Chapter 6

Ga Eul's eyes settled on a terrified Yi Jung as he took in her state. Just as he was about to get close, Ga Eul stopped him. She managed to utter out word. "Don't."

"Okay, I won't come any closer, but you have to drop the glass in your hand now. You could get bruised really badly if you keep holding this up." He said, putting his hands up, proving his innocence, and his feet remained glued to the floor.

As he talked, Ga Eul realized what she was doing. She was slowly coming out to life again, and she opened her death grip on the glass. She grimaced at the pain, and started to understand the consequences of what she had done. The pain was screaming at her.

"We have to get you to a hospital. This could get infected."

"There's no need. I can manage." She said, standing up, and wiped her tear-stroked face with her unharmed hand.

"There's no time for this. We need to treat it quickly."

"I told you I can manage. There's a first aid kit here."

"Let me help you, then."

"You don't have to. You can leave now. I will do it by myself."

"Please. Just let me help you." He said. Ga Eul looked at his eyes, and she knew he was desperate to help, but she couldn't understand why. She didn't want him to be with her. Not now when she was a mess. She needed to be alone, but looking at his earnestness, she couldn't tell him no.

They were sitting at a table while he bandaged her hand. He had already removed the glass and disinfected the wound. Ga Eul fought the urge to scream at the pain, and she wanted to cuss herself out. Out of all people, she didn't expect Yi Jung to be the one that got her out of that daze. She hated that a stranger saw her like that, but at the same time she was grateful it wasn't Jan Di or it would've been a disaster. Thought of Jan Di made her panic, and she quickly asked Yi Jung. "Can you not tell Jan Di about what happened?"

"For childhood best friends, you sure do keep a lot of secrets from her."

"I just don't want her to worry that's all" Ga Eul said.

"Should she be worried?"

"No. No, she shouldn't. I just did something stupid, and she doesn't need to worry about it." Ga Eul replied.

"You owe me two favors now." Yi Jung said smiling. But Ga Eul didn't respond, and just watched him work. His hands were surprisingly cold. After he finished, Ga Eul eyed her sloppily bandaged hand. It was better than she would've expected.

"Hey, do you want to do something?" Yi Jung suggested.

"Like what?"

"You'll have to see."

Ga Eul was tempted to say no, but she didn't trust herself to be alone after what happened, and she needed to do something. He might've not been her preferred choice of company, but it was better than nothing. She just nodded her head, and he grinned.

They were in his car, and Ga Eul leaned her head against the window, not caring to find out where they were going. She took a side glance at him, and pondered why something felt off to her. His attitude seemed a bit more forced than usual, and he was smiling at her more. Not endearingly, but in pretense. She also noticed that his shoulders were ever so slightly hunched than his usual prideful demeanor. Connecting the dots, she realized that she wasn't the only one having a bad day.

They arrived at their designated place, and Ga Eul looked around her at the green empty baseball court. It was a bit eerie that the whole place was left only for them. It felt too silent except for the humming of the bright fluorescent lights. She turned around at Yi Jung behind her while he was taking balls out of a net.

"Your brilliant idea was playing baseball when I have a freshly injured hand." She said while raising her injured hand slightly in the air. He was approaching her with a ball and bat in his hands when he stopped in his tracks at the sudden realization.

"I didn't think that far. I thought it was a good idea to blow off some steam. It's no problem we can go somewhere else." He said, a bit discouraged.

"It doesn't matter. We came all the way here. My hand doesn't even hurt anymore." She said with reached out hands to take the bat. He gave her the bat, and she wrapped her hand around the cool metal. It wasn't such a bad idea after all, she thought.

"So how are we going to play a game of two?" Ga Eul asked.

"We won't. We're just going to swing our bats, and hurl the ball as far as we can."

"That's it? Are you sure this is fun?"

"How about trying?"

Yi Jung took off his jacket and threw it on the ground. Then he stood opposite side her, and threw the ball high in the air at her. Ga Eul fixed her feet on the grass, all her focus intent on the flying ball, then she swung the bat with all her might, and the sound of the ball clashing with the metal ringed her ears as she saw the ball soar away in the air. She understood what he meant. She was releasing all her anger and pain on the poor ball, and it felt satisfying. She watched the ball fall down away from her.

Yi Jung came up to her again. He said, "Nice throw, but you have to improve your stance a bit." He went behind her, and tried to change her grip on the bat, but she brushed off his hands.

"Your hands are freakishly cold. Take them off the bat. Aren't you a potter? You should take better care for them." She said. He left her and gave up on trying to help her.

Ga Eul lost track of time they spent at the court. They had been playing for at least an hour with them taking turns of swinging the bat. Her theory was confirmed when she saw him swing the bat as aggressively as her. His day might've been just as bad as her. It was impressive how much self-control he had to act nonchalant when she saw how much anger he held.

"It looks like your day was just as bad as mine." She said with a knowing smile as she watched another ball fly away over her head. He didn't respond, but Ga Eul was sure he heard her. She felt it was a bit rude that she pointed it out when he clearly put in effort to hide his true feelings, but she wanted one thing to be clear. She wanted him to know that he wasn't doing her much of a favor. Right now they were both using each other to get over a hard day.

"Do you want to get something to eat? I'm famished." He said.

"Sure. How about burgers?"

"Okay with me." He said.

They were both leaning on his parked car in front of the burger place. They were having simple cheeseburgers with a side of soda. Ga Eul was surprised that he was fine with eating a cheap burger with her. She would've thought a guy like him would have a much refined palate.

"Nice car by the way. It's a runner, but the color's tragic." Ga Eul said.

"Don't insult my car like that. It's my favorite one."

"If you weren't so well dressed, I would've thought you were colorblind." Ga Eul said in between bites.

"I'll have you know that it turns heads wherever I go."

"Figured. You like some dramatic flare. Don't you" She said, looking at his suit.

"You seem to know well about cars."

"I'm a mechanic, so it's my job." Ga Eul said.

"That makes sense."

"Why?" Ga Eul asked, puzzled.

"The blisters on your hand. You're not the only one who's observant." He said smiling. Ga Eul looked at her rough calloused hands. She never took notice of them before. But when she looked at them now, she felt proud. They were a sign of how hard she was working on that car.

"It won't be fair to bully you for long about the color of your car. The car I'm fixing right now has the same burnt orange color. It was so popular back in the 50's." She said, mockingly.

"See it's a vintage color. A classic."

"You won't be saying that if you saw the car I'm talking about. It's basically garbage. I'm certain it would be cheaper to buy a new car than trying to fix that one."

"Doesn't it feel like a waste of time working on it?" Yi Jung said.

"Maybe. But it's challenging, so it brings me a sense of excitement when I work on it."

"I can understand." He said.

They both finished their sandwiches in shared silence. It wasn't uncomfortable or tense. They didn't need to add filler sentences just to kill the silence, and Ga Eul appreciated it that way. She was grateful that he never once asked her about what had happened or waited for an explanation. Ga Eul also knew not to ask him anything. They both let each other be without imposing on each other's privacy.

"Do you want to go to my studio? After such a fancy meal, one must have some tea." Yi Jung said. Ga Eul thought that they would part ways, but it looked like their day hasn't ended, yet.

"Why not?" She said. Yi Jung looked at his watch and asked. "It's getting pretty late. Will that get you into trouble?"

"Curfews don't exist for me." She said coyly.

Ga Eul stepped into the studio after him, and stared in astonishment at the pottery displayed on wooden shelves. Even from afar Ga Eul could that each one cost at least millions by their intricate designs. She knew he was gifted, but she underestimated the scale of what he could do. He was already a professional, unlike her. She felt a little bit intimidated by his talent. She didn't know much about pottery, let alone art, but she understood that he was a fully developed artist already at such a young age. She grew a bit of respect for him.

There were three tables, but only one free of the pottery. She took a seat while he prepared the tea. He placed a tray on the table, and a tiny ceramic bowl caught her eye. She turned it around in her hands, admiring the delicate engravings on it, before setting it back on the tray.

"This thing looks pretty weak, right?" He said as he used it to pour tea into her bowl. He then extended his arm and dropped it on the ground. Ga Eul looked at the ground and expected to see it broken on the ground, but it was still intact.

"It's stronger than it looks. Do you know how long it took to become like that? Sorted, stepped on, cut and then burned at 1300 degrees. That's not the end. If after all that, it's still not right, it has to be thrown out. Like this." He said. He took the bowl from the ground and stood up. He placed it on another table and covered it with a white cloth. He took a hammer from one of the drawers, and smashed the bowl. Ga Eul flinched at the sound of the hammer destroying the bowl. He removed the cloth, revealing broken remnants of the beautiful bowl.

"To become strong, this is what you have to endure. Just like whatever you went through." He said, leaning against the table.

"I understand what you're trying to say." Ga Eul said. Ga Eul now saw him for a better light. His words were comforting. He didn't try to get anything out of her. He simply acknowledged her pain without meddling. She was appreciative for his approach.

"I assume this advice goes also for you." She said as he joined her on the table again. Like always, he didn't reply. Ga Eul knew now that a smile was his answer for questions he didn't like. But she took his silence as a yes this time.

Despite getting off on the wrong foot, Ga Eul noticed how easy it was to be in his presence. Ignoring the few behaviorisms he shared with Chun Ja, she realized that they got along quite well. When he wasn't pretending, She could see why he was so well-loved. He was sensible and sharp. She now understood why a lot of women loved him. Beneath all the facade, she saw someone sympathy in him today. She took a sip of the tea, as her heart beats' slowed, and she relaxed in her chair. She hadn't felt peace like that for so long.

"What made you interested in mechanics?" He asked.

"My uncle. He used to own a garage, and I would watch him work all day. He would explain every little detail of what he was doing, and his love for it made me love it, too."

"You work at your uncle's garage."

"No, my family sold it after his death."

"I'm sorry for your loss."

"Don't be. It's been a few years now."

"Was that when you started working?"

"No. I had some experience working a bit with my uncle, but I got an actual job two years ago." She said, her face darkening as she remembered that time.

"I probably don't have to ask you what got you into pottery." She said. Ga Eul realized she hit the nail on its head judging by the sudden gloom in his eyes. So he was having family troubles, she concluded. Ga Eul tried to change the subject in respect to him.

"I'm sure you hear this a lot, but your studio is really impressive." Ga Eul said. He was drinking the tea when he looked her at her with amused eyes.

"It's the first time I've heard it from you." He said. Ga Eul chuckled at the sudden flirtation, knowing that he returned back to his guarded pretense. An effect of bringing up his family.

"Just when I thought you weren't so bad." She said.

She looked at the clock over his head. It was getting pretty late, and she might've not had a curfew, but she wasn't interested in going to school with little sleep. Plus, Yi Jung had already switched to his persona, and she didn't want to deal with that.

"It's so late now. I have to get going." She said, standing up.

"Let me drive you home, then."

"No, you don't have to. I might take a little stroll before going home." She said lying. Their day together had already been over, and she wanted to end it here. And she had no idea where she was going to spend the night either.

"As you want." He said.

Ga Eul stood at the door, and said, "Good night, Yi Jung.", closing the door behind her.

After settling on sleeping in a sauna for the day, she got a text message while her eyes started to get heavy with sleep after the long day. She looked at her phone, and saw a text message from Yi Jung.

"Did you get home safely?"

Ga Eul smiled at the text, but she didn't respond. She didn't want him to get too familiar with her and text her whenever he pleased. She placed the phone next to her as she slept on the hard floor.

A/N: I just want to say thank you to everyone who's been reading my writing. It means so much to me, and I really appreciate you. Have fun reading this one ;).