Chp.38| Smiley Face on PingPongBoy

I’ve always wondered.Why do things turn out a certain way when you least expect it to? Do things happen for a reason? Is the grass really green and the sky really blue? Can pigs fly if you give them wings?

Okay so that was random---but you can’t blame me. I’ve had a little too much to drink.

The real question is, do ex-boyfriends really come back and asks you questions like this one...

“So what now? Are you going to ask me out?”

I couldn’t seem to answer because it didn’t process well. Only because I felt the need to decipher it. Truly, there had to be a meaning behind that.

Let’s get something straight here. I didn’t go to the subway expecting to meet the stranger again. I went there, intending to take the train home and if the stranger happens to show up, he could help me ditch the watchdog also known as Jung Sang’s best friend whose name is Tae Woo. However, nothing of that sort happened, as you can already tell.

The stranger turns out to be my ex-boyfriend. To see him standing in front of me makes me think that the world is too damn crowded. It's a small ing world---that's what it is. Excuse my bad language.

Was I happy to see him? It was borderline yes and no. Apart of me wanted to lash out and rip that jacket from him and accuse him for stealing the stranger’s jacket even if he was the actual stranger. The other part wanted to just smile happily and throw my arms around him and then when he least expects it---strangle the life out of him.

I’m sure you’re all wondering what my response to that question was.

Some say laughing was better than crying, so I laughed in his face just to prove that I was unfazed by it all. “Hahahaha! Ask you out?” I pointed and then repeated, “Ask you out?”

His brows creased together, forming a frown on his face. “You’re laughing at me. I asked you a question.”

Kim Tae Woo looked at his friend and then turn to look at me, intending to say something when I told him, “Shut up, Tae Woo.”

Jung Sang took a step forward. “C’mon. I’ll walk you home.”

My gosh. The nerve of this guy. How could he act like there was nothing wrong? It was obvious that something was wrong. Hello? Half drunk here!

I stopped laughing to look at him, blinking twice. “Walk me home? Ahahahaha!!” Another burst of laughter before I turned to Tae Woo. “That idiot wants to walk me home! As if I'm a dog! Do you hear that Tae Woo? Maybe he should be walking you home, since you're his watchdog. Ahahahaha!”

Tae Woo turned to his friend. “She had a little to drink, so she’s a little tipsy.” And then he touched his temple, adding, “And a little out of it.”

“Yeah, and so are you,” Jung Sang pointed out.

Tae Woo blinked twice and grinned sheepishly like a child who refuses to look guilty. “I don’t get drunk.”

“I didn’t say you were drunk,” Jung Sang countered in return. “You can go now.”

Tae Woo hesitated. “You sure…you’ll be okay?”

I folded my arms together impatiently and sat back down on the bench. However, it wasn’t the bench that I sat on. I missed entirely, only to end up falling on my bum.

Tae Woo burst out laughing and some of the injured guys joined him.

I sent him a cold glare and he stopped.

Jung Sang had already rushed to my aid. He held out his hand to me. “Here, let me help you.”

I brushed his hand away and attempted to get up, but the heels I had on caused me to slip again. This time I felt his arm go around my waist to prevent me from falling all the way. I stared up at him, you know like in the movies, fascinated by action and captivated by his handsomeness. My heart even skipped a beat. How lovely!

That was sarcasm.

“Ji Won…” he said softly.

He had a way with his tone of voice. I hated when he spoke softly. “Huh?”

“You ripped your skirt.”

---


I sat across from him inside the train with his jacket wrapped around my waist, feeling self-conscious about myself. There were only two other passengers with us. One was a drunk guy who had passed out lord knows when. His head was slumped forward, and he was drooling all over his shoes. The other was an elderly woman carrying a cane and wearing dark shades to cover her eyes. She kept mumbling crazily to herself. Something about wanting people to leave her alone.

The truth is, the freaks only come out at night.

Park Jung Sang sat back against his seat with one leg propped on the seat. He was wearing a white muscle shirt that read ‘I love Ping-pong’ and beneath the letters was a smiley face. His dark blue jeans looked a little baggy on him but they made him look cute.

We were literally staring at each other. I wanted to see whether he’d look away first, but Jung Sang didn’t even blink. He was good---that smart .

“Your shirt !” I told him. “It makes you look like a retard!”

He blinked, flinched and wrinkled his nose.

Woo Hoo! I did it. "Ha ha, you flinched and blinked!"

He looked to drooly beside him and said, "The bastard farted." He squeezed his nose and moved a seat over.

"It's not him," the old lady seated closer to him said.

Jung Sang slid back to drooly.

I laughed at him.

"Don't laugh," he scolded.

"It's the shirt," I lied.

“You wouldn’t have to look at it if you didn’t steal my jacket!” he retorted defensively.

“I didn’t steal it. You took it off for me!”

He made an irritated expression and then tugged on his ear. “Aish! Why are you yelling?”

“Because…” I lowered my tone. “Because I can barely hear myself speaking anymore.”

“You’re just drunk,” he said.

“No,” I said in denial.

He raised his hands, waving them back and forth slowly. “How many fingers am I holding up?”

“Ten!”

“Wrong.”

“Stupid . I just saw you hold up ten fingers!!” I argued.

“I held up eight fingers and two thumbs.”

Before I could open my mouth to argue, he added, “Stupid .”

“Thumbs are included!”

“No, they aren’t.”

I felt myself jutting out my chin, challenging him. “How do you know, huh?”

“You probably wouldn’t know even if you were sober.”

Again, before I could retort anything, he cut me off and said, “Stupid .”

“Dumb !”

He snorted and muttered, “Drunk Barbie.”

I bit on my lip, trying to think of something good. “That shirt makes you look gay.”

“What?”

“You’re a sore gay loser!!”

He stood up abruptly, gesturing his hand for me to hand something over. “Fine, hand over my jacket then.”

I laughed, sensing his embarrassment. Oh, this was interesting. “No.”

“Do you want me to take it from you?”

“You care, huh?” I teased.

I glanced away and he tightened his jaw. “I don’t,” he muttered.

“Then why do you care what I say?”

He lowered his eyes and said quietly. “Why wouldn’t I care?”

The amusement fell from my face. I looked to my feet also. “What are we doing, Jung Sang?”

I already knew the answer to that. I just wanted to hear what he had to say about it.

“I don’t know,” I heard him answer me.

I was afraid to look back at him.

“I’m sorry.”

I pried my eyes away to look at him again. He came to sit beside me and rested his elbows on his thighs, leaning forward. “I didn’t know what I was thinking when we broke up. I really didn't want to do it. The only thing that I was sure about was that it had to end for the sake of Na-Na. I had to make it believable for Na-Na that’s why I didn’t tell you.”

I could feel the bile rising from my throat at the thought of Na-Na. I missed everything about her. “How is she?”

“She left unhappy.”

I felt angry on behalf of the kid. “What makes you think breaking up with me will get her to leave?”

“She said she wouldn’t leave so long as we were together. She says she likes you too much. And that you’re the coolest babysitter she ever had. She threatened to runaway if we force her to return to her family. I knew that if I told you to act along with me, you wouldn’t be able to do it. You wouldn’t be able to lie to her, so I did my part and spare you from having to lie to her and feel guilty about it after she left. You aren’t strong enough, Ji Won.”

I turned to him. “And you think you are?!”

He swallowed before he answered, “Unlike you, I’m used to the guilt.”

I looked away when I said, “I bet you didn’t even shed a tear when she left.”

“You’re wrong,” he said, rubbing at his face. “The hardest thing was watching her leave. It hurts.”

Perhaps I’ve misjudged Jung Sang. If he was capable of hurting, he was also capable of crying. Somehow the words he said to me the other night when I was drunk came into play.

“I agree. I bet he likes you a whole lot. I bet he’s hurting more than you are right now. I bet he even broke down and cried after you left him.”

The expression on my face softened as I allowed my hand to rest upon his shoulder. “I’m sorry.”

He sat up straight and glanced at me. “What is there to be sorry for? You’ve done nothing wrong. You have every right to get emotional. Admit it, you have the stupidest boyfriend.”

“Ex-boyfriend,” I corrected him. “And he’s not really stupid. Just unpredictable.”

He turned and smiled. “Right. Not entirely stupid.”

I returned the smile.

He just stared, as if he was searching for something. Then he slowly brought his hand to rest against the side of my cheek. “I didn’t leave the country. I was here along. I was hiding. I didn't know how to face you. I just left the school.”

“Why?”

His hand slipped away. “Transferring again. To a private school. All boys school. My parents think that I’d focused more on my studies rather than my girlfriend.”

Great. Now I was really not looking forward to going to school without Jung Sang. More or less, it was probably for the best.

We were both silently contemplating on what was on our mind at the moment.

Jung Sang was the first to speak again. “About the breakup promise. I think it’s time to end it.”

I looked at him puzzlingly. “What do you mean?”

He stretched his arms in the air and placed his right arm on the back of my seat. “Let’s just say I’m sick of watching those bastards hit on you. It’s time I take my girlfriend back.”

“What?”

He acted like it was okay to say it. “It wasn’t an official breakup. That's what the breakup promise is for. So yeah, let’s get back together. You kept the promise and so did I. Let’s get back together.”

“What? Just like that?”

He shifted in his seat, facing me fully. “Look, you might think me as your ex-boyfriend, but I’ve always kept you as my girlfriend even after our breakup. It didn't change.”

How was I to react to that? All I know was that it wasn’t going to be that easy. I mean c’mon, all that time I was drinking out of depression and having sleepless nights was because of Jung Sang and nobody else. It wasn’t going to be that simple nor will it be the same again.

So I said to him, “Earn it first.”

“What?”

“Earn it.”

“By doing what?”

“Be my slave.”

“What do you mean?”

“Do whatever I say.”

“You want control over me?”

“Yes.”

“For how long?”

“Until I think the time is right.”

He frowned. “You’re not gonna make me do something stupid, are you?”

I smiled. “That’s for me to say.”

“Fine.”

I tugged on my ear. “What was that?”

He repeated it louder this time. “Fine.”

I cleared my throat. “I’m sorry, fine for what?”

He bit hard on his lip and then blurted, “Fine, I’ll be your slave!!”

The lady got up and shouted. "The slaves! The slaves are here!!"

We both just looked at her.

She looked around and quieted down again.

I reached out to pat his head. “Good boy.”

He swiped my hand aside. "I'm not a dog."

"But you are my slave." I stretched my shoulders and said, “You know what. I really don’t feel like going home yet. I feel like singing and dancing!!”


---


Still wearing Jung Sang’s jacket around my waist, I danced around him inside the club and giggled happily to myself while he stood watching, refusing to join in. I grabbed his arm and shouted, “C’mon, dance for me, Jung Sang!”

A hint of a smile showed on his face. “I can’t.” He looked so cute when he said that.

I covered my mouth, pretending to be surprise. “What? You can’t dance?”

He shook his head. “I can’t.”

I leaned in and whispered into his ear. “Fine, I’ll just go find another guy who does.”

As I was walking away, I felt his grip locking around my arm, pulling me back to him. “I’ll dance."

"You will?"

He bobbed his head. "Wait here. I'll be back.”

Off he went, disappearing through the crowd like some brave artist who was about to put on a show.

The music that was currently playing suddenly stopped and changed into a slow ballad.

Suddenly reappearing, he bowed and held out his hand. “Have this dance with me.”

I willingly obliged and let him lead me first. He placed both his hands on the side of my waist as I settled my own hands on his shoulders. “I prefer to slow dance,” he leaned in to say.

I had nothing to say to that. Honestly, I didn’t because I was smiling like an idiot. His hand glided across my back and rested there. When we started to move, he said, “Tell me something, Ji Won. Did you miss me?”

I gazed up at him, finding myself growing lost in his eyes. “Yes.”

“Did you dream of me?”

“Why are you asking me these weird questions?”

“Because it’s our moment.”

“Our moment for what?”

“To be romantic.”

I nearly burst out laughing. This was what Jung Sang found to be romantic? “Inside a club? With all these people around us?” I asked.

“Can we leave then?”

“Why? I say when we leave. You're forgetting your place, Jung Sang.”

“Because I want to leave.”

“Yah! Who’s the master here?”

“You are.”

“Good.”

He was quiet for a moment before he started again. “I want to leave.”

“What? What’s wrong with you?”

He lowered his eyes and said, “The longer I stare at you, the more…I want to kiss you.”

He behaved like a child who was in need for some affection. A really cute one.

I forced my smile back. “Then don’t look at me.”

“You’ll get mad at me for not looking at you because you’ll think that I’m looking at other girls.”

“What? Who told you that?”

"I just know."

“I don’t care. I want us to end this dance first.”

“You don’t care if I look at other girls?”

“No,” I lied. In fact I did care. I was more bothered by the fact that he was destroying the romantic moment that he claimed we have.

“But I care.”

I finally pulled away from him, growing frustrated. “Why?”

“Because if I’m not looking at you, you’ll look at other guys.”

“Ugh!!”


---


I end up dragging him out of the club. “You’re acting like a child.”

He smiled sheepishly. “No, I’m behaving like a slave.” He looked at my grip around his wrist. “As you can see, you’re the boss.”

I released him. “You’re a bad slave.”

“Why?”

“Because you whine too much.”

“Then un-slave me.”

“No.”

“I guess I’m still a bad slave then.”

“I could strangle you.”

He tried to hide the amusement on his face as he turned away. “Alright. I’ll behave.”

What about the kiss, you stupid ! I wanted to shout out.

As if reading my mind, he turned back and asked, “Can I kiss you now?”

“Why should you ask me?”

He bowed. “Because I need my master’s permission first.”

“Your master grants you the right to kiss.”

He took a step closer.

I quickly lowered my gaze, feeling my tummy doing flip flops and my cheeks heating up.

Thunder started to roar over us, forcing me to jump into his arms.

Jung Sang held me close. Seriously, it felt good being in the comfort of his arms again. “Looks like it’s gonna rain. We should get home.”

But what about the kiss?!

“We should,” I agreed reluctantly.

“Take off my jacket first,” he ordered.

I didn’t ask him what he was going to do with it. I removed the jacket from my waist, having to see the tear in my shirt that had ripped up to mid-thigh, exposing my leg. He took it from me and placed it around my shoulder. “There, it’ll keep you warm this way. Who cares about that tear in the skirt. Let’s hurry.”

We started to walk when the rain came showering down on us.

Jung Sang was holding my hand and rushing ahead of me when he stopped suddenly and turned around with a smirk on his face. “On second thought. Let’s not rush home.”

“Huh?”

He came closer to me and said, “I’ve always wanted to do something.”

“What is that?”

“This,” he said, before leaning in and kissing me full on the mouth. My hand glided to his back as I eagerly return the kiss.

There you have it folks, a kiss in the rain with Park Jung Sang. And it was the best kiss I ever had.