Keyframe (n) - A moment that seemed innocuous at the time but ended up marking a diversion into a strange new era of your life. 

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Growing up, Yoojung has heard many theories about the symbols surrounding first snow. The dramas that she daydreamed about taught her that if she confessed to someone during the first snowfall, they would stay together for a long time. Once, when she lied to her grandpa about cracking up her windowsill to satisfy her curiosity of what snow tasted like, he had told her that all lies spoken on the first day of snow would be forgiven. As Yoojung stared outside her classroom window, her new friend introduced a third theory.

“Did you know if you make a wish during the first snow, your wish will come true?” Kang Mina said as she turned from her seat to rest nearly half of her upper torso on Yoojung’s desk.

“Really…” Yoojung mumbled halfheartedly, never bothering to turn her head.

“Yoohoo~ earth to Yoojung,” Mina waved a hand in front of her friend’s face, “Are there aliens out there or something?”

At that, Yoojung finally peeled her eyes away from the sight outside her window to offer Mina her full attention, but not quick enough to prevent Mina from leaning outside the window to check for herself. Mina’s movements were so sudden that Yoojung had to grab ahold of her classmate in fear that she would fall out. Sure, they were on the first floor, but it’s better to be safe than sorry.  

“No aliens,” Mina stated rather disappointedly, “but I do see several popular girls.”

Yoojung rolled her eyes and tugged at Mina’s arm so that the latter would settle down. She didn’t want Mina to get hurt, but most importantly, she would die of embarrassment if the popular girls noticed that they had extra pairs of eyes on them. What had started off as Yoojung’s usual routine of spacing out during break transformed into unintentional staring when Kim Doyeon ran into her line of sight. The girl was in white t-shirt and grey sweatpants, and Yoojung couldn’t help but wonder if stretching and jogging was enough to prevent Doyeon from freezing to death. Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail once again, her face full of determination. The way her lips curled slightly at the tips revealed that Doyeon was in a good mood, making her seem all the more charming.

At some point, it had begun to snow, and Yoojung watched as glittering snowflakes danced in the light to rest gently upon Doyeon’s head. The latter glanced up to examine the sky right as Mina’s head popped up from the window directly in front of her. By the time Yoojung managed to get Mina to sit down, the gym teacher had waved his students into the school building. Yoojung glanced at the empty track field and felt a similar emptiness settle into her stomach. She shook her head, bewildered by the foreign feeling. What was she doing? She barely knew the girl.

They were split into separate classes and rarely crossed paths since the opening ceremony, but that didn’t prevent Yoojung from hearing about the amount of people showing up to Doyeon’s classroom for confessions or a mere glance at the most popular freshman of the year. After three months have passed and the line to make an impression on Kim Doyeon did not recede, Yoojung concluded that Doyeon would probably be the most popular student for many years to come.

Since then, Yoojung has made a friend of her own. Mina, who sat right in front of Yoojung, was quick to introduce herself early into the semester. Apparently, Mina was also sitting in the row ahead of Yoojung during the opening ceremony. She had caught Yoojung running into the auditorium that day but never had a chance to reassure the poor girl that the ceremony had not started yet. At first, Yoojung responded to Mina’s enthusiasm respectfully but soon retreated back to her shell. It took a week for Mina to realize just how shy Yoojung really was and that a conversation or two was not going to cut it. That was when Mina decided that she was going to use a strategy no one could resist – food. When Yoojung caught Mina – more often than not – staring longingly at her curry buns and banana milk that she always ate for breakfast, she offered to share. Eventually, mutual food sharing turned into exchanged numbers and longer conversations. Mina had an easygoing personality, and they bonded over being the only child in their respective families. Like usual, Yoojung did not hide this new development from Sohye, and the latter threatened that she better still be Yoojung’s best friend. The three had decided that they would meet up together during the winter holiday.

“So, what are you going to wish for?” Mina suggested again, her eyes more sincere now that she is settled back into her seat.

Resting her cheeks into the palm of her hands, Yoojung thought about how nice it felt to become friends with Mina. She had someone to groan about homework and exams with, to do snack runs, and to gossip about the latest happenings around campus. She felt content and grateful, especially since she had expected things to be worse just a few months ago. Yet somehow, Yoojung did not feel like people truly saw her for who she was. She had never fully opened up to anyone up to this point in her life and yearns for a deep bond that extends beyond words - two souls that do not understand the notion of time nor distance, but only knows that it feels right to be with one another. 

“Doyeon’s actually really nice, you know,” Mina rambled on after a pause.

“What?” Yoojung perked up, surprised by the sudden mentioning of her name.

“She seems nice,” Mina repeated again, “She waved at me just now through the window.”

The emptiness Yoojung felt earlier s itself into the pit of her stomach again, and Yoojung was starting to convince herself that maybe she just needed to finish the breakfast that she had gotten halfway through before being distracted by the sight outside her window. She tried to imagine what it might be like if Doyeon waved at her with a smile instead of the arrogant look that she received on the first day of school. The thought alone was as terrifying as it was irresistible.

“I think I would like a soulmate.”

🌸

“Five--six--seven--eight!”

Rhythmic sounds of footsteps echoed throughout the room as a group of students slipped into formation. Kim Chungha, president of the school’s dance team, was squatting with her back against the mirror, yelling out counts over the boosted bass of music. The dance team was preparing for a performance that will take place during the summer festival this year, and Chungha who was in her third and final year, wanted to make sure she ended her high school career with a bang. From the corner of her eyes, she caught someone gesturing at her in the doorframe, mouthing words that she could not make out. Chungha turned off the music and waved at her teammates to take a break as she walked towards the figure.

Yoojung was sweating in places that she never knew was possible. Practice had started off slowly when she first joined the dance team early into the spring term. However, with only a few months left until the summer festival, Chungha was making the team practice harder than ever. The pain was not without rewards though – Chungha had called Yoojung out many times during practice to praise her skills in front of others. While it felt uncomfortable at first, Yoojung was proud of this development. After all, this was the only thing she was good at. Some of her teammates even joked about how she transformed into a totally different person whenever she started dancing. As Yoojung slumped to the floor and reached for her water, she realized that the person Chungha was speaking with was the cheerleading captain.

“Gather around, kids,” Chungha gently shut the door and returned back to the front of the room, “I have some news to share.”

Yoojung, along with many others, inched forward to form a circle in the middle of the room as they awaited their leader’s words.

“As some of you may know,” Chungha explained slowly, “the cheerleading team usually practices in the school gym, but our gym will be undergoing renovations. The faculty reached an agreement that we will temporarily share the dance room with the cheerleaders. Specific schedules will be posted later, but it seems like we will get to use the dance room on weekdays, and the cheerleaders will take over on the weekends.”

Groans filled the room as they processed Chungha’s words. Yoojung fiddled with her fingers, her b