Eighteen

 

Eunji lied on her side, twirling her brown hair around her fingertips. She stared blankly as thoughts flooded her mind. Mum looked really sick. What if she actually was? It looked so painful. What do I do? Should I force her to go to the hospital anyway? Knowing her, she wouldn't let me.

  Her eyebrows furrowed in deep thought, although her eyes eventually couldn't keep themselves open and she fell into a deep slumber.   Eunji drowsily tugged on her school tie, staring at her reflection in the mirror. Her eyebags were more evident then usual and her face looked dull, almost lifeless. She heaved a sigh. The image of her mother suffering quietly in pain kept repeating in her head. She didn't know what to think of it. Her hand hovered over the door handle in hesitation. Would things get awkward when they see each other?    Holding her breath, she pushed the door open and peeked out. Her mother was not in her field of vision and she couldn't hear any sound of movement. She felt relief sweep over her. With more confidence, Eunji strolled out of her room to eat breakfast.   Her mother sat quietly at the kitchen table, startling Eunji once she saw her mother's figure.
"AH! Omma!!" Eunji groaned when she felt her heart leap.    The woman smiled tiredly at her daughter. "Good morning."   "Morning..." Eunji muttered, cautiously observing for any strange behavior, though her mum showed none. She didn't want to bring up last night first.   "I prepared breakfast for you."   Eunji looked from her mother to the plate and cup on the table- a slice of toast and water as usual.   "Oh..Thanks." Eunji attempted a smile to show her gratitude before taking the glass of water and chugging it down. The girl slammed the empty cup onto the table before taking the toast and putting it into .   "I'mf gumma go mow," Eunji said through the bread in , taking her school bag and swinging it over her shoulder. 
Eunji didn't usually leave so early, though just the thought of eating breakfast as if nothing happened bothered her. Her mum didn't complain and instead watched as her daughter hurriedly put her shoes on. A small and sad smile graced her face, the wrinkles near her eyes showing ever so slightly. Just before Eunji left, she cast a glance over to her mother, noticing her serene expression. She raised her eyebrows in slight surprise before nervously giving a smile back. 
"Bye mum."   "Bye Eunji-ah. Take care."   Eunji nodded before hurriedly exiting the room. She heaved a sigh of relief when she shut the door behind her, leaning on it ever so slightly. The apartment corridors were dimly lit and slightly flickering. Eunji hadn't really noticed until today. She also noticed how the paint peeled horribly off the walls with cracks and mold covering the upper walls and ceilings. The floors crunched as she walked, the debris forming a thick layer from not being cleaned away. She pressed the elevator button that barely lit up. Soon enough, the elevator arrived at her floor, giving a quiet 'DING' sound. Eunji quickly entered and pressed the ground floor button. She turned around, waiting for the door to close; and only then did she realize how wrong everything felt. Her eyes glided across the disgusting walls and floors and how the flickering light gave an eery feeling along with the dull, yellow walls. The doors closed shut. What would life be like if they had more money? Eunji could only imagine.   ---   Eunji lazily dragged herself to school, every step leading her closer to the area where students wandered. She stared at the ground before her feet, deep in thought about everything in life. To deep that she didn't notice the glares that emitted from a pair of girls a small distance away.   "There. She's Luhan's girlfriend," Yuri said triumphantly, a smirk making a way to her face.   Yoona peered back onto Yuri's phone and pressed the play button on the video, closely examining the girl's face who was hardly seen, yet very recognizible.   "It really is her," Yoona said bitterly, sending another glare to the oblivious girl walking towards them. "I can't believe Luhan is dating that piece of trash. Just look at her stumbling around like an idiot."   "Let's do something." "Like what?"   The two girls stood in silence, their eyebrows furrowed. Yuri's eyebrow's raised in delight when something came to mind.   "Eunji is poor," she muttered quietly, excitement already bubbling inside her.   "How do you know?" Yoona asked skeptically.   "I heard them. Well..Kind of. But the chance of her being poor is pretty high. Seeing as she still had to work late into the night, she wouldn't be financially stable would she? That probably explains why she is so sleepy 24/7. And she's dating Luhan? Heir of XL Mall?"   Yoona's smile widened as she took Yuri's words. "We're onto something."   "Right. So how about we do something that would make them break up? Something about...money?"   Yoona playfully slapped Yuri. "You're so damn smart!" Her grin faltered. "But what can we do?"   Yuri placed a reassuring hand on Yoona's shoulder. "Come with me."   ---- Eunji had on