Chapter 11 – The Painful, Hard Truth

 

Chaewon shakes the unconscious body in her arms, hoping that the girl will at least respond to her rant.

“Yah Jang Wonyoung, please wake up!” she shakes again violently and raises her voice volume, but Wonyoung seems to be losing consciousness for real.

Having no other choice, Chaewon unskilfully makes Wonyoung hops on her back to give a piggy back ride so she can carry the girl down from the rooftop.

“Hang on there, please don’t die yet!”

With all her strength and energy, she manages to carry the much taller junior out from the rooftop to the staircases, heading to the school’s infirmary.

“Please hang on there!” she mumbled for the nth times, chanting the same mantra until she gets to the said room and gains a proper aid for the poor girl in her arms.

***

After half an hour later, Wonyoung finally wakes up, gaining consciousness as she slowly opens her eyes.

Chaewon is feeling sore in her muscles after carrying Wonyoung earlier and massaging them until she sees the girl has a slight movement. Chaewon hurries to the bedside and waiting for Wonyoung to fully awake and eyes opened.

“Wonyoung, are you okay?”

The girl with the long body glances up and sees two familiar faces. “Chaewon, Hiichan,” she called them weakly.

Hitomi is so worried about the girl that she barely breathes. She was first informed about Wonyoung’s condition when Chaewon called her after they’d arrived at the infirmary. Hitomi ran to the treatment slash rest room to catch up to the both of them without hesitance. The news of Wonyoung almost jumping off from the building and committing suicide really scares her.

“What happened?”

Wonyoung sits up when the two other girls are ready for an interrogation session. She can’t blame them though. Although she kind of despises Chaewon (a little) for saving her when she wanted to end her life, she knows she owes that girl somehow, one way or another.

“Teacher Seo...h-he...h-harassed me and almost r- me...at his place,” the girl told shockingly, her voice cracks as she bursts into tears.

Hitomi is widening her eyes in shock while Chaewon’s lips parted.

This can’t be true!

“B-But...why? Isn’t he your homeroom teacher?” Hitomi inquired, still in utter disbelief at Wonyoung’s revelation.

“Yeah, the History teacher that we all thought was too kind to do indecent stuffs towards his students,” Wonyoung gulps as tears roll down on her cheeks. As much as she finds it’s hard to believe such a man with usually calm demeanour will do such a disgusting thing, the fact that she had seen and experienced his real side herself grossed and crept her out, made it difficult for her to swallow.

“You should’ve reported him on the school authorities immediately then! Why are you keeping quiet about it and wanted to kill yourself?!” Chaewon explodes.

“I tried!” Wonyoung snaps back. “I ran away from him, and he threatened me by choking my neck, how could I fight him?!” She meets Chaewon’s eyes briefly before looking away. “He’s this school’s chairman’s son, it’s not easy to get rid of him.”

Chaewon shakes her head, and her frustration is only growing each second, because upon Wonyoung’s revelation, there’s one person that crosses her mind to worry about.

Her assistant class monitor, Kim Suyoon!

“How did it happen in the first place? What were you doing at his place?”

“My grade in class was dropping, and he met me personally so I could have a talk with him about it. He was asking if I was stressed over something, saying I did worst in his subject and asking if I wanted to have a direct lesson with him. I kind of agreed because I was worried about my grade too.”

“Has he always been like that? Asking students to study at his place but start to harass them ually?!” Chaewon is flaring and balling her fists.

“I found out I wasn’t his only victim only after I learned his true color. They were other students whom he did wrong but had to transfer schools because they couldn’t fight him.”

The red-haired aka the Class 2-B’s president grits her teeth furiously.

“!” she cussed which startles the two younger girls. “Kim Suyoon!”

 

She has arrived at the classroom on time after the teacher has dismissed the class.

“Heo Yunjin!”

The whole class turns to their eager head class monitor who seems to be in a rush for unknown reason. Chaewon had surprised them at the cafeteria when she blew up earlier, and now she’s suddenly storming into the classroom with noisy footsteps and summoning the giraffe classmate, Yunjin in such a powerful manner.

Hitomi enters the classroom not long after Chaewon’s surprisingly charismatic entrance as well.

“Did Suyoon contact you at all for these two days? Is she in severely poor condition?”

Her bullets-like questions catch her classmates off guard yet draw in their interests. Yunjin is blinking in bewilderment by Chaewon’s behavior.

“No, she didn’t contact me at all. I texted her but she never replied.”

Chaewon brushes her hair to the back charismatically, looking frustrated yet in a elegant way.

“Give me her address! I’m going to her place!” she demanded. Yunjin is stunned in awe but still types Suyoon’s address in her phone with shaky hands as she sends the text to her class president.

After obtaining the address, Chaewon grabs her backpack hastily and about to step out from the classroom when Hitomi stops her by snatching her wrist.

“Whatever happened to Suyoon, is not your fault, Chaewon. Please remember that!”

She knows how terribly worried Chaewon gets after learning the horrible truth about Teacher Seo, their History teacher from Wonyoung. Hitomi too, as someone who cherished every of her classmates can’t help but be concerned about the possible misfortune that may give Suyoon, her class vice president a scar.

Somehow enchanted in believing her best younger friend’s words, Chaewon finds herself slowly nodding her head before making her way out of the class and school simultaneously, ready to throw some hands if her instinct about Teacher Seo towards Kim Suyoon turns out to be true.

***

Minjoo kicks the stone that comes in her way on the ground as she walks lazily. She’s being grumpy all by herself on her way home, alone. For the first time since she moved to Starlim High School, she feels outcasted and lonely.

What bothers her mind the most was about this evening’s event that happened in her classroom. Her class president slash her current girlfriend, Chaewon barging into the class in such a manner Minjoo never knew she’d have in her. However, the thing that triggered to become this lifeless was because Chaewon came in not to look for her but for Suyoon instead.

Minjoo was damn jealous! Chaewon didn’t even spare her a glance! It’ll make her feel better and more assured if Chaewon at least came to let out her temper on her, but unfortunately it didn’t happen.

Chaewon ignoring her existence is more painful than getting a blow of the former’s anger.

That hurts.

She prefers to see Chaewon exploded furiously like she did at the cafeteria than getting cold shoulders from her.

Slowly her footsteps come to a halt when she notices a familiar pair of shoes stand on the ground in front of her. Minjoo takes her time to glance up and true to her expectation (unluckily), Yujin is waiting for her in front of her house.

“I have been waiting here for a while, for you,” Yujin said. Minjoo glares at her.

“You must have done it on purpose, huh, Ahn Yujin?! Kneeling before me in front of the whole school, begging for their pities, and making me look bad, HUH?!”

Yujin gulps and sighs, can’t completely disregard the girl’s claim. Part of it is actually true. She was kneeling in front of everyone so Minjoo wouldn’t have the guts to push and reject her plead.

“You’re ignoring all my calls and texts, I had nothing else to do for you to talk to me other than that!”

Minjoo scoffs in disbelief. “You’re so petty!”

Yujin lowers her head in shame and swallows that insult silently. “I’m sorry.”

“I’m sorry for being so incompetent and petty. I’m sorry for making you feeling so insecure and terrible about me. But you know what, I never mean to be two-timing you and Wonyoung when I know I’m not capable of doing that. I realized how important it is to be faithful to only one person, especially after learning how my father did my mother so dirty.”

Minjoo feels guilt creeps her up when Yujin started to mention her family. She never means for Yujin to feel that way.

“You still look up on Wonyoung while dating me, don’t you think it’s unfair for me?!”

Yujin nibbles on her lower lips as she rubs her face. “I’m aware of that. But I was confused. To tell you the truth, I actually...”

She tilts her head slightly, doubting herself if she’s really going to say it. “Actually...”

“WHAT?!” Minjoo snaps.

“WONYOUNGKISSEDMEANDGOTMESOCONFUSEDSOICAN’THELPMYSELFBUTSTAREDATHERALLDAYLONG!”

Minjoo blinks, not quite get whatever Yujin was saying. But she catches a little of the phrase. Especially in the beginning.

“When was it?” she grits her teeth. “When was it when it happened?!”

Yujin feels nauseous from the pit of her stomach, sensing Minjoo about to bursts her lava out of her temper.

“It’s...s-shortly after w-we got back together,” Yujin admits timidly. She knows it’s no good to hide the truth from Minjoo anyway.

The girl scoffs. She can’t believe she got backstabbed (kind of) by not only Yujin but Wonyoung as well.

“I can’t live like this, especially with you!” she snorts, with Yujin nodding her head, fully understands her.

“Let’s just never get back together again, Ahn Yujin! Make up your mind first before you come to me again, all clear and clean!”

The star student heaves a small sigh, seeing the latest outcome coming although she was still wishing it’ll turn out another way.

“It’s okay Minjoo, I understand. I hope you’ll find a better person who makes you feel the most loved in the world than me.”

***

Making her way home in such an unstable state is worrying. She doesn’t want to come home with her family seeing her in this kind of condition. She needs to do something to get her energy and strength back before she could make especially her mother and Hyewon concern about her.

Chaewon already met Suyoon earlier. Like she had expected, the girl just became another ual harassment victim from Teacher Seo. As Suyoon’s head class monitor, Chaewon felt she had failed the girl as her leader and classmate. She couldn’t hold back her tears when Suyoon spilled the truth about what had happened to her at the teacher’s place. The girl was pitiful and was crying so much that Chaewon became just equally angry and emotional.

The red-haired student visits the convenience store to purchase an ice cream. She needs something sweet to recharge her energy and feels better again.

“Hello Hiichan? I need a favor from you.”

***

After the incident at the rooftop, Hitomi insisted to keep Wonyoung company so she took a cab ride with her all the way home.

The harassment victim was told to have a plenty of rest on the bed and getting assurance from the mochi saying Chaewon will do all her best to help her about Teacher Seo. She won’t let the teacher makes another student becomes another victim of his.

Resting her body in the bed, Wonyoung ended up falling asleep for a few hours only to open her eyes back and wake up from the nap.

However, her mochi friend Hitomi is no longer her company but Ahn Yujin, her ex-girlfriend.

“Hitomi told me everything.”

That lone speech is enough to keep Wonyoung fully awake and now sitting up, leaning her head against the headboard.

“Yujin...”

The other girl is suddenly b with tears, surprising Wonyoung.

“Why you didn’t tell me...?” Yujin cried, asking her ex-girlfriend regretfully.

“I’m sorry.” Seeing Yujin’s tears makes Wonyoung becomes weak, and she too, can’t hold her tears back any longer.

“You should’ve told me. Am I not your best friend before we became like we are now?”

Wonyoung keeps mum, unable to open to retaliate because Yujin has a point with her words.

When she was in such a difficult situation, she couldn’t come to anybody to freely talk about it. She had a problem with Yujin at that time too, and it only added to her stress. Her dropping grade was initially caused by the same stress of her constant fight with Yujin. But it’s not fair to blame Yujin alone.

The problem started with her in the first place.

“I’m sorry, I’m such a coward to come forward to you or anybody else. I couldn’t let you all see how miserable I have become and trouble you all.”

Yujin slowly reaches her hand out and grips Wonyoung’s hand. “You’re not a trouble to any of us Wonyoung, not especially when you had to endure such a difficult hardship alone!”

Wonyoung sheds more tears as Yujin has now closed the gap and embraces her.

“I feel so stupid and foolish for being so ignorant about my own best friend! Instead of offering you help, I was busy chasing another girl who didn’t look at me the same anymore! I almost lost you while pulling such a stupid stunt in front of everyone!”

Hearing Yujin’s cries like this only makes Wonyoung feels more terrible, worse and sadder. What did she do in her past life to deserve such a kind angel like her?

Wonyoung pulls away and holds Yujin’s shoulders. “I heard from Hitomi. But I understood you, Yujin. You love her and were only trying to be faithful. What else can I expect from you?”

Yujin stares at her painfully. Wonyoung’s little speech kind of rips her heart apart.

“It’s me who did you wrong! I put you in such a bad conflict, manipulating your heart! I made you feel horrible! I kissed you while knowingly you were dating Minjoo and trying to mess up the both of you!”

Yujin shakes her head and snatches Wonyoung’s hand to make her shut forcefully. “I know you didn’t mean bad when you kissed me! I made you feel terrible while trying to control your life when we were dating, and breaking things up between us because you couldn’t do as I said when I had no right over you because it’s your life! I completely understood you, Jang Wonyoung!”

The taller girl feels so touched by Yujin’s words that she only cries harder.

This is one of the reasons why she finds it hard to move on from this particular girl. Yujin always knows how to melt her heart and makes her feel she’s worth the world.

“I’m sorry Yujin. I was the reason Minjoo left you.”

Yujin embraces her once again, easing her with a warm hug.

“You’re not the reason, Wonyoung-ah. I’m not worthy for Minjoo. She only deserves someone better.”

***

At school, Chaewon becomes busy with the duty as a class president when Suyoon is absent.

Well, actually she tries to busy herself so she’ll find an excuse from talking to or facing Minjoo right now. The girl should not be her priority although she’s the same reason why Chaewon’s mind is a little distracted from the getting-rid-of-Teacher-Seo-from-school-project.

When the break time has come, Chaewon quickly flees to the student council room to find the president, Son Eunchae alongside her best friends, Chaeyoung and Nakyung so Minjoo won’t be able to catch up to her.

Damn her and her fast legs!

Minjoo loses the sight of Chaewon in the hallway and returns to her seat dejectedly. Hitomi is talking to her Japanese peers. Yuri and Yunjin are busy discussing about Suyoon’s absence. Everyone else is pretty much doing things on their own, completely oblivious about Minjoo’s anxiety.

This situation in the whole classroom has dampened her mood. Nobody is concerned if she’s alright at all.

Feeling out of place, Minjoo stands up and goes out to the bathroom, not realizing Hitomi has her eyes on her.

Once she’s inside the toilet, Minjoo comes across Wonyoung and it’s the first time they met in there.

She notices Wonyoung’s paled face and wonders if the girl has been healthy.

“Can I talk to you for a moment?”

The Yujin’s ex-girlfriends’ squad head out to the school’s gym changing room so no one else would have seen them together. All they want to have is a private talk and the least thing they’d wished for is other students intruding them.

“I heard what happened between you and Yujin yesterday. I’m sorry I came in between you guys and messed with your relationship,” Wonyoung hangs her head low, as low as bowing her head down apologetically.

Minjoo sighs, as this situation isn’t the thing that she asked for.

“Be honest with me, Wonyoung. Do you still have feelings for Yujin?”

Wonyoung slowly lifts her face up and reluctantly nods her head, admitting the truth.

“I never stopped having feelings towards Yujin, Minjoo. We broke up only because we hadn’t spoken a word to each other for a few months. I always wanted her back but I was heartbroken when she came back to me only to declare she had a new girlfriend, and that was you.”

Minjoo keeps mum, can’t exactly believe her ears. Was she actually the bad girl, third person all along who ruined Yujin and Wonyoung’s relationship in the first place? She was the one who stole Yujin away from Wonyoung and not the other way around?

“I felt cheated and betrayed, but I love her too much I couldn’t reject when she wanted to remain best friends with me.

“But I also couldn’t blame you, Minjoo. Yujin was fed up with me and I got that. That’s why she turned her back on me and chose to be with you.”

Minjoo keeps silent, not speaking a word for a good minute. She’s having her own moment, thinking about the things she wants and has to say back to Wonyoung. She needs to say something back so this heart-to-heart talk won’t go in vain worthlessly.

“I can’t go back to Yujin, Wonyoung. After all that she said and did in front of me, I knew her heart doesn’t solely only belong to me. Her heart and attention are divided, and I know exactly why she felt like that. I wasn’t her only heart’s keeper. Half of that is with you, or maybe even more.

“While me...I have someone I have to worry about right now, to be honest. She makes me feel something, and I can’t always make her wait for me like a fool. I want to return the favor by loving her the same way like she did towards me.”

Wonyoung is stunned to hear Minjoo’s words, but she’s not completely surprised either. “It’s Chaewon, right?”

The surprised (meme worthy) look from Minjoo confirmed her theory. “Hitomi dropped some hints, and I figured it out miraculously.”

Minjoo chuckles.

So Hitomi knows about her secret relationship with Chaewon, huh.

“I wish you the best with Chaewon, Minjoo. And I’m sorry once again I caused such a rift between you and Yujin.”

Minjoo feels a huge relief and the heavy burden on her chest has been lifted up post the serious conversation she had with Wonyoung.

Now she’s only left with Chaewon to deal with. Hopefully nothing can go wrong for the both of them after this.

***

Chaewon had submitted a complaint letter to the school authorities against Teacher Seo through the student council. She has no evident, but she’s asking for a legal team to investigate the ual harassment case and interrogate the man.

The first phase of this project is cleanly done, fortunately. She’s being hopeful the school can take legal action against this indecent teacher and fire him out immediately.

While she’s on her Mathematic lesson in class, the lesson is briefly interrupted when the door to the classroom is knocked and Teacher Park as Class 2-B’s homeroom teacher shows up.

“I’m sorry ssaem, but I’d like to see student Kim Chaewon for a while.”

“O-Oh, sure,” the Math teacher stuttered as she allows Chaewon to head out and follow the former teacher.

 

Apparently, she wasn’t called in for a good news, unfortunately.

Chaewon was summoned to the principal’s office with Teacher Park escorting her. Instead of receiving positive feedback about her submitted complaint, the school has another plan for her.

“I heard you got second place for an art competition at Institute of Arts,” he started gently, but Chaewon has a bad feeling when he brought up about the competition she participated in when the school never cared about it.

“Yes, it’s true, sir.”

The principal hands out an envelop and Chaewon takes it hesitantly. “If you move to this private art school, you’ll have a direct access to attend the institute without problem.”

Chaewon knows the meaning behind his words too well. She curls her fists into balls, holds back the urge to punch the disgusting old man.

Suddenly Eunchae’s voice rings from the back of her head.

“Are you sure you want to do this? You do know who you’re fighting against, right? If anything goes wrong, the plan will backfire and you’ll be doomed, Chaewon. Do you think you can handle this?”

“We’ll also reorganize the student council and elect the new president. You know very well why it came to this, right?”

The powerless student fights the tears in her eyes from falling as the principal delivered his words exactly as Eunchae had predicted and as she had interpreted it.

“We’ll also have student Kim Suyoon transfer to another school for the sake of her health and well-being.”

“Why do you have to change the student council as well? They did nothing wrong. Son Eunchae sunbaenim did a very good job as the president and running the organization!”

“Chaewon...” Teacher Park beside her slowly called her name out, attempting to calm his student down.

“The same goes to you too, ssaem! You said you’d help us, help Suyoon! But you’re doing the other way around than what you promised me and I’m disgusted!”

“Student Kim Chaewon!” The principal raised his voice and Chaewon only saves the remaining insults towards her homeroom teacher in as the former scolds her sternly, for the last time.

“You’ll move out from this school, or you’ll be held back from graduating, not by a year or two years, but forever!”

***

It’s her last night at home. Chaewon will transfer to the private school her principal offered by tomorrow that located in the other side of the city. It will take around 40 to 50 minutes ride from here, that means she’ll have to move into her new school’s provided dorm.

Chaewon packs her stuffs into her luggage when Hyewon comes into her room with a really long face.

“Are you really going to move out?”

“Even mom can’t stop me, unnie. I need to move out so my friends will be safe. And I’ll have my dream secured too, isn’t it a better opportunity!” She fakes her smile but surely Hyewon won’t see through her. At least that’s what she thought.

“Even Minjoo can’t stop you?”

Chaewon’s hands stop moving, her body stiffens as Hyewon inquired her. That was such an unexpected question.

“I know my two sisters too well. You can’t hide it from me. Besides, I have Hitomi as my prominent informer.”

The red-haired chuckles. For a moment she forgets how Hyewon always has her own way and knows everything about her. Hitomi too, is a keen observer. There’s no way Chaewon will be able to hide anything from her.

“Minjoo will be alright, I think. Maybe she doesn’t even need me with her in the first place.”

Hearing her, Hyewon can’t help herself but be upset.

“You know you’re talking about my sister, right? Hurting her is like you’re hurting another part of me.” Hyewon rises on her feet and squeezes Chaewon’s tiny shoulder gently. “Think about it over again, Chae.”

Seeing Hyewon moves past her and steps out of the room after her last words makes her feel unsettled and guilty.

***

Chaewon makes her last visit at the school to meet her classmates in the classroom for the last time before she’d move to her new school. Her mother and step-father are waiting for her in the car while she goes to see her friends.

Chaeyoung and Nakyung loyally stand behind and keep her company, while Hitomi, her best friend for the past two years is hugging her waist and weeping over the sudden farewell.

“Please don’t go, Chae! Don’t leave me alone!” Hitomi cried on her chest and Chaewon feels something sharp just stabs her heart.

“I’m going with you! I don’t want to part from you, Chaewon! Please don’t go!”

Chaewon can’t hold back her tears as she has Hitomi crying in her embrace. She wraps her hands around the smaller girl’s back and tightens the hug.

“Hiichan...”

Minjoo wipes the tears that trickled down from her eyes, feeling as equally sad as Hitomi when Chaewon suddenly decided to transfer school so abruptly. She doesn’t know on what reason the girl made a decision as drastically as this one, but she’s sure Chaewon has a better reason than just sulking over Minjoo’s relationship with Yujin.

She never has the time to explain or discuss with Chaewon about the matter. And now the red-haired is suddenly moving away from her, away from everyone else.

When will they have time to meet again?