Irina grinned mischievously at Park Dong. "Hey, Park Dong!"
He glanced over. "Hm?"
"What was your ex's name again? The pretty one who's a year younger?"
"…Han Seong-ok," he answered, confused. "Why?"
Irina's grin widened. "Yeah, Han Seok. Looks like she has a boyfriend now, lol."
"So what?"
Irina smirked teasingly. "You're acting calm, but in middle school your face got red every time you were around her."
"I liked her at first, sure," he muttered. "But we didn't get along. We lasted fifty days, that's it. Just a middle-school memory, I guess…"
He was about to continue until he noticed Irina suddenly laughing at her phone instead.
"Tch. This punk talking to me then texting someone mid-convo."
Irina giggled, eyes glued to the screen. "Hold up, I'm messaging my honey right now."
Park Dong's jaw tightened. "I swear I wanna hit you."
She asked him still looking at her phone. "Anyway! You guys really liked each other, right?"
Park Dong fixed his bangs with a sigh. "…Only at the beginning. We didn't get along, so about fifty days, that's hey..!"
He stopped mid-sentence when he saw Irina taking a selfie.
"This! This fucking bitch!!" he exploded.
"Lol, sorry. My hubby wanted a picture," she said sweetly.
"What a load of bullshit," Park Dong muttered, shooting her a look. "Hubby? What, are you two getting married or something?"
"Yep, were gonna get married." Irina replied, already posing for another picture. "Now can you stop talking. I'm taking a pic for my hubby."
Park Dong trembled, trying to stop himself from snapping.She's the one who started this conversation, and now she wants me to shut up…?
He glared at her. "Marriage, my ass. That guy would go bankrupt trying to feed you ten meals a day. I seriously don't get why he likes you."
Irina shot him a death-glare, but he kept going.
"Always being so damn cheeky. Tiny as hell but you eat like a beast. He's gonna lose every paycheck just trying to feed you."
Irina's smile faltered for the first time, her brows knitting. "So what? At least I have someone. You're single, you punk."
Her words hung in the air like a slap.
No more than a second Jisung, Jinkyung, and Park Dong all stiffened, their expressions darkening at the sting of that single word.
Each of them glared at her.
Seolhyo and I exchanged a look, then burst into the same quiet chuckle.
Irina teased, flicking her hair.
"Oops my bad. Forgot Park Dong isn't the only single one here, hehe."
Jinkyung's face went hard she balled her hand into a fist. "Two seconds, that's all I need."
"Hold it in, Jin Gyeong-mon." Park Dong cut her off with a grin, then slipped behind Irina in one smooth move and wrapped her in a mock headlock. "I'll handle this jerk myself."
Seolhyo watched the two bickering, clearly amused. "Lol, those two really go at it, don't they? At this rate, they're basically gonna start dating."
I chuckle and rest my arm on her shoulder watching the two of them in amusement.
Park Dong trapped Irina in a headlock and started lightly thumping her head with his fist. "Hammering!"
"OW! It hurts, you crazy bastard!!" Irina squirmed, trying to pry his arm off.
Instead, Park Dong grabbed her wrist, twisted her arm behind her back, and crowed,
"Twist it just like that."
"GYAAAAH!!" Irina shrieked dramatically.
Still holding her in place, Park Dong turned toward Jisung and Jinkyung with his free hand raised like he was presenting a criminal.
"Kill her," Jisung said dryly.
"Snap her neck," Jinkyung added with a nod.
Park Dong snorted and released her arm, only to grab her head instead. "Twist it back around!"
"HAHAHA!"
Irina wriggled furiously. "Let go, you shark-toothed bastard!!"
Park Dong grinned, pinning her with one hand.
cute little punk...
then burst into mocking laughter. "HAHAHAHA!"
He lifted his knee dramatically. "Knee kick!"
His knee hit her forehead with a loud, sickening BAM!
We all froze, staring at them in absolute disbelief.
I was laughing so hard I could barely breathe, but Seolhyo elbowed me in the side to get me to stop.
Park Dong, finally realizing what he'd just done, went pale.
A cold dread washed over him, sweat prickling across his whole body.
"It sound like a watermelon cracking..." Jinkyung blurted nervously.
"S-she's probably dead," Jiseong stammered in disbelief.
Irina stood straight slowly, one palm pressed to her forehead. Park dong stood frozen stare at her nervously.
For a moment, Irina didn't move. Then, in total silence, she walked back to her seat.
Once she sat down, she dropped her head onto her desk, burying her face in both hands.
Park Dong stared at her in dread, mouth hanging open, then slowly looked over at us.
Seolhyo and I immediately pointed at Irina. "Hurry up and apologize."
Seolhyo added under her breath, "You crazy bastard…"
Park Dong lurched after her, face white. "Irina, I- I'm so sorry. I didn't mean I didn't" His voice broke.
He caressed her hair and shoulder. "Please, Hyungnim forgive me. If you want something I'll buy it. Hey.. hey punk say something..!! are you mad?! Hyungnim please forgive me..."
Irina's face was damp with a sudden flush she inhaled shakily and sniffed. "You idiot…"
Her voice came out small, not the triumphant tease from a minute ago.
"y...you actually hit me.."
She lifted her head slowly, eyes soft and wet. "...What have you done.... it hurts.."
Park Dong stared at her, his gaze fixed at her, and something inside him shifted.
***********
School break the group lounged in stone bleachers at the school field, sprawled out under the weak afternoon sun.
Daegyu snickering at him. "You seriously kneed her forehead. Who even does that?"
Daegyu burst out laughing. "HAHAHA wait, you actually did a knee kick?"
Park Dong groaned. "Don't laugh…"
Jisung clapped him on the back. "Bro, you probably cracked her skull. HAHAHA!"
Suwon wiping the tear in his eye. "Yeah… Rina's definitely still mad, lol."
Jiseong nearly doubled over laughing. "Right? And the best part you only act all tough like that in front of Rina. Where was that energy when you fought Chulgyu? Hahaha!"
Suwon clutching his stomach. "This is ridiculous. My stomach hurts from laughing. HAHAHA!"
Park Dong's face darkened. "You bastards…" He lunged forward, grabbing both Jiseong and Suwon in headlock. "Got anything else smart to say, huh?!"
The two of them laughed even harder despite the roughhousing.
Park Dong released them, a tight knot forming in his chest.I've pulled countless pranks… but I've never actually hit her. What the hell am I gonna do?
Daegyu calmly gave advice to Park Dong, "Relax. Rina's not the type to hold a grudge. Just buy her some snacks and she'll be fine."
Park Dong exhaled heavily, falling back onto the stone seat. "Yeah… I'll do that."
Park Dong paused, rubbing the back of his neck.
Since she's a simple girl… it shouldn't be that hard to fix things. But why does this bug me so much…?
But as he stared at the sky, the image of Irina's teary eyes flashed again in his mind.
His chest tightened unexpectedly.
Before the thought could linger, heat rushed to his face. "What the hell…" he muttered, and balled his fist, giving himself a solid punch to the cheek as if to snap out of it.
The others stared at him, bewildered.
Meanwhile, Park Dong clenched his jaw, silently repeating in his head.
This is strange.
Way too strange.