"Omo omo! Did you hear that Jaebum was rejected by Suzy?"

"You mean The Im Jaebum?"

"Yes, of course! The Im Jaebum was rejected by the most popular girl in school."

A month after the rejection, I finally got over the whole confession. I no longer see Jaebum walking to school within the few weeks of me getting over. That had made the whole thing easier. It was undeniably hard; it took patience and courage, but I guessed that getting over was the only solution left for me.

It was not until that fateful day in the cafe when I heard a conversation between two girls of Jaebum's high school. I chose to ignore the pain that came along with the mention of his name. The name of the girl he chose over anybody else (especially me) was Suzy. Whoever this Suzy was, she rejected Jaebum. I figured that Jaebum had finally found the courage to ask her out and now he must have felt the pain of rejection that I once felt. I collected my Green Tea Latte at the collection counter and made my way to my seat.

I might have been Jaebum's number 1 stalker but I did not have his number at all. His private life was a total mystery. I did not even know his actual address. I felt the need to console him, to comfort him. I knew the pain of rejection and I would not want my loved ones to go through the same thing. As I sighed heavily, I felt helpless. How was I supposed to console him without knowing where he could be?

By the time I left the cafe, it was dark. It was almost half past seven in the evening. I began walking my way to the grocery store to buy myself two bottles of milk and a few cans of Cider. I put the bottles of milk into my backpack while carrying the cans of Cider in a plastic bag. Walking under the streetlights, I wondered how Jaebum was coping with the rejection. The Jaebum I had imagined him to be was cool. He could handle things so professionally. How about the real Jaebum? Is the real Jaebum the same as my expectations? Jaebum-ssi, where are you?

My apartment complex was right in front of a neighbourhood playground. It was an old playground. Nobody still played that playground anyway. However, today a familiar silhouette was on the swings. I came nearer to the swings only to see a man staring blankly into space. His eyes were bloodshot red. His cheeks were stained with dried tears.

"Jaebum-ssi." I whispered, sitting on the swing beside him, quietly.

Jaebum turned to my side and looked at me. He showed me his signature smile but this time it was fake. He was hurting inside.

"Hyerin-ssi, annyeong."

"I heard," I said, with a tone as comforting as possible. "You know, about the rejection."

A nod came as a response. He looked away, again staring into blank space. I reached my hand across his shoulder, trying to coax him when suddenly, his voice filled the deafening silence.

"I didn't expect the rejection news to spread so quickly. The internet does wonders, don't you think so, Hyerin-ssi?"

"I wasn't informed through the inter-"

"I deserved this, Hyerin-ssi. I've hurt too many girls' hearts, including yours."

I looked down to my shoes. The hurtful sensation filled me again. It was suffocating me this time. I was not the only one who confessed nor was it only 3 or 4 others. The number of confessions he received might actually be more than fingers could count. Jaebum believed that it was Karma hitting him through his heart. He was blaming himself for the rejection.

"I was selfish. I should've given the girls a chance. I should've known that I was way out of Suzy's league. I should've known that Suzy was interested with Jinyoung instead of me."

"Jaebum-ssi-"

"Drop the honorifics, Hyerin. It must have been hard, being all formal with the guy you liked," he tried to joke but failed miserably.

"Jae..bum," I hesitated. "The rejection isn't your fault, you know. We can never control people's feelings."

I got silence as a response. I turned my head to see the person I had been speaking to was lost in his own world. Jaebum was staring into nothing in front of him. I doubt he even heard what I was saying before. Perhaps, he was still in denial. Perhaps, he still could not accept that Suzy had rejected him. I handed him a can of Cider, hoping that it could calm him down a little. Well, I was hoping that Jaebum would accept the can first, though.

Although he looked confused, he still accepted the can of drink.

"Calm down, Jaebum. There's always a reason for everything, you know?" I tried to break the icy silence.

"Aren't you supposed to be home by now? I mean, it's already 11," Jaebum said while looking at his watch.

"Omo! It's already that late? I better get going now, Jaebum!" I ran to my apartment complex without bidding him a proper goodbye.

I put the cartons of milk into the refrigerator while letting the water heater on. My sister was doing her night shift today, leaving me alone in the apartment. Hyemi is an immigration officer, making it rare for her to be home when I am. After a refreshing bath, I poured myself a glass of milk; a habit which I have practiced since I was young. I pressed a button on the answering machine while putting the laundry into the washing machine. As usual, the voicemails were mostly for my sister. Insurance, medical appointments, etc. They were rarely for me.

As if on cue, my phone beeped a few moments after the last message was heard. It was a message from an unknown number. That was unusual. I opened the message, nevertheless.

Thanks for the company, Hyerin.

With just that, I knew who the sender was.

Then I knew that in order to cope with  rejection, one has to let go of the feelings first. That was my first mistake of coping with it.

A/N

I'm so so so sorry for the very late update. I was searching for a job for a month but I'm still unemployed. Yes, I've been rejected by at least 3 employers. I'm coping with the rejection now. (pun intended HAHA!)

I'll update more soon!