“Why are you always angry?”

“---------”

What. The. ?

I should be running towards him, strangle him, cut him to pieces and then laugh my evil horrible laugh “HAHAHA~~” while I cook his (tiny) brain into a soup and took a bite of his tiny eyes.

No, scratch that. I would auction his eyes off on Ebay instead. That way I’ll be both rich AND evil. Man, what a genius.
(Enter evil laugh here) HAHAHA~~

Unfortunately, all of that was only happening in my mind. Truth is, that simple question caught me off guard. I stood there frozen like a statue, unable to move my body. 

Yes, I do admit that I am always angry, but why? I simply didn’t even know how to answer.
 

You’re only angry at DaeSung because he’s annoying. You’re not like that to others, a tiny voice inside my brain stated. 

But then again, it was not only him. If for some weird God-knows-why reason HyeYeon wanted to be my friend, I would definitely cut off her head and put them up on my wall, you know like how the hunters show off the animals that they have hunted, and laugh literally in her face every day.
HAHAHA~~

YeJin was looking back and forth between DaeSung and me. Maybe she was expecting me to explode and for him to jump behind her for protection (again).

I tried to think of an excuse, an answer to explain my temper but to no success.

DaeSung was looking at me expectantly.

Why this little punk! 
Did he really think that I could simply answer the reason behind my being?
I was this close to succumb to the corny answer: because God made me this way. Then we would all laugh about it and live happily ever after. Then I would try to kill him, he would run behind YeJin and YeJin would yell at me; you know, the usual stuff. Yes, definitely happily ever after.

Then a sudden dreadful thought occurred, ‘Do people really see me that way? Do they really see me as this temperamental angsty female? Like my Umma?’ 
HAHAHA~~???

I gulped.

Do they really think of me like how I think of my mother? DaeSung only knew me for a few hours and even he thought I was always angry. Oh, God! Does MinHo see me that way too?’

Sh.t! 

Heck, I didn’t want people to think of me as the type that would go on a killing rampage and drink human blood for supper. No, I’m not that way. I’m not that dark. Though I had thought about it. 
HAHAHA~~

It was not that I care about the opinions of others about me but thinking that I was someone like my mother, I suddenly felt nauseated. 

“Err..” my vocal chords felt paralysed.

“Why are you always angry, ChaeRin? Why? Why? Why?” DaeSung sang. He went to the class cupboard, where we stored our brooms and started rummaging the brooms inside it.

Damn, I was really annoyed at how cheerful he sounded. Keep calm ChaeRin, he’s your friend now, I thought to myself.
Breathe in, breathe out.

YeJin was then busy arranging the desks while I remained frozen at the same spot. I could feel her stealing a few glances at me out the corner of my eye. I bet she knew I didn’t have an answer to that.

“I know why, ChaeRin,” DaeSung said cheerfully when he came near me with a broom in each hand. He was grinning happily, like he had just won the first prize of a match. 

When he handed me a broom, I took it without saying a word.

I didn’t know why that simple question really made me feel uneasy inside. No one had ever asked me that before, at least not in my face, so it was like an eye-opener. I think some people know the reason why I’m angsty the minute they see my Umma but most people just don’t really care.

I was really eager to know what he thought but I acted like I didn’t care.

“Why?” YeJin asked. I was already busy in my role as the girl-who’s-acting-like-she-doesn’t-care-when-she-really-is.

“You’re having your periods, aren’t you?” he gave me this knowing smirk. He was already at the back of the class, sweeping the floor.

YeJin laughed like it was the funniest thing she had ever heard in her entire life. She even snorted, that damn b1tch!

“I’m right, right?” he still had that silly grin on his face, “No need to be ashamed, all girls experience it monthly,”

Was that his idea of bonding? Talking about periods while sweeping the floor with a temperamental girl like me?
Seriously?

“Yah, Kang DaeSung,” I yelled, “Stop talking about the ‘red flag’.” 
Red flag was what YeJin and I called our time of that month.

DaeSung’s grin widened. “No need to get upset or the flow will become heavier,” he said.

That does it. That punk is looking for trouble.

“You just stay right there!” I warned.
 “Why?” he asked innocently.
 “’Cause I want to strangle you,” I replied.
 “O-kay,” he sang then suddenly looked up when he probably just realized what he had just agreed himself to.

Yes, he was slow.

“Ahhhhh~~~~~~” He ran for safety and I followed closely behind with a broom in hand. We were running in circles around the desks in the class.

“Why? Why? Did I say something wrong? My mother is also like that when it’s time of the month,” he said while running.
“What makes you think that I’m like your mother?!!” I roared.

DaeSung made a dash toward YeJin who was hitting the blackboard duster at the wall to get rid of the chalky residue. She didn’t expect him coming and so the duster ended up hitting his face.


“Ow,” he yelped.
“Oh no,” YeJin said.
“Oh yes,” I stopped to cheer. I was already out of breath then.


Then, DaeSung turned to look at me and I started to laugh. “Hahaha. DaeSung-ah,” I said in between giggles, “Why do you age so fast? Hahaha.”

He looked so funny with his big white nose and white hair. YeJin and I couldn’t stop laughing especially when he tried (clumsily) to dust off the white residue from his hair by hitting his head hard and yelling of pain each time he did so.

What else can you expect from a klutzy dumb boy like DaeSung? Of course he wouldn’t think of the normal way of getting rid of them by washing his hair and face or simply by brushing it off with a tissue.

Kang DaeSung, I think you must be an alien entrapped in a human body.
^_^


DaeSung stayed on to help YeJin and I clean up the class. When we had finally finished an hour later, we were all tired and hungry.

My stomach made a grumbling sound and I looked at YeJin sheepishly.

“Do you hear that? Somebody’s hungrrrrryyy,” DaeSung teased.

I rolled my eyes. Leave it to that dumbo to always annoy me.

“Why don’t we go eat some beef soup?” YeJin suggested.

“Beef soup? I like, I like,” DaeSung clapped his hand happily like a little boy.
“Nobody asked you, dumbo,” I said.
DaeSung’s smile faded. “But, I like beef soup,” he pouted.

YeJin gave me a look. “We like beef soup too, don’t we ChaeRin?” there was no mistaking the say-yes-or-you’re-dead look in her eyes.
“I prefer human soup, with fresh human flesh,” I said giving DaeSung a meaningful look.
DaeSung gasped, his eyes widened. “Hu-hu-human?” he stuttered.
YeJin rolled her eyes. “ChaeRin, why do you always do this to him?”

I tried hard to hide my smile. Somehow, I already love the idea of having someone to torment everyday especially when he was so easy to scare off, like this dumbo.

“Don’t take her seriously, DaeSung-ah,” YeJin said, “She has some loose wires in her brain.”

I stuck out my tongue while DaeSung chuckled. 

We gathered our things and began to leave for the beef soup shop which was only a few blocks away from school.

YeJin and I had frequented the shop for more than 4 years now. We found out about the delicious soup purely by accident when we were stranded in the rain near the shop and had nowhere to go. The smell of the soup was really tantalizing that we just had to come inside and give it a try. The shop had been our favorite ever since.

Apparently DaeSung said that the shop had been his favorite since 10 years ago.

Along the way, DaeSung kept asking for my cellphone number and with me refusing each time. Eventually, after constant nagging from him, I gave in. He was so excited when I finally told him my number that he walked into a motorcycle parked by the road.

“Ow,” he yelped.

I rolled my eyes. The clumsy dumbo was at it again.

He was lucky that the motorcycle didn’t fall down because if it did, I was sure the heavily tattooed owner would run after him. Heck, if that ever happens, I’ll pretend I don’t know him and push YeJin toward him so that I can run away, all by myself.

Genius? I know.

The shop was not packed when we arrived so we quickly ordered and sat at the table near the television. YeJin sat beside me and with DaeSung in front of her. The television was showing a drama which I wasn’t quite sure what about.

“I love this smell,” DaeSung sniffed. I guess he was trying to start a conversation.
“I’m starving,” I said, not bothering to be friendly.
“I think I know this show!” YeJin exclaimed excitedly.
“What is it about?” DaeSung asked, maybe excited that it can lead to a proper conversation.
“Err.. I forgot,” YeJin admitted sheepishly.
“Oh..” his face fell. His hope to chat was dashed.

I didn’t know why I felt bad and had the sudden urge to be friendly to him. Maybe I was starting to accept him. “Who do you usually hang out with?” I asked.

DaeSung suddenly looked sad, like I just asked a touchy subject. “My family,” he replied quietly.

“I meant your friends, babo