I liked to .

Her reaction makes me wanna more. Makes her pout more. The way she would glared at me when I said something to annoy her. The way she would stomped her feet when I playfully mocked her. No matter what I did, no matter how bad I played her. She’s still cares about me. She’s still willing to let me be by her side.

I was born in a strict family.

My father only speaks when he need to. Nobody would dare to question him. He’s a man with a few words but his word are absolute. He’s a man who devoted himself to his family’s company. The company that was passed to him for he was the only son in his family. He would leave the house even before everyone else, and he would the last one return home. Sometimes he would never return, only will be seen after a few days. Not once he ever wish me good night. Not once he ever ask me how am I doing. Hell I’m sure he never cares whether I’m still breathing anymore.

My mother are just a ‘mother’ by name. She never really cares about us. She’s busy going out with her friends, buying new clothes, adding more collection on her jewelries and parties. Oh and she loves wines. To the point she built a mini bar in a large underground room where she stores all her wine. And where she and her friends would be when they come by. The point is she never really cares anything else other than herself.

My brother is the only one that I can call family. He’s the only one would care if I ever came home late. He would nagged if I the radio to loud or when I skips a meal when he was around at home. I am being neglect, being ignore by my parents. And I’m thankful for that. As for my brother, he was suffering a lot more than I do. As soon as my father finds out that a baby has a , that child is destined to carry out the family tradition in joining the family business.

I still remember that night, I cried as he hugged me when I found out that he will be sent to a boarding school for primary school. He was sent aboard to Finland for middle school and high school. Later he went to Stanford to further his studies. While he was away, he had never once forget about me. He would video called, email and would come back home immediately and spend times with me during semester breaks. Now that he’s back, he would always be my father side, and when he’s not, he would always come and look for me. One time I’ve asked him why would he cares so much about me. He smiles and hugs me and said, “I know how pain it is to be alone”

Alone.

Yes, I know what it’s like to be left out. I was so used to it that it didn’t even surprised me at all when I have no one I can call friend when I was in kindergarten. The other kids refused to play with me even the teacher can’t make them. They say I was scary, I never smiles, and I glares a lot. They can say whatever they want, I’m happy the way I am. I’m fine being alone.

I was planning keep it that way when I went to the primary school, when a short girl who looks like a puppy with two deep dimples start following me around. 

Jung Wheein.    

A weirdo. She laughs all the times. In the first morning when she walks into the classroom. In the class during lesson, oh boy she gets a lot of trouble because of that. During recess when she was shoving food into , still wondering how she still alive after choking on her food for so many times. She pretty much laughs and smiles all the time. She makes jokes and she makes everyone around her laughs too. Except for me. And that’s the reason why she won’t stop leave me alone. Did I called her weirdo? Yes, because she has this weird motto in her live where she’s going to makes sure everyone around her laughs and smiles with her.

The more I pushed her away, the harder she tried. In the end, I gave in and we became friends.

She changes me. Slowly.

Slowly I start to love going to school just so I could see her, listen to her stupid jokes. Slowly others start talking to me too. I smiles more and I talks more. Slowly I was beginning to forget all the loneliness I feels at home and starting to feel the joys of having someone like her that I can call my friend.

One day I called her, “Wheein-ah”

“Hmm?” she looked at me.

I squished her cheeks, “Don’t ever leave me”

She just laughs at me and pushed me away when suddenly our homerun teacher came running to us and took her away. She was dragged away only to comeback with tears in her eyes. She came running to me as soon as she saw me and hugs me tightly. Crying so hard, shaking and trembling in my embrace.

That day was the day that I had ever seen her tears. The day when I found out that her mother had passed away. The day that I found out that her mother had been sick for a long time, and she was waiting for her day to come. The day that I found out that she had never known who her father was. That day I realized that my horrible life was nothing compares to hers. That day is the second times I cried in my live when I found out that she’s leaving me.

I feels sad. I feels angry. I feels that life is not fair. I feels horrible. A person I called friend yet I know nothing about her. I feel ashamed of myself. I feels like a part of me had been ripped away. I feels like a part of me had died along with her going away.

I went back to the way I used to be. Cold and distant. I changed school so I could forget everything. So I could forget about her. I want to be alone.

Until I have meet her.

Kim Yongsun.

She reminds me a lot about myself. She was a loner like me. The only different is other scares of me and try to avoid me. While she was bullied all the time. Wheein hates bullies. “Don’t ever bully others, Hyejin-ah” She scolded me one day for picking a fight with a boy in our class. I guess that’s why I help her that day. And looking back and how this friendship that we had change my life once again. I’m glad that I did.

“Right, Yong?”

She looks at me, “Huh, what?” she frowned at me.

“Nothing, idiot” I got up and heads out of the class.

I laughs when she’s runs after me to smacks my back. She didn’t even realize she was making a scene along the hallway, stomping her feet and scolding me for calling her idiot when she’s the top student in the school. When she realized that others start looking at us, I laughs so hard when she storms away. She keeps scolding me for not being supportive enough. I know she was really stressed about the whole tutoring this suspend student idea. She keeps telling me that she had a really bad feeling about it. But I decided to makes fun of it because I just don’t want her to think about it too much. And of course, because why not.

From what Yongsun told me, this student was Mr. Yoo’s niece. Hell, I never know he even had one. I bet no one does. I wonder why now. Why Yongsun. There are so many other questions in my head but I decided to keep it for myself. I don’t want to makes her panic than now. I want to meet this person and find out more myself. There is no way I’m going to let anyone else makes my friend’s life miserable isn’t it? I mean, that’s my job.

***

“Hyejin-ah…” I whined at her.

“Nope. I’m busy. And stop whining. My ears will fall off any seconds now if I listen to your whines anymore.” She walked over to her car and unlocked the door.

I lean against the car, crossing my arms over my chest. Annoyed. I’ve been asking her to accompany me to see Na Goeun all day. I don’t want to go there alone. Especially I don’t even know what she’s like. Urgh, and this annoying brat would’nt even consider once to help me.

Smiles on her face as she grabbed my shoulders and moved me away. She pats my head a few times and get into her bright red Ford Mustang GT, started the engine and drove away. Leaving me with the only thing that I can do when it’s come to the annoying and irritating Ahn Hyejin, “Yah, Ahn Hyejin!!”

***

A few minutes later I arrived at her place. I’ve been here before. My uncle used to live here before he got married. I told my driver that I change my mind. He was surprised at first but didn’t say much except that he told me he believe in me.

Yeah all this is because of that stupid Ahn Hyejin.

“I won’t be long”

I got out of the car, breathed out heavily, then strode up to the front door. I waited patiently to be buzzed in. I looked through the glass-panel door, checking to confirm the vacant expression on the security guard’s face. Several seconds later the security guard waved at her.

About time. I glared at him.

The security guard pressed the button under his counter. And the door unlocked and slide open. I exhaled, then pushed my way through the door. As I heads my way to the counter, there was another security guard standing a few feet away from the counter keeping his eyes on me. Geez this is the reason why my uncle sold his apartment the first place. To high-level security that driving him insane. “Only a true loner would want to live here”, he told me.

Yeah this Na Goeun definitely hates social life.  

He got up on his feet, “Yes?”

I gave him an entry code which Mr. Yoo gave me, when I decided to drop by at meet his niece, “I need to see the resident in this apartment”.

He wrote down the code immediately and started making a call which I assumed to their admin to conform the code. Once he satisfy he picks up another phone to makes a call.

As he was doing what he’s doing I took my time to study him. The man in front of me now, he looks hard and mean, stripped of all softness. His hair was cut so short, I was almost stubble. His jaws was clean shaven. He looked like a soldier or a fighter.

Horrified.    

“Miss Na Goeun, you have a visitor” my ears peaks at the mention of her name. I wait patiently until he finish.    

“Okay” then he hang up the phone.

He looked at me then told me, “Miss Na Goeun refused to see anyone. So you need to leave.” In his robotic military tone.

My jaw drops.

She did not just told me to leave after all the I’ve been going through from last night till now.