True Love

Early morning, the sunlight was weak and dreary, casting a melancholic hue. The sky was gray, and the clouds overhead clumped together, shapeless. The weather forecast had predicted snow for today. The first snowfall of the season. Another late snowfall. The cold was so intense that it felt like the air was thickening, making it a little difficult to breathe. All the students this morning weren't leisurely strolling to school; they were all trying to walk as quickly as possible into the classroom.

Before long, the classroom was full. Most were intently looking at Sana and the thing she was holding.

Dew still clung to the purple hydrangea petals. The beautiful bouquet had been sitting prominently on Sana's desk since she entered the classroom. Its delicate and romantic beauty was very close, very close to the vice president's own appearance.

"This is the flower wrapping paper from Nayeon's family's shop," Jihyo exclaimed, causing everyone to look at the class president, who was focused on her homework.

"Why are you looking at me? There are many branches. I don't know anything," Nayeon's shrug, feigning ignorance, dampened Sana's joyful mood. She had been thinking about it all night. Had Nayeon just confessed to her? If so, should she accept? And if not, how should they face each other in the future?

Receiving the flowers made Sana even more certain that Nayeon liked her because she had clearly told the class president yesterday that she envied the person she liked because they could receive flowers every day.

But why was her reply just now so indifferent? If that was the case, why did she put her scarf around her? Thinking of this, Sana really wanted to rip off the gray scarf around her neck, even though she felt a little reluctant to part with the warmth and scent on it. Even so...

"Woah, Sana, why are you wearing the class president's scarf?"

Jihyo's loud shout (once again) made both Nayeon and Sana freeze.

"How do you know this scarf is the class president's?" Sana turned around sharply.

"How could I not know? I gave it to her! Yah, Nayeon, you dare use the scarf I gave you to give to a girl? Are you tired of living?"

"Hey, I just noticed, Nayeon is also wearing Sana's scarf," Jimin quickly chimed in.

Immediately, a loud "Ooh" rang out. The bouquet could still be explained away, but these two scarves clearly belonged to the two of them, and now they were coincidentally around each other's necks. Only a fool would believe that nothing was going on.

And of course, this class wasn't full of fools, because this was the top class of the whole grade!

They were definitely having an affair.

That was the conclusion of most of the class members. And what about the small remaining part? They didn't believe that. They believed in the hypothesis that the two were dating!

Look at the class president and the vice president. Even a glance showed that their eyes were sparking when they looked at each other, and the scent of an affair lingered around them.

The rumors spread like wildfire, quickly and without leaving a trace. And the correction followed slowly behind the news that had traveled far and wide:

"SANA DOESN'T LIKE NAYEON. ONLY NAYEON LIKES THE VICE PRESIDENT. OR TO BE MORE PRECISE, IT'S A ONE-SIDED LOVE."

That was the correction, but no one knew where this information came from. They only vaguely heard that one day, someone saw their beautiful and intelligent class president quietly put her coat on the vice president while she was taking a nap on a cold rainy day. And after that, this person paid more attention to the interactions between the two and noticed that most of the interactions between the vice president and the class president were initiated by the class president. Not only that, but Nayeon was always secretly caring for Sana. And within a 15-meter radius, wherever Sana was, Nayeon would be seen.

The reason why the "one-sided love" rumor didn't spread widely was because everyone knew that Nayeon had always been like a stone statue. And now someone was saying that the stone statue knew how to care for others, and even secretly and quietly, it was too unbelievable.

Throughout that day, Sana didn't say anything. And since the vice president didn't open her mouth, the class president was even more silent. The expression on Nayeon's face remained calm as usual. After watching the two cleaning today with an extremely sad look, Nayeon turned and left. She remembered the image of her stooping to sweep. Remembered her complaining, "Why did the teacher write so much on the board today?" Remembered her grumbling, "Why is this class so dirty, littering everywhere? Nayeon, remember to write down the names of anyone whose desk has trash and punish them severely. They don't think about how hard it is for their classmates to clean." Remembered that although she said she hated her, there wasn't a single moment when she truly wanted to avoid the person she hated.

It was really uncomfortable. Nayeon wanted to shout so much. In the end, everyone knew, guessed what her actions over the years meant. But Nayeon herself couldn't admit those guesses were correct. She should have stood up and said, "Yes, that's how it is," but because Sana didn't like her, Nayeon had no choice but to give up.

Sana was probably very angry. Wasn't it true that when people realized someone was always trying to approach them because they liked them, they would often develop a feeling of disgust? Sana's eyes weren't on Nayeon today, but thinking about it, her eyes had never stopped on her. Maybe it was just because Nayeon deliberately tried to get the other person's attention.

The more she thought, the more frustrated she felt, the more angry she was at herself. She should have known from the beginning that this feeling would have no result and stopped. Nayeon should have stopped herself from falling too deep into the world named after her. Why did she keep wanting to know more about Sana, keep wanting to look at her? So that the more she understood, the more she loved, the more she looked, the deeper her feelings became.

If feelings could be controlled, then surely no one would have to suffer. Unfortunately, no one had that ability. And neither did Nayeon.

Nayeon was dribbling the ball to the free throw line, swoosh, a beautiful three-pointer went into the basket like an arc of a rainbow.

The ball rolled to the side of a pair of shoes slightly wet with dew. The owner of those shoes bent down to pick it up and returned it to the person who had just thrown it.

"Great shot. It seems your mind isn't troubled by those words," Sana smiled slightly, her cheeks flushed, not knowing if it was because of the cold or because she had to face the person in front of her after everything that had happened today.

"Thank you for the compliment. But why haven't you gone home yet?" Nayeon received the ball, keeping her eyes down.

"I have team training. And don't try to avoid the question." Gently raising the other person's face, she felt that there was something very unfamiliar in those eyes, emotions that Sana had never noticed before, even though Nayeon had always looked at her like that.

"I don't feel uncomfortable because it's the truth."

Nayeon's gentle smile made the person opposite feel strangely weak. If Nayeon had the courage to face what she had been trying to hide for the past year, then she, perhaps, should do the same.

"I like you. To be clear about when I started liking you, I don't know. Because I look at you every day, and I just can't stop looking. When I see you need help, I can't stand still. That's how I like you."

Nayeon thought that she would probably never forget the look that Sana used to look at her today. It was a look that could make anyone willingly do anything for her. Nayeon was immersed in it for the first time, and honestly, she didn't want to escape.

"Nayeon, don't you have anything to say to me?"

"Yes, I've said this to you before, but today I'll say it more formally."

The vice president held her breath to wait for each word the other person was about to say. It seemed like she had been waiting for a long time. Long enough to realize that Nayeon's existence in her life was a joy, a happiness that Sana wanted to keep forever.

"Sana, do you want to be the future owner of a flower shop? So that every day you can receive a beautiful flower, so that every day you only need to take a walk around the city and your pockets will be full of money, do you want that?"

"Yes, of course, I want that."

The class president hugged her vice president in her arms, amidst the scattered snowflakes on the basketball field.

Legend has it that if you watch the first snowfall with the person you love, you will be together forever.

End.