Chapter 18
Love UndercoverTiffany is already sitting down, thumbing through her English folder, when I get to class. She looks up when i walk through the door.
“Damn!” I mutter under my breath. I can’t believe she’s already here! Tiffany never gets to class early.
I wanted to be there to watch her freak out over the tampon ad, but I’ve screwed around for too long and I’ve missed it. My eyes dart over and I see that the ad is gone. She must have seen it right away and taken it down. That . Oh well, at least we still have the locker prank.
“Hi freak,” she says, giving me nasty smile. I make my way to my desk. “You know something, Nudie Kim? Your skin has been downright awful lately. Looks like somebody could use some Accutane,” she announces loudly.
I turn bright red, but I don’t say anything back. It’s like my mom is always telling me: It’s best to ignore the people like Tiffany. (Of course, the fact that I’ve stuck a tampon ad on her desk isn’t exactly ignoring her. But whatever).
I don’t think about Tiffany much more during class. We’re reading Beowulf, which I find utterly boring. Mr. Lee makes it ten times worse by talking in this monotone, nasal voice. I’m barely able to stay awake during class and take down notes. The hour goes by at a snail’s pace while Mr. Lee drones on and on about the symbolism and how the monster represents all these important things. Painful stuff, indeed. Mr. Jung had better hurry up and get well. His class may not be lively, but it’s not downright torturous.
When the bell rings I throw my books in my backpack and stand to leave. It’s then that I see it.
Standing a few feet in front of me is Tiffany Hwang. She’s running her fingers through her long black hair, fluffing it out like she always done. But I barely notice this. What catches my attention is her . More specifically, what’s on her . The tampon ad has somehow gotten attached to the seat of her pants, kind if like KICK ME sign, only lower down. And light-years more embarrassing.
It’s all I can do to keep from laughing as I follow Tiffany out into the hall. I see two guys jab each other in the side and point at Tiffany’s . “Tiffany, did you have a little accident?” one of them cackles. “Nasty, nasty!” the other says. They’re so busy laughing at Tiffany they don’t even notice Nudie Kim, a.k.a. me. They run over and tell a few of the jocks who are hanging out by the lockers. One of them puts his fingers in his mouth and whistles. Tiffany turns around and blows him a kiss, and he doubles over with laughter.
She looks confused, mortified. Suddenly, I feel bad. Really bad. I never meant for Tiffany to actually wear the tampon ad. Maybe we’ve gone too far. Just because she’s a nasty wench doesn’t mean we have to stoop to her level. No one should have to suffer the way I have today—not even Tiffany Hwang.
I rush to catch up with her, but Tiffany’s too far ahead of me and she’s moving too fast. People keep darting out and blocking my way. Before I know it, she rounded the corner and disappeared out of sight.
I shake it off. Tiffany deserves this, I remind myself, as I hurry down the hall to my next class.
---
The rest of the day goes by in a blur. Part of me feels way guilty about what we did to Tiffany. But another, meaner part of me is glad she finally got what she deserved.
I meet with a few of the newspaper reporters after school to go over future story assignments. I’m kind of hoping Sungyeol will be there, but he’s off covering a basketball game.
Once I’m finished, I pick up my bag and walk out into the hall. I’m just passing the girls’ bathroom when I feel a hand reach out and grab me.
“Kim Heejoon, just who I wanted to see!” My pulse quickens. It’s Tiffany Hwang. And she looks furious. She guides me into the bathroom, where Jessica Jung and Choi Sooyoung, two of her best friends, are waiting.
“Uh, hi,” I mumble, swallowing hard.
Why oh why did I have to go the newspaper room today? Why couldn’t I have snuck out with the rest of the students an hour ago?
“Hi yourself,” Sooyoung says. “We know what you did.”
I feign innocence. “What are you talking about?”
“Don’t play dumb!” Jessica hisses.
“Oh, she’s not playing.” Tiffany cackles. “Heejoon really is stupid. How else can you explain her actions?”
“Guys, I don’t know what you think I did, but—“
“Shove it,” Sooyoung says. “My boyfriend Siwon saw you tape that tampon ad to Tiffany’s .”
“I didn’t tape it to her !” I exclaims. And then I realize what I’ve done. I want to kick myself. They’ve got me. There’s nothing to do now but come clean. “Okay, so I did do it. But it was her desk, not her .”
“Siwon said it was her ,” Sooyoung insists. “And he wouldn’t lie.”
“Unlike you,” Jessica tells me. “You’re nothing but a jealous, lying little brat. But you know what? You’ll get yours. When you screw with Tiffany, you screw with all of us.”
“That’s right.” Sooyoung agrees.
I’m not sure what I expected to happen, but this is not going well. “Look... I... I’m sorry. We were angry, Inyoung and me. You guys have done a lot of ty stuff to us. The Ex-lax incident, and just today the picture of me changing for gym class.”
Sooyoung laughs. “Yeah, that was one of our best tricks yet!” She, Tiffany and Jessica exchanges high fives.
“What can I say, Nudie? You and your dorky little friend Inyoung make such great targets,” Tiffany says.
Jessica giggles. “Get out of here.” She gives me a tiny push toward the door.
“Not so fast,” Tiffany says, blocking my exit. She moves forward until she’s so close we’re practically touching. “You realize what this means, scrub.”
I shrug. I’m starting to get annoyed. So what if they’re bunch of bullies? So what if they’re ten times more popular than I am? I don’t have to lie down and take this. It’s time to fight back.
“We’re at war,” Tiffany says, her face a few inches from mine.
I snort. “Ooh, I’m really scared.”
“You should be,” Jessica warns.
“Well, I’m not. Whatever you’re planning, go ahead. Bring it,” I say, keeping my voice hollow and emotionless. “I can handle anything.” I think I’ve stunned them. They didn’t expect me to stand up for myself and they’re momentarily speechless. I walk out of the bathroom and head off down the hall.
As I’m rounding the corner to leave the building I run into Chanhee. He has a strange look on his face. “Did you... did you do it?” he asks as I approach.
“Do what?” I feel my pulse quicken.
“To Tiffany. Did you put those ads everywhere? Because that’s a terrible thing to do to someone. I wouldn’t think you’d stoop to that level, but I keep hearing rumors.”
“Chunji, I—I had to. I had to get back at her for what she did.”
Chanhee shakes his head. “You didn’t have to do anything,” he says. “You chose to. I know you’ve had a rough day. I heard about the picture,” he says, and my face flushes. “But you don’t even know if Tiffany had anything to do with that. She might be totally innocent. But you jumped the gun and attacked her.” He looks in my eyes for a long time. I never thought you were that kind of person, Heejoon. I guess I was wrong.”
He walks out of the door before I can say anything else. I stand there, horrified.
What have I done?
---
“Mom, can I talk to you about something?” I ask, poking my head in my parents’ bedroom.
My mother looks up from her laptop. “Of course, honey. What’s on your mind?”
It’s later that night and I’m feeling really bummed about Chanhee. He’s not talking to me. He’s right, I did make a choice. But it’s so frustrating, because if he only knew what kind of girl she was... if he could only see how vile she is, and how much she humiliated me today, then maybe he’d understand.
But I guess my job isn’t to make him see anything. I have to let him live his own life, find out himself. I can try to protect him, but I can’t control him.
I’ve decided to confide in my mother. That’s kind of a weird thing to do, right? I mean, who willingly talks to their mother about their guy problems? But with Chanhee it’s different. I can’t call Inyoung and spill, the way I usually do. She’d be thoroughly grossed out if I suddenly called and confessed I was having feelings for my “cousin.”
“This thing with Chanhee—“
She shakes her head. “Chunji.”
“Oh, right. Sorry. This thing with Chunji is a little awkward for me.”
“I thought it might be.” Mom motions for me to sit down on her bed. “Go on.”
I sit down next to her. “Well, ever since Chunji moved in here it feels like everything’s changed. Tiffany Hwang, who is my sworn enemy, suddenly started falling all over herself to be my friend. Inyoung and I drifted apart, although now we’re back together. Nothing makes sense anymore.”
“Oh, honey.” She pates my arm.
“And Chunji! I have no idea what’s up with him. Sometimes we get along great, and other times I think he thinks I’m just some stupid little kid. It’s so confusing.”
My mom smiles at me. “You like him, don’t you?”
Without meaning to, I nod. Now that the cat’s out of the bag, I might as well be one hundred percent honest. “Chunji’s majorly out of my league and would never like me back in ten million years. And even if he did, we couldn’t be together because he’s going back to Texas and I’m staying here. Once he leaves we’ll probably never see each other again. I just don’t know what to do, Mom.” I burst into tears. “And now he’s not even speaking to me!” I wail.
“He’s not speaking to you?” she asks, puzzled. “I noticed he seemed distant today, but I wasn’t sure what that was all about.”
“I did something kind of bad to somebody, and Chunji found out and now he’s lost all respect for me.” I try hard to control my tears, but they start falling faster. Through a series of sniffles and gulps, I fill her in on the whole story—I tweak it a little, leaving out key elements of the tampon incident and the Nudie Kim picture. I can’t tell Mom everything.
When I’m finished with the story, Mom sets down her laptop and comes over to give me a hug. “oh, Heejoon, I was afraid of this happening. As soon as your dad brought Chunji here, I saw how well you two were getting along. It was only natural.”
“I just wish I didn’t feel this way,” I sob. “I just wish everything could go back to being normal.”
“It will. You’ll see. These things have a funny way of working themselves out.” She hugs me tighter. “And for what it’s worth, I don’t think Chunji will stay mad at you for long. You have to realize that he’s going through a lot too—being separated from his family and friends. I know he appreciates everything you’ve done to make him feel at home. In fact, if I had to bet on it, I’d say he likes you, too.”
I’m taken aback. “What?” And then I realize. “You’re my mother. You have to say things like that.”
“I’m also a relationship columnist,” she says. “And I’m giving you my completely professional, non-motherly opinion. I see that way Chunji looks at you. I see the way his face lights up when you’re in the room. He likes you, too.”
I blink back tears. “Really?”
“Really. You two seem to have made a great connection.”
“Wow.” I let out a huge big sigh. “That makes me feel a little better. Like maybe I’m not crazy, after all.”
“You’re not crazy,” Mom says, my hair. “But there’s something else, Heejoon.” Her face falls. “It’s sweet that you two have become so close, but you have to be realistic about things. Pretty soon Chunji will leave. He’ll go back home and I don’t know when, or if, you’ll get to see him again. I want you to be prepared for that.”
At her words, a fresh set of tears tumbles down my cheeks. “But I thought you said he liked me. I thought you said we had s great connection.”
“You do.” My mom sighs sadly. “But great connection or not, some things just aren’t meant to be.”
We talk for a while longer, and I promise Mom that I’ll put my feelings for Chanhee aside. It kills me to do it. The last thing I want is for Chanhee to go out with y Tiffany Hwang. But I don’t see what choice I have. If I follow my heart, I risk his safety. It’s quite a predicament.
Matt Damon never faced anything like this in The Bourne Identity. Ditto James Bond.
- - -
Did you heard? Did you heard?! DID YOU HEARD?!
OHMYGOD SJNADNZGNWEDFXNBCGDGSDHJFNXJHGFCBNW!!!!!
Being a fan is a tough job. You cry when they are sad, you cry when they are happy, you cry when they are injured. You get angry when something bad happens, or when they are being offended. But you also laugh when they do something stupid, you laugh when they laugh, you smile when they say that the fans are the most important thing for them. You smile just by seeing them smiling. And during times like this, when they are smiling so so so big, and crying hot happy tears you realize that everything, all the tears, the smiles and the cheers, are so worth it.
- - -
Comments