Chapter 5 of Portrait
INDEX
Chapter 5
"...So he was being really stupid and he still has my paintbrushes and I WANT THEM BACK!"
Hyekyung finally took a breath and allowed for Dongjoo to actually say something.
Unfortunately, the only thing he had to contribute was, "Of course you do."
"DONGJOO! Why are you so darn quiet? It's really a good thing you're friends with me, because otherwise I think you'd forget how to talk! You need to speak up more. Seriously, it's good to let things out once in a while and let your opinion be known! And for goodness' sake - "
Hyekyung broke off as she ran back a few feet and leaned over to examine some flowers that had sprouted in the cracks of the sidewalk. Dongjoo waited for Hyekyung to start walking again and then remarked, "Sometimes it's best to keep silent."
"What are you, Confucius? You're 17! You're not some wise old man like Confucius. Besides, you're not Chinese...or a monk. Wasn't he a monk?"
"I don't know, Hyekyung," Dongjoo replied calmly as he strolled down the road.
Dongjoo's reticence was quite normal for him; after all, speaking anything more than necessary would clutter up the already crowded air. Hyekyung's constant chatter could test the patience of a stone, but Dongjoo had endured 10 years of Hyekyung and had somehow still kept his hearing.
There was an odd silence for a moment and Dongjoo turned back to see Hyekyung gulping down some water. Hyekyung had once again stopped walking, as she claimed that she wasn't able to walk and drink at the same time. Hyekyung finally wiped her mouth and said, "Well, whatever. But anyway, his friends are just stupid. Not that he's not stupid, too, but ARGH! He drives me nuts! And - "
Once again, Hyekyung didn't finish speaking. This time, though, her nose was squashed up against the windows of a grimy little shop. The still unclosed bottle of water was slowly tipping and the water spilled to the ground as Hyekyung's focus was solely on the object in the window.
Dongjoo sighed and tugged at Hyekyung's arm.
"Come on, you know you can't have it."
Dongjoo and Hyekyung had been walking home from school together for years, and every single day since it had first appeared, Hyekyung stopped to gape with the same expression at the same dusty display in the same antique store.
She had been waiting there for three years now. Her lavender dress was still ruffled in just the right places, with the lace peeking out from underneath. Her chestnut hair was still in glossy curls and her porcelain skin did not show any signs of her age. She obviously had only been admired from afar. There were no cracks, no dents, no rips and tears; it was as if she had been newly bought and then immediately sold to the little antique store where she was displayed to once again be solely admired.
"Hyekyung, you're too old to play with dolls. And even if you had the money, Hyemin wouldn't let you keep it..."
"She's not an it," Hyekyung said fiercely. "And I fully intend to buy her so that she gets the love she deserves."
Dongjoo shook his head, as he did every time Hyekyung spouted that kind of nonsense. He didn't understand why Hyekyung was so worked up about a silly doll.
It's pretty, but it's not meant to be played with, just looked at...
Dongjoo at once became impatient as he tapped his foot in exasperation. He made a show of looking at his watch and coughing signals to Hyekyung.
Hyekyung did not hear Dongjoo at all. She gazed at this little figure in the window and her hands pushed at the window as if she could break apart the glass to get to the doll. Hyekyung whispered something through the window and then finally began walking again, although she turned back to glance longingly at the display.
Hyekyung was strangely silent, as she always was after seeing the doll. She had dropped the water bottle and had not noticed. Her eyes saw nothing and she moved in automation. Around the two friends was the clamor of daily life, but the two continued in silence. Dongjoo did nothing to change that and it always jolted Hyekyung out of her trance when Dongjoo said goodbye as he entered his home.
Everything was just as it always was as Hyekyung continued her walk home. The same ahjumma was outside sweeping her porch as she did every day; the same birds were singing the same sweet melodies. The same fancy black car rode through the same road, looking out of place in the same exact way.
This time, though, the car slowed down and began to move alongside Hyekyung at her pace. The window of the car rolled down and a voice came from within.
"Hey, you! You look like you need money! Here! Here's 10,000 won if you'll come and f*** us tonight! We need a cheap whore."
Hyekyung purposely did not look into the car and instead stared with distaste at the money that had ridden the wind to her feet. She kicked it aside and kept on walking, her posture erect and indicating her absolute refusal to get involved with the voice from the car.
"What? Not enough for you? Here's another 10,000."
The money brushed alongside her hand as it floated to the ground and Hyekyung recoiled. A hideous laugh came from within the car and shot through the air, hitting its target. Hyekyung steadfastly kept her gaze directed straight ahead and her lips remained set closed in a hard line.
"Not taking that one, either? FINE, then. We'll see how you feel next time."
The car's tires screeched as it sped off, sending a cloud of smoke into Hyekyung's eyes and nose. The smoke choked her and provoked the tears that had been hiding in her eyes. Her body caved in and she couldn't even force out her cries like she needed to. She ran the last stretch of the road, her wretched soul dying once again...just as it had before.