As always, she was early. She sits on the same bench she sits on everyday, alone, as if she is waiting for someone to come. I've been watching her for 3 days now, but it seems that the one whom she waits for isn't around. 

She looks depressed. Dark, round circles shadowed her eyes. She looks like she has been crying all night. And I'll make him pay for making her cry. Even though it was Kim Tan she loved, they cannot match their destinies together. Kim Tan is in a world out of her reach.

She has her earphones plugged. She is dazed. Nevertheless, she was still beautiful. The way her hair falls just above her shoulders. It was stunning. 

I walked silently and sat beside her. I removed the earphones. "Looks like he isn't coming."

She looks at me with weary eyes that breaks my heart. It was hurting to see her like that , especially up close. "Fine." She says, the tone of her voice the opposite of what her eyes express. "I'll be going then." She stood up abruptly. Of course, she would ignore me. 

I got a hold of her wrist, stopping her. I thought she would fight back, but to my surprise, she concedes. I pull her down and she sat where she was originally. "Did you two meet in the house last night?" I ask her.

She nods. "Hmm." She looks up and blinked the tears. "But he ignored me."

I sighed theatrically. "I'm hungry!" I turn to face her. "Let's eat. My treat." I stand up and grabbed her arm. Her eyes grew wide.

"Yah, Choi Young Do, don't ever think of me as someone who'll cut class because of food." She pulls her arm from my grasp.

I shake my head, laughing. "Eun Sang ssi, it's barely even morning, we might just be late, but not cut class, now follow me." I pull her with me, to my motorcycle.

"Here." I pass her the helmet, she almost dropped it. "If you really want to attend your classes alive, wear that." She snorts but she wears it anyway. "Hop on." I gesture her to sit on the back part as I ready myself to drive. 

She does everything without touching me. It just pisses me off. "Do I look like I would hurt you if you touch a strand of my hair? Do I look that bad to you? Do I seem like a guy who would hurt you anytime?" I half shout.

She didn't respond immediately. Instead she settled herself first in the seat and surprisingly, she wrapped her arms around my waist leaning in my back. "Sorry." She whispers. "Let's just go."

I try to look at her face, but she looks away. "Fine." I say finally, and roared my motorcycle to life.

--

"I thought I was the hungry one, but look at you, you don't even chew your noodles." I tap her bowl of noodles with my chopsticks. We are in the convenience store nearby, where I first met her. At first I didn't know why I always end up here, eating at the same spot, the same food, but time passed and I realized that it was all because of her.

"Talk if you like, I'm eating. This is free anyway, right?" I laugh at her wiggling her eyebrows.

"Yah." I nudge her forehead with my index finger. "If you continue to eat like that, you'll end up looking bloated."

She rolls her eyes at me, and in that moment, I hoped that I helped her forget her worries. But my hopeful hoping halted when I see him looking at me with eyes that looked like daggers. I ask myself why in earth would he look at me like that if I, in the first place told him where Eun Sang and I would go. But it wasn't an invitation. It was just for information. He walks forward, his eyes on Cha Eun Sang.

"Eun Sang, you might want to wipe your mouth to look good in front of your boyfriend." I try to talk casually.

"What? I don't have a boyfriend." She pauses, having no idea of what was really happening. While Tan, on the other hand, waits, expects ,rather, for a better answer. I look at her expectantly. "Well do you call someone your boyfriend if he constantly ignores you? If he acts like he doesn't know you at all? If every morning, he makes you wait but he won't come? You call that a boyfriend?" She breathes heavily now. 

So that's how you open your heart Cha Eun Sang?

"So Kim Tan, what can you say about that?" I raise my eyebrows. Cha Eun Sang looks at me questioningly, then her face showed nothing but pure bewilderment. She turns to face Kim Tan who is now hovering over her. 

"What else Cha Eun Sang? What else should you tell Young Do? Would you open your heart more? Huh?" Kim Tan says, his voice obviously filled with rage and jealousy no matter how hard he hides it. 

"T-Tan, what are you doing here?" She stammers.

"Shouldn't I ask you that? What are you doing here with him?" He jerks his chin to my direction and I just shrug my shoulders.

She isn't responding. She isn't looking at any of us. Tears start to well up in her eyes, and eventually they start to stream down on her face. After what felt like hours, she finally spoke. "Why Kim Tan? Were you there whenever I needed you? Why did you show up now when I have someone who could at least cheer me up for an hour. Before my battle at school starts? Before those kids bully me? Kim Tan do you ever think of what I feel?"

The tears won't stop flowing. It makes me want to hug her, but it would make all things worse.

He laughs bitterly. "So that's what you think of me now? I came to see you to talk. So we could fix things." He reaches out to take her arm. He pulls her but she yanks her arm away. 

"Everyday." She starts, fighting off tears. "Three days. I've been waiting for that talk for three days. I sit on that bench as early as you said five days ago." She wipes her eyes. "I also get tired Tan, don't think of me as someone strong to hold on to something that won't come." She says and walked away. 

I followed her, leaving Kim Tan abandoned and alone. It is either he would punch me now or later.

But I couldn't careless. Cha Eun Sang is crying and for now, it is the only thing that matters.

--

 It took me a while to find her but I ended up seeing her in the library, occupying her mind with useless things. 

I sit across her, closing the poor book whose page was in the middle of a topic for someone who's taking their masteral degrees. Still dazed, I snapped my fingers as if to bring her back to the world. 

"Are you taking your masters?" I ask.

"Huh?" She looks at me, a question mark stamped on her face. I point the book. "Ah. This is for masters?" She scratched her head. "I guess I got the wrong book." She stands up, I pull her down, she sits.

"What stunt you pulled out there with Tan." I shake my head. "I mean, it was daebak! Are you watching dramas? Where do you get those lines?" I joke. 

On the contrary, she answers me seriously. "My life is a drama, you'll know it when you get hurt by someone you love." Realizing what she said, she bit her lip. "Oh, sorry, I didn't mean to say that... I-I was just--"

"Don't." I cut her. "Don't apologize." I look away, letting go of her wrist. "I understand you, but never ever think of me as someone who can't feel." I stand up, preparing to leave. I lean on the table and say, "I'm still waiting for her to open up to me again, and I'll be happy. So I won't experience the hurt you're saying."

You never know, Cha EunSang, what courage I try to build up everyday just to talk to you. Because one of the most hurtful moments in my life d when I talk to you and you talk to me... About him.