Seol Ah started to suspect that Jang Yu was up to no good. By the time Yu Young came home from grocery shopping, she started making dinner. Seol Ah walked out of her room to help Yu Young with dinner. The house was still and quiet with Po Lim. Yu Young left a bowl of dinner for her in case she planned on coming home. However, Po Lim never came home that night.
The next day came quicker than usual. Seol Ah carefully grabbed her backpack, avoiding the area where her injury was.
Seol Ah saw the lunchboxes and remembered that Po Lim didn't like her sending them. However, she took Po Lim's lunchbox anyway.
On the way to Po Lim's junior high school, she glanced over the gate, hoping to see anyone trustworthy. Suddenly—
BAM.
Seol Ah turned around and gasped.
"I'm sorry!" she said, rushing to aid the boy. The boy chuckled.
"No worries… it was my fault," he replied. Seol Ah bowed politely.
"No… I should not have been standing here. I am looking to give this to someone," Seol Ah pouted. The boy paused and looked at the lunchbox.
"A lover?"
Seol Ah blushed instantly and shook her head.
"No… my younger sister…" Seol Ah chuckled. The boy nodded, flustered.
"Oh… my bad…"
"It's fine. It's just… my sister doesn't want to see me…" Seol Ah stated.
"Really? If you don't mind, maybe I can help send it to her," the boy wondered. Seol Ah stared at the boy, observing his school outfit. Then she looked at his nametag. Kim Woo Sol.
"Is your name Kim Woo Sol?" Seol Ah asked. The boy, Woo Sol, nodded nervously, scratching his neck.
"Yes… I'm quite new here, so I don't really know anyone. But I can help you by passing it to her quietly," Woo Sol answered. Seol Ah subtly smiled and nodded.
"Thank you. It's for Jang Po Lim," Seol Ah explained. She handed the lunchbox to Woo Sol. He grabbed and smiled.
"I'll deliver it for you…" he paused, staring at her. She flinched and chuckled.
"I'm from Sesang High…" she stated, scratching her neck.
"Oh, so you're a Noona!" he chimed. Then he slapped his lips. "Oh, did I speak informally to you?"
"You're fine," she expressed calmly. She walked away, waving at Woo Sol. "Thank you once again… don't forget to give that to her!"
Seol Ah smiled on her way to her school, thinking about how cute the children were. As she stepped closer to the school entrance, she remembered. Jang Yu!
Jang Yu walked past the entrance slowly, covering her face as she went. Seol Ah frowned, recalling how the man had known about her TKD history the previous day. She stomped toward Jang Yu, grabbing Jang Yu's shoulder.
"Jang Yu," she called. Then she froze, mortified. Her eyes widened, and her face turned pale. She gasped. "What happened to you?"
Jang Yu averted her eyes from Seol Ah, her eyes blinking.
"S-Seol Ah…" she whimpered as pitifully as possible. "I… someone hurt me when I went home by myself."
Seol Ah took a step back, panting.
"But… by whom?"
"I don't know…" Jang Yu cried. She quickly covered her face with Seol Ah's jacket. "Someone kept asking me questions about you… if I didn't answer, then… they threatened to hurt my family and me."
Seol Ah's body flooded with shame and guilt. I can't believe I doubted you. She soothed Jang Yu as best as possible, leading her to the school nurse's office.
After the nurse's office, the nurse checked on Jang Yu and her wounds. The nurse glanced at Jang Yu with confusion. These… are self-inflicted types of wounds.
Jang Yu stared at the nurse coldly before breaking into a smile.
"Is everything alright, Nurse?" Jang Yu asked. The nurse nodded nervously.
"I applied ointment to your wounds… Seol Ah, you should return to class," the nurse commanded. Seol Ah nodded and stared at Jang Yu.
"I'll see you in class when you feel better," Seol Ah said. They waved each other goodbye. When the door closed, Jang Yu groaned and glared at the nurse.
"I want to be left alone…" she demanded. The nurse gulped and nodded.
"I got to deliver this…" the nurse hurried out of there.
Before Seol Ah reached the classroom door, Jin-ho stood in the hallway, waiting for her. He looked at her. She frowned, flushing with embarrassment and anger. She pretended that she didn't see him, but he held his chin up and crossed his arms.
"The wounds… are self-inflicted," Jin-ho admitted. Seol Ah paused and turned to him with a sour face. Jin-ho straightened as he locked eyes with her. "Don't trust someone without really knowing their past."
"And I should trust you?" Seol Ah questioned.
Jin-ho flinched, frowning.
"At least, trust what I'm saying right now…"
"Why?"
"Because… whatever happened yesterday might not be the end of it," Jin-ho stated.
Seol Ah looked away, pondering. What does he mean?
"You're not the first person that she's been friends with and got hurt… but you are the only one that escaped without really getting a broken bone or… losing a limb," Jin-ho revealed.
Seol Ah took a step back, staring at him as if he were insane.
"But… why would she—?" she paused. She thought about the past few days. How wary was Jang Yu when the distance between them stretched? Jin-ho glanced at Seol Ah and sighed heavily.
"Look… just be careful. Yesterday's coincidence won't be another coincidence today," Jin-ho stated.
Seol Ah mustered the courage to glare back at Jin-ho.
"And I guess you being there was also a coincidence?!" she argued. Then she marched into the classroom.
Jin-ho froze, his tongue caught. Before he realized it all, he muffled a laugh, placing his hand over his head.
"You're a spiteful girl…"
As the day progressed, the class soon came to a close. Seol Ah quickly put her books and notebooks into her backpack. When she turned around, Jin-ho stared at her, waving a hand at her with a small smile. She frowned, yet her heart skipped a beat. She looked away and hurried out of the school. Jin-ho chuckled, packing up as well.
Seol Ah rushed home, avoiding her usual path. As she got closer to home, she realized that the neighborhood was quiet. Too quiet.
She opened the door and removed her shoes.
"I'm home, Omma-nim!" Seol Ah yelled. Just as she turned around, a wooden stick came flying at her stomach. She instinctively crouched, raising her knee up, but she took a heavy blow and fell.
"Seol Ah!" Yu Young shouted in agony.
Seol Ah groaned on the floor, looking at Yu Young and the group of men that surrounded her. Seol Ah clamped her hand against the floor, picking herself up with one hand.
"Who… are you guys?" Seol Ah asked. "What do you guys want?!"
A little laughter rippled in the small room. A girl. A teenager as old as Seol Ah, or older…
"So, you're the one who dared to flirt with Jin-ho Oppa?" she questioned.
Seol Ah glared at the girl with her bloodshot eyes.
"I think you came for the wrong reason—"
"Jang Yu said that you dared touch Oppa's body… like," the girl chuckled. "A somewhat adopted daughter dared touch something so pure…"
Seol Ah spat her blood and stood. She took a deep breath.
"I don't fucken care about this Oppa that you like. Adopted? Who said I was? You're holding my mother hostage right now." Seol Ah posed her stance, steadying herself.
The girl smirked and tilted her head.
"You want a go? With me?" she teased.
She stepped closer to Seol Ah before turning around. Seol Ah got confused. Just before Seol Ah lowered her hands, the girl swiftly raised her heel and struck Seol Ah's chin. However, Seol Ah saw and grabbed it with her hands.
Seol Ah stepped back and twirled a kick to the girl's chest. The girl blocked it with her hands, yet she flew to the wall nearby. The men started charging toward Seol Ah, swinging their arms wildly from left to right.
Seol Ah slid on the ground toward Yu Young, grabbing a broken metal stick from the broken lamp. She then turned around and struck the nearest man. Once they realized that she had a weapon, they stopped and took a step back.
Seol Ah then stepped closer to Yu Young slowly.
"Omma…"
"Go… just go without me…" Yu Young cried. She caressed Seol Ah's arm. "They won't do anything to an old woman like me…"
"Omma! I'm not going to leave you behind!" Seol Ah sobbed angrily. She looked at the group of men, then at the girl. The girl sighed heavily, shaking the hair out of her face.
"Gosh, you're an annoying little fuck… who dares to strike a gangster's daughter like me?" she said. Then she smiled slyly. "Only an idiot who doesn't know about my father…"