DAYTIME STAR
chapter seven - unexpected notifications.

THE CAFETERIA WAS BUSY, the air filled with the aroma of freshly brewed coffee and the chatter of students. Im Sol and her friend Hyun-joo sat at a table, plates piled high with pasta and slices of bread.

"So, what's the deal with this new guy you're interested in?" Hyun-joo asked, her eyes sparkling with mischief as she took a sip of her coffee.

"Stop Hyun-joo, I'm not interested! This time is different. This is just a...returning a favor." she stammered, her fingers toying with the straw in her drink.

Hyun-joo nodded, her expression didn't really know whether she would take her friend seriously or not. "Well, you know what they say – first impressions are everything," she said, her tone playful.

Im Sol felt her heart sink as memories of her disastrous encounter with Sun-Jae came flooding back.

"Oh, trust me, I know all about first impressions," she muttered, her eyes rolling skyward.

Hyun-joo raised an eyebrow, her curiosity piqued. "Do tell," she said, leaning forward eagerly.

Im Sol quickly recounted the events of the past few days, from her embarrassing moment with Sun-Jae, like earlier events with the cigarettes. By the time she was done, Hyun-joo was shaking her head in disbelief.

"Wow, Sol, you really know how to make an impression, don't you?" she said, her voice laced with amusement.

Im Sol groaned. "I know, I know, I'm hopeless," she mumbled, her words muffled by her fingers.

Hyun-joo reached across the table, giving Im Sol's arm a reassuring squeeze. "Hey, don't be so hard on yourself," she said, her voice gentle.

"You just need to try a different approach, that's all."

Im Sol looked up, her eyes filled with hope. "A different approach?" she echoed, her brow furrowing in thought.

Hyun-joo nodded, a mischievous grin spreading across her face. "Yep, like sending him a friend request on Ilchon," she said, her voice low.

Im Sol's eyes widened in surprise. "Ilchon? You mean like, officially becoming friends on social media?" she asked, her voice tinged with disbelief.

Hyun-joo nodded, her expression serious. "Exactly. It's the perfect way to break the ice without risking another embarrassing encounter," she said, her eyes sparkling with excitement.

Im Sol considered the idea for a moment, her mind racing with possibilities.

"But wait, how did you know you got over Tae-Sung so quickly?" her friend asked, her brow furrowing in confusion. Then a wave of memories of her giving a love letter to Tae-Sung.

AHHH!

As Im Sol made her way home, her mind was buzzing with thoughts of Sun-Jae and Ilchon requests. She couldn't help but wonder what he would think of her, and whether he would accept her request.

But as she stepped into her room, her attention was immediately drawn to a familiar envelope lying on her desk. It was the love letter she had written to Tae-Sung yesterday.

"What's this?" a voice called out, and Im Sol turned to see her older brother, Im Geum, standing in the doorway, the letter clutched in his hand.

"Hey, give that back!" Im Sol cried, lunging forward in a futile attempt to snatch the letter from his grasp.

Im Geum chuckled, his eyes scanning the page. "Wow, sis, I didn't know you had it in you," he teased, his voice dripping with amusement.

Im Sol felt her cheeks burning with embarrassment, and she quickly snatched the letter from his hand. "It's none of your business," she muttered, her eyes narrowing in annoyance.

Im Geum raised his hands in mock surrender, a mischievous grin spreading across his face. "Hey, I'm just impressed with your poe–pfft in this letter, that's all," he said, his voice laced with laughter.

Im Sol rolled her eyes, shoving the letter into her desk drawer. "Whatever," she muttered.

Sol looked at her brother dressed like an old man. Her eyes twitch.

"Yah! Wear something nice and get out of my room!"

AS THE CLOCK STRUCK AT NIGHT, Su-Jin found himself wide awake, his fingers dancing across the keyboard as he scrolled through his social media account. He paused, his gaze settling on a random picture he had taken earlier that day, a simple shot of beautiful scenery as he walked to his school.

"Not much to look at," he murmured, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips. He was about to close the app when a sudden notification caught his eye.

"A friend request?" he whispered, his brow furrowing in confusion.

"That's odd."

With a tentative click, he opened the notification, his eyes widening in surprise as he read the name.

"Ryu Sun-Jae?"

Without hesitation, Su-Jin's finger moved to accept the request, a sense of excitement bubbling within him. "Well, why not?" he said, shrugging his shoulders.

"It's not like I have any other friends on here."

He was about to close the app once more when another notification popped up.

"Another one?" he exclaimed, his curiosity piqued.

As he read the name, his eyes widened even further. "Im Sol?" he breathed, a smile spreading across his face.

"Well, this is turning out to be a good night after all."

With a few taps, he accepted the request, a sense of pride swelling within him. "Finally, some friends.." he said, his voice tinged with relief.

"Even if one of them is a bit... odd."

He couldn't help but chuckle as he thought back to his encounters with Im Sol, her behavior always a bit off-kilter.

"But hey, who am I to judge?" he said, shaking his head.

"At least she's friendly."

As he closed the app and settled back into bed, Su-Jin couldn't help but feel a sense of contentment.

Though his new friends were a bit unusual.

IM SOL SCROLLED THROUGH SUN-JAE'S social media feed, a smile spreading across her face as she caught glimpses of him in the swimming pool.

"Wow, he really is crazy about swimming," she murmured, her fingers tracing the computer's screen.

She also had sent friend requests to both Sun-Jae and Su-Jin today.

"Su-Jin seems pretty cool and he is very pretty," she mused

"So I don't mind being friends with him."

But as she continued scrolling, a nagging thought crept into her mind. "Wait, have I met Su-Jin before?" she wondered, her brow furrowing in confusion.

"I don't remember seeing him around."

She shook her head, dismissing the thought as her computer suddenly sounded up with a notification. "Two notifications?" she exclaimed, her eyes widening in excitement.

With a tap, she opened the app, her heart racing as she saw that Su-Jin had accepted her friend request.

"Yes!" she cheered, pumping her fist in the air. But her excitement quickly turned to disappointment as she noticed that Sun-Jae had not accepted her request.

"Ugh, really?" she groaned, flopping back onto her bed.

"I'm done."

SUN-JAE STARED AT HIS COMPUTER SCREEN, a grin plastered across his face as he watched his friend request being accepted. "Yes!" he exclaimed, punching the air in triumph.

His ears burned with embarrassment, and he quickly covered his mouth to stifle his excited screams.

He clicked back to the app, just to make sure it was real. "It's true!" he whispered, his fingers trembling with excitement.

"Hmmmm." he hummed in happiness.

But in his excitement a notification sounded on his computer. It was a friend request from Im Sol, he put the arrow of his mouse to accept her friend request.

Sun-Jae jumped, his hand accidentally clicking the mouse. As his father goes inside of his room with a snack and water in a stray.

He immediately went to his father and got the snack and the water, he thanked his dad and his dad goodluck him on his training or his study before leaving his room.

His gaze back to his computer, his eyes widening as he see Im Sol's friend request are decline.

"Oh, shoot."