Spring Waltz

That night was cold. Her eyes were sore and she fell asleep somewhere around 4 in the morning. She was experiencing her biggest disappointment. The man she liked, left her. He didn’t even say something that would somehow mend the heartache. He was blunt. She cried the whole night and when she woke up, she still felt like crying.

That morning, she and Min Jun have been driven to school by some unknown guy. He was supposed to take Siwon’s place as the new bodyguard. She didn’t need him. She didn’t need anyone. There was nothing left to be happy about. Min Jun was worried and felt guilty. He insinuated the relationship between his sister and Siwon to the cook and somehow, it all degenerated from there. He tried to sooth his sister but she wasn’t moving nor blinking. She looked like she had no soul no more.

She barely made it to class when Suzy appeared out of nowhere. She hugged her friend and expected a hug in return. It never came. She stared at Mi Rae for a few seconds and frowned.

“Does it affect you so much? The rumors, I mean” Mi Rae grimaced. That was the least important matter in her life. She didn’t respond and Suzy took that as a yes. She hugged her friend once more before she dragged her into the classroom.

The glances, the whispers, the judging, everything was there. Just like before, people were coming up with new theories regarding Mi Rae’s life. It wasn’t about the English teacher anymore; it was only about her mysterious life.

She was blank. She held no emotion and no power to fight back. She could care less what her colleagues were thinking about her. Min Jun wasn’t affected since he was just a kid. The rumors didn’t reach towards him. She was sinking by herself.

Miss Kang Mi Rae, the headmaster wants to speak with you. Please come to the office as fast as you can

She rolled her eyes and groggily made her way to the door. She glanced at Yuri from the corner of her eye. She was smiling happily about something stupid. Mi Rae wished that her life would be so easy and naïve as hers.

Luckily, there was no one in the halls. Everyone was studying for their exams. She wasn’t. She completely forgot about her finals. However, the headmaster didn’t.

“Mi Rae. You have been the subject of gossips lately” She didn’t deny it.

The whole situation was connected to her. She didn’t have to say anything because people were already labeling her how they wanted.

“The finals are coming soon and the teachers are only talking about you. I understand you had some issues with your English teacher and you might have or might have not a relationship with him. That is not important for me. I’ve seen how responsible and brave you are. I don’t believe the rumors” It felt a little better to have the headmaster on her side. “However, as long as you are here, this situation won’t stop. They will create other stories and bully you”

“What are you saying?” The headmaster sighed. It was a disappointment to lose such a smart girl like Mi Rae, but he already decided.

“I think you should transfer to some other high school” Her eyes widened and she jumped on her feet.

“Are you expelling me?” The headmaster shook his head.

“No. I don’t want to expel you. That’s why I give you a friendly advice. Transfer to any high school you want. I will give you a good review and you can enroll anywhere you want”

Her whole world stopped. She was breathing heavily and was ready to have a panic attack. After what happened at home, the headmaster was nicely advising her to change schools. It was the second semester already. It was impossible to find a school to graduate from.     

“I’m sorry, Mi Rae” It didn’t matter. She wasn’t able to hear whatever he continued to say.

After she left, she walked aimlessly through the halls. She was swaying from side to side and her sight was getting blurry. She sighed and collapsed in the middle of the hall. She didn’t know what to do. She started to cry.

She went home on her own. She had enough money to take the bus. She cried the whole ride home. People were staring at her weirdly yet no one came to her aid. She was alone; all alone.

When she got home, the maids were too preoccupied to gossip about Siwon to realize Mi Rae arrived earlier. She locked herself into her room and leaned against the door. Her eyes traveled through her room. It all seemed so bright and happy. She hated it. She hated that house. She hated her life. She grabbed a backpack and filled it with clothes and her savings. She was going to escape reality. She was going to run away. She had enough money to survive for a few months. She didn’t need a family. She didn’t need love. 

She easily sneaked through the back door and ran to the bus stop. She asked a random woman when the bus was coming and where was the last stop. It was a bus for travelers. Therefore, the last stop was somewhere in Busan. It was crossing the whole country. Well, at least she was going to see the ocean for the first time.

The whole ride, she had to tell people where she was going and why she was alone. She had to use English for the first time in her life. She wished she would have listened to her teachers when they were speaking that language.

She had the chance to see more of the country and realized that her father was right. She didn’t know what real life was because her mother always protected her. She felt free, for the first time in her life. No one knew who she was or what was her father’s job; no one cared about that. It felt different.

When she finally got in Busan, she didn’t bother to ask for directions. She wandered by herself for a few hours until she saw the beach. She took her shoes off and started to walk barefoot along the shore. It was April yet it was a little chilly. She ran around and even laughed without a reason.

After she calmed down, she placed herself on the sand and grabbed her knees close to her chest. The wind started to blow softly and the sun was getting ready to set. The view was marvelous. The sun was slowly lowering into the ocean, taking the light with it. That was exactly how she was feeling. The happiness was slipping away. Her world was lowering into a pitch black hole. She lost everything she worked so hard for. It wasn’t about Siwon or Wu Yi Fan. It was about her and her reputation. The lies, the masks, the hidden sorrow; they were all for nothing. It hurt. She tried not to cry but it wasn’t easy. In the end, she screamed and started to cry loudly.

There was a couple who was enjoying their time alone. They were cuddling and running around. When it started to get dark, they decided to walk on the beach. The guy was the first to notice someone into the distance. As they approached, it became clear that it was a girl. She was crying and yelling at the sea. She looked devastated.

“Do you think we should go and check out what’s going on?” The girl was curious. She knew heartbreak when she saw one. On the other side, the boy couldn’t care less. He hugged his girlfriend tighter and beckoned her to walk past the crying girl. 

Meanwhile, Mi Rae gradually calmed down. She kicked out everything from her heart. She had nothing left. Her eyes were sore and she was growing tired. The hair raised on her hands. She was getting cold. But, she didn’t care. She felt nothing. She was emotionally numb.

The whole night, Mi Rae didn’t move from her place. She couldn’t fall asleep because it was too cold and the wind was blowing feverishly. She curled into a ball and tried to keep herself warm. She felt her phone buzzing and grabbed it from her pocket. Her brother was calling her. She had no messages from her father. She sighed. She didn’t feel like talking to Min Jun. She didn’t feel like talking to anyone. She thought about her choices and decided to throw the phone into the ocean.

The next morning it started to rain. The boy who had seen the broken girl was there again. His mother forced him to go buy groceries. It was a coincidence that he had to walk past the beach. His head turned to the place he had last seen the girl.  He was surprised to see her still there. He decided he didn’t care what would happen to her. She was an idiot to spend the night on the beach. He was sure he didn’t care. However, he found himself walking towards her.

“Hey, are you alright?” She didn’t answer. He rolled his eyes and walked closer. “Are you alright?”

He was an impatient guy. He hated when people weren’t responding to him.  He sighed. He was ready to leave; he even turned his back on her. But somehow, his heart wouldn’t let him. He walked next to her and stared intensely at her face. She had big halos around her eyes and she looked like she had been through some terrible storm. Her hair was stuck to her face and she looked to be in a great need of a shower. She was a mess. He touched her arm and noticed she was freezing. He sighed. It was raining and it was very cold. She was going to die of hypothermia if she wasn’t going to leave.

“Idiot”