THE TRAGEDY OF YOUTH, jungwon ✓

02 | guardian cats

The second day we met up I was suffering from a sunburn. The skin on my face peeling and my arms covered in aloe vera were very good indications, and the boy noticed the second I tapped his shoulder and he turned around to face me. The day before, my mother had gotten angry with me before the boy had put his skates on, so I had to go, but we agreed to meet up at the same time and place.

"I know we agreed to meet today too," he frowned, "but that doesn't mean you can do this with a sunburn."

"Yes, I can," I said stubbornly. "Also, I thought you wouldn't help me if didn't come."

"I would have," he said with an even deeper frown. "I would. But you're not okay. You have a bad sunburn."

"Not an issue," I insisted, frowning at him. "I'm not going to take your help if you don't help me today."

He sighed. "Okay, strange girl. Let's go, then."

I didn't know why, but it seemed as if he thought he could take my hand any time he wanted to, and we had only known each other for about fifteen minutes in total. I didn't mind all that much. It was nice, having someone hold my hand so gently and guide me to where I needed to be (literally speaking).

For the next half an hour, he held my hands as we skated all over the park. He was there to catch me when I fell, and hold me steady as I struggled to regain my balance. He was the one who showed me the correct stance and held my hand as we finally sped down the higher, more dangerous ramps. I screamed and yelled and begged for him to stay close because if he didn't, I was sure that I would fall and break a bone.

"It's not that scary!" he said, laughing for the first time since I met him. I found that I rather liked it when he laughed. It made his big eyes sparkle and his delicate mouth look much friendlier. I had a feeling that he was really a lot nicer than he let on. "Come on, strange girl, we need to do something for practice!"

Eventually, I gave in, and let him guide me up to the highest ramp. As I looked down its length, I felt like the world was tilting beneath my feet. Fear made my hands damp, sweaty, and gross, really, but he didn't care. He held my hand and looked at me with a smile, which was coming much more easily now. "You ready?"

"No, but I—HELP!" I screamed. He hadn't let me finish and kicked off, dragging me along with him. Instinctively, even as I was screaming, I adjusted my stance and grabbed his hand for dear life, squeezing my eyes shut as the short burst of adrenaline made my heart do jumping jacks inside my chest.

We rolled to a stop a few feet away from the ramp. He looked at me with a big, smug grin. "See? Not so bad."

"I hate you," I panted, letting go of his hand and hugging myself. My heart raced, more with the sudden burst of adrenaline than lingering fear. "Don't do that without a proper warning next time."

"You're funny, strange girl," he commented, reaching up to undo his helmet.

"Yoora," I corrected him. "It's Song Yoora."

"That's a pretty name," he said. I smiled at him more genuinely, hearing in his voice the note of sincerity. "I'm Jungwon. Yang Jungwon."

I didn't tell him so, but I liked his name, too. It was a pretty name, too, to me.

"I think that's enough excitement for today," my mother called over from her normal spot, the shade on the bench under the tree. She frowned in our direction, having heard my terrified scream. I wished I hadn't done that; now she probably thought Jungwon was teasing me and making me uncomfortable.

For a mother who was more often than not at work, she sure knew how to worry.

As soon as I had that thought, I felt incredibly guilty. It wasn't my parents' fault that we weren't well-off, meaning they had to work a lot. All they wanted was to provide as best of a life as they could provide for me. Of course she was worried. She loved me more than I knew I could understand. I was young at the time, but even so, I understood that very well.