He Started It by Hitting on Me

And it Finally Happened

I tapped the pencil against the notebook. "It's the first one, right?" I queried, looking at Mi Young for confirmation. She nodded her head. A smile began to form on my lips. "Oh my God, look at me, I'm becoming smart!" I awed, squishing my cheeks with my hands. She rolled her eyes at me and pointed at the next problem.
"Do that one," she ordered as she did her own homework. As anyone can tell, we were at my house with the usual tutoring session. It's been a few weeks since that horrid event with Mi Young and Haneul. I told everyone that girl was no good. Did anyone believe me? Yes. But they were too lazy to do anything about it. It turns out Haneul admitted to everything she did and agreed to go to jail. Don't ask me why she decided that-just be glad she isn't in our lives anymore.
For now.
That day I didn't have a clue about anything until it was all over the news. There was a trial last week and Haneul was proven guilty. However, she looked more happy than devastated when we had all heard of this.
Once everything was over with and done, everyone went back to normal. School was over in a couple of weeks and activities were getting hectic. All this senior stuff was going to get in our heads, I am sure of that. Mi Young's pretty...weird. I mean; she's still the same but a tad nicer. When she acts kind something snaps in her some of the time and then she turns away.
That's ordinary, right?
I finished the other problem she gave me and pushed the paper towards her so she could check it. It took her about a few seconds and then she nodded at me. "Good, you're improving a lot," she commented, writing down another problem on the sheet of paper.
"Well, yeah, because you're tutoring me. I couldn't do before you helped," I confessed, glancing at the work she was giving me. It looked hard. Damn. Mi Young chuckled lightly.
"You're being hard on yourself. I'm sure you were okay before," she said, sliding the paper towards me. I stared blankly at her as I nodded slowly.
"Right," I replied monotonously. You didn't say that many months ago. "Hey, I took that college exam on Saturday..."
"How was it?"
"It was okay. Not great but not bad either. I don't think I'll be able to go to a good college," I muttered sadly. I didn't look for someone's help; I decided to do it on my own and studied for several hours. Do you know how many hours that are? A lot!
Mi Young shrugged. "Maybe you did well. I mean; you did study a lot, right?"
"Right..."
"Then you'll be fine." She smiled at me, a warm smile that was different from a lot of smiles she had given me in the past. I stared blankly at her.
"Right," I repeated, though there was no tone in my voice. I stared at her for a longer moment, gazing intently around for any sign of a joke. After that I turned back to my work and wrote nonsense on the paper. She didn't even snap at me for looking at her too long.
A few more minutes passed by just as the silence started to become overwhelming. I glanced at Mi Young, who was absorbed in her work. I looked back at my own paper. Thinking about the events and things that have happened, Mi Young's gotten different. It's so weird. Abnormal, really.
She hasn't really hit me (she's touched me to tell me to move out of the way, and I adored it but it was still uncommon), and whenever she talked to me it wasn't in that sarcastic, cold tone she uses. It's warm and somewhat light. It's almost like melted ice cream minus the stickiness.
Everything wasn't the same. It was the exact opposite.
And it crept the hell out of me.
Why would she be like this? Did I do something? Did Haneul beat her so bad that she forgot who she really was? The doctors said she didn't have a case of amnesia....
God, this is so freaky. I tapped the pencil against my chin and thought hard. Was there a specific reason as to why her personality softened? I mean, honestly, there really isn't anything that comes to mind.
Unless a particular feeling takes up that void space in her heart...meaning that feeling might-just might-be what I think it is....
I handed the paper to Mi Young. "Done," I announced.
She took it from me and checked it, nodding. "'Kay, you got it correct. I'll give you one more to make sure you're ready for next week's test," she informed me, writing on the same sheet of paper. I watched her as her hand moved against the sheet. She slid it to me and gestured to it. "You've got five minutes. Go." She went back to her own work. I didn't really follow her instructions; I stared at her for an extended period amount of time. I knew she felt my eyes on her, so her hand slowed down from writing. She looked up. "Yes?" she asked slowly.
I scrutinized her features. She still had those bruises that Haneul had given her. Her forehead had a slight scar, her nose a bit bruised, and her lower lip was busted, though it was healing gradually. On her cheeks she had scratches, and of course that made half her face red. I cocked my head to a small extent. "You have several wounds," I pointed out.
"That's what happens when you get beat up badly," she explained, nodding at a slow pace. I took a hand to her face and stroked it gently. She blinked once. I leaned in forward; she leaned slightly back. I stared into her eyes. They said nothing.
"I should try to heal them," I whispered, tending toward her. I placed my lips on her forehead where the scratch was. I let my lips linger there for a second more. I felt Mi Young tense only a bit.
"What're you doing?" she asked hastily.
"Healing your wounds," I answered, putting my lips against her nose. I felt it scrunch under my touch. I tell you, it wasn't out of disgust. I kissed both her cheeks ever so softly, as if I were afraid to hurt her.
I brushed my lips against her chin and I could see no kind of resistance. She asked why I was doing what I was doing, but other than that it was utter quiet from her. Just one more test to believe whether or not it's real.
After leaving her face alone, I looked at Mi Young closely. Her eyes were closed shut and her face was pinker than my lips. She opened one eyelid.
I smirked at her. "Were you expecting more?" I teased. Mi Young's whole face stormed into an angry, scornful expression. The pink on her face, though, stayed in place.
"You pabo, what were you doing exactly? Damn it, it was so reckless of you to do that and yet you still did it!" Mi Young kept on going, her anger never faltering at the least. I knew better.
"You didn't stop me," I said, putting this on her shoulders. Her scowl wavered.
"What?" she asked in an almost shaky voice.
"You let me go on, didn't you? And you didn't push me or cuss at me. Even when you were yelling at me, there was nothing like 'bastard' or ''. And the blush pretty much explains everything," I said, gesturing to her pinker-than-frosting look. Her hands quickly went up to her face and she frantically touched the places I kissed.
"You're lying," she accused.
I put my hands up in defense and shook my head. "Human nature doesn't lie," I spoke.
She looked at me in disbelief. My smirk came back to my face. "You like me," I stated.
"I do not."
"That's not what your actions say. Actions speak louder than words, if you haven't noticed."
"Why would you think I like you? I could like anyone else," she claimed.
I gave her a look of disbelief as I raised an eyebrow. "Really? You expect me to believe that?" I said.
"Well, I'm just saying," she muttered. I sighed as I shook my head.
"Denying is temporary. You know you have feelings for me," I grinned.
"I don't like you," she spat.
"You do."
"I don't."
"I know you do."
"I know I don't."
"Stop lying."
"You should stop talking."
"Wanna make out instead?"
"No!" Mi Young scrunched her face in what she's trying to make me see: disgust.
I smiled smugly. "You're pink again," I indicated, satisfied with what I was seeing. Her hands went up to her face again, her brow furrowed. I don't have a clue where this confidence began to arise in me, but from where I'm standing I must say I am making Mi Young look like a little girl whose in a death trap of a issue. I sighed. "Just accept it-you have a crush on me," I said, pointing at myself.
She folded her arms. "I don't have romantic feelings for you, boy," she glared at me.
"Oh, really? So if I, let's say, kiss you right now, what would you think of that?" I asked, knowing what her answer would be.
"Obviously I'll hat-"
"Right, of course you would. But you know you want it," I interrupted her.
"I don't want a kiss," she rolled her eyes.
"So kiss it is, then."
"No. Wait, what?" Before she could speak anymore, I began to lean in towards her, bringing my body with me. Her head leaned back, but no more than that. "You should stop before you regret it," she said in between clenched teeth. She did sound scary, I admit that, but the confidence was getting overwhelming and I had a feeling deep inside my gut I was going to be powerful in this moment. I placed one hand on her thigh and it tensed up. A small smirk tugged at my lips. I went for her lips as they waited for my arrival. However, they never got what they wanted.
I took a hold of her hand and gingerly placed a kiss on each fingernail. I took a hold of the other hand and kissed those fingernails as well. After I was done, I held her hands and looked at Mi Young. She was staring right back at me, completely bewildered. For the possible tenth time today, I smiled. "I knew you wanted me to kiss you," I said. Her blush grew pinker, though it was starting to look more red than pink.
"You are an evil bastard," she muttered, looking down at the floor.
I laughed as my eyes turned into little crescents. "I like you too," I replied, pulling her in for a hug. She was obviously shocked by this as a little grunt came out her mouth but her body relaxed and I felt her arm calm down on my back. And that was all I needed.