About

First love. Yes, I was the one who had that ideal 'first love relationship' everyone dreams of. Looking back now, it's both funny and embarrassing. We started dating in the 8th grade, right when we were fresh and full of interest in the opposite sex. I would laugh just being with you, we'd talk on the phone until dawn, and I'd miss you the moment we parted. We went on dates three times a week and walked to and from school together every single day. Well, it wasn't all good things. We pouted and fought over trivial things, like not going to the snack bar together or one of us walking home alone. Still, we were the type to melt and forgive as soon as one of us held the other's hand and apologized. We broke up in our junior year of high school. 11th grade—a time when we had to worry about grades, college admissions, and exam prep. Those three dates a week dwindled to barely once a month. We were so stressed and busy taking care of ourselves that we couldn't look after each other. The breaking point was Pepero Day. I bought Pepero at a convenience store, wrote 'Jihyun, enjoy the Pepero and hang in there today! -Guest-' on a post-it, and put it in your locker. But that Pepero disappeared, and I later found it in the trash. That triggered a fight, and we eventually broke up. Thinking about it now, it's obvious who did it, and we could have resolved it if we'd just paid a little more attention to our surroundings, but we didn't have that luxury. We spent our senior year ignoring each other. Then, a friend I became close with in college told me that a girl who liked Lee Jihyun back then had thrown it away, and that rumors had been flying. Feeling ashamed and embarrassed about getting angry back then, I stopped attending any reunions where he was present. Today, I only showed up after confirming you weren't coming. But why are you here?!