CHAPTER 38: Apology

"I'm home.."

"Hanna ya, come here hurry.." Mommy Kwak directly told her daughter who has just come home to sit next to her in front of the TV.

Hanna obediently approached her. "Why?"

"There's a re run for your singing competition on TV."

Hanna was quite surprised by that. "Really??"

"You don't get my message? But it's okay, it's not your turn yet. Just watch it here with me."

Hanna sat next to Grace and then focus on TV, even it was still commercial break.

Then the show started again. Her mom was right, it wasn’t her turn yet. It was still Boyoung’s turn, Hanna’s was after her performance.

Boyoung ssi is seriously good. She is a natural performer, the way she sing, the way she move, the way she controls the stage. Hanna thought in her mind.

“She’s the winner, right?” Mommy Kwak asked Hanna.

“Yeah..” Hanna nodded, her eyes was still fixed on the TV.

“She’s way older than you. She know what to do.”

Her mom’s ambiguous sentence made her frown. So am I not?

"Oh, it's your turn! It's your turn!" Her mom was really excited to see her daughter on TV.

Hanna was excited too, even though she already watched her own performance multiple times on Youtube, but it was her first time watching it with her family, which actually only her mom and Grace.

“Unnie, you’re pretty..” Grace told Hanna and it made Hanna smiling widely.

“Thank you, Grace..” Hanna kissed Grace’s cheek as the reply.

Hanna was then focus again on TV, she watched herself singing and dancing slowly with the back dancers. And then the high notes part was coming and her mom was clapping. "How could you be so relax? Mom was so nervous your voice won't come out again."

Hanna smiled. And the memories started to fill her mind. "Yeah, I wonder how too."

-00-

Finished watching her performance, Hanna went to her room and directly plopped herself on a bed.

She stared at the ceiling as she remembered about what happened that day, when she had to perform in front of that numerous of audiences and also the cameras, how she actually felt so nervous that made her wanting to give up. But someone came, kneeled in front of her, comforting her, supporting her.

And he was Minhyun.

If it’s not because of him, I think I won’t ever show up on stage. Hanna thought.

She then remembered what Namjoo said, “I can say that Minhyun is much more care with Hanna than her own mom. I still remember he called me multiple times just for asking about Hanna.”

That was the time when she went to Suwon to see Kim Soohyun and the weather was not good. Minhyun kept checking on her through Namjoo. At that time, Hanna felt that it was annoying, but this time she realized that Minhyun was really worry about her. And somehow she just noticed something, “Did he wait... for me?? No, impossible. He is not that stupid to wait for me in a heavy snow like that.” Hanna told herself.

“But...” Hanna wasn’t sure with his own conclusion. “Ah, why was he really a fool??”

She covered her face in frustration. And all of the memories she spent with Minhyun coming up. Minhyun is always by her side, listening to her rant, helping her in everything, being her very best best friend. But this time, he was away. They acted like strangers.

“Why should you both fight anyway? Why making yourself difficult? Wasting energy, wasting time~”

She remembered what Dongho told her this afternoon. And what he said was right. It was difficult to not have Minhyun by her side. It made her... sad.

She also remembered what Jonghyun told her. “He cared about you, Hanna ya. Yeah, he deliberately made himself a fool for you. You should pinpoint that little thing behind his action.”

Yeah, he’s a fool. But he’s being a fool for me. Hanna thought and she suddenly felt guilty.

"Should I apologize to him?"

-00-

Morning came and she needed to go to school again.

She went out her house and ready to greet Jonghyun. He was somehow being the first-ready person for the past week. But then Hanna found out that Jonghyun hasn’t come out. That meant, the order was back to normal, the tittle of first-ready person was going back to the initial owner.

“No, please...” Hanna begged softly. She wanted to go back to her house, waiting Jonghyun or other kids to show up.

But it was too late, Minhyun already opened the gate of his house and came out.

Their eyes met for a moment before Minhyun looking away as he walked to Dongho’s house without saying anything to Hanna.

. Why it should be this awkward? Hanna grumbled as she stomped her feet on the ground.

-00-

Hanna was still thinking about Minhyun the whole day. She felt uncomfortable with this situation, but she didn’t want to let her prestigious self to be looked down because she apologize first.

But things getting too awkward to each other when they have to meet often, just like in lunch, or going to school and back home together.

Okay, I should apologize to him and end this awkwardness very soon. Hanna told herself.

At the second short break before the night class, she decided to apologize to him. She went to Minhyun’s class but he wasn’t there. Then she searched on the corridors and finally met him walked out from the cafeteria.

She was ready to call him. "Minh--"

But Minhyun suddenly walked faster, passing her by. "Oh! Jaehwan ah, wait for me!"

Hanna’s heart was dropped. Huh?? Is he deliberately avoiding me? I swear he see me, but what has just he did?? Damn you Hwang Minhyun! Hanna cursed him in her mind and walked angrily to the cafeteria.

They didn’t realize that there were two pair of eyes watching their drama from the school garden.

"Did you see?" Jonghyun was sitting on a bench, sipping his vanilla yoghurt, while asking Dongho.

Dongho nodded as he also sipped his strawberry yoghurt. "They are fools."

Jonghyun turned to face Dongho. "Should we do something?"

"What?" Dongho asked back as he started opening the snack.

"Give them time to talk. Just the two of them.", answered Jonghyun.

While munching his snack, Dongho asked, "How?"

Jonghyun whispered his plan softly to Dongho’s ear. And Dongho directly replied with a loud, "Okay!"

"Tell Minki about this plan." Told Jonghyun before he finished his yoghurt.

"Alright!" Dongho replied excitedly. But then he looked at Jonghyun as he asked, "But, you really don’t like Hanna, do you?”

Jonghyun was quite surprise with the question, so he was silent.

“Yeah, I just assume you don’t like Hanna. If I found out that you like Hanna and you still did this, then I don’t know how I can be friends with a human species like you.”

Listened to Dongho’s words got Jonghyun giggling.

"But you're truly a good leader.” Dongho told Jonghyun softly. He even added, “Dobong-dong kids leader! No, national leader!” And he laughed with his own words.

"What is that??” Jonghyun joined to laugh.

-00-

Jonghyun skipped the night class as usual, and he left the plan to Dongho and Minki.

As they walked home together after the night class, Dongho was ready to play the plan. "Guys, you go home without me. I have to go with Daniel." Said Dongho while he put his arms on Daniel’s shoulder.

Minhyun directly asked, "Ya, why suddenly?"

"It's not sudden. We have this homework last week, and tomorrow is the deadline. I don't want to work it by myself." Dongho said it as he smiled to Daniel, which Daniel