Her Water Colors, My Self Portrait
A KangTa Fic
by *-» §è©hšK¡é§ Gû®£ «-*
(Jomi012@hotmail.com)
http://SoJuFics.cjb.net :: http://SechsKiesForum.cjb.net
[ Notes ]
I'm not exactly sure of how school systems work in Korea, so all this was based on my imagination. This took place in Spring/Summer, by the time this fic ended, Summer was coming to an end. As for administrative positions in the fic, I went along with the word "director" as opposed to "principal" but they're basically the same thing. So, when you see "director" that's equivalent to "principal." And this a high school and middle school combined together. The school I went to was like this, the grades were from 7-12. So, if you get confused about the type of school this is..it's a middle+high school. But the main characters (the students) are all high school students.
The settings. I'm not a Korean native, so I don't know the areas of Korea. So I made up names and again, everything's based on imagination. This took place in city/countryside, where Soohye's from. Lee Kyunghwa, as you'll read on and see, is from the city. So, try your best and picture the countryside plantations and a big lake. As in Lee Sooyoung's "I Believe" music video. Remember the mute sitting with that boy in front of some pool of water? Well, pretend it's something like that.
Characterizations. I used some names of singers/celebrities here, but they're not the celebrities themselves. Only KangTa/Ahn Chilhyun is. He's the 22 year old art teacher, while everybody else were plain ordinary people. So, don't think Minwoo's the cool guy from ShinHwa or Junghwa's Uhm Junghwa or anything. I just happened to like their names and added them to the fic. Junghwa (which I didn't like at all) just coincided and it came up at the last minute when I was writing this. I inserted the name by chance because a twist came up and I thought it'd be good idea. Again, to clear up confusions, this is STRICTLY a KangTa fic.
As motivation/inspiration to help to keep this fic alive and going, I listened to Lee Sooyoung's "Never Again." So if you'd like to get a feel of what helped me write this fic, I suggest you listen to this song. Though I didn't understand the lyrics, but the flow of the music just suited this fic and I thought it just went along very well. Also, "I Believe" is somewhat connected in a way. So, listen to those two songs. "I Believe" and "Never Again" by Lee Sooyoung and "Thank You For Your Love 1999" by Nicholas Tse.
Read and enjoy. Comments and feedback are very much welcomed. My email's up in the above and so is the address to my forum. Stop by and drop me a line. Thanks. (^_^)
[ Prologue ]
I don't know what the painting set out before me triggered. I could only stare and sigh. It was soothing. But there was something else within the drawing. I could feel the inner turmoil and the frustration, yet...I can't pinpoint what it is.
I had promised her that I would come back. I did. But I was too late. She had gone on and all I could do was keep what I had taken of her. Over the last two years, I realized everything that she had endured was grief. I turned to the other drawings I had up.
A blue sun. Unheard of. Very childish, yet different. I stared at the little figures that were gazing at this blue sun. They were a family.
My eyes slowly roamed the wall, taking in each paper done with bright and unusual colors.
I came back too late. It was my fault. But I didn't know she couldn't wait. I sighed as I strolled over to a chair by the window. Another grey day. Where had all the time and laughter gone? I chewed on my lower lip and waited.
There.
I closed my eyes and rested my head upon my folded arms. It felt so cool by the window. I took a deep breath and listened to the wind of reasoning. Maybe it could tell me what the emotions behind the pictures were.
I could never understand her feelings.
In fact, nobody could ever understand her.
[ Chapter 1 ]
"Did you hear?" a girl whispered loudly to her group of friends.
"What?" the group responded simutaneously.
"I heard we gotta new teacher! He's pretty cute, too," Seri answered. "He's young! I saw him on my way down. He's so cute!"
"Oohhh," Myunghee squealed. "What is he teaching?"
"I believe he's an art teacher. I overheard the director speaking to him about art supplies and stuff. I left because Ms. Kwon was coming out of the facility and I didn't wanna get in trouble."
"No fair," Soohyun pouted. "Now I wanna take art."
"Wait..Seri may think he's cute, but we haven't seen him yet. How would you know if you'll like him? What if he's a hard teacher?"
Soohyun's brows knotted together, considering the advice.
"Well, I'll let you all know."
Everybody looked up at Kyunghwa. They had forgotten she was taking art.
"We haven't had an art teacher for years already. I'll tell you how he is. I gotta go," Kyunghwa said, picking up her books.
Seri glanced at her watch. "Yeah, class is about to start. We'll meet later on."
All eight girls stood and brushed off their skirts before scattering off to their classes. The stairs were soon left vacant and the bell signaling for class to begin sounded throughout the complex.
Ahn Chilhyun picked up his belongings and headed off to his first class. With other members of the faculty wishing him good luck, he left with a secure smile and strolled down the walkway to class.
It was a beautiful day. He sighed and looked into each classroom. The desks and chairs were assembled neatly and all faces were facing forward. The classes were huge and all the students were dressed sharply in their school uniform.
As he approached the doorway of his class, he took a deep breath and waited. Nervous? Scared? Anxious? He straighted out the shirt he had on and patted his stomach. The director had told him there hasn't been an art teacher in the school for five years. Which led him to think...what have the students been doing? If there hasn't been an art instructor, then...who watches the class? He shook off the questions and sighed. He licked his lips and stepped foot into class.
He was greeted with gasps and murmurs. He glanced at his students, amazed by the number. The most was probably twenty-five kids, no more or less. It was good. He couldn't handle a class of thirty plus kids. He dropped off his books and outerwear at the teacher's desk and stood facing the class.
Girls were giggling and many of them were blushing. Most of them held their hands on their laps and gazed at their desks, bashful or they just didn't want to meet the teacher's eyes.
Then a chair scraped against the floor and a girl stood.
Chilhyun was startled and then he realized what she was doing.
Apparently, everybody was surprised by the loud noise and looked in the same direction as Chilhyun. Then they remembered the daily salute. When a teacher enters, students were to stand up and greet the teacher.
Everybody shuffled to their feet and called out the greeting they were taught since elementary school. They bowed and took their seats.
Chilhyun surveyed the room and nodded. A majority of the students were female, only seven were males. He cleared his throat and walked to the front of the room. "Ahnyong haseyo," he started. He introduced himself to the class and asked for his students to do the same. He had the row starting off with Hyunji who sat closest to his desk. Everybody got to their feet as their turn came to. They said their names, where from and their hobbies. Some said random stuff and Chilhyun was glad the class was participating.
He waited, interested in his students. Then Soohyun sat down and there was a pause. He looked up and watched the last student in the back.
It was the girl who had gotten up at the beginning of class. She held her eyes down on her desk and her hands were resting on her lap. She had her hair chopped short and her uniform was loose, somewhat different from all the other students. Chilhyun waited and saw all eyes turn to the girl.
"That's Soohye, sun saeng nim," Hyunji started. "She's very quiet. She doesn't like to talk."
A snicker. "She's not quiet. She's stupid and retarded," Minwoo replied.
A hand nudged Minwoo to be quiet as the girl's chair scraped upon the floor again. She held her head the same way, unlike the other kids who look around while they speak. "Ahnyong, sun saeng nim. Choi Soohye-imnida." She didn't bother going on and sat down. She pulled her chair up and went on to stare at her desk.
Amused, Chilhyun resumed with class. He questioned his class about their past activities and found out they had worked independently on various projects the principal had assigned. He started the class off with a few sketches in their sketch books. He turned to the far end of the room and watched the girl take out her stuff.
She had a bookbag stuffed in her desk and he saw her take out a tattered sketchbook and some crayons. Everybody else had neat books and nice sets of markers and color pencils. He couldn't help but wonder why the student had called her retarded. Maybe she really was.
She looked up and their eyes briefly met. Chilhyun felt a chill run down his spine as she blinked and looked away. Chilhyun glanced at his other students and started filing up and down the aisles. One girl, her head bent over her desk, was working diligently. Chilhyun stopped by her desk and observed her.
"Sun saeng nim?"
Startled, Chilhyun replied, "Yes?"
"Do you think this looks good?" Hyunji asked, holding up a drawing of a child.
Pleased, Chilhyun smiled. "Yes, it's very good. However you shouldn't..."
Soohye picked up the stubs in her crayon tray and stared at the blank sheet of paper in her book. The young instructor's voice rambled on in the back of her head as she randomly thought of what to draw. She constantly drew and nothing was ever the same. She rested her arms on her desk and her mind began to wander.
There wasn't much for her to think about. Everything was the same. The trees, the flowers, the grass, the people, the buildings...
She then looked up. Her teacher was staring at her. He had stopped talking to Hyunji and now coming her way. She quickly looked down and made her hand move across the page. It was light, she had no idea what to draw, but her hand kept at the page. She switched to a different color and started going at it. She was engulfed in the pools of color, the sudden urge to draw was addictive. She couldn't stop and she finally found her focal point.
She was lost.
She picked up a brown crayon and added to the mounts of red and yellow. She picked up the black stub and outlined the sides. She pressed on it and then it was gone.
Soohye blinked and sat back. She looked at her hands, looking for the black stub. Her picture was close to complete, but..
It was gone.
She looked up since she felt a pair of fascinated eyes upon her and met with the teacher's eyes again. He was so young. Not fit to be a teacher. He looked like a student himself.
Chilhyun gaped in awe at the silent girl. He stared at her work and felt his brows knit together. What was it? He didn't dare to come near the girl. There was some sort of weird, wild expression amidst her eyes and he felt the distance she had built within her.
It was a fortress.
He backed away and checked the classroom clock. Time flew by fast. He cleared his throat and announced for the students to pack their belongings. Class was coming to an end.
Many students were eager to leave and hurried to stuff their things into their bags. However, the girl didn't make a move for her bag. Instead, her hand was still moving vastly across the page. The bell rang and everybody made a move for the door, even Chilhyun. He paused at the doorway and waited.
"Soohye?" he called out softly.
Soohye chose to ignore the teacher and placed the brown crayon into the holder. She covered replaced the cover and slowly reached into her desk for her bag.
Chilhyun stuffed his hand into his pocket and watched. She was moving incredibly slow, yet in a smooth motion. He watched her place her crayons on the top of her sketchbook, then together, slid them into her bag. She closed it and pulled the strap out and hung it over her shoulder. She stood and pushed in her chair and kept her head low.
It was odd. Of his five years as an art student and first as teacher, he has never seen anybody as withdrawn or quiet as this girl.
"Sun saeng nim," she said softly, bowing. "Ahnyong."
Chilhyun dipped his head slightly in return and tried to speak, but she moved away before he could even think of how to start. He gazed after her figure, slowly walking away down the loud, noisy hallway..away to the next class.
[ Chapter 2 ]
"He's pretty cute," Kyunghwa said, reading her comic book. "Looks quite feminine though."
Hyunji clapped her hands together. "Are you kidding?! He's the most gorgeous human being I've ever seen!"
Juhyun rolled her eyes. "Yeah, sure..you're the most hideous person I've ever seen. Sit down!"
Hyunji stuck her tongue out at Juhyun and stomped to her seat in the front of the room. Soohye walked in with her head down, not willing to meet anybody's eyes. She took her seat by the window and looked out, not willing to speak to anyone.
"Hi, Soohye," Myunghee said timidly, tapping on Soohye's shoulder.
Soohye looked up and offered a weak smile. She didn't like to be bothered, but the girl didn't mean harm.
"I have some cookies, wanna share?" Myunghee asked, referring to her desk.
Soohye shook her head. "No, thank you."
Myunghee nodded and headed back to her desk.
"Why are you even talking to her?" Kyunghwa demanded, eyeing Myunghee as she took her seat.
"Well...I feel bad. She has no friends and she's poor. Nobody else talks to her.."
"That's maybe because she doesn't talk when she's spoken to?" Kyunghwa retorted. "Minwoo's right, she is retarded and stupid."
Silent, Myunghee took out her books and placed them on her desk beside Kyunghwa. Once the class filled to its capacity of thirty six students, everybody started reviewing their study book. Soohye stared off into space, her mind not with others in the class.
The class started when Kim sun saeng nim entered. Again, Soohye was the first to rise and others quickly followed. They repeated their daily routine-bow, greet, bow again and sit. Everybody stared intently at the teacher and watched as she imprinted a few Korean characters on the board.
Soohye was listening, but the words were molded into chunks and quickly sunk into the deep ravine of her brain. She didn't appear to be breathing, and she kept her body still. Her short cropped her, chopped slightly above her chin veiled her face. Ms. Kim didn't even bother addressing Soohye. She's one of the faculty members that believe Soohye's an abnormal child. She does nothing at all in class, which irritates and frustrates Ms. Kim. Yet, she's passing miraculously.
Once again, like everyday, Soohye's mind off somewhere else. Before her, she sees the surface of her wood polished desk. But in her mind's eye...she's staring into a pool of water. In the background, Ms. Kim's voice babbled on, leaving Soohye behind in dust. Soohye blinked a few times and didn't move. Today's lesson's on great minds of Korea. She didn't even bother and quickly closed her ears off to the world.
Chilhyun strolled along, thinking quietly to himself. He needed to have an agenda for the year. It's close to summer and he needs to get as much work squeezed out of his students as possible. Before the weather gets hazy and the students get lazy. In the process of thinking, he happened to look up and into the doorway of a class.
The girl. Choi Soohye.
Chilhyun halted and pressed himself to the wall, inching away from the door. He watched the strange girl. She didn't stir. She sat the same way she did in his class, her hands on her lap and her eyes on her desk. Her feet were neatly aligned and her desk was clear.
He couldn't read her expression since her short hair was hiding her face. But he could tell she wasn't sleeping or bored like everybody else. In fact, he saw traces of thought. She looked faraway and distant. The shadows he saw was..
Was...
He didn't know. He frowned as he tried to think of the word but gave up on observing the girl. The shadows that were cast upon her face were distant, but..she looked like she was in the present also. Drawn in between two worlds.
Chilhyun shook his head and sighed. He entered the lounge and smiled. There were other administrators there relaxing and enjoying their cup of tea. Chilhyun rested his outer garment by a chair and went to retrieve water.
"How are you liking the school?" Ms. Kwon asked as she passed Chilhyun. She refilled her mug with hot steaming water and resumed in the seat she was sitting in.
"Nice environment. I like the students. Very cheerful and bright," Chilhyun replied.
Ms. Kwon beamed. "They're mischievous, but other than that note they're wonderful kids."
Chilhyun nodded and took a sip of his water. Silence hung between them as he tried to phrase the question he had in mind. "Have you ever taught a student by the name of Choi Soohye?"
Ms. Kwon paused and crossed her arms, thinking. "The quiet little girl with short hair?"
"Yes."
"A few years back, I believe. To be honest, I don't remember much of her. I guess she never caused trouble or was particularly bad. I would've remembered her if she was a nuisance or was in constant spotlight."
"Ohhh.." Chilhyun murmured.
"You're teaching her?"
"She's an art student I have. And..she's just...quiet. She doesn't interact with the other kids. Another student called her retarded and that got me wondering if she has any form of autism."
Ms. Kwon frowned. "Now that you mentioned it...the staff members did have a discussion about that. They never reached a conclusion. Her teachers all say her works were done perfectly. Neat and precise. Just that they can't read sometimes because she writes with different utensils each time she passes in her lessons. One day she'll use crayons, the next she'll use a pencil that's probably not sharpened..the next it'll be something else. And when they speak to her, she's like..a dummy. Doesn't seem like she can understand them. Though they know she can hear them. Because in order to do your home lessons, you'd have to pay attention in class in order to get the questions on the lessons right. And so far, she hasn't made one careless mistake on her lessons."
"Has she always been this way?" Chilhyun asked, interested in this girl.
"Ever since she was enrolled here. I think she lives at the Daewoo planation. By the lake."
Chilhyun blinked. "She's a farmer?"
Ms. Kwon shrugged. "We have children with all sorts of family backgrounds here. You know Lee Kyunghwa?"
"I believe I'm teaching her also," Chilhyun answered, trying to recall the names of his students.
"She's an elite. That's the mayor's daughter."
Chilhyun nearly dropped his styrofoam cup. The water spilled over the rim as his eyes grew wide. "The mayor?!"
With her eyes just as wide, Ms. Kwon nodded. "He's very generous to the school. His daughter's the top student of the school. Very ambitious."
Chilhyun nodded. "I see."
Ms. Kwon checked her watched and tapped it. "Well, I have to get ready for my next class. We'll chat next time."
Chilhyun bowed and Ms. Kwon got up to leave. He picked up his jacket and sauntered to the office. The director and a few other teachers were at their desks, reading and going over materials for their students. Many were correcting papers and Chilhyun sat down at his desk.
"Hey!"
Chilhyun looked up. "Hi."
"I'm Junghwa, music teacher." Junghwa extended her hand and smiled.
Chilhyun accepted and returned the smile. "Chilhyun, art teacher."
"Do you like the school?" Junghwa asked, leaning on the edge of Chilhyun's desk. She observed each inch, every centimeter of his face. And his build. He's an angel.
Chilhyun nodded. "Very much. Though I only taught one class, don't know how the rest are gonna be like."
"They're great kids. Don't worry."
Chilhyun smiled. "I hope so. Not too many pesky kids like elementary school."
Junghwa giggled. "Children in middle school are no different. There's always some troublemakers."
Chilhyun chuckled and rubbed his eye. Junghwa was pretty cute. She has a nice smile. Cute voice too. "So, what do you teach exactly? Instruments? Or just a singing class?"
"A singing class."
"I see. I play a little of the piano," Chilhyun said, his eyes meeting hers.
"Really? I play the piano. How'd you come to..."
"My father was a piano teacher. My parents both wanted me to be a pianist but I lost interest. They were furious when I told them I wanted to be an artist."
"Ohh.." Junghwa cooed. "My parents didn't like it either when I told them I wanted to be a teacher. They weren't exactly mad, but..disappointed."
They were silent for a while, both thinking about their past. Chilhyun broke away from his family when he was fifteen to pursue his dream as an artist. Junghwa took her chances and went to take an entrance exam as a student for child care studies. Results came in and Junghwa scored very high on the tally. Within a year, she became part-time kindergarten teacher and helped with various tasks. She graduated high school with top grades and studied in college to become a teacher. She remained as kindergarten teacher during her years in college. Upon graduation from college, she moved onto middle school, where she taught foreign literacy. She never liked teaching that to the children. It was boring her just as much as it was boring her students. She had asked the director to place her in a different department and then she was shifted to math. Math was hard to explain and she didn't like to explain. Half the time in classes, she's stuck in the middle of an explanation and can't find words to express what she means. Her students could do better. Then she was switched to the most noisiest and unbearable class.
Music.
It was hard at first. The students were hyper and loud and crazy. They were all the same. All except for two students. One was Choi Soohye and the other, Lee Kyunghwa. Choi Soohye was known throughout the school as the dummy who doesn't talk and Lee Kyunghwa was just mature for her age. Junghwa was curious as to why Soohye was even placed in her roster but she was grateful there was a Soohye. At least that was one less she had to deal with. Junghwa was content with a quiet student and she was more than happy to give Soohye an A+ each time final grades came around.
Then the children eventually had it figured out. They were upset about their C and D grades and found out Soohye had A's each and every time. They gradually simmered and eventually it made the course easier and better for Junghwa to teach. Junghwa continued her piano lessons from long ago and began to teach music. It was an enjoyable class. All her students were wide awake and happy. She stayed with the course and never complained since.
"Well, I have to get to class. The bell's about to ring," Junghwa said, standing up.
Chilhyun, snapping back to the present, stood up too. "I do, too!"
Junghwa stepped back, surprised by the sudden reaction.
Chilhyun blushed, realizing what he had done. "I'm sorry. I was just thinking and you caught me by surprise."
"No problem," Junghwa replied with a small smile.
Damn, she looks cute, Chilhyun thought. "Well, I'll walk you. I have a class next."
Together they departed the office, to the next class.
[ Chapter 3 ]
"Hey, michinom!" Minwoo screamed. He snatched an eraser from his friend and threw it at the figure approaching them. "Stupid ass! Go back to where you came from!"
Soohye continued walking forward and moved her head back. The eraser missed and she watched it sail over the railing, down to the lower level of school grounds. A loud roar erupted and she froze.
"WHO THE F—!!"
Soohye peered over the railing and heard Minwoo and his companions all move for the railing too. Everybody looked down and gasped. Soohye remained expressionless and watched the director bend over to pick up the eraser.
He fussed about and looked up. The kids. "WHO THREW THE ERASER AT ME??!!!!"
Nobody replied as they continued to stare.
The director screamed a few more times and Minwoo quickly pointed at Soohye. "It was her!!!!"
"SUNG MINWOO!!!"
Minwoo's eyes popped out of his sockets and he quickly reached for his friends. They all zoomed down the pathway, heading to their classes. Soohye waited and saw the director glanced at her before storming off.
Minwoo and his friends ran as fast as they could, pushing aside other idlers in the halls. They couldn't stop their dashing feet when they saw their Lee and Ahn sun saeng nim heading towards them. They tried to slow down but found it impossible and tore past the two teachers.
Furious, Junghwa was thrown against the wall as the five boys continued speeding away. She pushed herself off and stood in the middle of the hall. "NO RUNNING!!! SUNG MINWOO!!!!!! I'LL REPORT YOU TO THE DIRECTOR!!!!!"
Chilhyun pried himself off the railing and reached for Junghwa. "Are you okay?"
"Those boys!" Junghwa started. "And they're in the twelvth grade?!!"
"I'm still like that. Since you're in trouble, might as well run."
Junghwa sighed. "I wonder what happened. I've never seen them misbehave like that."
Chilhyun shrugged. "It's my first day, remember?"
Junghwa nodded. They continued walking and other students were milling around and greeted Junghwa and Chilhyun. It was a form of respect, taught since you were a child. When you see a teacher, you must greet them.
"Juhyun!" Hyunji screamed, pulling at her friend's sleeve.
"What?!" Juhyun growled, looking up. "You're messing me up! I'm trying to finish here!"
"That's the teacher! That's sun saeng nim! Ahn sun saeng nim!"
"WHERE?!" Myunghee bellowed, she darted from her seat and headed for the door.
There were other girls crowding around the door and they were all staring after Chilhyun and Junghwa. Myunghee stuck her head outside and saw the two teachers. Juhyun was stuck to Myunghee, trying to catch Chilhyun.
"Did you see him?" Juhyun asked.
"I couldn't catch his face. That's him from behind!"
Juhyun narrowed her eyes. "Is he.."
Myunghee then heard it. The whispers.
"They look pretty cute together. Lee sun saeng nim's pretty young too. I think she's younger than him."
"Do you think Ahn sun saeng nim's her namja chingoo?"
Juhyun and Myunghee exchanged glances, their hearts frozen. "NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!"
All the girls surrounding them stopped gossiping and turned to them with bewildered eyes.
"Dammit! I didn't even get to see him!" Juhyun cried.
"I wanna be his student!" Myunghee wailed.
"THEY CAN'T BE GOING OUT!!!!" Juhyun and Myunghee chorused, screaming on the top of their lungs.
Junghwa and Chilhyun halted.
"Did you hear that?" Junghwa asked, looking back.
"Somebody's screaming. Very loud," Chilhyun responded. He, too, looked back and saw each and every doorway there were girls crowding them. He began to blush.
"WHAT ARE YOU ALL DOING OUT HERE?!" Junghwa demanded. "GET INSIDE! OR I'LL REPORT YOU ALL TO THE DIRECTOR!"
Immediately all doorways were cleared. Scrapes of chairs and books opening were heard. Junghwa turned to Chilhyun and saw his face. She laughed. "That's custom. The girls here are all like that. When there's a new male teacher, they'd idle by the doorways till they see him. Then they go about talking. It's nothing. Males do that with the female teachers."
Chilhyun's blush deepened. "That happened to you before?"
Now it's Junghwa's turn to blush. "Yeah."
They continued their way to class and both had their heads down and their eyes on the ground. Instinct told them to look up at the same time and they found Soohye walking towards them. She, too, had her head lowered and were hugging her books close to her chest. Her bag was slung across her and was heading to class.
"Sun saeng nim deul," Soohye murmured, bowing. She straightened up and glanced at her teachers.
"Soohye," Junghwa said softly. "Why so late?"
Soohye held her books tighter. She paused before answering. "Minwoo didn't do it. Chong jang's looking for Minwoo. Please sun saeng nim. Believe me."
Baffled, Junghwa looked over to Chilhyun. Chilhyun, curious, stepped closer to Soohye.
"I'm late, sun saeng nim. Please, Minwoo didn't mean it. It was an accident."
Chilhyun stretched his arm out to try and stop Soohye from leaving, but it brushed her arm as she passed by. He felt a sudden chill overtake his body as he watched Soohye leave again. "Does she always talk like that?"
"I never really liked her. I don't know why. She's such a polite child, but..I can't point out exactly what is it I don't like about her. She's not disrespectful or anything..." Junghwa answered. She shrugged it off. "Well, we have to hurry. Our rooms must look like a disaster by now."
Chilhyun agreed and they hurried off before more drama could occur.
[ Chapter 4 ]
The day came quick to an end. It was four when school was over. All the students were eager to get out and play. Wander around before they were due home for homework and dinner.
Chilhyun packed his things and bid farewell to his commrades. He left for home. Junghwa had to stay and plan for tomorrow's class, so Chilhyun didn't wait up. He walked past the school yard and were hailed with shrilled screams. A few of his students greeted him, but he couldn't help but feel all thousands of eyes were on him as he walked by. Some girls scurried past him and waved and he smiled back. There were boys playing basketball and they all called out to him. Chilhyun nodded at them and continued on.
He lived close to the city, not exactly outside of the city. He headed for the parking lot, deciding on walking home or taking the bus. He was so deep into thinking, he didn't even notice a black car rolling up to him. A loud honk from the car caused him to jump out of his skin as he looked up. He turned to the tinted windows and tried to look inside.
Then a head popped out. "Look where you're going!"
Kyunghwa opened her window to see what was going on and spotted her teacher. "Sun saeng nim!"
Chilhyun squinted his eyes due to the sun blazing upon the car. He approached the car and saw a student of his with her head sticking out the window. "Uhhh.."
"Sun saeng nim," Kyunghwa repeated. "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine..." Chilhyun replied, trying to remember her name.
"Kyunghwa. Lee Kyunghwa."
Chilhyun felt his heart stop as the name echoed in the hollow space of his mind. He was probably staring because Kyunghwa stared back. She then asked if he'd like a ride and he shook his head. "No, thank you."
Kyunghwa felt her heart sank. "I'll see you in school tomorrow. Ahnyong."
The driver drove off, leaving Chilhyun behind. Chilhyun closed his eyes and took a deep breath. So much has happened today and all his mind could do was digest and churn. He sighed and decided to take the bus home. He needed to get away as soon as possible and take a nap. It's been a long day. Too much drama. He stopped his train of thoughts and realized he had thought the day was too eventful. He shook his head. He was tired. There were three whole months he has to go through. And today was his first day. If he thinks this is too much...then how about the rest of the year?
He stuffed his hand into the pocket of his pants and headed off to the bus stop. He saw the back of a familiar girl, her head bent down. He could see the back of her pale neck, arching slightly. Her elbows were bent forward, suggesting that she was carrying books.
Chilhyun looked down at her legs and saw they were sticks and noted the shoes.
She had on little duck shoes.
He bit the bottom of his lip and started to think again. "What kind of girl comes to school like that?" He strolled after Soohye and turned to his right, going to the bus stop.
Soohye peered out the corner of her eyes and watched her art teacher veer to his right. She pulled her books up to her chin and continued on home. She still had the plantation to take care of.
[ Chapter 5 ]
"Oh, goodness!"
"Bugs!" Yuna squealed, pointing at a huge insect on the tea leaf.
"Where?!" Najun yelled. He hurried to his baby sister and gaped at the insect in awe. He snatched the bug off the leaf and pinched it dead. "Killed it!"
"Ewwwww," Yuna wailed, hiding behind their mother.
"Oh, goodness," their mother repeated, killing the fifth bug. "Dinner's about to start and these bugs are here again!"
"I killed another one!" Najun declared, waving the dead corpse.
"Yuna, run home and get your brothers and sisters. We can't eat unless we get these killed."
Yuna nodded and scrambled in the direction of their home. She ran as fast as her short little legs could carry her and she started screaming as soon as she came within distance of hearing. "AHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!"
Soohye dropped her books and quickly looked up from her bed. She flung her bag on her bed and hurried out the shack, running over next door. Outside, the children gathered and she pushed to hear what was going on.
"O-O-Oma said hurry! Bugs eating!" Yuna gasped in between breaths. She pointed towards their tea leaves and tried to talk. But Soohye had already grabbed a pail and started running towards the plantation. She found her neighbor and her third child picking away at the leaves.
"Ajooma!" Soohye cried.
"Soohye!" Mrs. Park gasped. "What are you doing here?"
"Yuna said there were bugs! Where?"
"Where are my children? You should be doing your lessons."
"No, it's dark. They can't see-" Soohye was cut off by a sudden loud crunching. She looked down and peered at the leaves. Bugs everywhere. She picked them up and pinched them, throwing them into the bucket.
Soon all they could hear were bugs munching on their sales. Their very own tea leaves. Mrs. Park's children marched over and everybody got to work. Yuna, being the youngest, followed Soohye. She screamed and wailed while Soohye picked. Others were annoyed and tried to kill as much as they could. Yuna could only trail after Soohye because Soohye ignored her screaming. Others couldn't do so and would yell for Yuna to be quiet.
"AHHHHHHH!!! Unni! It's on me!" Yuna bellowed, pointing at her shirt.
Soohye spun around and bent down to look at Yuna's shirt. It wasn't eating anything. It was inching upward and Soohye gingerly removed the insect. "Just squeeze it like this." She brought the bug close to Yuna's face and pinched it. Yuna smiled and took the dead animal from Soohye. Soohye continued and searched for more bugs. Yuna tagged along and started stomping on the bugs that fell to the soft dirt and did as Soohye showed her. Squeeze.
It was completely dark and Soohye blinked to keep her eyes clear. She peered closely at the leaves and slowly her pail grew heavier. She dragged it behind her as she finished two rows of the leaves and moved up to the next. Yuna was rubbing her eyes and yawning. She dumped two more inserts into Soohye's bucket and stumbled after her neighbor.
Soohye took Yuna's tiny hand and pulled her along. She couldn't let the child sleep outside. Not out on the farm. She looked up and found Yuna's siblings all over the place, still picking. They've been out for hours and their dinner's cold.
Soohye picked up Yuna and carried her along with the pail back home and dumped the dead insects in a pile by the logs. She brought Yuna inside and placed her on Mrs. Park's bed. She tucked in the child and closed the cloth curtain before heading outside again.
Their living conditions weren't any better than Soohye's. Seven children and one working parent wasn't enough to support the family. She started the fire and burned the dead bugs. She hurried and heated up the food and carried as much as she could to the plantation. It was heavy, but they couldn't leave and come back. The evil bugs will eat up all the leaves, leaving nothing behind.
Soohye fed Najun and Yuni first before moving onto the older kids. The younger ones were tired and were all yawning, but they wouldn't give up. She gave Hojun and the rest their food before looking for their mother.
Mrs. Park was at the steepest of the hill, pinching and picking at her fastest rate. Soohye approached the woman and handed the woman the food while she took over and did the rest of the killing. If only they had some money...
"Ajooma," Soohye said softly.
Mrs. Park stood up and placed her bowl on the ground.
"We need pesticide," Soohye continued in her quiet voice. "We can't keep on killing these like this. At the rate we're going, they'll come back and they eat faster than we kill. They're everywhere."
Mrs. Park sighed. "There's nothing we can do."
Soohye nodded in agreement. "Doesn't ajoshi have a way of getting pesticide in the city?"
Mrs. Park sighed again. "We don't even have the money for food. Why would we spend it on pesticide?"
Soohye kept her head low and picked. She hated being poor. Like Mrs. Park said. There's nothing she can do.
[ Chapter 6 ]
"Did you complete your lessons?"
Kyunghwa rolled her eyes. "Yes, I did."
Mr. Lee nodded, satisfied with the reply. "I hope you keep your grades up. It'd be foolish for the mayor's daughter to have bad grades."
Kyunghwa felt her insides boil. Everyday, every week, it's the same thing. The mayor this, the mayor that. She don't give a flying f—
"What did you learn in school today?" her father asked, interrupting her thoughts.
"Nothing, like everyday," she retorted.
"I heard you got a new teacher."
"Yes, Ahn sun saeng nim."
"Is it a female?"
"No, a male. An art teacher," Kyunghwa growled. His pestering questions drove her up the wall.
"Oh...really?" Mr. Lee sat back in his chair, amused.
"Yes, really."
"Does he know what he's doing?"
Kyunghwa swallowed the last of her dinner and ripped off the napkin tucked in her collar. "You need to quit your job as mayor and become school inspector. My job is to be a student. I'm not there to start trouble nor am I the director. I'm pretty sure the director knows what he is doing because he's the one who hired this Ahn sun saeng nim." She pushed her chair back and stormed out the dining room, throwing down her napkin as she left.
Kyunghwa's parents were left to stare after her, surprised by her reaction. Furious, Mr. Lee threw his napkin down too. "Kids, these day!"
"Now..what she said did make sense. You're making all the new teachers sound like their stupid or haven't gone to school for the job they applied for. Kyunghwa's right about one thing. She's a student, not the director of the school. I'm pretty sure the director knows what he is doing," Mrs. Lee said, patting her husband's hand.
"She's lucky she's not poor!" Mr. Lee bellowed. "I need to send her to the countryside and starve her! Make her understand things!"
Mrs. Lee shook her head and continued her dinner. The servant came by and cleared away Kyunghwa's spot, freeing up space at the table.
"She thinks it's easy being mayor! Well, I'll show her," Mr. Lee grumbled, sipping his soup. "We need to stop spoiling her! That good for nothing brat."
Mrs. Lee swallowed her rice and placed her chopsticks on her bowl. She dapped her mouth lightly with her napkin before removing it. She slowly got to her feet with a sigh. "Enjoy your dinner. I can't go on with you screaming and yelling at our daughter for something she hasn't done wrong. Moreover, you're overreacting. And can't you just wait till dinner's over before you start bickering? This is the only peaceful moment we'll have together as a family. If it's not you screaming, then it's Kyunghwa complaining. If not, then I'm not home and out working. I'm tired. Please enjoying your dinner and bellow all you want. I'm simply tired and my ears are hurting. Good night."
Mr. Lee watched his wife disappear through the doorway of the dining room and slammed a fist down on the table. He gave up on the rest of his dinner and got up. The servant hurried in and cleared away the table as he headed upstairs to his study. On his way, he stopped by Kyunghwa's room and slowly pushed the door ajar.
He could see her back facing towards him and her hand was moving across the table. He sighed and gently closed the door.
She was drawing.
Again.
They've constantly argued about what her future and the endings were always bitter. He advanced to his study and found peace and quiet awaiting him. He took a deep breath and removed tie around his neck. It's been a long day. He approached his desk and threw the tie down on the surface. He pulled the chair out and settled down on it, resting his head back on the headrest.
Was his daughter right? He should stop by the school and see who this new teacher is. Especially when this teacher's teaching his daughter. He needed to make sure his daughter's getting the best out of the school and needs for her to be the best and favorite student of every teacher.
He sighed and closed his eyes. Never mind. What Kyunghwa had said was right. He was the mayor, not school inspector. He didn't need to meddle in other people's affairs. He'll do so when there's a complaint. And there's still plenty of time for complaints to be made.
[ Chapter 7 ]
Soohye felt a nudge and heard subconsciously someone was calling her. She brushed away the hand and moaned. She was aching all over and she didn't want to wake up.
"Soohye," Hojun whispered. He shook Soohye gently. "Soohye, wake up. It's time for school."
School? Soohye moved her arm and she felt a stab of pain rush through her head. She placed her hand on her forehead and rubbed it with all her strength. "Owwww..."
"Wake up, Soohye," Hojun said a little louder. "Are you alright?"
"I hit my head," she replied hoarsely.
"Lemme see." Hojun took Soohye's chin and tilted her face upward. There was a slight bump on her forehead where she had slipped and banged it on her table. He pressed hard on her head and rubbed it with all his might.
Soohye winced but she didn't scream like she wanted to. Once Hojun removed his hand, she felt better.
"Fell asleep doing your homework?" Hojun asked, glancing down at the small table.
Soohye gasped. She grabbed frantically at the sheets set out before her and gaped at them in shock. "Th-Th-They're..they're not completed!"
Hojun patted Soohye's shoulder. "It's fine. You're not expected to be perfect all the time."
Soohye shook her head. "B-B-But..I can't go to school without these completed. I can't afford to spend more time away than needed. The bugs are coming in and the leaves—"
Hojun silenced Soohye by holding his hand up. "Fine. I'll do them for you. You stayed up all night and morning helping us pick the insects..it's the only thing I can do for you."
Soohye shook her head. "I can't."
Hojun sighed. Soohye was the only person he knows in the entire world that has the most sweetest and kindest heart. She's probably the only honest person to have ever existed since the beginning of time. "Well then..what are you going to do?"
Soohye piled all her assignments together and hung her head. In her usual quiet voice, she replied, "Not go to school."
Hojun felt his jaw hit the ground. "Why?! I'm telling you! I'll do them for you! I'll bring you to school and tell your director we had difficulties at home and.."
Soohye shook her head. "I'll go tomorrow. I'll start now."
Hojun stood back and watched Soohye start on her home lessons. He reached for her math papers and sighed. She was only a year younger than him but she looked so much smaller and younger. She didn't look the eighteen years like she's supposed to. She only looked fourteen. While unnoticed, he stole away with her homework and left for home. It was the least he could do.
Hojun had dropped out of school when conditions at home got worse. His father was the only working one in the family and with six other siblings, his parents couldn't afford to pay for his education. It didn't matter. He didn't like school anyhow. He glanced at the worksheets in his hands. Math was the easiest subject he had ever taken. There were more than a hundred problems and with the rest of the pile he has seen Soohye has to deal with..it'd take her all day to finish.
He sighed and got to work. Like Soohye said...the bugs are coming in. They needed all the help they could get. And there wasn't any.