Jin Kyung POV:

Back in school on Monday, So Yeong saw me at the entrance of the school hallway as I walked in with Jin young.

After saying hi to the both of us, So Yeong suddenly turned serious “Jin Kyung, I need to warn you about something bad…”

“What is it?” I asked, wondering about what it could be.

“Your locker…”

“What happened to my locker?” I asked, my curiosity seriously being piqued here.

Approaching my locker; the lock was damaged, it was filled with trash and dirt.

“Oh wow” I laughed, So Yeong and Jin Young looked at me strangely.

“What?” I shrugged my shoulders as I left Jin Young’s side to grab the corridor’s trash bin and pull it over to my locker, asking the crowd that had mysteriously gathered to part for me as I went out and back in.

Taking out the pieces of paper one by one, I took this opportunity to laugh at whoever did this. Because by looking at the scraps, I could guess what class this person was from.

“Year 3 Fine Arts Musician Class 2…Year 3 FAMC 2….Y3 FAM Class 2…Y3 Fine Arts M Class 2…Wow, I see a trend here…real smart if you used your own class’s trash miss mysterious” I snickered.

“You’re taking it surprisingly well” Jin Young said to me as he helped my clear out my locker.

“But you have to agree, some of these papers are really funny” I waved one in front of him.

Raising an eyebrow as he scanned the notes on the paper “What is this supposed to be? The notes don’t go together at all! They shouldn’t even be side by side!” He exclaimed.

“Exactly!” I laughed. “I can’t believe I’m seeing this from the Third years.”

As the crowd diminished and slowly disappeared, So Yeong apologized as she had to go back to class.

Telling her it was okay, “You don’t have to accompany me Jin Young” I said as I brushed the dirt out of my locker.

“I want to” He answered simply.

“You know that you’re going to get into trouble with Mrs Choi right?” I looked at him.

“I know.” He smiled. “I just want to be there for you”

“Good, because I have no idea how long I can keep pretending to be like my friend.” I said, my face suddenly becoming weary.

“Your friend?” Jin Young repeated.

“Yeah, it was the period I stayed overseas. I became friends with a patient at the recovery center, she was in the early stages of cancer and she was a very spirited person. She was a reaally smart and we got to talk to each other a lot.

We talked about everything, bullies, how coolly we should react when we encounter such classic situations like this. I’m just glad that I can still remember all these even after so long” I laughed at the memory.

“How is she now?” Jin Young asked.

“In heaven” I pointed upwards. “I assume she’s doing fine if she’s up there”

“Sorry…I…I didn’t know” He stumbled over his words.

“It’s alright; she passed on as a fighter. She was so strong I often wondered how she managed to keep on keeping on.” I thought wistfully as good memories came back.

“She was always smiling, even when enduring the pain from chemotherapy and its side effects…I thought that if she could be strong…I could too.” I looked at Jin Young and gave him a smile.

“I am still quite shocked though…but I’m not going to show it in school.” I winked playfully as I closed my finally clean locker.

“Ga ja” I said as I linked my around his.

Walking into class, we bowed in apology for being late. Mrs Choi giving us a sympathetic look, “Both of you will run errands for me after school as punishment for being late” she coughed a few times and said it in her stern tone.

Bowing again, I was thankful that she gave us errands and not official detention that would be recorded into the school’s system.

-

As Mrs Choi gave Jin Young errands that required him to run about the entire school, I was given some paperwork and sorting to do. Things like her lesson plans, teaching briefs and announcements to be said over the course of the next few days.

“Mrs. Choi…” I said timidly.

“Speak up girl if you want to make it big in this industry” She answered back not removing her eyes from the stack of paper she was grading.

“Thank you for grouping Jin Young and me together for the assignment.” I said loudly and gave a bow to her.

Hearing a pen drop, I looked up to see Mrs. Choi laughing. “This…has to be the most…interesting thank you…I got from a student” She gasped in between her words.

Calming down after awhile, she shook her head and said “I didn’t do anything. I really randomised during the selection process. So if anything, I think that both of you were fated to meet again.”

Thoroughly stunned “Mwoh? Mrs. Choi, you know of our story?” was all I could say.

“What the students know, the teachers know as well” She answered laughingly. “Including the incident at your locker today…that’s why I asked the both of you to run errands for me instead.”

“Thank you Mrs. Choi, for being such a great teacher.” I bowed slightly again.

“Aish, just continue sorting the papers!” Mrs. Choi said gruffly, trying to maintain her stern and fierce outlook.

Laughing slightly, I went on with my tasks.

-

Finish the work early; I decided to wait for Jin Young outside the school building. Wanting to enjoy the slightly warmer temperature, *it finally feels like spring is finally here* I smiled to myself as I leaned against the wall.

Hearing my phone ring tone, I took a look and saw that Jin Young was calling. “Yoboseyo, Jin Young-ah.” I smiled widely; simply happy that he called me.

“I’m reaching the exit soon jagiya, you want to wait for me by the gate?” he asked.

“Okay, I will” I answered pushing myself off the wall to head to the main gate.

Taking a few steps forward, I suddenly heard a loud and shattering crash behind me. In reflex, I fell forward felt pain on my right leg and on the back of my right hand as saw something flew past me.

Turning around, I saw that a flower pot had shattered at where I had been standing a few seconds ago.

“JIN KYUNG! JIN KYUNG!!! CAN YOU HEAR ME?!!!” I heard a small voice coming from a few inches away from me.

Picking my phone up with the hand that didn’t hurt, “N-ne…I can hear you…” I said shakily as I just realised what had happened.

“WHERE ARE YOU?!” Jin Young yelled as I heard out footsteps echoing in his background.

Bursting through the front doors of the school building, I craned my neck and could see and feel the worry rolling off of his body.

“W-what the heck?!” He shouted in outrage as he saw the broken pieces of the flowerpot.

Grabbing my phone off the ground and shoving it into his pocket, I didn’t even have time to react when he carried me bridal style back into the school building.

“Woah!” I yelped at being picked up suddenly.

Holding onto him with the hand that didn’t hurt, I couldn’t believe that I was this close to being severely injured.

“Nurse! She has serious cuts on her hand and the back of her leg.” Jin Young stated immediately as he burst into the room.

“Lie her down with her stomach facing the bed.” The nurse instructed them to do as she brought out the first aid kit.

“Student, would you mind waiting outside? I need to check her back for any scratches.” The nurse said calmly as she applied pressure to my cuts.

“I understand. Jin Kyung, I’ll head out for a bit.” He nodded and walked briskly out of the nurse’s office.

Feeling that the bleeding stopped, I felt the nurse removing her and saw that she picked up a bottle with a fine nozzle.

“Yeow!!! What’s that?!!!” I yelped when I felt the cool liquid being squirted over my leg.

“It’s the antiseptic, don’t move so much yet. Your blood hasn’t fully clotted to cover the injury.” She said in an even tone.

“I-I I understand” I said as I clenched the fist that was not injured.

“How is she nurse?” A strangely familiar voice said as the infirmary’s door opened but it wasn’t Jin Young…

Looking up, I was stunned as I said “Shin Woo? H-how? W-why are you here?”

“I was still in school for music club and Jin Young asked me to look after you for awhile as he wanted to do a few things.” He explained, taking a chair and helping himself to a seat.

An awkward air filled the space between us, I had managed to win some of his trust but…he was still a little distant to me.

“So…what happened? How did you get the cuts?” Shin Woo pointed to my hand and my calf.

“Someone dropped a flower pot on me…if Jin Young hadn’t called me on where to meet up…” I trailed off unable to finish my sentence. Whoever is behind this had turned from childish to insane within the day.

Holding onto my arm, I bit my lip in effort to stop myself from shaking.

All that filled my mind was how if i had been a second later, I might be in the hospital now.

I might even be dead…

“Do you want to hold my hand?” Shin Woo offered his large hand.

Shaking my head “Thanks Shin Woo, it’s alright.”

*It’s not Jin Young’s…where is he?* I thought sadly.

“I don’t have any photos of that but would you like the nurse’s account?” Jin Young said into his cell phone as he opened the infirmary’s door.

“Hi Maam, could you please call Mrs Choi? I believe her extension number is +057” He told the nurse politely, even though he had this aura of impatience and irritation.

“I will” She nodded and proceeded to dial the numbers, quickly connecting to Mrs. Choi’s phone.

“Thank you Shin Woo” Jin Young gave his friend a pat on the shoulder.

“You’re welcome” He answered, putting his hands into his pocket and slowly walking out.

Turning his attention back to me “Are you okay? Are you better? You feeling alright now? How are the cuts? Are they deep? How serious are they?” He rushed all those questions within a single breath while holding my limbs up and down trying to spot for any other injury.

Ignoring his questions I wrapped my arms around him, effectively stopping his questions as he went silent.

Patting my head comfortingly, my erratically beating heart could finally slow down and find its natural rhythm as I listened to his steady heartbeat. Tears that I unknowingly held in eventually found its way out. Realizing that I had been more scared and worried than I thought I had.

“Everything’s all right. I’m here” He gently said as he rubbed my back soothingly.

“I’m here” his words assured me.

“I-i-if you h-hadn’t call m-me…I…I” I tried to explain my muddled thoughts to him but my crying wouldn’t allow me.

“Jagiya, don’t think about that. You’re alright. I’ll find the culprit for this, I promise” He said in a firm yet gentle tone that I didn’t know to be possible.

Holding him tighter, I really didn’t want to let go.

After that flower pot shattered behind me with its shards cutting my calf and hand.

It felt like a part of my confidence in facing this bully had shattered. My friend and I had never thought or discussed about flower pots being dropped on us.

In the U.S bullying was totally different and mainly focused on public humiliation. Here…

It seems like it’s a totally different game.

What do I do?

Anneyong!!!

I'm back with another chapter!

And Yes! The drama is here, well...the beginning of it :) What did you think of my title? Where you thinking of gardening perhaps? XD

oh! Have you guys heard that Jin Young created a new twitter account! :D

@_jinyoung911118

I hope he'll be able to get back the amount he originally had >.< It wasn't easy having to go through with sesame player to get to that amount., it having to restart again.

With Love,

Violynn. (25/06/2012)