~Jieun’s POV~

I know I’m stupid… and clumsy. A danger zone! I always say I am right? However… I didn’t expect that I could get offended like this, especially coming from him. Am I really that stupid?

I realized. If I wasn’t stupid enough, I wouldn’t end up like this. I realized that I have been stupid during my entire existence and it hurts me. If I wasn’t stupid enough, I’d be braver and a cat wouldn’t scare me which led to the death of my parents. If I wasn’t stupid enough, I would’ve still been looking at their eyes. If I wasn’t stupid enough, I would’ve had more confidence. If I wasn’t stupid enough, he wouldn’t say I’m stupid.

I frowned. I’m not touching my dinner. I don’t feel good and I don’t have any appetite right now. Each grains of rice seemed to grow a mouth which only knows one word and that is, “stupid.” It kept chanting and I can’t bear it anymore so I poked them hard-ah no, I stabbed them with my chopstick.

“Ya~ ya, ya! If you’re mad at the world, don’t pick on the food.” The famous muscle babo pointed his chopsticks at me. “It’s bad luck. Bad luck. Do you hear me?”

I wasn’t listening. I am too depressed to listen, too preoccupied to have focus. All I hear is his taunting voice saying I’m stupid echoing in my mind. I don’t know. My mind is just not functioning well. In that case, am I being stupid?

“Oppa…” I blurted out in my most depressed tone. “…people always call you stupid or a fool. Does it not even hurt just a little bit?”

“Are you asking for advice from me or are you mocking me?”

“Me.” I pointed at myself “Am I stupid?” I sounded more like I’m wasted.

“Did you drink Soju with your friends? You brat! You’re not allowed to drink alcoholic drinks!” He leaned closer to me and starting sniffing like a dog. “You smell like athlete’s foot.”

I giggled. I don’t know why. I’m just giggling and poked Joon oppa’s forehead away back to his seat.

“I know now. It’s because we’re siblings. I’m supposed to be stupid because you are.” I said and burst out laughing.

“She’s really drunk.”

I continued laughing. I think? Or I sound more like crying? Oh yes I’m crying. My tears keeps escaping from my eyes, I couldn’t control it.

“I’m so stupid.” I sobbed.

“Yah… Jieun-ah. What’s wrong with you? What are you talking about? You’re not stupid okay… Shh... oppa’s here.” My brother tried to comfort me by going closer to me and wrapping his arms around me. He pats my back as I cried silently and hushed me. He didn’t let go of me and hummed me lullaby just like what appa does to me whenever I get nightmares until I fall asleep on his shoulders.

~~

~Sanghyun’s POV~

I can’t stay at ease. I don’t know but I just can’t. For the record, I am biting my nails for the first time! This uneasiness makes me nervous and pacing back-and-forth across my room wouldn’t help at all. Even I am pacing rapidly back-and-forth across my room. My heart’s going to explode from conscience!

I dropped myself face first on my bed.

“Ugh!” I grumbled. Frustrated.

She’s not okay and I’m never going to be okay with that. I need to say sorry. I need to! HOW!? Just when I thought I’ll never know how, an Idea came up to me.

I opened my drawer, my pencil case, my bag, every pages of my book looking for that piece of pare she gave me where she wrote her cell phone number. I can apologize through the phone since I think; she’ll never face me again. That can be decent right?

When I finally found it inside the pocket of my uniform, I quickly grabbed my phone on the table and typed in her number before pressing call.

I waited in agony as the phone ringed. When it finally answerd,

“Yobosaeyo…”

“Yobosaeyo? Uhm… uh…” I panicked. Words seemed to get stuck in my throat.

I swallowed and took a deep breath clearing my mind. I needed that to sort out well the things I’m going to say or I’ll offend her again.

“Jieun-shi…” I started. “…I’m very sorry. I didn’t mean to offend you. I-I didn’t mean to be harsh… I’m sorry.

Silence.

Did I do well? Will she forgive me? She’s not answering yet. What am I going to do?

“YA!!” The other line screamed making me startle. I almost dropped my phone.

“What the hell are you talking about!? My name’s not Jieun stupid!”

It hanged up leaving me dazed. I stared at my phone confusingly.

“What???” I could say nothing less.

A lot more frustrated, but too tired to act frustrated, I ended up lying on my bed staring at my ceiling. I took my flashlight and pointed it at the ceiling for a minute. The glows in the dark stars are now glowing and I stared at them like it’s the real stars.

‘I guess calling her was a bad choice.’ I thought.

I’m gonna need Jiyeon’s Help. Yes. Jiyeon is the ultimate solution. Or not. She’s mad at me. But I don’t have any choice.

~~

Jiyeon shares room with Dara noona. But it still seems like it’s Jiyeon’s own room because noona gets home and sleep home rarely. Anyway, noona lives in a dorm with the other 2ne1 members. Noona is too busy with her hectic schedule to come home. So it seems like Jiyeon lives alone in that room.

I knocked at the pink-painted door and seconds later, it opened. I was welcomed by Jiyeon’s scrutinizing mad pupils. But I didn’t mind.

“I need your help.” I said straightforwardly and confidently.

“No.” she said, as expected.

But I still pursued. When she was about to close the door, I was able to slip in my right hand to stop her. But she slammed it and BANG!

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!” I screamed from pain. Like REALLY screamed from pain.

My hand… is being grinded in between the door and the pain is unimaginable. How can it not be!? She even pushed it harder not knowing that my hand is stuck!

“My Hand! AAAUGH! HAND! PLEASE! HAND! HAND! AAAAAAAAAAA!” I yelled again and again trying to inform her that she is crushing my hand. But I can just scream the whole time because it hurts so much.

When she finally realized, and I finally got my poor hand out, it was way more that a relief. But I can feel it throbbing and it pricks every time it throbs. There was a very obvious red mark—like the straight edge of the door—visible on my fingers. I can’t move it. It feels like the tiny bones of my fingers were crushed to million pieces. I clutched my wrist thinking that it’ll lessen the pain but no. I ended up doing just everything until the pain subsides. And also, to prevent myself from crying.

“Serves you right! You shouldn’t have passed me for the cheering squad when I didn’t want to.”

“Arasso then! Give you slot to your friend Jieun! She wanted it badly anyway.” I answered back.

“Oh! For Jieun, she’ll never gonna like you again!”

And she slammed the door shut, leaving me frozen and out of words.

‘Like?’

“Ohohoho!” another brat arrived and she seemed amused. “Looks like you found your greatest rival in this house Sanghyunnie! Doorami noona’s the haaapiest about it.” She emphasized the ‘happiest’ part. She’s adding to all my frustrations today. Ugh!

My hand still hurts.

~~

I jerk a bit as umma carefully the bandages my hand. Thankfully, not a bone was fractured but my hand is unusable for the mean time, after going to the nearest hospital. Now how am I supposed to write my notes when I can’t use my right hand and I’m right handed? Is this a curse or something? A punishment? Sigh… I guess it is.

“Umma…” I broke the silence.

“Yes?”

“How do you say sorry to someone who is mad at you?”

“And why? Did you offend someone?”

“I didn’t mean to though…”

Umma chuckled sweetly as she carefully placed my hand on my lap after she finished bandaging.

“Aigoo… kids these days. You can never avoid troubles like that Sanghyun-ah. But… you can always say sorry.”

“But I don’t know how?”

Umma rested her back on the sofa as she looks up far at the ceiling, reminiscing something.

“When I was your age… I would be mad at your father. But he would give me one apple every day until I forgive him.”

“Apple?” I asked confusedly.

Umma nods her head. “Apple. As in Apple-logy.” She giggled. “He was so silly back then.”

“Apple…” I silently said to myself.

~Jieun’s POV~

Lunch break at school, I left Suji and Jiyeon at the cafeteria to go to my locker to get a book I needed for Chemistry. I was surprised when I saw an apple inside with a sticky note on it.

“My Apple-logies. I’m sorry.”

I tilted my head, a bit confused.

“Who left this here?” I asked myself.

I took the sticky note trying to figure out who owns this messy penmanship. I flipped it around and I don’t know, I couldn’t help but smile.

“Park Sanghyun”

He’s so silly for a mean guy. I grabbed the apple and brought it with me happily.