#ryusarang

That's exactly why I've decided to write this guide.

A complete, thoroughly researched, definitely foolproof manual on how to get your crush to like you back.

Now, before we begin, I'd like to clarify something.

No, I am not an expert.

No, I have never dated anyone.

Yes, the person this guide is based on still doesn't know about all of this.

And yes, maybe I'm just writing this for fun and shouldn't take myself seriously.

HOWEVER!

Based on my extensive knowledge of romance mangas and anime, I'll make sure this guide works to whoever I hand this notebook to next!

Hopefully.

-

Ryu Sarang scribbled the last few words with an exaggerated flourish before clicking her pen back up.

Satisfied with her masterpiece, she leaned back in her chair and admired the page.

Across the top, written in large block letters, was the title.

Crush Course into Love!

The corners of the notebook were already worn despite only existing for three weeks. Half the pages were filled with notes from other classes, but this half was reserved for observations, crossed-out plans, ideas that made sense only to her, and enough side notes to resemble an engineer's blueprint.

Her headphones quietly played music into her ears while the classroom buzzed with the usual morning chatter.

Desks scraped against the floor.

Someone complained about the math quiz as they walked past.

A group near the windows argued over yesterday's basketball game.

None of it held her attention for very long.

Her gaze drifted upward, settling a few rows ahead.

There he was.

Hwang (YN)

He sat near the windows, lazily spinning a mechanical pencil between his fingers while reading over a worksheet. Every now and then, one of his friends would say something, earning an amused chuckle before he shook his head and replied.

For reasons she couldn't quite explain, Sarang liked that laugh.

It wasn't loud enough to dominate the classroom, nor was it the kind that made everybody turn their head at him.

It was simply genuine.

The corners of his eyes narrowed ever so slightly whenever his smiled, and somehow that alone was enough to make her forget whatever she'd been writing.

Realizing she'd been staring again, Sarang immediately ducked her head and looked back at her notebook before anyone could notice.

Her pen hurriedly scribbled another note beneath the page.

-

Step 1: Get noticed!

That's easier said than done and maybe I should've titled it any other way.

Hm.

Maybe I should rename it to ‘make sure they know you!’

But oh well.

Anyways, that is the ideal first step. 

If they don't know who you are, then it's the perfect time to leave a good impression!

Or if they already do know you, you just have to make sure to have them think positively of you.

How could you do this?

It's simple, really.

And that is to become someone they'd naturally want to talk to.

Now, before your brain starts making up ridiculous ideas, let me stop you.

You do not need to dramatically save them from an incoming truck in the middle of traffic.

You do not need to transfer into their class halfway through the semester while cherry blossoms float dramatically through the air.

And unless your school is somehow set in an anime, you shouldn't jump the fence when you're late for class and land on them.

Life is disappointingly stubborn like that.

The goal isn't to become the main character, it's to become familiar with each other.

Become someone whose face they recognize.

Someone they think, "I've seen him around before. Maybe I should talk to them.”

Now I could come up with…alright ways to try and do this.

Method 1: Sitting next to them

This is the most simple and effective and doesn't need speaking, at first at least.

Most of your interactions could start like this and it'll land you more plus points if you're next to them during a lab subject.

Though there is one glaring flaw in this.

Teachers, most of the time, depend on seating arrangements whether it be based on your last name or the teacher's mood.

But if the stars have somehow aligned and you're sitting next to them, then that's the perfect time to strike up a conversation which now leads me to the next method if they haven't.

Method 2: Ask to borrow things from them.

If you’re not really sure how to start a conversation with them, then this is the way to go!

You could ask for anything.

Maybe try asking for a sharpener before a quiz, a pen for writing down notes, correction tape, anything that people usually forget at home.

But just make sure to return it to them right after.

You really don’t want to be known as the person who steals pens.

The plus side to this is that you could possibly have another conversation with them right after.

“Oh, here’s your pen by the way.” 

“Thanks,”

Once they take it, that’s your chance to strike.

“The test was really hard wasn’t it? Could barely solve the last few equations in time.”

From there, just let the conversation happen naturally.

Maybe they'll agree, or maybe they'll complain about a different question, maybe they'll even ask how you answered one of the problems.

Whatever happens, don't lose your nerve and don’t treat it like you're interviewing them.

Remember! 

A conversation is supposed to bounce back and forth.

It shouldn’t be an awkward mix of ‘um’s, oh’s and yeah’s’ before one of you stares at the floor and walks away.

Another important thing.

Please listen to what they're saying.

Don't spend the entire conversation thinking about what your next sentence should be and actually pay attention.

People generally appreciate being listened to.

Maybe I should drill that into my head too.

-

Sarang looked up from her notebook again for a brief moment to steal another glance.

It was only supposed to be a second, just enough to see what he was doing before she went back to writing but the same thing happened whenever she did, she found herself watching.

(YN) had long since abandoned the worksheet in front of him. One of their classmates had wandered over to his desk, asking something that prompted him to sit up in his chair. He listened without interrupting, nodding every so often before pointing at a question on the paper.

This has been her life for the past two years of high school.

It almost became a skill how her eyes would instinctively search for him the moment he stepped into the room, how she noticed which seat he preferred when the teachers let them pick, how she noticed he was left-handed because she looked over often as he wrote and finally, how she could recognize his laugh from anywhere in the room without even looking.

It wasn't always like this.

Sarang hadn't simply walked into high school, scanned the classroom, and randomly decided that one particular boy would occupy far too much space in her thoughts for the next two years.

There had to be a beginning, some sort of catalyst.

Something small enough to be forgettable for everyone else yet memorable enough to quietly change everything for her.

And that beginning dated back to their first year of high school.

-

Sarang had just transferred into the school after moving from Busan to the capital.

Back then, she didn't know the people she called her friends today, and every person she passed in the hallway was a stranger whose name she hadn't yet learned.

Everything felt unfamiliar.

The classrooms were bigger than the ones at her old school, the hallways were much louder and bustled more with life, heck even the bell sounded different.

She'd expected the move to be difficult with it being in the middle of the year but she didn’t account for the feeling of being so…out of place.

On her first days, she went around the school with seemingly new people after every period. Some pointed to where each room was, where the bathrooms were as well as the offices if she needed it.

Then when PE eventually came, everybody seemed to be in their own bubble.

Sarang stood near the edge of the gym, clutching the borrowed P.E. uniform she'd changed into moments earlier. 

She didn't know where to stand or rather, she didn't know who to stand with.

Around her, everyone naturally drifted toward the friends they'd known for months while she stayed where she was.

Thankfully enough, the teacher only ordered them to do basic exercises for the time being so she didn’t mind standing near the back despite her height.

When everything was said and done, they were then instructed to return to the storage room by the end of the gym.

Sarang decided to help as she gathered the last few orange cones into her arms, stacking them carefully until they reached just below her chin.

A few other students carried basketballs and jump ropes toward the equipment room while the rest of the class wandered back onto the court, already talking about what they were getting for lunch which was after their next period.

The storage room’s heavy metal door was propped open, revealing rows of shelves packed with volleyballs, badminton rackets, folded mats, and enough sports equipment to outfit several classes at once if need be.

Sarang stepped inside.

It was surprisingly cooler than the gym, much cooler than she expected.

She crouched beside one of the shelves and neatly placed the cones where she had seen the teacher take them from earlier.

As she straightened up, she heard the metal door behind her creak.

Then—

Bang!

The sound echoed louder than it should have, startling the girl as her shoulders jolted up.

Sarang looked at the door and blinked as she slowly realized what happened.

The door was closed.

She walked over and reached for the handle but it stayed shut even when she twisted and pushed the door.

Her lips frowned, thinking it was just stuck.

She used more force yet it still yielded with nothing.

"That's...not funny." she said, a tiny and confused laugh escaping her.

"Hello?" She tried calling out but her voice could barely carry itself through the thick door.

She knocked once, then twice, then a little harder for the third time as the sound of the chain rattled out.

The only answer was the muffled echo of whistles and sneakers squeaking against the gym floor outside until she heard the sound of the gym doors opening then closing right after.

Sarang's expression slowly stiffened. 

She hurriedly knocked again, this time with both hands. 

"Hello!"

The thick steel swallowed her voice before it could travel very far.

She then pressed an ear against the door only to be met by silence.

Outside, the students filed out one by one to get back and change in the next building beside the gym when one of them paused.

(YN) turned to one of their classmates walking beside him.

“Hey, have you seen the new transfer student?” 

His eyes looked through the others walking in front of them.

“Huh? I haven’t seen her since we started doing warm-ups.”

“I thought she was one of the few ones that left the gym first.” Another said from his side.

“What? No, I saw her putting the cones away.” The other boy replied.

“Putting the cones away?” (YN)'s brows drew together. 

The three boys instinctively slowed to a stop.

One of them shrugged. "Yeah. She carried the last stack into the storage room." 

For a second, nobody said anything then he looked back toward the now empty gymnasium.

He looked back outside as the teacher walked away with the keys dangling from his hand.

“Mister Kim, wait!”

The P.E. teacher stopped halfway across the courtyard and turned around.

"Hm?"

"Mister Kim... did the new transfer student ever come back out of the storage room?" (YN) jogged over, slightly out of breath from hurrying after him.

"The transfer student?" The teacher asked.

"The girl from Busan. She’s about this tall, had a ponytail earlier, and pretty wide eyes." You tried explaining with your hands the best they could.

"I...don't think I saw her." He turned his head for a brief moment, furrowing his brows.

"She was the one putting the cones away." One of the boys behind (YN) pointed back to the gym as the one next to him nodded along.

"Could I borrow the storage room keys for a moment?"

The teacher looked down at the keyring in his hand before looking back at the students.

"...Why?"

"I just want to check."

"You think she's still in there?"

(YN) hesitated.

"I don't know." (YN) hesitated.

It sounded ridiculous when said out loud.

Who accidentally got locked inside the equipment room?

Yet something about it bothered him.

If someone had seen her carrying the cones, and nobody had seen her come back out, where else could she be.

"Just in case," he said.

"Come on." The teacher studied his expression for another second before letting out a small sigh. "If she's actually inside, that's on me." He gestured for them to follow instead of handing over the keys.

The small group quickly followed their steps toward the gym.

The building felt strangely empty now that every class had already left. Their footsteps echoed across the polished wooden floor as they crossed the basketball court.

The equipment room waited at the far end exactly as they'd left it with the heavy steel door remained shut.

The teacher walked up first and held the lock that wrapped around the door knob from the outside. 

After unwrapping the chain and opening the door, (YN) stepped in first.

Then he found her.

Sarang was sitting on one of the folded gym mats with her knees drawn up, more out of boredom than fear by now. The moment light poured into the room, she looked up so quickly that she almost stood too fast.

Her eyes widened as they landed on him.

“There!” Shouted one of the boys.

“She’s actually there,” The other said.

For a brief second, everyone simply stared at each other.

"You..." Her voice came out softer than she intended. "...opened it."

"Oh my goodness." The teacher sighed out loudly while he hurried inside, his face immediately filling with guilt. "I'm so sorry. I know I shouldn’t have let the others lock the door." 

“Thankfully she wasn’t stuck her for a long time,”

“Yeah, we got her out in time.”

The realization came to her at the strangest possible moment.

The teacher was apologizing.

The boys were laughing in relief with one of them already joking about how worried they were.

Yet beneath all of those overlapping voices...

Not a single one of them had called her by name. None of them actually knew her, maybe it was just by pure luck that they turned back to find her.

"I'm really sorry," the teacher said. "You must've been frightened."

Sarang gave a small shake of her head.

"I was just... confused."

"I'll make sure this never happens again." He bowed his head solemnly.

"Thank you." She returned it politely.

The teacher let out another guilty sigh before turning toward the students behind him.

"Alright, everyone. Let's head back."

The group began filing out of the storage room.

Sarang lingered for half a second before following.

As she stepped outside, sunlight washed over her again after being surrounded by the dim gym and hardwood floor.

She blinked against the brightness once she stepped outside.

"You okay, Sarang?"

The voice came from beside her.

She turned and found (YN).

He'd slowed down enough that they ended up walking side by side while everyone else was a few steps ahead.

"I'm fine." she gave a tiny nod.

"You weren't in there for too long, were you?"

"I don't think so."

"Good.”

Sarang folded her arms in front of her only to turn her head back as she realized.

“You just said my name.” 

"Yeah?" He raised a brow.

"You..." Sarang looked at him with an expression somewhere between disbelief and confusion. "...you know my name?"

“Of course I do.” He tilted his head slightly, as if the question itself had caught him off guard. "You're Ryu Sarang.” He scratched the back of his neck, looking almost embarrassed.

When he said her name again, there was no hesitation, no pause to remember as if he simply knew. 

“I—” she struggled to say the words in her head. “We’ve never talked before.” 

“Yeah, not really.”

"So... how?"

He looked at her for a moment before smiling, the kind of small, casual smile that suggested he genuinely hadn't realized this was unusual.

"Ms. Lee introduced you on your first day.”

Sarang looked back at him.

“She said you transferred from Busan and let you sit beside the windows on your first few days.”

She could feel the warmth rushing across her cheeks.

“You never really raise your voice when attendance is called out.”

“I—” She managed out.

“Ah, you're a part of our class so…” he said with an awkward chuckle. “I figured I should at least remember your name.” 

-

Sarang could still remember the small smile he had up to this day.

For her first few weeks, she had convinced herself that she was invisible.

She had believed she was just another unfamiliar face drifting through a classroom that had already decided where everyone belonged.

Until someone proved her wrong, not with some grand gesture, not by dramatically pulling her away from danger or declaring himself her first friend.

He had simply remembered her.

That tiny act somehow slipped through her carefully built walls around herself.

For the rest of that afternoon and in each day after, she found herself replaying the same conversation while she pretended to listen in class.

His words still echoed in her head with irritating resilience.

How embarrassing.

She'd spent days worrying that people didn't even know she existed while the boy she'd never spoken to before had known her name from the very beginning.

And that was what made him special to her.

Since then, she started noticing him a lot more.

She noticed when he stayed behind to stack chairs after class.

Noticed when he greeted the cafeteria workers before taking his lunch.

Noticed how teachers trusted him enough to hand him attendance sheets without asking twice.

And noticed that he laughed harder when someone else made a joke than when he made one himself.

She looked back down at the open page.

-

It's safe to say that I'm past this step.

But you can do it too, imaginary person i’m giving this to!

Actually…maybe don't use me as a perfect example for this.

I'm writing this as I've spent my first year being in step one. 

Then I spent the next year being in step two.

Which leads me to—

Step 2: Become Friends!

Congratulations, they know you exist!

Now here's where things get difficult.

The good news is that you don't have to become best friends overnight.

The bad news is that friendship doesn't also form after one quick conversation so I'm telling you right now that you're going to have to talk to them.

A lot.

Fortunately for you, school gets you through this in many ways.

Method 1: Group Projects

Again, this happens by chance but you should take your chance when it does happen because whoever came up with these also came up with the greatest wingman for romance in education.

Think about it.

Teachers force people together and nobody questions anything because you're going to suffer altogether the same.

But just don't spend the whole time just staring at them without contributing anything to the project at least.

Believe it or not, freeloading isn't very romantic.

Now for an example…

-

Their first group project with him was during their biology class during the second semester of our second year.

It took a while but they were finally grouped together.

Now it was four of them in the group, Sarang, (YN) and two of their other classmates and somehow, in some odd way the first ten minutes started off as if all of them forgot how to talk.

They all glanced at each other, waiting for one of them to finally take initiative.

Sarang kept her eyes fixed on the assignment sheet.

‘Maybe I should ask what everyone's names are.’

She shook her head.

No, she already knew who everyone was.

‘Maybe I should ask what part they want to do.’

She nodded weakly.

Right, that sounded like a better idea.

When she was about to speak, she heard him clear his throat beside her.

“Should we get started?” he asked, looking around their desks that formed a small circle.

The other two classmates nodded in agreement before nudging closer.

Sarang gasped in a breath when he suddenly leaned in to look at the sheet where the questions were.

“Why don't we divide the questions so we can finish faster?” he asked again.

Sarang looked up briefly as he glanced at her.

She froze for exactly half a second before remembering that he'd asked everyone a question.

"...I think that's a good idea," she answered, perhaps a little too quickly.

He smiled and gave a small nod.

"Alright."

He picked up the worksheet, his eyes scanning over the page again.

"There are twelve questions." he lightly tapped the paper with the back of his pen. “You two can work on the first half.”

He looked at their two classmates before his eyes went back to the girl sitting next to him with the same soft look he always seemed to have.

“Then Sarang and I could work on the other half.” 

-

Now, I'm not telling you to disconnect from reality like what I did but if you do, that's totally normal!

Anyways, group projects are a great method to becoming friends.

Not because they're romantic but because they're the exact opposite.

Most of the time, you're all just stressed, tired and trying your best to cram it in one sitting and that's exactly why they're so useful.

You aren't expected to talk constantly, not expected for every conversation to be interesting and most of all, you already have something to discuss.

Once you've finished talking about the assignment, you'll naturally end up talking about other things too.

Maybe you'll complain about how the teacher gave it on a Friday out of all days.

Maybe you'll both realize neither of you understands question number six and seven.

Maybe you'll discover you both have terrible handwriting.

Friendships usually don't begin with deep conversations under a sunset.

They begin with things like borrowing a glue stick or maybe something like laughing at a question both of you answered wrongly.

It's surprisingly ordinary, like most things are.

And that's okay, ordinary is just as nice.

-

Sarang smiled to herself as she looked down at the notebook.

With a satisfied nod, she placed small hearts around her writing.

She flipped the notebook into a new page before she saw a figure walk to the front of the class.

The desks screeched across the floor as students flooded in from the door, groans and sighs coming from some of them, dreading the start of yet another subject.

Sarang quickly slipped her pen into the spiral binding before looking up.

Their homeroom teacher placed a thick stack of papers onto the table in the front of the room.

"Good morning."

"Good morning," the class answered in a chorus that varied in energy.

"Before we begin today's lesson, I have an announcement."

Everything went still for a moment as the teacher spoke.

Announcement either meant two things, someone did something they totally shouldn’t have or they were about to go through more work.

"I'm sure some of you have seen or at least walked past the bulletin board in the hallway and seen the poster," the teacher continued. "The cultural festival is only three weeks away." 

A mixture of excited cheers and exhausted complaints spread across the classroom. 

"Which means," she continued, pretending not to hear the complaints, "each class will be responsible for one booth." 

Someone near the back placed their head in their hands.

"We just finished exams..."

"We're never escaping school."

"Can we sell the exam answers?"

The class almost saw a chalk eraser fly across the room.

"No." The teacher sternly replied while letting laughter spread in between the seats.

They smiled before continuing, "I'll be dividing the class into different groups for the certain aspects you will need for the booth. And despite that, I expect everyone to work together as one. Now I’ll be writing them down on the board, please wait patiently until everyone’s name is on it.”

Sarang listened with half an ear while absentmindedly closing her notebook.

She wasn't too worried, these kinda things rarely affected her since she didn’t mind ending up wherever as long as she could help.

The teacher picked up a stick of chalk and began writing across the board in neat columns.

Then one by one, names were written with each student waiting behind the teacher with quiet expectations of wherever they’ll be assigned to.

Sarang rested her cheek against her hand before looking up to find her name under the decorations group.

She nodded her head, quietly accepting her duty. It wasn’t bad at least since making banners, making flyers and turning the classroom into something unrecognizable for the day were things she didn’t mind lending a hand to.

She quietly jotted down the date of the festival in an empty page of her notebook then when she looked up to the board she froze.

Now written under her name, was his.

Sarang froze in her seat, only being able to blink for a moment as her eyes quickly re-read what was on the board.

No way.

Surely she'd read it wrong.

She subtly leaned forward in her chair, narrowing her eyes at the chalkboard as though the extra ten centimeters would somehow improve her eyesight.

Decorations

Ryu Sarang Hwang (YN)

As she was taking into terms that they were going to be working together, her heart gave her one loud and heavy thump against her chest.

Calm down.

It's just a committee.

There are probably other people.

As if answering her thoughts, the teacher continued writing the third name then the fourth then fifth under theirs.

By the time they finished, there were eight students assigned to Decorations.

Sarang quietly exhaled in relief.

Why would it ever just be us?

She mentally scolded herself for even entertaining the possibility.

The teacher dusted the chalk from her hands before turning back toward the class.

"Everyone, please use our time tomorrow to discuss and brainstorm ideas for the booth. The sooner everything gets decided on, the better.”

A chorus of reluctant answers followed immediately right after.

The lesson would soon begin right after.

-

RING!

Sarang carefully followed the sea of students walking to the school doors. As she got closer, she noticed that the people in front of her had huddled over the entrance.

She wondered what was going until she heard it, the soft taps of rain against the ground.

She slowed to a stop beside the doorway.

Outside, the sky had darkened without anyone really noticing.

Rain fell steadily, soaking the school courtyard. Puddles had already begun gathering along the sidewalks while students crowded beneath the covered entrance, some groaning, others laughing as they debated whether the rain was light enough to simply run through.

Sarang’s shoulders dropped slightly.

“Really? Out of all the days I forget my umbrella.” She mumbled.

She carefully reached out her arm, feeling the cold water tap against her hand.

“You're not thinking of running through the rain, are you?” she suddenly turned to the voice behind her.

She quickly pulled her hand back.

Standing a step behind her was (YN), one hand resting on the strap of his backpack while the other held a neatly folded black umbrella.

"No," Sarang replied. "I was just checking how hard it was raining."

"It's pouring hard." he glanced outwardly toward the courtyard.

"It is."

A few students suddenly bolted from the entrance, yelling as they sprinted across the open path.

Within seconds, they were completely drenched.

One of them nearly slipped on the wet pavement before another caught him by the sleeve.

The two of them laughed anyway.

(YN) watched them disappear through the school gate before shaking his head with an amused smile.

Sarang stood, looking at the courtyard and not hearing the soft pop of an umbrella opening before it bloomed over her.

She looked over to him standing next to her, holding up the umbrella between them. Her shoulder jolted, making it brush over his ever so slightly.

Instinctively, she took half a step back.

"...S-Sorry."

"It's okay," he replied still with a smile, adjusting his grip on the handle. "I was just making sure you didn't get rained on."

"Thank you." she managed out.

"No problem."

For a few seconds, they simply stood there watching the rain.

Students continued pouring out of the building around them, some squeezing under shared umbrellas while others accepted the circumstances and dashed into the pouring rain. 

The school gradually grew quieter as the crowd thinned.

"Do you think it'll stop soon?" He asked, glancing toward the road beyond the gate.

"I don't think so." Sarang mumbled while she followed his gaze.

He hummed as another comfortable silence settled between them before he spoke again.

"You walk home, don't you?"

Sarang replied with a small nod.

"Which way do you go? If you don’t mind me asking."

She pointed toward the intersection at the right side of the front gate.

"Past the bridge then turn left into the neighborhoods up the hill then I take the steps rather than the road."

"Really?" his eyebrows lifted.

"You know where that is?"

"I do." he pointed toward the same direction. "I pass the bridge too."

“You do?"

"Yeah." he looked back toward the rain. "I only keep going straight after that instead of turning left."

"I didn't know that," she admitted quietly.

He chuckled.

"I guess we usually leave at different times." he chuckled. 

That part was mostly true.

Wait no, scratch that. It’s very much true.

Every other day, she’d often stay behind for a short while to organise her notes or wait for the hallways to become less crowded whenever classes ended.

Sometimes she waited for her friends before leaving with them, not really paying attention to who walked with whom.

(YN) glanced at the rain once more before looking back at her.

“If you’re fine with it…” he lifted the umbrella a little, “...maybe we could walk together until we pass the bridge.”

Sarang’s head snapped back almost immediately, making sure if what she heard was right.

Walk together?

As in...actually walk together?

Outside school?

Side by Side?

For more than thirty seconds?

Her heart immediately decided this was an emergency.

Act normal.

You've talked before.

This is what normal classmates do.

“I—I’d like that.” she replied, hoping her voice wasn’t loud enough to show how he had caught her off guard.

“Great.” 

She watched as his smile returned naturally.

He took a single step forward before stopping again and looking back at her.

"Ladies first."

It was such a simple gesture that it somehow made everything worse.

"R—Right." Sarang stepped beneath the umbrella first, carefully making sure she wasn't standing too close.

He followed beside her. His hand adjusted the umbrella ever so slightly that it covered both of them even after they reached past the school gate.

Up to this point, neither of them spoke, letting the soft taps of rain against the umbrella and the street beside fill the noise as cars drove over wet roads.

“Have you thought of anything we could do?” 

Sarang turned her head to the question.

“For the festival,” he continued.

She almost forgot they were assigned to the same group.

“I haven't thought of anything yet.” Sarang answered. “It seems like everyone wants to do different things.”

He nodded in understanding.

"Yeah. I heard someone wanted to turn the classroom into a haunted house."

"In the middle of the afternoon?" Sarang let out a quiet laugh.

"I asked the same thing."

"They'd have to somehow make the room dark."

"And somehow convince people cardboard ghosts are scary."

A tiny smile found its way onto her face.

"I don't think that'll work."

"I don't either."

The conversation slowed again, though this time it didn't feel awkward.

It simply drifted along with the rain.

Their shoes splashed through shallow puddles as they walked beneath rows of trees lining the sidewalk. Water gathered at the edges of the leaves before dropping in steady little plinks onto the pavement.

After another few moments, she decided to ask.

"What about you?” 

He thought about it for a good second.

"I don't really mind what we end up making."

"You don't?" Sarang tilted her head up slightly.

"Yeah, as long as everyone enjoys working on it."

"That's all?"

"Pretty much."

"You don't have something you've always wanted to do for a festival?"

"I've always been the type who goes along with the flow of things.” He laughed softly. “So as long as everybody's happy with it then I don't have a problem.”

Sarang nodded slowly.

"That sounds like you." she said afterwards, not thinking of what it could have possibly meant.

"Does it?” he glanced at her then with a brow raised with slight curiosity.

She immediately realized what she'd admitted.

"I—I mean..."

She looked away as she searched desperately for a way to make it sound less obvious.

"...You always seem to help whenever people ask."

"I guess." he smiled faintly.

"And the teachers trust you too."

"They've just asked me to do things for them enough times that I stopped saying no."

"And..." She hesitated for a fraction of a second. "...you don't really complain."

"Oh I complain."

"You do?"

"Just not very loudly."

That earned another quiet laugh from her.

"There.” he looked over with a grin as they stopped at a red crossing.

“Huh?” 

“You smiled.” (YN) said, pointing at her lips.

Sarang immediately pushed the smile down.

“No—I mean. I wasn’t sure if you had dimples.” he muttered.

Her eyes widened as her hands instinctively flew to the sides of her cheeks, trying to cover them.

“I do.”

“I didn’t know they were so noticeable.” he continued, trying to not make the conversation take a much more awkward turn.

“They're…they're only there when I smile.” she kept both hands pressed against her cheeks as if they could hide the fact that they exist.

"So I was right." 

She stared at him while he did the same back at her. Realizing what he'd accidentally implied, he let out an embarrassed laugh.

"I mean, I guessed right."

The crossing light finally changed as the color reflected off the puddle next to them.

The two of them stepped onto the street together.

Sarang was suddenly very interested in watching the white stripes beneath her shoes while wondering why out of all the things they could have talked about, that was the thing he had to point out.

She wasn’t entirely sure whether to feel embarrassed or strangely happy.

“My sister has them too,” (YN) said after stepping onto the sidewalk, once again scratching the back of his neck. “So I noticed.”

"...You have a sister?"

"Yeah, I do."

"Older?"

"She’s a little younger than me."

"How much younger?"

"By five years."

Sarang nodded, pressing her lips together, grateful the conversation had drifted elsewhere.

“There it is again.” (YN) followed beside her.

She immediately covered her cheeks once more. 

“Why do you keep trying to hide them?”

“I feel a little embarrassed when someone points them out.”

"I guess that's fair." he looked at her for a moment before nodding in understanding.

The bridge gradually came into view ahead of them. 

Rainwater had gradually lessened throughout their walk that felt shorter than it should have, almost unfairly short.

When they reached the end of the bridge, he slowed to a stop.

“I guess this is where we split off, right?”

“Guess so.” Sarang nodded. 

"I'll see you tomorrow then and also—” He suddenly leaned down and carefully held her wrist before lifting it slightly to hand over the umbrella.

She looked down at the umbrella now resting in her hand before looking back up at him.

"W-What are you doing?"

"You can borrow it." 

“But what about you?” she asked right after.

"I'll be fine." 

She instinctively looked past him, to the clouds that weren’t dark but were instead had changed into gray with soft sunlight peeking through them.

"What if it starts raining again later?" 

“My place isn’t that far from here so I should be fine.” he reassured her.

Sarang looked back down at the umbrella.

"I... couldn't." Sarang glanced at the umbrella then shook her head.

"You can, I don’t mind it."

"But it's yours."

"It’s fine, really." he softly pushed her hand back closer to her.

She tightened her grip around the curved handle.

"Fine, but I'll return it tomorrow."

"Perfect, It’s not like you don’t know where to find me anyways."

The answer came so smoothly that it took her a second to look up as she processed it.

"What?"

"We’re classmates, aren’t we? I wouldn’t mind if you just left it on my desk." he shrugged with a smile.

“Alright…” Sarang stared at him for a second before letting out the smallest nod.

For a brief moment, neither of them moved.

The rain had almost completely stopped now, leaving only the occasional droplet falling from the trees overhead. 

"Then I'll see you tomorrow."

Sarang nodded again, watching him take a few steps away from her.

“Careful on your way home!” he lifted a hand in a small wave before turning toward the road that continued straight ahead.

When he turned a corner, Sarang still remained where she was with the umbrella warm in her hands, not because of the weather but because of her realizing he intentionally held her hand.

Just simply answer them how you would if any of your friends offered the same thing.

Secondly, remember to not push yourself to talk.

Silence isn’t a bad thing.

Some of the nicest conversations happen because nobody forces them to say something just to fill the air.

You’ll probably end up talking about something irrelevant or something you saw on the street.

You could probably end up talking about homework or the weather maybe or how your teacher somehow assigned both of you to the same group to help with the school festival.

Those conversations might be ordinary but most are!

Don’t lie or make things up to make you seem interesting because you already are.

Thirdly, if they point out something you’ve always been self-conscious about…

Don’t immediately assume they’re trying to make fun of you.

Sometimes people notice little things simply because they're actually paying attention. 

Maybe it was your laugh or the way you smile or the dimples you try so hard to hide every time you smile.

Embarrassing as it might feel, it also feels kinda nice.

Now if they lend you their umbrella when you just so happen to walk in the rain, make sure to return it!

It might be the perfect excuse to talk to them again but they still trusted you with something that belongs to them.

Also don’t forget to bring yours too because they might not save you the next time!

Now that’s over and dealt with, it’s time for—

Step 3: Get close to them!

Congratulations!

They now know you exist, and you're officially friends.

I knew you could do it, my imaginary reader.

Now, hopefully you won’t overthink this particular step.

Getting close to them doesn’t mean actually getting close to them every chance you get.

Don’t stand behind them during the lunch line or worse, force yourself into his friend group.

What I think it means is that getting closer to someone isn’t about creating dramatic moments with them like in mangas or in dramas, I think it’s about giving ordinary moments meaning.

For example, if they mention something like, I don’t know…them having a sister, remember it!

The next time you talk to them, you could ask her how she’s doing.

If they casually mention having a favorite snack, you might know a place where to get 'em and tell them. Plus points if you go with them!

The point is to remember the little things.

Most would remember birthdays but little know about their specific preferences.

Maybe they prefer sunny-side eggs over scrambled ones or they like pineapple on pizzas rather than other flavors.

Remembering the tiny details makes them know that you listen and that they’re special enough to remember.

Before I continue though, there is one important warning.

Do not suddenly become a detective.

There's a very big difference between remembering something someone willingly told you and somehow knowing the exact time they leave their house every morning despite them never mentioning it.

One is thoughtful.

The other gets you a restraining order.

Or blocked.

Probably both.

Remember, you're trying to be someone they trust and like and not someone they have to make a report about.

Now that you know what not to do, let's talk about what we could do!

Try spending time with them naturally.

Keyword, naturally.

Don't come up with reasons to be near them at each end of the period like some mother bird looking after her chicks.

Basically just repeat step 2 again and again until something changes.

It might be easier written than done but who knows, you might see change.

You might notice that you're not as nervous when you're near them or you feel comfortable around them and vice versa then the conversations just happen and it feels like you're talking to well…them.

That's when you'll know you've gotten closer.

Not because something dramatic happened nor because they suddenly confessed beneath cherry blossoms while the OST played in the background.

It's because somewhere along the way, they became someone you look forward to seeing.

And hopefully, you became someone they look forward to seeing too by then.

Ah! One more thing.

Don't be afraid to let them know you.

It's easy to spend a lot of time trying to push through their walls that you'd forget to let down your own too.

Tell them about your hobbies.

The embarrassing stories from your childhood.

The songs you've had on repeat for the past week.

The opinions you'll defend with your life even if everyone else disagrees.

It's only fair to give them a piece of you if they do too.

Now.

If you've somehow made it this far, congratulations.

You've successfully become friends with your crush without accidentally becoming a stalker.

That's a remarkably low bar, but you'd be surprised with what people do these days.

-

The following morning, as soon as their homeroom period ended, the classroom divided into different circles for the different groups that were assigned the day prior.

The desks scraped across the tiled floor as the students went to their groups. The words ‘Food Trip’ written across the chalkboard in large letters.

The gist of it was that they were going to divide their room into different sections with each having their assigned country and menus they could try and cook up.

It sounded ambitious and maybe that's why everyone was trying to speak all at once.

“Can we get Japan?”

“People love french fries!”

“Can we please pick a country whose food we could actually make?”

“My mom could help us make Tamarind soup.” 

“How about we make indomie? I mean they're technically international.”

Sarang sat on her seat with her notebook open on a blank page in front of her.

“Since we're dividing the class into different countries, I think it's best if we divide ourselves into pairs and help the different stalls with their designs.” 

(YN) sat beside her, eyes going in between each of the other members of their group.

"That makes sense," one of the girls agreed. "There are too many booths for all of us to keep moving around together."

The other nodded.

"If we split into pairs, each of them can focus on one country's decorations and help with whoever's cooking for that booth."

"So...four pairs?"

"Four pairs sounds right.” (YN) answered before the inevitable question came.

“Who's pairing up with who?” 

As the others discussed with themselves, he looked over at the girl sitting quietly beside him.

Sarang's brows rose as she met his gaze.

“Should we work together?” 

"Me?" she asked, pointing lightly at herself.

He nodded.

She looked down at the notebook in front of her for a moment, remembering the page she'd written in her bedroom the night prior jokingly.

The universe seemed to have no room for any of it.

“I'd like that.” she answered, lips carefully turning up into a smile.

“Great.” he returned the smile with his own.

“Which country are you guys picking?” 

Both of them looked away to look at their other groupmates.

(YN) looked at the board and saw the countries the class had decided on.

“Maybe we could do Korea.”

“Korea?” one of the boys repeated. “Wuah, out of all the choices, you chose the easiest one.” 

The others laughed right after while (YN) brushed it off.

As suggestions were tossed left and right, Sarang started to list them down on her notebook all the while ignoring someone that was stealing glances at her.

Soon enough, the morning had passed and it was time for lunch.

The bell echoed through the hallways and almost instantly, the other students began funneling out of the door.

The conversations about the upcoming school festival were replaced with more important concerns at the moment as the students filed out of the door, discussing what they’d be getting for lunch.

Sarang walked with the noise around her to the cafeteria and it seemed to grow louder as she stepped foot inside. From then, she did what she always did and that was to line up with a tray and wait for her turn to get school-issued lunch.

She walked through the tables after with her tray in hand, scanning the room for a table. Eventually, she spotted her friends waving at her from a table by the corner of the cafeteria and she didn’t waste another step before heading over.

Little did she know that a pair of eyes followed her through the crowd.

“(YN)’s staring again.” 

The boy straightened back into his seat, breaking his stare away and focusing back to his friends at their own table.

One of the boys sitting across from him let out a quiet snort under his breath.

“What’s wrong with that?” (YN) asked, biting down softly on the straw in his mouth.

"If you stare at her a little more," another one of his friends teased, nudging his arm, "she's going to melt."

"I'm not staring."

The entire table fell silent and looked at him. 

“Saying that is fine and all,” One of them finally said. “But I think all of us here know that you like her.”

(YN) looked in between all of their faces before his shoulders dropped down slowly.

“I do and what about it?”

“Wow, look at you.” One of his friends said. “You're never really shy about your feelings.” 

“Why would I be?”

None of them answered.

“So…” One of them shook their head and grinned, “when are you gonna tell her?”

“I won't.” he replied quickly, as if he didn't need to think twice.

His answer caught everybody around the table off guard.

“What?” 

He felt another nudge from his side.

“I’m not confessing.”

“Not ever?” 

“I want to at some point but not right now,” he answered.

“C’mon dude, you've liked her for months now.” One of the boys raised an eyebrow.

“I know,” 

“Then what's stopping you?”

(YN) heard them ask as he looked to the corner of the cafeteria he saw her walk over to.

Sarang was laughing at something one of her friends had said, completely unaware that she was the center of conversation across the room.

Even from afar, he could still faintly see the dips of her dimples as she laughed. He smiled to himself seeing that.

“She's…comfortable around me now.”

“And?”

“I don't want to ruin that.”

The teasing around the table eased down.

“When I walked with her, I think that was probably the longest conversation we've had ever,” he continued after a moment.

“How was it?”

“It was…nice.” he chuckled.

There was something so simple in the way he said it that made everyone listen in.

“And I don't want every conversation to remind me that I have feelings for her.”

“So you're taking it slow?” One of his friends questioned.

“I'd rather have her get to know me because she enjoys being around me.” 

“And if she never likes you back?” 

“Then…that’s okay.” (YN) shrugged, “I can't make someone like me.” 

He smiled, looking in between them again.

“But I can make sure that if she says no someday, it isn't because she never got to know who I am.”

"Wow, he really is a loverboy." one of them scoffed in disbelief.

"I was expecting something way cheesier though."

"Oh, I do have cheesy thoughts."

"Really?"

"I just don't say them out loud."

The boys collectively laughed.

"That's probably for the best."

He felt another nudge to his side.

"So you're just going to keep talking to her?" 

"Pretty much."

"Walk her home if it rains again?"

"If she needs an umbrella."

"Sit beside her during group work?"

"If we're assigned together."

"So basically..." one of them smirked. "...you're going to keep finding perfectly reasonable excuses to spend time with the girl you like."

"When you put it like that..." (YN) smiled sheepishly. "That's exactly what I'm doing."

"I honestly think she's going to figure it out before you confess." Another friend laughed, shaking his head.

"I hope not."

"Why?"

He looked across the cafeteria one more time.

"Because right now..." he softened his smile. "...seeing her smile when we talk is enough."

The boys exchanged glances before one dramatically placed a hand over his heart.

"He's gone. Like fully gone."

"Yep, he's so hopeless."

"Yeah," another said with a grin. "I think he's got it reaaal bad.”

-

The days that followed were about getting ready for the upcoming festival.

All of the teachers chose to hold off their lessons until the festival was over so they could plan and build their booths to the best of their abilities. 

The school was changing too, in small increments at first but as each day passed, it transformed into a somewhat colorful mess.

The hallways in the school, which used to have boards with notes on them, were now filled with spray painted cardboard, colored paper and tape. 

Some of the classroom doors were left open and inside, you could see the people walking from one side to another, arguing about the decorations and making sure the things they built didn’t fall down.

There were sheets of brown paper on the desks while paint and brushes were scattered everywhere. Someone had brought in a small speaker that played music quietly in the background. You couldn’t always hear it over the chatter over someone needing glue and the complaints of people getting paint on their uniforms.

Their classroom was no different.

Sarang stood by the back end of the room, a long sheet of cartolina was spread out in front of her. She held a brush carefully in her hand as she painted another clean stroke of dark blue across the sheet.

Her eyes drifted every so often to a photo of a piece of traditional Korean calligraphy on her phone that she used as a reference.

Soon, someone stopped right behind her.

“Looks nice.”

She suddenly turned her head.

(YN) stood there carrying a stack of pieces of cardboard by his side.

“You think so?” Sarang asked, unaware of where the tip of her brush pointed as she turned and bumped into his arm.

The paint streaked across his sleeve in one uneven line.

“I—I’m sorry!” Sarang’s eyes widened and turned back to the table, reaching for a handful of tissues lying nearby.

"It was an accident, I didn't mean to—"

"It's okay."

"No, it's not."

She continued blotting at the fabric, only succeeding in spreading the damp blue paint a little farther.

“I should’ve been more careful.” she sighed as her arms dropped back down to her sides.

“It’s fine, really. It’s just paint” he let a small laugh escape him.

"But it's your uniform."

He held the cardboard under one arm before gently taking the tissues from her.

"It'll wash out."

"You don't know that."

"I don't," he admitted. "But if it doesn't, everybody will know I helped out at least."

Sarang smiled at that before forcing it away.

(YN) noticed the worried expression written on her face and how her hands had balled themselves into fists.

“How about we get even then?” he reached for the brush and brushed a small line across her own sleeve.

Sarang froze for a moment before she slowly looked down at the cuff of her own uniform.

“You painted my sleeve…” she slowly looked back up at him.

For one terrifying second, he wondered if he’d misjudged the joke entirely before seeing the corners of her lips lifted.

“Now we’re both in trouble.”

“Yeah, exactly.”

“So, we’re even?”

“I think so.”

She looked at the almost matching streaks on their sleeves before laughing under her breath.

“I still feel bad,” Sarang admitted.

“You don’t have to.” 

“But I ruined your sleeve.”

“And I got my…payback?” he replied, not sure with his words.

“You did that on purpose…while I didn’t.”

“I did.”

“So you still win.”

“Win? I’m not trying to win anything.” he laughed. “Though if I were to win anything, it’d be…”

His eyes looked around the room for a moment before settling back on her.

“It would be you.”

The words left his mouth he even thought of what he was saying.

Everybody else’s chatter continued around them, completely unaware of what was happening at the back of the room.

His smile slowly disappeared as he looked away.

Sarang on the other hand, froze at her spot seemingly still processing what just happened.

“I mean—we should get back to work.”

"...Right."

It was all Sarang managed to say.

Her mind had wandered somewhere else entirely.

It would be you.

“Hey (YN)!”

Both of them turned their heads to the voice.

“How long are those cardboard pieces going to take?” 

“Just give me a sec, I'm working on it!” he turned away from her.

“You said that earlier, get to work because we're gonna need them!” 

(YN) looked back at her, their gazes meeting in the middle once again.

“I guess I'll see you around?” he told her, adjusting the pieces by her side.

“Y-yeah—see you around.” Sarang looked away as she lowered her head.

(YN) went back into the crowd in the classroom, presumably to get back to cutting the cardboard all the while Sarang was still stunned in her place.

“What just happened…” 

-

What should you do when your crush suddenly says something unexpected?

I…actually don't know.

You might think that I would have some type of solution considering I've written three whole steps beforehand.

There had to be something somewhere in the romance mangas and dramas I've read and watched but experiencing it for myself has left me with…blank.

People say the wrong things all the time or something they don't mean or…they say exactly what they mean before they realize they said it out loud.

My only problem is…which should I believe?

It's easier to believe that it was all a mistake, or he didn't mean it but what if he did?

No, as the writer of this guide, I know I shouldn't believe that.

Assumptions won't get you anywhere!!!

You shouldn't decide that someone has feelings based on one thing they said only to end up disappointed.

And you shouldn't convince yourself they don't like you only to end up missing clear signs.

Kinda contrasting, I know.

But romance is confusing like that sometimes.

Now, I've figured out what I should do.

Absolutely nothing!

Atleast…for now.

-

One late afternoon, Sarang and the rest of the design group were tasked to buy more materials that they had run out of after school.

The group decided to walk together to the nearby school supply store with some of the members walking ahead, one holding the jar containing the funds they had innocently ‘collected’. 

Sarang walked slightly behind.

From the back, she could watch everyone talking over one another without having to join in herself. The afternoon air had cooled compared to the heat earlier that day, carrying with it the scent of fresh bread from a bakery they passed and the faint aroma of grilled food from a small snack stand near the corner.

Students in different uniforms filled the streets after school, all heading toward bus stops, academies, cafes, or home.

Sarang adjusted the strap of her bag.

Suddenly, she heard a yawn come from beside her.

She turned over and saw (YN) walking along at the same pace as he stretched his arms in the air.

“Tired?” she asked softly.

“A little.” he replied before rubbing one of his eyes with the back of his hand. “I stayed up thinking of how to do those hanok roofs for the stall.”

“The ones you made from cardboard earlier?” 

He nodded his head.

“I think they look nice,” Sarang’s lips slightly curved up. “So I guess you didn’t stay up for nothing.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment.” he smiled to himself.

They stopped by a red crossing light before he turned to her again.

“How about you? Feeling any tired?”

“I guess but who wouldn’t be?” she replied, carefully adjusting the straps of her bag over her shoulder. Her arms slowly went back into place, still with the faint marks of paint she had gotten on herself earlier.

“I guess that’s a fair point but I actually feel kind of excited.”

“You’re excited to sell food in a hanbok?” she chuckled.

“Not just that,” he laughed and shook his head.

Cars streamed past in front of them, their engines humming as people gathered along the curb waiting to cross. 

"I'm excited because..." He spoke as a loud motorcycle whizzed by. "This is probably the first school festival I've actually looked forward to." 

"Really?"

"Usually I just show up, eat whatever everyone else made, then go home."

“And now?”

“I don’t know,” he glanced between their classmates. “Seeing how hard everyone else is working makes me feel like it’s something to look forward to.” 

Sarang looked away after he smiled and hers grew wider.

“I think it’ll be fun too.” she said.

The crossing signal beeped and the pedestrian light turned green.

The group ahead immediately began crossing, and the two of them followed with the rest of the crowd.

“But I feel a little nervous too.” she spoke again as they walked across.

“What about?”

She seemed to think about it for a moment.

“What if no one comes to our booth?”

“Oh, I’m sure they will.” he swiftly replied.

“Some confidence you have.”

“I’m just sure seeing how the stalls are turning out. The others tried cooking some of the dishes earlier, and I trust them enough to keep it somewhat edible.”

“Somewhat edible?” Sarang repeated as she laughed.

“I may be confident but my expectations are still realistic.”

"So you don't trust them completely?"

"I trust them…just not with seasoning."

“I’ll make sure to season and cook the food well.” she covered her mouth as another laugh escaped her.

“You cover after someone’s shift, right?” 

Sarang nodded, “Yeah, I’ll start cooking before Jungeun’s turn.”

“I’ll be out serving food most of the day, I think,” he said. “Though I hope someone’s generous enough to cover for me.”

"Why?"

He looked at her as though the answer were obvious.

"I want to look around."

"The other classrooms?"

He nodded.

"I've been seeing everyone carry decorations around all week. I kind of want to see what they ended up making."

Before she could say anything, the group finally reached the store around the corner.

The small bell above the glass door chimed as they stepped inside, and almost immediately everyone scattered in different directions. 

Within minutes, they went through the aisles, grabbing colored paper, ribbons, extra paint and glitter among other things.

Sarang quietly slipped another roll of double-sided tape into the basket before checking it off the list she had been carrying.

By the time they reached the register, the class fund jar had become noticeably lighter while the shopping baskets had become considerably heavier. 

The cashier counted everything before handing over several paper bags. 

The group collectively exhaled as they stepped back outside. The late afternoon sun had dipped lower, casting long orange sunlight across the sidewalk.

Everyone held a bag before walking back toward the school.

Sarang found herself walking beside (YN) again without either of them making a conscious decision to. 

The paper bag in her arms crinkled softly every time she adjusted her grip.

Ahead of them, the rest of the group had already resumed talking, their voices drifting through the afternoon breeze.

“Sarang…” he spoke beside her.

"Hm?" she looked over.

"You remember what we were talking about earlier?”

Sarang lowered the bag in her arms to look at him properly.

"I've been thinking..." He took a short breath. "Would you want to look around the festival together?"

Sarang blinked as her steps slowed ever so slightly.

"Just after our shifts are over," he clarified almost immediately. "I mean, we're probably both going to have some free time before everything ends so I figured why not take a look around." he scratched the back of his neck. "And I thought maybe it'd be more fun than wandering around by myself."

She looked ahead at the backs of their classmates.

For some reason, the question didn't feel casual anymore.

He simply asked if she wanted to walk around the festival.

Right?

"I—I'd like that," she answered after a moment.

"Really?" his eyes widened as his expression brightened almost instantly.

"I kind of wanted to see the other classrooms too." she nodded.

He smiled to himself, looking too oddly pleased with that answer.

"Then it's a plan."

"A plan?"

"Yeah." (YN) looked ahead as the school gates finally came back into view.

"We'll finish our shifts..." he nodded his head along as he spoke, "...and check out the other classrooms."

"It seems like you’re really looking forward to this."

"I told you." He grinned. "First one I've actually been excited for…though,” he glanced at her from the corner of his eye. "I think it'll be more fun now."

She turned toward him ever so slightly to look back.

"Because I won't be walking around alone."

The explanation was simple.

Simple enough that she believed it.

Simple enough that, for some reason, it still made her heart beat just a little faster.

Before she could think of a reply, one of their classmates called back from the front of the group.

"Are you two slowing down on purpose?"

"We're coming." (YN) looked away first.

He matched his pace with the others, and Sarang followed to fall into step beside him.

-

Now what should you do when your crush asks to walk around the school festival together?

A good start would be to not assume it’s a date.

Could he mean it that way?

Maybe.

Could it also mean he wants to hang out with a friend?

Also yes.

But I’m sure your heart is not going to care about either possibility.

Just prevent it from planning your future wedding and naming your future kids. Please don’t let your imagination get that far ahead of the present, it’ll only make the festival ten times more stressful than it needs to be.

Go because you want to spend time with them, not because you're secretly trying to decode every single thing they do.

And that’s what I’ll do too.

Try and enjoy the upcoming occasion.

-

The day of the school festival was finally here.

For the first time all week, most students willingly showed up to school much earlier than they normally did.

The campus, which was usually quiet before the first bell, had already come alive. Teachers walked through the hallways with clipboards while students hurried past carrying trays of ingredients, folded tablecloths, costume bags, and boxes of decorations that somehow hadn't fit into anyone's locker.

Classroom doors were propped wide open and (YN) was already organizing things inside theirs.

The cardboard hanok roofs that he had stayed up late for stretched over the front of their stall, giving their section of the classroom a traditional feel. Hand-painted signs with neat calligraphy hung on both sides, serving as the menu and design while paper fans and colorful fabric were placed on the tables the class borrowed.

Every so often, his eyes would drift to the door.

"Waiting for someone?"

He looked away from the entrance and toward the voice beside him.

One of his friends was tying a strip of blue fabric around one of the wooden posts that held up the cardboard roof.

“Maybe.” he replied with a shrug.

His friend followed his gaze toward the classroom door before looking back at him with a grin.

“Sarang?"

"Yeah." he said, not even bothering about pretending otherwise.

"I appreciate the honesty."

"What would I gain from lying?"

His friend tugged the ribbon into a knot before stepping back to inspect it.

“Don’t worry too much, lover boy. I’m sure she’ll be here sooner than later. For now, we just gotta make sure that we can cook properly later.” his friend lightly nudged his shoulder.

“That’s for you to think about,” (YN) pushed the window behind their stall to the side, quickly eyeing the people below before turning back. “I don’t want the first batch of food I serve to be burnt.”

His friend laughed at that.

Suddenly, the door of their classroom slid open.

The laughter inside the room softened for a moment as several heads turned toward the entrance.

Sarang stepped inside wearing a light-colored hanbok that stopped just above her sneakers, embroidered with soft blue flowers along the front of the dress.

For a fleeting second, everyone’s attention turned to her before a chorus of reactions followed.

"Whoa."

"That looks really nice."

"Where did you get that?"

"The design’s so pretty."

Sarang smiled awkwardly as she bowed her head at each compliment before her eyes moved past their other classmates to a boy standing at the back of the room.

Her smile softened almost without her realizing it seeing (YN) already looking at her.

Sarang hesitated before walking across the room. The skirt swayed lightly with each careful step, and every few feet another classmate stopped her just long enough to compliment her outfit.

After a few more compliments, she finally got to the stall.

“Are you really going to cook wearing that?” (YN) asked.

Sarang’s head perked up slightly.

“I mean, it would be a shame if you got sauce on it.” he reiterated. 

Sarang glanced down at her hanbok before pointing at her backpack.

"I brought an apron."

“Alright then,” (YN) let out a small laugh. “We still have some time left before the school opens to visitors, do you want to help set up our stall?”

“On it,” Sarang nodded with more energy than needed.

She slipped her backpack just behind the stall before helping along with the preparations. Soon, the last half hour before opening passed almost without anyone noticing.

Most of the designs of the different sections of the classroom were ready, each having their own unique design to tell enough of which country’s cuisine they were making. Trays were lined up along the tables, cups were stacked neatly to the side and all of the premade ingredients were set for the day.

Inside their classroom, the noise buzzed in a way that only existed before an event began.

A few seconds later, an announcement spoke through the speakers.

"Attention, everyone. The school festival will now begin. Visitors may now enter the campus. We hope everyone enjoys today's activities."

Almost immediately after, the sounds of doors sliding open echoed through the halls and not long after, teachers stepped into the hallways to guide the first visitors while other students hurried into their assigned positions.

The morning carefully passed in a blur of noise.

When the first visitors arrived inside their classroom, everybody began to invite them to try the different dishes with orders soon piling up right after, faster than anyone expected. 

(YN) spent most of the morning moving in between the people and the tables with a tray of food in hand, greeting people that walked in and serving the rest waiting on the tables.

Sarang started off the same before she was called in to help cook. Soon, she tied her apron around her dress before preparing one order after another. Every so often she'd glance toward the front and catch him thanking another customer before he disappeared into the crowd again. 

They didn’t have much time to talk yet managed to glance at each other from across the room. Sometimes, he’d come to the stall to say orders while she could only nod her head as she managed the food.

By the early afternoon, the busiest rush seemed to finally ease to a reasonable degree.

The line in front of their classroom thinned to only a handful of people and soon their classmates began rotating shifts according to the schedule they made earlier in the week.

"You've been standing there all morning," Jungeun said, nudging Sarang with her elbow as she tied on her own apron. "Go take your break. We’ve got this covered."

"Are you sure?" Sarang hesitated at first.

"We’ll survive." Jungeun tapped her shoulder as another of their classmates came to help with an apron of their own.

At nearly the same time, someone tapped (YN) on the shoulder across the room.

"I'll handle the serving for now, go take a break." his friend told him.

"You don't have to."

"I know." he gave a teasing smile. "But you said you wanted to look around, didn’t you?"

(YN) looked toward the Korean stall almost instinctively at that exact moment, Sarang had just untied her apron.

“On second thought, perfect timing,” he smiled before handing over his tray and walking away whilst smoothening his own costume.

She had just finished folding her apron when she noticed him walking towards her.

“Are you on break?” she asked.

“For now.” he nodded, briefly looking at the windows at the other side of the room where he saw other students wandering from room to room with snacks already in hand.

The classroom continued to thrive all around them as other guests piled in. Their classmates barely spared them a glance, already busy with treating the new customers.

“So…” (YN) adjusted the sleeves of his hanbok.

Sarang looked at him as if waiting for him to ask something.

“Do you still want to look around together?” he rubbed the back of his neck, finding the question harder to say than when he first asked.

“I do.” Sarang smiled as she answered, dimples forming on her cheeks.

"Great," he gestured toward the hallway as a smile formed on his lips. "Should we?"

She nodded, following along his footsteps and stepped out of the room together.

The hallway looked completely different from how it had just a few days ago.

People drifted from room to room, the sounds of laughter spilling into the corridors as handwritten signs pointed visitors toward different classrooms. The smell of grilled meat mixed with sweet desserts, spices, and freshly fried snacks lingered in the air, mixing with each other enough to make it indistinguishable where it came from.

"I think someone's doing a performance," Sarang said, glancing toward the courtyard where students danced to K-pop songs.

“We can check that out later.”

“Do you want to see anything specifically?” she looked back at him.

“I don’t know really, I thought we’d walk until we see something that catches our attention.”

“Let’s keep walking then.” she chuckled, pointing her arms forward.

They walked side by side through the hall with neither of them rushing ahead.

Looking through what each class had in store, they passed by one that transformed their room into a movie theatre with multiple movies playing one after the other through the projector complete with its own snack section.

Another class turned their classroom into a mini Japanese festival with lanterns hanging around the curtains, the different games present and even candied apples. A crowd had formed in front of another as they turned the room into an arcade that also had games in each corner and a console that was being played on the TV.

(YN) had slipped through the crowd, not minding much about the games, but when he looked back, he realized Sarang hadn't made it through with him.

She had been forced to stop a few steps behind, carefully gathering part of her dress in one hand as people squeezed past from both directions. Every time she tried to take a step forward, someone else would step in front of her.

He glanced around. The hallway had somehow become even more crowded, students stopping in the middle to look into classrooms while visitors drifted between them at an unhurried pace. 

“Sorry—” Sarang said, brushing past someone. “Excuse me—” She spoke until she felt a hand wrap around hers.

She instinctively looked up to see him standing a few feet away, his fingers wrapped around her hand softly.

“Hold on tight,” he said simply. 

Before she could even answer, he gave her hand the slightest pull, guiding her through the midst of the crowd. In the middle of it all, she didn’t realize that her fingers slipped through his, intertwining their hands together.

Sarang followed almost automatically with each step as the people around them no longer felt quite as overwhelming.

Whenever someone stepped into their path, he subtly shifted in front of her, creating just enough space for her to walk without worrying about her dress catching on anyone nor being stepped on. His grip never tightened enough to hurt, only enough to make sure she was still there.

She looked down for a brief moment at his hand that was warm, comfortably so that the warmth spread around her face until it reached the tips of her ears.

“Thanks…” her voice almost lost itself in the noise.

He stopped where the crowd had thinned. When he turned back to check on her, he instinctively took another step closer.

“Are you okay?”

“Y—Yeah.” Sarang nodded. “Didn’t think this thing would be such a hassle to walk in.” She glanced down at her hanbok before her eyes drifted to their hands that were still intertwined.

His own followed her gaze before loosening his grip.

"I, uh..." he let out an awkward laugh. "I only meant to help you through the crowd."

"I know." she said quickly, making him look up. “I know you did.”

His loose grip waited for her to pull away but she didn’t. Instead, her fingers remained lightly around his before slipping back in between his.

“Is this okay..?” (YN) cleared his throat as he looked at their hands then back at her.

"I don't mind." Sarang's head dropped for a moment, embarrassed by the warmth engulfing her face.

“Okay,” he smiled before he could stop himself.

He looked at the stairwell beside them. “Wanna check out the other floors?”

“Of course,” Sarang agreed.

They climbed the stairs together, neither of them saying anything else.

The third floor was quieter than the first. There were fewer visitors and more room to wander without being jostled by the crowd. They peeked into classrooms that had turned into art galleries filled with student paintings and photographs. Beside it was a small escape room where laughter came from every time a team failed to solve a puzzle.

They both bought a drink at one booth and they watched a pair of students perform a duet by the windows with a handful of visitors at another.

They talked about everything and nothing at the same time. She asked which had the best decorations besides from theirs while he asked what she wanted to try next 

Every now and then, one of them laughed with the other following right after.

Their conversation never seemed to run out.

Eventually they found themselves back on their floor, where they found the crowd had further thinned down to mostly other students.

A notification buzzed from (YN)'s pocket. He pulled out his phone and looked at the screen, the look on his face dropping down ever so slightly.

"They're asking us to head back."

"Looks like our break's over." she said from his side.

"It was nice, though."

"Yeah, I think so too." he smiled.

Soon, they would simply walk back toward their classroom together, much closer than before as if it was the most natural thing in the world

The rest of the afternoon slipped by in another blur of customers, laughter, and hurried orders. Whenever one of them happened to glance across the room, the other was almost always already looking. Sometimes they smiled and other times, they would just return to work.

By the time the closing announcement echoed through the school, the festival was half-way into closing itself.

The decorations that hung on walls, ceilings and booths came down and tables were carried to where they once were.

The class worked together to clean the room, laughing over stories from the festival while packing away whatever was left from the food to the empty containers and to the extra utensils that weren’t used.

Slowly, everyone headed home.

Sarang looked for (YN) briefly before deciding to wait down the hall then realizing that she had forgotten her apron back in the room.

When she slid the classroom door open again, expecting an empty room but instead she found him  standing alone by the window, the last rays of evening sunlight spilling across the classroom.

He turned as the door opened.

For a brief second, both of them looked equally surprised.

"You're still here?" 

|

“What are you doing?”

They spoke over each other, words mixing before sharing a laugh.

"I forgot my apron," Sarang explained first, pointing toward the chair where she'd left it draped over the backrest.

"I was just about to leave," (YN) replied, though he made no move toward the door.

The classroom had become almost unrecognizable.

The colorful decorations that had filled it only hours ago were gone, returning the walls to its blank state and neatly stacked desks. Their stalls had been taken down and leaned carefully against one wall, waiting to be stored away until next year.

Outside, the sounds of the festival were fading.

A few distant voices echoed from somewhere across campus, followed by the rumble of tables being wheeled down the hallway.

Sarang walked over to retrieve her apron, folding it carefully before slipping it into her bag and walking over.

"I can't believe it's already over," she said quietly.

"It feels like we were still setting everything up this morning."

"It does."

Silence settled comfortably between them.

The orange glow from the setting sun stretched through the open window, casting long shadows across the empty classroom.

(YN) watched her zip up her backpack.

He'd been telling himself ever since that he'd wait.

Wait until they could properly talk to each other.

Wait until she gets comfortable around him.

Wait until after the festival.

And now, wait until everyone has gone home and there wasn't a crowd that could separate them.

He took a slow breath.

"Sarang."

"Yeah?" she looked up.

He laughed quietly to himself, composing his nerves out of anything else.

"I’ve wanted to tell you something for a while now."

"W—What?" she looked over.

"I kept coming up with different versions." He rubbed the back of his neck. "Then I'd convince myself they sounded unreasonable or stupid."

She smiled faintly.

He looked down at the floor for a moment before meeting her eyes again.

"So I'll just say this." he straightened as he turned toward her.

"I like that we're comfortable enough with each other as friends but I've been thinking if you would like to be anything more than that."

“I like you, Ryu Sarang.”

The words came out simply, not through swelling music and not through any dramatic speech that she had seen before.

"I've liked you for a while now, far longer than I realized it." he let out another small laugh.

His eyes wandered towards the classroom door then looked back at her.

"Walking around with you today..." his smile grew softer. "...It kind of made me realize I don't want to keep pretending we're just two classmates who happen to get along."

The room seemed to freeze around her.

Sarang stood frozen, her fingers still resting on the strap of her backpack.

She had imagined this conversation more times than she cared to admit though she hadn't thought it would be like this.

In all honesty, she thought she would be the one doing the dramatic confession maybe under cherry blossoms, maybe through a late-night phone call, maybe in the rain or even underneath fireworks.

She didn't think it would happen in an empty classroom with folded tables and cardboard roofs leaning against the wall. Heck, even the notebook tucked inside of her bag hadn't reached this point.

Maybe the guide was a success to the point that it worked too well despite being incomplete.

“I—um…” she mumbled.

“I know this is a lot to put on you suddenly, I just wanted to tell you how I felt. It's fine you don't tell me any—”

“I like you too!” 

Sarang's eyes widened as she realized what she'd just blurted out. Her hands flew to her mouth, and the warmth that had already been sitting in her cheeks quickly spread all the way to her ears.

“I mean…” she swallowed, suddenly looking everywhere but his direction. “I've liked you for a while too.”

“You have?” he replied, a small smile growing on his lips.

“Yeah.” she nodded.

“For…how long?”

“I'm not telling you that.” Sarang answered as she immediately looked out the window.

He laughed quietly, the nervousness that had been sitting on his shoulders finally disappearing.

“Alright, seems…fair enough.”

“You don't get to ask me that after saying all of that out of nowhere.” she glanced back at him.

“Out of nowhere?” he raised an eyebrow. “I thought I was being pretty obvious.”

“Obvious?.” she chuckled softly. “I could barely read you like a book.”

“I mean…I held your hand today.”

“Yeah, that  was because I was getting crushed by a crowd.”

“And I asked if you were okay afterwards.”

“Doesn’t really mean anything. You’re nice to everyone.”

He slowly nodded as if he was going through everything today in his head.

“Then should I become more obvious?” (YN) looked at her eyes before he leaned forward and slowly took her hand into his.

His fingers wrapped around hers, this time without the excuse of a crowded hallway or a dress that was difficult to walk in.

Sarang looked down at their hands before looking back at him, a smile growing across her face.

“Like this?” he asked.

“That’s a little more obvious.”

“Good.” he squeezed her hand gently, his smile becoming impossible to hide.

“Then I guess I’ll have to keep doing things like this and more.”

“Like what?”

“Walking you home is one.”

“I wouldn’t mind.” Sarang's cheeks warmed again.

“How about getting you drinks when we study?”

“Also obvious.”

“And also saving you a seat.”

“For what?” she held back a giggle.

He seemed to think about it for a moment.

“If we ever decide to go on a date at the movies?”

“As if we wouldn’t be going there together.” Sarang rolled her eyes jokingly.

“And lastly…maybe I should start telling you that I like you more often.”

She immediately looked away again, embarrassment still looming over her.

“That might be too obvious.”

“Didn't you just say I needed to be more obvious?”

“I changed my mind.”

(YN) laughed, shaking his head as he looked down at their hands then slowly trailed back up as he studied her expression for a moment before his smile softened.

“So…does this mean we're dating now?”

Her eyes widened slightly.

“Are you asking me out after I already told you I like you?”

“I don't know. I thought there was supposed to be a proper question.”

“You're the one who confessed first.”

“Then I guess I should ask properly.” he straightened a little, though his hand remained  warmly wrapped around hers.

“Ryu Sarang.”

“Yes?” both of her brows raised slowly.

“Would you go out with me?”

“Yes.” her smile grew once more before faintly nodding as a laugh escaped her right after.

“Good,” he smiled again, unable to hide how relieved he was with his shoulders dropping.

Neither of them moved from where they stood.

Sarang glanced down at their hands once more.

“We should go before a teacher sees us.”

“Probably.” (YN) glanced toward the empty hallway before looking back at her. 

He turned to the door and walked over, his hand tugging still around hers. 

The school was almost completely empty now. Most of the lights had been turned off, leaving the corridors dimmer than they had been throughout the day. The decorations that had made the school feel like an entirely different place were already being packed away, and the distant voices of the remaining teachers echoed faintly from somewhere downstairs.

They walked toward the stairs, their hands still intertwined.

After a few steps, Sarang glanced at him from the side.

“So what are we going to do now?” 

“How about we walk home again.”

“You’re really trying to take that whole obvious thing seriously, huh?”

“Yeah but I feel like it’s also a part of my responsibility,” he answered.

“Responsibility for what?” 

“Being your boyfriend.” 

Sarang nearly missed a step.

She turned her head toward him, eyes widening slightly as she tried to process how casually he had said it.

“You're really just going to say that?”

“What?”

“That you're my boyfriend.”

He glanced down at her, a faint grin appearing on his face.

“Would you prefer I deny it?”

“No,” Sarang quickly answered before she could stop herself.

His grin widened.

“Then I guess I’m your boyfriend.”

“You're getting way too confident.” she looked away, trying and failing to hide the smile that had appeared on her face.

“I spent all day trying to figure out whether you liked me. I think I’ve earned a little confidence.”

“You're acting like you weren't the one who took my hand first.”

“I was helping you.”

“And then you kept holding it.”

“You didn't let go.”

Sarang opened her mouth, only to realize she had no argument for that.

They walked with their fingers still intertwined, swinging gently between them as they descended the stairs. The school around them was almost completely quiet now, nothing like the lively place it had been only a few hours ago.

For some reason, she didn't want to let go yet and neither did he it seemed.

When they reached the first floor, they passed the courtyard where the festival performances had taken place earlier. The stage had already been dismantled, leaving only a few stray pieces of tape on the ground and a couple of folded chairs waiting to be carried away.

“It feels strange.” Sarang said, slowing down for a moment.

“What does?”

“Seeing everything gone already.” she glanced toward the empty courtyard before looking back at her.

“Maybe that's why today felt so short but I'm glad we got to walk around together.” she smiled faintly

“Me too.”

They continued toward the school entrance as outside, the evening air had cooled, and the sky had turned into a deep mix of orange and blue. 

They started walking down the familiar road toward home, side by side, with neither of them in any particular hurry and exchanging jokes among other things that was slowly becoming normal to them.

The festival had ended.

The decorations would be packed away, the classrooms would return to normal, and by Monday the school would probably look exactly the same as it always had.

But for the two of them, something had changed.

The same hallway where they had once passed each other as classmates would now be the place where they searched for each other.

The same classroom where they had spent weeks preparing for the festival would become the room where their relationship had quietly begun.

And the walk home that had once been nothing more than a routine part of their day had become something neither of them wanted to rush.

They kept walking from then on, their hands still intertwined as the evening settled around them.

And for once, Sarang didn't need her notebook nor a guide that told herself what to do because somehow, with following all of the things she could think of, she had ended up exactly where she wanted to be despite not making the end of the guide.