||
I wait by the parking lot, waiting for Ji-Ho to come by and pick me up.
He is 15 minutes late.
Yesung 😡 is calling...
"What?" I answer his call, "monkey, are you working today?" I roll my eyes at the new nickname he have for me.
"No... Jerk." I muttered the last part, then there was some shuffling in the background.
"Why did you call me?" I look down at my shoes, "your boyfriend took my coat and I need it back tonight." Yesung says in a firm tone.
"Oh right, I have it dry-cleaned and everything." I snap my fingers together, "come and pick it up at night." I say to Yesung.
"Alright, I will get ready now." He ends the call.
I look down at my phone and received a message from Ji-Ho.
Ji-Ho: can't fetch you today.
I knew it.
I walk out of my school and make my way to the bus stop, I kick the snow on the ground.
Ji-Ho is serious about the marriage, but I do not want to get married just yet...
"Chae-Ryeong!" Han-Bin stands in front of me, "what?" I look up at him.
"Need a ride home?" Han-Bin ask, I look at his motorcycle, "I am wearing a skirt..." I point to my uniform skirt.
"Sit sideways." Han-Bin shrugs and throw me the motorcycle helmet.
||
I reached home and Ji-Ho is in the kitchen with my parents.
"Oh you're home." Ji-Ho smiles at me, I sit next to Ji-Ho. "What is this about...?" Ji-Ho takes my hand and place it on the table.
"Mother, father. I am serious about marrying your daughter, please give us your blessing."
What? We didn't talk about this. I look at Ji-Ho then look at my parents, "okay." Father nods.
"That's good! I need to go off for work, I will pick you up in the morning." Ji-Ho pecks me on the cheek and left my house in a hurry.
"I wasn't finished." Father looks at me, he doesn't look happy. "If you marry him... We will disown you as our daughter and we will not attend the wedding."
"Eomma... Why?" I reach out for her hand, she pull it away from me and look at me with seriousness.
"It's embarrassing." Father answers. They both got up and left to their room.
I put my hands to my head, ah...
"Tomato, I am here." Yesung knocks on the door lightly.
Aish.
I open the door for him, "I bought food." Yesung raises the bags he have in his hands.
"Welcome in," I let him step in. I close the door behind him, "Oppa, it's weird." I look at Yesung.
"What?" He isn't even looking at me.
"Whenever I am in trouble or when I am feeling down, you always appear." I say in a low tone.
Yesung looks at me, for once he doesn't look like he is going to insult me.
"Sad? Eat." Yesung points to the food.
I sigh and sit opposite of him.
"What's the problem? Take me as Hee-Chul Hyung." Yesung opens up the container of tteokbokki.
I pick up the chopsticks and didn't talk, "I can't find any inspiration for my last assignment..." I murmured.
This feels weird, I usually only talk about my problems to Hee-Chul.
I take in a deep breath and close my eyes, "I also think that I am getting married... But I don't have a say in it." I added on.
"Ryeong!" Chan-Yeol steps out of his room, I open my eyes up and reach for the envelope in my bag.
"Oppa, this should clear up your debts." I pass the envelope of money to him.
"Really? Gomawo!" Chan-Yeol pats my back.
"My sister is the best, isn't she, Ryeowook?" Chan-Yeol looks at Yesung, "huh?" Yesung furrows his eyebrows at Chan-Yeol.
"Anyways, I have a night shift tonight so you have to take care of Rin." Chan-Yeol informs me. He picks up his bad and left the house.
"Ryeowook?" Yesung laughs and shakes his head.
||
"If I am blind... How do you describe it to me?" Yesung reads my question paper.
"This seems easy." Yesung put his hands behind his back and ponder around my room.
"Birds are chirping... They're on a tree. There is also water by the tree... Where am I?" Yesung smiles proudly.
I look at him questioningly, "bird park?"
"It's a park!" Yesung put his hand to his forehead, suddenly the lights went off.
"It's a blackout!" Mother shouts.
I sigh and light up the candle in my room, "I am sorry... This happens regularly."
"Stop saying sorry." Yesung sits on the beanbag.
The candle of mine lights up and my room is a little red.
I look at Yesung for quite a long time, "what?"
"Oppa..." I put my finger to my lips.
"When you dip her in the middle of the dance floor, it is the color of her dress. When she whispers in your ear, it is the color of her lips. When you make love it is the trace you want her to leave all over your body..." Yesung listens attentively.
"When she places her palm over your heart, it is the color that comes to surface as her fingertips trail like a sentence that can never be finished. When you see her in the bedroom with another, it is the color of your breath. When you smash the vase in the hall, it is the color that threatens you to abandon the shattered pieces." I scribble everything down on a piece of paper.
"When you screamed at the top of your lungs, it is the color that pierces the atmosphere. When she hears you, it is the color of her pulse. When you look in her eyes for the last time, it is the fading color of your heart falling to your knees. It is not the color you see when she leaves." I end the description of the color red right there.
It is all silence now, I only can hear Yesung's breathing.
"It is also the color of her cheeks whenever she sees me." Yesung mutters.
The candle got blown by the wind and it's all dark.
I can feel Yesung's breath on me, "red."
The lights went back on, we both jumped in surprise.
Yesung sits in front of me, "so Hee-Chul listens to you like this?" He clears his throat.
"No... It's way different." I gulp.
Why is my heart beating so fast?
"Oh." Yesung looks around my room.
Why did the atmosphere become so awkward?
"Er... Anyways I got your black coat." I push the brown coat aside and pass to Yesung his black coat.
"Gomawo," he eyes the brown coat.
"Why?" I shut the door of my wardrobe, "isn't that brown coat too big for you?" Yesung put his finger to his chin.
"Yeah... But a stranger put it on me when I was sleeping." I shrug and sit on my bed.
Yesung simply nods, "interesting."
