly again at the time – 4:57, before turning her attention to the window, watching the browning leaves fall from the trees in the school’s grounds before turning crisp with the fresh autumnal air.

Yongsun loved this time of year.

She had always loved the crunching sound of the leaves beneath her feet ever since she was little – it was something she did every year.

It was something she could be doing now.

But it was something she has always done with Byulyi – her best friend – their hands clasped together as they giggled and ran through the pile of leaves last autumn.

She sighed again.

A book closed, snapping Yongsun’s attention to the front of the classroom, where her teacher was sat grading papers – Yongsun assumed by the array of red pens that lay on the desk.

“You can go,” the teacher spoke softly, dismissing her with a wave of the hand. “See you Monday, Yongsun. I hope whatever it is sorts itself out.”

Yongsun swallowed – the problem would never sort itself out – she didn’t know if it ever would. She glanced towards the clock again, frowning before focusing her attention on her teacher. “But it’s not 5:30 yet, Mrs Im.”

Mrs Im – her geography teacher - chuckled softly, raising an eyebrow. “I’m surprised you noticed, Miss Kim. With the amount of times you’ve sighed since your detention started, I mean. I thought you were more interested with whatever’s going on outside,” she teased before standing up and making her way to the front of the desk before leaning back on it. “I know most kids would rather be outside than here but I really didn’t think I was that bad.”

Yongsun had always liked Mrs Im – she was charismatic and funny and she was well-liked by most of the student body – probably because, judging from the way she looked, she wasn’t that older than most of them there.

“You’re not,” Yongsun hurriedly said, tucking a stray hair behind her ear before apologising. “I’m sorry.”

Mrs Im shrugged, laughing. “It’s alright, Yongsun, geography isn’t everyone’s favourite subject. But I am worried – it is unlike you to get detentions and you’ve had two this week. Is everything okay at home?” she asked, eyebrows furrowed in concern.

“It is,” Yongsun forced a smile, swallowing nervously. “I’m trying. With the geography.”

She couldn’t know. She can’t know.

“That certainly doesn’t look like an illustration of rock formations to me.”

“Huh?” she questioned, confused, before looking down.

She blushed at the sight of the two stick figures drawn on the page. So she wasn’t the best artist - she knew that and she also knew she had been distracted and she must have drawn it subconsciously. It had nothing to do with nothing.

It’s just two stick figures. Two innocent stick figures. Holding hands.

Yongsun bit her lip, unable to reach her teacher’s eyes.

“I’m not going to ask anymore, Yongsun,” her teacher laughed, raising her hands dismissively. “It’s none of my business. But we are always here to offer you help and support, you know that. You are a good student, you get on well with everyone – you are a little distracted sometimes but you’re smart and outgoing and you are so cheerful. Just - whoever it is, if it is anyone – they don’t have a right to make you feel so…un Yongsun-ny,” she finished ineloquently, chuckling. “Alright?”

Yongsun smiled widely – genuinely - at her teacher’s concern. This is why she liked Mrs Im.

But she still couldn’t know.

“That’s the Yongsun I know!” she laughed, “now go home, I’ll see you Monday, okay?”

Yongsun nodded, picking up her rucksack from beneath the table and making her way to the exit, the piece of paper with her messy drawing grasped in her hand. She looked down at it once more before shrugging and putting it into the bin. “Thanks Mrs Im,” turned and smiled towards her teacher before leaving.

She had definitely been down lately. And other people had begun to notice. It wasn’t like her to be gloomy. She was an optimistic, cheerful person by nature but she had never been good with her feelings or expressing them. That’s when she usually got distracted. She just didn’t know how to say or discuss anything personal. Whenever she wanted to express her feelings it was done so in a joking manner. She wasn’t even the type to be touchy-feely emotionally, although she was with her friends it was all done under the premise of a joke. They were so close that they knew how she was feeling without any words being said.

It was all Byulyi’s fault, she concluded. If only she hadn’t seen what she had seen, she wouldn’t be feeling this way and thinking the way that she thought.

It was too confusing and Yongsun groaned at the thought of trying to understand it.

X

It had all started a few days ago, when Yongsun was in the cafeteria eating her lunch, sat opposite her friends who were gossiping about some boy in their class. She furrowed her eyebrows, looking at the seat beside her. Something- someone was missing. “Where is Byul?”

Hwasa boredly shrugged, before leaning over and taking a fry from her plate. “Dunno. Doesn’t