"I got it, I'll do everything," the guy in all black spoke on the phone. The order has been received, which means he is obliged to carry it out. It was lucky that he was just on the street.
About two minutes later, a message arrived on his phone with an address and a detailed description of the person he was supposed to take care of. This was not his first case, but still something made him worry. It's not that he killed these people or inflicted critical injuries on them, after which people became disabled, but that didn't make it any easier. Perhaps the guy was simply afraid to admit to himself that he felt sorry for his victims and that, in principle, he was not like that. But until he does, he will continue to do his job.
The guy quickly reached the indicated place. The lights were on in the apartment, although it was already midnight. The curtains were drawn, but the shadows gave an idea of what was going on there now. The silhouette of a man was actively gesticulating, waving his arms, as if striking the smaller silhouette. It was a woman. She got up and fell again from blows and pushes. The windows were closed and nothing could be heard, but the guy understood perfectly well what they were talking about.
It's always the same. The man is most likely drunk. This woman is either his wife or daughter. This man has trust issues and always feels like a woman is deceiving him. He yells at her, insults her, says words that hurt much more than beatings. And the woman suffers. But no matter how much she suffers, she will still return to him. It's like there's a written script for such cases.
Pulling the mask over his face and adjusting his cap, the guy went up to the desired floor and knocked. Now he could hear everything that was happening on the other side of the door. Screaming, hitting, breaking dishes, crying. Nobody opened it for him. He knocked again. Stronger this time. There was silence in the apartment and a few seconds later the door opened.
"What are you doing here? Who are you anyway?" there was a man in front of him. Drunk, dirty, with a belly from alcohol and drops of blood on his white T-shirt. His face was overgrown and crooked. He looked like a homeless person - the description they sent him.
"They asked me to take care of you," the guy said and at the same second struck.
One blow was enough to make the man fall unconscious. The guy quickly checked his pulse just in case, although he already knew that he didn't kill him. He then walked deeper into the apartment. The woman sat in the corner behind the sofa, covering her head with trembling hands.
"The police will be here soon. They'll take this scumbag. Write a statement against him and stop the beating," the guy said. His voice was quiet and somewhat soothing. "You will be safe if you do this."
"Wh... Who are you?" the woman whispered, trying to see the face under the mask.
"Nobody," the guy answered her and, hearing the sound of the siren, left. His job is done. The only thing left to hope for is a woman.
~~~~~~
In the morning, Eunchae woke up to a call from her mother. She couldn't sleep all night because of her worries and only slept for an hour and a half. Holding the phone in her hands, Eunchae was afraid. She was afraid that she wouldn't hear her mother's voice at the other end of the line. She was afraid that when she answer the call, she would hear her father's voice, and somewhere in the background, quiet sobs. But the worst thing was that it could be not her father who was calling her. Someone will tell her about her mother's death. Something terrible happened to her. Her mother died and she didn't do anything.
"I'll answer," said Kazuha, who woke up.
She picked up the phone but didn't say anything, waiting for the caller to start the conversation first.
"Daughter? Are you here?" Kazuha heard and handed the phone to her friend.
"It's mom," Kazuha whispered.
"Mom? Are you okay?" Eunchae immediately jumped up.
"I'll leave you," Kazuha smiled slightly and went into the shower, letting her friend talk calmly.
After 20 minutes, Kazuha returned to the room. She listened before entering, so as not to disturb if the conversation was still ongoing. Hearing nothing, she calmly entered. Eunchae was lying on the bed, holding the phone in her hands and looking at the ceiling. At times she sobbed and tears rolled down her cheeks.
"Did something bad happen?" Kazuha became worried, approaching the bed.
"Did I tell you that meeting you was the best thing that happened in my life?" Eunchae looked at her with red eyes from tears and lack of sleep. "Thank you, thank you very much."
She rose from the bed and hugged her friend tightly. Kazuha hugged her back, letting her cry. She herself tried not to cry. For some reason, it seemed to her that she and Eunchae were very similar. That their situations in life are almost identical. They were both betrayed by family members.
Her father betrayed Eunchae and her mother. He cheated with another woman, and after Eunchae's mother filed for divorce, he went completely crazy. The poor woman had no choice but to withdraw the application. Now she endures terrible things every day, unable to save either herself or her beloved daughter.
And Yunjin betrayed Kazuha. And even though Yunjin and Kazuha were not related by blood, the girl considered them family, given that they grew up together and were rarely apart.
Having cried all her tears, Eunchae fell asleep. Kazuha did not wake her up, but only covered her with a blanket.
"Sleep, Eunchae," she whispered, stroking her friend's head.
Before leaving for school, Kazuha briefly explained the situation to her mother without revealing anything too personal, and then left for school. Sana, Kazuha's mother, will definitely take care of Eunchae.
~~~~~~
Yunjin reluctantly got up from her bed and walked over to the mirror to examine her body as usual. She really liked her figure and was even proud of it. She had long, toned legs, clearly visible abs on her stomach, and straight shoulders. But there was something that spoiled this whole beautiful picture. Scar. A large scar left from her surgery. But it's good that it could easily be hidden under clothes.
The girl put on her school uniform and went down to the kitchen, where her parents were already sitting at the table, waiting for their daughter. Yunjin hugged first her father and then her mother tightly and sat down at the table.
"Let's pray," the father smiled and everyone held hands. They are not religious people, but praying at the table is a long-standing tradition that all family members have observed throughout Yunjin's life.
#Euigeon, what time will you arrive today? "Jihyo asked, writing something down on her phone.
"I'll be home by lunchtime, don't worry," her husband answered.
"Honey, are you sure you'll be okay?" this time Jihyo took Yunjin's hand.
"Mom, you'll be gone for a couple of weeks," Yunjin sincerely did not understand her mother's worries. "I can handle it just fine on my own. I won't die of hunger, I have money, I'll go to school regularly, I'll dress for the weather. What else have I forgotten... And I will definitely call every day."
"Has she listed everything on your list?" Euigeon looked at his wife, smiling. He understood that Jihyo didn't want to leave their daughter alone, but Yunjin was no longer a little girl.
"Well done, my baby," Jihyo squeezed her daughter's hand tighter.
Euigeon and Jihyo are forced to return to America to settle some things they didn't finish before returning. So today they fly back for 2-3 weeks, leaving Yunjin alone. This is probably the first time they've left Yunjin completely alone. Usually there is always someone at home, and if both parents were absent, then Yunjin stayed with Kazuha. This was the case before they left. In America, someone was always there, so Yunjin didn't even remember when she was alone with herself. But she appreciated and valued such care and attention from her parents, because not everyone has such families. And she's studying for the last year, and then she'll go to university and move into a dormitory or other housing. And then adult life is just around the corner. So now she really cherished the moments with her parents.
The father took his daughter to school and went about his business. At the gate, Yunjin saw Somi. Yunjin wasn't sure at first that Somi was waiting for her, so she simply waved and moved on.
"Is this the way it is in America?" Somi stopped Yunjin with her phrase and she turned around. "I'm waiting for you, and you're passing by."
"Were you waiting for me? " she was surprised and happy at the same time. "Thank you and sorry for passing by. I just didn't expect this."
"Did you think that everyone would ignore you like Kazuha?" Somi looked at Yunjin. She nodded slightly. "Well, it's not like that. Don't worry."
"I'm glad. Where are the girls?"
"They are already waiting for us at school. Minjeong is impatient as usual and needs to go to the bathroom urgently. And Giselle went with her for company. More precisely, Minjeong dragged her with her.
"She hasn't changed at all, I see."
"She started crying less," Somi said, laughing.
At school, many students greeted Yunjin, as they did before, which could not but please the girl. She really thought that because of Kazuha's influence, no one would pay attention to her, but that wasn't the case. But how long will this last? Surely Kazuha will do something to hurt Yunjin. And for a social butterfly like Yunjin, being without communication is impossible.
"I'm tired of you already, Ryujin," Bangchan stood at the locker and talked to his girlfriend, who was clearly unhappy with the guy's behavior.
"What's wrong again? I just asked you to pay attention to me," she crossed her arms over her chest. "Is it so difficult to look only at me?"
"Are they dating?" Yunjin asked as they walked past them.
"Yeah. A couple of years," Somi laughed. "I don't know how they started dating, but after that they just fight."
"Hmm... No, it's a powerful combination. Very powerful," Yunjin laughed.
Yunjin spent all her free time with the girls before class and then walked them to their class. They were in different classes, so they did not have joint lessons, except for physical education. She herself was almost late for her first lesson, which today turned out to be Korean. At the door she met Kazuha, Sakura and Chaewon, who were just entering the classroom. Sakura was the last to enter and the door slammed in Yunjin's face. Yunjin didn't pay attention to this. Today her mood is simply excellent, so this did not spoil it for her.
"Why is Hong Eunchae missing? It's only the third day of school and she's already gone. And I look at the E-journal, it shows that she is not here for no reason," teacher Kim asked a question.
"Doesn't it say in your journal that this is none of your business?" Kazuha asked, not even looking at the teacher. She was looking at Sakura's new manicure.
"Nakamura, have respect. I am a teacher. I wrote a book that became quite popular among teachers in Korea. I have many state awards. I have been Teacher of the Year for three years in a row. After all, I am older than you!" The teacher did not like this attitude towards herself. She did not forget to brag about her achievements. She did this at any suitable time.
"And none of this says that you should know where Eunchae is. Start the lesson. You've been Teacher of the Year for three years in a row," Kazuha still didn't look at the teacher.
The woman sighed heavily several times to come to her senses and began the lesson. Classmates were upset that the quarrel did not last longer. Everyone loved it when Kazuha argued with the teachers. It was interesting and to some extent exciting. Moreover, Kazuha was not at all afraid to express what others were silent about.
Yunjin was surprised, to say the least. She clearly didn't expect this. The girl remembered very well how Kazuha despised such people, and now she herself does what she considered disgusting. Yunjin's heart sank in pain. Kazuha has changed too much. More than Yunjin could ever imagine. In her heart, she hoped that she had already seen all the changes in her ex-friend. She was simply afraid to see anything else. After all, she was the reason for all of this.
~~~~~~
"Nishimura Riki, are you late again?" Teacher Im looked at the student who had just entered the class.
"Sorry," he bowed politely.
"Take your seat. Just try not to be late again. This year you have to take an exam, so even five minutes plays a big role," the teacher smiled kindly and continued teaching the lesson.
The guy quickly walked to the back of the class and sat down in his seat. His best friend Shim Jaeyun had already taken out several sandwiches and an apple juice with a straw from his backpack.
"Here," he moved the food closer to his friend.
"Thanks, Jake," the guy replied. Even though their names were Jaeyun and Riki in their passports, in real life they preferred to call themselves Jake and Niki. That's what they called themselves, and their friends and parents did the same.
"Long night? Did you manage to sleep?" Jake asked carefully.
"An hour. With these part-time jobs, there's no time to sleep at all," Niki said, chewing a sandwich that he ate in three bites.
"Do you even get paid enough? So many part-time jobs... I can't even imagine how difficult it is."
"Well, at least some money. You know that for my family every penny is worth its weight in gold."
"I can give you money, you know."
"And you know that I will never accept them. I may need them, but not to that extent. As long as I am able to earn money myself, I will do it myself. For now, this is enough for us. In addition, parents are not idle either."
"I hope Sol will be okay. How is she anyway?"
"Yesterday we managed to prevent an attack. But it's not at all a fact that we will be able to do this next time. She's getting worse and worse," Niki sighed heavily and his eyes sparkled with tears, but he quickly came to his senses.
"Get some sleep, I'll write everything down for you," Jake took out a small pillow and handed it to his friend.
"You're the best," Niki smiled sincerely and put it under his head.
Jake patted his best friend's head. He fell asleep as soon as he closed his eyes. Over the past two years, the life of Niki and his family has changed a lot. His father's business went bankrupt and they lost their home and car. Because of all these nerves, the parents were on the verge of divorce, but, fortunately, they overcame this difficulty. Niki no longer played football, to which he had intended to devote his life. He was on the school team and played as a striker. Their team always took prizes and was one of the few that were feared.
But the worst thing was that his younger sister got sick. Niki doesn't even know the exact name of this disease or whether it is possible to recover from it once and for all, but even without this it is clear that even if it is possible, it will be a very long time, with a lot of tears, hysterics, pain, and on top of everything else very expensive. Thanks to the boyf's part-time job and their parents' work, they are able to pay hospital bills, pay rent for their small apartment and buy food.
The most common food for a pat year was ramyeon. Previously, they rarely ate it, since there was always a huge variety of food on the table. Not a single meal was complete without delicious meat or fish. They often dined in expensive restaurants, eating first-class food. They couldn't afford it now. Maybe if his sister wasn't sick, they would eat meat at least a couple of times a month and the guy could afford to buy various goodies. But Niki never blamed anyone for the fact that they now live like this.
"Our boy has such a big and kind heart," the parents said, looking at their already very big son.
~~~~~~
The last lesson was PE. And it means there is no last lesson. For Kazuha, everything is very simple. Even though she studied ballet and needed to do constant stretching and other exercises, she often skipped PE. A very boring and unnecessary lesson. It was more fun before. She could play volleyball or badminton. She especially loved running relay races and competing in races with her classmates. But after the injury this became impossible. Therefore, Kazuha forgot about this lesson. She only comes if it is somewhere in the middle of the day. In other cases she is not there. Then she will write an essay or do some written work to fill in the blank.
The rest of the girls usually go to class, but today Chaewon and Sakura decided to skip it too. Eunchae is much more important than everything else. Having bought their friend's favorite treats, the girls gathered to spend the evening playing board games, watching movies and just having fun to make their friend feel better. Eunchae's mom told her not to come home for a couple more days. This way they can be sure that everything is in the past and they were saved. Therefore, the friends decided to enjoy these days to the fullest.
"How is our baby doing?" the door of the room opened and Eunchae saw her friends.
"Great!" there was a familiar smile on Eunchae's face. Big and sincere. And thanks to this smile, the other girls began to smile too.
"We bought some goodies!" Chaewon announced joyfully. She and Eunchae were big fans of sweets and various snacks. Kazuha and Sakura loved them too, but not to that extent.
The girls had a great time together. Sakura's energy quickly ran out, so she went downstairs to Sana. They were both into crocheting, so when Sakura was visiting, they would do it together. They always communicated with each other in Japanese. So Sakura did not forget her native language. Her parents are so used to living in Korea that they sometimes speak Korean at home. With Kazuha, they often switch between Japanese and Korean, so only with Sana she always speaks Japanese.
"Do you know Yunjin?" Sana asked.
"I do" Sakura answered, not distracted from her work.
"Do you also know what happened?"
"The part that Zuha told."
"I heard she came back. Has she already come to school?"
"Kazuha didn't tell you?"
"No. I spoke to Yunjin's mom a couple of days ago. She said they were back. Kazuha is generally silent, so I assumed they haven't meet yet. Although I doubt it, to be honest.
"Yes, she has been at school for two days already."
"Have they met?"
"She's in our class. So yes."
"In your class?!" Sana almost jumped on the spot. "Why didn't Zuha say anything?"
"I think she doesn't consider it important or doesn't want to consider it. She doesn't pay any attention to her. They didn't even talk once, except for chemistry class, where the teacher paired them up. And even then Kazuha only told her what to write. But I can say for sure that Yunjin's appearance made Kazuha very upset. She hides it well, but we wouldn't be friends if we couldn't see her sincere feelings behind a thick layer of indifference.
"It's good that you became her friends. By that time, her father and I had almost given up. But you were able to bring her back to life. Thank you."
"You know you say thank you every time we come?" Sakura smiled, looking at Sana.
"I'm just sincerely grateful," Sana shrugged. "Can I ask couple more questions?"
"Of course."
"What about Yunjin? How is she? How did she react to the new Kazuha?"
"To be honest, I don't know Yunjin, what she was like before, who she talked to, and so on. Therefore, I will only say what I managed to see. She came to class yesterday. Yesterday she and Kazuha met. Yunjin couldn't take her eyes off her. She was also sitting at the next desk, so I could get a good look at her. She looked Kazuha up and down. Her eyes widened gradually. First when she saw the tattoo on her leg, then on her arm, then the piercing on her lip. In Chemistry she looked at her again. She was just staring. It was clear from her eyes that she missed Kazuha. That she really wants to drop everything and hug Kazuha. In general, both today and yesterday she did not take her eyes off her. Today Kazuha also had a little fight with the teacher. You know that she won't mince words. But Yunjin didn't know this and was clearly not ready for it.
"I understand," Sana nodded, thinking about something. "Does she communicate with anyone or is she now a loner?"
"She is friend with several girls from a parallel class. Chaewon said that they communicated well before. And... - Sakura thought. - Well, many people say hello to her at school. Perhaps only Kazuha does not pay attention to her. And so do we.
"Thank you, Sakura," Sana smiled again, and then continued her knitting, moving on to other topics.
~~~~~~
When Yunjin returned home, her parents were no longer there. Their plane took off at 15, and Yunjin arrived after school at almost 17. Today she had to stay after school for almost an hour to talk with the director, the class teacher and several other important personalities at school. They just wanted to check whether her knowledge corresponded to the program of her classmates. Since she had been studying in another country for the last 2 years, no one knew how far she had progressed in her studies. Luckily for Yunjin, her knowledge was enough to continue studying with her classmates rather than moving down a grade.
Yunjin walked into the kitchen, accompanied by her stomach singing with hunger. Mom left dinner on the stove and a few more items in the refrigerator. Having quickly eaten and washed the dishes, Yunjin began to do her homework. She always does them right away, so that she can then go about her business with peace of mind.
"What the..? " A few drops fell on the notebook.
Yunjin didn't even notice that she had been sitting and crying for some time now, instead of writing down the assignment. Tears rolled down her cheeks one by one, as if playing a race. Now that she was left alone, the girl could finally free her soul. The reason for her tears was undoubtedly Kazuha, or rather what Yunjin did to her. How could she change so much in these 2 years?
"I'm sorry, Zuha," Yunjin whispered, lowering her head.
FLASHBACK*2 years ago*
"Maybe you'll leave me alone already?" Yunjin crossed her arms, looking at Kazuha, who was standing at the door to her house.
"I just want to understand what's wrong? Did I do something to hurt you so much? Tell me, I will apologize and try to improve, I promise. Yunjin..."
"I'm just tired of you. Is that enough to make you fuck off?"
"You don't mean that, do you?"
"Everything is as I said. Of course, you can come up with anything you want, but my answer is quite clear. There are no hidden meanings in it. Leave."
The door closed loudly in front of Kazuha's face. She knocked a few more times, hoping Yunjin would open, but she didn't. She had no choice but to leave. As luck would have it, it started to rain. The heaviest rain of the year. And Kazuha had neither an umbrella nor a car with her. On her feet were ordinary sneakers, which quickly got wet, like her jacket. It was the beginning of spring, but it was warm enough that Kazuha was dressed lightly. After that day she was very sick. She got pneumonia and spent a long time in the hospital. Yunjin never came, and Kazuha waited for her the most.