Ae-young hopped off the steps of the city bus, cautiously cradling the contents of the bag so as not to let any of the cookies crumble.  The night had been a sleepless one for her as she tossed and turned in bed, anticipating the crack of dawn.  Now that she was finally at school, she felt like there was a tight knot in her stomach, as if the fate of the entire world depended on giving Jaejoong these cookies.

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The final bell rang, signaling the end of the afternoon classes.  Ae-young’s feet stung from the blisters that had formed on them throughout the course of the day from wearing her new heels.  She had originally bought them to wear on her upcoming birthday celebration, but looking pretty while confessing to Jaejoong became of a greater concern to her.  She dolled herself up well, careful not to get her knee-length dress wrinkled and her usually disheveled hair out of place.  She had taken extra care that morning to apply her make-up more self-consciously than usual, and even scrunched up her hair for a new look.

Ae-young sighed, relieved to be done with classes but stricken with anxiety as she was left to await her fate.  She made her way through the west wing hallway and searched for the outskirts of the garden.  It was around here that she had last spotted Jaejoong by the bus stop.  Ae-young seated herself on a stone bench and reluctantly placed her belongings beside her, the bag of cookies set securely on her lap.  She looked around timidly, wondering how to approach the whole situation. 

Suddenly, out of nowhere, she heard frantic breathing and turned around to see a girl in tears rush away.  She had just come out from the inner portion of the garden which was separated from the rest of the college by a wooden door.  Ae-young watched the girl run out of sight.  Ignited with curiosity, Ae-young got up and made her way down a couple of feet until her eye was lined up with a small crack in the door.  She moved her body closer to the door and peered into the crack, only to be met by the sight of Jaejoong leaned up against the wall of the inner garden, deep in thought.  He must’ve heard Ae-young gasp for he immediately became conscious of the presence of another person.

“Who’s there?” he inquired.

Ae-young decided to take her chances.  It’s now or never she thought.  She opened the door slowly, double-checked to make sure she had all of her belongings and the cookies, and catiously stepped into the inner garden square.  It was a beautiful paradise all on its own-small shrubs lay lined up against the walls of the garden, each one blooming with cherry blossoms and other delights.  On the corners of the garden were tall creme-colored posts where strands of vines and flowers intertwined, as if they were purposely put up by Mother Nature herself for decorating her home.  Inside the garden, heavenly hues of orange and yellow light from the evening sun peered through the cracks in the wooden beams in the walls, creating an overall majestic and serene tone.  If Ae-young wasn’t so overcome with fright, she may’ve actually enjoyed the scenery.

“Uh, hi-it’s me,” she replied to Jaejoong’s question.

Jaejoong showed no sign of the recognition of Ae-young.  He merely blinked and asked, “What do you want?”

Ae-young looked to the ground.  , I shouldn’t have come afterall.

“I just wanted to give you these,” she said, as she held up the bag of cookies.  She made her way over to Jaejoong on the opposite side of the garden.  As the distance between them decreased, she began to feel more and more regret about committing such a rash act.  “They’re caramel cookies.  I made them last night.  They’re not the best in the world but they’re not-”

“What do you want?” Jaejoong repeated, cutting Ae-young off.

Ae-young blushed.  Since she was here, she may as well get to the point. “Well, I was passing by and I realized that I had something to tell you…You see…I kind of like you,” she murmured.

“What?” Jaejoong asked, having missed the last part of Ae-young’s confession.

“I like you, okay?  Ever since you saved me that day from those sunbaes and when you gave me your vest and talked to me in the garden-all those times made me realize how much of a great person you are.  I know I sound stupid but I don’t care.  I just came to tell you that I liked you.”  Ae-young’s forehead grew warm and she couldn’t make eye-contact with Jaejoong.  Crap, this is not how I rehearsed this she thought.

Ae-young heard footsteps approach her and looked to see Jaejoong within inches of her.  He grabbed the bag of cookies and asked, “What was this again?”

“Th-Those are caramel cookies.  Do you want some?” Ae-young asked.

“You want to know what I really think about what you said?” Jaejoong asked in a tone of voice that Ae-young had never heard him speak with.

“Yes,” Ae-young confidently replied.

“I think you’re stupid.  I think all of you girls are stupid.  You saw the idiot that just ran out before.  She was as dumb as you!  You all meet a guy one time and think that you like him.  What am I?  Am I just some toy here for your amusement?  You make me like this and expect me to eat it and like you for it?” Jaejoong blared out the very words Ae-young didn’t want to hear.

“Wh-what?” Ae-young asked in shock.

“You heard me.  I think you’re a pathetic who’s just desperate,” Jaejoong's intense anger only escalated as the seconds ticked.  “This is what I really think of your feelings.”

And with that, Jaejoong threw the bag of cookies onto the ground, disheveling the pink ribbon that had been so painstakingly tied unto it.  Ae-young felt her worst nightmare come to life.  Jaejoong stomped his foot on the bag multiple times.  Every stomp sent a sharp knife surging through her heart.  She could do nothing but watch the enraged man crush not just the cookies she made with so much love, but destroy her dignity as a woman as well.

When Jaejoong had enough of the act of destruction, he merely looked at Ae-young with the utmost scorn and disdain, and left her in solitude, slamming the wooden door of the garden shut behind him as he exited the once beautiful Edenic realm.  Her knees gave in and she collapsed to the ground, surrounded by nothing but dirt and a multitude of crumbs.  It was at that moment that every emotion of fear, anger, anxiety, hatred, embarrassment, and abuse that was bottled up within her for the past few minutes released themselves.  She could hold the tears in for no longer.  At first, they came down like the initial drops before a monsoon.  But then, a stream began to fall.  Within seconds, Ae-young’s face was covered in a mesh of dirt and tears as she poured out the hurt in her heart.  As she looked at the millions of crumbs around her, all she could see was the millions of pieces Jaejoong had broken her heart into.

♥♥♥

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