Secrets and Lies

5.

The sun had descended behind the horizon several hours ago and the darkness of the night had enveloped the pulsating city. It was nearly midnight and Jiyoo was lazily staring at the clock, she wanted the remaining fifteen minutes to just pass by so that she could close the shop. There hadn't been any costumers visiting for nearly half an hour and the girl was bored. Her iPod would've been a great companion that moment, unfortunately had it been destroyed beyond use by that Chinese boy. Crossing her arms Jiyoo slumped down in the chair standing behind the counter.

Yongguk would come and pick her up once she'd closed and locked the place. Their Saturdays always ended like that. With them walking home together. Jiyoo felt a smile grace her lips as she thought about some of the memories she shared with Yongguk. That smile that'd caught her attention two years ago. Never in her life had she seen someone smile so brightly.

The girl's thoughts were abruptly interrupted as the bell over the entrance sounded, indicating that someone had entered the shop. Jiyoo was fast up on her feet's to greet the customer but she came to an immediate halt when her eyes fell upon the other person. The smile that'd been visible on her face faltered and she, on instinct, took a step back. Jiyoo felt irritation build up when his gaze met hers. Why was that boy everywhere she was?Her blood froze at the thought of him being a stalker. The young girl weren't easily scared, though, he was starting to get on her nerves. Jiyoo took a quick glance at the clock, only to notice that it was still ten minutes left.

Tao cleared his throat, he could sense the wariness in the air. Well, he didn't exactly blame the girl. It wasn't like she was the first one to act like that around him. He knew that his impression came of as cold and intense. Plus, the girl had probably every right to be doubtful after the small misunderstanding the other day. Tao broke the staring-contest and headed over to collect the things he needed. He could feel the girl's eyes on him all the whilst he was doing so. He was curious to what was running through her mind, did she believe that he would cause a ruckus there, too?

With a few bottles of water, a few cans of soda and then some snacks did the boy walk up to the cashier. His height towered over her and it weren't until then when he took notice of the girl's red hair. It was quite an unusual sight for him. His old high school had been really strict about things like that and no one were allowed to dye their hair. It could even lead to one being expelled. Maybe it wouldn't be that bad at Jawoon after all. He knew how angry he'd been at his parents when finding out about the transfer. Mainly because they'd done it without even consulting him about the matter. Tao's parents believed that it would further widen their son's perspective, something that was necessary as their family company made a lot of trades with Korean businesses.

Tao was supposed to take over the company once his father retired. Well, it wasn't like he had a choice. His parents expected him to do what they told him to and taking over the family business was one of those things. He loved his parents, but he had no interest in the company. The boy wanted to do what he himself found interesting and not what his parents told him. It was unfortunately not that easy though.

"That'll be fifteen thousand won." Jiyoo had to repeat herself two times before the boy reacted. His gaze snapped towards hers and she found herself slightly taken aback by the coldness displayed in his eyes. Jiyoo wanted Yongguk to arrive already. The boy in front was making her nervous. How would she know whether he planned something?Maybe he would pull out a knife from his jacket and rob her. Endless scenarios were flashing before her eyes. Ugh, what was she doing. Jiyoo shook her head to clear those images. Why would he rob her when they're attending the same high school, wouldn't that be ridiculously stupid?

Letting his hand slip into the pocket of his jeans he casually picked up enough money to pay with. Money had never been an issue for him. His bank account was loaded with a huge amount. His parents only wanted the best for him. Tao couldn't escape the stamp of being a rich kid. Though, he wouldn't let that define his personality. The last thing he wanted was for people to judge him according to how much money he had.

The sound of music sounded in the distance and he looked across the street, a group of boys were heading down the pavement, the clothes they were wearing was hanging onto their bodies and he could see that one of them were carrying a huge music-player over his shoulder. Tao wriggled his eyebrows in confusion, was that something normal?Jiyoo saw what he was looking at and smiled. The competition must've ended, and that meant that Yongguk would probably enter any minute.

She gave the clock a glance, it was less than five minutes left until she would head home and eat ramyeon together with her boyfriend. They would finish off every Saturday with eating ramyeon in front of the TV before going to bed. They'd done so for as long as she could remember.

"Here." Jiyoo held the money and the plastic bag out so that the boy could take them, something he also did. But he didn't leave like she'd expected him to. No, instead did the boy grab onto her hand. An action that sent shivers down her spine. "What are you doing?" Jiyoo gave him a hard stare whilst watching how he let his other hand slip inside his jacket. A moment later did the boy pull out a box wrapped in a decorative paper. It was now Jiyoo's turn to be confused as she let her gaze wander from the box to the boy.

Tao parted his lips, "iPod, new iPod." he pushed the box towards her. He had bought a new iPod for her since he'd accidentally broken hers. It took the girl a moment or two to understand. Not only because she found his Korean pronunciation to be a laughing matter, but also because she was overwhelmed. Maybe she had judged the boy a tad too fast. Maybe he wasn't so bad after all. Though, the boy was not even close to have won her trust. It took a lot more than that to gain such a thing.

Jiyoo was bewildered as he suddenly let go of her hand and walked out of there like nothing had happened. She stared after the boy as he vanished out of sight, and that before letting her gaze fall upon the box. How could he just buy her a new iPod so easily?She hadn't actually thought that he would buy her a new one, especially since the iPod she'd been using was the oldest model. The girl couldn't possibly accept the gift. Jiyoo had to give it back. A low voice within told her to just open it, the boy had after all destroyed her previous one. So, with a shrug of her shoulders she began to tear the paper away. Though, nothing could've prepared Jiyoo from what she saw. He'd replaced her old iPod with the latest on the market.

She was just about to let her fingers wrap around the device when her cell phone buzzed. A text message had just landed in her inbox and Jiyoo hurried to open it. "Sorry baby, can't pick you up tonight. Promise that I'll make it up to you ♥♥♥~"

The girl heaved a deep sigh. Yongguk had never ditched her on a Saturday before. He knew very well how much those times meant to her. Jiyoo's mood dropped significantly after have read the text. Now she had to close the shop and head home all by herself. "Boys, such weird creatures."