After a terribly long day at school, Alex began to pack her back with the things she needed to study and catch up on.

 

"Do you need me to walk you home?" LJoe asked as she made her way to the doors. Turning around, she presented a smile. "No. That's okay. Thanks though." LJoe smiled too

"Tell your mother I said hi. I really miss her apple pies too."  

 

Alex flinched upon hearing this. She had forgotten that he had met her mother. LJoe had actually gone to school with her for a few years before leaving again. When he had first arrived, he didn't know how to speak English very well and was often made fun of. Alex didn't allow that what so ever. Also, by having some knowledge in the Korean language, they became friends pretty quickly. 

Whenever he learned of her transferring here, he didn't miss the chance to give back the hospitality. 

 

She grinned. "Sure thing. Thanks for everything." Alex waved and began to walk off. 

"I'm rather glad you're here. I missed you Alexandra." LJoe called after her. A wave of pain hit her. More like emotions in general. She felt weak all of a sudden. When she turned to look back, he had already went back inside. 

 

Walking back seemed to take longer. With every step the urge to cry came heavier. Finally, she decided to take cover in a park a little ways from her house. Sitting on a shaded bench, away from all of the people, she allowed herself to breakdown. 

After a good 7 minutes of violently sobbing, she reached over and ran a finger across the smooth scar. That's when she noticed the boy sitting on the grass next to her. It was one of the boys that sat with L.Joe, Chunji.

 

"That looks like it was quite painful." Chunji said to the tear stained girl. He didn't even look at her, his gaze remained forward. Alex didn't know what to say. In all honesty, she didn't even remember feeling it. However she was uncomfortable with the fact that he saw it and knew it was there. 

 

"Why were you crying Alex?" Chunji's tone became softer and her stomach fell a little as the back of her eyes burned once more. Chunji looked at her this time. 

She looked away from his soft eyes. "I was just becoming a little over whelmed with everything." She replied to him slowly and carefully. His interest and concern would annoy her on other circumstances but right now she was a little weak. Although, she realized, she's actually okay with Chunji. He seems to understand, to actually listen to her. 

 

"I've found this world rather cruel. No matter how much pain you are in, no matter what happens to you in general; the world is going to keep going. Eventually no one cares about what is eating away at you. They lose interest. Especially if it doesn't involve them. They then can't remember things you can't forget." Chunji raised his eyes to Alex's. She was a little shock. Mostly because this was the most she had heard him say in the less than 8 hours of the acquaintance, but also because what he was saying really struck something. It was beyond true.

 

She felt her face fall, and the tears began to form again before she could do anything to stop them. Alex was then more upset at the fact that she was crying in front of this stranger, then what actually caused the tears. 

 

"Tell me." Chunji practically whispered to her. A shiver sent through her and she felt herself shake. She never told anyone before. She wasn't that sure if she could. Alex wiped her eyes and cheeks. "It's a long story. Do you really want to hear it?"  The boy then nodded in response. 

 

"I met this guy. He seemed like a trouble maker so I stayed away at first. But because of a mutual friend, we crossed paths again and eventually became really good friends. We got really close and talked a lot. I'm an only child, so my home life can be quite lonely sometimes. But with him, everything was so colorful and I was happy." Chunji realized how much she had really cared for him. The broken heart that lay in her chest was apparent through the words she spoke out. 

 

"Our feelings were mutual. Or atleast that's what he told me when I confessed how I feel. However he didn't want a relationship, therefore, we never officially dated. I was rather determined to change his mind about that." She scoffed and shook her head. 

"One day I found out that he had hooked up with a girl. Like I said, we never dated, but the pain was something I had never encountered. The reason he didn't want to date me was because he had been in love with someone else. It made me feel so incredibly stupid and worthless. When I asked him about it, the guy that I once knew in him was gone, and he screamed at me. The things he said to me were so awful. I really didn't know what to do with myself." Alex began to cry a little, once more. 

 

"I wasted so much time on him. Why couldn't he have been more honest with me? I physically hurt in my chest, and my eyes were heavy no matter how much sleep I did or didn't get. There then came a point when I couldn't take it any longer." Alex trailed off and ran another finger across her scar. Chunji was eyeing her the entire time and watched her finger gingerly trace the thick white scar. 

 

"I didn't die quite enough." Her voice seemed completely empty and it echoed through the park and there was no longer any other noise. "I wasn't paying attention to the time. The emptiness was all my senses were actually aware of. My mom came home from work not that long after my attempt and found me. She was horrified at the fact that her only daughter tried to kill herself." Alex's voice that had been so strong while telling this story, even while crying, finally broke.   

"She didn't feel like she was doing her job as a parent, and sent me here to see if my father could. That's how I got here, and that's how I got my scar." Alex finished, not sure what kind of response she was expecting from the boy.

 

Chunji remained quiet and as Alex was beginning to wonder if we was paying attention at all, he finally responded. "Are you sad that you lived?" He questioned her, his voice low. Alex's eyes grew wide as she realized the source of that question. However, she decided not to let that affect how she was to answer this question. 

 

"You're really bold. Asking a girl you just met such personal things.." She mostly said this to lighten things up before answering, but she was actually a little confused as to why he would even care. Alex decided it was probably just because of his girlfriend. 

 

"Moving here has taken a lot of those events off my mind. Especially because I no longer have to see that boy's face. So in most senses, I'm perfectly fine with continuing to live on. I think trying to kill myself was such a rash decision, I hardly even thought about the consequences after, should I have lived or even died. Yet, there are some times, specifically nights, when I wish that I had planned it out more. I wish that it would have worked." Her words were 100% how she felt. She was a little worried that she might have made him angry when he didn't respond again.

 

"Suicide is a very selfish thing. You don't realize who you are hurting." Chunji whispered, as if he meant to say this to himself. "If you have a problem with how things are right now, make it your goal to fix things. Make your own ultimate paradise. After all, success is the best revenge." Chunji then looked Alex dead in the eyes. She did her best not to flinch or look away. 

"I still don't know the reason behind Su ah killing herself." He didn't move his eyes at all and continue to stare at her, as if she would tell him why. Finally the boy stood up and dusted himself off. She followed him with her swollen eyes.

 

"Next time find me when you need to cry. Finding you crying by yourself is too sad." He said and offered his hand to her. "Now tell me, where do you live?" He smiled. Alex could feel her eyes widen. He is actually really attractive if he would smile more. 

 

The boy followed Alex to her house. They were walking for about five minutes before she stopping in front of a beautiful two story house.

"Oh...really. You live here?" The confusion in his voice confused Alex and she turned to him with a raised eyebrow. "Yes, is there something wrong?" 

He chuckled and broke into another smile. "No, it's just that I live over there." He said pointing to a few houses over.

"I'll be leaving now." He waved and left the girl.

 

Becoming friends with Alex was the last thing he really wanted to do, but Chunji has a weakness for crying girls. He felt guilty for making her tell him about her painful past like that, especially when she began to cry again. Everytime he sees her scar his stomach turns and he gets squirmish. 

Feeling defeated, he realized that he already cares for the girl. Even though being around her might make him suffer, he wants to help heal her broken heart. 

 

As long as she is happy, it will be like Su ah is in peace.