When We Return

Chapter 9

“Don’t push me!” I tried to shrug his hands from my shoulders but he held on my back instead. “Get your hands off me!!” I hissed forcing his hands to let go of me.

“Let’s not waste time. Hurry up!” Well, as per usual, he pushed me forward causing me to lose my footing and almost trip on the ground.

I glared at him but he just shrugged and waved his hand in a ‘go on’ manner.

“I’m going to kill you.” I said under my breath before I walked away with rattled knees.

I shouldn’t have agreed to do this. I shouldn’t have been so confident about winning.

But he cheated!!

Glancing back once again, I tried to act pity while pouting my lips but he slowly shakes his head no that brought back the scowl on my face. So, I rolled my eyes and whip my head and just go to where he instructed me to do my consequence.

Standing like an i***t in front of our fellow hikers taking a break in front of a Buddhist temple, clutching on my sides to dry my already sweaty palms, and took a deep breath.

I lift my arms and moved it in a weird way, I bet I look like the Chinese coin cat.

“You look like a retard. That’s what not dance look like.” A voice called out from behind and I looked back to scoff at the person reliable for what I’m currently doing.

To avoid further arguments, I moved my feet along with my arms but I imagine myself dancing a broken robot dance.

I can feel a lot of eyes looking at me right now that I desperately want the ground to open and swallow me whole. Why do I have to suffer like this?

“You still have four minutes left!” he called out once again that I can only close my eyes out of irritation.

I continued to move in a stoic movement that earned some laughter from the growing crowd. Upon realizing that a lot of hikers stopped from their hiking and decided to watch me, I stopped dancing and for a moment have a panic attack and agitated in my place.

Totally embarrassed, I looked down on the ground and never dared to look forward. It’s always a worse decision to follow that guy. argh.

Suddenly, an upbeat music was played on the background and someone danced beside me. That was the only time I lift my head to look who’s dancing only to find it was him.

“What the hell.” I utter as I watch him doing things I haven’t witnessed before. I suddenly had the urge to leave him and act as someone who doesn’t know him.

“You owe me one, Sowon!” he screamed while out of breath dancing, well no, sorry it’s not dancing. s**t, I don’t even know that kind of dance exist.

I must leave at once.

But instead of leaving, I stood there, dumbfounded, and I don’t even remember taking out my phone until I found myself recording his silly-what-the-hell-dance.

The crowd clapped in amazement as soon as Jay-Jay bowed dramatically in front of them. They like that? That was worse than mine!!

“You insulted my dance but you called that dance?” I asked in a blank state when he approached me, and the proud big head shrugged his shoulder in a mocking way.

“We danced differently, though. I have confidence while you don’t.” he simply said and left me there.

I harshly let out a breath and twitched my upper lip upward.

He went to get our things placed on the ground and lift his backpack to his back.

“Still didn’t change the fact that you cheated!! I hate you!!” I swat him on the back of his head which was a lot of work since I have to jump on my feet just to reach his head. Have I told you he’s tall? Well, yeah, he is.

He let out a hiss and scratched his head. “I danced for you, didn’t I?”

“Still!” I hump and flipped my hair, purposely hitting him in the face and he groaned in disapproval.

I gathered my things on the ground and drank from my tumblr before we face another mile of hiking. It’s been 5 days since we got back from Gwacheon and after that, we’ve explored 2 places already excluding this one making it three.

SinB wasn’t able to join us since it’s still school days and their father won’t let her, anyway, much to her dismay. Good thing we were able to leave the house before their father came back from work or else I’ve got to deal with another Jay-Jay, which I hope is kinder than his two kids.

They never mentioned anything about their mother and I don’t have the right to ask so I kept my mouth sealed with questions I’m meaning to ask.

So, we’re currently here in Gwangju specifically in Mudueng National Park and obviously, hiking. Actually, we didn’t plan anything about hiking but when he was searching for some information on our way using public transportation about Gwangju, he was enchanted to hiking immediately and just drag me here.

We’re not prepared, I didn’t bring any hiking clothes and shoes. Didn’t pack any extra water so obviously again, we went shopping right after we step outside the bus.

I was just thankful he was the one who paid.

“Okay now, so how about racing all the way to the top?” I immediately slap his arm the moment he said that. I’m not gonna bet with him, ever again!

“Enough with your dirty tricks, pabo.”

Stretching my legs before continuing where we stopped earlier, and he instantly followed.

“Ohhh, now you’re dissing me in Korean.”

“I learned from the expert.” Sticking my tongue out in his direction. He ruffled my hair and ran off.

“YAAAAH!!!”

And we chased each other as if climbing up a mountain is as easy as walking on a sidewalk.

Five days and being with him is a tough ride. There are days in which he would treat me like a ghost, and sometimes he’s annoying as hell.

Each day, he’ll surprise me with his unexpected attitude.

Like when we went to Daegu the other day, maybe he woke up the wrong side of the bed that he only spoke to me about 2 or 3 times.

Then the day after that, which we’re going back to Seoul, someone decided to bombard me with ridiculous puns that almost drive me crazy.

Today obviously, he’s on a roll again. He tricked me on eating a large hamburger and made a bet that whoever finished last will grant the wish of the winner. Of course, I’m confident in winning. I’ve got no chill when I eat hamburger and I have proved that so many times.

But the moment he points something behind me at the middle of the competition, he ate a large piece and threw the rest on the trash bin he placed beside him. 

Though it’s unfair, I wasn’t able to argue when he started pushing and forcing me to dance.

When will he ever treat me as a girl? Psh.

But! I must say that even though his mood is crappy most of the time, I enjoyed very well. We tried out almost everything in each place then stay at a cheap hotel. Of course, we have separate rooms.

“If you’re in a hurry, you should say thanks as ‘gomawo’.” He said the word repeatedly as I follow him but my pronunciation just made a way for him to make fun of me.

“And if you’ll say it formally, it’s gomapseumnida.” I made a look as I heard the word. Why is it so long?

“Why do you have variation of just a single word?” I whined.

“Just because.” Psh.

He taught me a couple of words more that left my mind the moment we move on to the next word, but it’s fun learning it. Maybe I should study Korean when I get back to Canada.

“So how do you say, ‘I’m pretty?’”

“I’m ugly.” (Korean) then I tried to copy him as much as I can but he keeps on spitting laughter.

“I’m ugly.” (Korean) I confidently said while making a cute pose in front of him but he just burst out laughing earning a scowl from me.

I hit him once before going down from the steep mountain.

“Oppa, let’s go eat when we reach the bottom.”

“Stop calling me oppa.” Since the day he told me about the meaning of ‘oppa’, I’ve been calling him that knowing he’s older than me. Though I didn’t really get to know the specific age gap but I bet he’s older.

“Why not?” And of course, I just want to tease him so I tease him more.

“Just because!” he said annoyingly and walked ahead of me.

See? He’s grumpy all of a sudden.

“Oppa!!” I screamed that made him sprint on the bumpy road and earning a laugh from me.

“Yah! Wait for me!!” (Korean) I tried my best shot in pronouncing it slowly but me myself can’t even understand what I said.

It’s not easy learning a language you’re not accustomed to.

But at least I’m trying.

“Let’s rest here for a while.” He finally said after we got tired from walking back. I heaved a heavy sigh and marched towards the cliff to get some fresh air.

“I’m so tired!!” I said stretching my arms.

Jay immediately slump on the grass and opened his arms and legs.

“You must be so tired, oppa. It’s a sign of aging.” I teased. He lies on his right side of his body facing me and made a mocking grin.

“At least I still look younger than my age.” He proclaimed proudly.

I shrug my shoulder and didn’t say anything. He’s not lying though. His features are perfectly fit for a model or an artist.

Looking at the view presented in front of me and I was in awe. I was too occupied in hiking that I wasn’t able to stop and appreciate the nature.

I took out my phone and take a lot of pictures of it and even myself with the breathtaking view. I moved in circles trying to shot a good angle when I accidentally stepped on his hand.

“Yah!! Watch it, it hurts!!” he curled into a ball clutching his injured hand. I immediately ran beside him and said sorry a lot of times.

“It hurts!!” (Korean)

“I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to step on it.” I said as I try to get his hands to soothe it but he kept on moving. So, I forcefully grabbed his hand and pressed my palms with it.

“I didn’t mean to, I’m sorry. I’m sorry.” I said repeatedly as I rub his hand smoothly and even blowing it.

“It still hurts!” he screamed and tried to retrieve his hand but I beat him to it.

“Okay, okay. I’m sorry. I’m sorry.” Rub. Blow. Rub, then blow.

He became silent all of a sudden. I looked up midway on blowing his hand to see him staring at me intensely.

Though my lips are forming an O, no wind came out from it when I caught him looking at me like that. And I was dumbfounded.

My heart hammered inside my chest. I take in his brown orbs as we stare at each other. His eyes, searching mine. I don’t know what that stare means, and I must look away the moment our eyes met but I somehow can’t.

Move away now, Sowon! f*****g move away!

I’m glued to my seat and glued at his eyes. His stare is soothing me inside without me knowing that I wanted to be stared like that.

I didn’t pay attention to my surroundings anymore, didn’t mind that the sun is setting from the sky, didn’t mind that we might be caught up by darkness soon.

He was the first one to break the gaze and coughed slightly. I let go of his hand stood up, scratching the back of my head.

“It’s hot.” LIE! The wind is getting chiller since the sun is about to set already. I fan my face realizing that I was blushing all along. s**t, this is awkward.

I looked back at him and he lied on the ground again, closing his eyes. My eyes wandered on his ears and snort at its redness.

So, I wasn’t the only one affected huh?

Nothing much to do now, I approached him again and sat beside him but ensured enough space between us.

There was silence, but it’s a comfortable one, when I decided to break the silence.

“So, where’s the next place, oppa?” he clicked his tongue the moment I said that and I just looked at him innocently.

He sighed before answering. “Somewhere you’ll really enjoy traveling.”

The excitement immediately build up inside me. I’ve been enjoying the whole trip actually. Though it’s a bit pricey but we’ve got some fair share of expenses.

“Okay, so where is it then?” I asked again.

He smiled before responding,

“Busan..”

~ * ~

“My father will kill me..” I muttered as I stare at the tickets in my hands and glared at the man beside me.

“What?” I hit him on the shoulder.

“You! How could you use my money in buying both our tickets?! And you even chose a round trip!!”

My mother called me the other day confronting me about my expenses. Good thing she was the one depositing the money on my account. If it was father, I might get another handful of words from him then.

I told her about the trip and she was happy about it but reminded me to spend less, or father might freeze my account which will be the end of me.

Then I just learned that this man right here just used my money to pay his ticket. Argh!! And it was so expensive!!

I can’t keep still at the loss of my money, so I keep on shooting daggers on him which he oblivious about since he was focused on playing games on his phone.

This guy is impossible.

“Yes!!” I smack the back of his head after he made his victory fist bump with the air.

“Yah!!” he hissed.

“Yah your face!!” I shot back and crossed my arms and look away.

“Oh come on, don’t be so angry. I’ll be paying the food when we arrive.” He said.

“Still!!!” And I hit him again and again. He tried to endure it first but as I hit him harder he started blocking my hits while continuously telling me to stop.

“Aish!!” he grabbed my wrist and crossed it together to stop me. “You’re fund of hitting me now, huh?” he leaned in closer to my face while saying those with an expression saying he really wanted to pulp me right now.

I wriggled free from his grasp but he’s way stronger than me so I eventually gave up.

“Let go of me now.”

“No, I’m gonna hold this hand. You might want to hit me again. These biceps are quite irresistible.” And he flexed his muscles to prove his point.

I made a disapproving face and he just laughed. I was caught off-guard when he suddenly holds my hand firmly.

You’re lowkey making a move on me now?

Okay, that sounds assuming but who cares, anyway?

Since the little incident on the cliff, something changed then. I don’t know if it’s the little space we’re sharing lately, or the shared looks that lingers longer than how it usually should be.

Like when we walked back on track as we descend the mountain, usually the space between us is a meter apart. But that time, our hands brush constantly that brought back the palpitations in my heart.

Even when we ate dinner, we sat side by side where we usually eat opposite each other. I, somehow, am afraid where this might lead us to. Well, yes, I am actually attracted to the guy. I have expressed it even before but of course I don’t want to assume.

Just like now too, we’re waiting for our train to arrive in the station. And we’re seated so close together that I can lean on his thigh right away, and he’s holding my hand right now.

I can’t help but stare at our entwined fingers, he never did let go. I smiled secretly, unable to hide the growing feelings I cannot deny in my chest.

I feel like heaven.

The air is windy today, dark clouds are also visible in the sky.

“Crap, I hope it doesn’t rain.” He muttered under his breath when he looked up.

I just agreed.

“Have you seen the news? There might be a storm coming..” (Korean) Jay turned to middle aged ladies talking beside us that made me glance at them too.

“Really? Geez, I hope it’s not as strong as before.” (Korean) the other one replied and Jay immediately look up to the sky.

“What are they talking about?” I asked when I noticed him muttering Korean words.

“There will be a storm coming. I just hope it hits right after we arrive Busan.”

“What’s wrong then? We’ll be taking the train, it won’t be a problem.” I reasoned out. He turned to look at me and we stared at each other for a while before he sighed and nodded.

When our train arrived, we gather our things, which are not that many. Just two travel bags (his and mine) and two grocery bags pack with snack and water supply.

We made our way to cable car number 5, which is reflected on the ticket, and sat on our designated seats. I sat near beside the window and him beside me.

Little by little, the car was filled with people chattering. Are Koreans really this loud?

Their voices resonate the whole car.

“It’s raining.” He said and we stared outside the window. The dark clouds ruled the sky as little drops of rain fell.

“Are we going to be alright?” I asked when I saw the skies flash with lights from time to time.

“You said so yourself, we’re taking the train so I don’t think we’ll be caught up by some traffic or whatsoever.” He assured and placed a hand on my thigh.

Jesus!!

Good thing I was wearing jeans or else he’s gonna touch some skin.

My cheeks heat up and I let my hair down to cover it. He retrieved his hand in no time that made me release a sigh of relief.

Heavy droplets of rain echoed and nothing can be seen from the outside anymore, the train hasn’t even moved yet.

“Umji-yah! Come here seat with me.” (Korean) a girl said and waved someone from the back. The girl she called answered back and they sat together in the front seat.

I looked at the seats across from us and there seated a fair-skinned guy and I almost laughed since he already looks so white then his hair was also blonde. He’s like a living sugar.

“Sorry for the long wait, we’ll be moving from here.” (Korean) the voice that came from the speaker said and I asked Jay what she meant and he said that we’re good to go.

So, I leaned back on my seat and sat comfortably. Until I felt the train start its engine and moved.

The noise died down and replaced with silence it lulled me to sleep.

“Lean on my shoulder if you’re sleepy.” He suddenly offered that I have no time to argue when he grabbed my head and guide it to lean on his shoulder.

My sleepiness left me and all I can do is pretend to sleep. It’ll be embarrassing if he caught my eyes wide open.

I felt him move his arm and suddenly he draped it on my shoulders.

Geez, my heart can’t calm down right now!

And it gave me more chills when he suddenly moved his palms up and down my arms.

Conceal, pretend like it’s nothing.

I could feel my body stiffen with his every touch. How can I sleep in this state?

“You don’t have to pretend you’re sleeping.” He whispered right at my ear that doubled up my palpitations.

I hit his chest without moving from my position.

“Then why do you have to let me lean on your shoulder? Pabo.” He snickered and didn’t reply. He made himself comfortable and reclined his seat. Still in his arms, I got the opportunity and drape my arm around his waist and draw closer to him. That’s more comfortable.

He started it so better enjoy.

This time my eyes are wide open and just stared at the window.

“The rain is getting harder.”

“I see that.”

I didn’t track the time, I’ve been on that position for some time now until I feel something on my gut that I pulled away from his arms.

“I don’t feel good.” I said and looked at him. He sat up straight and leaned his ears to mine so I repeated what I said.

“Why?” he asked and I shrug. I don’t know but I feel uneasy in my seat.

The light suddenly disappeared and I jump on my seat with a yelp and he immediately hold me.

“It’s okay, we just entered a tunnel.” He said with a snicker. Oh please, he’s going to tease me again.

And there’s light once again.

I looked around and saw two girls talking. There’s a boy at the very back, standing in front of a door, probably the comfort room. Then there’s the blonde guy with his ear pods on both ears and seems to be asleep.

He told me to calm down and leaned closer to me that our arms touch.

Just outside the train, the train continued to down pour.

“I need to go to the comfort room.” I announced when I don’t feel like calming down. He nodded and let me through. But before I could even march on the aisle towards the bathroom, I was thrashed to the ground with a loud thud.

“Sowon!!”

“AHHHHH!”

“s**t, WHAT IS HAPPENING?!” (Korean) loud voices and screams filled the car when the train suddenly halted to a sudden stop making everyone thrown from their seats.

Strong arms gathered me from the ground and I turned to look at the panic face of Jay.

“Are you okay?!” he screamed in the middle of screams. I barely gave him a nod because of the shock. He holds my face on his palms and guided me to sit on our seats.

“Passengers, please calm down.” (Korean) The intercom said and barely heard because of the screams.

“We currently felt a presence of an earthquake, so please stay seated on your seats.” (Korean) The intercom said once again that made everyone more panic and someone even cried.

I couldn’t understand a thing but I could feel it far from good since Jay’s face changed.

“Fuck.” (Korean) he said.

“W-what’s she saying?” I asked

“There was an earthquake.” My eyes bulge and ready to jump from my seat when he grabbed me and gathered in his arms trying to calm me.

My heart raced incredibly fast not because of the hug but because of panic and fear.

What if something happens and we might die?

Dear Lord, please no!

I started to cry but Jay shushed me, soothing me.

We waited for almost 5 minutes in silence, I didn’t notice that the car’s noise died down and everyone is waiting.

“Sorry for the inconvenience, we’ll be moving from here.” The intercom said that made me release a breath I didn’t know I was holding. I held Jay’s hand as the train started to move again, and he squeeze it tightly, and even made circles on the back of my hand.

The passengers also calmed down.

We entered a tunnel this time,

When I felt it right there.

The ground shook very hard.

And all I remember was clinging on to Jay for dear life and there was chaos. We were thrashed around the cable car, I could feel my body hitting hard metal.

Until my head hit something really hard that made me dizzy.

Until I black out…