On the next day, as I was preparing for school, Chan came to my house. He said that he purposely stopped by, as he happened to be passing by the house. Chan offered me to go to school with him. Oh? This feels like a trap.
However, considering that I am quite lazy to go to school by using the van, I decided to just follow his suggestion. Upon reaching the school, I asked him to get me off at the junction of the road, where I used to get off the van, before walking to school.
"Why can't I drive you to the school?"
"Nothing."
"Are you afraid that someone might be jealous, huh?"
"Who?"
"Ryujin?"
"No, I just wanted to walk."
"Nah, you are afraid that he might be jealous at me." He smirked. I had started thinking on how to kill him quietly without anyone noticing it.
"No."
"Is he your boyfriend?"
"What if it is a yes?"
"Nothing. I am just asking for a confirmation."
"What are you gonna do with that?"
"Nothing."
"One thing, Chan. Only one thing. I didn't want to have anything with you. I could only see you as a brother of mine, not more than that. Just don't overestimate yourself, Chan."
"Yeji, I- "
"As far as I know, Ryujin is not a jealous person. It's you who I think is being jealous of Ryujin. That person, when Ryujin thought that I was dating Hyunjin, she even said to her friends not to bother me because I am already dating with Hyunjin. Can you be like that?" I said to him before getting off the car, after thanking him for the ride.
During recess, I went to the cafeteria with Chaeryeong, since Ryujin was suspended from school because of Mr. Lee's case. We then sat outside at the school's field, joining Soyeon and the newly couple, Minnie and Miyeon. Not long after we sat down, Heejin's group arrived. The group of twelve brought along some kind of black aura behind of them, considering the fact that they were all wearing straight-faces. I chuckled a bit while thinking about that. I am sorry, I couldn't contain myself.
Heejin and her friends stopped and asked Chaeryeong.
"Hey, Chae. Is Ryujin healthy? Is she doing alright?"
"Yes, sure she is." She replied while spooning food into her mouth, not paying her full attention to Heejin.
"Tell her I say hi." Heejin lowered her body to meet with Chaeryeong's eyes, who was still sitting on the ground.
"Alright. So now, can you go away? We want to eat right now."
"Wow. This cold bitch." Sooyoung said with a smirk, while eyeing Chaeryeong up and down her torso.
"But this is not a bitch." Hyejoo said while smirking at me.
"Just please leave us alone. Let us eat in peace, please?" I said while putting down my sandwich onto my lap.
"Anything for you, beautiful." Hyejoo bowed while winking at me.
"Are you trying to cheat on me, dude?" Chaewon pinched Hyejoo's arm making all of us let out light chuckles watching Hyejoo flinched over Chaewon's action.
"Let's go, Heejin. I am hungry." Kim Hyunjin, Heejin's secret admirer that is not so secret gripped her wrist and tried to drag her along towards the café.
"Fine. Let's go, girls." Heejin let out a defeated sigh before letting herself to be dragged by Hyunjin.
A few minutes after, Jisu came while panting.
"Where did you go just now?" Chaeryeong asked her while handing her a bottle of lemonade, Jisu's favourite.
"I was chased by Jisung and Minho. Thanks for the water, by the way." Jisu answered while still panting.
"What did you do now?" Chaeryeong squinted her eyes. Oh my God this couple is cute, okay. Don't even try to disagree with me.
"Something that will make you want to punch me." Jisu moved and sat beside me.
"Come back here, Jisu."
"I don't want to be killed."
"JISU!" all seven of us turned towards Heejin, who shouted from afar.
Soyeon sighed while shaking her head.
"What?"
"Can we have a talk for a moment?"
"She is eating." Chaeryeong stated coldly, slightly tilting her head to Heejin.
"I need to talk to her."
"If that so." Jisu was about to stand up, before Chaeryeong gripped Jisu's wrist, pulling her to sit down.
"Jisu is going to eat first." In a slightly elevated tone, Chaeryeong squinted her eyes towards Heejin.
"No, really. It is okay, Chae." Jisu tried to stand up again, before Minnie dragged her to sit down back.
"I said eat first!" Wow, they might fight later.
"Heejin! What are you doing here?" Yeojin and Yerim came towards us, while frowning.
"I want to talk with Jisu."
"On what basis?" Yerim raised her eyebrow.
"Ryujin."
"Then I think you should leave, Heejin." Jisu suddenly said.
"But why?"
"If it is about Ryujin, I won't answer any of that."
"Oh, come on. I am her girlfriend. You must help me."
"Since when are you being her girlfriend, bitch?" Yeojin smacked her head.
"Stop dreaming, Heejin. Let's go. The others are waiting for us." Yerim left while tagging Heejin along with her.
"What the hell?" Miyeon suddenly said while rolling her eyes.
"Wow, you can speak." Soyeon teased her while chuckling.
Later on that day, while I was in the school's van on my way home, I saw my one and only Ryuddaeng. She waved at me, releasing one of her hands from the motorcycle's handle.
She was dressed loosely in her worn jeans jacket, moving the index finger of her left hand downwards. I guess that's code to get me down and it is. So, I immediately ask the driver to stop the van. I approached Ryujin who had stopped her motorbike by the side of the road. She is still sitting on her motorcycle.
"Hey, Ryuddaeng." I greeted her.
"Hey, baby." She opened her arms widely, wanting me to hug her.
"I miss you badly. I went to the school earlier." She said, her voice is muffled as she snuggled her face onto the crook of my neck.
"What are you doing at school?"
"Looking for you."
"I am sorry. I do not know."
"And now you know." She released herself from the hug and faced me.
"I once predicted that you would ride my motorcycle later, for the second time. Do you still remember?"
"Definitely."
"Do you want to help me?"
"What kind of help?"
"Make it happen."
I shook my head upon hearing her answer.
"Seriously? Don't you want to help me with it?"
"Of course."
"Do you want to follow me?"
"What if I don't want to?"
"You broke your promise."
"Why?"
"Earlier, you said that you wanted to help." I laughed while riding the motorbike.
"Don't hug me, okay?"
"Why?" I frowned.
"Unless you want to." I giggled together with her. She then started her motorcycle and drove away.
I don't know the right words to express my joy. Hopefully you can feel it, so that I don't have to explain. I got on the motorbike together with Ryujin while laughing, talking about anything that happened earlier at school.
"Have you eaten?" Ryujin asked.
"Nope."
"Shall we go and grab your meal then?"
She then took me to a stall. We walked in and I sat down and stared at her. Her beauty is really out of the world. Do I deserve her? The wind was blowing, a little bit strong, making some resin leaves fell outside of the stall. Ryujin looked ethereal in this scene. I guess, I was falling deeper for her at that time.
"Did you see that person?" Ryujin asked while giving the code with her face.
I looked briefly at the person Ryujin was referring to at the very end of the long table. There was a man and a woman who sat facing each other just like Ryujin and I. They just finished eating and chatting while holding their hands. But before I understood Ryujin's purpose in pointing at that person, the ordered meal had arrived.
"What's with that person?" I asked in a low voice while starting to stir the food.
"I like the boy," Ryujin replied in the same low voice, stirring the noodle as well.
"What?!"
"But not as much as I love you." she winked at me.
"Shin Ryujin, you might be the cause of my death."
"Why?"
"You keep flirting with me but never say anything about it."
"So, what do you want me to say?"
"Just don't flirt."
"What is the reason?" she asked while eating the noodles.
"I might fall for you." 'I already did, dumbass.'
"But that is what I want." She smiled.
"What if it is not something that I want?"
"I know you wont."
"Prove it to me."
"Hwang Yeji, the most beautiful girl that I have ever seen, do you like me?"
"Nope." I answered while feeding myself.
"Oh really?"
"100% sure."
"Okay then." She continued eating.
'Seriously, Shin? Why is she acting like that?'
We continued eating in silence.
"Where do you want to go after this?" She finally broke the silence once she settled paying for the meal.
"It is up to you. You are the driver."
At that time, I really want to ask her about our relationship, questioning whether I am already dating her or not. It's suck being this lovey-dovey with your crush without any labels, knowing that it might just be a friendly gesture.
We were now being together on the motorcycle under the shade of a cloudy sky. At that time, the road was still quiet, not crowded with vehicles. Not yet filled with billboards which were deliberately installed as supporting elements.
Along the side of the road, there a lot of shady trees and it's very calming. I like it when I see the tree branches at dusk. It feels great to be with people who can give me comfort. It was so good to be with someone I thought could give me protection.
It feels so joyful to be with the person I miss being alone with. Let me choose and have my own pleasure. Her motorbike then slowly reaching the playground that me and Ryujin once spent our times together.
"Why are we here?" I questioned her as soon as we entered the playground.
"I want to ask you something."
"Then ask."
"Not now. Can we have a seat first?" she gestured to a bench.
"Sure." She then led us to the bench and took a seat before patting the empty space beside her.
"Yeddeong."
"Yes, Ryuddaeng?"
"What will you say if I ever confessed to you?"
"It depends."
"Depends on?"
"Whether you will confess or not."
"Then, what will you say if I ask you to be my girlfriend?"
"Again, it depends."
"Why?"
"It depends on whether you will really ask me to be your girlfriend or not."
"You are really something else, Yeddeong." She laughed a little before leaning onto my shoulder. She then played with my fingers, while humming some songs.
We stayed like that for almost an hour, chatting about a lot of things, including her situation who was being suspended from the school for a week.
"I am gonna miss your presence in school, Ryuddaeng."
"Me too. I miss you so much."
"But now I am here."
"Not for the next day." She pouted.
"Do you know that you are really cute?"
"Of course. I am the Great Shin, after all." She shrugged.
"Where can I buy such confidence, Ryuddaeng? I wanna have one too." I ruffled her hair.
"Don't buy it. You can have it for free."
"How?"
"By being my girlfriend."
I remained silent. After a few moments, Ryujin sat down properly, and faced me.
"Yeddeong, I am serious right now. Do you want to be my girlfriend?"
"Am I breathing right now?"
"I'll take that as a yes, then."