6th➳

I ran out of the apartment room and dashed into the streets wearing slippers even though it was freaking cold outside. I wasn't thinking straight. I couldn't think straight. Mom was going to court. Ani, she was being forced to go to court. What happened? I trusted her to at least be cautious so now what is this?!

No words could describe how mad I was. A whirlwind of mixed emotions was washing over me and I continued running with glassy eyes. Why was I even running there?

I stopped midway to catch my breath. I was going against all my rules and beliefs. But by now, I knew that... somewhere deep down, I still did care for Mom. Even if it was just a little. And to hear that she was forced to court, I needed to help as quickly as possible.

When I reached Gangnam's Police Station an hour and thirty minutes later, I tried my best to keep a poker face on when I walked to where Mom and a police officer were. I cleared my throat and said, "You called, officer-nim?"

"Are you Kwon Nari-sshi?" the officer asked, looking up. Actually, with his face appearance, you could mistake him for a cook instead of a police officer.

I nodded. "Nae, that's me, officer-nim." 

"Take a seat," the police officer instructed, motioning to the empty chair next to Mom. It wasn't news to see Mom's surprised face. I guess she was just as flustered in this situation as I was. "Your mother got really drunk and got involve in a fight with the daughter of a CEO."

The police officer gestured to a woman sitting by the sides of the room. She wore a huge, leather jacket and wore sunglasses even though it was nighttime.

"Her guardian will be here shortly. In the mean time... your mother will need a lawyer. Do you know anyone?" the police officer asked me.

I hated the fact that this was the second time I came into a police station. I also hated the fact that I was helping my mom this time. Jaemin was all right but this time it's Mom. I just want to shake my head at the whole situation.

"Aniyo, obseoyo," I replied, letting out a sigh. "But I'll think of something soon, don't worry."

Just like how I thought about Jaemin's problem. I was no where close 100, 000 won. Heck, I wasn't even close to 20, 000 won yet. I was going crazy with this whole situation. Definitely not my week.

The officer nodded in reply. "The daughter of the CEO want your mom in the court for assault. It won't be an easy case to settle down."

I glanced at Mom, shaking my head in disappointment. I'll talk with her later tonight. This will be the first and last time I'll care. "Nae, agaesibnida, officer-nim. Butak juseyo. (Please help)"

"Ah, there is her guardian," the officer then said, standing up and bowing at the person entering the police station behind us.

When I stood up and turn around, the person I least expected to see was Joshua Hong Jisoo.

♥

The meeting settled with a warning but my mom was still being forced to court. Unlike Joshua, his sister wasn't as understanding as him. She was screaming and everything and if it weren't for Joshua, his sister would've executed my mom.

Why on earth did Mom have to be involve with Joshua's family? I guess it runs in the blood, huh?

I left my mom there while I walked ahead. I didn't care if she didn't make her way home tonight. That was least of my worries. But I had another worry. And he was running after me right now.

"Nari! Nari-a!" Joshua called behind me. I continued on walking but Joshua was a guy so that meant he could easily catch up to me. He gripped onto my wrist and turned me around. "Nari."

"Stop calling my name," I weakly said before turning back around but Joshua made sure I continued to face him and look at him. "What's your problem, Joshua? Isn't your sister trouble enough?"

"As for my noona..." Joshua then got down on his knees. "I'll apologize on her behalf."

People passing by were now looking at us with curiosity. I quickly pulled him off his knees and said, "Don't apologize on her behalf. I won't apologize on my mother's behalf, either. Stop wasting your name, Hong Jisoo."

"But Nariㅡ"

"As for you," I cut him off, slowly removing his grip off my wrist. "Stop calling my name like we're friends. As of today... we're total strangers."

♥

"Noona!" both Hoya and Jaemin said in unison when I came back to the apartment. "We heard what happened!"

I gave them a weak smile and patted their heads. "It's nothing to worry about, guys..."

"Noona, that isn't true," Hoya protested, frowning at me. "We heard aunt is being forced to court. Who is that lady, huh? I'll give her a piece of my mind!"

Before Hoya would march out and start finding Joshua's sister, I held him back and said, "It's been settled, Hoya. Don't worry so much. Everything will be fine..."

I wish I could believe in my own lies. That lady sued Mom 1, 000, 000 won! Where is Mom going to get the money for that? It wasn't like I could help her. Trying to earn 200, 000 won was hard enough. To earn 1, 000, 000 is like dedicating my life and youth to work to pay off the debt.

"Noona..." Jaemin said, looking at me with concern. "Your eyes... they're red and... you're crying..."

I couldn't even feel the tears because of my thoughts. I rubbed them away and said, "Don't worry about me, guys. I'm fine, really. I... I better wash up first. I'm freezing cold."

"Noona, you caught a cold," Hoya noted when he heard me sneeze. "Quickly. Into the shower now. That will warm you up. Jaemin-a, help hyung make some chicken soup for noona."

"Oh? Arasso, hyung," Jaemin said. Before they headed into the kitchen, Jaemin told me, "We'll take good care of you, noona. I'll run by the pharmacy and buy you medicine."

I weakly smiled at the two boys and watched as they worked together to make me soup before heading into the bathroom to take a warm shower.

♥

"Eat up, noona," Jaemin said, pushing the warm bowl of soup towards me. Hoya wrapped a warm blanket over me and felt my forehead. "Is she okay, hyung?"

"Her temperature is fine. No sign of fever," Hoya reported back. Taking a seat next to me around the rectangular dinning table that fitted four people, Hoya said, "Do you think aunt will be home tonight?"

"I doubt itㅡ"

Then the sound of the front door clicked open.

"Okay, I take it back," Jaemin said, pressing his lips into a straight, thin line.

When I saw Mom walk into the living room/kitchen, I stood up and dragged the long, warm blanket around me with me and left for my room without even tasting the soup. Jaemin and Hoya hesitated whether to stay there to talk with Mom or follow me in my room. In the end, they decided to follow me into my room.

"Noona, what do we do now? Do you think aunt will kick us out?" Jaemin asked me in a whisper as he sat down crossed legs on the mattress laid down on the floor.

"Aniyo, I won't let her," I said. My voice sounded weird. Great. Now I have a nose block which will make my voice sound weird. "Get to sleep. We'll see what happens tomorrow."

"But noona! Your soup!" Jaemin said.

"Nae, mianhae for that. But I'll have to leave it. I'm sure it tasted amazing anyway," I assured him with a smile. "Now go to sleep, Jaemin-a, Hoya-yah."

"Nae, noona," both boys replied and then fell asleep.

Pushing away all these troubling thoughts, I tried to get some sleep as well.

♥

"Nari-a!" a voice called when I was near the school's gates. I turned around and saw a bright face, which made me turn grim in reply. They ran up to me and waved a hand happily. "Annyeong!"

"Yah, Lee Jiㅡ"

"Woozi! It's Woozi," he uneasily cut me off. With a nervous smile, he scratched his head. "Sorry. I don't like people knowing that I have another name."

"Tsk. Tsk. Pinocchio runs around lying once again. Oh, what do we have here? A nose that does not grow when he lies. If it does, it'll be long enough to be a bridge to North Korea," I said, shaking my head at him. "You're really brazen, Jihoㅡ Woozi. Will you ever stop with your lies?"

The smile on his face then disappeared as his eyes dropped to the ground. I hoped I at least snapped some sense into him. I should've done it earlier but I guess a decade later is fine too. It was better than nothing.

"I'm going now. Don't come to see me anymore. You're just somebody I used to know, Woozi. And now you're somebody I wish I never knew," I said, leaving him by the sidewalks before walking off to head into school. It was best to leave people you were once friends with.

If they truly treasured your friendship, they wouldn't have left you all of a sudden. They wouldn't have left you waiting everyday for their return. They wouldn't have left you wondering at night thinking whether they were dead or alive. They wouldn't keep you waiting with hope even if you knew it they wouldn't return. After a decade, I learned to move on but here he is... in front of me, where I let him go. It was my turn. It was my turn to leave.

♥

During art class, our art teacher decided to start with the assignment of getting to know our partner in order to draw them perfectly. So Mr. Ahn brought us outdoors for a perfect way to bond. But since it seemed like we'd be wasting fifty minutes talking, he told us to find something to sketch. I decided to sketch the forget-me-nots that grew around the school.

They were small flowers that were painted in a beautiful colour of blue. From the flower itself, I felt like I could feel its meaning. Like it wasn't just some small flower growing along the bright flowers that shone and grabbed the spotlight. Their name itself was something special. Forget-me-not.

"Enjoying the shade?"

I looked up from my sketching book but regretted afterwards when I saw Joshua casually walking up to where I was sitting. I sat on a bench under the big, shady tree and examined the beautiful flowers that grew in front of me.

"Naㅡ I mean, ma'am, I'm sorry about what my noona caused. You should try to be understanding. She was drunk. And so was your mom," Joshua reasoned out.

"Don't talk to me about that situation. I can understand that much. But you apologized on your sister's behalf, which you weren't supposed to. Your sister is supposed to be the one, not the brother." I sucked in a breath. "Look, I don't even want to be talking to you about it."

"Naㅡ Ma'am, we can't keep ignoring each other, you know? We may be strangers now but that doesn't mean we won't be friends soon. Plus, we have an assignment to work on. We have to talk each other anyway," Joshua smartly told me. Taking a step closer, he told me, "You're my friend even if you hate it."

♥

The sooner I earn that 200, 000 won, the sooner I can quit this job and the sooner I'll have Joshua out of my life. Sadly, it's a slow process so I'll have to tolerate seeing Joshua much longer.

Though something's got me wondering. If Joshua's sister was that girl and that girl was a daughter of a CEO, does that mean Joshua was an heir to a company or something? Is he a millionaire or something? If he was, why's he working at a convenient store? I wish I could ask him but Joshua and I weren't exactly on "good terms".

Around the second hour of my shift, I was cleaning the marbled raised tables that had the glass window right in front of it. Customers could enjoy sitting down there with a cup of instant ramen or triangular kimbap and look out the window watching people and cars pass by.

It was close to sunset and the skies were slowly getting darker. But it wasn't because the sun was going to set soon. It was because dark clouds began forming around Seoul, showing a clear sign that it was going to rain soon. I only smiled in response.

A man walked in the convenient store and Joshua and I greeted him warmly. I continued on cleaning, watching the clouds form over Seoul. It was a good thing I brought my umbrella.

"Mwoya? Kwon Nari?" a voice then asked behind me.

I paused from cleaning and turned around, shocked to see him standing next to the candy rack. "A... appa..."

~Author's Notes~

I hope you Kimichies are still enjoying this story :))

Also, school is starting again and nooo, ugh, let's all be realistic: no one likes school. :) Hopefully I'll have time to update, hehe :)

S.E.L.C.A! (share, enjoy, love, comment always!) 

xoxo 

Byun Sang Kyung