CH 25 Conflict

Min Ju POV

I woke up the next morning at 5:30 to the sound of clanging pans. I looked for something heavy that I could swing if needed and slowly crept to the kitchen. I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw who it was.

 

“Oppa, what are you doing up so early? I thought you’d be sleeping in.”

“This is sleeping in for me. Sometimes they’d wake us up at 2 or 3 in the morning, so this is sleeping in. Oh, Omma and Appa already left, they both needed to come to the office early this morning.”

“Omma’s been putting in so many late nights and Appa just got back.”

“She’s been working more late nights?”

“Yes. I’ve been making her breakfast and lunch to take with her. I hope she comes home in time for dinner, but I end up covering the food or putting it in the fridge and leaving a note.”

“What are they going to do when we leave?”

“I’m going to bombard them with calls and nag them to slow down.”

“That’ll work.”

“It better. When we get steady jobs, we’ll start sending money to them.”

“That’ll work too.”

“Don’t forget about your applications.”

“I don’t’ think I can with you around.” He ruffled my hair.

“Don’t mess up my hair.”

“It’s already in pretty bad shape.”

“Nothing a good brushing can’t fix.”

“Can it fix this?” He indicated his buzz cut with his right index finger.

“No, but you can grow it out.” I smiled.

“True.” He said as he cracked two eggs into a pan. “Can you imagine what my face must have looked like when Emoni told me that you’re dating someone?”

I gulped as he glanced back at me.

“Do you like him?”
“Obviously. I mean, why would we be involved if I didn’t like him?
“You can never be too sure.”

“Who is he? What’s his name?”

“Seo Eunkwang. He doesn’t live to far from us. He’s really nice.”

 

 

 

 

 

“Eunwkang.” He said the name as if he were tasting a new dish for the first time, trying to decide the exact flavors. “Why does that name sound so familiar?” He half-mumbled. “Oh yea, that was the name I saw on a paper once with little hearts around it.”

I gave him a pointed look.

“It’s the same guy isn’t it!”

“Yes.”

“Wah. Wah Mini.

“Wae?”

“Did you have a crush on him?”

I nodded slowly.

“For that long?”

I nodded again.

“That makes sense. Who asked who first?”

“He asked me out six months ago. We don’t go out a lot; mainly it’s just being together.”

“So the guy you’ve had a crush on for years asks you out, why say no.” He slid the eggs onto a plate and pushed it in front of me.

“Right.” I could sense there was something more he wanted to say. “But?”

“Did he talk to you at all before that?”

“No.”

He looked at me.

“I know, but it’s just-“

“I know. Be careful, that’s all I want okay?”

“Arraso.” I replied while putting hot sauce on the eggs.

“I also want to meet him.”

I looked up with a puzzled look. “You’re worse than Appa on this.”

“You mean Appa hasn’t met him?”

“No, but he knows who he is and he’s seen him before.”

“Do his parents know?”

“I sure hope so, I’ve met his mother before.”

“I still want to meet him.”

“Yes, Oppa.”

“That’s my Mini.”

I close my eyes and gave him a big smile. “Open your mouth.”

“Aaaaahh.” He said as he opened his jaw. I popped a piece of egg inside. He smiled and chewed before his eyes widened and searched madly for a water bottle.

 

 

 

 

“Heh ha! You’re as sensitive to spicy food as you were before you left for mandatory duty.”

 

 

Eunkwang POV

It’s cold out today. It’s cloudy and dark. And cold.

But I’m not shivering! Min Ju still has my jacket, I made her take it again. Somehow, I don’t need it right now. I don’t feel the wind like I did yesterday. Yesterday Min Ju made it go away, she made it all go away. Her smile was my blanket.

I’m good at this, I should be a poet. Make everyone go crazy with my amazing ability. That’s what Min Ju called it. Amazing ability. She said I’m good. She can be my everyone.
 

“EUNKWANG!”  I jumped. Who’s shouting so early in the morning? I saw Illhoon waving to me. “EUNKWANG!” I smiled and waved.

“Why are you shouting in the morning?” I asked as I got closer.

“That was shouting?”

I gave Illhoon a deadpan stare. “Yes. Yes it was.”

“Oh. Where’s Minju noona?”

 

Minju POV

Since Oppa made breakfast really early for me, I decided to go to school early today after making sure Oppa would sleep more.

I walked in the morning air. It was chilling and invigorating, filling my lungs with a lack of heat they weren’t used to.  A wind tossed strands of my hair in a playful tease, as if it knew that it was tangling my hair into disarray and had little care for it while snickering at its immature effects.                                                                                        I slipped on Eunkwang’s jacket. He gave it me again, but today I was determined not to bring it home today-it felt so inconsiderate taking it from him all the time. The jacket was warm-as expected-and its smell was comforting. The scent of different laundry soaps and Eunkwang’s cologne that he wore sparingly, it was a surprisingly pleasant combination.

The sky was a dull but pronounced gray and it was as if some celestial paint brush mixed the clouds and the sky so the color would rub off one to the other as the fluffy wisps moved slowly through the vast, endless space. It was beautiful. Dreary and beautiful.

I focused on the cracks in the ground as I walked. How long had they been there? When did they form? What have those cracks seen? What stories do they have to tell? I made up explanations for all these questions for each crack. Fortunately, I didn’t bump into a tree or a bike or biker in the process. A miracle, no doubt.

Upon approaching the school entrance, I sped my step so that I would be able to open the door for a teacher.

“Anyohasayo, songsaenim.” I greeted him, giving a slight bow while holding onto the door handle.

“Oh, annyong Min Ju.” He smiled. It was my homeroom teacher. I was surprised he remembered my name. I scurried after him, hoping not to trip on anything and make a fool of myself in front of a teacher.

“Songsaenim, I was wondering about our last history test, when are we going to go over it?”

“Sometime this week, depending on how far we get with everything else. There are a few things I want to cover and notes I wasn’t you all to take before we look at the test again; boring stuff.”

“I don’t think it’s boring when you give notes.” I said with a matter-of-fact tone. He looked at me.
“Really?”

“Nae, songsaenim. You’re very knowledgeable on your subject and that makes it fun, you’re not just concerned with the basics. You give us time to think about the bigger questions and you talk about them with us, asking what we think and fixing any misconceptions we might form. I enjoy that very much.”

“Well, I’m glad to hear that, you may be the only student who thinks that.” He laughed. “But you don’t usually take part in those discussions.” Oh no, here it comes. “Wae?”

“I don’t really want to bring attention to myself then ending making myself look like an idiot in front of the class.” He laughed at this.

“I can understand that, but if you feel you have something worthwhile to share, then do so. Think of how many things would have never been done if people were afraid of looking a fool. We wouldn’t have the Olympics. We wouldn’t have concerts. We wouldn’t have books and art. I know you’re smart and it’s a little frustrating when I know you know the answer to certain things and you have your own view but you don’t share it while I have two kids in the front arguing idea that both have logical fallacies.” It was my turn to laugh.

“I see what you mean. Thank you, songsaenim.”

“You’re welcome, and don’t worry about the history test too much. You got the best grade in the class and there was nothing below a 90.” That means Eunkwang got an A. Eunkwang got an A!

“Kamsahamneda songsaenim.” I bowed 90 degrees. He smiled.

“I’ll see and hear you in class.” He told me. My smile widened.

“Nae songsaenim.” And with that, another teacher a hold of him before he could get into his class room.

I have to find Eunkwang. I seep-walked to the front of the school and ran picked up my pace when I knew nobody was around to see.

“Eunkwang! Eunkwang!” That voice is familiar. Illhoon was the one calling him. The whole group of seven boys were walking into the corridor now.

“That was shouting?” That was Illhoon again and I couldn’t help but laugh a little at his unobservant question. I heard Eunkwang’s reply and couldn’t help but laugh to myself again.

“Yes. Yes it was.”

“Oh. Where’s Minju noona?”

For whatever reason, instead of joining them, I hid behind a wall. I’m glad I did.

“She had to get to school early. I haven’t seen her today.”

“Well I guess you won’t have to see her for much longer,” said Donggeun. My heart raced in fear while my eyes got wider with a worried curiosity.

“Why’s that?”

“The bet, you monchong pabo,” Minhyuk scolded Eunkwang. I filled with stinging realization. A bet. A bet. It makes sense. Of course it makes sense. Why else would Eunkwang approach me all of a sudden.

“I’m just surprised she hasn’t broken up with you yet,” Changsub said. I considered jumping out from behind the wall, throwing his jacket on the ground and letting him figure things out before Minhyuk spoke again.

“Wouldn’t matter since he’s just have to win her back.” So that was that. I was an object in this matter, not a human being with actual thoughts and actual feelings. I was a

plaything, a toy. What I wanted didn’t matter. He would harass me if I just ended it.

“Until graduation,” Donggeun added. Graduation. That must be when all of this ends.

 I had heard enough. I ran to the classroom through routes I knew not many people would take.

I will not cry.

I will not cry.

I will not cry.

Nothing with him had ever been real. It was based off of a bet. It was all a game for them. I was just a gamepiece. The boy I liked for years was using me as a pawn

Even if I break if off, he won’t let me go, the bet won’t let him and he’s complied with it thus far. So have I in a sense.

Everything with him was a lie. All of it. Every. Single. Second. Was a game. A game of immature schoolboys looking for something to do.

They were all in on it. All of them. They seemed so…nice…

I will not cry.

I will not cry.

I will not cry.

I stood in front of the doorframe, trying to bring down the lump in my throat before I had to face people. The room was empty save for Hyungmoon who was bent over a page of numbers. I threw the jacket onto Eunkwang’s seat, not caring if it fell to the ground.

“Hyungmoon.”

“Hi Min Ju.” He smiled wide. So I smiled wide back.

 

“Do you want some help?” I asked, leaning my elbows onto his desk. He nodded vigorously and I leaned over him to look at the paper.

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Happy late Valentine's everybody! 

I've been wanting to post this chapter for awhile.

So, what do you tihnk of it?