Chp.43||END | Reminiscent of Lee Ji Won

You don’t look at him and think that he’s the best boyfriend I ever had. You look at Park Jung Sang and say that you’re just lucky to have him. After all we been through, I realized there would never be anyone else like him. He’s that special character in my story---the one that steals my heart, the one that makes me smile, cry and laugh, the one that feels way the same about me. As cheesy as it may sound, I wouldn’t be writing about him, if he wasn’t important.

Three days after that make up in the haunted elevator, I finally had the courage to confess to Jung Sang that it wasn’t my hand that he held onto in the dark. That very same day, he decided to sleep at his parent’s house and demanded that his father help search for another place for him. His mother on the other hand, demanded that her son live with them since Na-Na was returning to Seoul.

Ahn Na-Na.

We all met her up in the airport. The little brat Jin Hyung decided to tag along and he was the first to spot her when she showed up. I was surprised to see him running after her like he missed her more than I did. Na-Na was the same way.

“Lee Jin Hyung!” she shouted, running towards him when suddenly she tripped and fell over her feet.

I could feel my heart pumping with nervousness.

Jin Hyung rushed to her aid and helped her stand up. “You okay, Na-Na?”

Jung Sang and I exchanged curious glances. “You’re brat brother better not try to hit on my niece.”

“She’s not your niece, Jung Sang.”

“So what? She’s still my niece. Just tell your brother to watch it.”

The tone in his voice. He sounded quite serious. Like he was jealous rather than protective of Na-Na.

“Jin Hyung isn’t that type. He’s still a kid. He doesn’t know anything about love,” I argued, noticing that Jin Hyung was blowing on Na-Na’s scraped palms, proving me wrong.

Jung Sang was already hurrying towards them. “Yah! Let her go, kid!” he scoffed.

Jin Hyung dropped Na-Na’s hand and went rigid at Jung Sang’s tone, but Na-Na grabbed his hand back and held tighter, smiling sweetly at her uncle. “He was helping me, Jung Sang. You don’t need to be protective. We’re just friends.” She turned to smile at Jin Hyung who was blushing to the point that his cheeks were turning rosy.

I’m telling you. It was hard to look at him like that. I don’t know what was going on between the two but I reckon Jin Hyung had been a secret spy for Na-Na. I wouldn’t be surprised if she knew everything that went on. And if she knew, would she able to forgive us?

She looked past Jung Sang and landed her eyes on me. Her smile fell. I felt my heart collapsing too. She released Jin Hyung and ran towards me. I opened my arms to receive her in a tight embrace, feeling the tears soaking my cheeks. “Lee Ji Won. I miss you the most. I miss you more than I miss Park Jung Sang,” she mumbled through her tears.

I nodded my hand and her back affectionately. “I miss you too, Na-Na. How have you been?”

“I’ve been good. What about you, Ji Won?”

“I’ve been good. It could have been better if you were here.”

“But you have Jung Sang. I had no one when I was there. No one understood how I felt.” I knew it was hard for her to cope with her guardians. I drew my head back to look at her, wiped her tears away and placed a chaste kiss on her forehead. “It’s okay, sweety. I’m here now. You’re here now.”

This time it was her turn to wipe my tears and kissed me on the forehead. “I love you, Ji Won. I know what happened. You don’t need to tell me anything. Jin Hyung told me everything. I heard what happened with Jung Sang too. I know he wouldn’t want to talk about it, so we’ll keep that between us.”

The imaginary heavy brick that settled upon my chest earlier was slowly being lifted off. I pulled her to me once more and said, “I love you too.”

“Yah! What about me? Don’t I get a kiss?” Jung Sang questioned, standing two feet away, looking a bit jealous.

Na-Na craned her head and smiled. “From who?”

I felt my cheeks flustering. The kid sure knows how to make a person blush.

“You of course, you little brat. Ji Won’s kisses .”

Aigoo! That bastard! It wasn’t like we kissed everyday. Our kisses only happen once in a blue moon. And is it my fault that he was a better kisser than I am?

Na-Na ran to her uncle and he lifted her high in the air before planting a quick kiss on her lips. The way he showed his affection for her made my heart melt. I knew Jung Sang loves his niece and just seeing that side of him, made me want to run up to him and plant kisses all over his face.

---

Soon after we were back to Na-Na’s favorite place. The ice-cream parlor.

“Open your mouth, Jung Sang!” Na-Na said, placing the spoonful of ice cream near his mouth.

He made an irritated expression and wanted to argue when Na-Na quickly slipped the ice cream in, muffling out his words. “I got you, Jung Sang.”

My little brother Jin Hyung who was seated beside me, finished two sundaes and was working on his third one. He was too focused on eating that he neglected to realize that he was starting to resemble a pig. I couldn’t blame the kid. He doesn’t eat like this everyday. And not everyday, Jung Sang treats us to ice cream.

I leaned forward to kick Jung Sang’s knee from beneath the table. “Swallow, you dummy.”

His brows furrowed and spat the ice cream onto my face. “Who you calling a dummy?”

Feeling disgusted, I shrieked, “Yah!! Park Jung Sang!!”

“What?” he said, grabbing for a napkin to wipe his own mouth with it.

“ you!” I yelled again, feeling angry with him, adding another kick to his leg.

Jung Sang bit his lower lip to hide his pain and then said to his niece, “Excuse us for one moment, Na-Na.” With that, he slipped under the table, dragging me along with him as I let out another shriek.

“Noona, what’s going on?” I heard Jin Hyung ask from above us.

“Eat your ice cream!” Jung Sang answered, tapping from the bottom of table.

“Shut up. What are you doing to my noona?”

“I’ll twist that mouth of yours off if you don’t shut up and mind your own business!” Jung Sang retorted.

“B*tch,” I heard Jin Hyung mutter.

“Why that little---“

“You are a b*tch!” I cut him off.

Jung Sang shifted so that he could lock his legs around me as pulled me close. I could read it in his expression that he was trying his best not to laugh at me. “You look cute with ice cream all over your face,” he spoke softly.

I wanted to wipe it off when he stopped me and pulled out a napkin to do it for me. I kept staring, admiring his features when he said, “Stop staring. It’s rude.”

“I’m your girlfriend and your face happens to be sticking out in front me. What am I supposed to do, not look at it?”

“You make me uncomfortable when you do that,” he said, wiping my nose.

“Why would you be?”

He let out a small chuckle. “I’m not the best looking guy, Ji Won.”

“To me, you are,” I admitted.

He stopped and leaned in close enough that his face was a breath away. “Am I that special to you?” he asked, staring at my lips.

I smiled and then answered, “Yes.”

I could feel the kiss coming on.

However, I was so very wrong about that one.

He went back to wiping the rest of ice cream off my face. “If it means anything to you, I think about you more than I think about playing ping pong.”

I couldn’t help but laugh. It was supposed to be meaningful and believe me it was considering PingPongBoy was obsessed with ping-pong and I guess it was his way of telling me that he likes me. “You got the strangest lines, Jung Sang. They’re not romantic.”

He finally placed the napkin aside and reached out to tuck a tendril of hair behind my ear. “I told you I’m not romantic.”

I looked around and said, “Yes, that explains why we’re under the table.”

He smirked. “I pulled you down here to punish you for calling me a dummy and kicking me. What did you think I was going to do?”

“I don’t know. You tell me.”

“We’re done,” he said, moving away from me when I reached out to stop him. “Don’t go up yet, Jung Sang. I like it down here.”

Aigoo. That came out very wrong.

He raised a curious brow. “You being naughty, Ji Won?”

“No. Of course not. It’s just---“ I really didn’t know what the hell I was thinking. “Forget it,” I finished, moving away when I felt his grip on my arm, pulling me back and planting a quick kiss on my lips.

He smiled. “That was your punishment.” And then he settled back into his seat again.

I wanted to scream in excitement, but my heart was fluttering like crazy and my legs were too numb to move. Gosh, sometimes I just hate him.

The only thing that snapped me out of it was the ‘oohing’ sounds that came from Na-Na and Jin Hyung.


---



“Oppa! Hwaiting!! Oppa, hwaiting!”

“Oppa. Aja! Aja Hwaiting!!”

I made a face and gave a sidelong glance at the hyper girl beside me who was jumping up and down, cheering on her boyfriend who looked like he could strangle her any second.

Standing next to him was Park Jung Sang who was actually coaching him on the game. Kim Tae Woo and Lee Yoon Tae were also there doing their stretches while the girls sitting close to me screamed and shouted at how cute they were. Yoon Tae seems to be teasing them by lifting his shirt up to wipe at his face while Tae Woo was rolling up his sleeves to show off his arms.

“Kim Tae Woo! Lee Yoon Tae! You hot bastards!!” some of the chanted in unision.

I could gag at this point.

“Yah! You crazy b*tch. Sit your down before I knock you down!” some girl shouted from behind us to the loudmouth beside me.

She stopped and spun around to glare at the group of girls behind her. “Who just said that? Who the just said that, huh?”

The person to stand up was a tall skinny looking thing with a pretty attractive face. She looked oddly familiar. I’ve seen her around somewhere, I was certain of it. I noticed the girl seated next to her. Shin Hye Min also came along. She however was smirking the whole time. It was as if she was pushing for them to fight.

Then I remembered. The tall skinny girl had to be Hye Min’s cousin. She was another popular ‘prettyface’. Although, I think I forgot her name. It was something along the lines of ‘Jo Jo’. The only thing that stood out in my mind was how unusually large her eyes were. Yeah, she got her eyes done and I think she wears a wig because she didn’t like her boyish haircut.

“I did, you b*tch. What are you goin’ to do about it?” Alien eyes replied bodly.

The girl beside me who was small in size with pretty hair glared at ‘Jo Jo’ and rolled up her shirt sleeves. “You wanna fight, b*tch? Come over here. I’ll gouge your alien eyes out from your sockets!”

I covered my mouth, growing nervous. What if the two were both psychos? But then again, this wasn’t my problem. I shifted over a seat. The next thing I knew, Shin Hye Min came to sit next to me. “That’s my cousin. But I’m guessing you already know that.”

I nodded. “Yes.”

She kept her gaze on the court, observing only Jung Sang. “He seems different.”

“He is,” I pointed out.

“Because of you, he changed.”

I didn’t know what she meant by that. I heard loud shrieking and turned to notice that the fight between alien eyes and loudmouth already started. Loudmouth had yanked off Jo Jo’s red long wig. “Eww, you’re ugly!” Loudmouth yelled, slapping her opponent.

I tried to ignore them and turned back to say to Hye Min. “No, he changed because of you, Hye Min. And he’s what he is now because of me.”

“You seem pretty confident that this relationship is going to last,” she said, giving me a derisive snort.

“We both held out for this long. Perhaps I held even longer than you did with him,” I said, intending to prove my point and piss her off at the same time.

She released a soft chuckle. “You’re good. I’m actually really hurting right now.” She held her head low, her chuckle ceased into a sniffle instead. “I regret everything I did. If I could take back what I did, I would. But it’s too late for that. You win, Ji Won. You got Park Jung Sang.”

I don’t know what gave her the idea that I was playing a game with her in the first place. “It isn’t about going against each other. What gave you that idea?” I questioned.

“Because you hate me.”

“Who says I hated you? You started with me first.”

She quickly wiped her eyes and retorted, “You stole my picture and pretended to be me!”

“I saved your picture and I used it to be me. It’s not called stealing---more like borrowing! And besides you should be flattered. You’re lucky I didn’t post my real picture, otherwise I’d be acting and singing right now!”

I still heard shrieking in the background. Alien Eyes and Loudmouth were still going at it, tussling with each other on the floor while the guys started to surround them too.

“You’re insulting me, Ji Won!” Hye Min accused.

“I can’t help it. You’re making me angry,” I retorted.

She raised her hand. “Wanna die?”

I raised my fist. “Do you?”

She smiled evilly. “You wouldn’t dare to hit me.”

“Only if you do it first.”

“Chicken sh*t!” she spat out.

And then WHAM! I struck Shin Hye Min square in the face, forcing her off her seat.

Park Jung Sang quickly came to my side, looking from me to Hye Min. “Ji Won. What the hell is your problem?” he questioned, going over to help Hye Min up.

She pulled away from Jung Sang and started to laugh and cry at the same time. “I didn’t think you’d do it, Ji Won. I really didn’t think you’d do it.”

I unclenched my hands and said, “You provoked me. I did it.”

Jung Sang wanted to help Hye Min up again when she pulled away and shouted at him. “Don’t touch me like that, oppa. I don’t want to remember. I don’t want to do this anymore.” And then she fled like a tormented weeping dog.

Trying to conceal the hurt underneath my masked expression, I said to Jung Sang. “Nice of you to defend your own girlfriend.”

I was out of there in a flash. Hurt, angry and upset that Park Jung Sang decided to question me instead of Hye Min, I ran outside and plopped on the ground, cursing like a madwoman. “You’re so stupid, Ji Won. Why are you acting like a child? This is what you get for trying to defend yourself. You get told by your own boyfriend.”

I felt his hands lifting me up to stand. “You’re behaving like a spoiled child, Ji Won.” I tried to hold him down with my weight so that he would have no choice but to fight against me. “Stand up. Stop leaning your weight against me.”

“No.”

“Ji Won,” he warned.

“No!”

“I’ll drop you!”

I stood up and spun around on him. “What right did do you have to get angry at me?”

He gave me an almost innocent blank look. “I’m angry?”

“Are you?”

“No.”

“Then why did you help Hye Min?”

“She was on the floor. What was I to do, not help her?”

“Since when did you become a gentlemen?”

“Since I dated you,” he retorted. “What’s wrong with you?”

“Don’t ask me that. I hate when you ask me what’s wrong. There’s nothing wrong, okay? I was just going through one of those ‘moments’ where I felt jealous, okay? I was just being your girlfriend, that’s all!” I exploded.

“I’m sorry. If that’s what you wanted to hear. I’m sorry for questioning you.” With that, he was gone, leaving me all alone.

---

Fights. They were bound to happen one way or another. Every couple fights. Some more than others. If they didn’t, they wouldn’t be considered a couple. It’s the moment of making it up that makes up for the fights.

With Park Jung Sang, things were different. If he had to make a point, he would say it and get it over with. Then it would be left to me to run to him next. He was done with what he wanted to say and I was too damn stubborn to run back to him and apologize on my part even when I knew that it was partially my fault. Sometimes, I hate being in a relationship. Times like these, made me miss the ‘being single’ part.

That evening I received a call from Kim Soo Jin and ended telling her the details of my fight. “Yah! Lee Ji Won-ah. Why are you so damn stubborn? Your story needs to end somehow. Why can’t you two kiss and make up?”

“What do you mean, my story needs to end?”

“Idiot. Don’t you know there’s always a happy ending to everyone’s story? Like mine for example. My story ended the moment Lee Ji Hoon asked me out on a date. Where’s your ending, huh? Choose one. It’s been almost a year already and you’re still doodling about with this PingPongBoy of yours.”

She was right. There had to be some kind of closure between us. What was there left for us? We’ve already been through issues as a couple and Na-Na had returned to us. What was there left to do?

To be honest, the only thing left is…

“I haven’t told him I love him yet? Maybe that’s why he’s been so cranky lately?” I said to Soo Jin.

“OH MY GOD!” Soo Jin said in English, which sounded terrible. “What’s wrong with you? You haven’t told him that you love him? What kind of idiot are you? Why didn’t you tell me this earlier?”

“Yeah, and what are you going to do about it?”

“I would have placed a love spell on the both of you.”

“Is that what you did to Lee Ji Hoon?”

“What? No. Geez, he fell for my personality, alright? I told you, he’s into chubby girls.”

“Yeah, I guess.”

“Well. When you see him, tell him. It’s not hard if you love the guy.”

“Okay. I will. I’ll tell him.”


---


Park Jung Sang was laughing at me, or rather he was laughing at what I was wearing.

“Yah! Ji Won. I asked you to come out tonight to see me, I didn’t ask you out on a date.”

I was wearing a nice cream skirt with heels on and an off the shoulder white top that made me feel quite uncomfortable. I’ve never dressed up this much before because I was that confident that if I wore anything, it would still look good on me. My hair was curled and I had make up on. I bet he thought I looked like a clown.

Park Jung Sang on the other was wearing a navy blue hoodie along with a pair of jeans and a gray beanie on his head. He looked like he was walking a dog---except there was no dog around.

“Don’t laugh,” I snickered.

“You look pretty. If that’s what you wanted to hear.”

“Can you not do that?”

“What?”

“Say ‘If that’s what you wanted to hear’.”

“I’m sure that what you wanted to hear considering you’re dress like that.”

“You say it like you don’t want to say it.”

“I say because I know that’s what you want.”

“Can we not start again?”

“Can we stop?”

“Yes. Stop.”

“Agreed.”

It was all about compromising. We all need to compromise somehow.

He approached me and held out his hand. “Give me your hand, Miss Barbie.”

“I’m not a Barbie, Mr. Horsey.”

He inclined his head and corrected himself. “KoreanPrincess.”

I gave him my hand and smiled. “Okay, PingPongBoy. Where are we going?”

“Close your eyes first.”

I shut my eyes and listened intently as he guided me forward. “Do you trust me, Ji Won?”

“Yes.”

“If you trust me, never doubt me.”

“Okay.”

---

Half and hour later when he told me to open my eyes, I was greeted by the candle lights that surrounded the ping pong table inside Jung Sang’s old apartment. In the center of the table was a large pink ping-pong paddle shaped cake. It didn’t say ‘Happy Birthday’; instead it read ‘Sarang Hae Yo’.

I smiled happily as I looked at Jung Sang who went on the other side of the table. “It’s for the both of us. And the fact that I lost your cake the other time,” he exclaimed, followed by boyish smile.

“Let’s make a wish and blow out the candles together.”

I closed my eyes and concentrated. My wish. My wish was that I didn’t want the night to end. I wanted to spend the rest of the night with Park Jung Sang by my side. That was all that mattered.

When I opened my eyes, I found his pair of eyes staring back at me. “You ready? On the count of three. One…two…three.”

We both blew out the candles and watch it go out in that single blow.

I clapped excitedly like I usually would if I was celebrating my own birthday. “Oppa! Aja!”

Jung Sang smiled widely and said, “Don’t call me that.”

I stuck my tongue at him.

Next thing you know, Jung Sang grabbed a chunk of cake and threw it into my face. “Have some, it’s good.”

I did the same, throwing at his face, but he easily dodged it. I reached for another chunk and started to chase him around the table. “Yah! Don’t run you dummy!”

“If you can catch me, I’ll surrender.”

Knowing I was no match against him, I gave up and said, “I won’t catch you. There’s no point. I think I twisted my ankle.”

He came around to help me and that’s when I stuffed the cake into his face. “You fool!”

He grabbed both my arms and pinned me against the floor, leaving me no choice but to stare into his handsome face. I would have yield to him then. “Jung Sang. Let go.”

“Why should I? I have you right where I wanted you.”

I blushed, thinking that it was the perfect time to tell him. “Jung Sang?”

“Yes?” he asked, my hair back.

“I want to tell you that---“

“You love me.”

“Wait---how did you---“

“You don’t have to. I already know.”

He leaned in towards me and I prepared myself for the kiss when we heard someone shouting, “Yah! What the heck are you two still doing here? Jung Sang, I thought you were never coming back?” A lady with hair rollers in her head chided us.

Jung Sang helped me to stand and looked at the cake and then to the lady. “Sorry, Ajummah. We’ll go.”

“Go. But leave the cake here.”

“But it’s our cake!” he argued.

“I own this place!”

“I bought the cake, ajummah!”

“I don’t care. You didn’t pay last’s month rent. So you still owe me. Where did you get the money to afford a cake?”

“Greedy, ajummah!” he retorted as he dragged me out of the apartment and added on his way out, “You hair is ugly ajummah! You have no hair, what’s the point of using the rollers?”

When we were out of there, I couldn’t help but laugh. “You’re not creative, Jung Sang. Why did you bring me back there?”

“I couldn’t think of any other place.”

Yeah, he’s not really original nor is he creative so that ruined it for us. That and the fact that he humiliated the woman back there.

People on the streets eyed us strangely as we walked past them.

“We both still have cake on our face, do you realize that?”

“Let them think whatever. I don’t care anymore.”

One guy with itty bitty eyes laughed and pointed at our direction. Jung Sang decided to approach him, grabbing his shirt collar. “What you laughin’ at Mr. Rice eyes?”

I thought he didn’t care what they thought.

The guy cowered and struggled against him. “I’m sorry.”

Jung Sang shoved him and said, “That’s right. You should be sorry.”

He came back to me and placed a possessive hand around my shoulder. “I’m sorry about the cake. I tried.”

“It tastes good.”

“Does it?”

I nodded.

He turned me to face him. “How good?”

“It’s strawberry flavored.”

He was still staring at my face and I was starting to feel uncomfortable. “Good,” he agreed. “Now let me try.” He drew me around the waist and kissed me full on the mouth. I didn’t have to time to react. It was a complete surprise. Once again, I was entirely succumbed to his kiss.

Gosh damn PingPongBoy and his kisses!

---

I wanted a happy ending and decided to end my story where we shared that wonderful kiss. It was perfect in spite of the imperfectness of the atmosphere and the situation we were in.

I, Lee Ji Won don’t believe in sad endings. Like Kim Soo Jin had told me, you just have to choose the right moment to end it. For every sad story there is a happy ending. For every happy ending, there is a better happy ending. No tragedy should end a tragedy. That is what I like to believe.

This is it people. This is the end of my so-called love story with my boyfriend also known as My PingPongBoy also known as Park Jung Sang.

I didn’t write this story because I wanted to create another comical cliché story about high school love. I wrote this because I wanted to show you the character that created my story. The character that made it a story. And that my friends, is Park Jung Sang.

If you’re curious in what happened to the other characters in my story. I’ll give you and update.

Ahn Na-Na returned back to school and ended up being in Lee Jin Hyung’s class. She had skipped to his level and Jin Hyung was angry at first but he was glad that Na-Na was there to help stop the bullies that bullied him constantly at school.

Lee Yoon Tae finally graduated and went back to Pusan and became a celebrity. His popularity soared ever since that ‘uhlljang contest’. He says he had to go back to meet some girl whom he fell in love with over the internet. He also had a showdown with Park Jung Sang and of course, Jung Sang kicked his and made him change his mind about ping-pong. Eventually, he says he was never made for it.

Kim Tae Woo went to study overseas. He still keeps in contact with Jung Sang and myself. He says he’s dating a Korean American over there. She keeps calling him a ‘FOB’ and he doesn’t understand what that is. He said he didn’t mind, as long as she said it to him only. He plans to visit in the summer too and wants to bring her along.

Shin Hye Min moved on to another man. She was dating some famous singer and they met because she was his back-up dancer. She tries to act like it’s a secret; meanwhile the paparazzi are following their every move. She writes to me once in a while. Only when she feels like bragging. Last I heard, she’s two months pregnant.

Kim Soo Jin has improved as an actress. Her goal was to always act. I went to watch a few of her plays that she participated in and I was quite impressed. I never knew Soo Jin could be so good at crying. Her boyfriend Lee Ji Hoon is still dating her. He’s such a sweet guy. Every time I’m around him, I can’t help but flirt.

As for myself, I started to write when I came across a site where other girls were sharing their tales about how horrible their boyfriends were. When I started to tell them my story, they said I was making the whole thing up. Then one of them suggested that I should make into a story. So here I am right now, finishing off the conclusion so others could relate and understand that they’re not the only ones out there with a strange boyfriend.

But I wouldn’t exactly call Park Jung Sang a strange boyfriend. More like unique and different. So different that only Lee Ji Won could love.




 

The End