The bell. It was my life saver, and I was moving before the sound even faded. I just wanna get away from her.
Kim Winter.
My bully.
Don't look back. Don't look back!
I reminded myself.
Because for me, Winter is...a weight. A shadow. I can practically feel her eyes on me, even when she's not there. It's unsettling.
I risked a glance over my shoulder as I hurried out of the room. The hallway was clear, thank God. But that didn't mean anything. Winter was persistent. She always got what she wanted.
It was scary... she was scary.
Think, think Jimin! Where can you go?
The library was out. That was my usual escape, my quiet place. But Winter knew that. She'd check there first. It was too obvious.
My feet led me to the back gate, the abandoned one. Overgrown, forgotten... a good place to disappear for a while, at least. I had to be careful squeezing through the narrow opening, trying not to snag my cast on the rusted metal.
I slipped through the rusted gate. The surroundings were a mess — crumbling walls and weeds pushing through the surface.
I made my way over to the old, crumbling grandstand and sat on one of the least-damaged concrete steps, pulling my knees up to my chest.
The racing...
The memory hit me hard. The roar of the engines, the cheering crowd, the flags. And then... the screech of tires, the blinding lights, the desperate scramble to get out of the way.
My arm throbbed, reminding me of how close I'd come to... to being a stain on the asphalt.
It had been Winter's idea.
It was a game, another form of entertainment for her and her friends. I was the pawn, the one they all watched with cruel amusement as I ran for my life.
I hadn't been trying to fit in. I'd been trying to survive. To make it through each day without becoming her next victim. But nothing I did ever seemed to be enough. God... I even tried to beg for the school head to drop my scholarship. But Winter... she - she wants me to stay. Money... her privilege... it's like she already bought my life — my high school life.
I remember her face, watching me from the sidelines. No emotion, maybe a hint of boredom. Just...watching. Like she was waiting for the show to begin.
She wanted to see me suffer. She wanted to see how far she could push me before I broke. And she enjoyed every second of it.
The thought made me shiver. It wasn't just a game. It was something darker, something deeply, disturbingly personal.
Why is she doing this again? Hasn't she had enough? And what was that back in the classroom?
The memory loss... I don't believe it. It has to be an act. There's no way someone can just forget everything, even speaking a foreign language? Winter wasn't fluent in English. And why is she wearing blue contact lenses? She hated blue, because I like blue. And I didn't know that she could twist someone's arm who was towering her with one hand!
I closed my eyes, trying to block it all out. But it was no use. Winter was everywhere. In my head, in my nightmares, in the very air I breathed.
And the worst part? The part that made me feel even more pathetic than I already did? Even after everything, even after all the pain she'd caused, I couldn't bring myself to hate her.
Maybe it was fear, maybe it was a form of Stockholm syndrome, but there was a part of me, a small, stupid part, that still... longed for her approval. And now, that kneeling, that concern... it just made everything even more confusing.
A twig snapped nearby, and my eyes flew open. I scanned the overgrown track, my heart hammering against my ribs. It was probably just a stray cat or a bird, but I couldn't shake the feeling that I was being watched.
She's here. I know she is.
I stood up, my legs shaky, as I clutched my cast protectively. I needed to get out of here.
As I turned to leave, I saw something. A single blue flower, lying on the ground near where I'd been sitting. It was small and delicate, with its blue petals reaching towards the sky.
What was it doing here? It was the wrong season for these flowers. And how had it appeared so suddenly?
What a beautiful flower... it's the color Winter used to mock me for liking.
I picked it up. It felt cold, almost unnatural, in my hand.
Then suddenly, a wave of dizziness washed over me, and I stumbled, nearly falling. I leaned against the crumbling wall of the grandstand, trying to steady myself.
Everything was spinning. The track, the sky, the flower in my hand.
And then, I saw her.
She was standing at the edge of the track, near the gate, her figure against the fading sunlight. Kim Winter.
She was wearing a long, dark coat, and her blue contacts seemed to glow in the dim light. She didn't say anything, didn't move. She just stood there, watching me.
The air felt cold, colder than anything I'd ever felt before. This wasn't the Winter I knew. This wasn't the Winter who tormented me, who pushed me to the brink of despair.
This was someone else.
I wanted to run, to scream, to disappear. But I couldn't move. I was frozen.
She took a step forward, and then another. And as she moved, I saw something in her hand. Something glinting in the light.
A knife.
My blood ran cold. This was it. This was how it ended.
I squeezed my eyes shut, bracing myself for the impact.
But the attack didn't come.
Instead, I heard her footsteps stop.
I forced my eyes open, my vision still blurry, my heart still racing.
She was now looking down at the knife in her hand.
She dropped it.
The knife clattered to the ground, the sound echoing in the silence. She looked up at me, her blue eyes filled with... was it regret? Confusion?
She took another step forward, and then another. And as she came closer, I saw something else.
Tears.
Tears were streaming down her face, blurring her blue eyes.
She reached out to me, her hand outstretched.
"Jimin-ah... please... forgive me..." she whispered, her voice hoarse.
I didn't know what to believe. I didn't know what to do.. But as I looked into her tear-filled eyes, I saw the sincerity in it.
I was about to reach for her hand but felt myself sliding on the side.
Darkness.
My head was pounding, and my arm throbbed.
I blinked, trying to get my eyes to focus. The rough scrape of concrete against my cheek told me I hadn't moved far. I was still at the abandoned track.
I pushed myself up, wincing as a sharp pain shot through my shoulder. I was leaning against the crumbling wall of the grandstand, my body slumped at an awkward angle.
How long was I out?
Okay, so it was a dream. It had to be.
But the memory clung to me, Winter's face, wet with tears. Her hand reaching. That broken plea. It felt too real.
This place, with the memories hunting me and this isolation, was making me paranoid.
I needed to get out of here, before I started seeing things that weren't even real.
"Seriously, Hyun, are you positive this is the right place?" That voice sounds familiar.
"Dude, I told you. This is gotta be one of Jimin's hideout. Relax, okay?" And that was Hyunjin, trying to sound reassuring, but I could still hear the concern in his voice.
I breath a sigh of relief. It was just them. My friends. Only friends.
"Jimin-ah? are you here?" Yep, definitely Yeji. Her voice was closer now.
Two figures burst through the overgrown path, their faces all scrunched up with worry.
"Jimin! Oh my god!"
Yeji spotted me first. Her eyes went wide with relief, but she still looked seriously concerned. She rushed over, her long black hair flying. Hyunjin, her fraternal twin, was right behind her, looking just as anxious.
"Jimin-ah! What are you doing here? You okay?" Yeji reached me, gently grabbing my uninjured arm. She was now checking me from head to toe. "Seriously, what's going on? I told you to rest for a month, you're barely healed!"
"Yeji... Hyun...What are you guys doing here?"
"What are we doing here? What are you doing here, Jimin? You should stay home, and that another viral video this morning! We tried to call you, but you DIDN'T answer your phone - we were freaking out!"
"Another video? What video?" I asked, my heart sinking.
"Doesn't matter right now," Hyunjin cut in. "What matters is you're here, alone, and you're supposed to be recovering. You need to take care of yourself, Jimin-ah."
Looking at them now, I was reminded of how lucky I was to have them in my life. They were the first two people who'd stood up for me. I still remember that time when Winter and her friend, Giselle had cornered me in the bathroom - it was a classic 'Mean Girls' scene, straight out of a movie, only way more terrifying when you're actually living it.
They'd been spreading rumors about me, nasty stuff, and I'd finally snapped and confronted Winter about it. Big fat mistake. She'd just smirked and led me into the bathroom, where her goons were waiting. They'd blocked the door, and Winter had started in on me, all sweet and innocent on the surface, but with this hatred in every word.
I'd tried to defend myself, but my voice was shaking so bad I could barely get a sentence out.I was trapped, my back against the cold tile wall, tears stinging my eyes. I honestly thought it was going to turn physical.
And then, out of nowhere, Yeji appeared. She'd just barged into the bathroom, her eyes blazing. I'd never seen her like that before. She'd started yelling right back at Winter's crew, not backing down an inch. It was chaos - hair pulling, insults flying, everyone shouting over each other. I was just standing there, frozen, completely stunned.
Just when it looked like things were about to escalate even further, Hyunjin had shown up. He'd just walked in, pulling her sister out of the mess. Followed by the teachers who immediately stopped the clash.
Yeji and Hyunjin had stayed with me until I calmed down, making sure I was okay. They even drove me home, ignoring the stares and whispers that followed us.
That was the day I realized they were different. They didn't care about the rumors, or the social status, or anything like that. They just cared about me.
Before I could even say a word, Yeji grabbed my other hand gently, her eyes searching mine. "Jimin-ah, what's going on? You can tell us. What's got you so freaked out? Is it about Kim Winter? Is it because she's here again?"
Hyunjin nodded, his expression serious. "Yeah, you know you can trust us, right? We're here for you."
I took a shaky breath, trying to find the words. "It's just... today was a total disaster. It all started when I made a complete idiot of myself in front of everyone, again." I mumbled, avoiding their gaze.
Yeji frowned, her grip tightening slightly. " It's the video wasn't it? I knew it! Don't worry, I'll take care of that."
I hesitated, the humiliation of the morning flooding back. "Okay, so... I finally got the nerve to go back to school, right? And I knew I had to... I had to try and make things right with Winter, somehow. I know it sounds crazy, but I was just so... scared..."
"Scared of what she'd do." Hyunjin finished softly, understanding in his eyes.
I nodded miserably. "Yeah. Exactly. After the accident... and everything... I just knew she'd be out for me. And with Felix and Giselle always around... I just didn't want to make things worse."
I bit my lip, "It's just... today's been so messed up. I... I feel like I needed to apologize to Winter. Which is, like, totally insane."
Yeji's eyebrows shot up. "Apologize? To that wicked witch? Are you kidding me? What for?"
"I know, I know, it sounds crazy... but after the accident, after she almost...you know... I just kept thinking she'd be furious. That she'd blame me for everything. And honestly, I was terrified of what she'd do, or what her friends would do. So, I guess I thought if I apologized first, maybe she'd go easy on me."
"You apologized? To Winter? What did you even say?" Hyunjin asked, his forehead creased, totally not liking what he's hearing.
Tears welled up in my eyes. "I... I don't even remember all of it..." I choked out. "I just remember... kneeling. I knelt down right in front of her, in the middle of the hallway. And I started saying all these stupid things... about how sorry I was, how I didn't mean for any of it to happen. It was so...humiliating. And everyone was laughing, pointing, it was expected that they started filming me with their phones... as usual."
My voice broke, and I had to pause to compose myself.
"What did Winter do? Did she say anything?" Yeji asked.
I shook my head, tears streaming down my face now. "She...she didn't do anything yet. She just stood there, looking... I don't know... almost confused, maybe? But what surprised me the most is that, she suddenly knelt too, saying I should not do that, she's helping up actually - and she's speaking English! Like she was actually born in the Western. And then Felix...Felix just lost it. He grabbed my hair and started yelling at me, saying I had no right to even show my face after what I'd done to his precious girlfriend."
"That jerk! Did he hit you? Tell me he didn't or I might-" Hyunjin exploded, clenching his fists.
I shook my head again, wiping away the tears with the back of my hand. "No... Winter...actually stopped him. She grabbed his arm and told him to let go."
"Wait, Winter knelt too? And she was speaking English? What the heck is going on?" Yeji exclaimed, confused.
"Tell me about it. It was the most bizarre thing ever. I'm down there, practically begging for forgiveness, and then she just... kneels down next to me, all concerned, and starts speaking perfect English. Like she's auditioning for a British drama. It was so out of context."
Hyun frowned, "English? Why English? She never speaks English."
"I know!" I exclaimed, throwing my uninjured hand up in exasperation. "That's what made it so weird! It was like she was a completely different person. The accent, the vocabulary... it was all so natural, so fluent. It was like she was trying to... I don't know... de-escalate the situation? And you may not believe it but Winter's wearing blue contacts. It just made everything ten times weirder."
"Okay, so Winter kneels, speaks flawless English, and stops Felix from going ballistic... what happened after that little performance?" Yeji asked.
"Well... Ms. Sung came."
Hyunjin blinked, momentarily distracted. "Ms. Sung? Our Korean Lit. teacher. She might've heard the commotion and came to see what was going on. "
Yeji, however, was still fixated on the more unreal yet real details. "Wait, back up. Blue contacts? Winter was wearing blue contacts? Are you serious? Since when does she wear contacts at all, let alone blue ones?"
"It was the cherry on top of the whole crazy sundae! I've never seen her wear contacts before, and suddenly she's rocking these ocean blue eyes like she's trying to be some kind of K-pop idol."
Hyun shook his head, like he was racking his big brain. "Blue contacts, English... It's like she's trying to reinvent herself... but why? And why now?"
I ran my free hand through my short black hair, frustrated.
"That's what I'm trying to figure out! It's like she's been replaced by a Stepford version of herself. All polite and perfect and... blue. It's just... creepy."
"Okay, so Ms. Sung arrives, Winter's rocking the blue-eyed ice queen look, and speaking like she just stepped out of a Shakespeare play... what happened then? Did Ms. Sung say anything?" Yeji asked.
I suddenly flinched, a wave of anxiety washing over me as I remembered Ms. Sung's words from earlier.
"Jimin? Hey, you okay? You just kind of... zoned out there for a second." I snapped back when I saw Hyun waving his hand in front of me.
"Yeah, sorry. It's just... Ms. Sung did say something. But it wasn't about Winter, exactly. It was... about me."
"About you? What do you mean?" Yeji asked, her full attention to me again.
I hesitated, unsure how to explain things, "She just... she just reminded me that I'm failing English... she said I need to attend cram school or... or I might see something ugly on my report card. Something that could ruin my grades."
Hyunjin snorted dismissively. "So? You've failed English before. It's not the end of the world. You can always retake it."
"It's not just about failing English, Hyun. It's about... about my future. Ms. Sung basically implied that if I don't get my act together, my university life could be ruined. And that scares me."
Yeji's face softened with concern. "Hey, don't stress too much about it, Jimin-ah. We're here for you, okay? We can totally help you study. We'll quiz you, make flashcards, whatever it takes. We'll get you through this."
Hyunjin nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah, seriously! We could even get you a tutor, if you want. Someone who really knows their stuff. Money's no object, you know that."
My heart fluttered with gratitude, but a feeling of discomfort quickly followed. The thought of accepting their money just didn't sit right with me. It felt like I was taking advantage of their generosity, over and over.
"Awe, you guys are the best. I really appreciate the offer, I do. But... I don't know... I just can't let you pay for a tutor for me. It feels like I'm taking advantage of you guys." I said, looking down on the ground.
Yeji frowned, tilting her head in confusion. "Taking advantage of us? Jimin, what are you talking about? We're your friends! We want to help you out. It's not like we're going to miss the money."
"I know..." I said, shaking my head gently. "It's not about the money, honestly. It's more about... me. I need to do this on my own, I think. I need to prove to myself that I can handle this, without relying on your guys' wallets."
Hyunjin sighed. "Okay, I get it. You want to be all independent and stuff. But are you sure you can handle it? English isn't exactly your favorite subject, to put it mildly."
"I know, it's a disaster zone. But I'm determined to try. I'll buckle down, ask Ms. Park for extra help during her office hours, and... and I'm going to start living in the library. Seriously, I'm gonna set up camp there." I joked, trying to light them up.
A comfortable silence settled over. I knew that I was incredibly lucky to have Yeji and Hyunjin in my life, friends who were always there to support me, even when I stubbornly insisted on doing things my own way.
As for Winter and I... I don't really know what's going to happen between us.