Beating In Sync : Han Seojun

03

TRIGGER WARNING!!

The bell jingled as Yunnie walked into the cafe, searching for a woman whom she was supposed to meet. Yunnie had to leave the festival early due to an urgent text.

"Sweetie! I'm here!" Yunnie looked to her left to see her mother. But as she walked closer, she noticed something different.

"Mom? Have you gained weight?"

"Aish. It's been two years since we met and the first thing you ask me if I've gained weight? My daughter is still her straightforward self huh?" Her mom, Young-Jin smiled at her as Yunnie hugged her.

"By the way, you have to come to my school tomorrow! We have a parent-teacher meeting tomorrow."

"oh yes! You had your exam, right? How was it? Oh, and you don't need money do you? Or is your salary from the military funding you enough?" Yunnie chuckled and answered all her questions.

"So? How was the military?"

And soon, Yunnie was rambling on with a huge smile on her face about her time as an underaged army officer. Believe it or not, her mother Young-Jin, was the only one who saw her smile. It took a whole hour for Yunnie to finish her stories in her two years in the military.

"So," Yunnie took a sip of her 'Oreo Choco Shake' to satisfy her dry mouth.

"Why did you want me here?"

"Finally you asked! So...are you ready?" Young-Jin asked excitedly.

Yunnie raised her eyebrows and nodded cautiously.

"I'm adopting a kid" She shoved some adoption papers into her daughter's face who squealed in delight.

"OMO! When did this happen?!?!!" Yunnie started asking her hands in fists, shaking them around, that being a habit of Yunnie when she was excited.

"Josh and I were trying for a year now! but we were unsuccessful, obviously! So he suggested we adopt a kid! And I wanted you to be here in person so I could tell you!" Josh was Young-Jin's second husband after she left Yunnie's biological dad eleven years ago.

Young-Jin left her first husband, Kim Jeong- Hoon, as he would hit her in private, unbeknownst to their daughter Yunnie and Young-Jin who was tired of the abuse, left her daughter and husband alone. It took Young-Jin only a short time to make up with Yunnie as she understood what her mom was going through. 

She knew herself. As her father would abuse her after her mom left. Yunnie's dad hitting her, was one of the two reasons why she decided to reside in the military.

But soon after Yunnie left her father, he took his own life, not in the right mind when he did so.

"Does your mom know?" Yunnie had ditched calling her grandmother 'grandma' a long time ago. She was very much against Young-Jin's and Josh's relationship and pretty much favoured Yunnie's biological father.

"Pft. NO. He doesn't need to."

"Uh-huh! Preach queen!" Yunnie and Young-Jin gave each other a high five before going back to their drinks.

"It's a boy," Young-Jin said unexpectedly, making Yunnie choke on her drink.

"I-I'm gonna have a stepbrother?" Yunnie asked in disbelief.

"YES!" Young-jin and Yunnie squealed once more.

~

It was yet another school day and as Yunnie walked towards the school and she heard a group of girls and boys talking about the epic basketball match between the two popular gods of the school, Suho and Seojun.

'What a pity. I could've been there for the drama...Aish.' She thought.

She entered the 2-5 classroom and sat next to a sleeping Han Seojun. Twenty minutes later, Mr Han came into the class and started giving out the results of the exam.

"Kang Soojin.......Kim Si Yeon......Sooa.....Kim Yunnie..." Yunnie got out of her seat and took her results out of her teacher's hands. She returned back to her seat and looked at her grades.

1st out of 25.

"Wah! We have another topper!!!" Hyunkyu yelled, peeking at Yunnie's results.

"YAH LEE SUHO! KIM YUNNIE TIED WITH YOU!" Immediately ruckus was caused once more. So huge that even Seojun tried to peep in her paper.

But at the corner of Yunnie's eyes, she saw Soojin crumple her paper and shove it into her bag.

~

After the parent-teacher meeting, Young-Jin went home due to the cramps she was getting.

Yunnie walked out into the courtyard to get some fresh air when she heard Jugyeong sitting on a bench on a call. 

"I love you, Dad. Okay."

Yunnie immediately thought of her dad. She had never said the words to him in the past eleven years. Then, memories flooded her mind. Memories of her dad hitting her in his drunk state and almost raping her. Then she thought of her harmed wrist. 

Yunnie felt tears shoot up in her eyes. She walked away to the girls' bathroom with her hand in her pocket, feeling the sharp blade of the pocket knife she kept hidden away. 

Her pace increased as she grasped the pocket knife tighter, she jogged to the bathroom, but as she was about to enter, she bumped into Lee Suho. 

The sound of the clattering of the pocket knife echoed throughout the empty corridor as it fell to the ground, at the Lee boy's feet. 

He looked at it, then at Yunnie's horror-struck and teary face. His eyes widened as he worked out her intentions.

"Yah. What were you going to do with that knife?"

Yunnie slid down the wall and Suho panicked. He kneeled before her and hesitantly grabbed her wrist and slid down the blazer of their uniform. To his horror, he saw many scars on her wrists.

He looked at Yunnie again, taking in her expression.

"You're having a panic attack." He muttered as he studied her face and listened to her fast breathing.

Then, he slowly and hesitantly hugged her. Knowing that Jugyeong did the same on the day of the festival. And for sure, Yunnie's breathing immediately calmed down.

After a few minutes, they broke apart. Yunnie came back to her senses and snatched the knife away from Suho. 

"You tell anyone about this...And you'll regret it." She walked away from Suho, leaving him kneeling on the ground. Yunnie couldn't believe it. He just saw her vulnerable side, and ........

her wrist.