Chapter 4: The talk

“So what do ya’ll think of labels?” I asked.

Sunday. A week had passed since the incident at the library and I reminded Kimmy on how uncomfortable and annoyingly irritated I would be if she says another word about it. I mean, I do not need a reminder on how stupid I could get in front of an attractive person. I had fabulously embraced my (sometimes) stupidity.

The five of us were hanging out in a café near Hana’s neighbourhood. We had a study group together in the morning and decided to ditch books and have our fair share of cakes, teas and coffees. I thought it would be our girls’ day but Hana texted Jaehyun about her whereabouts and somehow, he dragged Kris with him. So hello alone Violet again.

Kris sat beside Kim. Hana and Jaehyun sat side by side and I ended up sitting alone at the end of the table. Sad life of Violet Park. Their endless flirtatious flattery towards each other did not help my ships sailing faster around the globe so I asked my question again, in hopes they would realize how lonely the alone raft in the river is.

“So what do ya’ll think of labels?” I repeated.

Kim glanced up and turned her head to look at me. “Why the sudden question?” she asked.

I lifted my shoulder and tucked the falling hairs behind my ear.

“It’s convenient” Kris suddenly stated. We all stared at him with furrowing eyebrows.

“I mean when I shop things like books or when you women buys groceries, it helps that they label each and one of the things they displays right” Kris spoke his opinion.

With Kris’ statement, everyone seemed to agree and nodded their heads. Except for me. I was again left with my own thoughts because they continued to have their own conversation. Kris and Kim were talking about how adorable his dogs were and Hana’s and Jaehyun’s voice were too soft for my ears to catch.

The next day, I went to school with some idea for the article. All thanks to Kris- partly I guess because I actually half agreed and half protested to what he said. So I wrote it in my Crap Book. In that way, I will remember what to write later on. Who was I kidding…?

I was extremely tired and sleepy throughout the first half of school on that day. By lunch, Kimmy was nice enough to buy a can of coffee from the vending machine at the far end of the school. Because of course I was too lazy to drag myself there.

“What time did you go to bed? You literally look like a cast of The Walking Dead” Kris commented before he took a sit beside Kimmy. He was probably just annoyed that he had to accompany his girlfriend walk across the whole school… for a can of coffee.

“Around ten I guess” I mumbled.

Hana who was munching the apple in her hand swallowed it. “Your question is kind of wrong, well if you ask anybody else it’s correct but not to her it’s not” she told Kris softly. Hana turned to look at me with a plain look. “You went to bed at ten Vi, but what time did you actually fall asleep?” she asked.

“Teehee?” I spoke, trying to sound adorable.

“Nope, teehee does not work anymore” Kimmy stated.

Our conversation ended blindly when Jaehyun came and took his seat next to Hana. “Sorry I’m late” he said.

Hana looked at him and asked why he was late.

“Mr Lee asked me to send some books over at the library” he told her.

“As in my Economics teacher Mr Lee?” I asked, my voice full of care.

He nodded as a reply and ate his foods absent-mindedly. I looked at Kimmy, giving her ‘the’ stare. The ‘I find this weirdly odd’ stare. So we decided to talk about it after school because whatever this conversation may lead, Hana should not be there to listen. At least not yet.

“Bye Hana! Have fun jotting down boring council stuffs” Kim yelled before the two of us part ways with her. Kim does not have a club meeting today but she was accompanying me in the school library to edit some work for the magazine… And also maybe because we wanted to talk about it.

After we put our bags down on the other chair and sat, Kimmy straight away said, “Spill it Violet”

So I did.

“Mr Lee is not here for 3 days. He have some conference so he already gave us works beforehand” I stated seriously. She frowned at this and furrowed her eyebrows later.

“Is it just me or Jaehyun had been very unusual this couple of weeks” I added after.

Kimmy turned her head sideways, “Why did he lie though?”

“Exactly…”

I heaved a sigh and shrugged my shoulder before switching on the computer.

“But did you noticed how Hana had been quite…” Kim’s word hung there as her fingers touched my forearm.

“…quite out of it?” I finished her sentence.

“YEAH! I mean, yeah she’s quiet but she had been awfully muted. Do you think she realize Jae’s strange behaviours?” Kim asked, brushing her lips with her finger.

I lifted my shoulder as a response. “Let’s just leave it as it is first. If by chance Jae keeps on giving the weird vibe then we shall together investigate it” I said, concluding everything.

After some other sarcastic inside jokes and failed attempts to dance salsa inside the room, Kim had to go back early because her mother called. I left the place around fifteen minutes later, after saving the documents and putting the used files back on the shelves.

As I was walking towards the entrance of the school, I saw a certain someone leaning his back against the gate as if he was in a photoshoot for a popular fashion magazine. There was some girls walking ahead of me and they passed by him slowly to have a longer look. I scoffed at this, “juniors, I bet.”

Kai was standing there, with his hands inside the pockets of his pants. He was looking down at the ground and his hair was messily in its perfect position. I highly bet he didn’t comb his hair, but how does it look so flawless?

As I was nearing him, almost like a reflex he lifted his head and looked at me with his body still leaning on the gate. His face showed no expression but his eyes bored into mine as if he wanted to dig my soul out. This. This is why people call him a notorious bad boy. Because he acts like one.

I lifted my brows at him, like an unspoken conversation I asked him ‘What?’

Now that I thought of it, he was not in school for the whole week. Since the secret was exposed that is. No wonder my life had been awfully silent without screeches and hysterias from his fangirls.

Kai pushed himself, standing up right and his lean shoulders seemed to be slouching. He must’ve waited for a while.

Because he didn’t reply to my facial expression, I took the liberty to actually just say the word itself, “What is it?” I asked him. I could’ve just leave him there and use the back gate but he was looking at me like he wanted say something. And maybe because I was too lazy to walk across the school.

Kai fixed his tie before he straightened up and walked nearer to me. Too near.

His eyes was fixed into mine, almost like an opposite poles of magnet. “You have a death wish Violet Park” he said, half smirking.

Kai then looked behind me, god knows what he was looking at.

I scrunched my nose, a habit of mine to bring my glasses up. “That’s a really general statement because you see, everyone have a death wish…whoa”

My sentence could not be finished because he pulled my wrist and dragged me out, walking rather quickly. “What the… let me go Kai!” I hissed at him and struggled to take my wrist out of his strong hold. He pulled me toughly, trying to keep my pace same as his. But he was born male and I’m just a mere girl.

We passed by the bus stop near school, in which where I was supposed to be waiting to get back home. However Kai’s strong grip pulled me, making me walk hastily behind him. He let go of my arm as he pushed me slightly against the wall. We were at a narrow alley in between the shop lots a couple of minutes near the school.

I winced at the impact when my back hit the wall. I hold my left wrist using my right hand, rubbing the red bruise that was slowly appearing. My face scrunched at the pain and I couldn’t believe he’d use violence against women.

Annoyed and extremely infuriated, I turned and glared at him. Showing my most fierce stare. I guess he was taken aback at what he did. Because Kai’s eyes suddenly soften a bit. A bit. Tinny tiny bit.

But then the soft gaze was gone after I pushed his chest with all the strength I had left. I was getting tired of how close he thinks he could stand near me. There’s this thing called personal space, and he invaded mine as though it’s a candy land for the whole kid’s population on planet earth.

“WHAT THE HELL IS YOUR PROBLEM?!” he yelled. His eyebrows furrowed as he glared at me viciously.

I took a deep breath and closed my eyes, holding in my patients.

“No, what is your problem Kai?” I asked him, monotonously. I heaved a sigh before continuing, “Look, you dragged me here for a reason. I have a bus to catch and it’s getting dark so let’s get this over with. What is it?” I asked him. I’m not dumb. The fact that he towed me with his own hand to a quiet alley only meant one thing… he was a serial killer and he wanted to behead me and feed his dogs my carcases. No that sounded wrong.

Of course he wanted to discuss something face to face. Right?

He took a couple of seconds and stared at me, almost analysing my expression but of course a master of facades shows no purity.

When he gave no sign of continuing this conversation, I rolled my eyes at him. “If you’re not going to say anything, can I please leave your dumb here alone?” I asked rather cockily.

Kai hit the wall beside my head and took a step behind. He turned around, showing his lean back to me. He massaged his head and put his hand in his pocket, a famous habit of his.

“How much did they pay you?” he asked, his voice awfully low. Like he’s trying to control his tempers.

“Excuse me? Pay?” he turned around after, his face was sullen. Only then did I realize the dark eyebags under his eyes.

“Yes pay! The source of that stupid article came from our school’s library. It doesn’t take a genius to know that you’re there twenty-four, seven.”

“What article?” I asked, furrowing my eyebrows.

“Seriously? What article? Is that the best you have?” he asked sarcastically. “Dammit, you were the only one there that heard our conversation. Just confess that you posted the article, take it down, and leave my life alone”

I cringed at this. So he really was that dumb… I inhaled in a breath, controlling my patience with him. Of course he’d think lowly of me, I’m just a stupid loner who love to write. I gathered all of my strength, inner strength that is.

“Look Kai. We go to the same school since we were 7. And not once did we ever converse with each other” I said and Kai’s eye met mine. It looked like he was about to say something but decided not to.

“If it was really me who posted that article or even exposed it to anybody, what benefit do I gain? Money? I have enough as it is. Fame? Do I look like someone from Krystal’s clique to seek fame?” Kai furrowed his eyebrows at this.

“Point is Kai; I don’t hold any grudge towards you. I don’t need to avenge anything. Yes I could be listed as a suspect, but I don’t have enough alibis to be accused without any investigation. I’d rather pick up rubbish around the whole town than spending my precious time writing and posting that article. At least picking up rubbish could help save the planet. I literally won’t gain anything by exposing your s” I point it out to him. Kai seemed to be lost in his thoughts, almost like he was contemplating what I just said.

I heaved another sigh and walked, stopping beside him. “Take my advice and analyse it thoroughly before you speculate things and jump into conclusion”

With that I left him all alone.