Flash

   Chanyeol opened his eyes and the first thing he saw was the plain white ceiling. He rubbed his eyes gently and leaned against the bedboard, staring at the numerous trophies that he had earned for himself. He didn't know why he was trying so hard when he wasn't going to be able to play baseball after high school, yet he wasn't ready to give it up just yet. for a high schooler, this was too much for him to bear. 

 He glanced at the wall clock.

7:00AM

He entered the bathroom and shut the door behind him, cleansing for the dawn of a new day. He stepped out, with his baseball jersey neatly tucked over his school uniform. he hung his backpack loosely on his right shoulder and looked out the balcony. The beautiful lights of the city had disappeared, replacing it with the dull gray color of the city. Chanyeol felt depressed everytime he saw the sight, because he no longer saw the beauty in anything anymore. 

 He flung the door open and walked toward the atrium. As he passed Jieun's room, he heard a faint snore behind the door, followed by a loud thud and the sound of glass cracking all over the place. 'What is happening in there?" Chanyeol forced the door open and saw that the bookshelf attached to the wall had detached itself and had crashed down to the floor. Jieun was stuck against the wall, startled. 

Her eyes were the size of a walnut as she gaped, staring at the mess before her eyes. "What happened in here?" Chanyeol stepped over the broken pieces of accessories and wood that were once part of the bookshelf. Jieun was still dressed in the same outfit that she had on yesterday, her hair unkempt just like the first time he saw her under the lamp post. "I needed something that was on the top of the bookshelf." she said impudently.

 'So?"

"So i climbed it."

"You ignorant woman." Chanyeol grasped his face in ridicule. "Are you stupid? do you not have a brain? don't you know anything about the law of gravity? of course this would fall if you climb on it!" Chanyeol ran his fingers through his hair, pacing back and forth. the broken pieces of wood were strewn all around the room and the dust was flying everywhere, constantly getting into his nose. 

 Chanyeol looked down and saw Jieun covering her left wrist with her right hand, "What happened?" he shot, trying to see through her bony fingers. she hid her wrist behind her back, refusing as if nothing had happened. "Stubborn girl." he tugged her arm from behind her back and revealed her wrist that was purple, swelling with blood. He knew it wasn't just from the bookshelf, this was a series of physical abuse that had grown permanent over time- and the bookshelf was the final trigger. 

 "What happened to your wrist?"

"Fell." Jieun snatched her wrist away and slipped it inside her pocket. She was already so frail, he didn't know why she had such a big bruise on the parts of her body but he didn't bother question her. just like how he has his dark story, so must she. "Stop destroying our house." Chanyeol cocked his eyebrow up and stepped through the broken pieces of chipped wood. He coughed at the dust and blew it away with his hands. but something was caught on his mind. 

He looked back at her, at her wrist.

"Breakfast should be ready in five." and he walked out of the room.

 As always, the morning at the dining table was always cold. the housekeeper placed a warm bowl of rice before Chanyeol and was busy serving the side dishes along with it. he thanked her silently and began chomping on the food silently, staring at the empty hall that led to the living room. usually his father would come through that corridor and join him for breakfast, but with a catch.

 Myungsoo was always there. 

He had never eaten a full meal with his father. he was always the third wheel, and Myungsoo was the affection er of the family. although they did not say it, it was obvious who the better prefered son was in this house. it wasn't Chanyeol, but it was Kim Myungsoo. because Myungsoo was the favored one, he was the one who was allowed to follow his dream while Chanyeol had to give up his - to carry the heavy load that should have been Myungsoo's. 

"Good Morning~" Chanyeol's thought bubble was popped by the unwelcoming voice of a girl who raunched through the dining room as if it were her own. she dragged the marble chair out and plopped into her seat, dressed in her wrinkly school uniform. her hair was neatly brushed and tucked behind her ears, revealing her soft facial features. her facial features were not very beautiful, but they came together to create a innocent cover. 

 The housekeeper placed a large bowl of rice before her and before Chanyeol could say another word, Jieun had finished the plate of egg omelettes. She was eating so fast as if she hadn't eaten for days, and drank large sips of water to digest the food that was stuck through . Chanyeol watched her in disgust as she dribbled her food all over the place, stuffing whatever was there into . 

 "What?" Jieun muffled, talking with full. 

Chanyeol glanced at her wrist and noticed that she had wrapped it with a white plaster, so tight that the color of her hand was literally pale. "What school do you attend?" he asked, curiously glancing at her school uniform. he hadn't seen her uniform around before, it was a unique combination of clothes- considering the fact that her skirt was below her knees. Jieun finished her large bowl of rice and finished the rest of the water in her glass.

"AhJumma, one more bowl please!" she exclaimed.

"Me?" she finally answered to Chanyeol's question. "I go to Yesung high school." she said casually, receiving her new bowl of rice as if she was conceiving a child from the heavens. she poked her chopsticks into the rice and stared at Chanyeol's school uniform. "You go to Seoul high school of business and economics?" she read his name printed neatly on his nametag, attached to his blazer. 

"How did you know?" he chuckled, amazed.

"I know just about all the schools around here. no biggie." she announced proudly, stuffing spiced tofu into and chomping it silently. "I've never heard of your school before. where is it located?" Chanyeol asked, eating his food in a orderly manner. he didn't understand how someone could eat so much so early in the morning, when the sun wasn't even all the way up in the sky yet. 

 "It's an hour away from here," she paused to talk. "gotta take the subway, then walk ten minutes straight toward the gate." "One hour? will you make it..? it's already.." he glanced at his watch on his wrist. "I've been doing this for the past three years, roaming all around Seoul. there's not a single place i've lived in Seo-" she covered . "I spoke too much.. haha.." she laughed half heartedly as she finished her bowl and gently crept into the kitchen, placing her bowl in the sink.  "Aren't you going to school now?" Chanyeol asked as he watched her walk upstairs.

"For your information, i brush my teeth three times a day." she stuck her thumb up sarcastically and disappeared through the steps. 

 Chanyeol slipped his small black umbrella inside his backpack and put his shoes on. he watched the news every morning, and the pretty weather forecaster told him that there would be a heavy shower later in the afternoon. He walked out to the main gate and slowly walked down the steep steps. from below, he saw a black porsche drive up. it was his father. Chanyeol bowed down to the car as it made its way up the house and disappeared through the large arched gates. by now, he was used to not getting any recognition but that didn't necessarily mean he liked it that way. 

 "Wait for me!" Jieun rushed down the steps, walking alongside Chanyeol. she pulled the earplugs out of his earhole and panted for breath. 'How do i get to the subway station from here?" she poked. she seemed to be in a big rush, constantly gazing out for any bus stops or taxis. "I don't really know." 'What do you mean you don't know?" she replied with such ridicule in her voice. "I don't really resort to public transport. " 

Jieun glanced at his long legs.

"Of course, you would. " she said bitterly. She watched as Chanyeol unchained his bicycle from the bike parking lot right at the entrance of the steep. he slipped the keys into the pocket of his blazer and and got on the bike, getting ready to take off.

"Can you give me a ride?" Jieun blurted, blinking twice. 

"Why?"

"Oh, i didn't know you were that petty. I guess i will just walk, you know?" Jieun said in a disappointed tone, suddenly limping as she bitterly walked along the path. Chanyeol started pedalling and sped in the speed of Jieun's walking. with a corny look, he sniggered at Jieun's failed attempt of trying to limp. "You know you're a really bad actor?" he stuck his tongue out, pedalling slowly. 

"How could you reject such pure effort?" Jieun blinked twice, trying to act cute.

"Don't do that ever again." Chanyeol rolled his eyes, sliding out an extra seater for the back. Jieun giggled in joy as she hopped on, tugging onto Chanyeol's blazer, trying to avoid the cheesy waist hug that everybody seemed to do in every single Korean drama. Jieun breathed in as the cold morning air gently brushed against her cheeks, followed by the sunlight that caressed her hair. 

 "Today's the last time that i'm giving you a ride." "Am i the first girl on your bike?" she joked, pinching his waist painfully. "What do you see me for?!" "then who was it?" Chanyeol hesitated, but spoke. "My mum." Chanyeol's face grew darker, only the sound of Jieun's laughter ringing in his ears. He wanted to laugh, he really wanted to laugh along but he could never. 

"You mean Mrs.Kim?" She shrilled. Chanyeol shrugged, looking ahead as he pedalled slowly. 

"I'm adopted." 

He said quietly as he pedalled downhill. the laughter was gone, so with the joy of the morning. 

--

 The whole day, Jieun felt guilty for laughing at Chanyeol. She knew she shouldn't have laughed, only to know that he had such a powerful past behind him. He just seemed like an ordinary teenager, but really he was hiding his pain behind his smile. Jieun grabbed her backpack and slung it loose on her right shoulder, heading out to the school gate. school had ended later than usual due to after-class tutoring. 

 The night was young, and the street signs began to gutter one by one marking the start of the firey night. studying wasn't her best subject, but she worked hard and always maintained a ranking in the top ten of her class. she had to work hard, because she had a dream and she didn't want to disappoint her father. she was the only hope that her father had, and she didn't want him running from loan sharks any longer.

 Because running from loan sharks was her daily life, she never had a stable home and was forced to move home every fortnight. the longest was two weeks, because the loan sharks had figured out their escape pattern and were always on the run to track them down. this time she hoped that they wouldn't find her hoping that the mountains would conceal her well until the day she could pay the loans back.

 It was unfair how her father was left to clean up the mess that her mother had created. a gambler and an alcoholic, her mother was an irresponsible woman who ran away with a young man when she was fifteen, and hasn't showed her face to this day. her last memory of her mother was vague. her mother was arguing with her father, wine bottles flying over the air followed by the sound of a slap, finished with the slam of the front door.

  She didn't hate her mother anymore, she pitied her. 

"What?" Jieun rubbed her head. droplets of rain were falling from the sky, and everybody was opening their umbrellas or either finding a shade. "why now?" she grunted as she jogged through the road, trying to cover herself with her hands. the rain was still light and the only thing getting wet was her hair,shoulders and backpack. As she sprinted, the rain followed her speed and began beating her head like crazy. 

 She was soaked all over, she didn't see the reason to run anymore. 

"The worst has already happened, why try." she murmured as she walked through the rain, gaining absurd stares from the elderly people as they walked past with umbrellas shaded over them. Jieun sneezed, shaking her head to prevent the coldness getting to her. Jieun knew just about all the routes in Seoul by now, but this time she was caught with bad luck. In order to get to the subway station, she needed to walk through a small alley which led to the intersection opening up to the South and East stations. 

 But what was between the alley scared her the most.

She looked down and hung her hood over her head, hiding her face. She could see what looked like delinquents inbetween the alley, and she was absouletely sure that they were going to something to her. She knew who these people were, they were the caust of her wrist. Jieun stepped in a puddle, catching their attention. the three girls glanced and sniggered, each bringing their footsteps closer to Jieun. 

 "Ya," they called with a cigarette inbetween their index and middle finger. their black umbrella hung tightly on top of their heads, shading them completely from the painful rain that was hitting on her head real hard. Jieun looked down and tried to walk past them, followed by a failed attempt. they gripped her wrist and slammed her against the wall, snatching her backpack off her. 

They slipped her wallet out and took all the money, dumping the wallet at her face. 

"Only 10,000?!" 

The leader of the three delinquents spat. the other two laughed among themselves, looking down at Jieun who was soaked, and powerless. she remained silent, leaning against the wall with her eyes fixed to the ground. "Ya, when a person is talking to you you should look at their eyes." the girl standing to the left poked Jieun's eyes with her finger and Jieun fell with a shriek of pain. 

 The girls giggled and laughed at her pain and lit another cigarette. they bent down and blew the smoke in her face, crushing the cigarette under their feet. "Where are you living this time?" the leader asked, slapping her. Jieun zipped her lips, refusing to answer. the other two scoffed as one pulled on her hair, and the other began kicking her on the waist. "You little Bit*h you wan't to di-"

Flash

A white boom resonated through the alley. The three girls released Jieun from their grip and looked toward the white light, which came from a figure under a transparent umbrella. the leader scoffed to see a guy, snapping a picture of them. his straight face never ceased to escape from his face, as he stared at the three delinquents so casually. he held the camera upto his eyes and took another snapshot, letting the white boom resonate through the alley once more. 

  'What is this?" the leader sniggered. "Now you've got your Prince Charming?" she snorted, walking inches closer to the guy and staring into his face. "He's a looker ladies, Lee Jieun you've got some skills, hmm?" she nodded fluently. the guy spun around and began to walk out of the alley with the camera gripped in his hands. "Where do you think you're going?" she demanded, stopping the guy.

 He spun.

"Physical Abuse is a crime."

The leader crossed her arms. "So, you're going to turn those photos into the police?"

"I guess you're not that stupid then." 

He spun and continued to walk. "H,hey" she stuttered, grabbing onto his slender arms which he shook off abruptly. he glared at her and waited for an explanation, which he knew were just all excuses. "Do you have anything to say to me?" the guy replied impudently.  

"Just... let this slide. Will you?" 

"Why?"

"Delete the photo, this never happened." the girl blinked twice.

"No, i will not delete this photo."

"Excuse me?"

"I will keep this photo in my memory card forever so that if you return to this alley to commit another crime, i will remember who you are." the guy glared down at the girl, scaring the three away. the three disappeared through the far ends of the alley, leaving Jieun alone with blood slowly rushing down her bruised wrist. her plaster was soaked and was half undone, revealing her bruises that had scarred itself. 

"E..excuse me." Jieun called out to the figure who was slowly walking away. He stopped to look back at her. "Thank you.. for helping me.." she stuttered, staring into his eyes that were filled with mystery. He didn't look as if was a normal Korean resident. He had distinct good looking facial features, with a tall height to finish that off. Under his black coat were layers of designer clothes of brands she did not recognize, topped off with a pair of sunglasses poking out of his knit. In one hand held his umbrella, and a suitcase in the other.

 "I wasn't helping you."

"P..ardon?"

"People like that frustrate me, that is all." He continued his way.

Jieun supported herself up, groaning from the pain that the three girls had given her. She knew this would happen, but the impact of the blow was always much more painful than she thought it would be. She slipped her wrist under blazer and stared as the figure under the transparent umbrella take a cab and drive off into the traffic. She smiled lightly and hung her backpack over her shoulders, continuing to walk home. 

 By the time she reached the deep slope to her new house, the rain had stopped. she climbed up the stairs, opening the gate that awaited her at the top. She missed her father terribly. this was the first time she was apart from her father when he was ganged up on, but knowing that she now had no idea of her father's current locations put her heart at despair. she sniffled and wiped the tears off her face. 

She was supposed to be okay now.

When she reached the door of the house, she noticed an umbrella folded up, leaning neatly by the side. It was a transparent umbrella with little beads dripping off the wings. She scratched her head in curiosity and entered the house, which smellt of freshly cooked rice and warm side dishes that filled the entrance. She looked around the house, entering the living room where Mr.Kim sat on the couch, rising when he saw Jieun.

"Oh my, you didn't bring an umbrella with you?" Mr.Kim brought a towel and began to wipe the water off her. Just then, Chanyeol walked down the stairs, staring at Jieun who was soaked with rainwater and sniggered. He plunged onto the sofa and switched the television on, watching a Korean drama. "I'm fine Mr.Kim. i should start watching the news forecast more often.." Jieun murmured.

 "Hurry up and wash up. A very special person has returned to our family." Mr.Kim smiled delightfully. Chanyeol watched his father smile and his face fell, seeing how easy such a news could make him forfeit from his pride. "A special person..?" 

"There he comes. Jieun, this is Myungsoo, my son who returned from Italy."

Jieun looked up at the figure who walked down the stairs and stared intently into the figure's eyes as the figure stared right back at her. Why, it was the figure under the transparent umbrella.