Days had passed and it was another unfulfilled, failed Friday. Soo-ji had written her test and returned home earlier than usual. The test was even worse than the last one. This time there were numbers available, but all the answers had to be written in alphabets. What sort of questions were those? She constantly called it black magic as she rumbled her brain for answers. Her science test was even worse, she was asked to write about some guy that found out why apples fall from trees. She was so pissed because why was she doing history in a science test? Everything went wrong except for her favorite, of course — Literature in English. She had a crush on the teacher, she couldn't embarrass herself by doing badly in his subject.
Exhausted from the entire day, she stayed home with her eyes glued to the ceiling like she could find the answers to her life there when Seo-jun suddenly barged in. But instead of jolting up in surprise, she remained perfectly still, half because she was used to it and more because she had more on her mind than she could handle.
Surprised by her lack of reaction, he sat on her study chair, staring at her with a half-eaten apple in hand.
"What?" she questioned, not taking her eyes off the ceiling.
"You look like you just survived an apocalypse," he said, biting more into his apple.
"I'm just thinking of how I'd have to take over Mom's shop and stay here till I'm seventy when I eventually move to a care home," Soo-ji said, sounding like a sick Victorian child about to kick the bucket.
Seo-jun laughed out loud before biting his finger. "Did you fail that badly?"
Soo-ji threw a pillow at his face. "You're the worst."
"I can't help it," he said, muffling a laugh. Then he added, "Why don't you get Mom to employ a private tutor for you?" he suggested thoughtfully.
"You know what's going to happen when I do that," she paused dramatically. "You get to be that private tutor."
"Not happening." Seo-jun shook his head. "That's why you get smart friends. They become your fun and also your tutor. Two birds, one stone, huh?" he said, dusting off his shoulder proudly.
"I guess you were the stone in your friends' lives," Soo-ji scoffed. "That's practically using a person."
"At least I have friends. You, for one, can never relate," he said before walking out.
"I have friends, okay?" Soo-ji called out, offended.
"Of course you do," he screamed back sarcastically.
"I hate that he gives the best advice," she mumbled as she buried her head in her pillow. "This is it, Lee Soo-ji. If you don't get over your ego and beg the sass bin, you'll become a real-life bin." she groaned loudly kicking up her feet in the air "I hate my life".
---
The next day.
It was already evening and Soo-ji had gone to the bookstore to fulfill her promise to her samchon Chaek-chaek. She switched the OPEN sign to CLOSED before beginning her routine.
"Let's get cleaning," she said as she blasted her headphones at the highest volume.
She picked up the mop from the store, put on the oversized, aged-looking apron, and began dusting. She blocked the whole world from her mind, dancing while holding the mop like a microphone, singing at the top of her lungs as she dramatically acted out lyrics she didn't even understand.
She was completely lost in herself.
It was the first time in a while she actually felt like herself.
She felt free.
Until—
She turned around while holding her waist to showcase her best dance moves yet.
There he was.
Her one-way ticket to college. The one person she wanted to see but also wished she wouldn't.
Jae-hyuk.
He stood there shocked, gagged, in fact. How could someone dance and sing that horribly? His face practically screamed disgust and second-hand embarrassment. She wanted to melt into the floor. She wished the ground would open up and swallow her whole, but it didn't. Her hands refused to leave her waist. She went mute.
"Where is the owner?" he finally asked, breaking the silence she desperately wished he hadn't.
She smiled awkwardly, trying to mask her shame. "What owner?" she laughed nervously.
He just stared at her like: really?
"I'm in charge today," she said hesitantly, finally dropping her hands from her waist. "Do you need anything?"
He handed the books to her. "I'd be returning these."
She inhaled sharply. "I'm sorry, but we're not open right now. It's store policy that you—"
Her words trailed off as he simply dropped the books on the counter and walked deeper into the store, completely ignoring everything she had just said.
"What do I do? Why did I have to choose today as the perfect day to show off my legendary skills?" she muttered, nearly crying.
Minutes passed and she was still cleaning the same spot while anxiously staring at him.
"Why isn't he leaving?" she whispered to herself as she mopped.
Finally, he stood up and began walking toward her slowly.
Very slowly.
She could've sworn she peed a little in her panties as he got closer. Just when she was about to explode from the pressure, he simply walked past her and grabbed a book.
"I'll be taking this," he said before walking out of the store.
Soo-ji pressed a hand against her chest. "Why is he so scary?"
Then a smile flashed across her face.
"But he's quite handsome… and his forearms—"
She paused immediately.
"Soo-ji, why are you acting like such a pervert?" she groaned, roughly ruffling her hair in exhaustion.
Then her eyes met it.
A glittering item abandoned on the table Jae-hyuk had just left.
She picked it up.
"This can't be happening," she muttered while staring at the key. "Why did you have to leave your key behind?"
She rushed out the door immediately.
She could only see his back now, but at least she could still see him.
"Jae-hyuk!!" she screamed while running toward him. "Kang Jae-hyuk!"
He finally turned.
"You left your—"
She never got to finish her sentence before tripping on a rock, sending herself flying forward, her face landing directly into dog poo.
"No!"