Because You Cried
He didn't see the wary look Myung So threw his way, as he sat up and grabbed his cell phone off the table in front of him.
Myung So went to change the song while Young Do tapped open Ji Ah's inbox on his phone.
"Ya! Where are you?" He sent, then waited a few seconds before sending more messages.
"I know you don't have work at this hour. What are you doing?"
Young Do leaned back in the sofa, but kept the cell phone in hand.
"Change the song, Myung So-ya." He grumbled.
"Why? What is wrong with this song?" Myung So said, sounding offended.
"It's girlish!"
"I am girlish too. Will you change me too?" Myung So pouted. Young Do gave Myung So an unimpressed look, before going back to his cell phone. Myung So also moved to change the song again.
"Don't ignore me or I will show up at your workplace."
"Chaaaaa Jiiiiii Ahhhhhh."
"Reply."
"Reply."
"Reply."
Young Do placed his phone heavily on the table, and Myung So looked back at him.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ji Ah frowned at her phone screen, as she walked to her apartment.
"Reply." A message popped on the screen.
Then another message popped. "WHERE ARE YOU?"
Then another. "WHERE ARE YOU CHA JI AHHHHH???"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ji Ah scowled at his messages. What was this creature's problem?
She turned off the screen, but it started ringing as soon as she did. She stopped walking and declined his call impulsively, then smacked her palm on her forehead in frustration. Now, he would know she was deliberately ignoring him!
She sighed and resumed walking.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ji Ah naturally woke up in a bad mood, feeling especially glum, today. The thought of getting out of bed, or going to school, or seeing Choi Young Do, agitated her even more. If it had not been an expensive school --especially the one whose fees' were being paid by Mr Seo-- she would have skipped school today.
She half heartedly got out of bed, showered, ate breakfast, and dressed up for the school.
Walking everywhere had now become natural for her. She didn't need to travel in vehicles since she never travelled far, and it wasn't like she were going to keep travelling in some car all day, if she got over her phobia too, she thought with satisfaction as she walked to the school.
Ji Ah was a bit late than usual, noticing full hallways. She took off her backpack, as she opened her locker, and was about to lay it in her locker nonchalantly when she noticed it.
The walls of her locker were covered in something dark.
And the floor--
Ji Ah dropped her backpack with a small gasp upon remembering her gym suit. She zipped open her gym suit's bag immediately, and tugged it out.
It was covered completely in ink too.
Ji Ah slumped her shoulders. The ink had not dried yet as it tainted Ji Ah's fingers too. Young Do had done it probably this morning, before she got here.
"Good morning!" Young Do chirped from behind her locker door. Ji Ah threw her gym suit back in the locker, and closed it.
"It is such a beautiful day, today!" Young Do clapped his hands together, and smiled devilishly at her.
Ji Ah pouted sourly at him in response, but decided to keep her mouth shut. She picked up her backpack, and started towards her classroom, while trying to comfort herself with the thought that at least he didn't make her kneel.
Young Do followed her, falling in step beside her. "When someone greets you, you are supposed to return the greeting." He mocked.
Ji Ah refused to acknowledge his existence, and stared straight ahead, mentally calculating the amount of money it would cost to dry clean her gym suit. Or chances were she would have to buy another, she thought miserably. She didn't want to ask Mr Seo for money.
"I went through the trouble of taking revenge, at least give me a proper reaction." Young Do grumbled beside her.
Ji Ah stayed indifferent. She saw him glancing at her from her side vision, likely irritated by her lack of reaction.
He suddenly snatched her backpack from her hand.
"Ya!" Ji Ah cried and stopped abruptly. "What are you doing?"
"I am carrying your bag for you, today." He smirked at her.
Ji Ah scoffed. "There is no need for it, please give me my bag back."
Young Do shrugged his shoulders, and held out her bag to her. "Okay, take it."
Ji Ah extended her hands for it, but he pulled it away with a smirk. He was toying with her.
"Don't play with me." She said weakly, her arms falling back to her sides. She really didn't have the strength for this today.
Ji Ah vaguely felt that something shifted in Young Do's expressions, but in that moment Kim Tan grabbed her bag from Young Do's hands roughly.
"Are you in elementary school? Why are you going around snatching girls' things?" Kim Tan scolded Young Do like one scolds a little child.
Ji Ah felt a faint burning sensation in her cheeks, as she remembered how he had held her a few days back. He had been avoiding her since then, just as much as she had been avoiding him. Though she told herself they had hugged tightly once before too, there was nothing to feel embarrassed about.
Young Do arched his eyebrows in annoyance. "I was wondering where her knight in shining armour had been lately." He drawled sarcastically.
Kim Tan turned to Ji Ah. "Why are you carrying your bag with you? Why isn't it in your locker?"
Ji Ah gave Young Do a sidelong glance. "My locker is covered with ink." She said quietly.
Kim Tan understood her at once, because he fixed Young Do with an icy look, who in turn smiled derisively at him.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" Young Do said, feigning innocence.
At this moment, the bell rang and everyone started rushing to the classes. Kim Tan threw her bag at her, and Ji Ah caught it with a tiny gasp.
"Get the things you need for class" He said. "Then you can keep your bag in my locker till yours is cleaned."
Ji Ah was positively taken aback by the offer. Why was he like that to her? He had even grabbed Young Do's collar for her, on her first day here. She felt a strange uneasiness.
"Why would you keep a girl's bag in your locker?" Young Do curled his lip at Kim Tan. "A girl who isn't your fiancee."
"Why would you throw ink at a girl and ruin her locker? Kim tan shoot back. "A girl who isn't supposed to be your enemy."
Young Do arched a brow and sneered.
Kim Tan grabbed Ji Ah's wrist. "Let's go." He said, dragging her with him towards his locker, leaving a grumpy Young Do behind.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ji Ah silently pulled out her new notebook, her textbook and a pen, before Kim Tan kept her bag in his locker, and shut it close. Ji Ah was glad there was barely anyone in the hallway to see that.
"Thank you." She muttered, her gaze directed downward.
"Why are you like that?" Kim Tan suddenly asked her what she had wanted to ask him.
"What?"Ji Ah raised her gaze.
Kim Tan looked away as though suppressing his anger.
"Nothing." He said, tucking his hands in his trouser's pockets, and walking off to the class.
Ji Ah pushed back her dark strands, and squinted at his back in bafflement. What did he mean?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Classes passed uneventfully. Young Do didn't bother her during or after the classes, nor did Kim tan approached her again. However, Ji Ah still wandered about, feeling gloomy. And it was also this gloominess that led her to the music room.
She hesitated for a moment before entering it. It was empty.
Ji Ah moved to the piano, and deliberately brushed her fingers on its keys. Glancing cautiously at the closed door once, she seated herself in front of the piano, and took a deep breath before beginning to play.
That song by Chopin. That was the only one she wanted to play and hear right now, despite how depressed it made her feel. She wasn't playing for comforting herself, but rather for tormenting herself more. She wanted to cry out her heart somehow.
Her heart grew heavy with every note, and tears trickled down her cheeks, as the music room echoed with the deep sadness of music --or was it her own pain?
Ji Ah couldn't bring herself to play the last part, where it sounded like someone was taking their last breath. She stopped and sniffled.
Her head snapped sideways when she heard someone else's sniffle too.
A tear slipped from Kim Tan's eye, and rolled down his cheek. His eyes were glistening with tears, and his mouth was quivering.
"Why did you have to play that?" He asked in a voice, that sounded so broken that Ji Ah felt more tears roll down her own cheeks.
She stood up slowly. "I am sorry." She said in an awfully trembling voice.
Kim Tan looked away from her, and placed the back of his hand on his mouth, his chest shaking faintly with suppressed sobs.
Ji Ah couldn't prevent herself from moving closer to him.
"That was her favourite song" Kim Tan croaked, still looking away from her.
"I.. I am sorry." Ji Ah sputtered, apologising again.
Kim Tan turned back to her, and the look in his eyes, as tears swiftly rolled down his cheeks, broke Ji Ah's heart even more. She stepped closer, her hand involuntarily flying up and she carefully wiped away his tears with her two fingers.
Kim Tan went rigid while any remaining color drained out of his face.
He stared unblinkingly at her. Ji Ah quickly withdrew her hand, and backed away upon realising what she had done.
"I.. I am..s-sorry." She stammered out, looking down.
Kim Tan swallowed the hard lump in his throat, feeling another chill travel down his spine. It was scary the way she remimded him of his Cha Ji Ah. She was nothing like the bold, sarcastic and confident Cha Ji Ah, who had always kept her head held high and never hunched her shoulders in fear-- at least not in front of him.
Hae Na Ri was a completely opposite version of Cha Ji Ah; timid at times, slightly awkward and somewhat innocent. She looked like Cha Ji Ah, but Cha Ji Ah never looked this fragile-- or sad. Her eyes were a different story; Cha Ji Ah didn't have this dull and sad eyes.
Inspite of the many obvious differences between the two, Hae Na Ri still managed to shake him with words or actions that were eerily like Cha Ji Ah.
No matter, how much he berated himself, he couldn't help, but feel drawn to Hae Na Ri. He had to remind himself again that she wasn't Cha Ji Ah, although the thought did him no comfort either.
"It is a funny coincidence." Kim Tan smiled mirthlessly, wiping at his eyes and cheeks.
Jin Ah bit her quivering bottom lip, and looked at him tearfully. "I am sorry." She brushed away a strand from her face.
"Stop apologising." Kim Tan's eyes darted around the room, avoiding her.
Ji Ah was about to apologise for apologising, but stopped upon realising the absurdity.
"I wouldn't play it again." She blurted out, as though trying to comfort him.
He sniffed, and looked at her. "Why were you crying?"
"I was just feeling sad."
There was an uncomfortable silence in the music room, as Kim Tan didn't say anything for a few moments.
"Why did you cry that day?" He asked abruptly.
Ji Ah looked up, not catching on for a moment, then realised he was talking about the day he had hugged her. She swallowed hard and started picking on her thumbnail wih her fingernails.
Her voice trembled when she spoke. "Because you cried."
She shouldn't have said it, she regretted it at once.
Though she couldn't read Kim Tan's expressions. He was staring intently at her, perhaps waiting for her to elaborate, but Ji Ah had nothing more to say. She stared back, feeling her heart palpitating. The intensity of his gaze grew too much for her, and she looked away.
"I think our math class is about to start soon." She said without looking at him. Kim Tan didn't say anything, so Ji Ah took this chance, and wiped at her face to clear any traces of tears, before shuffling past him, towards the door.
She thrusted her hands into her blazer pockets when she stepped out and walked hurriedly.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ji Ah slumped on the table outside the convenience store. She had given her gym suit for dry cleaning, and it had cost 18,000 won; her entire savings.
She hated Choi Young Do, she hated herself... and she hated Kim Tan.
Ji Ah tossed her head back, and stared at the dark desolated sky. On days like this, she felt more lonely; when she didn't have anyone at the end of the day, to talk to her, or just care that she was upset.
Ji Ah glanced inside the store and bit her bottom lip.
She pushed open the store door, and made her way towards the refrigerator. Drinking something cold was half a suicide for her, figuratively speaking, though that didn't stop her. She bought 2 beer cans.
While popping open a chilled can, she regretted not bringing her gloves along. Chills wents down her spine and goosebumps rose on her skin, as the first gulp of the cold beer travelled down her throat.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Thank you so much Sazifer for reviewing. It made me really happy to see a review. I will upload next chapter soon too.
~Fawns