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“So, Miss Heejin is it?”
“Yes, Mr. Hwang, that is correct. And why are you inquiring?”
“Well, you know how at the end of the summer the two camps will have a formal dance?”
“Yes, I do in fact know that. I went to orientation. Did you?”
“Yes, … no, … that’s beside the point.”
“Well, what is the point?”
“The dance. Boys usually ask girls to the dance.”
“Yes, I’m aware of the patriarchal rules that state men must initiate contact with women.”
“I was just wondering if you had thought about who you’d be going with?”
“You just said boys ask the girls. Why would I have to think about who I’m going with? Isn’t it your responsibility, you know, as a man?”
“I … you got me there. So, would you want to go to the dance with me?”
At that moment Kim Hyunjin, in a sweaty tank-top and shorts, headband keeping her hair out of her eyes, came barreling toward Heejin and Hyunjin. Her mind could sense an annoying boy from miles, and especially when he was annoying her crush, Jeon Heejin. Jealousy and teenage anger were combining in a fury that could not be stopped.
“I don’t know Mr. Hwang, you might have a competitor.” Heejin pointed at the surprisingly fast girl.
Hyunjin’s eyes nearly jumped out of his head. Heejin could swear he sprang up a little.
“Uhm, uhh, no it’s okay, you don’t have to go-, is she seriously running after me, what, .. what’s she going to do to me?”
“I don’t know that sounds like a ‘you problem’ not a ‘me problem’.”
“Come on Heejin, please tell me what do I do?”
Hyunjin then shouted towards them “HEEJIN, IS THIS BOY BOTHERING YOU?!”
Hwang Hyunjin then eyed Heejin, “Well, can you tell her I wasn’t?”
Heejin shrugged. “I don’t know Mr. Hwang. She might be on to something now that I think about it.”
“Please, Heejin, I can’t go back to camp if I get beaten up by … a girl.”
“Hmm, so you’re saying you can’t take on Hyunjin?”
“Yeah, I am saying that. You’ve seen her muscles. You’ve seen her when we play dodgeball. Felix still has a bruise where a ball hit him. Heejin look. I’m tiny. Please save me.”
Hyunjin started kneeling at this point. It looked like he had a tear in his eye too.
“Boy, Hyunjin, just run away. She’s going to stop when she gets here, which is going to be very soon. And please stand up, you’re disrespecting yourself.”
“Okay, thank you, I should go, thank you, maybe we can go to prom as friends, okay, bye Heejin.”
Mr. Hwang scuttled away to the rest of the boys camp and Hyunjin slowed down to greet her friend.
“Why’d you let him get away Heekkie?”
“Oh, he’s harmless Hyunjin. He’s just a silly boy.”
“If he’s so harmless, then why didn’t you stop me from running over here?”
“Oh nothing. I just like to see you all riled up.”
Hyunjin felt that with all of her heart. Her crush liked when she was jealous. What was going on? “What was he over here for, then?”
“Just asking me to the dance. I’d heard he got asked Jungeun yesterday and that he even slipped a note to Ha Sooyoung.”
“He does know you don’t need a date for the dance.”
Hyunjin’s mind was racing. God, was her crush going to go to the dance with a boy with her hame.
“Oh I think he just wants to show off, he’s a big flirt.”
“So, did you uhm, give him an answer?”
“I’m not going to the dance with a boy Hyunjin, you really seem a bit jealous don’t you?”
“What, no. Absolutely not. Just want to know what my best friend is up to haha.”
Hyunjin’s cool always evaporated when she was with Heejin. Heejin always had the upper hand somehow and left her flustered anytime she brought up boys.
The two girls walked back to camp, Hyunjin breathing a bit heavier, from the run and from he emotions.