Chapter 7

We’ve been having crazy weather the past week. Jeju is known for fierce winds but sometimes the weather here can change in a blink of an eye. It could be sunshiny and warm one minute, next it’ll be raining cats and dogs.

It’s been a month since school started and I’ve been very busy with the School Council and Drama club. Bom would sometimes join me in SC since she was the past VP and everyone was clamoring for her to run for President this time but she adamantly refused. Of course, only the two of us know the real reason why she can’t. Next week, she will start her radiation and chemotherapy sessions and it will take toll on her health. Instead, I nominated Taeyang and it looks like he’s leading the race for Presidency and is the expected winner. As for me, I already said that I have no designs to remain as the Secretary and is just waiting for the new officers to be elected. Good thing the election will be next week. I already have my hands full being the president of the Drama Club.

Since most of us are Seniors and it will be our last year, we decided to go all out and have a grand production for our Annual school play. Last year’s Shakespeare’s Midsummer Night’s Dream was a huge success and majority voted for Romeo and Juliet this year. The school hasn’t staged a production of the famous play ever so everyone’s pretty excited playing a classic.

Needless to say, I am going to try out for Juliet. Although, I’m the club president, that doesn’t make me an automatic shoo in. Our club adviser, Miss Eun Hee, will pick the actors. The casting will be after the SC elections so I’ll have two weeks to prepare.

First on my agenda is to watch the movie adaptations. Since it’s a Saturday, I went to town to rent both the original version which starred the beautiful Olivia Hussey and the 90’s version by my first crush, Leonardo Di Caprio. Although, our play will be more of the modern kind, I still wanted to watch the 1960’s version. After getting the videos, I went to the marine sanctuary to meet Mom so we could go home together. It’s nearly 5 o’clock so we decided to just buy pizza and some fried chicken so we won’t have to cook. I asked her if I could drive and she allowed me since I already have a student’s licence since last year.

Just barely 5 minutes after we were in our car, rain fell hard and dark clouds covered what’s little left of the sun. Good thing I know the road so well and I’m an excellent driver if I may say so, so my Mom was not worried. We were halfway near our house when I noticed a guy standing near the road under a huge tree not too far away. He was attempting to hitchhike and he looked soaked. I reduced the car’s speed to take a good look and I was right in my hunch. It was Seunghyun. What was he doing out in the rain?

The car crawled to a stop in front of him and my mother was alarmed. “What are you doing? Are you out of your mind? He looks dangerous!”

“Relax, Mom. I know him.”

She raised an eyebrow at me. “How do you know him?”

“He studies at my school” I said and pushed a button to open up the window on my mother’s side. 

I saw him walk towards us and I moved closer so he could see me. “Hop in” I invited.

He broke a smile and immediately took the backseat. Mom rolled her eyes at me seeing that he’s dripping wet, meaning ‘I’ll have to do some cleaning later’. I opened my eyes wide at her, saying ‘I’ll take care of it.’

I introduced the two of them and Seunghyun bowed and greeted my Mom once I started driving again. Mom gave a cool nod. “My daughter says you go to the same school?”

“Yes, maam. I just recently transferred.” He said politely.

“A senior as well?”

“Neh.”

“You said you just transferred … so how do you know Sandara?”

“Mom!” I interrupted. It sounded like she was interrogating him. “He’s a friend, okay?”

She looked at me, all innocent like. “What? I’m just curious. How did you two become friends?” She twisted in her seat to look at Seunghyun and I could only roll my eyes as I looked at him from the front view mirror and mouthed “Sorry.”

He gave a short chuckle when he met my eyes and saw me. “Actually, Dara here has been like a guardian angel. She saved me the first time we met.”

“OH?” Mother said, full of meaning, folding her arms in front of her.

He gave a brief recount of how we first met. “She was the first friend that I’ve made since I came here” he continued.

My cheeks felt warm and I knew that I was blushing. This guy! I should be mad at him. Why is my heart beating this fast again? After the t-shirt episode, we barely had time to talk after that. He didn’t hang around at lunch and the couple of times that he sent me text messages; I was the one who initiated the first move. I seldom saw him at school and when I did, he was with his classmates. I momentarily forgot that I planned to ignore him the next time I see him when I picked him up. But he did say I was like a guardian angel right? Gosh, I’m blushing again. I surreptitiously stole a glance at him again through the mirror and I was surprised that he was looking at me so I immediately averted my eyes.

“Where are you off to?” I asked to cover my embarrassment.

“I was on my way home from work when I remembered to buy some supplies and got caught in the rain. I thought I could make it to the bus stop.”

“You went to Yang’s without your motorcycle?” 

He nodded. “A neighbor dropped me off there this morning. I figured I’ll save gas money if I’ll just take the bus home.”

“Would you like us to drop you off home?” Mom offered.

“No, thank you ma’am” he declined. “I already caused an inconvenience as it is.”

“Are you sure? It looks like the rain won’t stop anytime soon” she said and I agreed. “Look, you’re already in the car. Might as well, we send you home.”

I can tell he really didn’t want to so I was about to relent and just drop him off the nearest bus stop but my Mom said “Where do you live?”

He had no choice but t