사랑시 (Twinkling Watermelon ff)

13. Sign language

Yeon Yi-joo

"I swear I'll kill him once I find him", I muttered under my breath.

Even after searching for Eungyeol ever since I found out about Ajhumma in the morning, I couldn't find him anywhere, so I returned to my school and got detention on the first day for skipping the class after hearing an earful from my homeroom teacher.

“Finally”, I stretched my aching arms before resting my head on the desk, after wiping out all the windows in the library.

Feeling a tap on my shoulder, I lifted my head up. It was Aunt Chungha (or just Chungha). She gave me a piece of paper and started walking away.

I opened the paper.

The homeroom teacher wanted you to meet her tomorrow at break.

“Wait”, I held her hand, stopping her.

“Ice cream?” I asked her using sign language.

Instead of replying using sign language, She took a book out and monitored me to write, but she left after writing that she had plans after reading what I wrote.

One thing was for sure, Ajhumma didn't know sign language, and that was confusing as fuck.

After cleaning everything, I took my bag and made my way towards the guesthouse, hoping I would meet Eungyeol. But it all went vain because Eungyeol and Yi-chan didn't return.

“How is it?” I gazed over grandma, who was trying the strew I made, biting my nails, anxiously. She took the first bite, tilting her head. Then she took the second one and paused right before taking the third one.

“You don't like it?” I asked her, looking for a reaction from her.

“I could sell this," she exclaimed with a smile, making me reciprocate the smile back to her.

“Where did you learn making this?”

From Chef Paik's YouTube channel.

Since my mother was always at work and I used to love recreating recipes by referring to those YouTube videos.

“From a recipe book”, I lied. There was no way I was going to tell her that, I was almost a decade behind for YouTube.

“Grandma, We are back”

My eyes fell on the door as I heard Yi-chan's voice. Fucking finally.

"Yah! Ha Eungyeol, I was searching for you since morning. I need to talk to you about something”, I ran towards him as soon as I saw him behind Yi-chan.

“Yi-joo, after dinner. It's already late”, Grandma spoke sternly.

After eating the dinner as grandma said, I pulled Eungyeol into my room.

“So? What-”

“BLOOD?” A scream, left my mouth when I saw a few scratches on his elbow. I ran out to bring the first aid box from Grandma's room, ignoring Eungyeol, who was asking me to stop.

“It'll hurt," I warned before disinfecting the scratch with the alcohol, “What happened?”, I questioned. “Dad almost got into an accident, so I pushed him away and we both fell down”

“Be careful”, I put a band-aid over it.

“Why were you searching for me anyways?” He asked.

“I found Chungha Ajhumma”

“Eomma? When? How? What happen-”

“Calm down boy. Let me complete”, I started to tell him about everything that happened today.

“Come to my school tomorrow. You'll be able to see her. But do you know what I found out when I went there?”

“What?”

“It's the same school my mother goes to”

“You saw Ajhumma?”

“Not yet. I need to find her tomorrow. So that I find out about dad and what made her to hide me from him”

“Last time you were saying that I knew your dad, remember? Who is-”

“YAH, HA EUNGYEOL!!!! What are you doing in a girl's room this late? Are you a pervert?” Yi-chan busted the door open, frightening both of us.

He was too dramatic, making me wonder what happened to him that he had a 180⁰ personality change in the future.

“Hey”, I called out, Eungyeol as he was about to close the door of my room after stepping out. I stood up and walked near him awkwardly.

You got this Yi-joo!!

“About what happened in the morning”, I was hesitant about it but continued anyways, “I didn't mean anything else. I just noticed that you had long eyelashes and I, I just found t-them pretty. That's it”

“Arras-”

Before he could complete, I shut the door, slapping myself.

Why did you stutter, Yeon Yi-joo?