I hug the phone to my chest and sit down again. I feel so happy inside that I want to scream and let the whole world know that hyungdeul are coming. A huge grin covers my face and I hear ajhumma’s footsteps towards the living room.

                “Any good news Hyung Jun-ssi?” She asks.

                “De ajhumma! Hyungdeul said they got permission from the detective to come here! But they said he wants to talk to Jung Min before that; Jung Minnie said he will talk to anyone if it’s needed but I really don’t want him to feel pressured” My excited tone gets a bit sorrowful at the end.

                “Don’t worry, everything will turn out alright. He’s a good kid, he deserves a good life too” Ajhumma gives me an assuring smile.

                I nod at her and smile back.

                “I’m going to wake him up, he needs to eat something” Ajhumma says and disappears into the hallway.

                 I give her another nod and turn on the television; it’s the Chinese channels again. I just stare at them without a reason until I hear a loud voice from Jung Min’s room.

                I immediately turn off the television and lean my ear towards the hallway.

                “I don’t want that!” I hear Jung Min’s voice; it’s furious and loud.

                Then I hear ajhumma mumbling something but it ain’t clear. I get up from the sofa and quietly pace towards his room.

                “I told you what I want to eat so get me what I want to eat” Jung Min shouts again.

                Has he recovered? And he’s shouting already?

                “Jung Minah tteokbokki is too heavy for your body, I can’t let you eat that” Ajhumma says.

                “No I want tteokbokki and that’s it!” I hear him loudly thumping onto the bed.

                I enter the room with curled eyebrows. Ajhumma gives me an upset look but Jung Min gives none.

                “Ajhumma wae?” I ask in a cool tone.

                “Jung Minah wants to eat tteokbokki, but the doctor asked me not to give him any heavy food. Even the rice Hyung Jun-ssi’s omma made was too heavy. It’ll make him weaker” She says.

                “Ah jinjayeo? I didn’t know rice wasn’t good” I say in an apologetic tone.

                Jung Minnie makes a ‘tsk’ sound and both ajhumma and I ignore it.

                “I know, that’s why I can’t give him heavier food now”

                “Then what are you going to prepare for me?” Jung Minah asks in an irritated tone.

                “A light chicken or fish soup with bread” Ajhumma says.

                Jung Minnie groans. “Prepare tteokbokki without pissing me off okay?” He threatens.

                “Jung Minah it ain’t good for you nah” I say in a very kind tone.

                He suddenly stands up. “This is between me and ajhumma, who are you to jump in?” He asks.

                Who am I?

                I open mouth to say something but close it back again.

                “Jung Minah, please don’t be angry” Ajhumma begs him.

                I sigh. “Jung Minah just eat what ajhumma’s going to give. It’s for your own good nah” I say trying my best to sound calm and polite.

                He does another ‘tsk’ but it sounds sarcastic this time. He’s slowly reaching my limit now but I keep myself calm since I know I can’t deal with him when he’s angry.

                “Jung Minah please don’t be angry” Ajhumma pleads, again.

                “You make me angry and then ask me not to be angry?” He sarcastically asks and gives a sly smile.

                This ain’t going to end good; I murmur inside my mind.

                “Okay then I’ll make ttekobokki” Ajhumma says and paces towards the door to leave.

                “Ah shiruh” Jung Minah shouts and ajhumma turns back.

                “You don’t want tteokbokki?” She asks.

                “I don’t want any damn food! Just eat it by yourself!” He snaps and sits down on the bed again.

                “You shouldn’t stay hungry Jung Minah” She says.

                “I’ll tell you one more time; I don’t want to eat” He says aggressively.

                He just said he want to eat rice cakes, now he’s saying he doesn’t want to. I sigh loudly.

                “What are you sighing at?” He asks from me.

                I immediately look up at him; confused.

                “I asked what you are sighing at.” He repeats.

                My eyes widen. I purse my lips stopping myself from talking back at him.

                “Am I some joke to you people?” He stands up.

                “What? No!” Ajhumma says in a warm tone.

                “Jung Minah…” I say staring down and my voice sounds so weary.

                “You people never ever work the way I want! Why do you love to piss me off so much?” He asks.

                “It ain’t like that Jung Minah. I’ll prepare the tteokbokki for you now arasso?” Ajhumma says.

                “I said I don’t want any ing rice cake”

                ing?

                “Yah, don’t curse at ajhumma” I snap at him and immediately regret my words.

                ! I shouldn’t start a fight.

                “Mweo? Mweorago? Are you trying to teach me how to behave now?” He walks towards me.

                My heartbeat raises and it beats faster than a train. I keep staring down ignoring his eyes.

                “Instead of teaching me how to behave how about you teach this ing old lady to obey my orders?” He says lifting my chin with his index finger.

                His words hit my limit. He called ajhumma a ‘ing old lady’?

                “Yah she’s older than you! Learn how to talk to elders!” I shout at his face.

                “Hyung Jun-ssi hajimayeo! Please, I’ll leave now. Please don’t start a fight” Ajhumma begs.

                I sigh and look away from Jung Min.

                “I first asked you to make rice cake for me. You disobeyed that and now you are meddling in our fight? Stay the away or I don’t know what I will do” Jung Min growls at ajhumma.

                I see ajhumma sweating on her forehead. She’s very scared.

                I don’t want to start a fight with Jung Min right now but I don’t want him to curse at elder people just because he can’t control his anger. He should have a limit. He definitely should!

                “Just stay quite okay? Go and rest. If you don’t want to eat then it’s fine, she won’t make rice cake for you. Just don’t cross the line” I whisper to him.

                “Line? What line? You are teaching me about lines?” He turns to my side again.

                I tightly close my eyes with disappointment.

                “You think you didn’t cross the line that day when you broke my laptop? The day when you magically appeared here without even warning me? You think that wasn’t out of line?” He shouts at my face bursting my ears.

                I force myself to believe that he’s saying this just because he’s pissed. Every other time when he was normal he used to say he liked it that I came here for him. He must be very angry right now so I should just let it go. My eyes fill with tears and anger burns inside me but I manage my calm self in front of him. I hear ajhumma taking deep breaths.

                “Mianhe” I whisper; hoping it would cool him down.

                “A simple sorry would make up to all that? You know what? I wanted to come here and get better by myself! I didn’t want you or anyone else to come and make me feel better! Not even this ing old ! Just get out from here! All of you! I don’t need any of you!” He shouts and pushes me back.

                I grab hold of a table edge to balance myself.

                “Hyung Jun-ssi” Ajhumma says; worried.

                I clench my teeth with anger. He’s not going to stop cursing. I got only one way to stop this.

                “Get out!” He shouts again glaring at me.

                I raise my eyebrows at ajhumma while Jung Min yanks his hair pacing back and forth like that day when he first threw the tantrum at me. I gesture the syringe with my fingers at her and she quickly nods at me and leaves the room.

                Jung Minah stares at her leave and gives me a look too; but he looks away again.

                I take a few steps back from where I stand getting further and further away from him. He immediately looks at me again; his eyes burning with anger.

                “What are you still doing here?” He shouts so loud and suddenly approaches me.

                The next second his fist goes through my face twisting me. I take the support of the wall and get onto my feet again. My cheek starts hurting badly but I still don’t look at him.

                Maybe I should leave. Ah where the hell is Ajhumma?

                “Where do you think you are going?” He grabs me from my elbow just as I pass him.

                “Jung Minah jebal…” My tone sounds utterly irritated and depressed at the same time.

                “Mweo?” He laughs. “You are pathetic you know?” He snaps at me.

                I glare at him. He really didn’t have to mention that word.

                “What are you glaring at huh?” He shouts and he punches my other cheek.

                I don’t let myself twist again and I try my best to tolerate my anger towards him. I force myself to look away from him but the anger within me makes me just glare at him. My mind messes up and I feel that I’m losing control of my calmness.

                “I never could take the real revenge from you for everything you’ve done until today!” He says and punches my stomach bending me in half.

                I cough and hug myself. He bends me more and his elbow hits my back and it slightly paralyzes me. Then his knee kicks my shoulder and he pushes me onto the floor. The pain kills me and I get the urge to sob; not because I’m some sensitive spineless boy but because my best friend is taking revenge from me. Why is Jung Min doing this? And revenge; he never did that to me. He never held grudges. I know he’s doing all this because he’s angry but… but can’t he tolerate it at least a little bit?

                “Jung Minah geumanhaja” I shout as he lifts me up and punches me on the stomach again.

                He pushes me towards the wall and punches me on my cheeks. Blood starts streaming into my mouth and I cough a countless times. I don’t want to lift my hand at him; I just don’t want to.

                He grabs my hair and hits my head on the wall. My vision blurs for a second and my mind becomes dizzy. He kicks me onto the floor and punches me here and there making my body feel numb with every punch.

                “Jung Minah hajima” I say through the cough.

                “No ! You are getting served today” He shouts right next to my ear yanking my hair.

                “Jung Minah” I cry.

                My tears start streaming down. He stops thrashing me for a second. All the time I was covering my head with my hand. I slowly try to look up but something suddenly falls onto me with a huge force. It makes me scream with pain and I curl myself. My arm feels like it just broke. I start trembling because of the pain and I start crying; loudly.

                I manage to peek through my hands. I see a chair lying next to me; broken. I try to move myself but my whole body is numb. I can’t move myself at all. I hear his footsteps again. He kneels down next to me and grabs my hair and lifts up my head.

                “Jung Minah andwae!” I bring myself to shout as I know what’s going to happen.

                But it doesn’t help. In a millisecond he hits my head on the floor so fast and I black out.

A huge crashing sound comes and it wakes me up from my sleep. I can barely open my eyes. I try to get up but my whole body starts paining and my head feels like I just rode a roller coaster. I look around and the first thing I see is my arms and my chest bandaged. I feel weird around my forehead; maybe my head is bandaged too.

                I then look around the room to see what the sound was and of course to see where Jung Minnie is. It has gotten dark but the room light is on. I catch him standing next to the window at the corner of the room and there’s something in his hand which has a shape of a cone. I narrow my eyes to clear my vision and the thing reflects. I quickly recognize it; it’s a broken mirror piece.

                He’s holding it so tight and he’s staring at it. I notice his tears. I immediately sit up on the bed but the pain forces me to lie down again. I can’t manage to stay like this but whatever is in Jung Min’s hand ain’t giving me a good sign.

                I try to crawl out from the bed but I just can’t manage to. He starts sobbing loudly and I see him slowly turning to the room’s side and aiming the sharp edge at his stomach.

                Oh !

                “Jung Minah!” I shout.

                He suddenly looks at me; his eyes filled with pain and regression. I try my best to get out from the bed. The pain makes me curl my eyebrows till they hurt and I scrunch my face to bear this through.

                “Hyung Junnie hajima” He whispers through sobs.

                “Jung Minah what the hell are you doing?” I ask getting out from the bed.

                My legs lose balance and I fall. My shoulder starts hurting me to death as I move my hand.

                Jung Minnie’s hand trembles at his grab at the mirror piece. I try to walk but it’s just impossible. However I manage two or three steps towards him. But the closer I get the further the mirror goes away from his stomach. He’s… he’s trying to stab him. He’s trying to stab him hard. He wants to finish it off… in one shot. I start trembling so much.

                “Jung Minah just throw it away for god sake!” I shout and my voice breaks.

                I start sweating with fear. Never in my life have I been this scared.

                “No Junnie, no” He whispers.

                I try to push myself closer to him but the pain kills me and I fall down. I can’t manage to get up at all. I struggle so hard against myself.

                “Jung Minah jebal” I start crying as I’m helpless.

                I take in deep breaths trying to bear this fear.

                “Let me go Junah” He whispers with a terribly sad voice.