A week had passed. Everything was quiet, back to normal. “But I don’t want normal,” Amber thought. He was sitting on his bed, paint brush pressed down onto the paper, thinking of what to paint.

              Krystal and Amber’s relationship hasn’t progressed. Whenever they bumped into each other, Amber would always say hi, but Krystal would awkwardly avert her eyes. Amber couldn’t figure out what was wrong. Was it because of the whole “chingu” thing? “Can’t men and women be friends?” Amber thought.

              “Ugh, I can’t think of anything!” Amber shouted, throwing his paint brush across the room. “And this stupid hand of mine,” he looked down at his to-be-scarred wound. “I’m so stupid.” He gets up, grabs a jacket and leaves his room. “I need inspiration,” he thought. That thought led to Krystal. He remembered the first thing he asked of her. He had asked her to come into his painting. “She’ll be okay with it since we’re friends, sorta, right?”

              Just as Amber opened the front gates of Dohwaseo, he bumps into a woman. She loses her balance and tips over, but Amber grabs her waist. He pulls her up and asks, “Are you okay?” Just then, her jacket she used to cover her head unravelled. It was Krystal.

The world seemed to have stopped around them. There was a complete silence, but not an awkward one. It was rather peaceful. Romantic even..?

They exchanged eye contact for a short while. Finally, Amber spoke up.

“Oh!” Amber exclaims, letting go first. He clears his throat. “Wh-what brings you here?”

Past Few Days

              For the whole week that Amber and Krystal haven’t been talking to each other, Krystal spent each night pacing back and forth in her room. Amber was always on her mind. Thinking of other things or other people was too hard for her. She had been performing well, thinking of how Amber enjoyed her music, how he appreciated it. But she had also messed up quite a few times when thinking too deeply of him.

              Honestly, she had been avoiding Amber. Although he was always on her mind, she couldn’t face him. She didn’t know what to do. She was conflicted, torn.

On the seventh day, Krystal finally came to a conclusion. She clasped her hands and placed them on her chest. “I love Amber,” she whispers. “I love him.” She exhales, letting go of all of her worries, her shoulders less heavy. “I can’t stop this,” she looks down.  “Nae maeum…” she thought.

It didn’t help that every time she was avoiding Amber, he was always all smiles. He knew that she had been avoiding him or had been weird around him, but he still tried to say hi every time. Whether it was his cute little smile and wave, or his cocky grin and the thing he did with his eyes. She fell for him every time.

She snapped back to reality when she remembered what he had said before.

“Chingu..?”

“‘Chingu,’” she whispered. “Should I still convey my feelings to him?”

Krystal’s heart answered her own question. And with an expression of determination, she sets off toward her love (as corny as that may sound).

              Approaching the gates of Dohwaseo, a feeling of anxiety sets on her shoulders. She stands before the gates, pacing back and forth, trapped in her own feelings. The sound of footsteps and the chirping of crickets occupy her world…

              Just as she gives up and thinks of turning around, the gates swing open.

Present

Amber tilted his head at Krystal, wondering what the young woman was doing just outside of his school. Wondering how she had appeared just as he had thought of her. She, still averting her eyes, taps the tip of her foot at the ground. She hesitantly speaks. “I-I need to tell you something.”

“Na do,” Amber carefully replied. “Well, ask you something.” Krystal slowly looked up at him. They stared into each other’s eyes, not saying anything. There was yet another silence.

“Y-you first,” they both said in unison. They look away and giggle at their awkwardness.

Amber stops his laughter, smiles and clears his throat. “Ladies first.”

Krystal bites her lips. “I want to tell you later…” She rubs her arms. “Can we talk somewhere else?”

They decide to go back to Krystal’s.

“You’d attract all of the students,” Amber said. “Let’s go to your place.” She smiles.

The walk there was quiet. The two would steal glances here and there. It was late at night, so there weren’t many people on the streets. But they happened to bumped into a group of drunk middle-aged men. One of them stumbles in front of the two with a drunken stupor.

“Y-you,” he points to Krystal. “Come here, beautiful.”

The other two stand on the sidelines and watch, snickering. Krystal furrows her eyebrows. Amber gently wraps his hand around her wrist and speed up their pace. That’s when the other two jumped in and stopped them.

“Ya,” one of them said. “My hyungnim was speaking to you, woman.” The other one just nodded in agreement.

Amber scoffs and rolls his eyes. Now the three men furrow their eyebrows. Amber let go of Krystal’s wrist and slyly wrapped his entire arm around her instead. She turns her head and retracted a bit from the close proximity. Her heart beats a little faster, her face becoming flushed. Amber clears his throat and slouches.

“Ggeojyeo,” Amber said, in a deep voice.

The men looked at each other, surprised. Then they laughed. “Ggeo. Jyeo,” Amber restates firmly. He glances at Krystal. “She’s mine.” The men stop laughing.

Krystal’s heartbeat was at an uncontrollable speed. Her heart beat so loud, even the men could probably hear it. Her face was redder than a tomato and hotter than a fever. She saw Amber in a whole new light. She stared at him like he was her Knight in Shining Armor. She couldn’t help but smile like an idiot amidst the whole fiasco.

“He…  He has a lot of g-guts for a little p-pipsqueak,” the hyungnim said to the two. They started walking toward Krystal and Amber. It hadn’t run across Amber’s mind that they were taller and beefier than him and that there were three of them. Until now.

“Ssibal,” Amber thought. He slowly reached his free hand into his bag. He leaned into Krystal’s ear and whispered, “On the count of three,” he paused and looked past the three men. “Run.” Krystal gulped. “Hana,” he pulled his hand out of his bag. “Dul,” he clenched his fist. “Ses!” He threw the content in his clenched hand at the men’s faces. They flinch and stumble.