Han Mi Rae

"What's your favourite month of the year and why?" 

That was the one question that remained at the back of my head since primary school. It was Mr. Kang, my homeroom teacher who insisted in asking those questions in hope that we would get to know each and understand other better but I have always thought that his 'getting-to-know' each other sessions were useless. What's the point in telling what you like and don't like to others? It's not like they're going to remember it. They hardly even remember we had English homework that day, and he expect us to remember about these petty details about people? 

"December because I love christmas and I get to see santa and get a lot of gifts from him!" answered the bubbly chubby Bap Soo. 

"Santa doesn't exist you pabo!" laughed the class bully, Jee Hoon. 

"May because it's spring and I get to see all the pretty flowers." says the prettiest girl in class, Hani shyly. All the boys swooned over her beauty and grace except for Jee Hoon, who was still arguing with Bap Soo about santa's existence. 

"June because it's summer and I get to play at the beach!" shouted the active Na Young. 

Although I didn't like believe that the session would bring us closer, the warm feelings that I had during those time by seeing how enthusiastic they were made me chuckle a little in the inside. For a moment, I thought that the session wasn't that bad. At that spur moments, without thinking I blurted out, "November-" I paused. Mr. Kang's raised his eyebrows and all head turned towards me, waiting for my answer. 

"-because I love autumn and I get to see falling leaves which I think it's beautiful." I answered hesitantly as I felt pressure from the sudden attention. 

That was the first and the last time I ever spoke out during his 'get-to-know' session because that was the last week of the our 6th grade. 

Years has gone by and many things about me have changed except for two things. One is how much I still love seeing leaves fall during autumn and two, I'm still as calculative and careful as ever. 

As a matter of fact, I'm looking at the tree right across our classroom right now. My seat is just beside the window, situated at the very back of the class. It's a bit windy today. The leaves are swaying from back to front as if it's waving at me. Stronger wind blows and the leaves started to fall to the ground in spiral motion. Ah, how beautiful I thought. If only I could control time. I would make the time go slower so that I could enjoy the moments much longer. My eyes followed the motion of the falling leaves from its branch to the ground and onto a person's head. A person's head? Someone's there. 

There was a guy standing under a tree. He had black hair with a tinge of green, maybe because of the light. He then bent down to his knees and picked one of the leaves. 

'Look up.' I thought. 

He stood up as he turned the leaves from back to front. 

'Please, look up.'

As soon as he was about to look up, I heard someone calling my name. 

"Mirae-shi?"

"Look up!" I blurted out. 

My eyes widened and I realised that the literature teacher, Ms Park and everyone else in class were looking at me, startled. There was a moment of silence until Ms. Park clapped and said, "That's right, Mirae. The answer is he wanted his lover to look up. In this line, the writer was expressing how he wanted his lover to look up at him for one last time before their departure." she carried on with her explanation of the poetry. 

I sank in my seat and let out a sigh of relief. When I look outside of the window, the guy was already gone. I palm-faced because I was really curious about the leaf guy's face. 

"You must be really into this poetry, Mirae-shi." said Ms. Park. 

What is with her picking on me today. 

"Well, you're not alone because I was really emotional about this poetry too when I first read it. The story behind it is bittersweet." she pulled out her handkerchief and wiped her teary eyes. 

Ah, jinja. Seriously, tearing up in the middle of the class?

Park Bo Young. 

22 years old. 

Teaches literature.

Gets emotional easily, probably soft-hearted and the type of person who would love animals.

Naive despite of her age. 

Seems like the type of person who would get swindled easily."

I jot it down in my maroon coloured notebook. Years has gone by and many things about me have changed. One is how much I like to know small and random details about people and two is how I like to guess their personalities based on it.