Young Do thought of himself as a loyal person. Maybe not to cheap girls, or to those lackeys who considered themselves his friends - without ever receiving his permission - but to the important things. Like his dog, or his usual Ramen… especially to his favorite convenience store.
He was always the first customer, arriving a few minutes before they opened. The shop owners daughter would still be in the back, finishing up her duties while blasting her music, before heading off to school herself. She started unlocking the door early for him a while back.
He made his rounds every day if his work schedule allowed. He was especially difficult on the days he wasn't able to.
Thankfully today wasn't one of those days and everything was going according to the schedule.
Park the bike in his usual spot. Check.
Avoid the owners vicious cat. Check.
Cringe at the newest kpop song. Check.
Pick out his breakfast. Check.
Nod to the owners daughter and pay. Check.
There was only one thing left on his list but she was late.
Somedays there would be a person or two who'd show up around the same time as him but the only thing more rare then that was them showing up again. There was only one other regular and apparently she'd been going there even longer than him. She was a family friend, the owners daughter had explained. Their families ran food stalls near each other years before. She'd told him the Ajumma made the best dukbokki around. He'd wanted to try it ever since.
She came in every morning after getting off a bus, only to wait ten minutes to get on another one. She never bought anything and she never spoke, not even to the shop owners daughter. He thought it was strange but it didn't concern him so he didn't bother dwell on it, until one day he heard the girl laugh even though no one had said anything.
That's when he saw the notepad and he realized the reason she didn't speak was because she couldn't. She was mute.
He'd observed her ever since.
The habit had formed a few months earlier.
The Ajumma had come exactly on time as usual but that day she had an unusual amount of things to carry. He thought one of the bags looked like dry cleaning. She'd had been struggling to hold her things and open the door at the same time.
It wasn't any of his concern but he felt a sense of loyalty to his convenience store people. He wasn't friends with any of them but they were apart of his routine and he stuck by his routine no matter what.
So he walked over and held open the door for her... and he'd been doing so everyday after.
It wasn't like him to go out of his way to help people, especially not ones like her who seem as if they could help themselves... and everyone around them but she'd smiled her thanks and he'd been devoted to his task ever since.
He normally leave a minute or two after helping her so they didn't often get a chance to exchange pleasantries besides a slight nod and a smile.
That is until he showed up with a cut from his father's most recent attack on his face.
She was looking down perplexedly at her phone when he opened the door for her. Once she was halfway through she looked up and saw his face and her expression looked as if she'd been the one to take the blow.
He watched her reach for her notebook and tensed. He felt bad for making her make that face but he wasn't in the mood to make up an excuse for his appearance. After she was all the way in he quickly returned to the counter where his meal was.
He was gathering his trash when he felt a hand on his.
He tensed again.
She noticed.
She placed something in his hand.
A bandaid.
She squeezed his hand like his mother used to.
He tensed and relaxed all at the same time. He didn't know what to say so he just stared at the bandaid and then at her. She smiled at him and lifted her hand to his face. She patted his uninjured cheek lightly a few times and then he realized he was shaking slightly.
Closing his hand around the bandaid he ran out of the store.
The memory made him smile.
They became unlikely friends after that. They still didn't get a chance to talk often but some days he'd stay while she waited for her bus. She'd scold him about being late for school. He learned about her slowly. He didn't think it was possible but he'd finally met someone as good as evading questions as he was.
He took the notebook from her and read it slowly.
"If you think I'm bad you'll have to meet my daughter, she's worse. She's famous for answering a question with another question. Just like you."
He laughed, "Aigoo, I haven't met her and I'm already frustrated."
He figured out fast that if wanted answers to his questions he had to answer hers.
The cut was on the right side of his face today and he was trying to angle himself to she wouldn't see it. As soon as she was in he planned on rushing back to grab his food and eating it on the way to school.
She always saw though.
Just like she always gave him a minute to compose himself before she walked over to fix him up.
Today was different.
She followed him as soon as he walked away and started scribbling in her notebook before she even got to him.
"Someone is doing this to you."
He looked ahead.
"Choi Young Do, I know you are a troublemaker but these marks are not from a school boy."
"So? Does that matter? What will you be able to do about it? Can you stop it? No. So theres no reason to discuss it." He snapped.
"I may not be able to stop it but you're wrong, Choi Young Do. Talking helps."
"What do you know about talking?"
Even as he said the words he knew they'd be something he'd never stop regretting.
She eyes flashed with hurt for a moment but her expression didn't change at all.
She started to write again but he stopped her. "I - I'm sorry."
"I have two daughters, your anger is nothing new to me. I know you didn't mean it."
"Bu-"
She stopped him.
"You've been through a lot. You don't have to tell me, just know you can."
She patted his cheek like she always does when he's injured.
He didn't tell her for a while but eventually he did.
"I used to let him hit me so he wouldn't hit her, I didn't realize he wouldn't stop after she was gone. Thing is, he never did hit her… I don't know why I thought he would. He maybe a monster but at least he wasn't a wife beater."
She watched over him.
His sandwich was almost to his lips when he felt it being snatched away.
"Ya-," he exclamation died when he saw what she put in front of him.
It was a lunch box.
She passed him her notebook. "You eat too much convenience store food."
She's brought him food a few times a week ever since.
He tried to look out for her, like he was today.
She was only late on the days her bus got delayed but the bus had already come and gone without her.
He checked watch. He still had time. He was going to wait.
Five minutes passed.
Then five more.
He was getting restless.
"Ashh, where is she!" He said to no one.
He decided to wait outside.
He checked his watch again.
It had been seven minutes and he knew he couldn't wait much longer.
A black car rolled to a stop in front of the shop. It wasn't as fancy as any of the ones his father owned but it was still nice enough to look out of place in the parking lot of a convenience store.
Park Hee Nam got out of the car and walked to him.
"What are still doing here? And why are you outside in the cold?" She signed.
He hadn't specifically meant to learn sign language but after being around her for so long he had been able to pick it up quite well. He was clumsy with the few signs he knew but he was getting good at understanding hers.
"You were late and I was worried. What was I supposed to do? Wait till I heard they'd found your body on tonight's news?"
She pinched him.
"Yah! I'm being good and waiting to make sure you're okay and you're punishing me?!" He cried while rubbing his arm. "Besides it seems like a good thing I did. What are you doing with a strange man?"
"You should be at school."
"Forget it. I'm skipping today."
He was reward with a pinch to the other arm.
She started to sign rapidly.
"Ajumma, I can't see what you're saying."
She slowed. Barely.
"I need you to go to school today."
Leaning forward he spoke, "Why's that?"
"I'm late today because I took my daughter to her first day at her new school. That strange man as you called him also has a son who goes there and he was kind enough to drive me to work so I wouldn't have to miss this important day."
He nodded to signal her to continue.
"You may know his son. His name is Yoon Chan Young and he goes to your school, along with my daughter now."
Now that was interesting news.
"And you want me to go to school so I can what?"
"Watch over her. Won Young explained to me what your school can be like and I'd like for her to have someone to help in addition to Chan Young."
You have no idea what you're asking for.
"Her name is Cha Eun Sang, right?"
"Yes."
He swung his bag onto his shoulder.
"I'll see what I can do."
Maybe school wouldn't be so dull this year after all.
I wrote this a few weeks back but never got around to posting it. I'm still not sure if it's one shot or if I'll continue it but I figured I would share!