Chapter 239 (1/2)
“You’re up early.”
“Yes.”
She scooped a bowl of rice beside her mother who was preparing breakfast. If it was a few days before, she would have prepared two bowls of rice, but now she had to prepare three.
“Where’s dad?”
“He’s out jogging. You can scoop his as well.”
Her dad, who was working abroad in Japan, had returned recently. She had cleared up her misunderstanding with her mother and the absence of her father was filled in. After the small joy she longed for so much was achieved, Jiyoon was experiencing a new life every day. First up, she stuttered less. She always stuttered when something didn’t go as she expected or when she was talking to a stranger, but she was much better now. She could feel that her bad habits were going away herself. Though, it wasn’t that it had completely disappeared, and she still stuttered from time to time, but she no longer stayed quiet without being able to express her opinions.
“You should eat and go already. You’ll be late.”
“Yes.”
She sat down and quickly finished her breakfast. She took her time since she woke up earlier than usual and now she was running out.
‘I won’t be late, will I?’
She took her bag and quickly left her house. She greeted the apartment security who was sweeping the grounds and quickly walked along the road that crossed the entire apartment complex. She checked the time from her phone from time to time and she thought that she wouldn’t be late. She crossed the pedestrian overpass and walked along the road and turned right on the junction where the big bookstore was.
“You’re just in time.”
Aram was waiting for her there. She tapped on the back of her bicycle. Jiyoon smiled and sat at the back before grabbing Aram by the waist.
“Here I go.”
“Yeah.”
Jiyoon had ridden on the back of Aram’s bicycle ever since she was late to school last time. Although she said that she could just leave home at an earlier time, Aram told her to not talk back to her and do as she said. She said something strange along the lines of ‘it’s for my exercise so you don’t have the right to refuse,’ or something like that. The headwind brushed past her ears. The scenery changed quickly, and they soon arrived at an 8-lane road crossing. Jiyoon looked around. It should be around time.
“Wait for me!”
“Joohyun-unni is not doing the radio today,” Aram, who had an earphone on one ear, asked Bangjoo.
“She took a day off since she has a schedule elsewhere,” Bangjoo replied. He was wearing an earphone as well.
“Oh, I was worried that she was sick.”
“My sister, sick? Not happening. She’s too healthy for her own good.”
“Geez, to think that there’s such a brother under that delicate sister. I really don’t understand what happened.”
“Decliate? You must mean tough.”
Jiyoon smiled slightly as she looked at the two. The two had identical personalities. Both of them liked to exercise, both of them were cheerful, and both of them had a loud voice as well. Oh, and they both liked their ‘Joohyun-unni’.
Although Bangjoo sounded fed up whenever someone talked about Joohyun, it was obvious that he cared for her a lot from how he listened to the live radio every single morning. He was probably just embarrassed to admit it.
Aram had a little brother as well, and as they were far in part in age, the little brother was going to enter elementary school next year. Aram sometimes talked about him and about how cute he was since she had looked after him since he was a little baby.
‘Perhaps that’s how Joohyun-unni sees Bangjoo?’
Jiyoon chuckled out loud as she found the two quarrelling to be so fun. When she did, Aram glared at her.
“Why are you laughing?”
“Nothing, I just… thought you two suit each other.”
When she said that, the two of them retorted at once.”
“What? Me? And her?”
“Lee Jiyoon. There are things you shouldn’t say.”
Jiyoon even thought that the way the two got angry was identical as well, but she did not dare voice it out loud. It was obvious that Aram would tease her for the rest of the day if she did.
“I heard that we’d be making the props today and starting practice according to the movement lines. I wonder how that goes. Jiyoon, do you know anything about it?”
Aram’s voice could be heard over the wind. Jiyoon replied in a slightly loud voice.
“We’ll probably be putting everything we did until now into one piece. I’m pretty sure there’s nothing new!”
Although she wasn’t entirely sure, she thought that she was right. Watching the passing by buildings as well as Aram who was pedalling hard, they soon arrived at school. They got off the bicycle and bypassed the scary-looking head-of-the-year teacher. Although she was a little worried about getting caught since her hair came below her shoulder, she fortunately wasn’t caught.
“Go.”
“I’m going then.”
Jiyoon waved her hand to Bangjoo who walked to the mechanical engineering department at the end of the corridor, saying ‘bye’.
She then followed Aram into their own classroom. Her classmates waved their hands saying hello. Jiyoon hung her bag on the desk at the very back, which was her seat. She sat at the very front up until middle school, but she somehow ended at the back seat due to the friends she made in high school. In the eyes of adults, they would seem like problematic kids, but Jiyoon discovered that the reality was different from what it seemed. They had rough mouths, but that was it. They were different from the so-called ‘bullies’ shown on TV. They were just awesome people who had a strong opinion and could not stand injustice.
“Jiyoon, you should eat this!”
A tall fellow threw something at her from afar. When she caught it, she found that they were cookies packed in a plastic bag. Jiyoon smiled. Her classmates did not have textbooks in their bags. Instead, they had comic books, cosmetics and food. Jiyoon did not have many opportunities to read comic books, but she read them quite a lot recently thanks to her friends. She liked stories about confident and brave heroines rather than those featuring delicate girls. She sometimes resolved to act like one of them, but whenever she closed the book, she returned to normal and rarely ever took action. The book she was reading now was a school romance book. The story was about two ordinary students falling in love secretly. Every time she flipped over a page, she imbued her own emotions into the book. The world made of lines and dots expanded and felt like the real world. She would be the heroine, and Daemyung would be the protagonist.
Whenever she did that, Jiyoon became startled all by herself and closed the book before opening it back again with a smile on her face. They say unrequited love was a painful thing, but Jiyoon was experiencing the exact opposite. Though, it would be a different story if the current situation dragged on for a long time. For now, she felt very happy.
“I’m suspicious.”
Jiyoon became startled and closed the book. The time was right after lunch. She was fantasizing to herself while looking at the comic book with a drowsy body when she heard that voice. Jiyoon smiled back at Aram, who was looking down at her with crossed arms.
“I’m very suspicious.”
“A, about what?”
“You’ve been reading that book for days now. With a bright grin on your face too.”
“I was?”
“I’m suspicious. Veeeery suspicious.”
With a suspicious smile, Aram suddenly turned around and started walking towards the others. At that moment, Jiyoon felt a tingle on her head. With a newfound strength that came from an unknown place, she pulled on Aram very strongly. Aram swayed a lot but she soon gained balance with her superior motor nerves.
“I, I’m sorry.”
“You’re quite strong.”
Aram glanced at her friends. Jiyoon shook her head with all her might. If Aram told them about it… she didn’t even want to think about the consequences. Those friends were the same ones that made her ride Aram’s shoulders around the school for ‘fun’. It was unknown what they would do if they found out that she had someone she liked.
Aram dragged a chair towards her as though she was some kind of investigator. Jiyoon was unable to look at her eyes.
“Now I’m 100% sure. Who is it?”
“Wh, what do you mean?”
“Then I’ll say it to all of them, okay? Once that happens, you’ll be forced to confess….”
Jiyoon reached out and covered Arma’s mouth. The others who were chatting amongst themselves looked towards them. Jiyoon laughed awkwardly and fidgeted. Only after the gazes dissipated did Jiyoon sigh and let go of Aram.
“How did you know?” She gave up and asked first. When she did, Aram grinned and spoke.
“What, so I was right?”
‘I was fooled!’
“....”