“Sulli.”

“Neh, Unni?”

“Do you remember that old barn that we used to play in?”

“Yeah. What about it?”

“It’s gone.”

“Mwo??”

“It’s gone. I walked there yesterday, and they tore it down and built a house over it.”

“Wow… Weird. I hadn’t heard about it. In fact, I haven’t been there since you left.”

“…Hmm.”

“Unni, remember when we used to play house there?? You would always pretend you were married to Hyunbin, and I’d be upset and settle for Wonbin! And we’d pretend to cook and clean the house before our husbands came back from acting. And you always made me sweep the floor. Unni, why did you do that? You used to be so mean!”

I chuckled, watching my little sister’s smile. On the brink of adulthood, she’d gotten so pretty and bubbly, and her wide smile was enough to light up a room. For a moment, I remembered that I was really glad that we were close, both in age and in our relations with each other. Even though she was the perky cute girl, and I was the older thoughtful one.

“Unni, did you see who lived there?”

“Uh… No.”

“Hmm,” she said, crinkling her brow in thought. “I hope they’re nice.”

“Could be,” I said dismissively, and then finished my glass of water and made to leave. I didn’t want to give it too much thought, but in a way, I was sad that the old barn was gone. And I didn’t much appreciate the people that tore it down. But there wasn’t anything I could do about it. It was finished, and no one could bring it back.

***

But I still liked to walk. The barn may be gone, but the path was still there. And on this quiet day, when the gray sky watched the golden grass whipped to and fro in the wind, I decided to take a walk on that familiar path. Even if it led to that dumb house now occupying my old stomping grounds.

I lost myself in thought. I can’t even tell you what I was thinking about. But pretty soon, without even realizing it, I was standing at the end of the path, looking up at the house so alone in the large expanse of field. I wasn’t even thinking about the house itself. Just looking at it. Even though my brow creased and I seemed to be squinting in focus, I wasn’t really seeing much of anything, except the old memories that replayed over and over in my mind of me and my sister playing in the barn.

I nearly jumped out of my skin when I realized someone had approached me, standing not four meters from where I was.

“Yah.”

I snapped to attention, turned, and spotted a young man looking at me with a cautious frown. He seemed about my age, and had dark hair with a slightly orange tint, and small dark brown eyes to match. He was dressed casually, one hand tucked into the front pocket of his jeans. The other hand was loosely wrapped around a small object. A double take told me that it was an iPod, the wires of its headphones tangled up in his palm.

In studying him, I completely forgot to respond. He crooked an eyebrow at me, and I remembered to feel embarrassed that he had caught me standing like a statue on the pathway, staring at this house. I wondered for a moment if it was his property, and it only prolonged my silence.

“Are you okay?” he asked, but in a tone that was more sarcastic than caring.

“Neh… sorry, I was just--” I paused. Hm, what was I doing?

“Well… what is it you need.” Again, that sarcastic bite, like he wouldn’t really help me if I did need something. He even shifted his weight, as if already impatient with our conversation. The unfriendly vibe that I was getting off this guy made me frown. Why was he so abrasive? I wasn’t doing anything wrong, was I?

Then I realized that I was still on the path. If this was his house, the path wasn’t part of the property. It was public, and I had every right to stand there. And realizing this made me take even more offense at his unwarranted sarcasm.

“Hello? You there?” It almost sounded like a taunt. He was leaning forward a bit, eyeing me, and his face took on a rude smirk.

“Yeah. I don’t need help or anything. I’m just out for a walk,” I finally said. I tried my best to mirror his sarcasm: I turned away, cueing him to mind his own business as long as I minded my own too, and I tried not to feel foolish staring at the house again. But what should he care? I was on a public path, and I could look where I wanted. I didn’t need his or anyone else’s opinion.

“Hmm…” He muttered something, and shifted his weight again. “Then why are you staring at my house?”

My eyes shot back to him. So this was the guy who tore down the old barn. My old barn. And put this dumb, ugly house on it. With everything considered—my old hide-out, gone, and this cold person, so readily demeaning me—a weird hate for this person spread in my chest.

I wanted to leave. But a sudden curiosity overcame me. “When did you move here?” I asked. I could feel a hard frown form on my brow.

“What does it matter to you?”

“There used to be a barn here…” I gazed at the house again. “A barn where I used to play--” I began to say, but he cut me off again.

“Oh yeah. We replaced it. It was just an eyesore anyways.”

I frowned harder at his words. “I had a lot of fond memories in that barn.”

But he just shrugged. Obviously, it didn’t mean anything to him.

“Hmm,” I said.

“Well, if you have no business here, then maybe you should be on your way,” he said. He switched the iPod from one hand to the other—another sign of his impatience.

“It’s a public path. I can be here if I want.”

“But you’re staring at my house.”

“It’s a public path.”

“I could call the cops.”

I shot him another glare, and only saw a taunting smirk, a look that read don’t-think-I-wouldn’t. I scoffed. I wanted to make a stand—to stay rooted on my rightful spot and let the cops demean the guy for unnecessarily calling them.

But it was getting late. I was beyond uncomfortable. It all seemed so unnecessary. And I didn’t want to keep standing there with this insufferable person. I threw him another death stare, and against my better judgment, I forced my feet to start making their way back down the path.

I could feel that guy’s gaze on the back of my neck. I hated that he probably felt so proud of himself. So smug, to have won this small battle against me. I felt my ire for him grow deeper with every step.

Just before a crook in the path, I stole a glance back at him. He was still standing there, but instead of watching me, he had resumed my spot and was looking at his house. I expected a proud look on his face. But instead, he was frowning very hard. And as I kept walking, he disappeared out of view.

--

That bully! >.<