School had ended hours ago, and I had stayed back to finish my shift. I managed to avoid most students during the day. As the janitor, some students stopped to ask me for directions. Some noticed how young I looked, but respectfully didn't make mention of it. Some others, with a death wish I suppose, attempted to insult or mock me. I kept myself calm and controlled, as I had done since I started here. Students only acted like this on the first day. After today, the weight of college and work would make them depressed enough to not notice me.
5:00 pm
I locked the door to the Janitor's room, grabbed my bag where my dirty uniform resided, and walked out towards the laundry place near school. I sensed looks on me as I walked on the street. I turned around and saw the same students that had mocked me earlier today. I picked up my pace. I wanted to get out of school property as fast as I could. Tricking them into thinking I was cowardly running away was the perfect bait to bring them to a secluded area. I passed by the laundry place and dropped off my clothes. The alley behind the laundromat was the perfect change of scenery I needed to commit my deed. They had been following me even inside the laundromat. Now, in the dead-end of the alley, one of them stepped forward with an air of superiority.
"Hey, Janitor? Wasn't it? Or do you actually have a name?" A red-headed boy asks with a smug smirk.
"Ha! Maybe a title, what about... Master of Dirt?" A second boy, probably a few years younger, stepped forward and rested his elbow on his friend's shoulder. The boys in the back laughed at their ridiculous jokes. Ah, they must be the "leaders". As I faced them, I quickly did a short analysis of each of them. In the end, my conclusion was clear. This was just another one of those High School bully gangs that had somehow managed to move to college, yet hadn't reached maturity. Therefore, they still thought and acted like they were hot shit.
But, they, unfortunately, had to meet me, and I, for one, thought that they were nothing but absolute garbage. And as Janitor, it was my duty to take out the trash.
I smirked, and my action only angered the redhead. He stepped closer until we were face to face. In a swift motion, he gave me a jab right to my rib cage. I lost balance for a second and curled down halfway. His friends followed his example. As I laid on the floor, I noticed how they were now in the shadows that covered the alley.
Poor fools had fallen like mice in a cheese trap. No, more like rats, mice were a bit more tolerable. I grabbed the leader's foot, he brushed off the action, considering it a plea for mercy.
BAM! CRACK!
A long-haired girl was taking the last of her loads out of the dryer. She held another bag, cleaned and fresh from a recent wash. She said her goodbyes to the store employee, promising to be on time for her next shift the day after. The clerk kicked her out, tired of her excuses, nevertheless, chuckled at the girl's pouting face.
Once outside the laundry place, the young girl began walking towards the alley. Most people took the opposite direction and didn't mind the natural-looking alley. The girl licked a popsicle while getting closer to the alley. Commotion is an understatement for the noise coming from within the clandestine area. She stopped at the entrance and ducked as a school bag came flying towards her. Her ears shot up, and she stepped to the side, just in time for a horde of college students to come out running from the darkness. Several bruises decorated them, and blood trailed down their faces. She counted them.
1...2...3...4...5…?
She waited for a second until two figures emerged from the alley, one a tall brunette boy with a few bruises here and there. The most detrimental areas being his torso and arms. He dragged an unconscious redhead with him. The appearance of the other boys was a beauty compared to the fool's current state. His right eye had begun to swell and the back of his head was slightly bleeding. His clothes were stained with blood from where the blood emanating from his head had sprinkled. Unconscious, bleeding, and most probably with several broken bones. But, he was still breathing, so nothing too atrocious had happened. The brunette boy looked at her with an ear-to-ear smile.
"Did you enjoy your fight, Junseo?" She asked while passing him a medical kit.
"Yes, it was very liberating," He replied as he began to clean the blood from the unconscious boy's head. She watched as he wrapped several bandages around his head. Applying a tourniquet to stop the bleeding. Junseo then grabbed the left arm, which pointed in an unnatural direction, and twisted back into its rightful position. He did the same with the right ankle. He chucked at the memory, idiot, he should have known better than to leave his Achilles heel unprotected. It had been the first bone to crack as he began teaching them a lesson.
After binding him enough for him not to die, they left him near the trash bags. After making sure no other bones were broken, they carelessly walked out in the opposite direction of the alley. No bystanders nearby, no witnesses. The pair walked in tranquility back home. On their way, they passed by a convenience store, and came across the rest of the beaten-up boys, who, at the sight of the brunette boy, fled the store like souls being chased by the devil. Before the last of them went out, the girl stopped him.
"Don't be an asshole of a friend and go get your leader, he might not make it if you don't hurry." She said in an icy tone, but the smile on her face creeped out the poor boy, who nodded furiously and ran out to inform the others. Two boys came in and bought more medical supplies, such as the ones they had been using for themselves. After they had paid, they followed the rest of their group, who hurried off to aid their leader.
They continued their path. It was a comfortable silence. That is, until the door opened to their shared apartment and the girl pushed him in with enough force for his face to say a warm hello to their floor.
"WHAT THE HECK WERE YOU THINKING?!" She yelled, dropping off the bags she was holding.
"Damn, I knew it was too good to be true, no wonder I kept sensing a strong killing intent while we walked," Junseo said as he sat on the ground, holding his bag to his chest. He rubbed his nose in pain.
"DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT I HAD TO DO TO THE CAMERAS AT THE LAUNDROMAT?!" She asked, her face contorted into pure anger.
"Turn them off and on?" He asked, smiling.
"Listen here, you little shit," She threatened as she began to smack him.
"Stop! Smack Picking! Smack Fights! Smack With Smack Students!" She grabbed him by the collar of his shirt as she finished slapping him. Poor Junseo was now limp on her hands and his cheeks glowed red, fingers firmly printed on them.
"Ahhh…" She sighed as she let go of him and dropped him on the floor.
"Mgm Hgh…" He murmured.
"What?" She asked as she began to unpack a few items from the bags. She was already up and walking towards the kitchen.
"Mgm Hgh!" The nearly dead guy repeated.
"Darling, I can't understand you. Please use proper Korean, we are not in America," She calmly explained.
"I SAID! FUCKING DAMN IT, JISOO! I LIVE OFF MY FACE!" He shouted, clearly annoyed. He, too, had gotten up, but not to help, but to grab some ice and pray for his face to not be too damaged.
"No, you don't. You live off of cleaning toilets and classrooms," She replied in a monotone, while she read a few instructions on the back of a box.
"Asshole…" He murmured one last time before putting the ice to his burning cheeks.
"I'm not the one who forced my best friend into hacking the cameras of her workplace, risking getting fired, just so I could 'take the garbage out', huh?" She turned around, hands on her hips.
"You got to admit, they were literal garbage," He managed to joke despite the pain on his face. She stayed silent for a second, she had seen the way they had ganged upon him. Heard the insults and name-calling even during the school day. Did they deserve it? Heck yeah. Was it the right place and right time? Heck no. She sighed and went back to cooking.
"Hey…" He called out.
"Mhm," She responded.
"I'm sorry," He admitted. She looked at him and felt a sting of regret, he was in pain because of her right now. But he deserved it, and she knew it better than nobody. If she didn't knock some sense in him, nobody would. However, he was still her best friend. She was on the verge of apologizing when the fool of her roommate sealed his fate.
"I'm sorry we couldn't save the footage of me kicking their asses," He finished while giving a smug smirk.
WHACK!
And there he laid, Junseo, who single-handedly had beaten up 6 other guys. Knocked out by a frying pan that his best friend was now using to cook some rice. Jisoo carried his body to the couch. Plopped him there and left to keep cooking.
"You are an idiot, Junseo, a real idiot." She murmured. Then took out her phone and played a video.
"Who in their right mind would lose this masterpiece?" She chuckled as she rewatched the fight between the wannabe gang and her idiotic almost brother.
A few hours later.
Junseo had woken up about two hours ago. Jisoo had shown him the video and almost choked while laughing at his perplexed face. He brushed it off and went to the bathroom to check on his face. No marks, no bruises. He was still damn attractive. He smiled at himself.
"Well, look at that, you must be losing your touch, Jisoo, I still look decent," He said as he came back into the living room. Jisoo had brought snacks and food, so they could rewatch the fight.
"Yeah, I'm sure it had nothing to do with the number of creams and ointments I put on you while you were knocked out," She sarcastically responded.
"Such a lovely caregiver you are," Junseo replied.
They stayed watching a movie after they had gotten bored with the fight. During the movie, Junseo went to get his white shirt out of the washing machine to put it into the dryer.
"You know, I'm pretty sure my boss will start suspecting something once he knows we have a laundry set at home, yet we keep using the one at the laundromat," Jisoo called out once she heard him turn on the dryer.
"Well, then, he shall never know, " Junseo stated, very matter-of-fact. Once he heard no reply, he turned around, tilted his hip to the side, and crossed his arms.
"Oh. He knows already. Doesn't he?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Pfft...haha, What are you talking about?" Jisoo asked in an octave higher than her normal tone.
"Jisoo Bora Jeon" Junseo called out her full name. The girl now shrunk on the couch and appeared to be almost sucked by it. The nerves eating her alive. Oh! If she had only not opened her darn mouth!
"How does he know? Tell me. I promise not to get mad" His nonchalant voice could have fooled anyone. Anyone but Jisoo, who knew that tone and that insane grin, only meant disaster and pure rage.
"LIES! Last time you said that, I ended up scrubbing the gym's showers for a week," She said with a horrified look. She shuddered at the memory.
"But did you deserve it?"
"..."
"I rest my case"
"Ok! Ok! But this time it wasn't my fault! You're a grown-ass man and still manage to spill coffee on a white t-shirt!" She exclaimed, now out of the couch and exaggeratedly gesticulating at him.
"Coffee?" Suddenly, the memories from early in the morning came back to his mind. The girl, the incident. The coffee had been spilled, and not only on the floor, by the looks of it. He let out a frustrated groan, the face of the girl suddenly in his mind.
"Seriously, my boss wouldn't let me wash it because it was only ONE white cloth. So when he asked if I had more, I accidentally replied that I would just wash it at home," Jisoo explained.
"Now, he either thinks we wash our clothes by hand, or that we happen to have a laundry set at home" She finished while putting her face on her hands.
The situation wasn't that bad. But the owner of the laundromat had always cared for them and never charged them for using the place. It had been until recently that they both had managed to save up for a laundry set of their own. But, the habit of washing their clothes at the laundromat was so familiar that they barely used the one at home. They weren't technically lying, as it had been the truth they were out of a laundry set up until now. Still, it was dishonest and as miserable as Junseo was, he hated dishonesty, and Jisoo hated taking advantage of people. For that reason, they both felt terrible for "hiding" such a secret from their friend.
Jisoo looked up to see a deep-in-thought Junseo.
"Now what?" She asked.
"Well, we could just try to bring up the topic and say we recently got a new laundry set," Junseo said, after going through the various "worst-case scenarios" of telling the truth.
"That sounds simple"
"Yeah"
"But?"
"I don't wanna do it"
"I don't wanna do it either"
They stared at each other for a couple of minutes. Damn you, fear of confrontation. Two best friends, both overthinkers, yeah, not an ideal duo when it came to conversations regarding confronting others, with words. They were both stubborn as well, so none was succumbing to the other. And just like they did with every other confrontation between them, they stayed silent and continued to watch TV while each thought of a solution in their head.
About two hours later, when they were getting ready for bed. Both met in the hallway leading to the bathroom. Each one with a clear intention of taking a shower. As siblings would do, both pushed each other in a mini-race to the bathroom. Jisoo fell as a result of being pushed towards the wall and losing balance after the impact. However, she grabbed Junseo's ankle, causing him to stumble over and drop his towel. Still dizzy, she shot up and stepped on Junseo's back, taking an impulse and leaping over to the inside of the bathroom. Once inside, she shut the door close it, and heard the grumbles of her friend on the other side.
The tension had eased with that little playful fight. Once showered, teeth brushed, and pajamas on, both were ready for the conversation they had been avoiding.
"Well," Began the brunette.
"So?" Followed the black-haired girl.
They were currently in the middle of their nighttime skincare routine. It was easier, they weren't looking at each other directly in the eye, but still were comfortable enough as they saw each of their reflections in the mirror.
"I think we should do it together"
The phrase had been dropped by both of them, and on instinct, both craned their necks to look at each other. Then after a couple of minutes burst out in fits of laughter. Their plans were always the same, if you can't do it by yourself, then let's do it together.
"Well, that's resolved" Jisoo started applying her cucumber cleaning foam.
"Yeah, can't believe we took three hours to say such a simple sentence," Junseo added a couple of drops of hazel pore perfecting toner.
"I mean, it took us weeks to decide where we should leave, and in the end we had both wanted the same place." Recalled Jisoo, she ducked her face to rinse the foam away.
"Don't remind me of that, I couldn't stop thinking about the "what if's" during that week." He silently recalled what it had been like moving out with Jisoo. When that dreadful 'incident' had happened. He smiled at the memory of stepping into the apartment. A step towards freedom, but it felt like a couple of steps backwards as well. So immersed was he in his reflection that he didn't notice how he was still holding Jisoo's hair, and thus keeping her face under the faucet of running water.
"JURNSERO! YRU ASRHOLE!" She gargled through the water.
He let go in a rush, but couldn't hide his laughs. Jisoo didn't look amused, at all.
"If this is payback for the slaps, let me remind you jail might be free, but I will haunt you forever and make jail even a more miserable place for you." She threatened, however, it was sort of hard to take someone seriously when their face was splashed with water and their nose runny.
"Whatever you say, your highness." He bowed in a mocking way.
"Screw you." She flipped him off and walked out of the bathroom, after picking up the stuff, of course. Junseo chuckled once more before heading out himself. After saying their 'good nights' each retired to their chambers.
Once on his bed, Junseo looked at the time, 12:00 am. If he went to sleep right this instant, he would get roughly five hours of sleep. That, of course, if he fell asleep. Right. This. Moment.
Rolling around on his bed, hugging his pillow underneath him, Junseo squeezed his eyes and demanded sleep to come. But, as if presenting him a challenge, his mind kept replaying the events of the day, from the early rising to his encounter in the alley, to the conversation with Jisoo. But they all fell back to one thing. That brat spilled coffee on my shirt and didn't even ask to pay for my laundry fee. She also owes me a cup of coffee.
He frowned. The last image in his mind, before he finally caught the run-away sleep, was that of a wine-colored mane moving as the girl stormed away after he had shamelessly flirted with her.
A few hours later, 5:00 am. (Miyeon's apartment)
I came home at 4:30 am. Meaning I had gotten 30 miserable minutes of sleep. I rolled out of bed, suddenly making contact with the icy tiles. I made my way to the bathroom, crawling nonetheless, as I had no energy to stand up like a natural human being. A cold shower should wake me up. I turned the water on, making it as cold as possible, and as I stood to the side and watched the waterfall from the shower head, I began to count.
3...2...1...GO!
I jumped straight into the water and involuntarily made a little dance while the ice blocks that dared called themselves water drops hit my body mercilessly. A quick shower, fifteen minutes later I was out and getting dressed. I searched for a nice outfit but came out with only a band t-shirt, and a pair of knee-length shorts. A pair of open-toe sandals that had been wandering around near the front door became my choice for the day. My hair was still wet, and I began to dry it. I looked in the mirror and noticed something, something indeed very noticeable. The shower hadn't helped. Not one bit.
The eye bags decorated my face as if they were a birthmark. My face looked oddly pale, and that only helped the eye bags stand out more. My appearance resembles that of a single mom of four, working three jobs and getting sleep only when blinking. Fatigued and drained, I had no other choice but to start my day. I stepped out of my place, then walked to the train station. It was early, so maybe I would have time to take a nap while I waited.
I was startled awake by the sound of the train leaving. I stared in shock as I watched the train roll away. Not because this was the first time something like this had happened. But because I realized this meant I would have to walk to school, which meant a whole hour of physical activity that was never in my daily routine.
I started walking and as I did, I murmured insults to the train, not the conductor, but the train itself. That moving metal garbage could be loud enough that it would wake me up sometimes during the weekend, but the day that I need it to wake me up, it decides to be as silent as a slug moving through the pavement. I began to feel excruciatingly exhausted. Not twenty minutes had passed when I came to realize another train station was not too far beyond. With newfound hope, I picked up my pace until I arrived at the station and collapsed on one of the benches. Not too long after I boarded another train that took me to the station where another 10-minute walk awaited me to arrive at campus. I decided to keep my eyes open, contrary to my initial thoughts of taking a nap. I could not risk missing my stop, so I kept splashing small drops of water on my eyes to keep myself awake. As soon as I arrived at my stop, I made my way to the University. I looked at the time and realized, to my surprise, I was still running on time. Now, if I can only find Haruki, get food, and print my syllabus before class, I will rate this day "tolerable" out of "Kill me now".
"NOONA!" As if conjured by a spell, Haruki's voice trailed behind me. I chuckled as I turned around, poor boy, must be just as miserable as…
"Good morning, noona!" Called out the cheerful boy in front of me. Dressed in nothing less than pastel colors. A gray long sleeve shirt and a pair of dusty rose shorts, the white converse, and high knee socks gave him an appearance of a Middle Schoolboy, not a second-year College student. I stared at him for a second, then grinned while I felt my left eye twitch.
"Hariku, dear…" I called out while I dangerously approached him.
"Miyeon? What's wrong?" He asked with a tinge of fear in his tone.
"What's wrong? You dare ask what's wrong?" I said as I grabbed him by the collar of his shirt.
"Noona! Whatever I did! I'm sorry!" He gave a small yelp of surprise as I shook him while I demanded to know how dare he show up looking so cute while I looked like an orphaned girl with no job or house and that most probably lived under a bridge.
"You traitor! Betrayal! And from my most beloved companion!" I called while I let go of him and dramatically posed, as if disconsolate by the duplicity of his actions.
"I'm your ONLY companion, as far as I know," This buffoon, even in my deplorable state he still managed to bring out the fact he was indeed my only friend, aside from Wendy who worked at the convenience store. I glared at him for a couple of seconds, then let out a sigh and started walking.
"Noona?" He called out, confused. The tone and his confusing face brought out the cuteness of his outfit, which, in my current state, only angered me more.
"STOP CALLING ME NOONA! IF ANYTHING, YOU ARE OLDER BY LIKE TWO DAYS!" I screamed. It was true, yesterday while going through his resume and other paperwork I came across his birthday, which was only two days before my own.
"Oh, true, you're right. It's just that you look old…" He stopped himself while I glared at him even more.
"eeee... M-Mature. You look more mature," He finished while laughing nervously.
"You know what? Forget it! Let's just go" I began walking again. Haruki rushed to my side, and together we made our way to the building. Since we were both early, we went running our separate errands and agreed to meet in front of the café ten minutes before class to buy something.
As I reached the library on the top floor, I felt suddenly reassured. Now, as soon as I get my syllabus, I will work out the schedule for the whole semester, that way nothing will take me by surprise. I will do my assignments with plenty of time before the due date, and then will find time to rest. Yes, I just need a perfect game plan and everything will fall into place.
I grabbed my backpack and headed towards the exit. I took notice of the time and realized I would probably arrive before Haruki since he had had to go out of the building to run his errands. I walked to the café and placed my order, a pretty long one at that.
"Two orion cakes, four honey butter chip bags, one coco pie, Oh! Oh! Add one brownie too!" I rambled out my order, I kept looking at the stuff written on the board with chalk. Everything sounded so delicious that I had to remind myself of the budget I had set for the week. Unless, I planned on living on air for the next couple of days. The girl who took my order chuckled at my enthusiasm and handed her twin the paper, he went to the kitchen to prepare the food, and she handed me the four chip bags.
I sat in a spinning chair at the counter, opened one bag, and began eating. As I took out my phone, I texted Haruki to bring drinks from the vending machine at the building he had gone to. His reply was almost immediate, letting me know he had already thought about that and was on his way to the café. He asked if I had remembered to order his lime and banana cake, to which I replied with a simple 'yes' despite the fact I had not ordered it. So immersed in the other types of cake that I had forgotten Haruki's special request. I turned around but couldn't find the girl twin, so I looked for the boy, he was assisting an old couple. I stepped behind them and waited for them to be done. Once again, I looked down at my phone to keep checking the time.
"Are you going to order more?" The male voice startled me, and I saw the male twin grinning at me from the other side of the counter. I quickly hid my phone and went over to order. I stepped forward and looked at the board behind him. After not seeing the banana/lime cake, I looked at Him curiously.
"Do you guys have banana and lime cakes?" I asked, slightly nervous, if they didn't, I was screwed.
"Yeah. But only for those who don't lie to their friends saying they already ordered them, when in reality they forgot about it," He responded, turning around, ready to go back to the kitchen. I came out of my shock just in time. I almost jumped over the counter, I grabbed his wrist, stopping him.
"Wait! No! Please, just let me order one, my friend really likes them, and it was my fault for not remembering! But, please! Haruki deserves the cake" As I rambled about it, I kept thinking of how hard last night must've been for Haruki. Yeah, he was dressed all cutely, but his eyes were puffy, which reminded me that he was not ok, and as his friend, I wanted to do everything I could to help him, even if it was just buying a mere cake.
"Oi! Let go! So dramatic. I'll go and make the cake," He said as he brushed me off and stomped to the kitchen. I smiled and clapped my hands a little excitedly. I watched him through the glass and smiled while enthusiastically waving. I saw him turn around and blushed, I looked at him concerned, in all honesty, I thought the vapor must've hit his face. I went back to my spot and waited for my order. A couple of minutes went by and the little bell by the door rang, welcoming another customer. I didn't look up, since I knew that Haruki wasn't here yet. However, that didn't stop me from eavesdropping.
"You should buy me a latte, oh! And a strawberry shortcake!" An eager voice pleaded behind me. By the sound of it, and the sigh that preceded it, I could tell it was most likely a girl and her boyfriend.
"Is this for yesterday? I already said I was sorry" Said the guy, for some reason his voice sounded familiar and almost irritating.
"You should have thought of that before almost drowning me," The girl resorted. At this point, I was already engaged in the conversation.
"Oh, please. It's not like it was the first time," He brushed off the fact he had almost drowned her, just who the heck was this guy? And why does he have the ability to annoy the crap out of me with just a few words? I silently turned around and peeked through the corner of my eyes. A tall brunette guy, and a black-haired girl. Looking at him from this angle, there was something off with this guy.
"You're the worst, Junseo"
Junseo
That. Was. The. Name. In. The. Tag. Of. That. Jerk's. Janitor. Uniform.
Oh, no.
I began to slowly spin away. Oh lord, this guy almost drowned a girl, had the guts to acknowledge it, and was still calm. Just who the hell had I screamed at yesterday?! I thought he was a mere janitor! Well, better not find out now. I'll just go outside, hide, and tell Haruki to pick up the order. Yes, that's it. No need to worry. They haven't even noticed me, time to make a stealthy escape. Quiet, like a mouse. I had gotten down from the chair and taken a few steps, the door was a few steps ahead. I was going to make it!
"NOONA!"
Damn it.
I froze in shock as the heads of Junseo and that other girl turned around to gaze at me. Likewise, as if things couldn't get worst, Junseo and I made direct eye contact. He raised an eyebrow. I laughed nervously until I noticed how little by little his face morphed from one emotion to another. Surprise. Doubt. Realization. Anger. I averted my eyes and locked eyes with Haruki, who now happened to be behind those two. That fool! How dare he show up now?
"Noona! Wait" He attempted to run towards me, but as clumsy as my friend is, he tripped over air. In slow motion, I watched how he stumbled over and grabbed onto the first thing he saw.
The girl beside Junseo.
I watched in horror as both of them fell to the floor, Junseo only taking a step back and letting his companion give a salute to the floor.
THUD!
A deadly silence filled the café. Both of them, still on the floor, rubbing their respective heads. Haruki had closed his eyes as he felt the impact coming. Had it not been such a serious situation, I would have laughed at the position they had fallen into. Haruki was currently being held by the taller girl, who in sight of the fall had instinctively grabbed him and turned around to receive most of the impact, despite being Haruki who had pushed her.
"Ow" Haruki murmured, he slowly opened his eyes, just to see how close he was to the other girl. Being the fool and nervous wreck he is, he got up with a spring! And began rambling about how sorry he was.
"I'm so sorry, Noona! I didn't mean to. I-I am really, really…" This idiot, he was apologizing, but amid his panic had forgotten to help the girl up. I watched in disbelief when I noticed something about his posture, with every bow it seemed like he was getting closer to the floor. Suddenly, flashes of my first encounter with him came to mind. No! This dork was about to kneel and ask for forgiveness.
No! No! No!
I ran towards him and grabbed his wrist. I didn't even acknowledge the poor girl, but instead fled the café as fast as I could. My heart was pounding so hard I feared it would leave me deaf. Haruki was disconcerted and only followed, I kept running, I didn't know where. Just anywhere but there!
"Noona! Noona! Wait! MIYEON!" Haruki finally caught his breath and screamed at me. I abruptly stopped just to make sure we were far enough.
And boy we were not. I turned around to see the faces through the glass windows of the café. Junseo looked unamused, his posture relaxed, hands in his pockets. The other girl looked confused and lost, looking back in between Junseo and me. I think it's time to admit something.
Running away was definitely not my thing.
With no other option, I started walking towards the building where my next class was about to be held. Ignoring the calls of Haruki. He gave up after a few seconds and ran after me.
"Miyeon! What the hell was that just now? Why would you do that? That was so embarrassing!" He said.
"Embarrassing!? You call that embarrassing?! You were about to KNEEL before a stranger! In front of a whole café!" I snapped.
"Well, at least I didn't make a scene! Unlike you!"
"You would have made a scene had I not made a fool of myself by dragging you out!"
"Well then. Thank you!" He snapped, raising his arms in the air in an exasperated manner.
"You're Welcome!" I resorted.
Breathless and panting, we both locked eyes in anger. A couple of minutes passed while we attempted to catch our breath, with no visible results. We had stopped looking at each other and now stared at the ground. I looked over to the glass windows, everyone had returned to their activities, through the window I saw a confused twin looking for the person with the huge order. I remember Haruki's banana and lime cake. Huffing, I pulled my hoodie over my head. It was inevitable, no matter what had happened, I still needed to go in there and get the orders. Haruki stayed outside and waited for me. I paid for my order and silently got out of the café. I could feel the eyes of everyone peering from their respective places, but the strongest stare came from the right side of the counter, where Junseo and the other girl were sitting.
I scurried out. Shoved the bag with the cake into Haruki's arms and kept walking towards the building. Haruki's steps were quiet behind me, and he maintained his gaze on the ground. I stopped at the front doors and felt Haruki's head impact my back. I turned around and sighed, then looked up at him with a bored expression.
"Listen, this was one of those once in a blue moon occasions. Don't expect me to save your ass from embarrassing situations all the time" I admitted, I was silently apologizing, but in reality, I had prevented an even more catastrophic event. I would have not been able to handle the second-hand embarrassment, at least that had been avoided.
"Miyeon…" He started. I raised an eyebrow, indicating to him to continue, but also wondering whether he was going to apologize.
"I'm sorry. I usually get nervous when around others. That noona saved me from getting a bigger impact. I felt obliged to apologize. I know it would have been unnecessary, but I would have felt like a jerk had I not tried to apologize," He kept shooting glances at the café.
"I think helping her up would have done the trick." Something seemed to have made a 'click' in his little head, and the face of remorse that followed up was priceless. I couldn't help but laugh.
"It's not funny! Oh, God! I'm an idiot" He hid his face in his hands, still holding the bag of cake.
"Of course it is. You panicked so much that you forgot about helping her up," I kept laughing, and at this point I was holding my stomach.
"This is why you have no friends! You buffoon!" He stormed off into the building, and I followed up, still shaking with laughter. He kept huffing and pouting the whole trip to our classroom, and I kept giving small snickers of laughter. Not only that, but he wasn't fooling me though, I saw him tussling with the urge to smile.