...
Kim Yeon-A was around 7 years old. She was going home to see the Math lesson again. When she saw the park, she looked. Then she turned to her mother.
"Eomma, can I play a little bit too?"
Her mother was not going to give permission, but at that moment she saw Shin Hye-jin.
And while going there, she said "You can play a little for now" and went to talk. When her mother went to Hye-jin's side, they started talking.
At that time, Yeon-A was asking questions to those passing by. "Excuse me... I wonder, who am I?"
Some said... You are a human... Some looked at her and while passing said "Is she crazy?", some thought she was a beggar and tried to drive her away. Then she saw a boy sitting on the side solving a test. And she approached curiously.
And suddenly from behind with a thin voice she said "Excuse me... Who... am I?". Then the boy got scared because of the voice from behind and shouted a little.
Then when Hye-jin heard her son's voice, she went towards the place where the voice came from with Yeon-A's mother Ha-yoon.
And they saw the a bit scared child Shin Jung-hoo and Yeon-A with a bit of a pale expression. Ha-yoon gives an angry look to her daughter and holds her daughter's hand and squeezes her hand and smiling at Hye-jin says "Don't mind my daughter's fault. Actually, she is a very smart girl. Isn't she... Yeon-A?"
She looks at Yeon-A and quietly says "Aren't you going to apologize...?"
Yeon-A feels under a bit of stress, bows her own head and says:
"I am... very sorry Jung-hoo."
Then Jung-hoo, with looks that don't care about her apology, sees how Yeon-A's mother is squeezing her hand and turns to Yeon-A and says:
"It's no problem... Nuna."
They go home with her mother. Then she takes Yeon-A to her room and by making her sit at her desk, she takes out the math test book and smiling at Yeon-A says:
"My dear Yeon-A... Today you are entering math class. There is no going out of your teacher's word, okay...?"
Yeon-A slowly shook her head in the meaning of yes.
Then while Yeon-A was in class, her mother and father were arguing.
Kim Tae-min: "Ha-yoon, these behaviors of our daughter are suffocating me now. When will she grow up?"
Yeon-A's mother: "I don't know, Tae-min..."
"Right now we should only focus on Yeon-A's lessons. Instead of an ordinary girl, we should raise a medical student."
"Yes, she must be a doctor," said her mother.
Then Yeon-A was talking with her teacher in class.
"Seongsaengnim, I think I cannot solve this question..."
Seongsaengnim looks a bit surprised and says "How can you not solve it Yeon-A? To solve this question, first we must find the limit value of x. And then while finding the answer, you can find it with 'L'hôpital' Rule or Taylor series. Briefly, while x approaches 0, cosx is like approximately 1 - x^2/2. When we put the process in place, it turns into \pi x^2/2 and the answer becomes \pi/2. But you are trying to simplify the 2s every time."
Her mother, passing by the door, also knocks on the door and enters smiling: "Is there a problem, my daughter...?"
Yeon-A also smiled and said "No, mother." And her father suddenly calls Yeon-A. While Yeon-A goes with haste, her foot trips and her leg gets injured. Her mother, looking at her daughter with fake interest, asked "Are you okay... Yeon-A?". Yeon-A just shook her head in the meaning of no without answering and tried to get up, and when she found a little strength and got up, she tried to move towards her father. But because of her leg, she was going to fall again.
This time Kim Tae-min has worn a stylish suit and was in a hurry by looking at his watch. "My life (honey), where is the car key...?"
Yeon-A's mother stopped being interested in her daughter, turned to her husband and said "It was on the nightstand last... my life."
And while Tae-min goes out with the haste of having a meeting, he gives a quick look to Yeon-A and went by grumbling "I cannot even walk properly, how will you win the law scholarship."
"Yeon-A... Kim Yeon...."
Yeon-A, who opens her eyes with fear suddenly, realizes that what she saw are some things remaining in her past and returns to reality.. And when she looks around a bit, she sees a girl standing in front of her and by rubbing her eyes, she looks at the name tag; this was "Kwon Soo-A".
She was the quietest but most fun girl of the class, a girl who listened to her lessons but was always in 3rd place.
Yeon-A: "Hmm.... what had happened?"
Soo-A looks and smiling: "Would you like to join us, maybe we go to karaoke a bit and have fun.."
Yeon-A should not have accepted and by shaking her head in the meaning of no "There is study session after school.." while she was going to lean her head back on the desk, Lee Ji-yoon comes and smiling: "Hi Yeon-A, would you like to talk a bit" she says. And Yeon-A's stresses a bit and while she (Ji-yoon) was trying to take Yeon-A by holding her hand tightly, Shin Jung-hoo enters inside.
And the moment Lee Ji-yoon saw him, she leaves Yeon-A and runs towards Shin Jung-hoo and was saying "Oppa! How are you?". At that time, while Kim Yeon-A was fixing her top and looking at Shin Jung-hoo and Lee Ji-yoon, she gives a look as if she is disgusted and while she was going out the door, Shin Jung-hoo realizes the situation and tries to come after her quickly. Shin Jung-hoo, by holding Yeon-A's arm and turning her to himself, was going to say the word "Nuna.. Lee Ji-yoon didn't mean it like that.." but he stopped when he saw Yeon-A's smile.
"Is that so, Sh-in Ju-ng ho-o ah!" by saying his name by spelling one by one.
"What should I do, should I go to Shin Hye-jin-shi and say that you are called 'Oppa' or would you like to say that you lost the Olympics this time?"
Then when Shin Jung-hoo hears what happened, he looks at Kim Yeon-A, knows there will be no meaning in begging and tries to think of things that will try to convince her and by joining his hands:
"Yeon-A-shi... what can I do for you?"
"Reading books.." "Making you study" "Taking you places"
He makes tons of offers like these and Kim Yeon-A smiles and: "Okay... I won't tell."
When she said it, Jung-hoo is surprised that Yeon-A accepted this quickly. While Yeon-A was going, turning her back one last time: "Heh, by the way Jung-ah. Even if I don't tell, I might not be able to hold my family while I am receiving my trophy at the award ceremony in the conference hall.."
She continues by smiling.
At that moment the air in the corridor changes and while Yeon-A was walking, people were continuing to talk about this event; when she went to the sink, after she pricked her nails into her hand because of stress, she passed her fingers through her hair.
Finally by looking at the mirror again she said "Who am I?". At that time Ji-yoon comes and by laughing "Our school topper this year was not Jung-hoo..." she rolls her eyes and "However, I had invested that much money to the principal.." she says and by scanning Yeon-A "I don't know what is your connection with him but I will do my best to show that he won that trophy.. But for now we must silence you... we need to silence you."
They are spraying things like perfume or deodorant on her in a way that will suffocate the girl and while the girl is having difficulty breathing, they are laughing and filling the sink with water and were keeping Yeon-A's head in the water by holding her hair. While Yeon-A was struggling to save herself, they were not allowing this. When they took Yeon-A out, they want her to withdraw from the competition.
Yeon-A, when these (girls) left, starts to breathe a bit and is coughing, still she does not accept and want, and Lee Ji-yoon locks her in the sink (restroom). Yeon-A, no matter how much she forces the door, cannot open it.
CONFERENCE HALL (AT THE AWARD CEREMONY)
Seongsaengnim: "Yes... Dear children and parents, our winner this year... Yeon-A!"
And a silence covers the hall. Seongsaengnim realizing the silence: "I guess she is not here right now. Then.."
while he continues, the children continue to talk among themselves. While Shin Hye-jin was looking at Shin Jung-hoo with a bit of surprise and anger, Kim Ha-yoon was angry at her daughter's irresponsibility.
Seongsaengnim continuing: "Instead of our winner, the runner-up who is..."
Yeon-A tries to open the door of the sink but this hard door was not opening in any way. Then Kwon Soo-A hears the sounds while passing from there. And opens the door immediately. When she looks in front of her, she stays in amazement and "Yeon-A? Didn't you need to be at the award ceremony..?"
She asks kindly and "Anyway.. It's not important, if we are a bit fast we can make it." Yeon-A also tries to come to herself and by approving they run towards the conference hall quickly.
"Shin Jung-hoo, please come if you are here.."
They open the door quickly and Yeon-A by looking at Seongsaengnim quickly goes on the stage and "I am sorry for being late Seongsaengnim" she says and the teacher looks at Yeon-A with haste and:
"Okay, since our winner has come, we are presenting her award."
Yeon-A receives the award with a fake smile and acts as if that sink incident never happened. At that time, even if her mother Ha-yoon was angry at her daughter being late by being irresponsible, she smiles seeing the award and claps and "Here is my daughter.. She returned to the stage again."
Even though Shin Hye-jin looked a bit angry, she clapped by smiling when she saw Yeon-A.
Shin Jung-hoo on the other hand doubts Yeon-A being late and examines her face and finally from that much distance with his "sharp eyes" (like Kdrama men) he realizes that her wrist is a bit reddened because of being squeezed.
After the award ceremony, Ha-yoon looks at her daughter with pride and when she sees Hye-jin, she approaches her smiling.
Ha-yoon:
"Hye-jin-shi! Look, our Yeon-A did her thing. 'Here is my daughter, she returned to the stage again' I said while receiving the award, Olympic first place... truly proud, isn't it?"
Shin Hye-jin gets a bit tense but within seconds she also puts on her fake and arrogant mask and comes to Jung-hoo's side and enters his arm.
Shin Hye-jin:
"Of course, I congratulate her.. But do you know, academic success is not everything. Our Jung-hoo became district first in swimming not only in lessons this year. Also, he is preparing for a piano recital. We don't find one-sided success quite sufficient, isn't it important to be 'the best' in every field?"
Ha-yoon:
"Ah, of course! But for medical school it's very critical, Yeon-A is already progressing with firm steps on the doctor path. Maybe Jung-hoo enters a sports academy or something, what do you say?"
Upon this insult, Hye-jin's eyes shine, she squeezes Jung-hoo's arm a bit more to hide her anger, then Jung-hoo manages to leave his mother's arm in a way. And while these two women are arguing, Jung-hoo comes to Yeon-A's side and instead of looking at the trophy, looking at her wrist.
Shin Jung-hoo (In a whisper, with his voice trembling):
"Your wrist.. Nuna, what happened to your wrist?"
"Did she do this to you...?"
While looking at Yeon-A's wrists, the sound of a high-heeled shoe echoes in the garden.
TICK.. TICK.. TICK...
While Lee Ji-yoon declares her authority in every step with her expensive high heels, she passes by them. This sound reminds Yeon-A of the events happened in the sink.
Ji-yoon, ignoring the air of the environment, only looks into Yeon-A's eyes and places that poisonous smile that looks innocent.
And the heel sounds continue until her luxury vehicle whose door is opened for her.
Yeon-A, who understands the meaning under that smile of Lee Ji-yoon, knew very well that she wanted to say "it means the game is just beginning".
Shin Jung-hoo (In a way that his voice is almost not heard):
"Yeon-A... are you really going to explain what happened now..?"
Yeon-A:
"It has no importance, Jung-ah. Pain passes.. But this trophy stays with me. I cannot say the same for you." she says by smiling.
Shin Jung-hoo (As if he got a bit angry, he passes his fingers through his hair and by fixing it):
"Jinjja! You have lost your mind on this... You are still making jokes."
Yeon-A smiles and starts to laugh a bit.
Shin Jung-hoo also gets surprised while watching her and he laughs too...
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Notes;
Eomma: The Korean word for "Mom" or "Mother."
Nuna: A term used by Korean males to address an older sister or an older female friend.
Seongsaengnim: The Korean word for "Teacher," used as a respectful title.
Oppa: A term used by Korean females to address an older brother or an older male friend. It is often used in a friendly or affectionate way.
-shi: A formal suffix added to names in Korean, similar to "Mr." or "Ms." It shows respect to the person being addressed.
Jinjja: A common Korean expression meaning "Really?" or "Seriously!" It is often used when someone is surprised or frustrated..
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