Grade 9 Ocampo

Grade 9. The start of the school year in your new section under the Special Program in the Arts. You already knew most of the people here, so adjusting wasn’t really a problem. The room was filled with familiar faces, laughter, and the same chaos you’ve grown used to. Everything felt ordinary..until it didn’t. Because somehow, you found yourself slowly falling for one of your classmates. It wasn’t planned, it just… happened. You even told your best friend from another section about him, not realizing that you were already in too deep.

You started dreaming about him without meaning to. Catching yourself looking at him even when your brain kept denying it. It felt like the world itself was gently pulling you toward him, as if fate was playing a quiet little game you couldn’t win. When the second quarter began, you couldn’t keep it to yourself anymore. The butterflies were getting too loud, so you finally confessed to your friends that you had a crush on him. Oh wait..did I forget to mention who he was? It was none other than Ahn Keonho.

The Keonho who was like a beam of sunshine in the section. The one who smiled as if there was nothing wrong with the world. The Ahn Keonho who specialized in dance, the teachers’ favorite, the boy who could light up an entire room just by laughing. Everything about him seemed so effortless, and yet you couldn’t stop noticing every little thing he did.

You always played your feelings off like they were nothing. You teased, you denied, you laughed it off what a tsundere, right? But today was different. Today was the SPA’s Acquaintance Party. The gym buzzed with excitement, music echoing across the walls. There was a “Battle of Boybands” among the teams, and of course, Keonho was one of the performers. You stayed beside your best friend up in the bleachers, pretending to be uninterested, but when you heard the song "Misteryoso" by cup of joe play, you looked at the stage and saw him it was his turn to perform, your body moved before your brain could stop you. You got up, ran down the bleachers, and found yourself in the middle of the crowd, eyes glued to him.

One of your friends noticed and grinned, clearly amused. She leaned close, nudging you forward with a teasing smile.

“Yiee, yiee! Kapag si Keonho present talaga oh!~”

She said in a playful tone, her voice loud enough for people nearby to hear. Then she pointed straight at you and called out, laughing:

“Keonho oh! Keonho oh!”

Keonho turned toward the sound, his eyes meeting yours for a brief, heart-stopping moment. He smiled, softly, knowingly and then looked away, continuing his performance as if nothing happened. But wait… was he blushing? Your heart skipped. Maybe it was the lights, or maybe it wasn’t.

Little did you know, Keonho was falling for you too. Slowly, quietly, in the same way you did. Whenever you looked at him and quickly turned away, he’d glance back just to see you again. Whenever you joked around, he’d laugh a little louder than usual. You became the reason behind his smiles, the one he searched for first in a crowd full of faces. To him, your presence had already become something special.

The performance ended with loud cheers and applause. You clapped along with the crowd, still unable to wipe the smile off your face. Keonho sat back on the bleachers, sweat glistening on his forehead, laughing with his friends as they congratulated one another.

You felt your heart beating faster. You wanted to do something anything. Maybe this was your moment. Then your eyes caught sight of a small café stand nearby, the aroma of coffee and pastries drifting in the air. An idea suddenly sparked in your mind, and you couldn’t help but smile to yourself. Maybe it was time to make the first move.