ONE (1/1)

Sehun saw her everyday. Their shoulders brushed too sometimes. But she never bothered and that was probably why she was lurking in his head these days. She really didn't match the description her brother had suggested. Cheerful? No. Bright? No. Always smiling? No. Beautiful? Yes. Starting from her serious eyebrows to her very toenails. Her blonde hair cascaded down like a golden river he was always fascinated to see. She caught him off-guard, made him forget what he was saying whenever she crossed his eyes. His friends would silently laugh at his actions but they had not asked him anything. Yet. It was obvious, how he bribed the kid beside the window to exchange seats. Her classroom was directly in his sight and she too preferred sitting by the window. That way he never really got anything done in his biology class as he was always busy staring. She would smile seldom, sending his heart into a zone of frenzy. And when she would glance sideways at his class, Sehun would silently lower his head to his book that he wasn't reading. Sehun wanted her to lead the three remaining years of high school in peace. Everything he did was a breaking news in the school and he didn't want to pull her into this chaos. Or else he would've asked her out already. Sehun liked to think so. But in the back of his head, he knew it wouldn't be as easy. He would stutter in front of her. He wouldn't be as confident. He would feel that his smile looked stupid. Sehun screwed around a lot. He had a reputation. He wondered if that was why Sarang never paid attention to him. Even if she caught him staring at her she would brush it off, leaving him flustered and in an internal panic. Sarang didn't at all look like she was trying hard to get. Sehun knew how girls playing hard-to-get looked like. He had a fair share of them in his life already. She just didn't bother. She was in the school to study and the drama could go do itself. "Are you looking for someone?" His trail of thoughts was interrupted by Jongdae. He looked up from his book to see Sera sitting right in front of him while Jongdae sat down beside her. Sera was craning her neck, Sehun looked over his shoulder to see if something was wrong. "Sarang has my homework," She informed them. Sehun shook his head slightly before going back to reading the borrowed book in his hand. Sarang always did Sera's homework. She had to be ultra smart then because Sera was two years older than her. Sera often got wasted. Sehun did encounter her vomiting at Jongdae's house party once and thought she really was pushing herself to fit with the so-called standard. Jongdae didn't care about the standard, he wished she knew. Jongdae nodded in understanding. "I'll get it for you?" Sera smiled that enchanting smile before nodding. She was beautiful, much like her younger sister. But Sehun was rather captivated by Sarang. Sera could be a friend at most. There was a vibe that followed her around, something suspicious. Sehun couldn't put a finger on it. Unlike her, Sarang had this straightforwardness to herself, no beating around the bush, no pretending. Jongdae was gone from the table in search of Sarang. Sehun regretted not asking to go in his place. Quietly, he returned to the copy of Holes by Louis Sachar. He was on the 30th page when he heard his name being called. Sehun arched his eyebrows at Sera. "What are you reading?" She seemed too eager to know. Sehun lifted the book up and showed her the name. "Ho...les," Her brows threatened to meet. "Looks interesting. Give it to me once you're done." Sehun snorted, "I heard you don't even have time to do your homework. I wonder how you're gonna finish a book." Sera sheepishly smiled, "It's not like that. Sarang just wanted to do it." "Sure," Sehun silently rolled his eyes but since he was looking down at his book, she didn't see it. "It's not mine, I borrowed it from the library." "Oh," Sera nodded, her hair bumping up and down. Sehun glanced at the huge clock of the cafeteria, wondering what was taking her boyfriend so long. Sera, Sarang and Minseok were the Kim siblings. While Sehun was alright with the two, Sera just didn't seem to fit in the good category in his head. Everything about her seemed like a pretense. Yet Sarang was very fond of her sister. He caught her smiling when Sera hugged her on her birthday last year in school. The first time Sarang ever came to existence in his brain was one sunny afternoon when he was having a promised meal with his fellow team members after a successful soccer match. Sarang was sitting right behind him. He did eavesdrop in the conversation a little. The girl she was trying to talk to sounded angry. Sehun didn't hear anything from her side and was really eager to see her face as the furious girl went on and on and she didn't even interrupt. "Why would you do that?! You're ruining the whole group project and now we have to do it all over again!" He remembered his friends' faces as they tried to keep it in. Sehun couldn't see them but thought the conversation was funny. Because this girl sitting behind him wasn't even trying to argue. She seemed so cool.  "That's no prob--" "That's not the end of it! The blame's on me. Minjung thinks I'm stupid." There was a pause. Sehun realized his friends had stopped their own conversation and all the ears were on the other conversation. "Sarang," he finally got the name. "You have to clear this misunderstanding! I can't have Minjung thinking I'm dumb." "But you are." "Excuse me?!" Silence resided for two seconds. Sehun counted. Anticipating what was to come now that the girl was finally speaking.  "You are dumb," she repeated, making his friends snicker. Immediately, something cold hit the side of his face. Something orange. The liquid traveled down his white shirt, leaving him pressing his lips at the disgusting feeling of someone else's juice all over him. He looked over his shoulder and his eyes fell on the empty glass. Before traveling up to look at the girl's face, the one who had thrown the remnants of her glass at this Sarang out of rage. But the girl had successfully dodged the attack and unfortunately everything had landed on him. "It-It was her," Sarang had a hint of a smile on her face. Sehun blinked at her as she stood up. She raced out of the cafe, screaming"It's on her!" That was how he got to know about her. That was when the chapter of Sarang began in his life. The next time he caught her smiling was on his graduation day. That was because Sera was graduating too. He had also secretly attended her graduation, but Minseok had been quick to catch him placing that huge teddy bear at the present table. Sehun had forgotten what excuse he had given Minseok, something around the lines that his father had asked him to attend the party. Sarang had thanked him for congratulating her. Sehun was over the clouds, carving into his heart the first word he had spoken to her. Congratulations. And the first she had spoken to him. A pretty little thank you.  Sarang brushed him away when he didn't say anything else. Sehun was nervous and nothing seemed to reach his mouth from his brain. Her attention was grabbed by Irene who informed her about the huge teddy bear she had gotten as a gift from a well-wisher. There was no name, Irene emphasized. And both ran towards the pile of presents together, leaving him stupidly smiling to himself. He had been watching her from a distance, always wishing for her happiness, knowing in the back of his head, there wouldn't be another woman in her place. It seemed to be a farfetched thought, to have her close, to talk to her, to hold her in his arms. Sehun didn't want to interrupt and be a distraction. She was headstrong and determined and everything else Sehun looked for. But the distance between them was fine because he knew she didn't need anyone. Not yet. Later perhaps.  So when his father brought the talk of the Kims over dinner one night, he was over the moon. "I think you're of age Sehun. But it really is up to you," his father always put out a lot of options for him and that was basically why he was the best father anyone would ever have. "Marriage is not a joke. I know the Kims need the help but there are lots of other ways they can get it--" "Is her name Sarang?" Sehun eagerly interrupted. His father blinked, "Yeah, something along that." "I want to get married," Sehun grinned up at his father. "Thanks Dad, I love you~" He sang as he stood up, leaving his father in a confused state. Sehun placed his plate on the sink before looking back at his father. "Trust me, I really love you and this freaking idea of getting married to Kim Sarang. I actually want to jump right now but I think then you'll cancel this plan because you'll think I'm not old enough." "Y-You mean that?" "Yes, Dad!" His father frowned, "Pardon me. I really wasn't expecting this reaction." "You are forgiven," Sehun crossed his arms, grinning from ear to ear. "When are we meeting them?" Three days later, they were in this enormous living room, with Sehun feeling jittery. Like little volts of current running down his spine. It kept increasing the more he waited. However, all his expectations were shot down as he found out the name was actually Kim Sera and not Sarang. His father turned to him with a look on his face. He frowned, taking in the information. "If she doesn't like this arrangement, we're not doing this, is it clear?" Her father had stated beforehand in the car. "We cannot force her. We don't have the right. Even if her father does it, you will understand and cancel this." Sehun sulked through the whole dinner, sitting right in front of Sera. She occasionally looked at him, he felt her eyes linger on him before going back to the food. Sehun thought there was no way he could get married to Sera. What would Jongdae say? It wasn't like anyone was forcing him into this, or forcing Sera into this. But still, he liked this feeling of getting married that he had nurtured in his heart for three days now. His eyes traveled to Sarang who was talking to his father. It seemed like they were talking about a football match that had been broadcasted live the other day. While Sera sat