Secret Gratitude

Jiyong realized how unusual Minah had been acting. She seemed very…fake. Whenever Jiyong asked her about school, she would give him a simple one or two words describing her day and continue her job. When he told her to do something, she would do it right away, as if she was trying to occupy my mind with work. Sometimes, he wasn't able to talk about school or about her friends. She would only run away or cover her ears or change the subject. The manager seemed to like this new Minah because she actually put some effort into her job, but Jiyong knew that the manager could tell something was up.

At work, she was twice as tensed up as she was whenever a customer came in. Her eyes were always wandering all over the room, but they always stared out the window, watching people walk around as if she was looking for something. He thought that Minah was being a bit paranoid with all the stalking issue, but he didn't blame her. It was her fault, anyway; she deserved all the guilt she had.

Jieun didn't seem surprised about the entire situation, though. When Jiyong got the chance to explain to her what was going on, she only shrugged it off like it was no big deal. She did admit that she was a bit scared, but that was practically it. She told him that she would skip school for a few days just to see what kind of reaction Chanyeol would give. When she returned back to school, Jiyong found out that she got a severe beating on the leg because he was cursing at her for being weak and for causing a "bothersome scene." She was a little thankful about the situation because she managed to use the stalking story as a cover up for the bruises on her legs, claiming that it was the stalker who had tried to hit her.

Jiho, on the other hand, couldn't let go of the problem. He was furious at Minah's stupidity and worried over Jieun's health. According to the three delinquents, Jiyong discovered that Jiho had been skipping his classes just to take care of Jieun, who was stuck at the hospital for therapy. The three friends also told their role model that Jiho had been getting into more fights with Chanyeol at school, and that his reputation was just sinking even lower than before.

"You guys told me about Jieun and Jiho, but you never told me about Minah. How's she doing?" Jiyong asked curiously when Minah wasn't working. He reckoned that Minah was being praised and glorified with fame and popularity. She was the type who would do anything to enjoy soaking in the attention from her peers.

The three boys glanced at each other. They looked puzzled as if they were trying to figure out if it was okay to tell Jiyong. They already knew that Minah was being an attention hog in front of Jiyong. The topic of Minah had become the three's least favorite subject.

"She's…okay, I guess," Kyungsoo started slowly.

"Okay? What do you mean?" Jiyong inquired, raising his eyebrows.

Changshik bit his bottom lip. "Well, we haven't seen much of her."

w"Why not? Isn't she one of the most popular kids at your school? I thought her name would be all over the school," the older man pointed out.

"That's kind of true," Wonshik said. He rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, right now, Minah isn't being favored by her classmates."

Jiyong's facial expression dropped. "What do you mean by that?"

"It's been going around for a couple of weeks, King Kwon. Haven't you heard? People discovered that Minah was the one who arranged all the stalker meetings and stuff. They hate her now," Kyungsoo explained. "Wouldn't you hate someone who also arranged something disgusting like that?"

"Hold up, hold up. That's not what I found out. I asked Minah personally, and she said that Chanyeol was the one who forced her to do it," Jiyong countered quickly.

"Well, we're not sure if that's the real case, King Kwon. Honestly, Minah is known for doing things like stealing and gossiping. She's terrible. Besides, even though we've seen some bad sides about Chanyeol, it's hard to believe that he'll be that bad," Changshik added.

"B-But if King Kwon says that Minah is good, then we'll believe you!" Wonshik stammered. The two other boys nodded their heads, their eyes glowing with admiration once again.

Jiyong rubbed his chin and looked out the window. "So she's the one taking in the blame…"

"But it's only the students who know about it, King Kwon. The teachers and parents think that it was just an unfortunate accident that Jieun got herself into. Chanyeol was the one who did all the cover up and speaking, after all. Everyone believes in Chanyeol. He's one of the top students at our school," Changshik said.

"And you said that this has been going on for a couple of weeks?" Jiyong asked them.

"Yep. She's just facing verbal attacks, though. The girls in Year 1 Class 4 say some seriously mean stuff," Wonshik whispered.

Ouch. Jiyong knew how important words were to Minah—just a simple praise could get her all flustered and embarrassed. Just thinking about all the negative comments she could be receiving saddened him. He was sure that whatever anyone was saying to her was hurting her pride deep inside. Then again, her pride is already ruined. She's got nothing left.

"King Kwon? Do you like Minah?" Kyungsoo questioned him. "Honestly, there's nothing to like about her. Even Jiho doesn't like her."

"But Jiho doesn't like anyone," Wonshik pointed out.

"Ah, true. Then even Jieun doesn't like her," Kyungsoo said, correcting himself.

"I thought Jieun was neutral when it came to hating or liking Minah," Changshik mentioned.

"Geez, will you guys give me a break? The main point is, Minah is an unlikable character," Kyungsoo said, forcibly emphasizing the last two words. "I just want to see why King Kwon likes her so much, or what he sees in her that makes her a good person."

Jiyong contemplated on Kyungsoo's words. He knew exactly where the younger boy was coming from, but he wasn't sure how to explain his reasoning for letting Minah get close to him. He knew that she wasn't good in one sense; she had done terrible things before.

"Well, I agree that she's not a good person, but…" He recalled the first time he encountered Minah, then smiled. "When you get to know her, you kind of get to know that she does have a good side. She's just like any other person, except she just found the wrong group to be in."

"I don't see it," Changshik replied, shaking his head.

"It's probably because this is King Kwon's visions. How can we picture the same image as someone grand as he is?" Wonshik told them. The other friends nodded their heads in total agreement. He turned and gave Jiyong a thumbs up. "King Kwon! We believe in you! As long as you're okay with Minah, we're okay with her, too."

"Yeah! Oh, and as long as she doesn't take away our games, we're okay with her," Kyungsoo quickly added.

Jiyong broke into a small, soft-hearted smile. "Thanks guys. It really means a lot to me that you trust me."

As he turned his back and went to work, the three boys trembled with joy, thrilled to hear such a high praise from the man they idolized.

* * *

"So I heard that Minah's getting messed around at school," Jiyong said. He was cleaning the tables, wiping off the crumbs while the wet towel slid across the surface. He stopped wiping and turned his neck, checking to see if Jieun was listening.

She was definitely listening. She only had one ear phone plugged into her ear, but it wasn't connected to her phone, which carried all her music. Her head was facing down at the papers, reading questions and solving math problems along the way. The way she tensed up her shoulders and stopped momentarily when Jiyong finished talking made it clear that she didn't want to engage the topic.

"Some people told me that they've been saying some mean stuff to her. Is it true?" Jiyong asked.

"I don't know. We don't have the same classes, so I can't be sure. She's in Chanyeol's class, and that's all I know," Jieun replied shortly after he was done cleaning a table.

"Is that so?" Jiyong walked over to the next able. "Okay, then. Did Chanyeol say anything to you about it?"

"No, but he's been extra happy lately. He hasn't cussed at me or hit me at home. I think getting rid of Minah temporarily made him more relieved," Jieun blurted.

"Aha! You do know something!" Jiyong exclaimed, pointing his index finger at her as if he was accusing her of committing a crime. Jieun quickly covered her lips, then narrowed her eyes at Jiyong.

"I can't believe it! You tricked me!" Jieun argued.

"That's what they all say," he replied, rolling his eyes. He leaned against the table. "So, tell me about it. What's going on with Minah?"

Jieun bit her tongue. "I really don't know the details, though, but I heard that she's the next victim."

"And?"

"And it's been going on for a long time. Actually, it's been going on since I've been gone. Everyone thought that it'd be a one-day thing, but apparently, he's been telling them to keep it up. Minah had been skipping her classes, too—"

"Wait, what? She's skipping school?" Jiyong asked, widening his eyes. "I thought she loves school."

"She did, but honestly, after facing Chanyeol's wrath, no one would want to go to school. The only reason I went to school is because I had Jiho who'd always worry over me. Besides, Chanyeol made me go to school. We lived in the same house, so it was hard for me to avoid school when he used to be aggressive towards me," Jieun revealed.

"Is she being hit?" Jiyong asked her.

"No." She dropped her pencil on her books and rubbed the back of her neck. "It's only verbal abuse. She hasn't been beaten up, yet."

"Why only verbal?"

"I don't know. He hasn't hit me all week, so I'm not getting the physical attacks." She shuddered. "Honestly, this is scaring me a bit. It feels really odd not getting hit."

"Did Minah go to school yesterday?"

"No."

"Last week?"

"I haven't seen her."

Jiyong sighed. "Jieun, when you said that she was skipping school, I thought you were talking about a few days."

"Honestly, I haven't seen her!" Jieun cried out. "I heard that she was skipping a few days, too. I didn't know that she was skipping a lot of days."

"Who did you hear this from?"

"Chan…yeol…" Jieun saw the look in Jiyong's eyes. She cleared her throat and looked down at her assignment. "Okay, you might have a point there."

"So what are you going to do? Leave it alone?" Jiyong asked her.

There was a short pause. Jieun knew exactly what Jiyong wanted from here, even though he didn't say it. His tone and the way he kept looking at her made her squirm nervously in her seat. She sighed and picked up her pencil, finishing the last few problems she had while knowing that Jiyong was patiently waiting for her answer. After she was done with her homework, she tucked the papers between the books and closed it, looking up at Jiyong.

"Is there anything I can do?" Jieun inquired.

"I think there is something you can do," Jiyong said. Now, he brought over a chair to Jieun, sitting across from her with his chest against the spine of the seat.

"You want me to help Minah, huh?" she asked, her face dropping into a small pout.

"Minah is a good girl. I'm being serious here—"

"She hired a stalker to stalk me," Jieun pointed out, glaring at him. "She flirted with my boyfriend behind my back, and she's responsible for helping Chanyeol ruin my life at school. Do you really think that I'm in the situation to help her?"

Jiyong wasn't sure what to say. He understood where she was coming from. After all, he would be hesitant to help out someone like Minah. Heck, it seemed like everyone was against Minah. It took him a minute to realize that Minah was a lot more lonely than he had originally thought she was. He wondered if Minah recognized this herself.

Jieun blinked her eyes for a few moments, staring deep into Jiyong's dark gaze. "Is it your habit to go around and help little girls like this?"

Jiyong glanced casually at her. "Huh?"

She squirmed in her seat while making a small fist. "Do you worry about just any girl? Or are there certain types of girls you worry for?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" he asked, frowning.

She heaved a sigh and looked away with a grim expression. "Nothing. It means nothing."

"Look, what I'm trying to ask you is to help Minah out a bit. She has absolutely no one around her right now," Jiyong said. For a second, he thought of Jiho, knowing that the two used to be childhood friends. He wondered if Jiho was worried over Minah because they used to be friends, but he also wondered if he was ignoring her because he had nothing to do with her anymore.

Friends are hard to keep, Jiyong realized. He wasn't sure if it was because he was a popular kid, but friendship came to him as smooth as butter. He never got into some big drama with his friends except for a few situations, but those dramas never tore apart their friendship. In fact, they had always made his bonds with them stronger.

"But she has you," Jieun pointed out. She slightly tilted her head to an angle. "Am I wrong?"

Jiyong stared at her, thinking about her statement. Was she right?

"I… don't consider that. I don't think she has me by her side," Jiyong mumbled. His eyes lost focus and began to stare at particularly nothing. He pondered on his thoughts, remembering what he had done that made him an unforgivable man…

"Well, I should go. I think Chanyeol is coming early, but I'm not sure. I'd rather be safe than sorry," Jieun said. She got up, collected her items, then walked over to the door. Right before she was about to leave, she stopped momentarily when Jiyong called her name.

"Jieun," he said, walking over to her. He reached for her wrist, grabbing it with his fingers. His grip was soft and gentle, and he gave her enough room for her to pull her hand away without using any strong force.

Her cheeks colored, and she felt her heart beating against her chest. The sensation was wonderfully passionate. She liked the feeling of his large hand wrapping around her tender rist. His grip felt very loose, but it was strong enough for her to feel secure and warm inside.

"Y-Yes?" She cursed at herself for stuttering.

"This is going to sound bizzard and everything, but I think you should give Minah a second chance." Jieun gave him a bewildered look, but he shushed her by holding up a finger, motioning her to let him finish speaking. "I'm only saying this to you because I know that you're experienced with this. Honestly, she's just like you."

"With suffering over and over again? I think not. Minah never cared about my feelings, so why should I care about hers?" She gave him a dejected look. "Jiyong, I… If I help Minah out, then Chanyeol is going to hate me again. I just got him to like me again. I can't take that risk!"

"I understand, but—"

"Then why can't you leave me alone?" Jieun snapped, raising her voice. She gasped, then turned to him with a worried look. He paused for a few minutes, listening to the clock tick forward. Then, he released his grip and nodded his head.

"I understand. I'm sorry," he said. "This isn't even my business in the first place. Sorry."

Jieun bit her bottom lip. "No, I'm the one who should apologize. I raised my voice to someone who's older than me."

Jiyong didn't say anything. Jieun looked down at her feet. She was sure that he hated her now. Not only was she resisting him, but she was also being disrespectful towards him. She was mortified, unable to say anything else. She bowed and left the store with Jiyong's words lingering around her mind: Honestly, she's just like you.

How in the world is she just like me? she wondered, frustrated.

* * *

"I'm thinking of skipping high school. What do you think about that?" Minah asked Jiyong. Jiyong dropped his jaws, shocked to hear such a thought.

It had been three days since he had last seen Jieun, and five days since he saw the three delinquents. He felt like everything was going too fast for him; it was difficult to keep up with all the dramas. He remembered how he had sworn to not get his hands on any of the high school students' problems. Normally, he would chuckle at the thought, but this time, he felt like Minah's situation was no laughing matter.

"What? Don't you like school?" he asked, pretending to not know her situation.

"Mm… I do. It's just that I was thinking of skipping high school and go to college early. If I study really hard right now, then I could get my high school diploma early, right?" she said, flipping through a magazine. "Besides, I was thinking about this, and I think that popularity doesn't matter."

Jiyong was feeling dizzy. He wasn't sure how to approach this part of Minah's personality. She seemed the total opposite of her former self. It almost scared him.

"Um, well, wouldn't that mean that you won't experience everything high school provides you?" Jiyong asked slowly.

"The festivals? Well, that would be fun, but it's not necessary. Besides, taking the high school exam isn't the kind of experience I want to get," Minah pointed out.

"Did something happen at school?" He watched her wrist stiffen before turning a page. Her face paled and she became oddly quiet. Jiyong took a deep breath, trying to carry the subject as carefully as he could. "So something did happen. Would you like to open it up to me?"

He noticed her hesitant expression. She wanted to tell him everything that's been happening, but at the same time, she didn't want to. Telling him would mean that she was accepting the fact that things were going wrong at school, and that everything she had built up—her popularity, her friendships, and her memories at school—were just a false world that a fool like her lived in.

"You can tell me," Jiyong said, pressing on a bit. "If there's anything—"

"I'm sorry. I'm going to step outside for a bit. I need some fresh air," she blurted. She threw the magazine across the counter and dashed into the employee's room, disappearing to the back.

Jiyong sighed and ran his fingers over his hair. He wondered if he was being too nosy. Minah needed some kind of help—he knew that—but what could he do when she didn't accept the help?

A chime at the door informed Jiyong that a customer had came in. He turned around to greet the customer, but stopped momentarily when it was Jieun who came in. She gave him a small bow, while Jiyong forced a smile. Jieun looked around, looking for a particular person.

"Did Jiho come over?" Jieun asked him. Jiyong shook his head. "Really? I thought Jiho would be here…"

"His friends weren't here, either," Jiyong told him.

"Oh. Hm." She tapping her fingers against her lips. "That's strange. I haven't seen Jiho in a while."

"Have you been hanging out with Chanyeol a lot?"

"Of course."

"Maybe that's why. Maybe since you have Chanyeol now, he doesn't see a reason to be with you," Jiyong suggested. He pointed to the back door. "Never mind that. Can you do me a favor? Minah is outside, and she's having a rough time."

Jieun frowned. "Why do I have to help?"

"I don't think she's in the mood to talk with me," Jiyong said. "I might've been a bit too pushy with her…"

Jieun exhaled loudly. "Fine. All I have to is call her inside, right?"

"Yep. Thanks. She's just outside that door," he said quickly, pointing to the employee's room. Jieun ignored him and walked through the employee's room. He patiently waited for the two girls to arrive, and hoped that Jieun was able to say one or two encouraging words to keep Minah in school.

However, he was surprised when Minah dashed out of the employee's room without her uniform on. She had changed clothes, but Jiyong knew that she wasn't supposed to change clothes yet. Her shift hadn't ended; she still had three hours to go.

"Minah? Where are you going?" Jiyong asked, his eyes wide.

"I'm sorry. I'm feeling too sick. I'm going home early. Please tell the manager that I'm sorry," she told him. She ran out the door, running into the streets.

He turned his head, facing the employee's door, waiting for Jieun to come out. Eventually, she did come out, but she came out a red mark evidentially marked on her cheeks. Guilt stabbed Jiyong's chest as he could picture roughly what had happened.

Jieun looked up at him and scowled. "You still want me to help her?"

"I'm so sorry," he squeaked, walking over to her. "Does it hurt?"

"It stings, but it's bearable. I've suffered worst," Jieun said, touching her cheek. "Jiyong, she's not going to open up to me or anything. Whatever problem she's facing, she has to do it alone. I'm going to go now. I wasn't really here for anything except for finding Jhio. Goodbye."

Right when she was about to leave, Jiyong's next few words stopped her tracks: "Minah is planning to drop out of school."

Her fingers were just about to touch the door. She slowly turned her head, but she didn't look at his eyes. She patiently waited for him to continue, and when Jiyong made sure that she was listening, he cleared his throat.

"Minah told me that she was thinking of skipping high school and go to college. I don't know why she's thinking of something like that. She wouldn't tell me anything," Jiyong revealed. "If…If there's any way for you stop her, I'm asking you to do so. You might think that high school isn't all fun and games, but I differ when it comes to that kind of thought. I think it sucks for someone to lose that experience. It's sad, really." He paused for a brief moment. "I'm not asking you to be friends with her. I'm asking you to help her at the side or in the shadows. You're the closest person to Chanyeol. I'm sure you know what he's planning to do next for her."

"Why do you want to help her so much?" Jieun questioned him.

Jiyong looked up at the ceiling. "Hm…" He looked back down and made eye contact with Jieun while giving her a gentle smile. "Minah is…lonely. Lonely people tend to push people away because they don't know how to treasure that friendship. Still, that doesn't mean that only lonely people make mistakes, right?"

At that very moment, Jieun felt like she was starting to understand what Jiyong was trying to say. She subconsciously nodded her head and opened the door, feeling the cool breeze welcoming her the the outdoors. She took a step outside, but before she walked away, she glanced over her shoulders to see Jiyong's pleading expression. With that final peek, she took a deep breath through her nose, and walked out, knowing exactly what she should do.

* * *

The next morning, Minah felt like an idiot. What right did she have to slap Jieun yesterday? She was sure Jieun would tell Chanyeol about what she did. It had become common for Minah to slap Jieun, that when Jieun tried to talk to her yesterday, she had subconsciously raised her hand against the girl.

Do I apologize? she asked herself. Today, she was planning to go to school just for the sole purpose to apologize to Jieun. She had everything planned out: go in, apologize, then leave the school by jumping over the gate at the back of the school. However, the more closer she approached the school, the more shaky she felt. She felt even for light-headed when she was a few feet away from her own class.

She took out her phone and look at the time, noticing that it would only be an hour until school started. She could imagine the cruel graffiti written all over her books and desks. They were words that she didn't want to see or hear. The ink was always difficult to rub off, too. Sometimes, her old friends would place a vase of dead flowers and pretend that she was a ghost. People looked at her strangely, with eyes of concern and pity or disgust and dread. It was the kind of attention she detested to receive.

Everyone around her thought that she was only getting verbally abused, but they were completely wrong. When no one was looking, she usually faced some kind of rough physical actions. She remembered the one painful time where she saw spikes hidden in her shoes. She had accidentally worn the shoes, but was fortunate to not face any serious damage. Other times, when she went to the bathroom, some of the girls would "accidentally" pull her hair in a rough manner. Every time she got hurt, she wondered how Jieun felt when she was the victim.

"…Jieun, stop it. She's not coming to school, anyway. What's the point of doing this?" a familiar voice said.

Minah felt her heart skip a beat when she realized that it was Jiho who was talking. She hid behind the door, but peeked inside through a small window on the door. Her eyes widened when she saw Jieun scrubbing the black ink with a white cloth from her desk.

"Well, that's what I was thinking before until I talk to Jiyong," Jieun said. She looked at Minah's desk and sighed loudly. "Wow, these people wrote on her desk with some kind of weird ink! It won't rub off!"

"That's why I'm telling you to stop," Jiho said tiredly. "She deserves this, anyway."

Jieun smiled a bit. "She does, I know."

Minah felt her heart squeeze. Yeah, I should go home—

"But," she continued, "she also deserves a second chance."

Jiho scoffed. "What? So you think this is going to change anything?"

"I'm hoping it will. I don't want me efforts to go to waste," Jieun said. She looked up at the ceiling and smiled. "I remember when I didn't want to come to school anymore. Chanyeol was scaring me, and I didn't want people to notice that I was in a different relationship with him. I didn't want to be in the center of attention in such a negative aspect."

"But you came to school in the end," Jiho pointed out.

"But I also had you by my side," Jieun mentioned. "You were the one who kept telling me to come to school. You even beat Chanyeol up for me to convince me to go to school. I remember that day because that's when we became friends."

Jiho's ears turned pink. "W-Well, of course. I-It was only reasonable for m-me to do that…"

"So I'm hoping to do the same for her," Jieun said. "I've been thinking about this a lot, and I decided that Minah doesn't need to like me. I'll help her, and she doesn't even need to know. I'm going to trust Jiyong's words, and I'm going to believe in that one good side he sees in her."

Jiho scowled. "Oh, so this was all Jiyong's idea. Why isn't this surprising me?"

Before Minah had the chance to go inside, she heard foot steps coming from the other end of the hall. She gasped quietly to herself and ran to the opposite direction, hiding from the people who were approaching her. She hid in the bathroom stall, locking herself inside and patiently waiting for the sound of footsteps to disappear. When she believed that it was safe to get out, she put her hand on the locker, ready to slide it back to its original position.

All of a sudden, when she was looking down at her hands, she saw drops of tears wetting her hand. With one hand, she reached over to her face to touch below the eyes, where she bgan to realize that she was actually crying. She grabbed a ball of toilet paper and dried away her tears.

She felt all fuzzy inside—gratitude reached the depths of her lonely soul with tears washing down her sorrowed heart.

Дата добавления: 2015-10-31