Chp.31| Knock around

Gosh, you would think thatafter opening my eyes, I would see Jung Sang’s face hovering over me. Instead, I found myself seated on a chair in some dark room that resembled some kind of interrogating room. To make matters worst, the same bald-headed assh0le was spitting in my face as he tried to wake me with his relentless shouting.

We were the only two in the room together. I started to worry again. Questions started to swarm me. Where was Na-Na? Where was Jung Sang? Where was everyone else and why the hell does my face hurt so much?

When I tried to shift in my seat, I felt a slight sting in my cheek. “What…happened?” I asked, looking around the small dimly lit room, trying to gather my thoughts together. The last I remember, I was in Jung Sang’s arms. He was bleeding and injured. Kim Tae Woo had come to the rescue. We had escaped from the bastards. So what was I doing there?

“I knocked you out when we were in the car, remember?” baldy stated.

That wasn’t the answer that I wanted to hear. Truly, this guy had issues. “Huh? You did?”

“Yeah. How can you not remember? When you realized that you were being kidnapped, you attacked me. So that’s when I knocked you out.”

Then what was this idiot trying to tell me? That my little escape with Na-Na didn’t even happened at all? I was growing extremely confused at this point. I shook my head and said, “No. It doesn’t make any sense. We escaped from you. Then we ended up in some kind of ping-pong arena and Park Jung Sang was there.”

The man’s expression was lost. He scratched his baldhead. “Aish. I think you lost it. You never did get away from us. You’ve been unconscious all this time. Until now, of course.”

I was still shaking my head, refusing to believe any of it. I think I’ve been brainwashed. These guys must have done something to me. Clearly, all of this was made up. I couldn’t have been dreaming it all. Or could I?

“I knocked you unconscious because you bit my arm.” He brought out a mirror from out of nowhere. “Here, take a look at your face. Maybe you’ll remember.”

The reflection in the mirror belonged to some creature, not to pretty Lee Ji Won. Half of my face was swollen with redness that could only be described as ‘ugly’. My forehead was no different. The bruise was increasing to the size of a plum. This could possibly be the worst for me. How could I face anyone with a face such as this? I pouted and started to wail hysterically, refusing to believe that the heavens had finally decided to punish me with such ugliness.

“As for the bruising on the forehead. I wasn’t careful when I carried you out, so you kind of…hit against the car door…” he trailed off, unwilling to explain further than that.

That would explain the ‘running-into-the-wall’ bit. I dreamt it all. I imagined it all in my head. There was no Jung Sang or Yoon Tae or Tae Woo. There was no ping-pong arena and there was obviously not going to be any escape now. Feeling helpless, I cried.

Baldy quickly placed the mirror aside and shifted his chair closer, attempting to calm me down. “Look. It’s okay. It isn’t that bad. You want some ice?”

I blinked twice, wondering where in the hell he was actually going to find some ice, and then I cried some more because I knew that I was stuck with him. “Wahhhhhhhhhhhhh!”

The door was suddenly thrown opened and a mysterious figure appeared. I stopped my crying to stare at the figure. Judging from the silhouette, it was a girl’s figure. Na-Na?

No, she was too tall to be Na-Na. When she came closer, I saw the figure in the light. The unmistakable face belonged to Shin Hye Min.

Shin Hye Min?

I finally understood it all. Shin Hye Min had to be behind the plot of kidnapping. This was how it worked in the stories and movies. Most likely, this was going to happen in my life too. I could see it in the headlines now. Psychotic ex tries to force her former lover back by doing something extremely stupid.

“Yah! This isn’t a runway. Hurry your in there!” A figure from behind yelled, pushing Shin Hye Min inside.

So I was wrong with my assumptions. Can’t help it if Hye Min portrays herself as the antagonist. I guess I shouldn’t feel so bad now. Shin Hye Min is here with me---if that’s somehow kind of reassuring, which I’m guessing it won’t be.

The first few words that escaped from was, “Eww, look at your face.”

Did she have to remind me? Gosh.

She then pointed accusingly at me. “If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t be here you selfish b*tch.”

To my response, I said, “How is it my fault?”

“I followed you and that little brat, and they caught me.”

“Well who told you to follow me? My gosh. How stupid can you be?”

“You’re speaking of stupid? Who’s the idiot who decided to jump into some stranger’s car?”

Speaking of stupidity. She had a point. A very good one. Okay, so I admit. We all do stupid things. That---was one of them, and probably the most stupid. “Well---who the hell knew they were kidnappers? I thought they were Tae Woo’s drivers!” I argued.

The two men exchanged glances at each other.

“Tae Woo doesn’t have a driver, you idiot!”

I realized that she only wanted to win the argument, not because she wanted to prove a point. I won’t let her win. “And how the hell was I supposed to know that, huh? Am I psychic?!”

“No. Just stupid.”

Ugh. I think I’m losing. “You know what? Perhaps you liked to shut your hole because of this moment we are in a very bad situation.”

Hye Min looked at the two men and strode over to sit next to me, mumbling, “I nearly forgot.”

So I win.

I muttered in a low tone. “Why were you following us?”

Hye Min looked at me as if my question caught her off guard. “I wanted to find out whether you knew where the guys were going to play.”

I kept my gaze on the two men in front of us. Baldy asked his friend. “Yah! Where’s the little one?”

They were speaking of Na-Na. They had to be. The other man spun around and said, “Sh*t. She was just holding my hand a second ago.”

“And why the hell was she holding onto your hand? I thought her wrists were tied?” Baldy questioned his accomplice.

“Well, she had to pee, so I had to untie her. The way she asked me. It was too cute so I gave in.”

“Why didn’t you just pull down her pants for her, you er!”

“That’s erted!”

Baldy slapped the other man on the forehead. “It’s not erted if you don’t look, you stupid moron!”

It was our turn to exchanged glances. I nudged at Hye Min to get her to untie my wrists. She complied immediately. She was actually listening. Perhaps she wasn’t all that bad?

“Sh*t. I broke a nail,” she hissed.

I sure do hope Na-Na was running to the cops at this moment. She was the only one who could save us now.

“Go find her now!” Baldy commanded.

The other guy inclined his head and left through the doorway. Meanwhile, Shin Hye Min just finished untying my bindings. I stood up in defiance, prepared to do something to Baldy.

Baldy turned to us and a chair struck him in the face, causing him to stagger back a few steps before falling on his behind.

That was Hye Min's doing.

We both ran out the doorway and I felt Hye Min holding onto my arm as if she thought I would protect her. The place was dark. We were in some kind of abandoned warehouse. Hye Min kept crying and mumbling to herself while I was trying to be careful not to hurt myself in the dark.

We heard baldy shouting after us. “Come back! Get back here. You’ll pay for this!!”

I looked over my shoulder to see whether he was following us and the moment I turned back, I ran into something. It wasn’t the wall. It was a body. A guy’s body. He encircled his arms around me, and I struggled against him.

“Jung Sang!” I heard Hye Min called out.

Jung Sang?

Next thing I knew, Hye Min had shoved me aside and threw herself at Jung Sang.

Park Jung Sang stood there glaring at me from under his brows as he allowed Hye Min to cling onto him. “Jungie oppa. I’m scared. I’m very scared.”

Jungie oppa? She had a nickname for him? That just proved me to me how close the two had been. I was angry to be honest. One moment we were helping each other and in the next, she was pushing me away from Jung Sang. But then again, she knew him longer than I had. The least I could do was give them their time.

A hand touched my shoulder and I turned enough to see that Yoon Tae was standing there looking from me to Jung Sang and then Hye Min. “You okay? You don’t look okay.”

I nodded, feeling a mixed of emotions. I couldn’t figure whether I was angry or upset to see the two of them together, locked in an embrace.

Na-Na came up from behind Yoon Tae and smiled up at me, taking holding my hand. “I did it, Ji Won. I got away from them and used your phone to call Jung Sang.”

I patted her head and drew her against me. “I’m glad. You’re such a smart girl, Na-Na.”

She held me tightly against her. “I know how you’re feeling right now, Ji Won. Don’t worry. Let her have her moment. It’ll be over soon.”

“YAH! You’re all gonna die!!” a voice rang out.

We all turned to see baldy standing there with blood running down his nose. Shin Hye Min had good aim; I had to give her some credit for that.

I turned to see that Jung Sang had broke away from Hye Min and stood there with a murderous glare at baldy. Jung Sang looked plain cool wearing a hoodie with a black leather jacket over it. His black jeans, looking a little too baggy made him appear as if he belonged to some gang. He had some black cloth wrapped around his palms. I reckoned Yoon Tae made him wear the clothes because he was dressed no differently. Except Yoon Tae looked a bit more gothic, wearing a leather dog collar around his neck and---eyeliner?

“Was it you?!” Jung Sang asked the man.

For a moment, baldy looked quite shaken. “Yes.”

Park Jung Sang lifted his chin up when he said, “You’ll die today.”

I felt the chill from his words because I knew he meant it. It’s always wrong to piss off PingPongBoy.

“You’re apart of Big Nose’s men, aren’t you?” Jung Sang asked. “He ordered you to kidnap my niece and my girlfriend to try to distract me while I’m playing so that I would lose, correct?”

I almost smiled when he mentioned ‘my girlfriend’.

Baldy nodded. “I was just doing as I was told.”

Jung Sang pointed at me. “But her face. Look at her face. It doesn’t suit her. Lee Ji Won isn’t meant to look ugly.”

I didn’t know whether to take that as a compliment or an insult. I don’t think I’ll ever get used to Jung Sang’s blunt words. I reached for Yoon Tae’s arm. “I can’t bare to watch what’s gonna happen next.”

Yoon Tae placed an arm around my shoulder and held me close to him. “Don’t worry. This is it. This will be the last of it. We won, Ji Won. We kicked their sorry asses. We won the match.”

“What do you mean? I thought you were playing against each other?”

“Nah, we’re teammates.”

Just like I dreamt. They were on the same side. “But I thought---"

He cut me off. “I’ll explain later.”

Jung Sang was approaching baldy now with slow steps. “Yoon Tae. Bring them out. Make sure they get home safely.”

Yoon Tae took hold of Na-Na’s arm and then forced me along with him. Hye Min tagged along after us. I pried myself away from Yoon Tae’s grip. Spinning around I shouted, “YAH, PARK JUNG SANG YOU BASTARD. WHAT MAKES YOU THINK I’D LEAVE YOU HERE ALONE, HUH?!!”

His response to me was, “If you want to make it harder on me, then you’re free to stay!”

“If you get hurt, who’s gonna help carry you home?” I asked, feeling my eyes burning.

“That’s where your wrong, Ji Won. I don’t get hurt.”

Then he attacked Baldy before I could say anything more.

“Ji Won. I’ll see you at home,” Yoon Tae called to me.

I turned and inclined my head.

Hye Min looked at us both and then flickered her gaze over to Jung Sang. “You’re crazy for staying, Ji Won. I’m going home.”

My loyalty lies with my boyfriend, you selfish b*tch! I wanted to shout in response.

I watched them go before turning my attention back to Jung Sang and Baldy. It was over before I knew it. Baldy was sprawled on his back, with his face looking worst than mine because his two front teeth were missing.

Jung Sang kept a foot on the fallen man’s chest. “Tell your boss. Winning isn’t a victory. Victory comes from,” he tapped his temple, “here." And then he touched his to where his heart was, "and here."

With that, he strode toward me with his expression unfazed. Holding out his arm, he said, “Let’s get you home.”

I placed my hand in his while we strode out together.

---

I was sitting inside Jung Sang’s apartment, letting him tend to my face.

“Ow. Ow. Ow!!” I wailed, flinching when Jung Sang dab at my face with a cotton ball. He was applying some kind of cold ointment with the cotton ball and he was doing a poor job at it too. I should have guess that he didn’t know how to be gentle.

I stole a glance at his passive face. He remained expressionless ever since we left the warehouse. I wondered what kept him so quiet. Before we start the blaming game, I was going to speak for myself first. “Jung Sang. I’m sorry. It’s my fault. I got into that car and Na-Na—"

He cut me off. “I know.”

“You do?”

He placed the cotton ball away and used his fingers to gently probe the side of my face. I expected to flinch, but he was gentler than I thought. “I know about your situation with Kim Tae Woo.”

His fingers felt like cool silk, teasing against my skin. “Did Na-Na tell you everything?”

“She always tells me everything.” Once he was done, he stared at my face and said, “Why didn’t you tell me that he was doing this?”

The expression broke my heart. He thought I didn’t trust him enough to tell him.

“I didn’t know how. I mean with the match---"

“He shouldn’t have done that.”

“I don’t understand, Jung Sang. I don’t understand a person like Kim Tae Woo.”

Jung Sang leaned back against the loveseat and squeezed the bridge of his nose. “What is there to understand? No girl will ever come to understand a guy like Tae Woo.” He swallowed back before he said, “He’s hurting.”

“What do you mean, he’s hurting?”

“His parents just recently got a divorce. His mother is leaving him and his father for another man. He’s the only child. Growing up, his parents gave him everything he ever wanted, but they never did give him any proper loving. They were never there for him. Many times, his parents never bother to pick him up after school, and they seldom show up for the special events at school. That’s why he behaves the way he does. He adores attention because he doesn’t receive any at home.” Jung Sang reached out to entwine his fingers with mine. “If I ask you to go to him. Would you do that for me, Ji Won?”

I wanted to protest when Jung Sang said, “Just do this once for him, Ji Won. He needs you.”

I couldn’t understand Jung Sang’s intention. His own best friend nearly betrayed him and this was how he was going to repay him? “But I’m your girlfriend. You’re gonna let your girlfriend go to another guy? What’s wrong with you?!”

He shut his eyes and leaned his head back. I was left to stare at his handsome profile. “I’m only doing this because I trust you, not because I’m trying to push you away. So go now.”

“No!”

He opened his eyes and gave me dead serious expression. “Don’t make me raise my voice at you. Go!”

I shook my head in refusal.

Jung Sang grabbed my wrists and forced me off the loveseat, dragging me to his door. “If you don’t go, I’ll drag you out!”

I tried to fight against him through my blurred vision of tears. “Please, Jung Sang. Don’t make me do this. I want to be here with you. Please!” I begged.

He paused to think about something and then he opened the door and pushed me out. I turned, only to have him slam the door in my face. Beating the door with my balled fists, I shouted to him. “Yah! If you do this to me, I’ll leave. I won’t come back to you. I won’t see your face again, Jung Sang. Don’t do this!!”

There was no response at the other end.

“Jung Sang? Answer me, dammit!!” I cried louder. “You bastard. Open the door. Is this your way of trying to get rid of me?!”

I pounded on the door until I tired myself out. Sliding against the door, I sat down, hugging my knees together. Teary-eyed and exhausted, I mumbled to myself. “How can I go to someone I don’t like? Do you think it’s that easy? You can’t force me to do something I don’t want to, Jung Sang. Why are you so persistent in getting me to go to Kim Tae Woo? That guy isn’t God. He’s just a regular average everyday guy with a pretty face that’s probably hurting like everyone else. It doesn’t make him special, Jung Sang. Y’hear me?! It doesn’t make him special!!”

The next thing I knew, the door opened swiftly, causing me to fall back against the floor, and leaving me to stare up at Jung Sang’s smiling face. “I’m sorry I doubted you, Ji Won. I’m glad you didn’t choose Tae Woo over me.”

He squatted down and helped me to sit up. “Stop crying. You look even worst than you do.”

My hand automatically shot out to slap him hard against the face. “You in’ bastard. That was a test, wasn’t it? You wanted to see whether or not I’d go running to Tae Woo.”

He touched his bottom lip and winced his face in pain and shook his head. “I’m sorry.”

“Sorry? You just made me look like a fool!”

He wanted to say something else, but I pushed him away so I could stand up to leave through the door. “Good in’ night!”

Jung Sang caught up to me and wrapped both his arms from behind, placing his chin on my shoulder. “Don’t leave yet. I’m sorry. I’ll make it up to you.”

I wiped at my eyes like a little child. “Why do you test me, Jung Sang? You should already know the answers.”

“If it makes you feel any better. I’ll stop from now on. No more tests.”

I didn’t know how to respond to that.

“I take it, that I’m forgiven?”

No answer.

He leaned his head back to look at my face. “I’ll kiss you if you don’t say anything.”

“That isn’t a threat Jung Sang. That is a reward.”

He smiled. “I know.”