The American Jjang

Moving On

Jin-Hee spat out the pulpy filter of her last cigarette. She did not smoke often, yet when stressed she frequently burnt a death stick down before then chewing it into a sickening, oozy paste. It was not a healthy habit, however the young woman could not resist the nearly obsessive compulsion at the moment. Life was often stressful, however it was rarely as nerve wracking as it had been for the last few weeks.

Han Jin-Hee was moving. That alone wasn't the issue, of course. The problem was she was moving to a new country with the family she currently lived with. She had been under the roof of the Cho family for the last two years. They had adopted the girl after her house burned down late one night with her parents and two older brothers in it. The fire, Jin-Hee was certain, was meant to be a threat on her own life, however she had been out all night. The delinquent had been at the police station with an officer who kept an eye on the rebel. He lectured her all night about the dangers of staying out late, until the call came in about the Han household. Things were never quite the same after that, and it was most often reflected in the teenager's mood.

A bird flew overhead. Jin-Hee sighed and listened to the absolute quiet which the roof of the school offered to few, due to the fact she was often skipping class up there and fear of the delinquent leader outweighed the otherwise refreshing location. The silence made her feel utterly alone in the world, and that thought made her smile. She could not hear the cars, nor the lectures of her teachers. It was almost a paradise for the stressed out Jjang, the title which all her peers (and many of the faculty, when she was not around)addressed her by.

"Jin-Hee, how long have you been up here?"

The delinquent girl sat up and scratched at her head of ebony hair. What would have been a curtain of silken locks if she deigned to take care of it. As it was, stray strands stuck up in odd places and a streak of vibrant viridian contrasted the otherwise midnight tresses.

Dark blue eyes, which were normally brown without the assistance of colored contacts, squinted briefly up at the only peer in the building who could refer to the Jjang by the name her parents gifted her with.

"Min-Sook. My stomach was upset, so I came out to get some fresh air."

"When did you come out?"

Jin-Hee thought about it. "When did I get to school again?"

The quiet girl sighed and dropped her shoulders in defeat. "Halfway through the second class."

"Did I? And what time is it now?" Hours on the roof often felt like minutes.

Min-Sook pursed her lips into a thin line. "A quarter past two."

"So I've been up here for four hours, then." Jin-Hee dropped onto her back and resumed her contemplation of the clear blue sky.

"You can't be doing this in America, you know. It will give a bad impression and embarrass my parents." She sounded exasperated. "Jin-Hee, are you listening to me?"

"You know, you whine more than our homeroom teacher does about my uniform. I could beat you senseless and no one would care."

Min-Sook rolled her dark chestnut eyes before she crouched down next to her best friend. "Yes, the terrible Jjang is going to beat up the painter she lives with, and then explain to her parents what happened, escaping all consequences. Why are you so on edge today?"

Jin-Hee stared up silently at the other girl. Min-Sook wore wide, wire-rimmed, circular glasses. She had messy, wavy, sable colored hair, which she usually kept tied into two hastily made buns on either side of her head. No matter how much she tried, there were always loose wisps that fell against her smooth forehead, her cheeks, and the nape of her neck. At home she when painting, she usually wore a pair of old overalls, a black shirt, and half of the paint meant for the canvas decorated her as if she was a living display of art herself. She was a soft looking girl with some curve to her hips, and she was cute to the Jjang, in a sisterly way. If the delinquent didn't protect her, who knew what would happen to the sweet artist?