Meant To Be

Siyeon sighed as she looked up at the ceiling. She wasn’t looking forward to today at all.

Today was the first day of the school year. It was another year of everyone avoiding her or ignoring her. Siyeon didn’t want to admit that it bothered her, but it did. She felt lonely.

It was going to be even worse this year because her sister Gahyeon was going to be there only half the day. Her advanced classes took her to the campus nearby for half of the day.

Siyeon didn’t know what to do without Gahyeon. She was her best friend as well as her sister, and not having her there was going to be difficult. She was so used to her being there and wasn’t looking forward to her absence.

While Siyeon relaxed in bed, she heard her sister's footsteps coming up the stairs and automatically looked at her door as she waited. She watched the door slowly open as Gahyeon peeked inside and spotted the older girl and sighed at what she saw.

Siyeon… come on! We are going to be late!” Gahyeon said loudly as she tried to drag her sister out of bed and get dressed. It was a difficult task when Siyeon goes limp and has to be physically dragged out of the bed until she hit the floor with a thud.

“ouch…” Siyeon said as she pouted at her tiny but strong sister.

“hurry up! We are going to be late for another school year if you don’t hurry up!” Gahyeon shouted as Siyeon sighed and climbed to her feet.

“Gahyeon... not everyone loves school as you do…” Siyeon said with a sigh of frustration. She hated that her school life was so pathetic. Siyeon was a complete outcast at school.

People either feared her or mocked her for her intense stares or her dark clothes. Others would make fun of her because she had a hard time opening up to others due to a mix of shyness and anxiety.

The only time that Siyeon felt comfortable at school was when she was allowed into the music room after class and was allowed to sing away all the stress and sadness of the day.

Singing was Siyeon’s therapy basically, but she was afraid to let anyone else hear her singing. If the students heard her, then she feared that she would be mocked for doing the thing she loved most.

Though Siyeon looked strong on the outside, she was extremely soft and sensitive on the inside. She also didn’t take criticism very well. She was unable to not take it personally. It would always make her feel discouraged easily, and she didn’t want someone to break her confidence in the one thing that she was proud of.

It had happened before. Siyeon was into writing when she was younger, and one day in school, she accidentally left out her notebook that she had been writing in. The top of the class, who was a bit of a know-it-all, looked at it and thought that he was ‘helping’ when he critiqued her work, but instead, she felt crushed and gave up writing. It was something she did for herself and no one else, but she lost her confidence in it, and it was no longer fun when she became so filled with doubts about her ability.

It was one of her fears. If someone heard her singing and tried to evaluate her, then she might not want to sing again. She knew that the student that evaluated her writing was trying to be helpful and didn’t think that they were doing something wrong, but he had no idea that Siyeon was so sensitive to comments.

When he asked later what she was writing next, and Siyeon said she gave up writing, he never even thought it was because of him because he only thought he was helping. But to a shy person that embarrassed easily, it was a crushing blow to Siyeon’s confidence.

Gahyeon sighed, bringing Siyeon’s attention back from her thoughts as she noticed her sisters worried expression. She had been worried about her sister for years, and Siyeon suddenly felt guilty. She shouldn’t have to feel sad for her older sister.

“you know if you just wear your glasses, then people would stop being afraid of you. You might even be able to make a friend that isn’t just me…” Gahyeon said as Siyeon pouted.

“yes, but then they would just make fun of me for my glasses…” Siyeon mumbled as her little sister sighed in frustration while flinging her hands in the air.

They have had this same conversation hundreds of times. Next, Gahyeon would tell her that if she stopped dressing as she did, she might be easier to approach, but Siyeon didn’t want to change herself just to fit in. She just wished that ONE PERSON could see the real Siyeon. She didn’t think she was asking for much, but fate seemed to disagree.

Gahyeon rushed the older girl, and soon they were off to school though Siyeon grumbled the entire time.

Once Siyeon started seeing more students, she quickly averted her eyes and looked only at the ground or her sister. She was trying not to start confrontations but was only making her situation worse.

Gahyeon sighed. She knew her sister was an amazing person that would care deeply for her friends, but most were too afraid of her to even try to make small talk, let alone try to become friends.

It also didn’t help that a couple of years ago, someone started spreading rumors that Siyeon was in a gang and was secretly a school bully. Now, most avoided her like the plague.

As Siyeon arrived at the school, a woman rode past them on a beautiful and expensive looking motorcycle. Siyeon looked up just in time to see the girl pass.

The girl was in all black motorcycle leathers that showed a petite yet fit figure, and Siyeon couldn’t help but think that she must go to the college nearby.

Their high school was right beside the college, and many students from the campus would ride by, but Siyeon had to admit that she caught her interest. If Siyeon had continued to watch the girl, though, she would have noticed that she turned left towards the high school not right towards the college campus.

As Siyeon watched the bike fade away into the distance, she accidentally locked eyes with a girl from Gahyeon’s grade. The girl had short hair and jumped when she realized that their eyes met. Her face flushed red as she fled, leaving Siyeon standing there slightly confused.

“what was that about? Siyeon asked as her sister shrugged while watching the girl with short hair flee.

“I have never seen her act like that before. Maybe the bully rumors reached her?” Gahyeon asked as Siyeon’s shoulders slumped.

“oh, probably… everyone probably thinks I'm a monster…” Siyeon said sadly as Gahyeon patted her back supportively.

The two slowly made their way to the school and almost ran into the most popular girl in school. Siyeon quickly apologized before fleeing and dragging her sister away. All Siyeon needed was another rumor about her. And one about her bullying the most popular girl in school would spread like wildfire.

-Bora-

Bora was rushing towards the front office when she almost smashed into Siyeon. The older girl hadn’t had many interactions with the quiet loner, but she had to admit those eyes always captivated her.

The only thing that stopped Bora from approaching Siyeon was the rumors, but Bora didn’t believe them one bit. The popular girl had been secretly watching Siyeon for years. She wanted to approach her but wondered if Siyeon was the one to start the rumors in the first place.

Bora wondered if Siyeon was behind the rumors so that people wouldn’t try to get close to her, but when she almost ran into Siyeon, the younger girl apologized quickly and politely as she fled down the hall with her sister.

What also made Bora more interested in the quiet girl with the intense eyes was the fact that Siyeon completely avoided eye contact. It was like Siyeon was too shy to look Bora in the eyes.

‘interesting…’ Bora thought to herself before she remembered the main reason that she was running in the first place and quickly scurried into the front office.

Siyeon’s day went as expected. Her classes themselves were not bad, but no one would talk to her or even approach her.

It also didn’t help that the only seat open that wasn’t saved for someone was in the back by the window. The distance made it look like Siyeon was scowling at everyone due to her poor eyesight, but in reality, she was just trying to see the board.

At least because she sat beside the window, she had a view. It was better than last year where she was stuck in the middle of the room, and everyone walked in a wide arc to avoid her. Siyeon had never felt like an outcast so much in her life.

Siyeon was looking out the window when Bora entered the room. This year Bora had every class with the silent girl, and she couldn't help but observe her.

Bora didn’t get how Siyeon had such horrible rumors about her. From what Bora could see, Siyeon was just quiet and didn’t know how to approach others, or she was just too shy to try.

At lunchtime, Siyeon quickly fled the room. Bora quietly followed behind her. She was curious about Siyeon, and that curiosity ended up getting the better of her. What Bora witnessed, though, was nothing like she expected.

Bora walked around the corner to see Siyeon hugging her little sister. The older of the two looked so upset and vulnerable that it had Bora feeling sorry for the girl.

Gahyeon just patted her sisters back as she talked soothingly. She could always tell when Siyeon was about to cry, and the older girl was getting very close.

Bora quickly ducked back around the corner. What she witnessed seemed to be a private moment, and she felt like it should remain that way.

Instead of going to the cafeteria as normal, Bora chose instead to follow Siyeon and soon regretted it when her stomach growled. Lunch was almost over, and she still had not eaten anything.

Quickly Bora ran to the nearest vending machine and chose something before running back to the classroom just in time as she flopped into her seat beside her best friend.

“so… where did you go?” Minji asked sweetly as she gave a knowing look at her friend. Minji knew of Bora’s fascination with Siyeon and didn’t miss how Bora had been staring at her all day or how she followed the girl at lunch.

“oh, um… nowhere…” Bora said, sounding guilty. Minji only nodded as she fought a grin.

“right… so you were ignoring me all day over nothing?” Minji asked with a pout.

“sorry, Minji. I just had something on my mind…” Bora said as she hugged her friend.

“Does this something have a name or perhaps intense wolf-like eyes?” Minji asked as Bora’s face flushed red.

At that moment, Siyeon passed them to get to her seat, and Bora thought that she would die from embarrassment. Out of panic, Bora smacked her friend's arm harder than intended as Minji winced and laughed.

Besides her mini panic moment, Bora noticed how down Siyeon seemed to be as she walked by. The younger girl looked depressed, and Bora was starting to feel worried. Whatever upset Siyeon had messed with her mood for the rest of the day.

Bora frowned as she heard Siyeon sigh. She had sighed so much that Bora had lost count. It made her want to approach Siyeon after class, but she had dance practice right after school today. So that was impossible for today, at least.

Once the bell rang, Siyeon snatched her stuff and threw it into her bag and rushed out of the room. Bora was wondering what the rush was but didn’t have the time to think about it. Minji was rushing her to make sure that she wouldn’t be late for her dance group.

Bora was pouring sweat as she breathed heavily. It was a good dance practice, and they had just decided to leave. Bora had decided to take the long way out of the building, and it took her by the music rooms when she paused.

From one of the rooms, Bora heard the most beautiful voice she had ever heard. Whoever was singing, she sounded heartbroken. There was so much sorrow and loneliness in her voice that Bora wondered if the singer had been crying.

Slowly Bora walked closer to the room, and when she finally peeked into the tiny window, she was shocked to see Siyeon singing her heart out. Like Bora had worried, it looked like the quiet girl had been crying.

Bora’s heart ached at the sight. She wanted nothing more than to walk up to the girl and hug her while telling her that everything would be alright but knew that was probably a bad idea. She was alone for a reason right now. The tears on Siyeon’s face told Bora so.

Bora was debating what to do when she looked down the hallway and noticed that someone was at the other door to the music room and seemed to be listening to Siyeon as well. The girl seemed younger. Maybe from a lower grade? But she had short hair and seemed completely immersed in Siyeon’s voice so much that she didn’t even notice Bora.

Bora was going to say something when her phone vibrated. She quickly pulled it out to read a message from Minji. It seemed that Bora forgot her bag back in the club room, and quickly she turned around and trotted to go fetch her bag.

Once Bora got her bag and told Minji about what she saw, Bora walked the same hall past the room that Siyeon was in before, but this time Siyeon wasn’t in the room singing her heart out. Instead, she seemed to be having a conversation with some boy.

Siyeon wiped her tears, and once she was sure she no longer looked like she was crying left the room just in time to see someone walking by. His backpack was unzipped, and she noticed something fall out of it.

Without thinking, Siyeon called out to the boy and ran over to pick up the dropped item. It ended up being his wallet, but when she went to return it to him, things didn’t go smoothly. The boy thought that she was trying to rob him. He had heard the rumors, and when Siyeon called out to him, he quickly panicked and started rambling.

“I'm sorry! There isn’t much in it, but you can have it! Just please don’t hurt me! I finally got on the team this year!” the boy shouted as Siyeon stood there, holding his wallet and looking confused. Bora witnessed all of this but only saw the boy because Siyeon’s back was to her, or she would have seen the look of utter confusion on the quiet girl's face.

Bora was disgusted at what she just saw. She had hoped that the rumors about Siyeon were wrong, but she just witnessed the girl robbing a fellow student.

Bora walked past Siyeon but paused as she glared at her. She wanted to say something to tell Siyeon how disappointed she was, and without thinking things through, the words just slipped out of her mouth.

“pathetic… I thought the rumors weren't true, but here you are, robbing another student… disgusting…” Bora said as Siyeon looked at her in shock. She was still holding the wallet looking confused, but the look of confusion soon turned to hurt as she looked at Bora in surprise.

“But I…” Siyeon went to tell Bora that it wasn’t true. That everything was just a misunderstanding, but Bora cut her off and stomped off towards home, leaving Siyeon holding the wallet as her hands shook. She was trying her best not to cry in the hallway.

Once Siyeon got control of her emotions, she made her way to the front office. When she opened the door, she felt extremely lucky. In the back was her favorite teacher, Mr. Park. The same one that let her sing after class, and when he looked up, he instantly knew that something was wrong.

“Siyeon?” he asked as she sniffled and quickly walked over to his desk and held out the wallet. He looked at it in confusion but slowly took it and opened it up to see an ID in it. It was one of the kids that just joined a sports team, and when the teacher looked back at Siyeon, he sighed.

“there was another misunderstanding wasn’t there?” he asked as Siyeon nodded as tears welled in her eyes.

“I saw it fall from his bag and just went to hand It back to him when he told me to take the money and fled… I didn’t even do anything… why does this always happen to me?” Siyeon asked as the teacher sighed and rubbed his eyes.

Bora’s heart dropped as she heard Siyeon’s explanation. She had gone to drop off a form for school when she saw Siyeon entering the office with the wallet in hand. It seemed like that girl was telling the truth.

When Bora walked away from Siyeon after saying those hurtful words, Bora ran into the girl that was listening to Siyeon sing earlier. Though she was younger, she had no problem glaring at Bora in anger.

“is something wrong?” Bora asked as the girl nodded.

“I can't believe you just said that to her! You didn’t even know the whole situation and said such rude and hurtful things to her!” the younger girl shouted, catching Bora off guard.

“excuse me?” Bora asked in shock as the girl took a step closer.

“Siyeon wouldn’t harm a fly. All she wanted to do was sing. When she left, she noticed that boy dropped his wallet. When she went to return it to him, he panicked. Probably because he heard the rumors due to that bastard and ran. She didn’t steal it and would never think of doing that. And instead of asking what happened, you said that without knowing the situation?” the girl said as Bora took a step back in shock. This girl seemed to be very protective of Siyeon.

“and who are you?” Bora asked nervously as the younger girl glared at her.

“Dami. And I don’t care if you are in a grade higher than me or extremely popular. What you did is wrong!” Dami said as Bora stood there dumbfounded as the younger girl stomped off.

Did Bora really make a mistake? No, she couldn’t have. It was plain as day. She knew what she saw. Then again, what Dami said made sense.

Bora prayed that she didn’t make a mistake because the thought of hurting Siyeon after knowing that she seemed so weak and vulnerable all day made Bora feel like shit.

But as Bora stood there in the office, she knew for a fact that she was wrong. Siyeon wasn’t the bad person that everyone made her out to be. Here she was crying while talking to a teacher. Crying because of Bora, and she felt sick to her stomach for it.

The teacher tried to calm Siyeon down but instead ended up having to call Gahyeon for help. The younger girl was finally able to stop Siyeon’s tears, and soon Siyeon was calm enough to leave. But as Siyeon went to walk out, she noticed Bora standing a couple of desks away.

Bora was looking at Siyeon with a guilty expression, but Siyeon didn’t notice it. As soon as she saw the other girl Siyeon quickly looked at the ground and away as she sped past the smaller girl and headed home with her sister.

Gahyeon didn’t know what to do, but she could tell that something happened between the popular girl and her sister. Gahyeon wanted to be mad, but she knew that Bora wasn’t a bad person, and many believed those stupid rumors. If only that idiot boy never started them. 

 Gahyeon looked from her sister to Bora and frowned. Whatever happened between the popular girl and her sister seemed to be serious, though.

Gahyeon knew that Siyeon has had a crush on Bora for several years now, so whatever Bora said that made Siyeon so upset must have been really bad.

“my sister is not a bad person, you know? Those things said about her are just rumors…” Gahyeon said as she walked past Bora, but when the younger girl was almost to the door, she heard Bora whisper something.

“I know…” Bora whispered as she looked at the ground.

Gahyeon smiled. It seemed like Bora meant that, and it made the younger girl hope that maybe Bora would apologize. She knew it would mean a lot to Siyeon too.

Once they left, Bora walked up to the teacher that Siyeon was talking to. The teacher she was looking for seemed to be gone for the day, and Bora hoped that he would spill something about Siyeon.

When the teacher noticed Bora, his eyes brightened. Every teacher knew Bora. She is a straight A’s student, class president, and also the unofficial leader of the girl's dance club.

“ah, Bora! What brings you here?” he asked as Bora tried to put on a fake smile, but he could see right through it.

“something is bothering you.” It wasn’t a question, but a statement and Bora just sighed as she nodded.

“I think Siyeon was upset because of me… I jumped to conclusions and didn’t bother to ask her side. I feel like an ass…” Bora said as she frowned. It was obvious that Bora felt horrible, and that gave him an idea.

“I'm sure she will understand if you just apologize. I'm more worried about her safety. It would be horrible if she got injured…” He said as Bora’s eyes snapped up.

“wait, what do you mean?” Bora asked as Mr. Park's face went serious.

“because of all those false rumors about Siyeon being a bully or thug Siyeon might get the attention of the neighborhood delinquents. Though Siyeon looks fierce, she is not. I'm extremely worried that she could get hurt…” he said as Bora’s expression went from curiosity to worry.

“you don’t think that can really happen, do you?” Bora asked as the teacher shrugged. He wasn’t sure, but there had been rumors of strange people lurking near the school.

“I'm not sure, but several students have reported odd people lurking near the school. One even said that it looked like some boys from another school were lurking nearby. Bora, I know that you have a lot on your plate, but could you keep an eye on Siyeon for me?” he asked as Bora nodded without the slightest hesitation.

To Bora, it was an excuse for her to get closer to Siyeon, and the thought of Siyeon possibly getting hurt really upset Bora for some reason. She had no idea why, though.

“thank you. Now, if something really does happen, call for help immediately. No heroics, ok? You don’t want to get hurt and lose the ability to dance…” he said as Bora nodded and left the room. She needed to catch up to Siyeon and her sister to make sure that they made it home safely.

“I see what you did there…” a teacher said as she walked out from the back room. She had heard it all and looked at him with a judging look.

“what? Siyeon wants someone to talk to, and every teacher knows Bora can't take her eyes off of Siyeon. I'm only giving them a little push…” he said as she shook her head.

“is your goal for them to be friends or more?” the woman asked as he shrugged.

“Whatever happens, it is meant to happen. If they become friends or more, I don’t care as long as they are happy.” He said as she shook her head and smiled.

“I married such a romantic fool…” she said as she smiled happily.

Bora managed to catch up to the two girls on her bike and made sure that they got home safely. But the teacher was right. Bora noticed several boys from different schools walking oddly. They stood out, and sometimes it looked like they were definitely watching Siyeon on her way home.

Once they were safely inside their gate, Bora finally headed home. Her legs were killing her after her dance practice, and she desperately wanted to soak in some hot water and relax to some music as she planned how to make things right with Siyeon.

Once Bora was home, she did just what she planned. But first, she carefully avoided her father, and once the tub was filled with water, she sighed in relief.

The water did wonders for her tense and aching muscles. And once she finally felt relaxed, Bora started planning on how to apologize to Siyeon.

Bora planned out several different scenarios but decided to go with the direct approach and apologize in person. Her first plan was to write the quiet girl a long and apologetic note, but Bora worried that it would seem less sincere if she didn’t give the apology to the girl in person.

When the water went cold, Bora sighed and finished up her bath. When she walked out of the bathroom, she was in her robe and sat at her desk. She wanted to quickly finish the last of the day's homework. She had worked on most of it at school but didn’t want to wait.

Bora is the top of her class, and she needs to keep that up. She didn’t do it because she wanted to. Bora had made a deal with her father years ago. He wouldn’t interfere with her life as long as she kept her grades up.

His thought was that she should be able to do whatever she wants in life, but he didn’t want her future to be limited due to poor grades. He thought this was fair, but Bora disagreed.

She felt too pressured but couldn’t tell her father. She was afraid that he would take back their promise, and she would lose her freedom. He wouldn’t do that, but she didn’t want to even risk it.

Once her work was done, she yawned as she stretched. She knew that Siyeon and her sister went to school early, so if Bora wanted to catch Siyeon and apologize properly, then she needed to go to sleep early.

Bora quickly changed into some pajamas and dove into bed. She was tired, and her muscles ached, but when she finally fell asleep, her mind was filled with dreams about Siyeon. Bora didn’t know what that meant, but when she woke up, she smiled at her dreams.

-Siyeon-

Siyeon was still a mess when she got home. Her heart ached at the hurtful words Bora said, and once she was home, she automatically went to her room. Gahyeon knew that she was going there to cry and knew that her sister needed to cry before she would feel better.

It was so frustrating to Gahyeon. All of this was because of some stupid boy. Some scrawny boy had a crush on Siyeon, but when he tried to confess to Siyeon, she panicked and fled. Due to this, he spread horrible rumors about her all because his pride was hurt, but if he really liked her, he wouldn’t have done this to her.

Gahyeon was worried that the rumors were going to kill Siyeon one day. She was such a sweet and kindhearted person that she doesn’t handle hurtful words well. Gahyeon was going to leave Siyeon alone for a bit, but she wouldn’t leave her alone for too long.

Siyeon ran into her room, and as soon as she entered, she pressed the lock button and leaned against the door. Tears were already streaming down her face as she slid down the door slowly. The words Bora said were echoing in her head, but what hurt most was the disgusted look on her face.

It was the first time she had really talked to Siyeon, and it was only hurtful words. Siyeon’s sobs started to get stronger as she clutched her shirt. Her heart hurt so much that she didn’t know what to do. Siyeon had realized a couple of years ago that she started to develop feelings for the popular girl.

Siyeon knew that there was no chance of her ever having a chance with Bora, yet she still secretly dreamed of it. But Bora’s words crushed what little hope she had left.

Siyeon was truly heartbroken. She knew that she was foolish. Bora was a top student and popular with both boys and girls yet never seemed interested in anyone. Why would she ever look at Siyeon? She was just a loner who was too shy to interact with anyone.

Siyeon cried for an hour before the tears slowed. She knew that she needed to stop, or Gahyeon would come in soon, and as if she was summoned, Gahyeon knocked on her door.

Once Siyeon unlocked the door, Gahyeon opened it to see Siyeon rubbing her eyes and walking towards her bed. She still looked depressed, and Gahyeon had just the cure for it. Gahyeon brought Siyeon’s favorite movies and snacks as she flopped onto the bed beside Siyeon.

Siyeon couldn’t help but smile. Gahyeon knew exactly what to do to cheer up her older sister, and by the end of the night, Gahyeon has Siyeon laughing and smiling again.

But Siyeon’s mood dropped as soon as Gahyeon went to her room. Her dreams were full of Bora. Some were sweet and happy, while others were cold and hurtful. Siyeon did not rest well that night.