I've Missed You, I Miss You, I'm Missing You {part 1}

Jina stepped up a stair, lipsyncing to the song playing in her iPod. Her phone rang just as she reached the second floor.

"Yes, Yeoncha?"

"Where are you?"

Jina looked around. "In class. I mean, heading to the class. Actually I'm still at the stairs. Why?"

"Nah, I'm just making sure you're coming to school today. It's freakin' quiet and there's only me in our class.."

"Hang on, I'm coming," Jina shut her phone and walked faster.

She took a glance from afar, Yeoncha was leaning to the balcony with Sungjong. Yeoncha caught Jina walking towards the class. Then instantly, Yeoncha covered her mouth with something she was holding, and mouthing a few words vigorously to Jina.

Jina raised her eyebrow. "Why are you bringing your training clothes?"

Yeoncha slapped her own head. "It's a flag, Jina. We're gonna have a ceremony. By the way, look who's standing across our class," Yeoncha elbowed Jina gently.

Jina looked to the class across hers. Then she quickly turned back and entered the class.

"Why is he there?" whispered Jina.

~~~~~

"Don't you think L.Joe is asking for attention these days?"

Yeoncha who was busy with her phone had to stop and look at Jina in the eyes. Then she smiled. "Very! It's like he wants you to see that he is walking in front of you, or he wants you to know his presence."

Jina sighed.

"You miss him, don't you?"

Jina scoffed and brushed her hair. "He's not acting close to friendly to me, anymore, okay. I'm tired. But I do. I miss him."

Yeoncha leaned back to her seat. Jina cleared her throat.

"I wish I could turn back time.."

-- Flashback, 2 years ago --

Jina whined as her pencil tip broke. She looked around and asked her table buddy for a sharpener. The result was nothing. She kept gazing through the class, and stopped at the expensive, high quality sharpener that was right in front of her face.

"Uhm. Hey. You. Uh.. what's his name?" asked Jina to Ryeon. Ryeon whispered "mollayo". Jina sighed.

"Ya, Chunji-ah!" said Jina while poking the guy who sat in front of her. "What's his name?" she asked while pointing to the guy beside Chunji.

"L.Joe," answered Chunji.

"Right. L.Joe can I borrow your sharpener, please?" asked Jina politely.

L.Joe didn't even took a glance and ignored Jina.

"Hello? Mr. Joe? I need to borrow your sharpener??" Jina became impatient.

Chunji who is L.Joe's chairmate, took the sharpener and sharpened his pencil easily. Jina quickly poked Chunji again. "Chunji! Pass it over, please?"

Chunji passed it over quietly. Jina smiled. Then she put her pencil inside the sharpener and was about to begin sharpening... but L.Joe turned around and took the sharpener away.

"What the.. but.. my pencil~!" Jina whined. L.Joe took the pencil out of his sharpener, and gave it back to Jina. "It's not even sharpened T__T"

L.Joe passed over his sharpener to Jina's table. Jina chuckled. "Weird guy.."

~~~~~

Day by day Jina learned that this L.Joe guy was a quiet, mysterious one. He is diligent and clever, but he doesn't want to share often. Jina's classmates are all pissed at him, due to his unfriendly attitude. However, he acted different to Jina.

"Mrs. Kim needs this assignment when school is over. I don't want anyone giving assignments to me past 1 PM," said L.Joe.

"But L.Joe, school ends at three," complained Ryeon.

"I don't care," L.Joe went back to his seat and continued his work.

"PSH~ I always hoped I didn't vote for him to be the captain of our class back then!" whispered Ryeon to Jina. Jina just pouted and kept writing.

A few minutes after that, L.Joe stood up and looked around. "I'm collecting the papers now!" he said. The class immediately turned into a chaos, as all the students walked here and there to copy their friend's work.

Jina concentrated on her last number. She was so focused, she didn't know that L.Joe was keeping his eye on her.

"Jina, are you done?"

Ryeon looked at L.Joe in disbelief, then she looked at Jina. Jina was calmly writing her name on her paper. "Almost.. okay done!"

L.Joe took Jina's paper and walked to the door.

"HEY JOE WAIT~!"

"Wait I'm not done yet!"

"YA L.JOE you annoying captain of the class WE'RE NOT FINISHED~!"

Jina looked around and saw her friends swearing and complaining to each other. She looked at L.Joe who was standing by the door, telling the class to hurry up.

"Why do I feel that he only cares for you instead of the whole class?" asked Ryeon.

Jina turned her head to her chairmate. "What??"

Ryeon raised her shoulders. "Nevermind."

~~~~~

SNAP~ SNAP~

Jina looked around and traveled the whole class to see what her friends are working on. It was arts class, and they had to create something unique with the materials that are prepared. At sometimes Jina had to stop and laugh so hard looking at one masterpiece that is undeniably hilarious. Ryeon looked at L.Joe in disbelief again, as he kept staring at Jina in a meaningful way.

"HAHAHA OMG Sungjong yours is epic~!" Jina gave Sungjong a pat on his back. Sungjong smiled widely.

"Thanks I take that as a compliment. Where's yours?" he asked. Jina looked at her desk.

"Omo it's not finished. I almost forgot the main reason I am traveling the class is to find a scissor," Jina walked back to her desk. She looked at Ryeon staring blankly on her work.

"Ya, Ryeon-ah! Don't daydream here," teased Jina.

"Ah, Jina, look at the guy in front of me? His pencil case is like a stationary shop. He practically brings everything to school. There's a scissor inside it and I want to borrow from him," Ryeon looked doubtful.

"Then borrow!" suggested Jina easily. Ryeon took a deep breath.

"L.Joe can I borrow your scissors?" asked Ryeon in her polite-est way.

Jina swore that L.Joe heard Ryeon. But he didn't give a damn.

"See?" said Ryeon. "That's my fifth time I asked him."

Jina smiled and laughed softly. "Find other scissors then~!"

Ryeon turned and found a pretty blue scissor lying at the table behind her. She asked the owner and managed to borrow it. Jina smiled.

"But I still need one," said Jina while sitting down. She looked at Ryeon and gave a puppy face. "I just started, Jina," said Ryeon. Jina sighed.

Jina then looked at L.Joe's table. A pair of scissors were lying their, not used. L.Joe was writing something on his art. Jina cleared her throat.

"L.Joe, scissors, please?" Jina's face was full of doubt.

Surprisingly, L.Joe turned and handed Jina his scissors. Jina had a jaw drop. So did Ryeon. But Jina smiled happily and took the scissors without any skeptical feeling.

Contrarily, Ryeon, for the 3rd time, looked at L.Joe in disbelief. "OMG, Jina. He only listens to you!" she whispered.

Jina made a frown. "What do you mean?"

"Since 5 months ago, the sharpener incident, remember? I knew he had this something. And even though you kept teasing me with him -- since we both don't have double eyelids, thankyou -- I always knew he gets upset because YOU are the one teasing!"

Jina didn't understand a thing. "Can you speak my language, please?"

Ryeon rolled her eyes. "Jina, remember when you laughed so hard that it made him laugh too and he asked you to stop? And when you ask him to do something, he always does it no matter how bad his mood is? Also if you ask for something, like just then, he gives it to you no matter how impolite you ask?"

Jina still couldn't ring a bell. She stop cutting her artwork and looked at Ryeon. "What are you trying to tell, Ryeon?"

"He is definitely into you."

Jina looked at Ryeon. Ryeon looked back. Jina smirked.

"That's not even possible."

~~~~~

"L.Joe can you photocopy this for us, puhleeeeeez??" begged Jina, handing over a piece of paper to L.Joe.

L.Joe took the paper without a word. Jina smiled. Ryeon rolled her eyes. Chunji kept looking at the drama happening in front of him.

"I don't have to pay, right? You have a photocopy machine at home, don't you? CHINESE~ hahaha," Jina started to laugh uncontrollably.

Chunji tried to keep his laugh in. "Don't be so racist, Jina."

"No, you don't have to pay," answered L.Joe while taking a seat and looked to the front of the class. Jina covered her mouth.

"Was I too harsh?" whispered Jina to Ryeon.

"I'll bet you five bucks, he is now smiling to your teasing," said Ryeon, calmly texting on her phone.

~~~~~

"Jina~!"

Jina lifted her head from her book, not surprised a single bit even though the one who called her was L.Joe. "What?"

"What's the meaning of your text last night?" he asked, in a smiley face that is rare.

Jina made a frown for a second, then she got enlightened. "OH! HAHA I was in sleeping at that moment, your text made me woke up and I didn't know what I replied!"

"Yeah it seems like you just keyboard-smashed. I spent almost half an hour trying to find out what you meant!" L.Joe looked like he just had some fun.

Ryeon looked at both L.Joe and Jina. Chunji looked at them the same way. "Why would you spend half an hour to try to understand a keyboard smash text?" he asked.

Ryeon pulled Jina back to her seat and whispered. "You texted each other?"

"He was just asking about the paper I told him to copy," said Jina.

"Believe me, he wasn't just gonna ask you that," Ryeon looked serious.

Jina flailed her hand to the air. "Don't bring it up again."

~~~~~

Jina covered her face with her cardigan as Ryeon read her inbox. Ryeon stopped to smirk a bit, or even to feel a bit sick. Jina kept covering her head.

It's been 3 months since L.Joe confessed to Jina, unofficially. Jina received a text from L. Joe which says he is tired having a crush on her. From that moment, Jina always spared her time to talk with L.Joe on the phone. L.Joe often send cheeky messages to Jina, which is the reason to Ryeon's teasing and bubbly face right now.

"See. I told you I was right. So you guys are a couple now?" asked Ryeon full of hope.

"Nope."

"What? Why?"

"He didn't ask me to go steady with him, he just confessed. So we're not a couple," explained Jina.

"ACK why are you so boring, Jina! Try to ask him about both of your status! Seeing his texts, it seems that he is serious, and you won't find another guy that acts so sweet to you like this, will you?" Ryeon tried to convince Jina.

Jina made a deep sigh. "I don't know. It seems like, this is one-sided. I feel that he's the one with more feelings, I mean.. I don't know if I feel the same," Jina put her chin on both of her hands, and looked forward.

"I know you do. Come on, just give him a chance, okay?" Ryeon looked at Jina, and smiled.

~~~~~

"What are you up to now?"

Jina pushed her earphones back in and threw herself on her bed. L.Joe was once again phoning her. "Nothing, you?"

"Why should I tell you?" teased L.Joe over the phone.

"PSH~ fine. By the way what's my contact name on your phone?" asked Jina curiously.

"Princess.." said L.Joe straightaway. Jina smiled. "...of the darkness," continued L.Joe. Jina's smile faded. L.Joe laughed.

"Princess of the darkness or not, you still are a princess. At least to me," said L.Joe. Jina punched a pillow beside her to avoid death by sweetness.

"Joe.." called Jina, after an awkward minute of silence.

"Hm?"

"Could you make a promise?" Jina rose and sat on her bed, she held her phone tightly.

L.Joe kept silent for a few seconds. "What promise?"

"Lift your pinky finger first," said Jina, in a serious voice.

L.Joe laughed out loud and had a hard time to stop. "What kind of promise is this? We are not Spongebob and Patrick."

Jina pouted. "Just raise your pinky! Have you raised it now?"

"Yeah."

"Great, so.."

"My foot pinky."

"What the.. Joe!" Jina looked unsatisfied hearing L.Joe's playful laugh through the phone.

"Okay I got it. What promise?"

Jina took a deep breath. "Promise that no matter what will happen, what I say in the future, that would probably hurt you.. please don't take it seriously, and never change. Never change the way you treat me. Stay like this. Okay?"

"Hmm."

"Okay, Joe?" asked Jina once again.

"Yeah, yeah can I put down my pinky now?" he asked.

Jina smiled. "Yes. By the way I recorded our conversation just then..."

-- End of Flashback --

"What made him turn against you?" asked Yeoncha, paying much attention to Jina as she retell the story from 2 years ago.

"We lost contact. Since we all started our 2nd year in this high school, he never texted me again. Neither did I," Jina made an empty stare to the whiteboard in front of her. Sungjong who was there all the time, listening to Jina's story, looked at her and felt sad himself.

"Tell me what happened," urged Yeoncha.

To be continued...