'After Everything that We’ve Been Through, How Am I So Far Away From You?'

Hyungwon abruptly goes to the front and tore the banner into two pieces. It was kind of late since some of the students already read it and they started to look at him with disgust look.

He moves his gaze to meet Hayoung, who still standing at her previous place with blank expression. The girl seems startled too with the thing that she had seen, but she didn’t know how to react. She was way too immersed with the truth that she just got.

‘A son of a maid? His mother was marrying a rich man? Why his past was so similar with him? Is it a coincidence or they are indeed a same person?’ those questions made her slowly realize that Hyungwon is none other than a same person that she had known from her past.

But Hyungwon immediately took his steps and left the place without letting the girl have a chance to ask him. He just can’t stand anymore with those bad murmurs that everyone’s had talked about him. He’s feels just too ashamed.

***

“Hyungwon-ah, where did you want to go?” Eunji was staring at her stepbrother who was packing some of his clothes into his favorite backpack.

 “I’ll not sleep in home tonight. I’ll book a hotel already,” he said and quickly looked away after getting caught red-handed.

“What’s wrong? Is there something happened at school?” Eunji raised her eyebrows while tilted her face so she could see him.

“Nothing. I just need sometimes to be alone,” he said still avoiding his gaze to meet his stepsister.

“Look at me,” Eunji held his arm and it successfully made the younger turned around. She used the chance to scrutinizing his face, then she found frustration expressed clearly from inside his eyes. “Tell me what happened. Who is the person that dares to hurt you like this? Tell me and I’ll kill him.”

Hyungwon tried to form a smile on his face. “I’m okay, noona. I just really need time to be alone. Don’t worry about me too much,” he patted his stepsister shoulder before turning his attention to his stuffs again.

“But—“

“I need to change my shirt. So, could you please wait for me outside, noona?” he said while signaling the eldest to leave his room.

Eunji heaved a sigh before walked toward outside the room. She closed the door but she wasn’t stop there. She goes downstairs to meet Mrs. Chae, who knows that she’s in her room. But instead of meet her stepmother, she found Hayoung that abruptly came inside their house. She was panting hard as she approach Eunji that just made few steps out from Mrs. Chae room.

“Eonnie, where’s Hyungwon oppa? Is he okay?” she asked in the midst of panting.

“Hayoung-ah, did you know what happened to him? Hyungwon suddenly packed up his things and he said that he will not sleep at home tonight,” Eunji asked.

“Eonnie… I-It just… Something bad just happened at our school this morning…” Hayoung looked down to her shoes.

“Tell me what happened,” Eunji walked closer to the younger.

“Someone had just spread the news about Hyungwon oppa’s past. I guess it made him shock so he immediately left the school after,”

“Geez!” Eunji let out a groan, before quickly turning around and walks back upstairs, reaching her stepbrother room.

Hyungwon startled when the room of his door suddenly opened, and it was revealing his stepsister with facial expression that he couldn’t read.

“Noona, did I tell you that I wanted to change my shirt—“ Hyungwon didn’t continue his words, since he caught the person that suddenly show up behind her. “!” he growled. “Don’t let her come inside.”

He quickly closed the door and locked it, right when Hayoung’s face just about an inch away. She jerked up with his sudden action.

“Hyungwon oppa, we need to talk. Please open the door for me,” she knocked on the door.

“There’s nothing that we should talk about. Leave me alone. I don’t want to see you!” Hyungwon said while leaning on the door, so the younger could hear him.

“But, oppa. Just answer my question, and I promised you that I’ll not disturb you again,” she begged and Hyungwon didn’t react since he knows what kind of question that the girl wanted to ask. “Are you Kim Hyungwon…? I mean, you used to be him before your parents’ divorce so you’ve changed your surname with your mother’s name?”

Eunji’s eyes widened when she heard those questions. She looked at her stepbrother to saw the younger was clenched his jaw.

“Hayoung-ah… Please leave me alone. I didn’t want to talk about anything for now. Please understand me,” he said, softens this time.

“Please… Just answer that question… I really need to know because I’ve waited for too long,” a tear escaped from the edge of her eyes as she was hoping that the guy will end her longing.

Hyungwon let out a deep sigh. “Yes, I am the previous Kim Hyungwon that you’ve had known. But you should know that he was no longer existed anymore. So, you don’t need to waste your time to remind me about him,” he tried to sound stern.

Hayoung instantly formed a smile on her face. She was right. She fell in love at Chae Hyungwon from the start, just not because of his visual’ charm, but she feels that he somehow familiar. And she got the answer now and it made her feel relieved.

“Now, go away. Don’t disturb me again just like you’ve promised before,” he said again, breaking the short silence between them.

“Okay,” Hayoung swiped the tear-stained cheeks with the back of her hand. “I will leave tomorrow because my parents comeback to Seoul already,” she held her words as she stood properly. “Thank you… Thank you so much for everything.”

She was about to turn around, but she held her steps before leaned once again at the door.

“… And one thing you should know… I’ve keep waiting for you ever since that day you left me alone without any news. But don’t worry, my love for you were never changed…” she said before collected her footsteps away.

Hyungwon could clearly hear it all as he shut his eyes while still leaning his back on the door.

“Hyungwon-ah,” a soft voice from his stepsister awakened him. He slowly opened his eyes to found the worries expressed clearly on Eunji’s eyes. “Are you okay, dear?” the eldest cupped his face with both of her palms.

Hyungwon nodded and without he noticed, a tear escaped from the edge of his eyes.

“Come here,” without thinking twice, Eunji pulled him before hug him tightly. “Don’t cry. A man should not cry because it will make you look weaker...”

The wall inside Hyungwon’ heart was broken. He was sobbing silently inside his stepsister embrace. Hayoung’ confession echoing inside his mind repeatedly and it hurts so much. It was because he was feeling the same way from the beginning, but his pride forbid him to give up that easy.

***

[FLASHBACK]

Hyungwon just came back from school and he went straight to Oh’s mansion, the place where his mother had worked at. He shoved his little hand inside his pocket pants to grab the strawberry cake pops that he bought during his way before. He smiled from ear to ear while imagining how happy Hayoung will be when she found him bought her favorite candies.

He was about to entering the house, but someone walk pass and intercepts his way.

“Yah, you kid. Stop there!” a voice of woman echoed.

Hyungwon look up startled to find a pair of Mrs. Oh eyes were staring at him fiercely. “A-anyeonghaseyo,” he greets her nervously.

“Do you want to meet my daughter?” she asked.

Hyungwon nodded without even dare to look at her eyes. It was somehow scaring him.

“Don’t you dare,” she said in annoyance. “Starting from today on, I don’t allow you to meet nor play with her. And I don’t want to see you around my house anymore.”

“B-but, why?” Hyungwon asked dumbfounded.

“You brainwashed my daughter’s mind. You know that?” she said, still in her harsh tone.

Hyungwon had a hard time to grasping what she said to his face.

“How could a smart girl like her asked me to letting you two marry each other in the future? It’s ridiculous!” Her voice rose higher and it contains more emotions. “You’re just a son of a drinker and a maid. You wanted to ruin my daughter’s future with your low grade, kid?”

Her eyes went wide as the hatred expressed clearly inside of it.

“You’re dreaming too much, young boy,” Mrs. Oh said through clenched teeth. “You better stay away from her starting from today on. Don’t you ever dare to cling around Hayoung again. You’re not at our level!”

Hyungwon was at loss for words. He was literally speechless at those sharp words. The next thing that the kid did was running out from the big house with tears running from his eyes.

‘Mrs. Oh was right. I am nothing compared to them.’

Hyungwon could swear that he feel something torn inside his chest. The pain was too severe to be handling by an 8 years old kid, till make him stumble on his own feet. He fell to the ground and his body shook terribly because of crying. He was trying to breathe and get up through the pain, but it was so hard and nearly impossible.

It wasn’t because of the physical pain only; this was because of the emotional reasons. Hayoung’s mother remarks were too hurtful. Little Hyungwon was breaking apart because of the insults.

It felt like an eternity as he lay on the lonely road, still sobbing silently. Mrs. Oh’s words were echoing inside his mind repeatedly. It’s not like he had never been mocked by his school friends before. But this time, it somehow affects more than he can admit.

‘Is it a poor boy like me didn’t deserve to be happy?’ those questions were repeating bluntly in his mind.

“Hey, are you okay?”

Hyungwon slowly opened his eyes by the sudden soft voice that approaching his ears. The harsh remarks that had been given to his soul were seriously messing inside that boy head. When he completely open his eyes, he could see the sky was completely bare of clouds and the sun shone so bright till make his eyes hurt. He didn’t even notice that he had closed his eyes again until he opened them again. Hyungwon flinched when he found himself gazing back at a stranger that already kneels down in front of him. It was a girl between his age, and she got her crystal black eyes pinned on him.

“Who are you?” Instead of answering the girl’s previous question, Hyungwon asked back.

She cocked an eyebrow at Hyungwon and tilted her head to see his face.

“Me? Just an ordinary school girl who always gets bullied from my friends,” she scoffed. “Come on. Let me help you,” she offered her little hand toward Hyungwon.

This time, he let her help him to sit properly near the road pavement. A faint groan escaped from his mouth when he moves his legs.

“Your knee was bleeding,” the girl spoke out again as she witnessing the wound. “Wait, I’ve brought bandage in my bag.”

Just less in 5 seconds, the girl touched his legs and surprising him with the gentle way she did and helped him to cure his wound.

“Luckily I always brought these bandages inside my bag. Sometimes I got hurt too when I’ve been bullied,” she smiled thinly, but Hyungwon could bet there was a bitterness behind it. “So tell me, what happened with you and the reason why you were crying earlier?” she immediately changed the topic while turning her gaze back at him.

“I...” Hyungwon looked at her in hesitation, because he realized that the girl was still being a stranger to him.

“Oh, I’m sorry for not introducing myself. I’m Jung Eunji, 93liner, born in August,” she said while smiling. Hyungwon could see that her smile was brighter this time, and he didn’t know why it somehow could bring the warmness inside of his heart.

“Kim H-, no, Chae Hyungwon. Born in early 1994.”

The girl was furrowing her eyebrow when she notice that the younger suddenly changed his surname.

“I’ve used my mother’s name when she divorced from her husband,” he explained with plain face, and Eunji knows that Hyungwon didn’t have a good relationship with his father.

“My father raised me by himself too. Apparently, we’re a lot alike, didn’t we?” she put her eye smile again.

Hyungwon nodded. He feels somehow relieve because he wasn’t alone to feel the bitterness in his life.

“I understand that you won’t tell your problems to a stranger like me. But all I need to say to you is, don’t shed a tear again whenever you feel at your low. A man should not cry because it will make you look weaker,” she formed another genuine smile on her face.

Both of them still exchanged gazes which lingered a little bit longer.

“Thanks...” that was the only word that escaped from his mouth.

Eunji shoved her hand into her bag again as she took something inside of it. “Here, take it with you,” she handed a chocolate bar to him.

Hyungwon blinked his eyes.

“Eat it whenever you feel sad. It helps a lot, trust me,” she said before get up from her previous position. “See you when I see you.”

She bid her goodbye after, leaving Hyungwon who still stunned at his place.

***

“Please mom. Don’t work at that house again. I’m begging you,” Hyungwon told his mother right when Mrs. Chae came back from her work.

“Mrs. Oh told me about you and Hayoung already,” she sighed and staring at her one and only son, before she walked toward the younger and cup his cheeks. “I’m sorry, Hyungwon. I’m sorry because I’ve made you suffer with our low grades—“ she couldn’t continue her words since she choke on her tears.

“There’s nothing to be sorry, mom