Dara was taken aback. Jiyong noticed but pretended that he hadn’t.

Dara felt that awkward silence again. They were both not saying anything. She cleared the lump on and tried to hold back the tears. “So, um, how about Bom? How come she’s living here?”

“Oh, Bom’s parents are also abroad for business. They work under Dad. So she stays here. If Taeyang is the brother I never had, Bom is a sister.”

Dara nodded. “How about Sohee? Is she a sister too that you just let her hug you as she wants?”

Jiyong laughed at this. He immediately thought: could it be she’s jealous?

And as if hearing his thoughts, Dara added. “It’s not like I’m jealous…” she stammered. “…or something. I’m just, you know, curious.”

“You know, it’ unfair, you should talk about your life too.”

“I will. I will. Don’t worry. Tell me all about Sohee first,” she said, leaning her head back to her folded arms.

“Fine… well, it started when…

I was a new player of the basketball team. We were practicing hard for the championship. The gym was empty until the cheerleaders came in. The coach decided to give us a break first. During break, the cheering team practiced. We were watching. And Sohee was so impressive, considering she’s new and all.

Then they started to form a human pyramid. Sohee was at the top of it. Having strong instincts about bad things, I stood up. I noticed that the pyramid isn’t strong at all. I think that was a new routine they were practicing.

Sohee slipped because she lost balance. Then the pyramid was broken. Good thing, I was able to catch her.

“My hero…” Sohee whispered.

“Are you alright?” I asked.

“If it weren’t for you, i wouldn’t be part of the cheerleading team…” she said. “Thanks.”

I smiled.

The next day, she approached me.

“Hi!” she greeted

“Hey!” I greeted her back.

“Thank you for yesterday. I want to give you this,” she said offering something in a box.

I opened it and saw a cake and written on it was “THANKS.”

This made me smile.

“So, um, I was thinking, do you want to…” she started.

“Hang out with you? Sure,” I finished.

That night, we had dinner together and knew about each other.

Many days had passed and I started to like her. She’s sweet and all. She’s a pretty girl and very kind. We would spend the day together, eat lunch together, and go home together.

One day, I decided to confess.

“I love you, Sohee. Will you be my girl?” I asked.

Tears formed in her eyes. Then she hugged me. “I love you, too, Jiyong. Yes! YES!”

If I thought that this would be a start of good love story, I made a mistake. She’s the same as the past girlfriends I had. She took advantage of me. She told all of her friends that I’m her boyfriend. She started publicly displaying her affection to me, often clinging to my arms, or leaning her head on my shoulder. And her sole purpose for doing those is to just show off to everyone she’s mine. Oh, scratch that, she wanted to show everyone that she owns me. I mean, I didn’t have problem with that at first but she was too much that people around us will be whispering when we pass by them. And I’m not comfortable with these gossips.

A week had passed and the endless arguments started. The reasons? Me, missing a day to text her, or not answering a phone because I was on the shower, and most of the times, I fail to notice her outfit. I thought it was just a girl thing so I tried to understand her. I always say sorry at her even though it’s not my fault. But it wasn’t the reason we broke up.

One day, there was a cheering competition, being her boyfriend and all, I supported her. Even making a tarpaulin to wave it. She was very happy, then. But I was sick of it. I’m trying to please her so she won’t be mad. But it’s not me at all. Everyone in my team was so shocked I ever did that – being a die-hard boyfriend. Not to brag, but usually, it’s the girlfriend who goes die-hard for me, not the other way around.

So, anyway, after the competition, we had our basketball championships, finally. She did the same, shouting and cheering with her team, but most of the time, she does them very inappropriately. When everyone was yelling “Go Tigers!!” she would yell, “Go Jingyo, my love! He’s my boyfriend you know? If anyone of you tries to steal him from me, you’ll see Hell earlier than expected.” I heard this first hand and I was distracted that the ball on my hand was stolen. I was frustrated of her that I ignored her for the whole duration of the game.

After the game, when everyone was celebrating our winning, the students crowded us. We were so happy that we hugged each of our teammates. Then, someone tugged me from behind and her lips crashed into mine, aggressive and hungry. It was Sohee. I was too shocked that I was able to push her away. I looked around us and people were chattering about what we did. She got mad and walked out, but I never followed her. Not like her usual walk-outs, I follow her and apologize right away. This time, no. You might think I’m overreacting, but I never had a kiss before, even though I had girlfriends before her.

The next day, students were whispering every time I passed them. That day, Sohee and I were still fighting so we were not able to go to school together.

I arrived at the school hallway and I saw bunch of people crowding the bulletin board. I had a feeling and went towards it, and saw Sohee and me kissing in the picture. I immediately tore it off the board and threw it away. I haven’t seen her the whole day. Maybe she was absent. That was what I kept on hearing on the people around me while they were gossiping. At lunch, I received a call from mom.

“What is the meaning of this?!” Mom scolded, throwing a copy of the picture I saw earlier in front of me. Some of them fell on the floor but I never picked them up.

I kept silent though. I refused to talk. What would I say? She attacked and kissed me. Like she’ll ever believe me.

“You’ll be creating a scandal, mister,” she said.

See? She doesn’t even call me, son or honey or dear or even plainly my name.

“With this, you’ll be destroying the reputation of the Kwon family,” she paused. “Look at me,” she ordered.

I did. And as our gaze connected, I wasn’t able to see the Mom I had before Dad was here, back when we had a close relationship. I never knew her now. There was rage in her eyes.

“I want you to do something about this, okay? You understand me?” she said, dismissively.

I immediately headed to her house. The maids told me she didn’t get up since this morning, and she didn’t eat breakfast and lunch. I went to her with a packed lunch with me.

“Jingyo!” she said and hugged me. “I knew you would come.”

She ate and talked. She said she was locking herself up in her bedroom the whole day waiting for me to come. I kept silent. I waited until she stopped talking.

She noticed my silence and asked, “What’s wrong, oppa?”

“Sohee…” I started. “We need to break up.”

She stood, angered by my sudden words. Fury was on her eyes. “No!” she shouted on my face, causing a grain of rice to be spat. “No! I’m not breaking up with you!”

“Sohee,” I stood up calmly.

“If you’re breaking up with me…” she said backing up towards her dresser. She opened a drawer and got something I couldn’t see. Then she raised her wrist together with the thing she got hold on to from the drawer. “…I’ll take my life! I’ll commit suicide!”

I was dumbstruck. In the end, we didn’t break up.

Our relationship kept on going, together with the growing arguments. I tried to stop the urge of breaking up with her again. I don’t want her to take her life because of me. ESPECIALLY because of me. However, one day, I can’t hold it in anymore, so I asked to break up with her again. Now, I made sure we weren’t at her room so she can’t hold on to that razor again. But I was shocked when I found out that she brought the razor with her, threatening me that whenever I’ll break up with her, she’ll take her life, even in front of everyone.

I had nothing to do but to give her a chance. I only wished though that mom would not find out.

One time, we had a film viewing together with a class. A girl caught my attention on reasons I really don’t know. But every time I look at her, I find myself lost in thoughts, slowly drawn to her. She has this some kind of radiance in her, on her smile, on her eyes. And I overheard her talking with someone and I found out she was talking with someone I know. I heard her giggle on every word her friend says. I didn’t know her name, but I never asked. I only observed her throughout the whole film viewing. She never notices. Her eyes are glued on the screen. I haven’t even noticed that the film ended.

I only noticed it when someone kept on tugging the sleeve of my uniform.

“Oppa!” Sohee gasped.

“What?” I asked.

“Why do you keep on looking at her?” she asked, voice echoing at the almost empty room. The remaining students were eyeing us now. I scanned the room for the girl, she was nowhere in sight now, thankfully.

“Why are you not answering?!” she raised her voice even more.

“I’m sick of this!” I said, shouting too.

“Now, what? Are you breaking up with me again? Do you want me to show you the thing that keeps you backing out? That keeps you taking back your words of breaking up with me?!”

“You think i will still fall for the same trick for the third time?”

She stared at me with wide eyes. But she immediately recovered. She shakily reached for her razor in her bag and positioned it on her wrist. “Try saying the words. I’ll really do this. I’ll slit my wrist until I bleed to death!” she threatened.

I heard the remaining students gasp. A teacher tried to stop her.

“Don’t stop me!” she shouted at the teacher. “One step and I will slit my throat.” Then she turned to me. “What now, Kwon Jiyong?! Say the words and you’ll see blood,” she said, while shaking heavily.

I just stared at her. “I’m breaking up with you, and it’s final.”

I didn’t expect her to slit her wrist. And she never did. The razor dropped to the floor. And she dropped to her knees, crying her eyes out. What I did next shocked everyone in the room. I walked out of the room without another word to her or to anyone else.

The next day, I found her outside my house, eyes swollen maybe from crying all night.

“Isn’t there are a single percent of chance for you to get back to me again?” she said. No signs of fury and anger on her eyes. She had a blank look. It scared me. She looked like someone who has risen from the dead.

“I’m sorry, Sohee.”

“Not even a half of a percent?”

“It’s your fault. You made my feelings disappear,” I said. “You’ll find the right man for you. Don’t worry.”

Then I closed the door.

“WHAT?! That’s it? You just closed the door in front of her face?” Dara said.

“What shall I do? If I stayed any longer in front of her, she might do something crazier. It’s okay, she immediately left the moment I closed the door.

“I don’t understand though. Why is she still clingy?”

“She’s not anymore. Believe, she’s worse before. And I heard she’s dating someone now.”

Dara nodded. “Who’s that girl by the way? The one you were attracted to?”

“Oh, that…” Jiyong stammered. “I… still don’t know her name.”

“What? You’re so slow. Introduce yourself to her already. Gosh!”

Silence…

“How about you, Dara?” Jiyong asked, suddenly.

“What about me?”

“Did you like someone before? Or are you attracted to someone right now?”

Dara straightened up, looked at him with flushed cheeks. She doesn’t want to confess her feelings to him right now. So instead, she told a different story…