How Can You Ruffle Me So Easily?

"You bastard! I tried keep it in!" Joon Young yelled through flared nostrils.

Ji Ah had a sinking feeling that Joon Young was going to get his bones broken by Young Do today. She desperately prayed that a teacher show up before Joon Young was on his way to heaven.

"--But I will not now. I am going to transfer soon. I will not take up your shit anymore, you bastard!" Joon Young pounced at Young Do.

Ji Ah nearly shrieked, when Young Do quickly ducked, grabbed Joon Young around the armpit and in a swift motion, hurled him over his shoulder like a potato sack, and dumped him on the ground with a loud thud.

Ji Ah's throat tightened, as she watched Joon Young lay groaning in pain, on the ground.

She raised her gaze to Young Do and her heart jumped up to her throat to see him looking straight at her.

Slightly out of breath, he pushed his shoulders back and stood up straighter, boring his dark eyes into hers.

Ji Ah involuntarily took a shaky step back.

Young Do simply looked terrifying --at least to her-- as he stood tall and placed a foot cruelly on Joon Young's shoulder. Ji Ah flinched when Joon Young cried out in pain. She wanted to do something for him, but she wasn't feeling brave enough right now.

Young Do's piercing gaze didn't waver from her face. "If you were going to hold it in, then you should have held it in longer." Ji Ah's eyes went more round, as she realised he was speaking to her and not Joon Young. "I am excited to see what will happen to you from now on." The threat behind his words was evident.

Ji Ah gulped.

Young Do held Ji Ah's gaze, as he pressed hard on Joon Young's shoulder once again. She didn't flinch this time, since she was more focused on Young Do. It was he who broke the eye contact, turning away from them and swaggering away with his lackeys by his side.

Everyone slowly cleared up and went away, leaving Joon Young sprawled out on the floor alone. Ji Ah stepped forward and helped a grunting Joon Young sit up. Now that Young Do was out of sight, she was feeling a little braver.

Suddenly Kim Tan appeared out of nowhere --as he had a tendency to do so -- grabbed her arm and slammed her into the locker with a slight force.

Ji Ah gasped. "What happened?!"

"Didn't I tell you to not to interfere?" Kim Tan said angrily.

"When did I interfere? I was just--"

"Just what? Helping?" Kim Tan cut her off sharply. "Once you help a weak person here, you become one of them."

His words struck something deeper within.

Was that what had happened to her back then? When she had entered the club to help those girls, and she had almost ended up becoming a victim.

In fact, she had actually become a victim. Just not of rape.

Though, in some people's story she was a perpetrator.

Kim Tan had walked away in annoyance. Joon Young had lifted himself to his feet --walking stiffly with grunts and groans in the empty hallway-- and everyone had gone to the classes.

But Ji Ah; she stayed glued to the lockers in the same spot Kim Tan had slammed her.

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Ji Ah avoided the sulky looking Young Do for the rest of the day. She took a U turn whenever she saw him coming or entered some random class if it were too late for a U turn.

Although she was not the only one to fear him more today. She noticed people jumping out of his way more than usual.

In washroom, while washing hands, she stopped momentarily when she heard Kang Ye Seol mention to Lee Hyun Bi that Choi Young Do often practiced Judo with his father. Ji Ah also learned that this was not the first time Young Do had beaten someone up at school. Needless to say, she wasn't surprised at all.

She washed her hands quickly and went to her locker to retrieve her stuff, then moved to the classroom. Young Do was sitting next to her desk and Ji Ah contemplated changing her seat, but thought better of it and made her way to her desk, next to Young Do with her eyes downcast. She didn't want to tick him off in any way today.

The class began, and Ji Ah saw him glancing at her every now and then like he usually did, and she didn't pay him any noticeable attention like always.

When the class ended, Ji Ah didn't shoot out of her chair as usual, because she needed to take notes. Young Do on the other hand was not taking notes. She could see his pen moving in a doodling motion on his notebook out of the corner of her eyes, and she could also see that he was staring at her.

Ji Ah tried to focus on the words on white board and appear normal as she copied them faster. Her hair dangled in her face from the side she hadn't pinned them back. That side happened to be the one facing Young Do and Ji Ah brushed them back at once upon remembering what he had done a few days back.

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Work was gruelling today, because someone had booked the whole restaurant for a birthday party. Little kids were cute, only when you didn't have to look after them.

But, the bonus point: Ji Ah got to leave much earlier.

Her mind wandered as she walked tired steps to a convenience store near her apartment. She arranged herself on a chair outside the store where she often sat, and perched her handbag on the table with a sigh. Ji Ah tugged up the neck of her sweater more to shield her face against the chill and placed her head on her bag tiredly.

Her lids felt heavy, as she vaguely sensed someone pulling a chair across from her and placing something on the table.

"Ya." The person seemingly addressed her. Ji Ah had a faint thought that the voice sounded familiar.

"Ya!" He hit the table below her head with his foot.

Ji Ah snapped back to consciousness completely.

It can't be. She told herself inwardly, with half opened eyelids.

"Ya!" He hit her ankle this time with his shoe, making Ji Ah give a small grunt, but she closed her eyes completely. She was now certain that it was Choi Young Do.

"Why do you always look so vulnerable?" He said, then added in a low tone. "It makes me want to protect you."

Ji Ah scoffed into her bag. Protect her? He was the one she needed to be protected from. He was mocking her again, she assumed, though there was something odd about his tone.

"Ya!" He hit the table below her head again, with more force than earlier.

Ji Ah sat up straight. "What?" She barked at him. Why did she had to run into him out of all the people in the world?

Young Do looked amused, as though this was just the reaction he wanted. He had a tiny bandage on his cheekbone where Joon Young's bag had cut him and he was wearing a black leather jacket which completed his bad boy look.

"Were you sleeping? Did I disturb you?" He smirked, picking up his chopsticks and twirling them in the bowl of noodles in front of him.

Ji Ah glared at him silently. She picked up her bag to leave, but Young Do grabbed an ankle of her between his shoes under the table.

Ji Ah frowned at him, taken aback. She tugged at her foot and his hold tightened.

"What are you doing?"

He slurped his noodles. "I want your awake company."

Ji Ah blinked at him.

She tugged at her foot again, but let out a cry of surpise, holding the table firmly, when he also tugged in return, nearly pulling her off her chair.

"Let go!" She scowled at him.

Young Do went back to his noodles, unfazed.

Ji Ah sighed in defeat. She turned away from him and gazed at the evening sky, which was almost too bright over her head. Her eyes watered slightly when she stared at it for too long. Young Do ate while staring at her silently and Ji Ah tried to not squirm under his gaze, as she involuntarily began picking at the tip of her thumbnail in her lap. Why was he always staring? She didn't dare tug at her foot again for the fear that he may jerk her off her chair in anger.

A cold breeze blew and she shivered, placing her cold hands on her no less cold cheeks.

"Am I making you blush?" Young Do smiled flirtatiously at her from the other side of the table.

Ji Ah scoffed and opened her handbag. "I am just cold."

"It's not even that cold today." He arched a brow.

She pulled out her gloves and began wriggling them on. "I am always cold." She said quietly, without looking at him.

Young Do felt there were more than one meaning behind her words.

She pulled on her gloves and placed her glove clad hands on her faintly red cheeks, turning away from him with her ankle still stuck between his shoes. She was always turning away from him; in classes, in hallways, in Cafeteria. Young Do thought bitterly, as he slurped the last bits of noodles from his bowl.

"Do you like ramen noodles?" She asked suddenly.

Young Do nearly choked on his noodles.

He raised his head to look at her in astonishment. Her tone had been unexpectedly gentle and of seemingly genuine interest. Her gaze was also nothing else right now, as she batted her lashes at him expectantly. Her big round eyes sparkled with something, but Young Do thought she looked innocent.

He recovered himself quickly and smirked at her. "No. I like black bean noodles more. Want to eat some time together?" He flashed her a charming smile.

"Okay." She said reluctantly, brushing away a dark strand that had fallen over her face.

Young Do raised his eyebrows in surpise.

"What other food are your favourite?" She asked curiously.

He lifted a brow at her. Was she drunk or something?

Young Do was too out of it to predict her actions, when Ji Ah suddenly jerked her foot out of his hold and sprang to her feet.

"I have to be somewhere. Bye." Her tone abruptly turned cold, as she picked up her handbag and moved past him in a frenzy.

Young Do blinked dumbly for a few moments at the empty chair in front of him. Then it dawned over him as to what Ji Ah had done. He leaned back in his chair and slapped a hand on the table in disappointment.

"Innocent, my ass!" He grumbled out loud.

He would get back at her for this. Although, he was more ruffled by how he had fallen for it.

He scowled at the cold noodle soup in the bowl in front of him as if it had been the one to upset him.

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Ji Ah tried to ignore them while she opened her lockers.

"Please take back the lawsuit Young Do-ya" Joon Young's meek voice reached her. There was no trace of fire in his voice, that had possessed him yesterday, and that, for some reason, broke Ji Ah's heart.

"Why?" Young Do's amusement shone in his voice. "I was advised weeks to recover by my doctor. You should use a lot of money now and get a good lawyer."

Ji Ah finally looked at them. Joon Young was almost bowing to Young Do with the lawsuit clutched in his hands while Young Do was looking over him with a wicked smile.

Ji Ah scowled resentfully. This was not fair. Young Do could pick someone up and throw them to the ground without anyone batting an eye, yet Joon Young merely defended himself and Young Do filed a lawsuit. She wished she could do something, but she was not [Cha Ji Ah] in power, nor Rachel in confidence.

"Please, Young Do-ya." Joon Young begged.

Young Do smirked, taking immense pleasure in being in control. "Let me think." He said. "I can't guarantee it... but I will consider taking lawsuit back if you kneeled."

Ji Ah felt tears welling up in her eyes.

Don't do it! Don't do it! she chanted in her mind.

But Joon Young was slowly bending his knees one by one.

Tears slipped onto Ji Ah's cheeks while Young Do's body shook with a deep cruel laugh as he looked down upon Joon Young kneeling in front of him, with a devilish satisfication on his face.

In that moment, Ji Ah loathed Young Do madly.

She turned away because she couldn't take it anymore. She hid behind her locker door, clasping a hand to her quivering mouth and crying silently.

Joon Young had merely given Young Do a cut on cheek and Young Do made him kneel in front of everyone. Ji Ah had done something far worse to another spoiled rich brat. She shivered to imagine what would have happened to her, had she been caught?

She closed her locker softly and slipped away from the scene with a terribly aching heart.

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black-miracle thank you for following the story.

I am uploading this chapter earlier because I am happy due to this new follow :D

~Fawns