"Hei-Ryung? Cha Hei-Ryung? Is that really you? I haven't seen you since high school!" When she had entered the Melody cafe for something to eat, Hei-Ryung had made sure to situate herself in a corner and with her back to the door, hoping that this would prevent people from seeing her or, if not, deter them from approaching. Her efforts, however, were for naught. Sighing quietly to herself, Hei-Ryung clasped her hands in her lap to keep them from trembling and turned to see who was addressing her. She hadn't recognized the voice, but she knew the face all too well.

     It was a face that haunted her nightmares.

     "Who are you?" She snapped, her eyes narrowing as she wiped away the smudge of bile at the corner of her cherry-red lips. Not sure how to respond to such an aggressive question, Hei-Ryung lowered her eyes and slowly shuffled toward one of the stalls. Maybe if she pretended as though she hadn't been standing there listening to this girl purge her stomach's contents for the past few minutes, she would be able to avoid any awkward confrontation. "I asked you a question! Who are you, and what the hell do you think you're doing there?" The now-irate girl brought her hand down heavily on the door of the stall she had just exited, slamming it open and startling Hei-Ryung.

     "I-I came to u-use the t-toilet," she whispered, pointing towards the empty stall she had been trying to flee into. She had only started high school a few months ago and so far it had been going alright. Nobody really spoke to her and she was too scared to approach her classmates- the risk of turning herself into an unwelcome nuisance was too high- but she had been surviving and, in ltitle ways, enjoying herself. Certainly she didn't live the flamboyant life style of the high school girls on television, but Hei-Ryung was content with the quiet life she was leading. She didn't want to have everything ruined so quickly, but it didn't look as though there were any other options. Her aggressor refused to be pacified.

     "They were supposed to guard the door," the girl hissed under her breath, rubbing at her lips with the back of her sleeve to make sure all the remaining mess was cleaned up. "How long have you been standing there?" Advancing on Hei-Ryung with shaky legs, the girl tried her best to look menacing despite her haggard appearance. Her skin was pallid and covered in a thin sheet of sweat, but her eyes were on fire. "How long have you been standing there?!" She screeched, reaching over and grabbing Hei-Ryung by the hair.

     Shocked, Hei-Ryung tried to stumble away from the grasping fingers but couldn't move fast enough. "I just came in!" She desperately lied, reaching up to try and ease the pain of having her hair ripped out of her scalp. Tangling her fingers into her own hair, she held it down while her assailant attempted to tug it upwards. "I just came in!" She repeated, tears beginning to blur her vision as the sharp pain increased.

     "You're lying!" Several follicles came loose in the girl's hand, momentarily dislodging her grip on Hei-Ryung's head. Taking the opportunity, Hei-Ryung hurriedly backed away and threw her hands up to fend off any further attacks. "So what if I throw it all back up?! Everyone who means anything at this school does, right?!" The more the words tumbled out of her foul-tasting mouth, the higher the pitch of her voice became until her voice cracked and forced her to take a breath. "You wouldn't understand," she muttered, lowering her voice to a pitch that human's could discern. "You don't have the entire school watching your every move. You don't have them weighing you with their eyes, then whispering behind your back about even the slightest fluctuation-" the thought evidently nauseated the girl, because she had to cover with one hand and run back into the bathroom stall she had previously been occupying to throw up... what? There couldn't possibly be anything left in her stomach- not after what Hei-Ryung had heard earlier.

     Hesitating, Hei-Ryung wondered if she should leave and pretend like she had never heard or seen anything.

     Swallowing hard to try and settle her own churning stomach- she had never been able to handle things like this well- Hei-Ryung quietly moved into the stall and closed the door behind her. Twisting to see who had disturbed her, the girl's tearful eyes narrowed at Hei-Ryung. "What do you-" before she could finish, she had to turn back to the toilet and grip the edges of the seat to keep from falling in. Her body was convulsing with all the strength it contained, trying to remove the last remnants of food that her brain had convinced it was still there. Grimacing at the horrible sound of a body tearing itself apart, Hei-Ryung carefully held back the girl's hair with her left hand and tenderly rubbed circles on the girl's back with her right.

     Though she stiffened underneath Hei-Ryung's touch, she didn't try to move away or brush off Hei-Ryung's assistance. In this moment of weakness, she was too tired to try and fight back.

     It was a different story once the girl had finished purging, however. The minute she had her strength she was on her feet and slamming Hei-Ryung, who had falsely assumed the two would be on better terms now, against the interior side of the stall door. "You should have gone away," she growled, pinning Hei-Ryung's wrists behind her back. "I am going to make sure you never tell anyone-"

     "I won't tell! I promise!"

     Scoffing, she loosened her grip on Hei-Ryung's wrists. "I'll believe that once I've made sure."

     It began when the student body collectively ignored Hei-Ryung. At first she didn't notice the mass cold shoulder she was receiving because her peers had already been so unresponsive toward her, but it didn't take long for the students to make their intentions obvious. The majority of them were only going along with it because the Queen Bee had ordered it, but those who were close to Sunhwa- it hadn't taken Hei-Ryung long to put a name to the girl's face- took an active role in making Hei-Ryung miserable. Tripping her in the hall, locking her on the roof, soaking her belongings in God knows what; they did everything by the handbook to make Hei-Ryung's life miserable and, as she had gleefully been informed one day, that was only a warning.

     "If you say anything about Sunhwa, we'll really make your life a living hell."

     Anyone in their right mind would have taken the hint and kept their mouth shut. Sure, the bullying was bad, but Hei-Ryung had known they were capable of much worse. She knew what would happen if she ever gave a reason for why Sunhwa always hid her smile behind her hand, why she always disappeared during lunch, why she had to carry a water bottle wherever she went, why she looked worse off every day she came to school. She knew, yet she couldn't stand by and keep silent while Sunhwa slowly killed herself.

     So she 'snitched', as the others had called it.

     "Where do you think you're going?" Like animals, they had picked up on the change in Hei-Ryung and begun to follow her. It wasn't until they were almost to the teacher's lounge that the trio of girls had decided to speak up, though. "If you say anything, it will only get worse!" One of the girls, Hana, tugged on Hei-Ryung's wrist and forced her to stumble backwards. She had hoped that, with Sunhwa out sick today, the opportunity to approach the school about the issue would present itself, but the close friends Sunhwa kept joined to her hip were just as bad. If looks could kill, Hei-Ryung would have been struck down thrice.  Shrinking into herself, she tried to push her way through the girls but was held back by Hyoseung. It hadn't taken long for Hei-Ryung to learn the names of all her tormenters.

     "Please let me through," she mumbled, melding the words together into one large, nervous mess.

     "Did you really not get the message?" Jieun, the third member of Sunhwa's posse, scoffed, pulling Hei-Ryung back by her hair. "If you tell anyone about Sunhwa-"

     "It's about my grades!" Hei-Ryung had gone through every possible explanation for why she would need to see the school's administration, and that had been the only decent one she could come up with. Swallowing hard, she hoped that the three believed it.

     "You're sure?" Hana pressed, wrapping one arm around Hei-Ryung's shoulders. Though she noticeably tensed, Hei-Ryung tried to keep her rising panic off her face. "You're only going to talk about grades?" Mutely, Hei-Ryung jerked her head in what could pass for a nodding motion. "Alright." Despite the reluctant expressions on the faces of the other two, Hana released Hei-Ryung and pushed her forward. Glancing over her shoulder to make sure this wasn't some sort of trick that would result in severe bodily harm, Hei-Ryung hurried toward the lounge. None of the three moved to follow her, and when she was far enough that outrunning them was a possibility, Hei-Ryung faced forward and headed inside.

     When she came back out, the girls were gone and she had been assured that the school would contact Sunhwa's parents about the matter. Although she never directly heard anything about the matter, it didn't take long for her to pick up on the gossip floating around the school. After hearing about what their daughter was doing, Mr. and Mrs. Han had immediately sent her to a "school in the states". That had been the official reason for Sunhwa's transfer, but many of the students speculated that she had been sent to an overseas rehab center. Nobody bought the lie every teacher at the school tried to force feed the students, but they all pretended as though they did.

     The identity of the student who called to attention the issue was also supposed to remain a secret, but it took an even shorter amount of time for that one to be sniffed out. The day Sunhwa was officially transferred, she had cornered Hei-Ryung at the back of the school and, with a few other students, beaten her. "You're so worthless!" "Just go and die!" "Awww, is wittle Hei-Ryung going to start crying?" From then on, those were the only things she heard from her peers. They had gone from ignoring her to attacking her; an all-out war on the "" who had sold Sunhwa out.

     "Hei-Ryung? Are you alright?" Sunhwa reached across the table to wave her hand in front of Hei-Ryung's face. Flinching, Hei-Ryung stared blankly at the woman who had caused everything. If not for Sunhwa, she would never have been ostracized and tortured by her classmates. If not for Sunhwa, she would never have needed someone to come and save her. If not for Sunhwa, she would never have had to watch that someone die. "Can you speak?" Sunhwa giggled, her red-tinged hair spilling over one shoulder as she tilted her head to the side and inquisitively watched Hei-Ryung.

     If not for Sunhwa, she never would have met Seulki. If not for Sunhwa, she never would have become a writer. If not for Sunhwa, Hei-Ryung would have missed out on both the worst and best moments of her life. "Han Sunhwa, right?" Her lips cracked into a tentative smile.

     "Yeah!" Sunhwa's eyes sparkled with excitement for a moment before dimming with a sudden realization. "Y-yeah. I guess I shouldn't be surprised you still remember me," lowering her gaze, Sunhwa played with the slice of cake in front of her. While Hei-Ryung had been recalling rotten memories, the sweet treat had been brought over to their table. "Hei-Ryung, I-"

     "Are you doing better now?" Hei-Ryung interrupted, her voice sincere. Of course she remembered all the terrible things Sunhwa had caused, but she also remembered that Sunhwa had been a broken, sick girl who needed help. More than revenge, Hei-Ryung wanted to make sure she was alright now. "Oh, I-I'm sorry. That was a sensitive question," she apologized quickly after seeing that Sunhwa had begun to tear up.

     "I'm the one who should be apologizing! You were always trying to help me, and I ended up causing you to go through such terrible things!" Sobbing, Sunhwa reached across the table and clasped Hei-Ryung's hands in hers. "I know it's not my place to ask this, but could you forgive me?" Unable to find her words, Hei-Ryung could only manage a small nod. Instantly, Sunhwa broke out into a grin and released Hei-Ryung's hands. To prevent further contact, Hei-Ryung hid her hands underneath the table and leaned away from Sunhwa. Her table-mate was too busy eating her cake to notice, though.

     "I heard there was some new kid looking out for you, though. A boy," Sunhwa smirked mischeviously at Hei-Ryung and waggled her eyebrows. The familiarity Sunhwa showed toward Hei-Ryung was uncomfortable enough on its own, but the fact that she was bringing up him made it practically unbearable. Shifting in her seat, Hei-Ryung lowered her eyes and fought back the urge to get up and leave. "I also heard he was only around for about a year and then just sort of disappeared. Any idea what happened to him?" Sunhwa brushed off a crumb that had stuck to her lipstick and waited for Hei-Ryung to answer. She didn't speak, though. "No? I had assumed since you two were close, you would know- oh, I have to get going! My lunch break is almost over!" Smiling at Hei-Ryung, Sunhwa stood up. "It was great seeing you again, Hei-Ryung!" After waving goodbye, Sunhwa left their table. She didn't leave the cafe, though. First, she made a stop at the bathroom.

     "She never answered by question," Hei-Ryung thought, turning her face away so that she wouldn't have to think about what Sunhwa was doing in there. She didn't want to get involved with that all over again. She had done her part- if Sunhwa hadn't taken the opportunity given her, Hei-Ryung couldn't do anymore.

     "A friend of yours from school?" Jumping, Hei-Ryung wildly looked up to see Daehyun grinning down at her. "I tried to get your attention when I brought by the cake, but I guess you didn't see me." After untying the apron he had knotted behind his back, Daehyun sat across from Hei-Ryung and rested his arms on the table.

     "Your hair!" Was the first thing out of Hei-Ryung's mouth when she had regained her ability to speak. Though the lingering memories Sunhwa had brought to the surface still remained, she was too shocked by Daehyun's silver locks to pay much attention to them. "You changed your hair again!" With childlike fascination, Hei-Ryung gawked at Daehyun's hair while he started laughing.

     "Yeah, I dyed it last night." Nervously, he began to play with the ends of his hair. "Do you like it?"

     "It's... interesting. But it looks nice," Hei-Ryung asserted, nodding her head and smiling at Daehyun. "Is it for a performance?"

     "No, it's because I got dead drun- no. Just felt like a change, that's all." Shading his eyes from the crack of sunlight peeking in through the cafe curtains, Daehyun squeezed his eyes shut. When he opened them again, Hei-Ryung noticed the veins were standing and turning them red. "I guess it will make me stand out on stage more, though. Maybe now I can compete with Yongguk's flames," he chuckled weakly. When the sun disappeared behind a cloud, he took a moment to rub at his head.

     "Are you feeling alright?" Pursing her lips in concern, Hei-Ryung watched Daehyun's sluggish movements.

     "It's just a little headache. I'll live long enough to finish my shift," Daehyun assured her, waving off Hei-Ryung's unease. His nonchalant attitude towards his health crumbled when the coffee grinder began roaring and he had to cover his ears to block out the noise. Frowning, Hei-Ryung shook her head in disbelief. "Honestly, I'll be fine. Don't worry about it, and be careful on your way home, alright? Try to not get attacked by Dictator Hong!" Pleased with himself when he made Hei-Ryung giggle, Daehyun winked mischeviously at her before hurrying into the back of the cafe.

     "He has a hangover," Hei-Ryung thought, swinging her bag over her shoulder. "It looks like a bad one, too." Sighing, she exited the cafe and began walking home. Her progress was interrupted by a quick trip to the grocery store, though, where she picked up the ingredietns necessary to make Haejangguk. Though it might be strange for her to do something like this for Daehyun, she didn't want to just leave him to suffer on his own. So, when she got home, Hei-Ryung rolled up her sleeves and began to chop the vegetables.

     "This is how you got in trouble the first time: sticking your nose where it doesn't belong."

     When she had finished chopping the vegetables, she dumped them into the pot and started working on preparing the other ingredients.

     "You're only going to get yourself hurt."

     The soup had finished cooking. After pouring it into a covered bowl to try and keep it warm, she left the food in front of Daehyun's front door. She had no idea when he was supposed to get off work, but considering his place of occupation she imagined it would be soon. The soup should be safe until he got back, and she would try and check on it every so often to make sure nobody else tried to take home a free meal.

     "If I get hurt, then I get hurt. There's only so long you can run away from things before your legs give out, so I would rather spend my energy on the important things."

Author's Note

I have to go and babysit, so I'll think more about what to write here later! ^-^