The next morning, De Lan stepped out of the apartment early to wait for Jo Ri. His eyes were heavy with fatigue; he had spent the entire night awake, diving deep into the secrets of the "mobile phone," learning its intricacies. Tucked in his pocket was the kerchief, holding his surprise: a delicate necklace featuring a rose pendant with a ruby center that glowed with the intensity of a crimson petal. He had intended to give it to her yesterday, but Mi Fa's sudden appearance had sent her storming off without a word.
When Jo Ri descended the stairs, he froze. She wasn't wearing her school uniform. He stared at her, baffled. She didn't acknowledge him, walking right past him as if he were a ghost. He reached out and grabbed her backpack, forcing her to stop and face him.
- Why are you dressed like that?
She looked at him coldly.
- We have a field trip to the museum today. My friends and I decided not to wear our uniforms.
He looked her up and down, perplexed.
- Then do I need to wear something comfortable too?
She blinked, confused.
- Why? Are you coming on the trip, too?
- Yes. That's what the teacher said yesterday.
Her face had been radiant, but the moment she realized he would be accompanying them, her smile vanished. Her expression darkened, as if she were suddenly forced to spend her day in the company of a monster.
Running After Shadows and the Silence of Escape
De Lan walked away from her, heading upstairs, calling out, "Wait for me! I'll change and be right back!"
But the moment he stepped into the apartment and closed the door, Jo Ri walked away without hesitation. She refused to wait. She didn't want any threads binding them together; every time they met, the sorrows of the past flooded her veins like a torrential river. Wasn't he her jailer in the palace? Didn't he promise his beloved Mi Fa that he would erase Jo Ri from his life? Now, she was the one choosing to erase him. His words had been clear, and now, she would make her stance just as clear.
Minutes later, De Lan emerged from the apartment. He had dressed himself in jeans and a white t-shirt with English words he didn't quite understand. When he stepped onto the street, he found her gone. A surge of fury gripped him. Why did she treat him this way? Why wouldn't she even engage with him? Why did she always run while he was the one chasing? Didn't she want, even for a moment, to let him be a part of her life? At this stage, he was trying so hard to fix things, but she was adamantly refusing any reconciliation.
He started walking toward the school with long, angry strides. Suddenly, he picked up the pace, then faster, and faster, until he was sprinting with every ounce of his strength. He tore through the streets until he finally caught sight of Jo Ri, just as she turned the last corner toward the school. He dashed toward her, his breath coming in ragged gasps.
The Shock of the Encounter and the Riddles of the Past
De Lan caught up to Jo Ri, gasping for air, and placed a hand on her shoulder. Jo Ri flinched, pulling away quickly to face him.
- What do you think you're doing?!
De Lan struggled to steady his breathing, inhaling and exhaling deeply to regain his composure.
- Why... why did you leave without waiting for me?
- Didn't you say I was just the girl of 'the first night'?
She countered bitterly.
Well, that night ended a while ago. You are free to live the rest of your nights with the one who truly owns your heart.
Fury sparked in his eyes. He grabbed her wrist, his grip tightening as he struggled to find the words to defend himself but he was cut off.
- De Lan!
Mi Fa was approaching. De Lan immediately released Jo Ri, who began to rub her bruised wrist. She looked at him with icy indifference:
- I'm leaving. From today on, I wish you would leave me alone.
Mi Fa arrived and offered a polite, hollow smile.
- I hope I haven't interrupted anything important.
- No,
De Lan replied, his gaze locked on Jo Ri's retreating back,
It wasn't important.
He turned to Mi Fa.
- Was there something you wanted to talk about?
- Just a question,
Mi Fa said, her eyes narrowing.
- The day I hit Jo Ri with my bike, she looked at me in a way I didn't understand.
- Yes... I don't know how to explain it to you, but I...
Before he could finish, his friend Ha Ji appeared to greet him. Mi Fa smiled.
- It's alright. See you later.
As she walked away, De Lan watched her, a chill running down his spine. He thought to himself: Her gaze... it unnerves me. It's as if I've done something she knows about, but I don't. Was there a connection between the future De Lan and Mi Fa that I'm not aware of? Haunted by this thought, he followed his friend toward the school gates.
The Bus Journey and the Unbearable "Mosquito
The school yard was buzzing with activity. Students swarmed around the buses, eager to depart. De Lan's eyes were locked on Jo Ri; he searched for her amidst the crowds, tracking every move she made. Jo Ri boarded with her friends, and they sat together in adjacent rows, two to a seat. De Lan followed, boarding the same bus with his friends. As he passed her, he cast a lingering look at her. Jo Ri met his eyes with a sharp glare that silently demanded,
"What?"
He settled into the seat directly behind her. Then Ha Ji, his secret childhood friend, walked past. He glanced at Jo Ri with a faint smile that vanished instantly, then took a seat on the opposite side, as De Lan had aggressively placed his backpack on the seat beside him, refusing to let anyone else sit there.
Once everyone was settled, the teacher climbed aboard to count the students. In a moment of distraction, De Lan reached through the gap in Jo Ri's seat and pinched her hard! Jo Ri let out a yelp and jumped to her feet. Her friend beside her asked with concern,
- What's wrong?
Flustered, Jo Ri shot a glare at De Lan one that would have vaporized him if looks could kill and said:
- Nothing... it's as if a mischievous mosquito bit me.
Oh, tell me about it!
The friend agreed innocently.
- Mosquitoes are out of control this season.
Jo Ri sat back down, seething with anger. As the bus pulled away toward the museum, the cabin filled with the sounds of laughter and the sharing of chips, biscuits, and juices. Jo Ri found herself truly savoring the fact that she finally had friends to talk to. Deep down, however, she felt a pang of sadness as she recalled her harsh past in Joseon, where she never had the luxury of having even a single friend.
Seat Whispers and Maternal Suspicions
Time passed, and the bus quieted down. The friend sitting next to Jo Ri put on her headphones, shutting out the world. De Lan seized the moment, leaning closer to her seat, and whispered:
- Jo Ri, I need to talk to you.
She shivered at the proximity of his voice. Her eyes widened, and he repeated,
- Can you hear me? I need to talk.
She finally whispered back, having shaken off her initial shock:
"What is wrong with you? Don't bother. I told you not to speak to me."
- It's about my mother,
He said.
- What about her?
- This morning, she came into my room while I was pretending to be asleep. She just stood there, staring at me. I think... I think she realized I'm not her son.
Jo Ri sighed, exhausted.
- Don't jump to conclusions. Maybe she just wanted something. Please, just let me enjoy this trip. I don't want to carry any more burdens.
In a sudden, playful move, De Lan pulled a strand of her hair and wrapped it around his finger.
- You carry so many burdens, Princess.
She glared at him, seeing her hair between his fingers, and snatched it away with a sharp tug.
- If you don't stop and leave me alone, I will make the driver stop the bus and I will get off!
He leaned back, showing her his empty fingers, and replied with a smug smirk:
- As you wish.
She turned away from him. De Lan, in turn, tried to drift off to sleep, the rhythmic humming of the bus pulling him into a heavy drowsiness.
The Bus Heartbeats and the Suspended Moment
When the bus came to a stop, everyone scrambled to get off. Jo Ri noticed De Lan was still asleep, a magazine covering his face a habit from his childhood to ensure a deep, undisturbed rest. Everyone else exited, but he remained still.
Jo Ri knelt on her seat to gain height and reached out, pulling the magazine away. Suddenly, his hand shot out and clamped around hers. He opened one eye from behind the magazine still in her grip. Seeing how close they were, he stood up to face her, pulling her hand firmly until their faces were mere inches apart.
She tried to pull away, but his other hand moved behind her head, his fingers tangling in her soft hair, holding her in place. She tried to lean back, but his grip was firm. She remained trapped in his space, her heart pounding violently. His expression was unreadable, his eyes cold and steady, while the sound of their ragged breathing charged the air between them.
Her gaze drifted uncontrollably to his lips, hovering just inches from her own. Is he going to kiss me? she wondered. She tore her eyes away from the anticipation and searched his face with wide, stunned eyes, eventually locking back onto his gaze.
De Lan let her hand and reached into his pocket for the kerchief, only to be struck by the harsh realization: when he had changed his clothes, he had left the gift in the pocket of his school uniform trousers back home. Crushed by his own negligence,
Suddenly, he abruptly pulled his hand away from her hair and stepped back, grabbed his things, and walked off the bus. Jo Ri stayed frozen, kneeling on her seat, staring at the endless rows of chairs in the dim bus, the blinding light from the back window framing her in a surreal glow. Her trance was shattered by his voice calling out from outside:
- Aren't you coming, Princess?
The Museum Mask and the Trickery of Eyes
The word Princess snapped her back to reality. She remembered what she was: the exiled princess destined to be imprisoned in his palace. She glared at his back, burning with resentment. Why is he so cruel? Why must he constantly remind me of the past I'm trying to bury?
She turned to face him, her eyes bright with hurt. He strode back, grabbed her hand, and pulled her off the bus:
- Do we have to keep everyone waiting?
She followed him, feeling like a puppet on a string. As they stepped off the bus, she saw the entire group waiting by the museum entrance and there, right at the front, was Mi Fa. The moment De Lan's eyes landed on Mi Fa, he dropped Jo Ri's hand as if it forbidden for him, then walked away toward his friends, leaving Jo Ri standing there in a state of utter bewilderment.
Her friends immediately surrounded her, shooting glares at Mi Fa. Li Tana whispered fiercely:
- Don't be sad, Jo Ri. Tomorrow, he'll regret everything when he realizes you're irreplaceable!
- I don't care. Believe me, I don't care.
Despite her words, her heart told a different story. She was used to his erratic behavior, but what happened on the bus had been something new a seismic shift that had shattered her resolve and left her heart pounding in a rhythm she couldn't silence.
As they walked away from the bus, Jo Ri glanced back one last time. De Lan was watching her with cold, unreadable eyes as if the fire that had consumed the air between them just minutes ago had never existed.