“No one can drive us crazy unless we give them the keys.”

~Doug Horton~

Credits: xRiChan@soompi

07| Drive Me Crazy

I have long accepted the fact that I was different from the other girls my age.

Growing up, I had been told countless times by those around me that I had a unique personality and I later came to accept the fact that I was unique. In fact, I had no qualms being called unique. However, when I was being called crazy right to my face, it was a different story. I really detested it.

Especially when the two persons calling me crazy were waving me off in fright, like I was some crazy patient who had just fled the asylum.

“Get away from her, you crazy girl!” DaeSung said. He was spreading his arms protectively in front of ChaeRin, using his body as a shield to protect her from me. As if she needed any protection to begin with.

“No, I’m not crazy!” I cried in desperation, “The only crazy one is SeungHyun!”

DaeSung’s jaw stiffened at the mention of his name. “There is no doubt that that baboon is insane, but you are too!” he said.

“Oi! Watch your mouth, corn frog!” the annoying voice of SeungHyun’s coming from the tiny ear piece said, “And tell that sh1tface that I’m gonna break his neck if he dare say another bad thing about me, that wuss!”

“But it’s the truth, SeungHyun-shi! You are crazy! And tell him that yourself!” I yelled.

DaeSung’s and ChaeRin’s jaws dropped to the ground. They blinked rapidly at me. There was no mistaking that frightened look on their faces.

“Dae, I’m scared.”

“Me too, ChaeRin-ah. Let’s get away from her.”

“Let’s.”

I saw how the two shuffled on their feet, little by little, in their attempt to ‘secretly’ get away from me. I know, they were about to break into an Olympics 100 metres sprint away from me.

“Stop!” I demanded and they froze on their spot, “I’m telling you, I am not crazy,” I told them patiently.

The looks on their faces told me that they weren’t buying it.

I heaved a sigh.

So how did we get to this point where I was mistaken as a crazy person?

It all started after I had asked ChaeRin to say ‘Choi SeungHyun is a great kisser’ to the recorder. The look on her face after I had demanded her to say that was really something, to say the least. If I had been listening to the voice inside of me, I would have just stopped doing what SeungHyun asked me to and flee the scene. However, maybe it was due to the strong feeling of desperation of wanting to be free from SeungHyun and resuming my normal high school life that made me persevered with the task. I was hopeful that this ChaeRin, considering how she rejected SeungHyun probably because she wanted to get her sanity back, would sympathize with me, say the stupid thing and end this ordeal, once and for all.

Of course, real life wouldn’t be as simple as what I had hoped in my head.

ChaeRin immediately assumed that I was crazy and began grabbing tightly onto DaeSung’s arm sleeve in fright. They made a dash out of the shoe shop with me trailing them quickly from behind.

“Please, ChaeRin-shi, please. Just say it this once. I’m begging you,” I pleaded and they stopped.

“Why are you doing this?! Why do you want me to say that SeungHyun is a great kisser?” ChaeRin yelped, “It doesn’t make any sense.”

“Look, he asked me to do this and then he’ll let go of me. Please ChaeRin-shi, help me. I want my life back. He’s here, listening to every word that we’re saying,” I pleaded again, trying to convince her with how serious I looked.

“Oi! Don’t tell her that I’m here. You’re going to ruin it!” SeungHyun said through the ear piece.

“Shut up! I’m gonna beg her to say it until she agrees, you got me? Then, just leave me alone!” I yelled in exasperation.

ChaeRin just stared at me, blinking rapidly. Then, she lightly nudged DaeSung’s arm with her elbow. “I told you, all his admirers are crazy. But I got to say, this one is the worst of them all.”

I saw DaeSung nodding slowly, agreeing to what she had just said.

Sh1t!

This wasn’t supposed to happen. I was supposed to get my sane life back, not being regarded as crazy by someone who doesn’t even know me.

I looked up to the ceiling.

Umma, please give me strength Umma.

“What is she doing now?” DaeSung whispered to ChaeRin, loudly enough for me to hear.

“I think she’s praying,” ChaeRin replied.

“Should we pray with her?” DaeSung asked.

“Yah! We should just get the hell away from here!!” ChaeRin yelled.

This is it, my boiling point.

Truly, I have had enough.

I would settle this, once and for all.

I would regain my freedom from that lunatic kingka.

I would force her to say it and left.

“I SAID, I AM NOT CRAZY!” I burst out in anger, feeling the flames burning around me.

You know how in the manga, where a character is angry and there would be this flame surrounding them to show how angry the character is? I think I had my own flame surrounding me, just like in the manga, and I think the couple could see it too, judging by the fearful looks in their eyes.

“YOU! LEE CHAERIN-SHI!” I said, my voice was coarse and rough all of a sudden, like I was imitating Darth Vader. I pointed my index finger at her. “JUST SAY THE DAM.N THING!” I put the recorder close to and pressed the record button.

“Dae — ” ChaeRin’s desperate and frightened voice trailed off, her eyes darting towards DaeSung.

“SAY IT!” I said, with more force this time. I held onto the sleeves of her arm to make sure that she didn’t get to run away because I know she was thinking of doing so.

“No, don’t hurt her!” DaeSung said protectively, but in a tiny child-like voice. I wonder if it was because he was still intimidated by my slight eccentric behaviour. I don’t even know I had that kind of effect on people.

“I won’t hurt her. I just want her to say it,” I hissed in anger. God, when I think back, I really looked like a madwoman that day. I don’t even blame the two for being scared of me.

“ChaeRin-ah, just say it. I don’t want her to hurt you,” DaeSung said, gulping.

ChaeRin bit her lips, her eyes darting everywhere than to look at my burning eyes. “Choi SeungHyun is a great kisser,” she said quietly, after some time.

I couldn’t believe my ears. That was it, my ticket back to sanity.

Oh, thank you God!

“Hooray!!” I cheered excitedly, jumping up and down with joy. I even did my crazy chicken dance during that moment of bliss.

Yes, I’m going to be free of Choi SeungHyun.

No more corn bullets. No more crazy fangirls. No more pranks.

Just ordinary Park Bom living an ordinary school life selling ordinary corns.

P.E.R.F.E.C.T.

I felt so grateful towards ChaeRin for her cooperation and I showed my gratitude by hugging her tight and kissing her cheek. Heck, I even hugged DaeSung and kissed his cheek. That was just how excited I was.

“Thank you, thank you, thank you!” I thanked them repeatedly, “You don’t know how much it means for me to have accomplished that. I’m finally free from Choi SeungHyun! Hooray!!” I yelled excitedly, waving my hands in the air. I didn’t even care that some passerby were looking at me curiously.

Heck, I didn’t even care that DaeSung and ChaeRin were still looking at me strangely. However, I was adamant not to let them leave still thinking that I was crazy. No, Park Bom is not crazy; Park Bom is as sane as them, if not saner.

I pulled out the tiny microphone which was clipped on the neck of my baby tee. DaeSung’s and ChaeRin’s jaws dropped to the ground upon seeing this. I think now they understand why I had the tendency to talk to myself.

“Oi!! What are you do – ” before he could finish his sentence, I took off the tiny earpiece from my ear, threw it together with the microphone to the ground and stepped on them with my foot. I have had enough of his annoying voice in my ears.

DaeSung and ChaeRin were still gaping at me.

“What the f.ck?” I heard ChaeRin said.

“Is this some kind of a spy drama?” DaeSung retorted in disbelief.

“No,” I said, “It’s worst.”

I inhaled deeply before I went on a long explanation to them about the whole SeungHyun’s responsibility fiasco. To my surprise, ChaeRin and DaeSung, who were both listening intently, didn’t seem at all surprised by this.

“Why am I not surprised?!!” ChaeRin yelped in exasperation, shaking her hands in the air, “He asked me to be his slave because I bullied him in middle school, that jerk! He even went on to threaten me using my mother. What a loser!”

“Really?” I asked in disbelief, my eyes widened, “This SeungHyun is crazier than I thought he was.”

I saw DaeSung’s jaw stiffened and he balled up his fists in rage. “You said just now that he is here, watching us?” he fumed. He looked so frightening all of a sudden.

I nodded, gulping hard and pointed shakily towards where SeungHyun was hiding, still in his disguise as the cleaner.

“This should end, right now. That jerkface!” he seethed.

Everything that happened afterwards was a complete whirlwind. I watched in horror as DaeSung made a dash towards where I was pointing at with ChaeRin trailing him from behind, asking him to stop. I hurriedly chased after them, not wanting to miss out on anything. From the look of it, I think SeungHyun was going to get it from DaeSung, and maybe from ChaeRin too.

I was right.

I could see SeungHyun’s look of surprise when they approached him. He was standing beside a large cleaning cart, like any other cleaners. I wonder how he got that thing. He was still trying to disguise as the cleaner, busily mopping the floor all of a sudden. He was clueless to the fact that I had ruined his disguise, still thinking that they didn’t know who he was.

“Choi SeungHyun!” DaeSung yelled in fury when he reached in front of SeungHyun who was still pretending that he was someone else; he was still mopping the floor.

Without another word, DaeSung threw a strong punch at SeungHyun’s handsome face and the latter was sent flying to the ground.

I gasped loudly.

Was it wrong for me to secretly like what I was seeing in front of me?

No, Bommie! You should never tolerate violence.

The world is a better place without violence.

I shook my head but I still c