DAYTIME STAR
chapter eight - the guitar guy.

SU-JIN WOKE UP WITH A START, the sound of a loud voice blaring from the TV in the living room. "PUTANGINA MO!" it shouted, causing him to nearly choke on his breakfast.

He glanced over at his grandmother, who was sitting across the table from him, a slight frown on her face.

"Ma, what does 'putangina mo' mean?" he asked, his mouth still full of his favorite strawberry jam bread.

His grandmother shook her head, her expression unreadable. "That's... not important," she said, gesturing towards the clock on the wall.

"You're going to be late for school if you don't hurry up and finish your breakfast."

Su-Jin nodded, his curiosity piqued, and quickly finished his meal. As he made his way back to his room to grab his bag, he couldn't help but glance at his computer.

"I'm curious," he murmured, turning it on and opening his web browser.

He typed the mysterious phrase into the search bar, and to his surprise, a forum post popped up with several comments.

"It means, 'I love you'," one user had written, their username "USER291" displayed prominently.

"No way," Su-Jin scoffed, shaking his head in disbelief. "That can't be right."

But then another comment caught his eye. "It means you truly love your love once," the user "HANDSOME69" had written, their message punctuated with several heart emojis.

Su-Jin's brow furrowed in confusion.

"Oh... so the woman on TV was just saying she loves her husband?" he mused, his gaze drifting back towards the living room where the shouting had resumed.

He watched as the couple on the screen hurled plates at each other, their faces twisted in anger.

"But why are they throwing plates?" he wondered, his head tilting to the side.

"Ah, never mind. I'm going to be late."

As Su-Jin made his way to the front door, he couldn't resist one last glance back at his grandmother, who was busy clearing the breakfast table.

A mischievous grin spread across his face as he opened his mouth wide.

"Putangina mo, Ma!" he shouted, his voice echoing through the house.

His grandmother's eyes widened in shock, her mouth falling open in a perfect "O" shape. Without a moment's hesitation, she snatched up the spatula she had been using and took off after Su-Jin, her slippered feet slapping against the floor.

"You come back here, young man!" she cried, her voice shrill with outrage.

"I'll tan your skin for using that kind of language!"

Su-Jin giggled gleefully, his long legs carrying him swiftly towards the door. He waved his hands in the air, dodging his grandmother's swipes with the spatula.

"It means 'I love you'!" he shouted over his shoulder, his eyes sparkling with mischief.

"Don't you watch TV, Ma?"

His grandmother let out a frustrated growl, her cheeks flushed with exasperation. "I'll show you 'I love you'!" she retorted, her grip tightening on the spatula.

Su-Jin laughed uproariously, his heart swelling with affection for his grandma. He knew he was pushing his luck, but he couldn't resist the urge to tease her a little.

After all, it wasn't every day he learned a new phrase that could be used to express his love.

Really Su-Jin?

As he stepped out into the bright morning sunlight, Su-Jin cast one last glance back at his grandmother, who was standing in the doorway, spatula still in hand. He blew her a kiss, his smile wide and genuine.

"Love you, Ma!" he called out, his voice filled with warmth.

His grandmother's expression softened, and she shook her head, a reluctant smile tugging at the corners of her lips. "Love you too, take care." she muttered, her voice gruff but tinged with affection.

With that, Su-Jin turned and headed off to school.

AS SU-JIN MADE HIS WAY TO SCHOOL, he opted to walk if his school was almost there instead of taking the bus. He just found walking to his school relaxing, and also to take a picture of the beautiful scenery as he walked to the school.

As he strolled along, his gaze fell upon a familiar figure up ahead – a person he recognized from his interactions with Sun-Jae, though he couldn't quite know his name.

Without thinking, Su-Jin quickened his pace, hoping to catch up to the stranger without drawing too much attention to himself.

As he drew closer, Su-Jin slowed his steps, trying to keep a safe distance between them. But just as he was about to pass the person by, the stranger suddenly turned, his eyes locking with Su-Jin's.

Su-Jin gulped, his heart pounding in his chest. But to his surprise, the stranger's expression softened into a warm smile.

"Hey there," the stranger said, his voice friendly and inviting.

"Can I help you with something?"

Su-Jin shook his head quickly, his palms suddenly sweaty. "No, no, I'm fine," he stammered, his cheeks flushing with embarrassment.

The stranger chuckled, his gaze drifting to the guitar slung across his back. "I'm Baek In-Hyuk, by the way," he said, extending his hand.

Su-Jin hesitated for a moment before taking it, his grip firm but slightly trembling. "Su-Jin, Kim Su-Jin" he replied, his voice barely above a whisper.

As they continued on their way to school, Su-Jin found himself struggling to make conversation. He racked his brain for something, anything, to say, but his mind seemed to have gone completely blank.

Finally, he blurted out the first thing that came to mind. "So, uh, you like music?"

In-Hyuk let out a hearty laugh, his eyes sparkling with amusement. "Yeah, I play guitar," he replied.

"What about you? What are you into?"

Su-Jin felt his cheeks flush with embarrassment. "Well, I love drawing," he said, his voice gaining confidence. "And taking pictures, too."

In-Hyuk grinned, his head bobbing in approval. "That's awesome, man," he said, clapping Su-Jin on the back.

Su-Jin couldn't help but smile back, his nerves slowly melting away. There was something about In-Hyuk's easy-going nature that put him at ease, and he found himself looking forward to getting to know the other boy better.

As they approached the school gates, Su-Jin suddenly caught sight of Sun-Jae and Im Sol engaged in what appeared to be a rather intense conversation.

He was about to call out to them when he noticed Im Sol suddenly reached up and placed her fingers on Sun-Jae's nose.

"What the..." Su-Jin murmured, his eyes widening in surprise.