Voiceless Cries

Chapter 14 : Confrontation

That day, she appeared again in the clearing rimmed by tall trees. The sun bathed down upon her as she turned towards him. Her long hair played with the wind and brushed against her rosy cheeks and she graced him with a benign smile. She was the epitome of endless beauty and he yearned to curl between those two gentle hands.

“Mum,” he croaked and lurched towards the centre of the clearing. She seemed so close yet so distant. Then, her figure began to fade along with her luminous smile.

“Mum!” He let out a desolate cry as the woman disappeared and slipped away from his vision. What was left of her was a silver chain attached to a ring. Tears stung the back of his eyes as he picked the chain and he whimpered for his mother.

The sky turned into an ominous gray and he began to fall into abyss. He felt the wind rush through him and he grappled for something –anything—to hold on to. But there was nothing and he fell deeper and deeper into the darkness that threatened to swallow him whole. He felt his hands and next thing he knew, the silver chain was not there anymore. He had lost it.

Sunggyu’s eyes fluttered open and he shot up into a sitting position. He clutched the bed sheets with his breath racing. It was only a dream, it was only a dream, he soothed. He groped his neck to feel for the chain which hung there. It was still there. He exhaled and collapsed onto the mattress.

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Lashed by immense guilt, Myungsoo weaved through the hallways as soon as he set foot on the school grounds. He continued his quest to search for the girl who had managed to set his mind in tangles. Jiyeon. Myungsoo sifted through the unceasing sea of people and scanned every face and figure for the one that he was searching for. Then, amidst the crowd, a familiar profile of a girl ensnared his attention and he went to follow her.

Someone tapped his shoulder and he exhaled in frustration. He spun around and frowned at the guy beside him grudgingly. The guy winced a little but did not hint that he was going to move away and leave Myungsoo alone.

“What?” he said sharply.

A smile formed on his classmate’s lips and expanded by every second. Myungsoo glared at him.

“Just tell me what you want.”

“Miss Han wants to meet you. At the office.” He blurted and scurried away.

Miss Han? Of course, she was the history teacher. He looked back to where Jiyeon had disappeared and sighed at his failure to confront her. Myungsoo stormed out of the area.

Myungsoo knocked on her office door and poked his head in.

“Miss Han?” he inquired.

“Ah, there you are…” Miss Han’s soft voice grazed on his ears and soon, her profile came into view. She was a young woman in her late twenties and had long hair with natural curls that framed her pretty face. She was known to be soft, fun and generous with her praises which resulted in her mixing along well with her students.

Miss Han held the door open and smiled at Myungsoo.

“Remember when I told the class that I would give something to the top scorer of the history test?”

She revealed a bar of chocolate between her hands. Myungsoo examined the chocolate. Because of this little thing, he had lost Jiyeon. Myungsoo hardened his expression to prevent a groan from escaping his lips.

Miss Han noted the dissatisfaction in Myungsoo’s features. She rested her weight on one of her foot and let out an ‘understanding’ smile.

“It’s a delicious one,” she cooed, “I got it from France.”