4 – Windmill

Kyuhyun kept writing and writing on the project they made. He doesn’t want to talk to Jiae, he can’t. He doesn’t know what happened if he talk to her. On the other side, he’s confused that there’s someone who liked him in a different way. She didn’t even insist. Jiae’s too afraid of his rejection, that’s what he thought. He looked to the clock, its twelve in the midnight. He looked to his finished project, he smiled a bit in satisfaction.

Across the table, Han Jiae was sleeping quietly. She begged to him to help the project, but turned out she watched him writing and writing, until he finally got asleep. He watched her sleepy face. He sighed, mentally scolding himself for being a coward. He would’ve regret his new friend across the table, but why is he still playing with pride?

Kyuhyun found out his phone vibrated. It was a call, he quickly answer it.

“Yeoboseyo?”

“Kyuhyun-ah, you punk! Where are you now?”

An angry voice greeted him. It was none other than that person, the person he never wanted to see.

“Yah! You’re not even in the house! You know that I’m taking over your house in three months you jerk! Kyuhyun-ah, are you running away?”

“No, hyungnim” Kyuhyun said flatly. “Just be patient, alright? I’m not running away”

“You , come back here!”

“I won’t” Kyuhyun smirked. “Look. I’m just going for school project. Its not close to the deadline yet, so don’t you bother me”

Kyuhyun quickly pressed the red button, ending the call.

He grunted before he drifted to sleep. Kyuhyun was only grateful for one thing: they’re staying for only one day.

The project was finally handed.

Jiae smiled as she walked out of the teacher’s room. She smiled, feeling grateful that she’s finished with the project. Although she ended up ignored by Kyuhyun, but she cheered up herself so she can at least forget him for a while.

But some thought her decision was stupid.

“Ya, Jiae-ya” Yuri, her friend patted her shoulder as they study together. “You’re crazy! How can you said that to him?”

Jiae just sighed and ignored Yuri as she continued to read the novel in the library. She’s not the type who tell her secrets easily.

“Yuri-ah” Yoona called her. “Maybe she has her own reasons. But still, Yuri’s right. Jiae-ya, guys should confess first. But what you did is the opposite thing!”

“Ya, Im Yoona! Kwon Yuri!” Jiae was annoyed,  made the teacher shushed her down. She took a glance at the teacher before she turned back to Yoona and Yuri.

“Look, you two” Jiae warned them. “He made me said that”

“Mworagoyo?” Yuri asked. “Wait... heokshi, he already knew your feelings?”

“No, he didn’t”  Jiae straightened her face. “He was straightforward”

“Well, what did he do?” Yoona asked.

“I was just walking around the lake” Jiae answered. “I thought he would never find me. But then he was behind me, I didn’t think about that. He asked me why I acted like this? Then, there it goes, the confession”

“Whoa, so he made you like that” Yoona nodded. “Arraso. We won’t tell anyone about this”

“Of course Jiae-ya” Yuri said. “Honestly, I’m jealous of you, Jiae-ya. How can you said that to Kyuhyun, and how you spent the project together...”

Yoona immidiately close . “Seriously, Yuri-ah... stop saying those kind of things! Oh, and Jiae-ya, what did he say? Did he say yes? Or no?” Yoona asked her.

Jiae looked down, didn’t know what to say. But Yuri and Yoona are her bestfriends, she would tell them. But not Kyuhyun’s answer.

The bell rang and Jiae stood up, walking out of the class. Fortunately, Yoona and Yuri have their own schedules.

“Mianhae, Jiae-ya” Yoona said. “I’ve got to go. I have an extra class”

“Mianhae, Jiae-ya” Yuri said. “I’ve got to go. I have a dance class”

And soon they left her, leaving her alone. Jiae walked alone, regretting herself that she went out from the library. Yoona and Yuri went out very quickly to their own classes. It was the last bell, but Jiae was too lazy to come home.

She narrowed her eyes when she saw this familiar girl passing with her. The girl bumped her, really hard that she made Jiae almost fall.

“You better stay away from Cho Kyuhyun” she said. “Han Jiae”

Jiae narrowed her eyes. “What makes you think you can say that?” she asked.

“What makes you think you can be so close to him?” that girl narrowed her eyes. “You should look to the mirror before you approach him!”

“Ya, ya, cut it out” a girl Jiae knew as Seyoon suddenly came. “Kim Yeseul, just leave her alone”

“Shut up!” Kim Yeseul barked. “Dont intervene me, Seyoon-ssi”

“Jiae doesn’t deserve this” Seyoon pulled Jiae’s hand. “Besides, hating her won’t change anything”

“Come on, Jiae-ssi” Seyoon brought her go. “Lets get out of here”

Jiae’s confused of Kim Yeseul, but Seyoon saved her. Of course, she’ll thank Seyoon for what she did.

“Thanks, Seyoon-ssi” Jiae smiled when Yeseul disappeared.

“Ah, there’s nothing to be thank of” Seyoon answered. “At least you’re safe from those fans”

Jiae smiled, but then she remembered something. She grabbed the pocket, but the thing isn’t there.

“Oh no” she gasped. She closed with her hands, her eyes widened as she got more upset. That thing is lost. What was she looking for anyway?

“Um, Jiae-ssi?” Seyoon called again, looked worried to Jiae.

“The necklace...” Jiae said. “Have you seen a small necklace?”

“Necklace?” Seyoon tried to think. “Wait, that necklace you kept holding all day? How come it became lost?”

“I thought it was already in my pocket” Jiae sighed. “Have you seen it?”

She thought the last time she put it was in her locker, but then the necklace, she put it back in her pocket. Her mind cannot be straight this time.

“The necklace?” Seyoon asked. “Well, I saw someone was putting it there. I guess it was the janitor”

She pointed to the room in front of her, but to get there, they have to walk down the stairs. Jiae smiled, she only had to go to that room and get the necklace.

“Thank you!” Jiae hopped happily.

As Jiae and Seyoon reached the stairs, Jiae walked first. But something she didn’t realize was, a hit was coming to her back.

The next thing she knew was her knee hitting something hard and everything went blackout. She wanted to react, wanted to move but it was too late for her to move. Someone was hitting her a few times, so hard that she felt numb. Then she remembered someone, someone she wanted to see, someone she’s been looking for. Words of that person echoed in her head, came to her at this kind of situation.

She remembered Kyuhyun.

“Why are you caring so much?”

“Han Jiae, what are you doing here?”

“You know too much”

“Why are you like that? Where are we going actually?”

“See? I told you he’s not dangerous?”

“I thought it wasn’t you”

“Why are you so weird?”

Then, Jiae went into a deep sleep.

Kyuhyun stepped out of the bus and walked to his house. Its been a long time he’s been hoping this, although it was actually a week.

He opened his house, but he stopped. He heard a loud sound, as if someone threw a telephone.  He wondered who, but then the sound was coming from Jiae’s house. So Kyuhyun walked to Jiae’s house, predicting that it was her.

But Jiae’s not in the house.

“Jiae-ssi!” he ran into her house.

“Oh!” a woman voice, seems like she knew his presence. A hurried tone of slippers, stomping the wooden floor, was beating as fast as his heartbeat. Kyuhyun didn’t know, either he will run away or face her.

“Oh, Kyuhyun-ah” the woman said.

“Mrs. Han?” Kyuhyun asked. Mrs. Han looked confused.

“Kyuhyun-ah, heokshi... in what order you came here?” Mrs. Han asked. Kyuhyun scratched his head, mentally scolding himself. What is he doing by the way?

“I was heard something from here” Kyuhyun answered. “But I guess I won’t bother you, Mrs. Han”

“I’m sorry, boy. The phone throwing sound, huh? Is that what you mean?” Mrs. Han asked, which was answered by a nod. “Yeah, forgive me for that. I was pretty stressed out, knowing my daughter is not home yet”

“Have you seen her?”

So she’s not home yet, Kyuhyun thought. That’s weird.

“No, Ma’am” Kyuhyun looked down. “I don’t know where is she going, sorry”

“That’s a shame...” Mrs. Han sighed. “Do you think she’s in school?”

Like it or not, he has to think. He’s been avoiding Jiae, but now he has to get involved, once again. He had no idea where she is, or what happened to her.

“Perhaps she might go out with her friends” Mrs. Han said. “Can you find her? Tell her that I’m waiting”

But before Kyuhyun said out his words, Mrs. Han was already hurried into the house. Tears falling down from her eyes, and she doesn’t want anyone to see her crying. On the other hand, she’s worried about her daughter. Then, there comes this feeling. A feeling from her mother instincts.

“Oh no” Kyuhyun told himself, his eyes widened. “Something bad happened to her”

His mind wasn’t taking control anymore. His heart lead him moving by himself, sprinting along the neighborhood. He sprinted back to school, something made him think that she still in school.

“Kyu...hyun....”

“I have... to... see him....”

“Kyuhyun....”

Jiae woke up and quickly got up straight. Her heartbeat is audible, either it is getting faster or louder, or maybe both, it happens whenever she thinks of Kyuhyun. But all she saw was black. It was all black, she can’t see anything. It needed some time for her eyes to adapt in the darkness.

“Where am I?”

She looked around, she felt this stuffy air filling her lungs, going up to . She coughed a few times, didn’t like the air she’s breathing now. She saw bruises all over her body. The room she sat on was really dark, and had no light source.

She slowly stood up and saw the gold necklace she’s been looking for. “Ah, its here” she smiled as she gripped the necklace.

“Where am I again?” she looked around, the room was full with dusty stuff. Doors, she has to find the door. She hanged onto the door, but she can’t open the door.

“Yah!” she hit the door. “Yah! I’m locked up! Help! Yah! Yah!”

After hours and hours keep banging the door, Jiae shrugged down, holding her necklace. She looked to the necklace. Jiae never realized it was beautiful. A necklace that has a windmill as the pendant. Her mind flew to what happened today...

Teacher Kim stepped into the class and greeted everyone. She was in a good mood, so good that she picked Kyuhyun and Jiae to come up first.

“Today, we will continuing on the project, where you all divided into partners” Teacher Kim said. “Everyone has to come up to the front and make a three minute presentation about the animal essay. And the best team will submit their essay for the Animal Campaign in the town and they will participate on the Animal Campaign Festival. I’ll give you two minutes to practice. So, prepare your best. Fighting!”

And so the first two minutes went with a loud crowd, the whole class was practising and practising to presentate their project. But Kyuhyun just gave some instructions to Jiae.

“You know well Seonghun’s farm” he said. “So you’ll do on the chickens. I’m doing on the horses. All you need to do is just read this essay”

Jiae’s eyebrows furrowed. After a few days he talked again? What is she, a statue? She wondered what happened to him. She clearly understand how serious he is when he studies but she still can’t conclude, how did he manage to forget what happened a few days ago?

At least he’s no longer ignoring Jiae. But Jiae knew he was doing it for his own sake. To get a good score, period. There’s no other intention, or worse, interest for her.

Jiae clenched her fist, nervous. Her whole body was stiffened, watching her classmates came up, presentating their project. She’s afraid she can’t do it.

“Yah”

She turned her head. “Don’t be nervous”

“How can I not nervous?” Jiae whispered in anger.

“How can you do well if you are?” Kyuhyun straightened his lips. He took out something from his pocket. A necklace, with a windmill as its pendant.

“Here” he handed out the necklace. Jiae looked to him in confusion.

“Just hold that necklace and you won’t be nervous” he told her.

Jiae shrugged, tears falling down from her eyes.

“Ah, eotteokhe?”

She closed her teary eyes before her body got up in all of sudden.

“YAH!!” she banged the door. “Help me!! Help me!! Someone! Anyone! Help me!”

“Han Jiae!”

Its been the tenth class Kyuhyun had opened. There’s no sign of her. The whole school was empty, no one’s here. “Han Jiae!”

He’s been worrying about her. He thought that Jiae was on the fourth floor, where she and he studied. But turns out she’s not there.

“Han Jiae!”

“Han Jiae!” he’s opening through doors. He ran to the room at the corner. It was the library. He dashed in after he saw a cell phone.

“Its Jiae’s” Kyuhyun mumbled. “But where is she?”

He walked out and he was about to walk down the stairs when he saw a door handle under upper stairs. Something he just realized after years going to this school.

“Heokshi...”

Kyuhyun stepped forward and open the door. It was empty. There’s no sign of Han Jiae. He walked in and there was nothing inside.

And so he dashed out and walked down the stairs. He checked the room under the stairs on the lower floor, but there’s no sign of her. He dashed again downstairs, checking the room under the stairs but still, Han Jiae is not there.

Then he went downstairs, to the last room under the stairs. He heard some voice inside. He tried to open the door but he can’t.

“Ya, Han Jiae!” he shouted. “Is that you?”

A/N:

sorry I end it up with a cliffhanger.

What do you think about this chapter?? Eottae??