Haru ran across the street while checking the location sent by Hyunjoo . She ran as fast as she could until she accidentally bumped into some people.
Haru glanced at her wrist watch .
"There are only a few minutes left before the exam starts"
"Hyunjoo is close to me, I can feel it"
She said to herself as her eyes darted around, looking for Hyunjoo's figure .
After a few minutes of running in the neighbourhood, Haru finally saw a girl who was sitting on the ground crying. She immediately quickened her steps .
"Hyunjoo , i'm here"
She said while panting . The girl holds her both knees and tries to catch enough oxygen .
"Haru , my legs are very sore. I just changed the cement and it's very heavy" Hyunjoo whined .
"Wait , let me see it"
Haru immediately knelt down next to Hyunjoo and checked her legs if she could walk or not .
As the girl was busy calculating the probability of them being late to the exam hall, Hyunjoo pressed her lips as her hand swiftly reached into Haru's bag pocket .
Hyunjoo unzipped it slowly and inserted her hand like a trained spy. Her eyes glued to Haru to make sure she didn't notice .
She reached for an item and took out the thing from Haru's bag. A smirk attached to her lips upon seeing Haru's purse was in her grasp .
"Can you walk, Hyunjoo?" When Haru turned her head to Hyunjoo, the trick girl deftly hid Haru's purse behind her back.
"Yes, but maybe a little slow"
She replied innocently with a whining looks causing Haru to sigh .
Haru stood up and helped Hyunjoo to his feet. Then she slung Hyunjoo's left arm over her shoulders to help her walk .
"Be careful, Hyunjoo . We can still arrive in the examination hall in time"
Haru said to Hyunjoo as the girl nodded .
Hyunjoo secretly threw Haru's purse into the bushes next to them and Haru didn't notice her action as the girl was too focused to help Hyunjoo walk .
A satisfied smiled appeared on Hyunjoo's lips .
"I think I can walk faster, Haru "
Haru smiled in satisfaction , she gripped Hyunjoo tightly next to her .
"Let's go now"
Hyunjoo took a last glance at Haru's purse on the ground before nodded continuously .
"Let's go ? I can't wait to get there"
-
A taxi carrying both girls arrived in front of the faculty. Haru helps Hyunjoo to get off from the taxi.
"We still have five minutes left before the exam " Haru said to Hyunjoo as she helped Hyunjoo to walk.
When they arrived at the registration desk, a middle-aged woman greeted them with a shocked face expression .
She immediately got up from the chair and approached the two young girls, holding Hyunjoo's right hand to help them "What happened to you both ? The exam will start shortly"
The both teenagers breathed heavily "Something unexpected"
"It's okay, you can give me your identity card and you can enter the hall" The woman, Mrs.Cho said.
She reached for a long senarau that had the name of the exam candidate .
"Your name?"
"Kim Hyunjoo"
Hyunjoo gives her identitiy card to Mrs.Cho as the smiley woman takes it and checks the code number and name.
"You can enter now "
She said while giving back Hyunjoo's identity card .
"And you ?"
Mrs.Cho asked Haru .
The girl looked so restless, she searched for her purse in the bag with a pounding heart
"I- I'm sure I brought my purse !"
"My identity card is in my purse!"
Haru said on the edge of crying.
Hyunjoo's lips corner pulled to the side, revealing a tiny smirk .
"Maybe you dropped it?"
At that moment, the world seemed to stop giving breath to Haru. Haru looked at Mrs. Cho with full hope .
"Can you let me in? My name is Jung Haru, my name is on the list"
"Yes, your name is on the list but you can't enter without showing me your identity card as proof "
"Or do you have your student ID? I can accept it "
Haru cupped her face with glassy eyes
"My student ID is also in my purse ..."
Mr.Cho closed the list and put it on the table "Okay then, you can't come in. Miss Kim? I'll help you get into the hall"
"Wait ! You can't do this to me , I spent my whole teenagers life for this exam! Just because I left my identity card, do you want to exclude my intake in the exam? " Haru grabbed Mrs.Cho's sleeve to stop her from leaving with Hyunjoo .
"I'm sorry, this is a condition set by the ministry of education"
"I can't allow any student without their student ID or identity card to enter "
Haru tighten her grip on Mrs.Cho's sleeve , refused to let all this happen to her "Please, Mrs.Cho! You can call the school and ask about me!"
"Please allow me to answer this test !"
"This exam is like a lifeline for me! "
"My whole life will be ruined if I don't enter the examination hall !"
Tears flowed down Haru's cheeks
"I will disappoint my dad again"
"I can't do that. He has borne a lot of shame because of me"
"He really wants me to succeed in CSAT and go to SNU! "
Mrs.Cho pushed her grip away ,
"I'm sorry, young girl. But, I'm just a regular employee. The ministry will fire me if they say I violated the student admission requirements "
"I can't do nothing, I can't fight the government "
She immediately walks away with Hyunjoo, leaving the soulless Haru outside alone .
The girl shook her head continuously ,
"No ,no , no .. i need to take this exam !"
"NO ! I NEED TO ENTER THIS HALL !"
Haru ran towards the door, trying to enter but the two men in control immediately grabbed her.
"LET ME GO ! I NEED TO ENTER THIS HALL !"
"MY WHOLE LIFE IS FOCUSED ON THIS EXAM! "
"PLEASE LET ME IN !! "
The two guards pulled Haru forcibly out of the building. They both threw Haru's tiny frame to the ground causing the girl groaned in pains .
"Please don't create a big fuss here"
The guard said while closing the main entrance into the hall .
Haru bursted out crying , she stood up and approached the entrance and knocked it "Let me in, please"
"I'm begging you , please give me a chance "
"I'll die if you don't let me in! "
"Stop screaming here like a crazy woman! You're bothering other candidates! " The guard yelled.
"You better get out of here now before we slap your fluffy cheek "
"I'm sure you don't want to be beaten, so .. please go away " The guard said.
Haru cried harder, she pulled her both hair aggresively .
"Why did all this happen to me, why?"
"In thousands of people, why am I the only one who accepts all this injustice! ” Haru yelled her lungs out.
It's too late for her to find her purse back, after all she doesn't know where she dropped her purse .
"I'm dead , i'm dead"
-
Heeseung couldn't stop to bite his pen as his eyes darted inside the hall, looking for Haru.
"Oh god , where is she ?"
He wants to call Haru but all the candidates' phones have been confiscated and stored in a basket .
The male touched his chest , a sudden feeling of unwell showed up as his heart gave a strange beat. It makes Heeseung feel more restless.
He flinched when he saw Hyunjoo sitting next to him assisted by a middle-aged woman. The woman said something to her before left her at the table.
Heeseung looked around but there was no Haru's figure. He carefully leaned closer to Hyunjoo who was far away from him .
"Hyunjoo, where is Haru?"
"Didn't she go to help you? Why can't I see her? "
Hyunjoo smiled at him ,
"She went to the toilet for a moment"
Hearing Hyunjoo's explanation made Heeseung raised his both brows in question .
"Toilet? In a critical time like this?"
"Candidates, please stop talking. Exams will start shortly "
"If you all are still talking, we will confiscate your paper and exclude your participation in this examination"
A man said through a loud speaker .
Heeseung let out a sigh ,
"Hyunjoo said Haru went to the toilet, I'm sure she'll be back in a few seconds"
-
"What are you talking about ? YOU STUPID CHILD! ” Haru’s dad slapped her right infront in front of his colleagues .
Haru held her cheeks and sobbed .
"I'm sorry, dad. I don't know how my purse can be lost"
"As far as I remember, I've kept it in the bag "
Her dad loosened his neck tie and harshly grabbed Haru by her hair, making the other workers gasped.
"It's all because YOU'RE STUPID ! "
"I provided you housing , clothes , food and other necessities since you were a damn child !"
"BUT YOU CAN'T DO A SIMPLE THING ! YOU'RE SUCH A BIG SHAME ON ME JUNG HARU !"
"I'm sorry , i'm sorry"
Haru repeated the same verse over and over again as tears couldn't stop flowing down from her cheeks .
Her dad huffed and slammed her body to the hard and cold floor . The mad man approached the stationery utensil and reached for a pair of scissors.
He pointed the scissors at his arm
"You made me do this, Jung Haru"
Haru's eyes went wider ,
"DAD , NO !"
"MR.JUNG !"
Some workers rushed towards him and held him from cutting his arm .
Haru immediately crawlded closer to her dad, she held both of her dad's legs "Please don't do this, dad!"
"I'm sorry for being a worthless child for you but please ! Don't do this !"
Haru yelled .
Her dad scoffed before pushing away his colleagues . He put the scissors on his arm again .
"You want freedom from me, right? So I will do it! "
"DADDDDDD !"
Drops of crimson blood dripped from Haru's dad's arm and fell to the floor, producing a tiny puddle of blood.
All the workers were shocked to see what happened, Mr. Jung's white sleeve was drenched in blood.
Haru's whole body shaking violently. She saw the drops of blood dripping as her breath hitched .
Her dad is about to slit his arm once again but Haru immediately snatched the scissors away from him.
"Stop, dad !"
"Do you want me to die ??"
"Parents wonder why kids out here committing suicide left and right . Because we can't talk to you all ! Y'all judgemental as fuck "
"Be the type of parent that your child can go to when they have a problem because they know they won't get yelled at or judged ! So many parents wonder why their child doesn't come to them for help and the answer us YOU ! You showed them how you react to smaller problems thus they don't come to you for bigger ones !"
"Stop putting me under a lot of high expectations! My life isn’t all about learning, I also feel suffocated !"
"Quit yelling at me before i went to bed and expect me to sleep well . Quit yelling at me in the morning right after i wake up , before school and expect me to have a good day . You set the tone for your children . You set the tine for your voice that they will always remember in their heads . You become my inner voice , my inner critic "
"I'm a teenager . I don't get the grades you want me to . I don't act like you want me to , i get attitude on unexpected times . I don't talk like you want me to . You always think i'm ungrateful . You make me feel as if i'm not worth it . The things you say hurt me . The things you say are not always accurate to me"
" I'm only a teenager for a little while . Let me enjoy my life , let me go have fun . Don't yell at me for the smallest thing "
Her dad scoffed in disbelief , making a cruel face and ignoring all the looks of his other co -workers .
"Then die , Haru "
"Do you want me dead, dad ? ”
Haru asked her dad with a shaking voice .
"Okay , i will die"
Haru uttered while gritting her teeth .
Her dad laughed while clapping his hands , as if entertained watching a talk "Look, everyone !"
"My own daughter wants to die before her dad ! "
"She wants to die first because she knows she is a big burden in my life! "
"You're so concerned , Haru"
Haru's suddenly stopped breathing , her scars were bleeding back in her heart . Hearing her dad say something like that made Haru feel empty .
Haru chuckled and wiped her tears ,
"Okay , this burden will go away from you "
"Forever ,"
She reached for her bag and immediately ran out of her dad's company. She ran while crying non -stop .
"You're worthless ,"
"A big shame ,"
"An useless thing ,"
"You're a disappointment ,"
"If you die, everything will be better "
Haru covered her both ears as the toxic voice whispered in her ears again .
Her future is ruined, Haru has fallen at her lowest point . And this time, no one will be able to help her .
"I will end my own misery"