FIVE YEARS LATER
Seol Ah stared at the window, thinking about the years that had gone by. Classmates filed in and glanced at her.
"She's here without a father…"
"I heard from my sister, who was her sister's friend in the States, that she was adopted…"
Seol Ah sighed and lowered her head, frowning. She ignored the gossip.
When will you grow up from that, Lianna, she thought with a tired sigh.
The teacher walked in and tapped the desk.
TAP. TAP. TAP.
He looked around until the room quieted and everyone sat. He took a breath, then smiled.
"Hello, class. Today we have a transferred student. He came from the States. Let's give him a warm welcome."
Everyone's eyes were glued to the door as a boy entered.
Seol Ah flicked her hair up, glancing at the new student. She froze, her eyes widening.
The boy looked around, then at her. His expression was cold… and oddly familiar. He stared at Seol Ah. A chill ran through her, and she couldn't look away.
"You…"
"Heh," the teacher laughed nervously. "This is Jin-ho. Kim Jin-ho. Go sit at that seat at the end of the classroom."
Jin-ho nodded, hands in his pockets, and walked to his seat with an easy, nonchalant air. The girls squealed.
"Wow, such a bad boy," one of them giggled, blushing.
He pushed his chair back and turned toward Seol Ah. They met eyes for a heartbeat. She jolted and dropped her gaze. He squinted, a flicker of recognition passing over his face.
Seol Ah's heart sped. Her breath became uneven.
He looked like the boy at the airport. Why did he feel familiar? It had been over five years, and she couldn't shake it off.
Seol Ah ate lunch alone. No one teased her, but she had no friends either. As she stepped from class, she found a group of girls tormenting a timid girl.
"Yah! What makes you think I like this drink? I told you, peach flavor!" the bully, Oh Tia Jung snapped, poking the timid girl's forehead.
Seol Ah stopped. The girls turned and watched her.
"What? Haven't seen friends before?" one taunted. Seol Ah glared. Tia Jung smirked.
"How would she know? She has no friends."
They laughed. Seol Ah breathed in and took a step forward.
"You've got hands and legs. Go get the drink yourself," Seol Ah said.
Tia Jung froze and sneered.
"The bumpkin knows how to talk…"
"If you take it out on others because you feel small at home, you're attacking the wrong person," Seol Ah shot back.
Tia Jung slammed the drink into the timid girl's chest. The girl gasped.
"What did you say?" Tia Jung advanced, hand raised.
Seol Ah didn't flinch. "I said… just because you feel smaller at home doesn't mean you should hurt someone here."
The slap hung in the air. Then Jin-ho strode up, cutting through the moment. He glared at Tia Jung. She gulped and let her hand drop. Seol Ah shoved past Tia Jung's shoulder and walked away. Jin-ho followed her out of the building.
Seol Ah paused and looked back. Jin-ho scratched the back of his neck.
"What is it?" she asked.
He looked away.
"Hm… nothing," he mumbled and walked off.
Confused, Seol Ah returned to her seat. The timid girl from before ran up to her.
"You should be careful around him," the girl whispered. "Tia Jung said he's part of an organized violent group."
Seol Ah frowned.
"What do you mean?"
"You could get hurt if you hang around him. I heard he's transferred three times this year, and this is the second time in Korea."
The girl glanced over her shoulder, nervous. Seol Ah recalled rumors that Jin-ho once showed up at school with scars on his face. Some of the girls mentioned that Jin-ho's uncle had to remove him from school after he started grade school in Korea for one year.
"Min Jang Yu, if they bother you again, tell me. I'll make sure they stop," Seol Ah said.
Jang Yu nodded with a teary smile, then turned away, wiping her face as a sly grin flickered beneath her hands.
Ever since that day, Jang Yu hung out with Seol Ah, and no one dared to bother her anymore. Though Tia Jung disliked Seol Ah, she never approached her or Jang Yu.
The days that followed felt blissful, so blissful that Seol Ah thought she had finally made a true friend. She invited Jang Yu over a few times to meet her mother, Yu Young. Jang Yu slowly became part of the family, though sometimes a shadow seemed to flicker across her smile. Meanwhile, Po Lim rarely came home, using trade school as an excuse to stay away. As a result, Jang Yu never met Po Lim.
One day, Jang Yu met up with Seol Ah at school, handing Seol Ah a drink.
"You didn't have to get me one…" Seol Ah said. Jang Yu laughed.
"Why not? You deserve it for being a nice person…" Jang Yu responded, sipping on her drink.
Seol Ah smiled, holding onto the drink as she poked the straw in. She started sipping her drink as well.
Jang Yu stared at the students in the bleachers.
"Those girls are always drooling over him… they could lose a limb if they keep staring," Jang Yu said suddenly, her eyes flicking toward the bleachers, narrowing ever so slightly.
Seol Ah felt a chill crawl under her skin as she slowly looked at Jang Yu. Her friend's expression remained strangely menacing, though Jang Yu seemed completely unaware of it.
"Really? How?" Seol Ah pried, curiosity tinged with unease.
Jang Yu turned to lock eyes with her.
"Oh, well… Remember when I told you he was probably part of a gang organization?" Jang Yu continued.
"Yes…?"
"I just heard there was a girl who was madly in love with him. Thank goodness you stayed away. Otherwise…" Jang Yu trailed off, a faint smile crossing her face. "You might've lost a limb."
Seol Ah stared at Jang Yu, unrecognizing her friend.
After class ended, Seol Ah walked out of the building, thinking about Jang Yu's facial expression and words that jarred inside of her. She tightened her grip on her backpack, stopping as she couldn't understand.
Suddenly, Tia Jung bumped into Seol Ah.
"Aish! Do you know how to walk?" she snapped.
Seol Ah didn't flinch. "Tia Jung. Who is Jang Yu?"
Tia Jung froze, then narrowed her eyes.
"Mwooo! What do you mean? She's that fake friend who's always sucking up to you." Her voice rose, but her gaze searched Seol Ah's face.
"Was she always… weird?" Seol Ah pressed.
Tia Jung's arms dropped, her stare sharp.
"Yah. Weird doesn't cover it. She looks innocent, but she's coo-coo. Psycho."
Seol Ah frowned. Tia Jung caught it and smirked.
"So, you're doubting her now?"
"Weren't you the one bullying her?"
Tia Jung barked out a laugh. "Bullying? She dropped my drink on purpose. Then bought the wrong flavor to rub it in. And I'm supposed to play dumb and act like I didn't notice? That bitch knew what she was doing."
She brushed past Seol Ah, heading for the waiting car.
Seol Ah stood still, Jang Yu's words replaying in her mind.
Every conversation circled back to one name… Kim Jin-ho.
"What? Why…?" Seol Ah tried to dig deeper inside her head.
"Seol Ah!" Jang Yu shouted, waving her hand in the air.
Seol Ah snapped out and looked at Jang Yu. She looked innocent and kind. Seol Ah smiled, brushing off her uncertainty.
"Jang Yu… I…" Seol Ah started but stopped.
"Seol Ah, let's go to the gym. I heard that the boys will be playing basketball. Let's go see!" Jang Yu shoved Seol Ah.
Seol Ah chuckled and nodded.
"Okay. Just for a while…"
Jang Yu frowned.
"Aw… why? Jin-ho will be there, too… We gotta see how many girls will squeal over him," Jang Yu added.
Each word sent the chills down Seol Ah's back. She stared at Jang Yu, speechless.
Why is she so attached to Kim Jin-ho? Seol pondered.
Despite feeling uneasy around Jang Yu, Seol Ah walked behind her. Seol Ah glanced at the gym, taking a deep breath as this was her first time participating in watching the boys play. She clenched onto her backpack straps tightly, biting her lower lip.
This… is only one time. She's your only friend. Seol Ah continued walking.