Silence

Him Again

"Jeong! Be home early tonight! A colleague is visiting us tonight. He's bringing his grandson, and I know you don't do well with people, but try, okay?" Jeong's grandfather said as Jeong walked out the door. 

Jeong walked out the door, not quite prepared for the day ahead of her. Her mind was clouded with thoughts of why she felt this strange connection with Kevin, and pieces of her past. The same year her parents died was also the same year one of her best friends left for Korea. They weren't friends for a long time, only a summer and until a few months into the school year after her parents died, but it was enough for him to leave an imprint of himself in her mind and become special to her. They hadn't really kept in touch even though they promised each other that they would. 

As Jeong reached the gates of the academy, her mind began to wake up. Reality hit her as hard as a bus when she saw the usual group of girls who attacked her nearby. She hid her face with her hair and began to rush to the gate behind the school that no one, but her and a few other students knew about. It was far from her first class of the day, but she went to school early, giving her enough time to make it and study before exams, not that she needed to. Jeong tended to fill her time with writing, random projects, studying, and school work to keep herself from thinking too much. If she began to think about the past again, then it would surely break her.

As she sat down in her seat inside the empty classroom, she began to think again. Studying wouldn't block the thoughts, nor did drawing. Everything came to her in a rush. No one knew about her suffering except the friend who saved her that day her parents died, but even then her friend never fully comprehended the pain Jeong felt after her parents died. After weeks of not being able to reach Jeong, the friend joined the bullies too. She was tired of the bullying she received after defending Jeong. She just gave up. One night when she was at Jeong's house, and Jeong wouldn't talk, she just broke. She began to yell and scream hurtful things. 

"IT'S YOUR FAULT YOUR PARENTS DIED. IT WASN'T THE ROBBER, IT WAS YOU! THEY WERE SICK AND TIRED OF YOU AND YOUR CRAP JUST LIKE I AM! YOU DON'T TALK, YOU DON'T EAT, YOU DON'T DO ANYTHING BUT WRITE AND CRY IN YOUR ROOM! IT'S YOUR FAULT THEY DIED!" the friend said. 

Jeong knew this wasn't true. Her friend was just tired of how she was behaving, and frankly, she would have blown up too. Jeong blamed herself for her only friend that was left, leaving her. 

Her train of thought was broken when she felt a tear slide down her cheek, and students began to file into the classroom. They began mocking her and teasing her as she studied, trying to block out the sounds of obnoxious high schoolers chatting, gossiping, and being just flat out annoying. Jeong was used to it. Everyday this has been her life as long as she has been in school with few friends here and there who came and went.

The rest of the school day had been a breeze for her. She already knew everything because her grandparents allowed her to do online schooling, so she would be ahead of her class and be able to graduate early. She only went, so she would have something to do. 

When she got home, she found a box of pocky and a can of milo with her name on it. 'Abeoji and Halmeoni must be running groceries,' she thought. Although her grandparents were the owners of a successful record label, they still preferred to run their own groceries and cook their own meals. They never had any maids, nor servants because Halmeoni preferred to do the cleaning herself. She believed that if you want something done right, then you have to do it yourself. Jeong was mostly raised to be humble and not to ask for too much. She was respectful of her elders, and knew the consequences if she did something wrong. For the most part, she never did anything bad. 

At five o'clock, Jeong decided to get ready because dinner was at seven. She cleaned up her mess and went into her room. She picked a mid-lenth white lace dress with short sleeves that covered her shoulders with  black lining in the hem of the neck area and her waist. The dress puffed out a little at the skirt, but not too much. She put on matching white flats that were lined with black and had small bows at the toe area. Jeong slightly straightened her shiny black hair still keeping her it slightly wavy. She put on a bow that was lined with black at the edges in her hair, and put on a rose gold pocket watch that she got from her mother before she died. She also applied some mascara and eye liner, but that was it. Jeong was never one for wearing make up. 

You may think how she was dressing was a little too formal for the meeting with her grandfather's colleague, but it wasn't. Her grandparents always expected her to dress as nicely and formally as possible when guests were over, so to her, this wasn't even close to formal. 

As Jeong climbed down the stairs after getting ready, she saw that her grandparents had just finished making dinner. "Hi Halmeoni. What's for dinner?" she asked her grandmother. 

"Hello, Aria. How was your day? We're having kimchi and tteok(rice cakes). I'm also making my special soup and rice. You've dressed nicely by the way," her grandmother replied. 

Jeong's real name was Aria, but no one knew that except for the people who knew her back in the States. Most people in Korea who bothered to learn her name called her Jeong. 

"It was fine. Pretty normal to be honest,"Jeong replied as the doorbell rang. Her grandmother left to go get dressed while she answered the door and let the guests in. They were about fifteen minutes early. When Jeong opened the door, she was surprised to see a certain prince and his grandfather, "Hello! Please come on  in!" she greeted with a smile and a bow.