Chp.29| The Challenge and Agreement

Surprisingly enough,when I entered the house that evening, my father only looked at me, shook his head and returned to watching his television.

For a man who just caught his daughter kissing the son of his boss, he seemed pretty damn fine about it.

Jin Hyung, on the other hand, puckered out his lips and made kissing sounds at me. “Noona, that’s how you kiss. Like a fish!”

I slapped the side of his head, feeling slightly embarrassed in front of the little brat. “What do you know about kissing, huh?”

“Probably more than you!” he retorted, before taking off upstairs.

I was reluctant to face my mother in the kitchen. Who knows what my father had told her.

“Auntie! Here let me try---let me try!!” I heard Yoon Tae shout from the kitchen.

I peered over to see that Yoon Tae was wearing my mother’s flower printed apron, helping my mother out with something. The top half of his hair had been tied back from his face. Looking at him then, I realized that perhaps Yoon Tae did have a softer side to him. Beneath his tough and cool exterior, lurked a gentler person. Seeing that Yoon Tae had always been girlfriendless, I was starting to suspect that he was gay. Not to mention that the apron looked better on him than on my mother.

“Are you cooking, Hero?” I questioned from behind them.

My question caught him off guard. He quickly spun around looking guilty and wiped his hands nervously on the edge of his apron before clearing his throat. “Well---I uh…I was helping your mom bake some cookies.”

“Not so tough anymore, huh?” I mocked, striding over to them to pluck a cookie from the cooling rack.

My mother slapped my hand. “They’re still hot.”

I dropped the cookie and rubbed my hand. “But umma, I always eat them hot.”

“They’re not for you.”

“Who are they for?” I asked, looking at Yoon Tae suspiciously.

“Yoon Tae’s crush,” my mother replied.

My mouth gaped opened. “Yoon Tae has a crush?”

Yoon Tae looked away and I burst out laughing. “And he’s trying to kill her by poisoning her with his cookies?”

Both of them didn’t find it amusing. I stopped immediately. “So whose idea was this?”

My mother pointed to herself as if she was trying to hide the real point from me. “I did. I told him that if he likes someone, he has to impress the girl by baking her cookies instead of buying her cookies.”

Since when was Yoon Tae taking advices from my mother?

“My gosh, umma. You got him baking cookies?”

“Aish! Forget it. I’m done!” Yoon Tae said, tearing the apron from his body and throwing it aside while striding away angrily.

We both stared after him. “I guess, he can’t take a joke,” I concluded.

“You made him feel stupid, that’s why.”

“Why should I make him feel stupid? He’s already stupid.”

“Now, Ji Won. Be nice to your cousin.”

For some reason, I found it strange that my mother was defending him. I would have thought she looked at him like everyone else. “Be nice? You’re telling me to be nice. Have you forgotten that you were the one to beat him when he first arrived here.”

“It was a mistake. I thought he was one of the guys that took Jin Hyung.”

“Umma, you can’t even recognize your own nephew.”

“That’s because he looks like a freak.”

I wanted to argue with her but the chiming of my phone cut me off. I reached for it to answer, “Hello?”

“Ji Won. It’s me Tae Woo.”

Tae Woo? Why would Tae Woo call me? “What is it?”

“I want to talk to you about that other night…”

“Oh. That.”

“I woke up tied to a tree with only my drawers on.”

It was Yoon Tae. That bastard. I knew I couldn’t trust him with Tae Woo. “I’m sorry.”

“Sorry isn’t goin’ to do it.” There was a pause. “There was something else.”

“What?”

“I had words written on my chest, that read ‘ me, I’m drunk’.”

Oh gosh. “WHAT?!”

My mother turned to look at me. I walked away from her, and started up the stairs towards Yoon Tae’s room.

“I’ll kill him, Ji Won.”

He was speaking of Yoon Tae. “No, you won’t.”

“Don’t tempt me.”

“What do you want me to do?”

“Go out with me for one night.”

I stopped midway on the stairs and sat down. “Are you crazy? I have a boyfriend.”

“I know that.”

“Your best friend.”

“Yes.”

“Then why are you so damn persistent?”

“I’ll kill him, Ji Won. I’ll make him pay for what he did.”

“He didn’t mean…”

“I’ll go over right now and I’ll kill him.”

“I’ll tell Jung Sang!” I blurted unknowingly.

“Go ahead, but that’s not gonna stop me from going over and killing that cousin of yours. Jung Sang also wants to see me kick his . Another thing, I’ll just tell Jung Sang that you lied about me asking you out. So you have no choice, Ji Won.”

“I hate you, Tae Woo. I’m only agreeing because I feel sorry for my cousin, not because I want to out with you, you crazy son-of-a-b*tch!”

“Tomorrow night sounds good, doesn’t it?”

I didn’t say anything. I was too angry to care.

“Tomorrow it is. See you later, Ji Won.” With that, he hung up.

I stood up, fuming with anger. It was all Yoon Tae’s fault. If he had brought Tae Woo home safely, none of this would be happening.



---

“Get out of my room, Ji Won!” Yoon Tae commanded the moment I entered without bothering to knock.

“No. You’re gonna have to throw me out,” I countered, shutting the door behind me.

Yoon Tae was already off the bed, charging directly at me. I held out my hands and yelled, “I'll behave. I promise, I will!!”

He stopped just inches away, looking like an angry beast who was prepared to tear me into shreds. Truthfully, I never witnessed Yoon Tae this angry before, and I had to admit, I was kind of scared. That anger I held against him, quickly faded. Clearing my throat, I asked him, “What’s up?”

He strode back to sit on the edge of his bed and I followed, sitting right next to him. “There is a girl that I like. But she doesn’t like me. I think she says I’m not her type. She doesn’t feel the same way, I guess. She says that if I really liked her, I would bake her cookies.”

Poor foolish Yoon Tae. I touched his shoulder. “You really like her?”

He nodded.

“But she doesn’t like you.”

Yoon Tae lifted his face to look at me, wanting to retort something but I cut him off. “If a girl tells you straight up that she doesn’t like you, then she doesn’t like you. Now if a girl tells you she hates you---that’s the type of girl you don’t give up on, because if a girl uses the hate term with you, she's trying to cover up her true feelings that she really likes you---”

He looked lost. “Huh?”

I might as well let him figure it out on his own. “Don’t waste your time on someone who isn’t willing to waste their time on you.”

Yoon Tae rubbed his face tiredly. “It’s only a crush. I went over my head thinking she’ll come to like me too.”

“She goes to our school?” I inquired.

He shook his head. “No.”

“To some other school?”

“She’s not even in high school.”

“College student?”

He bobbed his head in response.

I slapped the back of his head. “No wonder! Why would she wanna date someone younger than she is? She’s your noona!”

He stood up, grinding his teeth together before blurting, “Yah! I’m older than you. Who told you to slap my head?”

“Older, but dumber,” I muttered low enough that he couldn’t hear.

He brushed the strands that hung in his face. “So you think that’s the main reason? She doesn’t like me because I’m younger? In the movies, the girls always likes the guy who is younger than her all the time. What about that movie? The movie with the two younger guys who likes the same girl who's older than they are and the other guy ends up finding that it's his half sister---”

"Yoon Tae---"

"A Wolf's Reaction or something like that---"

"A Wolf's Atrraction," I corrected him.

"Oh."

"You watched it too? I didn't think you'd watch that type of movie."

He shook his head, trying to hide his embarrassment. "I heard. That's all. Anyway, do you really think that's the reason?"

I stretched myself out on his bed and placed my arms behind my head as I stared dreamily into the ceiling above me. When I closed my eyes, Park Jung Sang was kissing me all over again. I could feel myself falling into another fantasy. Yoon Tae’s question sounded far away from me.

“Yah. Did you hear me?”

I opened my eyes and said, “One advice, Yoon Tae. Go like someone who likes you back.”

He plopped down on the bed again. “I don’t feel like liking anyone anymore.”

I turned to him. “Why did you like her then?”

“Partially for her looks, but mainly because she’s nothing like the other girls I know who does the chasing. This time, I chased her. It was a challenge. You know…I always liked a challenge.”

I knew that already. It had always been in his nature. Yoon Tae seeks challenges. However, this time he had loss the challenge. His ego must be bruised. He needed some time to get over it.

“Speaking of challenges. Guess what tomorrow is?”

“The contest?”

“No.”

“What is?”

“The match with Jung Sang and I.”

I sat up abruptly. “What?!”

“Idiot. The ping-pong match with your boyfriend and I. Everyone is goin’ to be there. We’re playing it underground style, where there are only a few rules that apply.”

“You said a match---it shouldn’t have anything to do with underground style!” I argued, suddenly worried for both of their sakes. Not only that, but my date with Tae Woo was tomorrow too.

“That’s what you thought. With Jung Sang and I, we knew what kind of match we’re having from the moment I offered him the proposal,” he said with a smile. “Besides that. We did talk a few times on the phone to discuss the situation over.”

Yoon Tae and Jung Sang on the phone? I wonder which one hung up on each other first. “So, what will happen in the end of it?”

“Loser will lose something, that’s for sure,” Yoon Tae answered confidently.

“Aren’t you afraid?” I asked, because I knew Yoon Tae was no match for Jung Sang.

“Why would I be? I’m pretty certain who’s going to win.”

“YAH! Why are you so damn confident?”

“I don’t have time to argue with you. I need to practice,” Yoon Tae said, getting off the bed and grabbing for his gym bag.

I sat there contemplating on the fact that either one of them was going to get hurt in the end or it would get very messy.

---

(Third Person’s POV)

Yoon Tae rode his bike in front of the abandoned warehouse. Once he parked, his gaze drifted off to the dark building before him. He noticed the dim light that came from within. The person was waiting for him, just like he expected.

Removing his helmet, he placed it on his bike before throwing his gym bag across one shoulder and proceeded inside.

Park Jung Sang sat comfortably on the Ping-Pong table, with one leg dangling back and forth impatiently. His gaze was focused on the racket that he held in front of him. “You’re late, prettyboy,” he remarked ruefully, the moment Yoon Tae appeared.

“You must really like my hairstyle to call me prettyboy,” Yoon Tae said, as he strode over to him. “Were you counting the seconds? I didn’t think you’d miss me that much.”

Jung Sang lifted his cool gaze over at Yoon Tae. “Quit dreaming.”

Yoon Tae reached for a cigarette to place between his lips, as he went to stand next to Jung Sang who hadn’t budge from his spot. “Ji Won worries that you’ll get hurt.”

“The only one capable of getting hurt is you,” came the retort from Jung Sang. “And don’t you try lighting that thing next to me. I dislike cigarette smokes.”

Yoon Tae shaped his mouth into an ‘o’, as if he had done something offensive toward Jung Sang. And then he bowed his head in apology. “I am sorry, master.”

Jung Sang finally slid off the table to lean against his with his arms folded sternly in front of him. “You do realize what we’re getting into, don’t you?”

“I do.”

“It’s not going to be as clean as you think.”

“I’ve seen them play. They’re always messy.”

“I can’t afford to have you falter either, Yoon Tae. These guys will see that you’ll do that.”

“I know that.”

Jung Sang turned to regard him with seriousness. “This is more than just a match. If we’re going to be teammates, the least you can do is show me that you’re really nervous.”

“You aren’t. Why should I?”

“Because I’m not like you.”

Yoon Tae raised his hands as if he surrendered. “Alright. Alright. If you want to know if I’m nervous, I am. But a guy like me has never showed his opponents that he’s nervous so why would I show you?”

Jung Sang smiled as if he was satisfied with the answer. “Alright. Let’s begin then. I’ll teach you the tactics.”

Yoon Tae nodded. “And I’ll teach you theirs.”