ENDGAME - [종성]

29 | mixed signals

Did she just confess?  It's more of an indirect confession but it still makes Joa want to dig a hole and stuffs her own head . She barely spoke with Jake which is her ex-crush but already had the courage to be bold with Jay .

The next morning , Joa decided to go to work earlier than usual.  She wants to avoid meeting Jay at school , it will be super awkward for sure .

She parked her car and rushed into the school building like a thief, quietly and quickly . To her surprise, as she was running to the teacher's office she accidentally bumped with someone's chest .

Her handbag fell causing all the items in the handbag to be scattered on the ground.  Joa had to squat to collect all her stuff .

"I'm sorry , i should be more careful . I'm so sorry sir"
Joa muttered while picking up all her things.  The man she bumped with also squatted and helped Joa to collect her things.

"Sorry , I shouldn't play with my phone while walking, it's my bad"
The man mouthed .

He reached for a ring pop and scanned it for a minute .  it looks very familiar , but where ?

Jay titled his head up, only to make eye contact with Joa . His heart jolted up .
“dang it , I came early because I wanted to avoid seeing her"

"But she is the first person I see in the morning—"

Joa's eyes widened, she became agitated and grabbed the ring pop away from Jay .

They both apologize in unison , standing up to get up but finally their heads bumped into each other which led to their screams of pain .

Joa rubbed her aching head , wincing in pains as she closed her eyes .
"Hey , be careful— Jay ?"

She was surprised when Jay was no longer in front of her.  She turned her head to the left just to find out that the man was running like a duckling to hide .

He ran while stroking his head and immediately hid behind the wall . He panted for air but still stalking Joa from afar to make sure she is in good condition .

As he watched Joa stand up and continue her journey to the teacher's office, Jay let out a heavy sigh and leaned against the wall .

"Jay, why are you running away like a coward ?"

He sealed his lips for a while , lowering his head to stare at the ground . Jay bitterly bit his bottom lips ,
"See ? You still keep the pop ring that Jake gave you..."

He cupped his eyes , sighing for the thousandth times .
"Ryu Joa , if you still love Jake , why are you giving me mixed signals ?"

✿

"What idiom can you use to describe that you are happy ?"
Joa asked her class .

"On cloud nine !"
A student answered as Joa clapped for her .

She proceeded her question .
"Any other idiom ?"

The whole classroom went silence , they are not very exposed to idioms which makes them 'disabled' in the part of building guided essays .

Joa clasped her hands together .
"It's okay if you don't know, it's a learning process"

"Let me tell you"

"You can use 'like a dog with two tails' . For example , Was he pleased ? He was like a dog with two tails"

"Or , you can also use 'on top of the world' . For instance , i've been feeling on top of the world since i started doing stresches every morning "

"Lastly , you can use 'over the moon' . For example , she was over the moon once she received the letter from her bossom friends" 

All the students nodded as a response , They write down everything in a notebook so they can refer back to it whenever they want to write an essay .

Joa glanced over her wrist watch , their class has ended . She clapped her hands and gave them a sweet smile .
"The class is over, you can go home . Take care everyone !"

"Thank you Ms Ryu !!"

She packed her stuff and went to the teacher's room.  Sadly, it is already empty.  Joa frowned in confusion .

She walked to her table and put her books . Joa took out her phone, surprised to see missed calls from Uyeong and her other colleagues .

"OH GOD ! ALL TEACHERS MUST ATTEND TODAY'S MEETING"

"I'M ALREADY THIRTY MINUTES LATE!!!"

"DAMN IT JOA , HOW DO YOU NOT REMEMBER ABOUT THIS MEETING?"

She grabbed her handbag and rushed out of the teacher's office.  She ran as fast as she could to the meeting room .

She opened the meeting room door, startling everyone inside . The meeting stopped because of her arrival.  Mr.  Wong, the head of the committee gave her a deadly look .

He crossed his arms and glared at Joa as Uyeong looked at her with sympathy . Mr. Wong is a firm person, no one dares to go against what he says .

"Ms Ryu , I'm sure you should have been here an hour ago"

Joa gulped down her saliva nervously ,
"I'm sorry ..."

Mr.Wong scoffed in disbelief ,
"As a teacher , you have to set a good example.  How can a teacher attend a meeting late?"

He glanced t her watch ,
"The meeting is almost over"

Joa lowered her head, she was sure that Mr. Wong would not accept her excuse that she was too engrossed in teaching that she forgot to look at the time .

"I'm so sorry ,"
She repeated .

Mr.Wong huffed ,
"You're so useless"

"You caused a lot of troubles ! "

"About Aeri and Riki cases . You gave us a lot of dramas and headaches !"

"Why are you busy trying to help them?  It's very annoying"

"If you can't be consistent with the time then send a letter of resignation"

"You don't deserve to be a teacher"

Joa was shocked with his words, she was about to say something not until she felt a pair of manly arms wrapped around her shoulders .

"May I know what is being stirred up now?"
Jay asked them with a smile. Everyone in the meeting room immediately stood up and bowed to him including Mr. Wong .

"Mr. Park , I just gave advice to Ms Ryu because she came late to the meeting"
Mr. Wong said .

Jay nodded , he looked at Joa as the girl was looking at him too . Joa swore her heart could burst at any time because of his warm smile , and his touch .

"Joa helped me to solve something earlier, sorry for forgetting to tell you"

"And I hope you don't use inappropriate words if someone accidentally does something wrong"

Mr. Wong nodded ,
"Alright , Mr. Park . I'm so sorry Mr.Park"

Jay shook his head ,
"Not to me but .."

He glanced over Joa before pulling her closer to him .
"Apologize to my wife-to-be"

Mr.Wong was deadpanned at the moment . He was zooming out for seconds before bowing to Joa .
"I'm sorry about my words , Ms Ryu"

"I should be more careful with my words"

Joa hummed ,
"It's okay . I'm sorry for being late too"

Seeing the tranquility made Jay smile.
  "Then, you are welcome to continue the meeting"

He looked at Joa again and smiled .
"Tell me if anything happens, love"

Joa rushed and took her seat next to Uyeong as Uyeong patted her shoulders . Joa gazed over the door but Jay was already leaving .

She pursed her lips forward ,
"If you want to end this engagement then why are you giving me mixed signals ?"