Chapter 32 of Portrait
INDEX
Chapter 32
Gyuri jutted out her chin and pouted her thin lips as she carefully applied another layer of horrendously bright lipstick. She didn't understand what was taking Dongjoo so long to leave that clearly inferior Hyekyung and come running into her own beautifully sculpted arms. Gyuri dabbed her lips once more for good measure, grinned at her reflection in her compact, and then snapped it shut.
Gyuri really didn't understand Dongjoo's infatuation with Hyekyung. Hyekyung clearly didn't feel the same way about him and they didn't even match well anyway. Even in that trio of friends, Hyekyung was the one that didn't quite fit. Maybe it was because Somin and Dongjoo had been best friends practically since they were born. Then Hyekyung just showed up at school one day and because Somin had felt sorry for Hyekyung, Somin had invited Hyekyung to eat with her and Dongjoo.
What a mistake, Gyuri gave a sort of half pitying chuckle in her head. Somin first lost Dongjoo to Hyekyung and now she's going to lose him to me.
Gyuri flicked her hair over her shoulder and started strutting to class. Dongjoo wasn't the style she usually went for and her usual tactics weren't working so far, so she had to go on overdrive. The shy silent type was the latest trend and Gyuri was going to get her shy, silent type.
"Hey, Dongjoo," Gyuri cooed as she playfully touched Dongjoo's shoulder. Dongjoo was staring, lovesick, at Hyekyung while Hyekyung and Somin were chatting. Dongjoo was holding Hyekyung's hand and didn't even seem to have noticed Gyuri's presence.
Hyekyung did, though.
"What do you want with my boyfriend, Gyuri?"
Hyekyung did not have the patience to deal with Gyuri right now. Hyekyung was already more determined to hold on to Dongjoo than ever, especially after her mother explicitly stated her disapproval of Dongjoo, and Gyuri's attempts at taking him away just strengthened that determination.
There had been nothing but fighting the few times Hyekyung allowed her parents to be in her presence. Hyekyung's parents (usually her mother) had griped about why Hyekyung was wearing "that cheap flower watch" when they had bought her a nice one that they had even had personalized. They griped about how Hyekyung was going to public school. They griped about how Hyekyung was studying art.
The biggest fight, though, was about Hyekyung's love life.
"It would be fine to do art if you could at least make sure to marry well. Thank goodness Junho is from a good family."
"What are you talking about, mother?" Hyekyung said icily.
"Your boyfriend. Junho. I had been so worried that I had failed as a mother and that you were dating that Dongjoo boy."
"But mother, you have failed. I am dating Dongjoo. Dongjoo is my boyfriend."
Maybe it was because of the plastic surgery, but Hyekyung's mother's face did not even change at all; all of the rage went instead to her voice.
"Why would you ever stoop to that level? Don't date Dongjoo, Hyekyung-ah." It wasn't a request - clearly Hyekyung's mother intended for her word to be law. Hyekyung's mother maintained her calm façade and even looked a little bit complacent.
Hyekyung was not as good at containing her fury.
"I'm not stooping to his level at all! Dongjoo is an amazing person, and certainly at a level higher than you! I'll date whomever I want to! I don't care what you say - You don't have any authority over me!"
Coolly, Hyekyung's mother tilted her head slightly away from Hyekyung and gazed off at something Hyekyung couldn't see. Hyekyung's mother casually asked, "Do you love him?"
Hyekyung glared at her mother for an icy moment and then stomped out of the room.
Hyekyung wasn't going to storm out this time with Gyuri, though. Hyekyung's parents' disapproval made her want to stay with Dongjoo even more, just to spite them. Gyuri was merely a small obstacle to overcome.
"I said, what do you want with my boyfriend?"
Gyuri tossed her hair behind her shoulder again. She pouted, "I just want to talk to him, that's all."
"Well, we're busy planning our date for Tuesday, so could you leave us alone?"
Dongjoo and Somin looked at Hyekyung in alarm. A date? Tuesday? Since when?
"Well, sooooo-rry! I'll just go then!" Gyuri huffed, spun on her heels, and then finally walked away to her easel.
"Class! Attention, class! Today we are starting the self-portrait project. Also, don't forget your emotion project is due next Friday." The rest of the class shuffled to their easels.
On her way to her easel, Hyekyung muttered to Dongjoo in a casual manner rather reminiscent of her mother, "I need you after school." Hyekyung then passed by without even waiting for an answer.
Dongjoo glanced at Somin for support. Somin just shrugged her shoulders. There was no point in trying to understand Hyekyung.
*~*~*
There was no point in trying to understand Hyekyung or her family. That whole family was very very strange and Junho just couldn't wrap his head around it. Whatever, he needed to get to school and then he was going to hang out with Sungmo and Kyunghoon afterwards. Junho ruffled his hair one more time and then started to head out.
He was just about out the door when a thought occurred to him.
"Hey, mom?"
"Yes, Junho?"
"Didn't you used to collect dolls?"
"Yes, I did - and I made them, too. That's why I could help you with that present for your girlfriend."
"She's not my girlfriend. She's just a...a girl I know. And it was for her birthday. Speaking of birthdays, did you get lots of dolls for your birthdays, then?"
"Yes, I did. Why do you ask?"
"Just curious. Did you keep all of them?"
"Yes...Oh, actually, no...There was one I received from this girl that I didn't like, and I put it away in storage for years just because I didn't like her. I found it a few years ago, though, but obviously, I don't collect dolls anymore, so I went to a pawnshop and sold it. It was a nice doll, though. She had really nice chestnut hair and this lovely lavender dress and..."
"Who was that girl?"
"My, aren't you full of questions today? Shouldn't you be going to school?"
"But who was she? And why didn't you like her?"
"Well, if you really must know, her name was Suji Kim and I didn't like her because she followed me around everywhere and kept on trying to be me. Then when she made friends with my friends, she just became this horrible snob. She was from the countryside and she acted like she was better than all of us. She made fun of everybody and she was just so fake."
"What happened to her? Did she get married? Did she have a daughter?"
"Why do you ask if she has a daughter? Are you looking for a girlfriend? What about that other girl?"
Junho shook his head frantically.
"Well, I don't really know what happened to her after she got married. She got married to Hyunjae Kwon, I think. He was a year ahead of us and he was the second son of this rich family. She spent all that time caring about money and so it made sense that she married a guy like that. Junho, aren't you late for school? Why are you still here? Scoot!"
Junho did scoot off to school, but he didn't learn anything that day (Not like he ever did). He was trying to comprehend how complex the relationship between Hyekyung and himself had gotten.
So it was the end of school and he was still in somewhat of a daze when Sungmo and Kyunghoon waved him over.
"Dude! My hyung says he'll take us for a spin in the awesome car!"
"Dude, it's totally my hyung who's driving."
"Yeah, but it's my hyung's car."
"Yeah yeah, whatever, let's just go, eh?" Junho needed a distraction.
Kyunghoon's hyung drove like a maniac and they sped around aimlessly, scaring pigeons and pedestrians alike.
Kyunghoon's hyung should meet Hyekyung's unnie, what with his crazy speeding and her tendency for car crashes... Junho laughed a little to himself then he stopped mid-chuckle. NO! Stop thinking about Hyekyung and Hyekyung-related-things!
Suddenly, Junho saw a flash of lavender to his right.
Wait a second... Junho looked up to see that they were now whizzing through Hyekyung's neighrborhood. Just when he was trying to avoid anything related to her!
"Why are we here? Let's go someplace else." Junho tried to not sound as desperate as he felt.
"Hang on, we have some business to attend to." Roads now familiar to Junho flashed by. "Funny, she's not here today. Whatever." Sungmo's hyung took out an envelope and chucked it out the window. Kyunghoon's hyung took his hands off the wheel and high-fived Sungmo's hyung, cackling.
"Who? Who's not here?" Sungmo was very curious at the mention of any female.
"What business?" Kyunghoon asked.
"Whatever business it is, it's not YOUR business!" Sungmo's hyung turned and smacked him upside the head.
Junho was occupied elsewhere, as that flash of lavender suddenly reminded him of something.
That one day, Hyekyung had stood outside that dirty pawnshop window and had stared at something inside. He hadn't really been paying attention that day, but he was slowly remembering that what she had been staring at had been a doll with chestnut curls and a lavender dress. And that doll fit the description his mom had given this morning. That meant that Hyekyung wanted a doll that her mom had given to his mom years ago. But then she had said they weren't her parents. Wait, what?
Junho put a hand to his head. There was this ache building up inside. Thinking about Hyekyung always did this to him - always.