Although I didn’t show it, I was extremely displeased. Who was she to order me around? And wasn’t it always her who bothered me when I wished to be alone? Isn’t this situation no better than the one’s I was in before.
I huffed and stormed my way inside of the classroom again. The class looked excitingly at me as I entered but murmured even louder as they saw Bom has not returned with me.
“Where is Bom, Hyori?” Mr. Parker asked, but I answered back in silence and shook my head furiously and went back to my seat. It was not long when the bell rang and the class ran out, talking viciously about this new piece of gossip.
It took me a while to clean up the mess of notes on my desk. I was just about to leave when I glimpsed sideways to see Bom’s desk, which was still equally messy as mine.
I grunted and gave her desk a hard, fustrated kick. That’s what she got for ignoring me like that. Clumps of papers and notes dropped onto the floor. I sighed and picked them up with annoyance, until I found something that caught my eye.
It was a small picture that was folded in some places and wrinkled, but clearly visual. There was a small girl in the picture maybe seven or eight. Her arms were around two adults who looked as if they were her parents. There was a little baby boy in the picture the mother was holding with a gleeful smile, and the father held the hand of her daughter with a crooked smile. With no doubt, it was a family picture of Bom, from years ago. Bom, in the picture was smiling more brightly than I have ever seen before.
I threw away everything that was left of her. Her pictures. Her clothes. Everything my father didn’t burn already, I remembered what Bom told me the day I stayed at her house.
I held up the picture with a small frown.
‘Bom said she threw away everything about her mother,’ I thought, ‘but why would she keep this picture?’
The face of Bom whenever she talked about her mother popped into mind. I wondered under all that anger and hatred, if there was a small amount of longing, for peace, for everything to be normal and like before once again.
In silence, I cleaned up all of Bom’s stuff and put it in her bag that left untouched on the floor. Bom was too angered to even bother to bring her things home with her. I made sure I didn’t wrinkle any more of the picture I held in my hand. Carefully I pocketed in my jacket. I would hand it Bom personally, I thought.
Bom’s POV
I walked along with my little brother in silence. He seemed to know that I wasn’t in a mood to talk, but refused to let go of my hand. Every time I loosened my grip, he hardened his. It was as if he was afraid that I would run away and leave him alone again.
“I’m sorry Ji-woo,” I spoke as softly as possibly to him. I bent down and looked at him.
“You have to go with mom again,” I told him, “you can’t come to dad’s house with me. I’ll call mom and she’ll pick you up-
“I don’t want to go with mom!” he shouted, his eyes roaring with determination. He bumped him hand onto my shoulder and hugged me tightly, “I want to stay with you!”
“You can’t Ji-woo,” I sighed and hugging him back, “I want to be with you too but I can’t take care of you and dad. You know where dad works right? You know where we live. I have to work everyday and I can’t take care of you properly.”
“I can take care of myself,” he gave me a brave smile, “see!”
“I know you can,” I gave him a smile, “but will you do when you’re alone with a bunch of dad’s big friends?”
“You’ll send them away!” he shouted.
“And what if I’m not there,” I frowned.
“Then I’ll take them down!” he clenched his wrist into a knuckle and flexed his arm, as if he wanted to show me how much muscle he had.
“I won’t allow that,” I said, “and mom won’t allow that.”
He sniffed and he frowned, pouting like a little kinder garden boy who didn’t get what he wanted.
“Why can’t we all live together?” he asked reproachfully and I couldn’t answer that one.
In silence he waited for me to retort but my mouth was closed and nothing was coming out.
“Let’s go home,” I said finally, “we’ll meet dad there, and we’ll have fun. We’ll invite mom over and I’ll make her stay with us. Then we’ll all leave together and we’ll always be together.” I gave him little shake and added, “Good?”
He smiled widely and squeezed my hand, “good!”
I smiled weakly and stood up once again. We walked up to the bus stop and rode it in silence. My heart was wrenching with sorrow and guilt. Every time I saw the smile on my little brother, laughing and smiling about something that would never happen.
I tightened my grip on his hand harder. I wished for that moment never to come. To see that disappointed face of him once again when we have to depart, separating ways, for how long – days, weeks, months, years?
“We’re here, we’re here!” my brother laughed playfully dragging me forward to the bar.
“Wait here,” I peered inside the door. The men were all sleeping after drinking heavily.
“Come on,” I pulled his hand as I led him into the house.
I had just managed to reach the beginning of the stairway when one of the men woke up.
“Bom!” he groaned and began to sit up, making others around him wake up as well.
I silently cursed and pushed my brother up the stairs. We reached the door in time to shut the door and lock it.
“We’re home! We’re home!” my brother didn’t seem to take any notice of the men downstairs.
“Okay, you stay in dad’s room I have to do my homework,” I looked around me and realization locked into mind, “my backpack.”
“Your backpack?” my brother questioned.
“I left my backpack,” I told him quietly and sighed, “wait here. Don’t open the door. You know the rules right? Don’t let anyone in.”
He nodded obediently and proceeded to the television.
“I’ll be right here,” he shouted behind me as I opened the door to downstairs once again. The men were waiting downstairs but I gave them a few warnings and threats before I managed to escape out of their sight.
I closed the door of the bar behind me caught my breath.
Silently, I took out my cellphone from my jacket pocket. I found the number that was at the very bottom of my contact list. One that has never been dare used unless in dire emergencies.
There was the dial tone and then I heard her pick up the phone.
“Mom?” I muttered, “come pick up Ji-woo. He’s at dad’s house.”
I heard nothing for a moment but finally she answered yes. I hung up and sighed, putting my phone back in and walking towards the bus stop.
I tried not to imagine so hard on what Ji-woo would look like when the door opened and instead of me, was mom. That disappointed face and cries. I blocked those thoughts out forcefully with effort and looked ahead.
It was only a few steps I took house when I saw someone running quickly towards me, for brown hair flying behind her, in her hand was a backpack.
“Hyori?”
Hyori’s POV
As soon as I got off the bus I began to run. I vaguely remembered where Bom’s house was from before. Left, right, go straight, left.
The backpack felt heavy in my hand but I didn’t stop. Finally I managed to identify Bom’s house from the distance. There was also Bom standing right outside of it. She was talking on the phone. I wonder if she would notice me. She hung up now and I was closing in on her.
She finally raised her head; her eyes looked up and locked onto me. I could see them widening in surpise.
“Hyori?” I haerd her call out my name in shock and I stopped running. With great effort I walked up to Bom and bent down, catching my breath.
“What are you doing here?” Bom asked.
I handed her the backpack and she looked at me with confusion.
“You came all the way here to give this to me?” she asked me, as if she couldn’t believe it.
“Duh,” I grunted, “we have a test tomorrow. Do you want to fail?”
She looked down and took the backpack from my hands without any words.
“Here,” I sighed taking her free hand. She stared at me curiously as I reached down into my pocket and took out the picture. Her eyes hardened and glared at me, but I ignored her. I stuffed the picture onto her hand, and closed her hand for her, afraid she’ll try to throw it away.
“I thought you threw away everything,” I whispered and Bom’s eyes died down. She stared at the picture, looking sad and ashamed.
“You kept it for a reason you know,” I reminded her, “maybe you should give her a chance.”
Her mouth opened as if she was going to tell me off but after seeing that I was being serious she closed her mouth once again.
“Bom!” a voice cried from behind us and we turned around in union.
“Mom?” Bom whispered.
“I came,” she huffed, looking slightly out of breath, “is he upstairs?”
Bom nodded and looked at me. I gave her an encouraging nod and turned away.
‘It’s up to her,’ I thought as I started to run again.
“I’m sorry,” I caught Bom’s last words before I was too far away to listen anymore.
“Hyori?”
“Hmm?” I turned my head slightly and looked up to find Bom. She looked slightly flushed and looked at me with an apologetic look.
“I’m sorry for running out on you yesterday,” she apologized. I shrugged it off. There was a number of mutters around us. Obviously what happened yesterday with Bom and her mother was going to last a long time for other people’s gossip.
“And…thanks,” she muttered.
I looked at her and smiled slightly.
“You’re welcome.”