“Oppa!” – She comes in into my room with a bright smile.

“Happy birthday, oppa! I love you!” – She kisses my cheek.

“Thank you, Jaera. I love you too” – I pull her so that she falls to my body and hug her.

“Oppa! Just wake up! It’s time to go to school!” – She gets up and pulls me out from my bed.

 

She is so cute. Every morning she always wakes me up with her aegyo. Well, Jaera is my junior at school and she happened to be my neighbor. We got along when she moved in to our neighborhood last year. She is a beautiful petite girl and I fall for her charms. Not long ago, I confessed my feeling to her and she accepted it. Isn’t my life so perfect now?!

 

We go to school together, walking hand in hand. At that time we arrived at school, there’s a car that passed by so fast and it almost hit Jaera. I hug her immediately. The car stops. Someone get off from the car and looks worried.

 

“I’m so sorry! Are you okay, miss?” – He says.

“She’s fine! Next time ple—“

“Oppa! Ugh… Yea, I’m okay. I guess” – She cuts me and lets my embrace go from her.

“Once again, I’m so sorry. I’m in a hurry so yeah”

“Ohh, that’s okay. I think you are new here? I never saw you before” – She comes closer to him.

“Yes! I just moved around here and today is my first day”

“Wow! What class are you in??”

“3-4”

“You’re older than me! Mind if I call you oppa?”

“Uhh…”

“Let’s go in, Jaera” – I take her hand and drag her to come with me inside.

 

I don’t want to open my mouth. I remain silent on our way to the class – her class I mean. I know it looks childish but I feel jealous! She was letting my hand go just for talking to that guy! And she wants to call him oppa?! Well, thankfully he is not in the same class as me. I’m in 3-2. The stare she gave him earlier was bothering me so much. It looks like she has … Well, forget it!

 

After arriving in front of her class, I walk away immediately without saying goodbye to her. I guess she notice my sudden changed behavior.

 

“Byunghun oppa” – She holds my wrist. “Oppa, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to let your hand go. I just … Hhh… Are you mad? I’m so sorry. But it makes me believe that oppa loves me so much. You are jealous like that, actually it’s kinda relieved for me” – She giggles and then back-hugs me. I don’t say anything but just smile and then walk away. She also walks in to her class with smile.

 

(After School)

Jaera planned to make a birthday party for me so my friends and I are gather together in a café near our school. Jaera said that she will be late as she has something to do. She is coming with her friends so I’m not worried.

 

We are talking happily after ordering our drink without knowing anything is happening at the school. We talk about the teachers and the lessons also about our girlfriends. I’m laughing hard with them when suddenly I feel something bad happen after seeing Jaera’s friends coming in without her.

 

(Meanwhile …)

 

A boy approaches a girl that seems busy talking with her friends. It looks like she has some plans to surprise her boyfriend. He taps the girl’s shoulder. That makes her turn around to see who is taping her shoulder.

 

“Oh?! Oppa?!”

“Hello”

“May I help you?”

“Uhh… I just want to know your name…”

“Jaera. Han Jaera. Oppa’s name is …?”

“Lee Jeongmin. Nice to meet you, Jaera”

“Nice to meet you too, Jeongmin oppa”

“I suppose that you are going somewhere? You can come with me. I’ll give you a ride”

“Uhh… I’m going with my friends…”

“Ah, that’s okay Jaera. We can go by ourselves. And you can shorten the time if you ride a car. Byunghun oppa doesn’t have to wait for long time then” – One of her friends suggests.

“Okay then! I’ll be there soon! Is that okay if I ride your car, oppa? Because I’m going to a bakery”

“Sure! I won’t mind! Come on. Let’s go”

 

By that, Jaera goes with Jeongmin and this is the start of a disaster for Byunghun.

 

(Back to Byunghun)

 

I feel uneasy. Where is she? Don’t tell me that she is seeing that man again?! I lost my smile. Not only my smile, my mood also vanished away because of that thought. I can’t hear what my friends are talking about right now. I only focus on where the hell Jaera is.

 

15 minutes of war in my head suddenly gone after I see her coming in bringing a cake for me. She was going to a bakery then. I feel relieved. I find my smile again and automatically hug her.

 

“Happy birthday, oppa” – She kisses my temple.

I smile brightly at her and everyone is singing a birthday song for me. They congratulated me one by one. It is a great day, indeed. We have so much to talk to that noon. We all are laughing. I put my arms around Jaera’s shoulder and look at her beautiful figure. I love this girl so much. Her heart is so pure and kind. I have no regret dating her.

 

(A week later)

It’s been a week since my birthday and today is Jaera’s birthday. I do the same thing as what she did a week ago. I sneak into her room and wake her up with my kiss. She doesn’t budge at all. Well I thought true love kiss can wake someone up from a deep slumber. That’s only in fairytale though. Hahaha…

 

I tickle her body and she starts making a move. She laughs and slowly opening her eyes. She looks at me weirdly. I hug her and whisper, “Happy birthday, Jaera! I love you”. She giggles while kissing my cheek.

 

“Thank you, oppa. I love you too” – She hugs me back.

 

A minute later, I make her get up from her bed. She smiles at me with those sleepy eyes while walking to the bathroom. I go down and while waiting for her to getting ready to school, her mom makes breakfast for me.

 

Finally, we are ready to go to school. We bid our goodbye to her parents. As usual, we are walking to the school. On the way, I tell her something.

 

“Jaera, I have a part-time job now! Tell me what do you want and I’ll buy it for you!”

“REALLY?? Oppa has a job?? Oppa will buy anything just for me?? REALLY OPPA??” – She looks excited.

“Yeps. Just tell me what do you want so badly? I will earn the money and buy it for you”

“Oppa~ Thank you so much! Well… I think I want … Hmm… a bicycle for both of us??”

“Bicycle?? Why??”

“So we can go to school by bicycle. Doesn’t it sound romantic?”

“Well… Hahahaha… Okay. Bicycle! Just you wait, princess. I’ll buy it for you”

 

*Author’s POV*

They are holding hand while walking. They look so happy with the good news from Byunghun. But they never know what will happen next.

 

It’s finally been 3 months since Byunghun started his part-time job. Byunghun is working at Ice-Cream parlor in Gangnam. He is working happily just by thinking that he will buy a bicycle for his girlfriend. He always works with smile and that makes people who come by there, like him so much. But no, Jaera doesn’t know that he is working there. Byunghun doesn’t want to make his girlfriend sad that he works as a waiter.

 

Different story happen behind Byunghun’s back. Jaera is becoming closer with Jeongmin. Every morning where she and Byunghun are walking to the school, she would always looking for Jeongmin. Not obviously but secretly. It started when she suddenly felt empty without Byunghun beside her in the night after a month. Whenever she called Byunghun, he never picked his phone up. Well, he is working. She texted Jeongmin that she felt lonely and from that day on, Jeongmin always accompanying Jaera at night. Not to mention, it is the best time for Jeongmin who falls for Jaera at the very first moment, to steal her away from Byunghun.

 

Jeongmin always take Jaera to branded fashion shops. He buys her pretty dresses. He always rides her with his own car and slowly Jaera is blinded by those materials. She feels like a queen whenever she goes with Jeongmin. Bit by bit, Jaera falls for Jeongmin meanwhile Byunghun is working hard to fulfill her wish.

 

Well of course Byunghun doesn’t know that. He is clueless since Jaera still acts nice to him. All he knows is that he has to earn more money so he can buy a bicycle. Every time he thinks about fulfilling Jaera’s wish, he smiles brightly at his bank account book.

 

One cold night, Jeongmin asks Jaera to come with him to find a birthday present for his little sister. They are going to Gangnam. At that time, they pass the Ice-Cream parlor where Byunghun is working at. They don’t know that someone is looking at them. A waiter near the window looks devastated. What just he saw makes his heart torn into parts. He runs a bit just to see it clearly. He is afraid that he might see wrongs. But no, he sees it clearly now how that man puts his arms around his girlfriend’s waist casually. He goes back to the parlor with a sad eyes – head hangs low. He has no more spirit lives inside him.

 

The next day, he acts just like usual. He doesn’t want to act suspicious because he wants to investigate it himself. Jaera also still acts nice and Byunghun gets confused by her action. Tonight, he is planning to be a volunteer to be the mascot in front of the parlor. He wants to see it clearly. He just hopes that he is wrong and hopes that he won’t see them there.

 

Surprisingly, they are passing the parlor again. This time Jeongmin asks Jaera to have a dinner with him. The restaurant they are going in is next to the Ice-Cream parlor. Byunghun’s eyes couldn’t believe what he saw. Jaera is wearing an expensive dress and she uses a full make-up. She looks elegant.

 

Since he is working outside (as the mascot and giving a flyer), Byunghun can see what happen between Jeongmin and Jaera with his own eyes. He sees how Jaera laughs happily with him with Jeongmin holds her hand tightly. Sometimes, Jeongmin will touch Jaera’s face. The view before his eyes makes him heart-broken. How could she do that when he is working so hard for her?! Fortunately he is wearing the mascot’s costume so he can cry without scaring that someone might see that.

 

After an hour, they are finally finished their dinner and once again, they are passing the parlor. Byunghun steps out, approaches them while handling them the flyer.

 

“Miss and Mister, please come by our parlor. We have a new promotion this month for couple” – His voice trembles. Jaera turns her head to the mascot as she knows the voice. She looks pale. She knows but not so sure. Byunghun looks at her with sadness underneath his costume.

 

The next morning at the school, Byunghun seems different. He ignores Jaera. He doesn’t want to talk with her. She cheats on him. He can’t forgive her. While working so hard to fulfill her wish, he is betrayed by her. He feels stupid.  

 

The next day, Jaera comes back. She sees the same mascot and she also hears the same voice from a far. Now she is sure that the mascot is Byunghun. She never knows that he is working like this. She is crying hard while running away.

 

Weekend. Jeongmin asks Jaera to come with him as he wants to confess his feeling to Jaera. He picks up Jaera. She didn’t know that Jeongmin is actually brings her to Byunghun’s workplace. Well, Jeongmin knows that Byunghun is working there. He deliberately chose that place because he wants Byunghun to know that he wins Jaera’s heart.

 

That night, where the clouds look not friendly at all, Jeongmin confesses his feeling to Jaera. Byunghun has no idea what happened inside as he is still outside. But one thing he knows, Jaera is inside with Jeongmin. She visits his workplace with other man. He keeps giving the people the flyer that doesn’t bother to take the flyer. He wants to keep himself busy. He doesn’t want to look inside.

 

On the other hand, Jaera is looking outside. She is looking at Byunghun’s back. She is questioning herself if she still loves him. She can’t find the answer. She likes Jeongmin. But she doesn’t know who she loves. She looks up at the sky. It’s gonna be raining anytime. She looks outside again. He is still working.

 

Rain finally pours. She burst into tears. Byunghun removes the wet costume but he still standing in front of the parlor with the flyer. He is totally wet. Then Jaera makes a decision, she will asks Byunghun to come inside. If he doesn’t want to come with her, she will accept Jeongmin’s confession. So she runs out. Jeongmin got shock by her sudden action.

 

“OPPA!” – She holds Byunghun’s wrist. “Oppa please come in! You’re wet and this is raining hard! You can be sick! Please, come inside the parlor! Oppa… Please?! For me?!”

 

He doesn’t budge, that in fact, he removes her hand from his wrist.

 

“Oppa… I know I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I know how many times I say sorry, you won’t forgive me. I understand. But please come in. I don’t want to see you get sick. I want to see you smile again like you used to be. Please…”

“Smile? You want me to smile? You want me to smile while seeing you with him?! Is that what you want?! Do you know how happy I was when I got my first paid?! I always think that I will buy a bicycle for you with that money! I work hard for that. I don’t have enough sleep just for fulfilling your wish! But what did you do to me?? CHEATING!!”

“Oppa…” – She keeps crying.

“Oppa please… Come in… Okay, I admit it I’m wrong that I can’t help it to find him when you are working, leaving me alone. It was wrong. I’m sorry”

“I don’t believe I’m doing it for you while you betraying me!”

Jeongmin comes outside and takes Jaera back to the parlor, leaving Byunghun alone under the rain.        

 

“Goodbye, oppa…” – She mumbles but loud enough to be heard by Byunghun. His heart is already torn into pieces. He cries under that rain as Jeongmin and Jaera walk in to Jeongmin’s car. Byunghun looks at Jeongmin before he gets in into his car.

 

“You lose, poor” – Jeongmin smirks at him.

 

Byunghun lost his love. Jaera regrets everything she has done. Jeongmin is happy that he can be by Jaera’s side. He thinks that money can buy everything, include Jaera’s heart. But for Byunghun, money is hell. Because of money, he lost what he love the most. The money that he already earned, he saves that all so that he can do his revenge anytime soon.

 

-THE END-