When I Loved You - Yiyoung left the school feeling uncomfortable. Something didn’t sit right with her, and she couldn’t pinpoint what it was. She couldn’t even understand what this weird feeling was. It felt like her stomach was turning. Perhaps she was simply too nervous? After all, she had been on her toes the whole day because of her encounter with Jaeho. She knew what would happen if the wealthy, ill-tempered brats in her school decided to rage. The result would be so serious that it would deserve to be on the news headlines. Jaeho was the renowned, angelic student who all the kids wanted to be friends with. If something bad were to happen, then nobody would be on her side. Fortunately, school was over, and nothing bad had happened. Everything was the same as always, except Muyeol, who did nothing but slump over his desk and sleep all day. It seemed that she had been nervous for no reason. The more distance she put between herself and the school, the more she was able to calm down, finally allowing her aching, stiff shoulders to relax. ‘It was a fight between two brothers… Did I make a mistake by interfering in it? Do I meddle too much in others’ business? Perhaps the news about all the violence influenced me, and I ended up viewing Jaeho as a criminal when he actually was not? Will this incident make people think that Muyeol and I are involved with each other?’ thought Yiyoung. She suddenly stopped in the middle of the road and stomped her foot. ‘Nope. That’s not it. He is a criminal. Why would he slap my face so hard if he wasn’t? That stupid jerk!’ ‘It’s still too early to relax. Things won’t be fine just after one day. I need to be alert for the next few days. What he did was simply too much.’ She started walking again. She expected to find out more about Jaeho’s true nature within the next few days. Did he treat her that way simply because he got violently mad in the moment, or was he a naturally cruel person? Suddenly, she remembered that the boy who sat next to her in school hadn’t thanked her, although she did find topical medications in her desk’s drawer. “Did you put these in here?” she had asked Muyeol, holding out the medicine she had found in her desk. Muyeol lifted his head from the desk to look at her for a brief moment before swiftly turning away, as if he had just seen an ugly monster. ‘Or was it someone else?’ she had wondered. But that didn’t seem likely. When she had been chatting with the others in the morning, none of them seemed to care about her face. So she was sure Muyeol was the one who put the medicine there. “Thank you for these,” she had told him, but Muyeol didn’t respond. “Are you ever going to ever thank me for what I did for you?” Muyeol had waved his hand in return, dismissing her question. It stung when she put the ointment on her face, but the medicine seemed to be working well. She guessed it had been his way of expressing gratitude. “If the diary is that important to him, he should have hid it better,” Yiyoung muttered. Muyeol must have been arrogant if he did not expect that someone would have the guts to look for his possessions. But it made sense. No one cared about him at school. Even today, when Muyeol had slept through all the classes, none of the teachers said anything. Yiyoung sighed. “The adults are more problematic.” She wondered what she would have done had she been his teacher. It was at that moment a voice called out to her, “You’re going home now?” Yiyoung almost tripped from the shock. And it wasn’t just her, everyone around her was shocked by the sudden appearance of a gangster-like man. Sangsu rubbed his face awkwardly, wanting to escape from all the attention he had accidentally grabbed. He lifted the shopping bag hanging from his hand. “I was just passing by,” Sangsu tried explaining himself to Yiyoung. “You surprised me.” Yiyoung held a hand to her chest. “Are you on your way home?” he asked again. “Yeah.” “Then let’s go together. I was on my way home too.” Yiyoung didn’t know how to reply. She slowly walked behind him, scared out of her wits, trying to look for the perfect opportunity to escape. “If you’re scared, I’ll leave. I can understand. Some people are scared of me because of my looks,” Sangu said gently. ‘No… I didn’t mean to make him feel that way…’ she thought. She walked faster, falling into step beside Sangsu. “I don’t want to judge anyone simply based on how they look.” Sangsu looked at Yiyoung in awe, amazed by what she just said. She didn’t sound like a 14-year-old at all. But Yiyoung mistook it for a glare, so she added, “Yeah, I know… I know I was rude.” Sangsu chuckled. The girl beside him was such a bright child. He had received requests from all kinds of people during his career, but it was his first time protecting such a precious child. It was difficult to describe the kind of girl she was. But she was special, and Sangsu knew she would grow up to be someone important in the future. His work allowed him to meet many people, and out of all of them, she had the brightest eyes. According to the person who requested protection for her, the girl seemed like she was stuck in an awful situation, yet she didn’t seem the least bit bothered by it. “Don’t call yourself rude. You aren’t rude, because rude kids don’t admit their faults. I was just surprised to hear a young child like you say something so mature. So this is why your dad only had endless praises for you, huh?” Sangsu smiled. Yiyoung’s eyes widened, head snapping to look at Sangsu. She didn’t expect someone with such a scary face to say such words. “What’s wrong?” he asked, noticing her reaction. “I-I didn’t expect to receive a compliment.” Sangsu burst into laughter. The girl was so cute; he wished to have a niece just like her. “Despite how I look, I’m a bit of an emotional person.” Yiyoung giggled and apologized immediately. She truly had been rude this time. “I’m sorry. It wasn’t nice of me to say that.” “Yeah, you should feel sorry. I’m hurt.” Sangsu might as well have pouted.
Yiyoung smiled when he said he was hurt because of her. It was exactly what Joongho used to say to her. She believed it now, that Sangsu and her father were close friends. She was able to trust him a little more after that.
‘That’s right. There’s no way Dad would lie to me about it. I just couldn’t remember him, and that’s fine,’ she thought.
“I’ll be careful from now on,” she told Sangsu.
Her bright attitude brought a smile to Sangsu’s face. Having to live alone must have been so scary, but the kid seemed like she was used to it. She knew exactly what to do, and just like that, she must have been protecting herself all this while. What a smart kid.
Then Sangsu remembered what the requestor had specified.
“She’s a lonely child. Her father needs to call her and give her a heads up so she won’t doubt the security. Please treat her like she’s your niece. And you have to make sure you properly explain what Yiyoung is going through when you talk to her father,” he had said.
The requestor was probably Yiyoung’s Daddy-Long-Legs. Sangsu had only talked to the requestor over text, but he was able to discern that the requestor cared a lot about Yiyoung. The requestor was probably Yiyoung’s benefactor. It was great that she had such a caring supporter. He assumed that Joongho must have made great connections over the years to have someone support Yiyoung in such a manner.
“I heard you’re very smart. Which university are you planning to go to?” Sangsu inquired, just like uncles would ask their nieces and nephews. Normal uncles usually care about things like grades, after all.
“I just don’t get bad grades,” Yiyoung replied humbly.
“You don’t have to be so humble about your grades. Your dad praised you a lot, and he told me about your grades. You should brag about it to the whole world.”
Yiyoung giggled cheekily. “Then I won’t be humble anymore. I have the highest grades among all the students!”
As the two conversed, Muyeol watched them from a distance. He immediately recognized the man next to Yiyoung as the bodyguard he had hired for her. He observed them for a while longer, then started walking back home.
He didn’t like Shitty Yoon, but he at least knew he needed to give his gratitude. If Jaeho had gotten his hands on his diary, then the entire school would have been gossiping about Muyeol by now.
He only took a few steps before he looked at Yiyoung again, her figure blurring into the distance as she walked further away from him. She wasn’t as loud or annoying today. Something was off, and it made Muyeol feel like his day hadn’t begun properly. But… that was it. There was nothing special between them.
*
Yiyoung glanced at the empty seat next to her. Muyeol had gone to the nurse’s office, his fever having hit a new high yesterday.
“Why did he come to school? He should have just stayed home,” she muttered.
If he was just planning to sleep on his desk all day, then he shouldn’t have come to school, or at least left the school early instead of stubbornly trying to endure it. She realized just how bad his condition was when he couldn’t hold back anymore and finally went to the nurse’s office. The school had ended, and he still hadn’t returned, so Yiyoung stayed behind to protect his belongings while everyone else went home.
“What should I do?” she muttered, “I shouldn’t mind him. Why should I worry about him? Dad and I are going to see Mom tomorrow, I should just focus on myself.”
That was right. She was going to visit her Mom with Joongho tomorrow. Her father had already told her that he would come home in the morning. She would take a nice shower, wear her favorite dress, and go see her mother, and she couldn’t wait. Her mother was struggling between life and death… and the least Yiyoung could do was assure her that she was living well. She wanted to make her mother want to see her daughter do her best and awaken a strong will to live inside her.
Yiyoung looked around the empty classroom; by now, everyone was probably attending their private lessons. She looked at Muyeol’s bag, and it almost felt like the bag was staring right back at her, silently begging her to protect it.
‘I hate myself for being like this.’ Yiyoung groaned in frustration. ‘But what if Jaeho takes his bag again and digs through it? Argh, whatever! It’s Muyeol’s business anyway.’
Yiyoung ignored the imaginary cries of the bag and the classroom, seemingly determined… until she returned to grab Muyeol’s bag.
She sighed. ‘One day… I will get into huge trouble for caring too much about others’ business.’
* * *
Muyeol exhaled a hot puff of breath, trying to relax by closing his eyes. This time, his episode of fever seemed to be never-ending. His eyes burned, as if the sun itself was placed on his forehead. Like always, no doctor could offer a diagnosis. No one could pinpoint the exact cause for his condition. He felt so weak, not knowing how to handle all this fury stored within him.
Comments for chapter "Yiyoung left the school feeling uncomfortable. Something didn’t sit right with her, and she couldn’t pinpoint what it was. She couldn’t even understand what this weird feeling was. It felt like her stomach was turning. Perhaps she was simply too nervous? After all, she had been on her toes the whole day because of her encounter with Jaeho. She knew what would happen if the wealthy, ill-tempered brats in her school decided to rage. The result would be so serious that it would deserve to be on the news headlines. Jaeho was the renowned, angelic student who all the kids wanted to be friends with. If something bad were to happen, then nobody would be on her side. Fortunately, school was over, and nothing bad had happened. Everything was the same as always, except Muyeol, who did nothing but slump over his desk and sleep all day. It seemed that she had been nervous for no reason. The more distance she put between herself and the school, the more she was able to calm down, finally allowing her aching, stiff shoulders to relax. ‘It was a fight between two brothers… Did I make a mistake by interfering in it? Do I meddle too much in others’ business? Perhaps the news about all the violence influenced me, and I ended up viewing Jaeho as a criminal when he actually was not? Will this incident make people think that Muyeol and I are involved with each other?’ thought Yiyoung. She suddenly stopped in the middle of the road and stomped her foot. ‘Nope. That’s not it. He is a criminal. Why would he slap my face so hard if he wasn’t? That stupid jerk!’ ‘It’s still too early to relax. Things won’t be fine just after one day. I need to be alert for the next few days. What he did was simply too much.’ She started walking again. She expected to find out more about Jaeho’s true nature within the next few days. Did he treat her that way simply because he got violently mad in the moment, or was he a naturally cruel person? Suddenly, she remembered that the boy who sat next to her in school hadn’t thanked her, although she did find topical medications in her desk’s drawer. “Did you put these in here?” she had asked Muyeol, holding out the medicine she had found in her desk. Muyeol lifted his head from the desk to look at her for a brief moment before swiftly turning away, as if he had just seen an ugly monster. ‘Or was it someone else?’ she had wondered. But that didn’t seem likely. When she had been chatting with the others in the morning, none of them seemed to care about her face. So she was sure Muyeol was the one who put the medicine there. “Thank you for these,” she had told him, but Muyeol didn’t respond. “Are you ever going to ever thank me for what I did for you?” Muyeol had waved his hand in return, dismissing her question. It stung when she put the ointment on her face, but the medicine seemed to be working well. She guessed it had been his way of expressing gratitude. “If the diary is that important to him, he should have hid it better,” Yiyoung muttered. Muyeol must have been arrogant if he did not expect that someone would have the guts to look for his possessions. But it made sense. No one cared about him at school. Even today, when Muyeol had slept through all the classes, none of the teachers said anything. Yiyoung sighed. “The adults are more problematic.” She wondered what she would have done had she been his teacher. It was at that moment a voice called out to her, “You’re going home now?” Yiyoung almost tripped from the shock. And it wasn’t just her, everyone around her was shocked by the sudden appearance of a gangster-like man. Sangsu rubbed his face awkwardly, wanting to escape from all the attention he had accidentally grabbed. He lifted the shopping bag hanging from his hand. “I was just passing by,” Sangsu tried explaining himself to Yiyoung. “You surprised me.” Yiyoung held a hand to her chest. “Are you on your way home?” he asked again. “Yeah.” “Then let’s go together. I was on my way home too.” Yiyoung didn’t know how to reply. She slowly walked behind him, scared out of her wits, trying to look for the perfect opportunity to escape. “If you’re scared, I’ll leave. I can understand. Some people are scared of me because of my looks,” Sangu said gently. ‘No… I didn’t mean to make him feel that way…’ she thought. She walked faster, falling into step beside Sangsu. “I don’t want to judge anyone simply based on how they look.” Sangsu looked at Yiyoung in awe, amazed by what she just said. She didn’t sound like a 14-year-old at all. But Yiyoung mistook it for a glare, so she added, “Yeah, I know… I know I was rude.” Sangsu chuckled. The girl beside him was such a bright child. He had received requests from all kinds of people during his career, but it was his first time protecting such a precious child. It was difficult to describe the kind of girl she was. But she was special, and Sangsu knew she would grow up to be someone important in the future. His work allowed him to meet many people, and out of all of them, she had the brightest eyes. According to the person who requested protection for her, the girl seemed like she was stuck in an awful situation, yet she didn’t seem the least bit bothered by it. “Don’t call yourself rude. You aren’t rude, because rude kids don’t admit their faults. I was just surprised to hear a young child like you say something so mature. So this is why your dad only had endless praises for you, huh?” Sangsu smiled. Yiyoung’s eyes widened, head snapping to look at Sangsu. She didn’t expect someone with such a scary face to say such words. “What’s wrong?” he asked, noticing her reaction. “I-I didn’t expect to receive a compliment.” Sangsu burst into laughter. The girl was so cute; he wished to have a niece just like her. “Despite how I look, I’m a bit of an emotional person.” Yiyoung giggled and apologized immediately. She truly had been rude this time. “I’m sorry. It wasn’t nice of me to say that.” “Yeah, you should feel sorry. I’m hurt.” Sangsu might as well have pouted."
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