CHAPTER 7. Oh Ha Ni’s Lifesaver

He shouldn’t have given me a ride then ignored me like I was invisible. Where did he get his manners? Ommoni is loveable mother, and the chairman looks a nice man, too. They couldn’t have produced a rotten egg. At least Eun Jo turned out to be a normal kid. Ha Ni thought endlessly as she walked to find her friend Min Ah. Her thoughts were interrupted when her mobile phone beeped. A message from Min Ah.

“Coffee shop in our department building”

Ha Ni then set off to find the coffee shop where Min Ah was. A kind-looking lady Ha Ni encountered along the way gave her a few directions to get there. She increased her pace and reached the building in no time. She looked around for any sign of a coffee shop, muttering light curses at Min Ah for not telling her exactly where the coffee shop was. In her haste walking around while trying to send Min Ah another SMS, she accidentally bumped into a person who had abruptly turned from a corner. Ha Ni fell down from the impact.

“Ouch…” Ha Ni rubbed her . Her eyes then landed on her phone’s cracked LCD screen. “Aish! My phone… I never let it get scratched and now…” Ha Ni complained to herself a little loudly. She momentarily forgot about the person she collided with.

A young man then stooped down to her. “Miss, are you okay?”

Ha Ni looked up and saw a handsome face staring closely at her. She immediately tried to stand up and fixed her clothes.

“Sorry. I’m very sorry.” Ha Ni bowed profusely, quite embarrassed at having caused another person an accident yet again. As usual. “I wasn’t really looking to where I was walking.”

The man smiled. “Nope. It’s my fault, too. I was walking too fast.”

Ha Ni noticed that he was also clutching a mobile phone.

Ha Ni gasped. “Oh no. Did I just cause that?” She pointed at his phone which appeared to have had more damage than just a cracked screen. She then looked on the floor and notice bits of glass on the floor. His phone’s screen broke irreparably.

The man looked at his phone quickly and shrugged. “Ah this? No problem. I can easily get three of this.” He smiled at her again.

Ha Ni smiled back a bit. “I am sorry again.”

"By the way, I am Park Jin Woo.” He extended a hand which Ha Ni shyly shook.

"Oh Ha Ni."

"Are you sure you’re okay?”

Ha Ni nodded sheepishly.

“Good.” He patted her head lightly. “I am really late for class. From the looks of it, you’re a new student here so… see you around. And look where you’re walking next time, okay?” With that, he walked out of the building.

Ha Ni continued to gaze at his retreating back until Jin Woo disappeared from her view. At least I met a hot guy. But next time, be careful Oh Ha Ni. She said and knocked her head.

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 “You know what? It’s quite scary to leave you alone. You were just looking for a coffee shop on your first day of school and you already got into an accident! Unbelievable, Oh Ha Ni! ” Min Ah after she told her what happened.

“Yah. Stop it. It’s partly your fault for not telling me exactly where you are.” Ha Ni pouted.

Min Ah just dismissed her argument. “Did you not look at the university map before you come here? I really wonder how your parents allowed you to go on your own.”

Ha Ni shook her head. “I don’t have a map. And besides, my parents did not let me to be on my own, remember?”

“Hmmm...So what is it like living with them?” Min Ah asked curiously. The two did not have much time to talk int he past days, and Ha Ni had not yet given the details of the Baek family.

Ha Ni thought for a while and smiled. “It’s good.”

“Hmm?”

“Appa’s friend is a kind man. Her wife is also very motherly to me, too. They gave me a room really identical to my Jeju room. And they have a cute son who is very fond of me, I like it every time she calls me noona. It’s like having a second family in an instant.” Ha Ni said happily.

Min Ah looked confused. “Hmmm… I thought you mentioned the other night that they have 2 sons?”

 “Ah… that one. The rotten egg.”

Min Ah hit her lightly on the forehead. “Yah! What rotten egg? The other son? Is that a way of being thankful to your second family?” she scolded.

“Don’t get me wrong. I’m starting to love the Baeks, but their eldest son is just so infuriating.”

“Why?”

Seung Jo’s rude acts flashed in Ha Ni’s mind, and her face began to look twisted in irritation again. “Aish! He’s the most unwelcoming, rude airhead jerk in the world!”

“Isnt that too much?”

Ha Ni shook her head continuously. “No! I’m just saying the truth.”

Seeing Ha Ni’s exasperated look, Min Ah decided to change the topic.

“Oh well…But tell me, the guy you met just now. What does he look like?”

Ha Ni’s face brightened again. “You should have seen him. Tall, very manly. A looker”

“Does he look like your type?” Min Ah asked naughtily.

Ha Ni thought for a while. “Well, he certainly caught my eyes.”

“Did you get his name?”

“Park Jin Woo.”

“His number?”

“Min Ah!”

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“Seung Jo, look…it’s that girl again,” Hyung Joon said impishly and pointed to Ha Ni who was walking with Min Ah towards the library. “She’s real pretty. Her friend is cute, too.”

Seung Jo only glanced at them for one second and resumed reading a book.

“Hyung Joon, it’s just the start of the semester and all you have in mind are girls. Always girls.” Kyu Jong mocked.

The friends just laughed, while Seung Jo remained silent. He stole another glance at Ha Ni’s direction. She was already seated at a table not too far from theirs. Oh Ha Ni. Don’t ever cause trouble for me.

He saw her unexpectedly turn her gaze to his direction. She was surprised to see him but she concealed it quickly. She eyed him wickedly and turned to whisper something to her friend. Min Ah then slyly shifted her head to get a glimpse of him.

Oh Ha Ni? What are you doing! Seung Jo glared at their direction.

Ha Ni just ignored his glares.

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“That’s the one you’re so mad at? Oh Ha Ni… he’s really good-looking.” Min Ah said objectively.

“What good-looking? All I see I an airhead…A…” Ha Ni ran out of insulting names to call Seung Jo.

“A real-life sculpture,” Min Ah corrected her.

Ha Ni raised her brows. “Are you my friend or what? Leonardo da Vinci would never create a bad jerk sculpture!” She tried to control her voice, otherwise the librarian would have kicked them out of the hall.

“As you say…” Min Ah chuckled and started reading a book.

Real-life sculpture bleh! Even if his face looks so perfectly chiseled, that doesn’t hide the fact that he is the most irritating person I’ve met!

The librarian approached their table. “Oh Ha Ni?”

Ha Ni looked up at her, baffled. “Yes?”

The librarian passed on to her a small folded paper and whispered. “Baek Seung Jo requested me to give you this.” With that, the elderly librarian walked off towards her own desk.

Ha Ni gulped and unfolded the paper. It was a short note. “Never tell about our situation. People might think I lowered my standards.” Ha Ni looked again at Seung Jo’s table but he and his friends were already gone.

Aish! He really wants to pick a fight with me. Fine!  From now on, I will also do my best to get even. I will beat him at his own game. Jerk!!!! Ha Ni’s brain shouted.

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“Ha Ni yah… are you sure you’re gonna be okay?”

“Of course. I will just take a cab home. You go ahead.”

Min Ah put her arm around Ha Ni’s shoulders. “Sorry, Ha Ni… I want to ask the driver if we could drop you home but I don’t want to impose anything on him yet…”

“Yah…that’s okay. I understand. Go ahead, okay?”

Min Ah nodded. “Bye! Be careful okay? I’ll call you later.” She then headed to the direction of a black car waiting for her.

Ha Ni waved at Min Ah before walking to the opposite direction. She was actually feeling nervous about going home alone, but then she eased her worries and decided to go to a nearby mall for a while. Weirdly, as poor as she was in directions, she loved making sidetrips on her own. I just need to tell the cab driver the address, right?

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Ha Ni’s malling took longer than she earlier planned. She lost track of time trying on clothes. She ended up buying a new dress for herself and a gift for ommoni.

I hope ommoni will like this. I will buy something for Eun Jo next time.

Ha Ni successfully hailed a cab and gave the driver the address of the Baek’s residence. Whew.

A few blocks from the house, the taxi unfortunately broke down. The driver was unable to fix it quickly and just apologized to Ha Ni. Cabs were not usually passing by that area so Ha Ni was forced to walk the remaining distance to the house. It was almost 8pm.

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“No. She’s not with me,” Seung Jo said on the phone. 

Ommoni shrieked from the other line. “Baek Seung Jo! How could you just leave her alone? She isn’t used to commuting around here.”

“Sorry, omma..but I had to go somewhere after my class.” Seung Jo ruffled his hair, very much irritated at being bossed to look after Ha Ni.

Ommoni’s voice sounded worried. “She isn’t here yet… Where could she have gone to?”

“Well she should have called. It’s very impolite of her to worry you like that,” Seung Jo answered, and then listened patiently at his mother. “Alright…alright. I’ll look around for her.” He ended the call and continued driving.

Oh Ha Ni, you are really becoming such a pain.

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Ha Ni stopped in her tracks when a suspicious-looking man appeared in front of her and started walking towards her. She immediately backed a little, hugging the packages she bought from the mall.

“Why are you walking alone, beautiful?” The man continued to approach her, a mischievous smirk on his face.

Oh no. This can’t be happening to me. Ha Ni felt extremely nervous. She wanted to run and cry out but she remained paralyzed at where she was standing.

“Your boyfriend shouldn’t have allowed you to walk alone...” He continued walking, quickening his pace. “Do you want to come with me?”

“Please don’t come near me…” Ha Ni stuttered. Idiot, run! But Ha Ni was rooted at her spot. Tears slowly started to form in the corners of her eyes.

The man smirked again.

Just before he closed the distance between him and Ha Ni, a car suddenly appeared in the road and gave a long honking sound. The man jumped and ran speedily away.

The car’s door opened. “Are you okay, Oh Ha Ni?”

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A/N: Another chapter. Thank you for reading! :)

PS: I want to put a picture of Jin Woo. I really want to put Lee Min Ho in the role as I am currently bewitched by him in City Hunter...but he looks older than Ha Ni so I am having second thoughts... Any suggestions who could play the role of Park Jin Woo?