Seol Ah followed Jang Yu into the gym, hearing girls screaming. Seol Ah looked around, watching the other girls.
"Isn't Jin-ho so amazing?"
"He's so good at sports…"
"Handsome."
The girls gossiped among each other.
Seol Ah then shifted her focus to Jang Yu, waiting for a reaction.
Jang Yu turned slightly to the side, away from the seats. She smiled sinisterly, jotting down in her head like she was trying to remember each of the girls' names.
Seol Ah took a step back, surprised, terrified.
As soon as she took a step back, she bumped into someone, falling backward.
"Oh no!" the people who saw screamed.
Jang Yu turned to look at Seol Ah, her eyes widening, but no words came out.
Seol Ah swallowed hard, watching Jang Yu's face. She was definitely not concerned. Seol Ah closed her eyes as the world moved slowly around her.
I don't know if I will bump into a corner or anything… Seol Ah embraced the fall.
Suddenly—
As Seol Ah landed, she opened her eyes. Jin-ho. His eyes were wide as sweat dripped onto Seol Ah's arm, where his arm touched.
"Are you okay?" Jin-ho asked suddenly.
Seol Ah gasped, looking around.
Jin-ho had run from the bleachers by the basketball court just to catch her as she fell.
"How did you…?" she pushed him away, standing. She looked around. Everyone was staring at her.
Seol Ah trembled as she felt every eye piercing through her, analyzing her. She tightened her jaw, clawing her arms together as she stared at Jin-ho. Jang Yu quickly ran to Seol Ah's side, patting her back.
"Seol Ah, are you okay?" Jang Yu asked fakely.
Seol Ah took a step away from her, glaring at her as she breathed heavily. Tears surged through Seol Ah's eyes. She swallowed deeply, looking down.
"I… I need to go home…" Seol Ah hesitated, rushing out of there. Once she headed towards the school building, she tossed her backpack to the ground in front of her. She sat down, panting as she tried to calm herself down.
Footsteps thudded loudly in the hallway.
"Did you hear that the 'adopted' child dared to seduce Jin-ho?"
The girls in the hallway laughed hysterically.
"Maybe we should teach her a lesson tomorrow…"
They laughed and walked away. Seol Ah listened to this and closed her eyes.
"Like I would want to have anything to do with him anyway…" Seol Ah mumbled to herself. She covered her face, hugging her knees.
Hours had passed, and the school was soon closing. Seol Ah looked at the window, noticing that the sun was hitting the horizon. She grabbed her backpack and headed to the school entrance. When she looked up, Jang Yu was there, waiting for her. Jang Yu locked eyes with her and smiled.
"Seol Ah, are you okay now?" Jang Yu asked curiously.
"How did you know that I didn't leave?" Seol Ah asked. Jang Yu chuckled.
"Silly… I asked your mom," Jang Yu responded.
Seol Ah bit her lower lip, stopping as she clutched her backpack tightly.
"I… I'll walk home alone today…" Seol Ah said firmly. Jang Yu paused. Her face was cold and unreadable. She looked at Seol Ah without a care, but she forced a smile.
"I see. See you tomorrow then," Jang Yu said, turning away quickly without looking back. Her eyes soon turned dark as she walked to the street.
Seol Ah watched her leave, sighing in relief. Was I too mean? She slowly paced herself to the streets. She pondered on the sidewalk, merging her thoughts altogether about Jang Yu.
"Was she always like this? Something about her seems off… like I have a really bad feeling about her," Seol Ah said to herself, staring at her shoes as she took one step at a time.
Little did she know, two men followed her closely. One kept staring at Seol Ah, as the other rubbed his chin, as if she were part of someone else's plan.
An elderly lady accidentally bumped into the man with the calculating gaze.
"Aigoo, watch where you're going…" the lady muttered, wrinkling her forehead.
The man didn't flinch. Instead, his eyes flicked to Seol Ah, and for a heartbeat, she felt the weight of his attention like a shadow across her back. Seol Ah's chest constricted. Her breath came shallow and quick as she glanced over her shoulder.
Without looking back, Seol Ah straightened her shoulders and walked faster, her heart hammering in her ears. The men glared at Seol Ah's figure faded through the streets. Seol Ah hurried in circles, hoping to shake off the men.
Finally, she reached home. Yu Young was waiting, kissing her forehead.
"Seol Ah, where's Jang Yu? You usually come home with her," Yu Young asked curiously as she smiled. Seol Ah forced a smile.
"I… came home alone today," Seol Ah answered. Yu Young nodded, hugging her endearingly.
"Go wash up. Dinner is almost ready," she said. Seol Ah nodded, beaming.
"Where's Po Lim?" Seol Ah wondered.
Yu Young sighed heavily, shaking her head.
"That child… tsk, wanted to come with us five years ago… but she doesn't even come home until late. I'm worried that she's up to no good," Yu Young expressed. Seol Ah frowned, swallowing in guilt.
"She will be home soon… I hope," Seol Ah promised softly. Yu Young looked at Seol Ah and smiled faintly.
"Seol Ah…" she called. "I love you."
Tears crawled out of Yu Young's eyes as they streamed down. Seol Ah's heart slowed down from her mother's warm words. She walked to Yu Young and gave Yu Young another hug.
"I love you, too, Omma-nim," Seol Ah replied. She rested her head against Yu Young's chest, blinking in fear. She must not know… if she does, she will worry… Omma-nim, I will protect you and Po Lim if anything bad happens to us. Seol Ah closed her eyes, taking a deep breath before heading to wash herself up.
That night, Seol Ah stared at the window in her room. She waited for Po Lim to come home, but Po Lim never did. She messaged Seol Ah quickly with one message, but never said anything afterwards.
Po Lim: "At friends. I ate, so don't worry about me"
Seol Ah forced herself to smile, but the pit in her stomach told a different story. Something about today didn't sit right. Jang Yu… that smile. Too cold. Too calculated.
She sighed heavily as she rolled her eyes at the bed. As she turned off her desk lamp, she went to bed. She didn't realize that a shadow lurked by her home.
The same two men from earlier lingered in the shadows, cigarettes in hand. One flicked his cigarette to the ground, smirked, and lifted his phone.
"Just a mother and a daughter?" a girl's voice hissed over the phone, sharp like a knife. "The one Jang Yu mentioned?"
"One small girl and her mommy, Young Lady."
"Heh… Jang Yu said that she has a TKD specialty… do you think you can handle it?" the girl wondered with a sneer. His deep voice coughed, a mix of tobacco from the cigarette, as he smiled.
"Of course. I'll give her a surprise tomorrow."
The phone call ended then. The two men smiled at each other before marching away. Seol Ah slept, unaware of the danger crouching just outside her window. Shadows shifted. Cigarette embers glowed. Tomorrow, everything would change.