Pretending not to know Jiyong is worse than not having him around. She couldn’t help it when he was not there. But now he was in school, roaming the halls with her and she had to pretend that she didn’t see him. It felt like a piece of her had been ripped out.

“So you’re just going to act as though you don’t know him?”

“You’re so strange, Seul! You were sulking because he wasn’t here and now you treat him like he’s invisible?”

She shrugged as her friends all stared at her attentively. The drama that was Choi Seul and Kwon Jiyong was their favorite program. “That’s just how it goes.”

“Did something happen?”

“Of course something happened! Was there another girl? Did he break up with you?”

“It can’t be that! He still looks at her like she’s the only one he wants.”

She tried to ignore their words and focus on the calculus lesson but it proved hard when even her mind kept flitting back to thoughts of Kwon Jiyong.

Some of Miss Chung’s joy of having him back had been taken away by the fact that he, too, had become very depressing. His doodles were less whimsical. His writing was very dark. He hardly even looked up in class anymore.

“Have you read the ending of Jiyong’s short story?” she said withtears in her eyes, “It’s so sad.”

Seul reluctantly took the paper from her and read over the final part of his story:

Since it was forbidden to see the princess, the beggar was forced to leave the next day. He kissed his fair princess and promised he’d come back to see her the next time the prince should leave the castle. His love for her grew endlessly and he waited for the day that the prince might visit a far away land yet again. He continued to visit her outside of her window and she still radiated beauty from so high up. But he’d become greedy. He’d held his sweet princess. He’d felt her, kissed her and loved her. No longer would his heart be satisfied with only these meetings.

“Oh, princess! Sweet princess! Fair goddess whose beauty outshines the moon and the stars!”

She approached the window. “My love, you’ve come to see me! What brings you so late into the night?”

“My heart, which beats only for you, could not stop aching so I have come to gaze upon your beautiful face and hear your lovely voice which soothes my nerves.”

“Then I shall speak for you all night if I must.”

“Does the prince have business in other lands? I must meet you again. I wish for it more than all the riches of the world.”

“In 3 days he will be leaving to visit another kingdom. Bear with it for 3 days and I shall see you again.”

So he did. Even though being apart from her had become so painful that he couldn’t bear it. The 3 days did eventually pass and as usual he went to visit her. He took his woven ladder from it’s hiding place behind the brush. But it couldn’t reach her window. No matter how much he added onto it, the tower seemed to be too high for him to reach.
He learned that it had been cursed. There had been a wizard who had, too, loved the princess dearly. But upon hearing of her love for the beggar, he decided that if he couldn’t have her, neither could he.

The beggar couldn’t take it. He’d fallen so in love with the princess that not being by her side was too painful for him. The poor beggar, forever separated from the love of his life, died of heartbreak.

Without knowing it, Seul had started crying.

“Could you stop moping around?”

She looked over at Seunghyun who was watching her with concern from the doorway of her bedroom. He didn’t really understand how she’d become like this. She was his little ray of sunshine but for the past few weeks she’s become the most depressing person he knows.

“I’m sorry,” she sat up in her bed, ruffling her hair.

“What’s wrong, kiddo?” he placed himself on the edge of her bed.

“Nothing.”

“I thought you didn’t lie to me.”

She sighed. “It’s not a lie. It’s just that it’s nothing.”

“Is it because of Jiyong?”

She remained silent.

“You’re such a cliché, Seul,” he laughed, “Of course you’d fall for the bad boy.”

“Well, you don’t have to worry because I’m never going to see him again, anyways.”

He frowned. “Why not?”

“He said I shouldn’t get mixed up with guys like him.”

“He’s right,” Seunghyun said after a moment, “Guys like him will bring you nothing but trouble. Always getting into fights and starting trouble.”

“But?”

“What? There was supposed to be a point?”

“Yah!” she tried to hide her laugh, “Oppa, you’re not helping.”

“What I’m trying to say is that even though he may be someone who could get you caught in all sorts of sticky situations, if you like him so much that you’ve become like this then you should throw caution to the wind.”

She stared at him skeptically. “And you’re not going to scare him off, either?”

He smiled, ruffling her hair, “Let’s wait till that day comes.”

The next day she left Miss Chung’s class and headed to the bus stop. She felt just a little better after her talk with Seunghyun last night. But it wasn’t a whole lot either. Jiyong had done a pretty good job of avoiding her because she hadn’t seen him all day. It came to her as a great shock when she saw him standing at the bus stop. He’d taken to getting on the earlier bus nowadays so she hadn’t expected him to be there. He locked eyes with her for a moment and the sadness she saw in them made her heart clench.

Say it, she willed herself, Just tell him!

But she couldn’t bring herself to do it. Instead she silently stood next to him as they waited for the bus to arrive. When it pulled up, they both sat on opposite sides. It felt wrong, almost. He’d always made sure to sit right next to her, not allowing anyone else to get the seat before he did.

She leaned her head against the window, watching his reflection in it and feeling pathetic. She was relieved when the bus let off at their stop and she was out in the cold night air. They linger for a moment as the bus pulls off but he ultimately turns and starts to head home.

“Wait!” she has to say it now or she’ll never be able to say, “Stop it, Jiyong.”

He pauses at the sound of her voice, turning around to face her. “What?”

“Why exactly are we doing this?”

“I told you,” he sounds as though his words are hard to say, “I don’t want you to get mixed up with me and all my problems. You were fine before I came along and ruined everything for you.”

She shook her head. “You didn’t ruin anything for me. It’s true, sometimes you got on my nerves and you were always making trouble but you didn’t ruin anything. How come this guy who didn’t even say two words to me is suddenly sticking by my side like this? Those thoughts crossed my mind every day. But I also didn’t want you to go. 
You became someone really important to me but now you want me to just let you go? How do you expect me to pretend like I don’t know you? I can’t do it. I like you too much to pretend like you’re nothing to me.”

He looked at her in surprise. “Could you repeat that last part?”

She furiously wiped away the few tears that managed to slip out. “I said I hate you.”

He gave her that boyish smile she missed so much before closing the gap between them and holding her against his chest.

He placed a kiss on her forehead, “You really like me?”

“Are you deaf? I said I hate you.”

He steps back a little so he can look her in the eyes, “I heard you clearly so you absolutely can’t take it back, Choi Seul.”

“Whatever,” she mumbled under her breath as she tried to hide her smile.

“I’m sorry for everything I’ve put you through,” he started, “I didn’t expect to but I honestly fell for you. I’ve liked you since the day your brother let me into your house and you patched me up. I tried to figure out exactly why but I couldn’t. I just like you because you’re Seul. I won’t ever leave you again. These past few weeks were absolute hell for me.”

“So you’re just going to stick by me forever?” she teased.

“I’ll stick by you for as long as you’ll want me.”