"Do you remember when you left me for those friends of yours? I was so broken back then. I never thought I wasn't as valuable as I believed. But I didn't believe any of it. I was sure you were only pretending to leave, right? Because that day was my birthday, so how could you be cruel enough to leave me like that? You must have only wanted to surprise me."
The man on the podcast fell silent for a moment, his voice growing heavier.
"Even if I say that, why did your attitude change afterward? Isn't it a bit much to act that way for weeks, even months? You were still like that even after my birthday had passed. But don't worry, in the story I'm telling, I only talk about your sweet side, so everyone will be jealous of me."
I pressed my phone closer to my ear, as if I didn't want to miss even a single breath.
"Oh, right, I know you're smiling today as you listen to my story. Don't worry, I'll be coming to pick you up soon. Oh, right, when I get there, don't forget to give me the smile you used to have. And I'll give you a gift in return for that smile. A gift you'll never be able to forget. That gift will make it so you can't leave me ever again."
This was the umpteenth time I'd listened to Shy_Ko's podcast. Sure enough, every time I heard his voice, my heart pounded incredibly fast. His voice was so unique; he didn't sound very fluent when pronouncing his words, and his accent was a little strange. But even so, his voice captivated me. I was sure I had truly fallen in love with Shy_Ko.
I stretched both my arms and got ready to leave for school.
Even though it was only a little past seven, I was already ready to go. I picked up my phone and typed a message to my three idiot friends. Today was our class duty shift. Don't ask how we happened to have class duty on the same day; it was because they forced the other students to switch with them. I was at my wit's end with them. They loved making my life difficult.
If they actually helped, it wouldn't be a problem. But in reality, they only showed up, said hello, and sat down like perfect little angels. That always got me yelled at by Marco, the class president. Speaking of Marco, I wondered why he was only brave enough to yell at me. He never dared bother the other students. Did he hate me that much? But then again, was someone as wonderful as me even hateable? Maybe he actually liked me. It was possible.
When I saw that the time on my watch was almost half past seven, I hurried and picked up my pace. At the very least, I had to arrive before Marco did.
However, when I got to the classroom, the other students were already making plenty of noise. The teacher was already sitting at her desk, too. I wondered why they had come so early.
I stared at Ms. Angel with a confused expression. "Was I supposed to do class duty first?" I asked innocently.
The other students laughed instead. I had no idea what was so funny. Ms. Angel herself didn't laugh; she walked toward me with a frightening expression—the same expression Mom had when she was angry.
"Do you know what time it is now?" she asked, pointing at the classroom wall clock.
I followed the direction of her finger. "It's past half past seven, ma'am," I answered.
"And?" Ms. Angel replied curtly.
Questions like that weren't my forte. I couldn't answer questions that consisted of only one word. What was I supposed to say to "and"? Obviously, nothing.
I glanced at my three friends sitting in the back row. They snickered when they saw me. I threw my signature stiff smile at them; I hadn't expected them to arrive before me.
"Aora! After school, meet me in the teachers' lounge. You need to be taught a lesson!" Ms. Angel said in a slightly harsh tone.
I nodded listlessly and walked to my seat in the back corner.
When break time finally arrived, the four of us sighed in relief. We weren't the kind of students who liked wasting time studying things we didn't enjoy. Sophia, for example, only liked language class because it included literature. She wanted to become a famous novelist, so she treated every other subject like background noise.
Chaterine preferred art because she came from a family of artists. "I'm going to be both a painter and a dancer," she once said. Ah, that friend of mine was such an idiot. Becoming just one of those things was already difficult enough.
As for Giva, she liked anything related to technology. She wanted to become a skilled programmer. Everyone already had a goal. I was different; I hadn't decided what I wanted to become. I didn't like thinking. I hated complicated things.
"What are we eating today, guys?" Chaterine asked as she pulled out her wallet.
"Let's just get batagor," Giva suggested.
"No, let's get meatballs," Sophia cut in.
"I want Mpok Lily's pudding," I said, getting to my feet.
There was just one problem. To get Mpok Lily's pudding, I had to leave the classroom, passing Marco, who had been staring daggers at me the entire time. I tried to stay calm. I glanced at him, and... damn it! He caught my eye.
"Wait here," he snapped in a tone that made the hair on the back of my neck stand up.
My three friends only grinned when they saw me get caught. Rotten friends!
"Aora," he said, walking around me. He smacked a metal ruler against his palm. He acted exactly like a dad scolding his kid. But I wasn't Marco's kid!
"This is the umpteenth time you've skipped class duty, and the umpteenth time you've been late. I already told you, didn't I? Our school starts at seven in the morning. Why do you always show up at half past seven, huh? The start time changed a year ago. Why do you still not get it?"
Marco glared at me. "If you're late again, I'll ask Ms. Nuri to punish you by cleaning the classroom toilets. Do you want that?"
Of course, I shook my head as fast as lightning. Ms. Nuri was our homeroom teacher, a flirtatious teacher who only took the boys' side. I really didn't like her.
"If you understand now, you may go," he told me.
I sighed in relief. But at that exact moment...
Ding-dong-ding!
The bell signaling the end of break rang. I glanced at Marco, who was now giving me a little grin. I wanted to punch him in the face, but unfortunately, he was too handsome to hit.
I returned to my desk with my stomach growling. But suddenly, Chaterine, Sophia, and Giva came over carrying three cups of Mpok Lily's pudding.
"We knew you weren't going to make it past Marco's watch, so we bought these!" Sophia said.
I looked at them with deep emotion. I felt like crying because I was blessed with friends like them. But why had they given me three puddings? Why not one pudding and some other food that would actually fill me up? I was starving!
After school, once I had finished dealing with Ms. Angel, we discussed working on our math assignment. We drew slips of paper, and Sophia's house was chosen as the "victim" for our study session.
When we arrived, I felt my brain immediately throw its hands up at the sight of those complicated problems. I needed chocolate to give my brain a boost. Since I was out of supplies, I decided to go buy some chocolate at the mini-mart nearby.
I made my way along a neighborhood road lined with nothing but luxury homes. When I saw a small alley, I entered it. Sure enough, there was a mini-mart inside. However, when I was about to head back, I got confused because there were two alleys next to each other. I chose the closer one and started walking.
The farther I went, the gloomier it became. I was about to call Sophia when my phone suddenly rang first, displaying an unknown number.
I answered it. "Hello?"
"I'm here!" the voice on the other end whispered.
I shuddered in horror. That voice... it sounded exactly like Shy_Ko! But how was that possible?
Suddenly, from behind me, I faintly heard footsteps. They came closer and closer. I trembled in fear. Without looking back, I immediately ran as fast as I could. That person was really chasing me! They were wearing a terrifying-looking black hoodie.
My thoughts were a mess. Was he an organ trafficker? I didn't want to die here! The moment I saw another alley, I made a sharp turn and... Wham! I crashed into something hard.
"Ow! What the heck?" the figure snapped irritably.
I jumped. I knew that voice. It was Marco's voice!
I looked at the person I'd run into. Sure enough, it was Marco. But there was one thing that nearly made my heart leap out of my chest: Marco was wearing a black hoodie too.
Could Marco have been the one chasing me?