Chapter 9 of Portrait
INDEX
Chapter 9
It had been a lonely day.
Dongjoo wasn't at school and although Hyekyung strolled through the hallways with her other friends, she just did not feel like socializing. It was as if she had taken on some of Dongjoo's characteristics; Hyekyung was practically mute and she spent all day gazing out windows.
The school day ended and Hyekyung stood on the school steps, craning her neck for any glimpse of Dongjoo. She was hoping for a puff of smoke that would fade away to reveal Dongjoo. He didn't magically appear, though, and Hyekyung sighed as she started out on the road home, alone for once.
Hyekyung trudged along, disappointed that Dongjoo hadn't been there to surprise her with the "something better" after school and hurt that he hadn't even found some way to let her know that he wasn't going to be there. Hyekyung knew she was passing by that special antique store, but she forced herself to keep her eyes on the dust cloud around her feet. She didn't need to see someone else left all alone.
"Missed us?"
That cruel voice assaulted her ears again. Hyekyung's throat tried to swallow, but all it did instead was make Hyekyung feel like she was inhaling splinters instead of air.
No...Not again...
Cackles filled the air and rested heavily on Hyekyung's head. There had to be more than one person in the car; there were too many voices and too many laughs at her expense.
"Come on, 10,000 not enough for you? We might be made of money, but that doesn't mean we're going to waste it on you!"
"Yeah, you ought to be paying us!"
"Not 10,000? How about 20,000?"
Bill after bill came floating out lazily from the window, twirling in the air before landing on the ground. They could even be considered pretty if they weren't meant as payment for services that Hyekyung didn't think any girl should give out for money.
"Why aren't you showing us any love? Been too busy giving it out to other people?"
"We'll keep on coming, don't worry. We like the way you look."
Hyekyung's eyes weren't filled with tears like last time. Instead, she pierced the back of the black car with an intense glare of hatred. She had plenty of love; there were just few people she wanted to give it to. And there were only a few who gave her any back.
~~~~~~~~~
Hyekyung pulled the ring in the lion's mouth so hard that even she was surprised by the gust of wind when the gate flew open.
"Surprised to see me?" Dongjoo smiled softly. Without waiting for a response, he clasped her hand in his and led her to a charming two-seater bicycle.
Upon seeing Hyekyung's astonished expression, Dongjoo said lightly, "Don't you remember? You once said you wondered what it'd be like to ride a two-seater bicycle. Do you want the front or the back?"
Hyekyung stood motionless. Dongjoo couldn't read Hyekyung's expression and to make up for the awkward stillness, Dongjoo sat himself down in the front.
"I should probably ride in the front because I actually know where we're going, right?"
Dongjoo was disquieted by Hyekyung's silence. He found himself chattering like she did normally in order to make things seem normal. It wasn't that they had never had silences before. But always before, the silences were just simple peaceful silences. This silence was thick and suppressing.
Dongjoo found himself panting when they finally reached the edge of the park. The journey itself had not been that strenuous, but he had felt like he couldn't breathe.
Hyekyung quietly disembarked and followed Dongjoo, who had enclosed her hand in his. The bright colors of the leaves blurred into each other and made a delightful crunching noise under her feet. The flowers that Hyekyung had admired so much every previous visit to the park awakened her with their perfume.
"Thank you."
Although Hyekyung's words were whispered, Dongjoo heard them and started.
"What are you saying thank you for already? We haven't even gotten to the actual thing!" Dongjoo chuckled uneasily.
Hyekyung clenched Dongjoo's hand as if she was hanging from a cliff and he was lifting her up to safety. Such a grip would normally have hurt Dongjoo, but he was comforted instead.
"Ta da!"
It was laid out just like a scene from a cheesy drama. The red checkered picnic blanket, the quaint wicker basket, the bouquet of fresh flowers - all was too picturesque to be real.
Dongjoo knew how to be romantic after all.
Hyekyung slipped off her shoes and sat down with her legs sprawled out in front of her. She wiggled her socked toes at herself and gazed fixedly at the basket, half expecting that it would disappear.
"I figured that we'd just spend some time together outside before it gets too cold. And pretty soon, these flowers are going to die..."
Dongjoo picked a particularly beautiful blossom from the bunch. He hesitated only an instant before gently tucking back Hyekyung's hair behind her ear and placing the flower in her hair. His hand hovered by her ear, mere centimeters from her face.
Hyekyung only gazed searchingly at Dongjoo's face. Her unrelentingly deep stare made Dongjoo a little uncomfortable.
The picnic continued in this fashion; Dongjoo did all the talking and Hyekyung merely stared. Even while she chewed her sandwich or picked up a cookie, her eyes never left his face.
"Oh! And here's the best part! Close your eyes." Dongjoo told her to close her eyes not only for the surprise, but also to give himself more than just a second of respite from her stare.
"Open them!"
A white box held closed by lilac ribbon was handed to Hyekyung. Hyekyung tugged delicately at the ribbon and then carefully took the lid off the box. Hyekyung lifted out of the tissue paper a beautiful porcelain doll.
"It's not quite the same as the doll in that antique shop window, but it's just as pretty and in almost as good condition!"
Hyekyung directed her gaze now onto the doll's unmoving face. Hyekyung slowly hid the doll's face in the tissue paper and closed the lid of the box.
"Thank you."
She never intended to open that box again.