CHAPTER 29; MELTED ME UP!
Saet Byul the next morning came before Rin and Ma Roo were awake. She ran into Rin's room after seeing that no one's out of their rooms yet. "Rin!" She whispered anxiously from the door scared that Rin's was still like yesterday when she pushed her. Rin opened her hazel eyes only to see Saet Byul standing by the door. "Oh, Saet Byul. Why come I the middle of the morning." She asked not fully awake. "Oh, you back." After making sure that it was the normal Rin Saet Byul then went to where she was. "Rin! I am so happy that you are fine." Saet Byul said. "Saet Byul, I am fine. What could happen to me?" She rubbed her hair and sat.
"Saet Byul, won't your teacher be coming today?" Rin then remembered that today wasn't a weekend. "Ah, she'll come in an hour. What about Ma Roo?" Saet Byul asked. "Oh, I hear splashing water. I think he is showering. I better go cook for him breakfast." Rin then remembered. "I am sorry to say this but are you nuts?" Saet Byul asked and added on then, "You were severely injured yesterday, so you need to rest. Even if you are not fully human but you are still half human." Saet Byul said to Rin as if shews an adult, let alone, a doctor.
"Uncle, really, gave birth to a genius. I didn't even think of that. She's still half human." Ma Suk laughed hearing Saet Byul lecture Rin. He was going to the kitchen when he found the monitor on and decided to watch since Saet Byul was at Ma Roo's. An idea suddenly popped up to him. "Rin, I'll go get ready now." Saet Byul was still in her pyjamas when she came. She went to get ready for her today's class. "Ok! See you when you are done." Rin sent her off to the door and went to take her a bath herself.
She went to the kitchen to cook only to find that Ma Roo had got there before her. "What are you doing?" She was surprised. "Is that how you greet people nowadays?" Ma Roo turned to see her with a knife in his hand which he was using to cut the onions, tomatoes, carrots and other ingredients. He had worn a black apron. "I thought you were still bathing." Rin said. "I knew you'd eavesdrop what I was doing, so I left the water on in the bathroom. He smiled and went back to chopping the carrots. "What can I help you with?" Rin asked. "Maybe, it'd be of great help. If you just down and waited for me to finish. It'll be only a few minutes."
Ma Roo was right. After a few minutes, he served the rice omelette he had recently learnt to make. He had managed to learn to cooking many dishes. The local and a few western in these few days he had spent with Rin. He was changing slowly and slowly. He didn't know what he'll be in a year. "Wow, Ma Roo. This is tastier than what you made a few days ago." Rin complimented. "I am quite a quick learner like you." Ma Roo said. "Rin, don't you think your father is worried that you left without noticing him?" Ma Roo asked that she had told him everything she knew about her last night. "I am not sure but I don't care. I won't ever go back to him." She held her chopsticks tightly by the mention of her father.
Ma Roo noticed that asking about her father right now wasn't so right, so he decided to stop and didn't ask any more question for now. After eating, Ma Roo removed the plates with the help of Rin, they managed to finish washing them in a few minutes. "Rin, I need to go now. Classes are in a few minutes." He told her and then grabbed his bag. "Ma Roo!" Rin called him. "Huh?" He looked back to see what she was going to tell him. "Bye. Be careful and come back early." She reminded. "Bye." He didn't say anything much and went out swiftly. She smiled without herself noticing that she was doing so. At the entrance, a red Mazda 6 parked right in front of Ma Roo. The windows rolled down and Mi Na was in the car. "Morning, hop on. I'll give you a ride." Mi Na said. "Thanks but school is not so far from here." He rejected her offer. "Why refuse when we going to the same school anyway? Get on or we'll be late." She refused to give up. Ma Roo didn't want to treat her badly because she had helped him out the other day when Rin was at the library and then opened the door to the front seat passenger seat and fastened his seat belt. Mi Na smiled and then drove off with a smile of success.
When Ma Roo had reached in class, those who had seen him get out Mi Na's car were whispering, "Are they dating? They came together. What do you think?" The students began to gossip but hurried back to their seats when they saw a female professor in her 50's come in. "Good morning, students." She greeted them with a warm motherly smile while organising the papers she had in her hands. "Good morning, Mrs. Lee." The class of a 100 or so replied. "Ok, I'll like to get the tests I gave you yesterday." She said making MA Roo remember that he hadn't done the test because of yesterday's incidents.
As the students started passing to each other the papers, Ma Roo took out his blank paper from his bag. The girl next to him noticed, she was wearing circular purple rimmed spectacles with a bob haircut. She searched thoroughly in her bag and took out a paper. She patted Ma Roo's knee three times. "Hey! Kang Ma Roo." She whispered. "Hm?" He answered and looked to see the girl he had not looked at since they started school. In fact, he didn't know anyone in the class since he had never taken time to see their faces. The girl passed her hand down and gave him the paper shyly. "What is this?" He asked seeing the answered sheet.
"I am the class president, I remained with an extra paper after giving them and answered it just for in case my real paper was lost. I am a bit clumsy." She said awkwardly. "Oh? But why do you give it to me?" He asked her. "I saw your paper blank and I forgot to put my name on it, so I thought you might need it since they give severe punishments for missing tests. The teachers have all warned you to give you punishments if you miss any other test again." The girl was observant. Ma Roo didn't want to get punished and didn't want to take the girl's answer sheet. "I am sorry but I…" He wanted to reject but was interrupted. "Our seats are next, just take it. I don't need anything in return." She said sincerely. All students were passing each other the papers to the class president's seat. Ma Roo wrote down his name quickly and gave in the paper. The girl smiled seeing he accepted.
After classes, Ma Roo got out of the classroom alone as always. He then saw the girl who had helped him out in the morning walking while reading a book. He walked fast to reach where she was. He walked her and she didn't notice. He stood by the building pole where she was seeming to be coming. She was going to bump in to the pole without noticing it but Ma Roo put himself instead and she bumped in to him. Her book and spectacle both fell on the ground. "I am so sorry. I didn't see you there." She couldn't see properly without her specs, so she then squat down and started looking for them. Ma Roo also squat down and removed them where they were and put them on her. "Oh! It's you Kang Ma Roo." She was surprised.
"Hey, I didn't get the chance to thank you for your help. If you are not so busy, I'll treat you to anything of your preference." He offered. "I am…. I am not busy at all." She said staggeringly in surprise. This was the first time he spoke to her in two years. They were seatmates but he had never even greeted her for once. "Ok, why don't we go now since I also don't have much to do. "Ma Roo, oh what a coincidence!" Mi Na grabbed Ma Roo's hand from behind. "Oh, it's you." Speaking the truth, he didn't remember her name if she had told it to him.
"Can you please come with us? We are going to hang out with my friends." She offered confidently. "About that? I…" He said but was interrupted by the girl who he also didn't know her name, "It's okay. You can go with them." She said with a smile awkwardly. "Hey, I am sorry but I was going to hang out with her. Maybe another time." Ma Roo said. "Oh, how about coming together with us. The more, the merrier." Mi Na was not willing to give up. "What do you think?" Ma Roo asked the girl's opinion. "Ok, it'd be cool too." The girl said. Ma Roo didn't know why but he was just not cold and anti-social like he used to be before he met Rin. "Come and I give you a ride then. My friends are waiting for us." Mi Na was happy that he got another chance with Ma Roo.
Rin at home was reading her books she had got from the library while eating spicy crisps which she had poured in a white small bowl in the couch. While still doing what she was doing she had the doorbell. "Ma Roo!" She was excited, so she went to open the door but before she could open. She stopped in her tracks. Neither Ma Roo nor Saet Byul knocked when they wanted to enter. They knew the door passcode. If it's not Ma Roo or Saet Byul, who was it then?