Chapter 29 of Portrait
INDEX
Chapter 29
Hyekyung woke up the next morning with an invisible axe cleaving at her skull. Hyemin had freaked out at the sight of her open window, but did not want Halmoni to know that Hyekyung had run away, so she had called back that the dear little one was sleeping. Then she had gone to the bathroom, hysterically called Somin and all of Hyekyung's other friends to form a search party, flushed the toilet, ran the sink, and then hurried out, loudly saying some comment about how she had "gone to the bathroom." Hyemin did her best to quickly send Halmoni and her parents to bed, and she was just about to go out and look herself when Hyekyung had shuffled in with a queer smile on her face. Hyemin had whisper-shouted at her for a good half-hour then had finally allowed Hyekyung to go to bed.
Hyekyung hadn't slept well at all and so, an hour earlier than she needed to be awake, Hyekyung got up. She made herself breakfast, scribbled a note, and then walked out the gate.
She kicked at pebbles on the ground as she strolled down the road. Because of this, she didn't notice Dongjoo looking up, catching sight of her, and dashing to meet up with her.
"Hyekyung-ah!"
Hyekyung stumbled over the large rock she had wedged underneath the arch of her foot.
"Hyekyung-ah!" Dongjoo panted as he reached her. "What are you doing out so early? You never wake up this early if you have to...and even if you do have to!"
Dongjoo gave an awkward chuckle until Hyekyung smiled. "You know me so well."
Dongjoo easily put his arm around her shoulder. "We've still got some time before we have to get to school. Wanna go sit somewhere?"
"Sure." Hyekyung snuggled in a little closer into Dongjoo's embrace.
They arrived at the park and sat on the bench across from the one Hyekyung had been sitting on just hours before.
"Listen, Hyekyung. We need to talk."
Uh oh... Hyekyung thought. Those are probably not good words...
"Hyekyung, I love you. You know that."
"Mmm." Hyekyung nodded slowly, staring at the paint stain on the canvas of the sidewalk.
Dongjoo had never felt so emboldened before. He inhaled and then articulating every syllable, he exhaled, "Do you...love me?"
Hyekyung looked beyond now, into the wooded forest expanding out to the world. Then she loked into Dongjoo's hopeful, desperate eyes.
"I don't think I know what love is." She said matter-of-factly. "I don't think you do, either."
Dongjoo shrunk back a little, the devastation flickering in his eyes.
"But I know I like you. I like you a lot. I'm just...I've never done this before, you've never done this before, and life is just in a shambles right now, and so...I know it's cliché and you'll hate hearing it, but can we take it slow?"
Dongjoo was a little bit surprised at the shout that rang in his brain, "But we HAVE been taking it slow! I've been waiting months, no, YEARS for this!" But Dongjoo translated that anger into a gentle squeeze of Hyekyung's shoulder. "Of course."
Hyekyung softly smiled, her eyes glimmering with something Dongjoo had rarely seen before, and then Hyekyung leaned in and gently placed her lips on his.
"Thanks."
Somehow, Dongjoo felt that there was more to what she said than just a thanks.
*~*~*
Junho strolled along nonchalantly with his hands tucked in his pockets, only vaguely hearing the blabber of Kyunghoon and Sungmo beside him. They were headed to that blasted coffeehouse again to see Kyunghoon's girlfriend. Again. Kyunghoon and Chaewoo were utterly ridiculous; when they were together, they immersed themselves into a world of happiness and rainbows and chocolate chip cookies, leaving Junho and Sungmo feeling that dull ache of hunger for something like what they had. But Junho and Sungmo apparently didn't have anything better to do, so they found themselves being the third and fourth wheels time after time.
As the cheery yellow sign blaring "Cup-Cup Coffeehouse!" arose in front of them, Junho remembered that Hyekyung's sister worked there. Junho hadn't seen Hyekyung in a while - But it was Saturday, which meant that tomorrow he'd be going over to her house again. He was kind of excited about it, actually. His present for her birthday had been pretty darn epic and he expected her to totally be in awe of him now.
There was that little problem of her sister thinking that he was Hyekyung's boyfriend, though. He was fully intending to make it clear to Hyekyung's sister that he was nothing of the sort. Today, actually. He would do it today.
Junho's pace slightly quickened and all of a sudden, Kyunghoon and Sungmo pulled at his shoulders from behind.
"Dude, what's your hurry?" Kyunghoon asked.
"I know! He's hoping he'll see his girlfriend here! Gosh darn it, why am I the only one without a girlfriend?" Sungmo whined.
"She's not my girlfriend and you don't have a girlfriend because you're lame." Junho spurted out as he hurriedly powerwalked toward the doors of the coffeehouse. He wanted to clarify things as soon as he could, to avoid any impending disasters that were sure to come when Hyekyung was involved.
Junho burst through the doors and hurtled to the stools, landing on the seat with a plop.
But...Hyekyung's sister wasn't there?
Junho's eyebrows went up and his mouth formed a pitiful pout. His plans were foiled! Now what was he going to do? Why wasn't Hyekyung's sister here?
At the look of Junho's crestfallen face, Sungmo laughed, "Ha! It IS because your girlfriend isn't here!"
"Ah, but mine is!" Kyunghoon sidled up and wrapped his arm around Chaewoo's slender waist.
Ugh, I kinda wish Hyekyung was here...I'd rather be anywhere than here right now.
Hyekyung would rather have been at the coffeehouse with Junho, too...