Heading into the kitchen with the empty coffee mug in my hand I see a sight which makes me stumble back in shock. Blinking a couple of times does nothing to change the scenery. I still catch his figure looming over the sink, the sound of soapy water sloshing around.
Yang Jin is up and washing the dishes from last night.
I skipped washing them and told my mother that I wasn't feeling well enough to do them and Yang Jin argued that he wouldn't wash them if it wasn't his turn. When Franklin offered to wash them, my mum got angry and started murmuring something along the lines of hands being lazy and useless in her household. The twins were already as fast asleep as a rock at the time so in the end, the dishes I was supposed to wash slept in the sink.
Firstly, I am shocked that Yang Jin is even awake. After he graduated from university, he swore to never wake up before nine. For the past year, he has done a bang of a job at accomplishing that. Secondly, he's washing the dishes. My dishes. Was he forced to do this?
"Uh… you're doing the dishes?" I muse slowly, going over to the pantry to get a granola bar. When I find the one I like, milk chocolate, I turn around and shut the door close. "And you're awake?"
"You know," he starts without even turning around to face me, "for someone who just got left by the bus, you're acting awfully comfortable."
I look over at him in confusion. Flicking my wrist, I check the time and relief replaces my panic. My eyes puncture into his back venomously.
There he goes again with the lying. Yang Jin will never change, will he?
I remember this one time when we were both still young and he convinced me that playing outside in the rain was a good idea. Deep down, I knew that we were going to get in big trouble when Amma returned back home from work even after he promised me she wouldn't scold us. It didn't come as much of a surprise when later that night we were both sat on the sofa, being stared down by our mum.
"The bus only comes at seven thirty," I proclaim and pick a seat on one of the stools so that I can enjoy my granola bar in peace. Throwing my bag on the island, I peel the chocolate open and continue, "I have about six more minutes to relax before it arrives."
"Apparently you haven't seen the bus's new schedule," he echoes to me and finally turns around, using a dry dishcloth to wipe his damp hands. "There are some kids from your school who complained about having to walk miles to catch the bus, so it has to pass by here earlier to get those kids. You just missed it."
I pause mid-chew and watch his face for any sign of flippancy. There is zero to none, nothing like playfulness breaking into his eyes. Over the past seventeen years of my life, I've learned that Yang Jin is a person who has mastered the art of being earnest even when he's joking. He's a person who is very good at keeping his emotions in check when he's trying to be deceitful to me which is ninety-nine percent of the time.
It's why I didn't drink milk for a very long time until my mum finally reprimanded him for telling me that unclear substances contain bugs. He must be doing this to fool around with me. Right?
"You're lying," I state with a flat stare thrown at him.
"Am I?"
Leisurely, Yang Jin walks over to the fridge. He dismantles a paper that was stuck on the door using a magnet. Holding the paper out to me, he smirks in amusement and arches his eyebrows up.
For the first few seconds, a challenging stare is shared between us both and I try to decipher how hard he's bluffing. Curiously, my eyes flicker down to stare at the paper and for some mysterious reason, I start feeling nervous. Again, my gaze moves up to meet his.
He seems pretty confident.
Quickly, I spring up out of my chair and rip the paper out of his grasp, disregarding the smug look on his face from my fold. Rapidly, my eyes shift around as I read what stands on the paper.
To all students of Mossbourne Community Academy,
We announce that due to the high number of complaints the administration has received from multiple pupils about the great distance that some students have to walk to get to the bus stop in Queen Victoria Street, the bus will be arriving at every bus stop at approximately ten to fifteen minutes earlier to accommodate those pupils. This will commence the following week on Monday. Plan accordingly.
Thank you.
"What the—" My eyes widen fearfully and I glance back up at the satisfied look Yang Jin has painted across his entire face. "How long have you known about this?"
Nonchalantly, he says, "Oh, I've known a couple of days now."
"And you didn't think to tell me?"
"I did. Why do you think I'm up so early?"
"I think you're about ten minutes too late. I definitely missed the bus. You're gonna have to drive me to school," I plead.
He scoffs deliriously and then spins around to dry a ceramic bowl. "I'm busy if you couldn't quite tell. I'm washing someone else's dishes."
Realisation hits me like a train in the face and in my shock, I murmur, "Oh, my God."
"What?" he muses, blatantly feigning oblivion.
"You did this on purpose, didn't you? You purposefully didn't tell me about the bus changes so the bus would leave me and that is the reason why you're up so early."
He neither confirms nor denies my accusation, but the little shit-eating grin on his face is telling.
"So, this is all about me skipping dish duty? Is that it?"
"Yeah, pretty sure it is."
I look at him in disbelief. "You're so petty."
"And proud," he adds.
"Yang Jin, you cannot do this to me. Not today of all days. Not ever in fact because my attendance record is spotless this year, okay. I have never been late to school this entire year, you understand that? If you do this, you'll just dent my precious, clean record. Why would you wanna do that to me?"
"I'm sorry, Seong Jin, but these dishes won't wash themselves. If only the person who had to do them didn't fake being sick," he gives me a pointed look with a smug smile on his lips, "and did them instead. Then I probably would have time and probably would've driven you to school."
"You're unbelievable," I whisper, shaking my head.
The grin on his face widens and the reality of the situation sinks in.
"Fine. Be like that. I'll just ask Franklin for a ride."
He releases a chortle of what I would assume is satisfaction as I start retreating which forces me to pause at the doorway, my face pinching in irritation.
Then I roll my eyes and turn back to face him. "What?"
"Franklin left earlier today to open the diner." He watches my face drop and a smirk curls onto his lips. Before I can open my mouth again, he continues, "Geurigo uri eommaneun pigonhae. How did you describe her… she is just looking rough. So, guess who's gonna have to drive himself to school today?"
"I actually hate you," I mutter, throwing him the most venomous stare ever.
"Love you too," he smiles at me brightly. "Safe travels, namdongsaeng!"
Snatching my car key from the empty fruit bowl, I scrunch my nose in annoyance at the audacity my brother has and leave the house through the door leading into the garage.
In frustration, I flick the switch on the wall up which puts the gears in motion, causing the garage door to slowly rise into the ceiling.
The outside light splashes in, emphasising the beast within. There it is with a washed-out grey, silk sheet draped over it. It stands proudly and majestically in the same spot it has been in for the past year or two at most.
I remember when I woke up on my sixteenth birthday and opened the door to find Yang Jin standing on the other end looking at me with excitement in his eyes—it was the most emotion I had ever seen on his face.
We then rushed downstairs with him dragging me and me being dragged in my still sleepy daze. When we got into the living room area, I instantly got ambushed by my mum, Franklin, Ji Ho and Chu Hua who immediately started singing the happy birthday song whilst holding a chocolate cake in my face and… talk about awkward. I got a few minuscule gifts from my siblings and my mum, but when I opened Franklin's gift, I was confused at the sight of a lone key resting in the box.
"Happy birthday, Seong Jin," he said, smiling at me softly.
"W-What's this for?" I asked anxiously, almost knowing the answer.
"Why don't you go outside and look for yourself?"
And there it was, parked in the front yard, just waiting for me to grab its steering wheel and drive it all around town.
The only problem was that I had never taken a driver's test ever in my life so I couldn't actually grab its steering wheel and drive it all around town. Over time, though, I got my learner's and then my driver's license. But somehow, I still couldn't gather up the courage to drive all alone in a car.
And that's why I always take the bus to school. It's loud and rowdy, but it gets me to and from school and that's all that matters.
And now, here it is again. Just as majestic as it was that one fateful morning. Well, I think. I haven't actually revealed it yet. Gingerly, my fingers curl around the silky texture of the sheet, pulling it off dramatically just like how they do it in the movies. The only issue with this is that it ends up going over me, blinding me in darkness momentarily. I kiss my teeth in amusement and shake and punch the darn thing off me, letting it pool around my feet.
That's when I see it. My baby. And… it's not as majestic as it used to be.
It just looks like an ordinary silver Hyundai big enough for me. I'm glad it's not that big because that would just give me a heart attack. If something this small makes me this nervous then how, in the world, am I supposed to handle something bigger than that like Franklin's Range Rover?
I will never be able to decipher why men feel the need to own such enormous cars, but apparently, and I quote directly from the horse's mouth big men need big vehicles, whatever that means. I just think that's his male ego speaking.
Pressing the unlock button on the key, the blinkers flash orange quickly and the locks click open loudly, announcing the doom that I'm about to enter.
Intense nerves make my stomach twist anxiously and I suddenly feel that granola bar coming back up. Luckily, I manage to keep myself from hurling with a quick swallow and after a while of just standing out here and watching the car, I finally find the courage to pull the door open and spring in before I can even hesitate.
No turning back now.
Behind the wheel, my heart skips a beat and it starts to alert the other organs inside me that it's finally happening again. Telling them that the Korean boy, Seong Jin Lee, is finally driving without a supervisor in the passenger seat. Basically, they all scramble around in panic and I wouldn't be surprised if my kidneys were hanging out in my thoracic cavity with my heart. Except they wouldn't be coolly hanging out. No, they'd be going haywire just like I am.
Taking one last deep breath into my lungs, I click the seatbelt across my front and insert the key in its designated hole. I want to laugh at the sexual innuendo that my brain decided to make, but the seriousness of the situation doesn't let me venture into the insinuation. The roar of the car reminds me that this thing is still alive even after being left in here for an entire year or two not so entire years.
Honestly speaking, I think Yang Jin takes it out for spins once in a while when he gets tired of his motorbike. To this very day, I don't understand why he sold his car to buy himself a death trap, but I won't try to figure it out. It's Yang Jin.
I remember the day so clearly because Amma was so livid. Upon hearing the loud rumbling of a motorbike in the garage instead of the soft hum of his car, we all ran outside in curiosity. And there he was… on a bike.
Shaking the thought out of my head, I force myself to slide a hand over the handbrake, pushing it down so that the car can move. I put the gear in drive and slowly let my foot press on the gas pedal. The car lurches forward and I quickly place my hands on the steering wheel.
When a figure, out of nowhere, suddenly appears in my windscreen, I immediately slam my foot down onto the brake and the wheels screech loudly.
I hear a loud thud. Then everything grows quiet. My entire body tenses as my eyes enlarge.
What was that?
"Oh shit," I murmur and the more seconds that tick by, the more premonition is promised. "Oh shit."
Fearfully, I click my seatbelt off and jump out of the driver's seat to check what that loud thud was. I slightly lean over to try and glance around the front of the car ominously, hoping to see if the chipmunk, dog or shark—I just really don't want it to be a human being—I hit is still alive.
When I see the body lying on the floor in an eerily black hoodie, I place a hand against my mouth to hold in my gasp of shock.
That is not a chipmunk. Unless Alvin, Simon and Theodore decided to adopt a fourth brother into their squad. A much larger, human-like brother who prefers to wear black hoodies.
My eyes widen in panic. Did I just kill someone? I have to hide the body. No wait, maybe I should check if they have a pulse first. Hurriedly, I crawl over to him. Kneeling beside him, I fearfully place two of my fingers against his wrist.
Buh-dum. Buh-dum. Buh-dum.
A sigh of relief escapes my lips. That is definitely a pulse throbbing against my fingertips. I place a grateful hand over my chest.
Looking up, I mouth to whoever is up there watching over me a thank you and lean away to scan him for any injury. Every time I would get hurt, Amma would insist on putting pressure on the wound just to check if I was being truthful about my boo-boos, as I used to call them. I do the same to his body. He doesn't flinch, so instead I grab his arm and try to turn him over.
"Jesus," he murmurs and abruptly I jump away in shock, landing on my derrière, "where did you learn how to drive?"
I glance up at his face and my gaze enlarges as round as saucers when I catch the impassive, brown eyes which I'm quite familiar with. How am I not supposed to be familiar with them when they've basically glared at me throughout my entire high school life?
From the ninth grade all the way into my latter senior years, he has been glowering at me as if to shrivel me into one of the deceased.
At first, it used to really scare me to my wits. I would immediately bury my chin into my chest and scurry away from him. I mean, you would think that the guy would get exhausted from narrowing his eyes at me in class, in the library, in the hallway when we're walking past each other and after school when I'm rushing over to the bus. I swear, this boy is everywhere I turn.
Turning thirteen seemed to change everything for me since that's about when I started seeing boys in a different light—a certain one, at least.
In primary school, I didn't care for boys nor did I care for girls. I just saw boys as human beings who lacked hair and girls with way too much of it. In fact, when one of my childhood best friends, Jodie started dating Timothy Havre, I thought he was just her new best friend. I was so jealous that another boy had taken my spot as Jodie's number one.
She did everything with him; started to spend less and less time with us and more and more time with him. He'd wait for her outside her class so that he could carry her bag to the next one. She would write him notes. He'd share his juice box with her.
Then suddenly during one of the recesses, they kissed in front of everybody. I was so surprised. Since when do friends kiss? Jodie never kissed Taylor or me.
That's how I learned the term boyfriend.
This dark, brooding, emo of a kid whose locker was assigned right next to mine, used some kind of voodoo magic on me. He had my heart beating at an abnormally fast pace whenever I was in his presence, so fast that I would even be worried that I was going to have a heart attack at the young age of thirteen.
When I told Taylor and Jodie about how I felt about him, they both squealed in my face excitedly and immediately started plotting.
I recall lying in bed the previous night, eyes trained on the painted stars sprinkled with glitter, thinking to myself that I would do what they both encouraged me to do from the very beginning. I was going to tell him that I liked him and that I wanted us to be more than just friends—even though we weren't exactly friends in the sense. We'd only had a few conversations which normally went as follows:
"Hi," I'd call, waving at him vigorously from all the way across the corridor with the widest smile on my face.
He'd then glance over at me with the dullest look ever, roll his eyes slightly and then walk away from me like I didn't even exist.
And I don't know why I was so naïve back then, but I mistook his death glares for something entirely different. The guy clearly despised me with a burning passion so why I thought him constantly glowering at me meant that he liked me is beyond my comprehension.
Deep down, I think I knew he didn't like me, but there was a bigger part of me that was holding onto hope, no matter how small that hope was.
I did it either way. I told him that I liked him. I told him that I wanted to be with him and only him.
And… you can most likely guess what the guy did.
He closed his locker shut with a loud bang which made me jump a little. Then he glanced over at me with that sluggish look I was so accustomed to seeing every time and then without even saying a single word, he turned around and walked away from me like I didn't even exist.
Basically, my crush crushed me.
And now I've just run him over in the car I haven't driven around in over a year.