And so, the days went by like the click of a finger. Yoojin enjoyed the summer holidays in the sun, in the sauna and karaoke with her friends, and at the hospital with Sooho. On Sunday, the last day before school started, Yoojin was lounging under her favourite tree by the Han river. It was her special place with Wooyoung, but she hadn't seen him around here in a while, so the coast was clear. Yes, she was still avoiding Wooyoung even though she told him that they were still friends.

The light breeze played with her long hair as she soaked in the disappearing warmth. Beside her, all the soft blades of grass under her fingers caressed her nerves as she sat with her legs in front of her. The fresh smell of water drifted through, making her feel like she was at the beach. Yoojin was dressed in a cute pink top and denim shorts. Her bag contained the rubbish from her snacks and her usual art supplies.

All around her, people chatted noisily. The Han park was always filled with life – cyclists, children, runners and more. Yoojin smiled as she watched the sun say it's farewell. The sky melted to an egg yolk orange. Taking out her sketchbook, she recorded this gorgeous sight. Of course, she already had many drawings at Han river, but she was improving every day, and it never failed to make her heart dance.

As the sun nearly descended completely, Yoojin looked around her. Her eyes suddenly stopped on a frozen figure a few metres away from her. It was Wooyoung, his gaze piercing into her soul.

Wooyoung was deeply deprived of Yoojin. To keep his mind occupied during the break, the boy would train in the boxing gym – he was practically sleeping there, or his usual runs and hikes through parks and mountains would increase. He hadn't touched this spot in ages since it would remind him of what he didn't have anymore, but today, he needed the trip down memory lane.

Even though it had been weeks since she last saw him, it felt like months. His tousled brown hair and beautiful, dark eyes were as hypnotising as ever. With his exercising, he looked more fit – his toned muscles standing out due to his t-shirt and shorts. Yoojin gulped.

"Hi," Wooyoung breathed out – from the run or from her, she wasn't sure.

The flurry of leaves from the large tree overhead swished about. The handsome boy moved closer and eventually sat down next to her.

"Hi," Yoojin replied softly.

"How was your break?" Wooyoung asked.

"Good."

"That's good."

The breeze sent a shiver down Yoojin's spine. Only the very top of the sun could be seen glimmering on the horizon as the last light. The sinking shade of orange was drowned by the shadowing musky blue that hovered above.

"I stopped my broadcasts and taking requests to beat people up," Wooyoung finally told her.

"Really? That's amazing. I'm so proud of you," Yoojin smiled at him.

Another pause. Wooyoung cleared his throat, the sentence itching to escape his mind.

"Why have you been avoiding me?" he asked. "I thought we were still friends."

"Me? Weren't you avoiding me too?" the long-haired girl thought.

"True. I-I was scared that I'd make you hate me more but I'm not backing away anymore. I'm not going to give up. I still want you."

Yoojin's heart thumped loudly as she twiddled the ends of her hair between her fingers. Wooyoung chuckled, gently holding her hand and bringing it down to rest between their legs.

"Habits never die, huh?" he said.

She didn't know how to respond, yet her heart responded more. His familiar touch sent sparks through her body.

"Let's actually go back to being friends and hanging out," Yoojin pledged. "And maybe we can go from there."

If she couldn't stop her feelings, then she would just go with the flow and let it take her wherever. The boy did a secretive fist bump on the side for celebration.

"Let's go for karaoke next week," Wooyoung suggested, and Yoojin agreed.

The night grew darker, so Wooyoung walked her home. Their hands brushed several times, and it took all of Wooyoung's will to not hold her hand. From a distance though, they looked like a couple with the way Wooyoung kept smiling. He bid her good night and indeed, it was a good night. She finally felt like she was getting her best friend back.

School started the very next day with excited students hyping up the tired ones who missed their holidays already. Yoojin had the best first week because not only did she go to karaoke with Wooyoung, but she also started her first week at the art academy. So, when people like her brother went to the normal academy for general studies, Yoojin went to the art academy. When she hung out with Wooyoung during lunch and told him, he was extremely happy for her.

On her first day at the academy, Yoojin kept unusually quiet and kept fiddling with her hair. She was in a class of twelve people, and they went through introductions first before starting on basic drawing techniques. For the second day, she was more ready to show her passion. They partnered up and had to paint something that expressed the other person. Yoojin was with Taehwan, a tall boy with jet-black hair that was well parted at the front.

"Hi, nice to meet you. I'm Taehwan," the boy said, shaking Yoojin's hand.

"Hi, I'm Yoojin," she greeted.

As they got their supplies, they conversed about their schools; Taehwan had friends at her school, but she didn't know them or his school. The duo decided on the far-right corner, positioning their stools and canvases in their holders to slightly face each other.

Other students surrounding them were chatting with their partner while mixing colours on their palette. Yoojin observed the boy opposite her, who held a flirty and unique aura. From her first impression, she got a bright blue and green vibe. She experimented with those shades in her palette.

"So, should we start with our hobbies?" Yoojin suggested.

"Sure," Taehwan nodded as he wet his paint brush. "I like riding my motorbike, reading, watching movies and painting. And I love hanging out with my friends."

"I love anything to do with art and I enjoy hanging out with my friends. I also like watching the sunset and going for bike rides and runs."

Taehwan was already smiling and painting the base colour on the canvas – a peachy hue. He spread the strokes on boldly, and when it seemed like he made a mistake, he shrugged and added it in.

"Let's ask some random questions," Taehwan offered next and Yoojin liked the idea.

The girl thought for a minute. "What's your favourite animal?"

"A lion or a zebra," he replied. "What's your favourite place?"

"The Han river or just being surrounded by nature. What's your favourite movie?"

Taehwan never seemed to hesitate. "Avengers. Infinity War. All of Marvel."

Yoojin nodded automatically and slowly brought her brush to its stage. She chose a mint green as the first layer. Then, she let it dry.

"What's your favourite food?" he asked.

"Strawberries or fruits in general. And chocolate and sweets," she replied. "What's your favourite type of music?"

"Rock and pop; something cool like Omega X's songs. Do you have a boyfriend?"

Yoojin coughed. What kind of question was that?

"No," she replied, not meeting his eyes. "Um, why did you join the art academy?"

Taehwan licked his lips in thought. "My older sister works at Seoul Art University, and she told me to at least try out for this, so I did. Don't get me wrong, I love painting, but I think I'm just trying to see if this is really what I want to do or not. I'm also good at studying – not to brag or anything, but that just makes choosing a path harder."

Indeed, they were at the age where they stressed about what to do in the future. At least he had many options. And Yoojin was grateful that she knew her passions.

"So, what's your number?" came Taehwan's next attack.

Yoojin stared at him in alarm. How was she supposed to answer that? Her cheeks felt like they were burning, and her heart was like a race car. She was secretly elated that Wooyoung didn't talk to other girls, especially the way that he would talk to her.

"I'm sorry but, um, maybe I'll give it to you later," Yoojin politely refused, words spasming through her tongue.

Taehwan tilted his head with a grin. "No worries. Thank you for that."

He dabbed his brush in the orange paint and conveyed a soft sunrise. This boy was very unpredictable for Yoojin. While she thought of a question, she expressed a lion's mane in blue with wispy spikes that pointed out around a circle. She didn't paint the circle in the middle though. In a way, it almost looked like rays coming from a sun.

"Do you have any other siblings?" Yoojin curiously asked.

"Nope," the boy responded. "Do you have siblings?"

"I have a twin brother."

"Must be protective, huh?"

"Yeah."

The silence was filled with the soft ballad that played through the art room – the teacher's personal playlist. Their teacher, a young lady with short hair, walked around the room to observe the students. Everyone was deep into their work while they got to know one another better.

Taehwan was creating an abstract piece that incorporated yellow bubbles, pink strawberries and flowers in warm colours that seemed to be caught in the wind. The two teenagers talked forever about things like school, the holidays and their families.

In the end, Yoojin had added dark blue fire, sparks, motorbike trails, and motorbike parts disjointed everywhere. The final touch was splattering various blues and greens onto the canvas. She could definitely imagine the boy doing that, and it was quite fun to let loose. While Taehwan's artwork was a frozen calm breeze, Yoojin's was a chaotic storm.

"Dude, I love it," Taehwan exclaimed when he saw her painting. "I wish I could keep that."

"You can if you want to," Yoojin shrugged.

As much as she loved it and was proud of it, she'd feel more satisfied if it was owned by the person it represented.

"Then you can have mine," Taehwan said.

"Thank you. I love the colour mix. It looks absolutely beautiful," Yoojin praised.

"That's cos you're beautiful."

Again, Yoojin's face turned cherry red. He just winked and stood up to stretch. At least Yoojin's giddy feelings subsided enough for her to do the same. When everyone else finished around the same time, the teacher gathered their attention and everyone presented their works, receiving thoughtful feedback.

At the end of class, Yoojin ended up giving her number to Taehwan when he pestered her again; after all, there was no harm done. He was quite funny and smart. So, she spent her time at the academy sitting with him.

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So, I lied. I'm sorry. I don't think I'll finish uploading the whole book this week. I've finished writing it all but I'm too busy with my full-time job, dance and watching Kdramas. This will probably be finished in a few more days. Thank you for reading!! Love you!