You're My Target

Chapter 57

After classes and seeing Soyeon and Jun together, Troy ran into Boram who went with him to get something to eat and to catch up on things.

"So, whats up with you?" Boram asked after swallowing a big bite of her hamburger. she sat next to Troy who was wearing a serious bummed out expression on his face. a plate of food sat in front of him, but he hadnt touched it. "is it the whole being arrested thing?"
Troy didnt answer her right away.
"is it because i was too hard on you? do you want an apology?" she asked him.

"no. it isnt you. i dont want an apology." Troy shook his head. "it's just ... Soyeon.. and Jun. i saw them.."

"dont tell me youre like this all because of them." Boram leaned her arm on the counter where they ate.

"it's just i thought they were over." Troy tried to hide the shakiness in his voice.

"and i thought you and soyeon were over?" Boram replied. "Look, soyeon and Jun have been on and off for awhile now. it wouldnt be strange if they did get back together. in fact i expect it to happen. no offense to you of course. but like i just said you did just break it off with her didnt you?"

"she broke up with me! because of eunjung." Troy said getting a bit emotional. "and i mean i .. care about her still."

"then why did you, tell her you guys shouldnt be together? then a day later get all whiny because shes with another guy? that doesnt make sense troy." Boram said, she took a bite out of her burger.

"so once again its my fault." Troy sighed.

"so i know thats not the only reason youre acting all emotional these last few days. whats up with you?" she pressed him.

"its just a lot of things. Eunjung, Hyomin. just stuff." Troy didnt really want to explain.

"Troy. what about that Mou person?" when she spoke those words troy turned slowly trying not too look to shocked she would ask that.

"Mou? my friend? what would he have to do with anything?" he asked. he tried to laugh to brush it off.

"Troy when you first came here he was roughing you up on the side of a street. then hes coming to your apartment and you say hes a friend from back home." Boram explained.

"he is a friend from back home." Troy shrugged.

"then why was he being so aggressive to you that day?" Boram asked. "and why were you hiding from him that day. the night i stayed over?"

"well. i guess you can say. I didnt leave on good terms with him." Troy said anything that sounded believable.

"Troy. be honest with me." Boram said getting up from the stool. "you dont have to lie to me. what youre saying right now makes him sound like a crazy ex. maybe Hyomin was right. maybe you are gay. bisexual at least."

"boram, im not lying." Troy put his hands up. "and IM NOT BISEXUAL. hes not an ex."

"youre hiding something troy and acting strange." Boram leaned toward him, getting face to face.

"no youre acting strange." Troy said trying to lean away from her.

"does he have anything to do with why you were arrested." she said, troy swallowed the lump in his throat and began to panic. "tell me troy."

"i uhhh.." troy had to think of something.

"then are you .. a criminal? or were you back home? are you some kind of drug seller or something?" Boram asked.

"drug.. seller?" Troy nearly fell off his stool. he had to hold back his laughter. "you mean dealer?"

"this isnt funny troy." Boram said putting her hands on her hips.

"Boram. im not a drug dealer. im just a dumb freshman" he said relieved.

"well that Mou guy is still shady." Boram said sitting back down.

"yea he can be." troy agreed with her. they sat silently for a moment.
"hey boram." troy spoke up. "thanks." He looked over to her and smiled.

she smiled back. "you gonna eat that burger?"

Troy slid his plate over to her.
"so, are you guys... on board with Eunjung leaving?" troy asked her.

"if its what she wants to do then yea. Qri and i will be in university next year. we are all gona have to branch out eventually." Boram told him. "besides its not like we arent going to never see each other or talk to each other again."

"yea. guess you have a point." Troy nodded.

"since we're on the subject, are you going to come with me to say bye to her?" Boram batted her eyes.

"i feel like we've said good bye so many times now. i dont want to over-do it." Troy shook his head no.

"oh come on. i came with you to get your moped and vent about soyeon." Boram protested.

"so, its not like everyone else wont be there with you. you dont need me there." Troy protested her protest.

"i know but i need a ride." She smiled.

"well at least youre honest about it." Troy couldnt help but smile as well. "fine ill give you a ride but im not staying long. i dont want to run into you know who." troy slumped onto the counter.

"why, you can talk to her and clear the air."

"we'll see." Troy sighed.
Troy and Boram finished eating at their favorite meet-up spot. instead of going home like troy originally planned, he went with Boram to get his moped and head to Eunjungs so they could say bye before she moved to her new home. Troy still didnt fully understand Eunjungs reason for leaving. She said she had too many painful memories. could those memories really outweigh all the good ones she made here? he didnt really dwell on it because he knew he couldnt change her mind. Her friends all seemed to support her choice as well. he could only wish her the best. when they arrived Troy was expecting to see Soyeon. He wasnt sure exactly what to say. he knew he had to say something. at the same time he didnt want to turn this event into a scene between them they were here for Eunjung after all, not troy and Soyeon. Boram knocked on Eunjungs door, and her parents answered. They greeted troy and boram and let them inside. There were some suitcases packed alongside the wall when you first walked in. It seemed eunjung wasnt wasting anytime getting ready to go.

"Boram, Troy. Thank you for coming." Eunjung said getting up from her couch to give them a hug.

"no problem girl." Boram said hugging her tightly.

"i felt like we havent said good bye enough. so here i am." Troy said scratching the back of his head.

"i thought you said this wasnt good bye." Eunjung said coming to give him a hug as well.

"it's not. its just a change of scenery." Jiyeon said from the couch.

"its true i dont want you to go. but its not up to me. its up to you. and if its what you want then you have my support." Troy said to her.

"you can always go with her." Hwayoung smugly remarked from the couch next to jiyeon.

"funny, i was going to say the same to you." he said peeking his head out around Eunjungs, to glare at Hwayoung.

"ok kids, calm down. we're here to have a good time." Boram said ending the sarcastic ruckus. Troy noticed Soyeon wasnt there. he was let down yet relieved at the same time.

"is Soyeon gona be here?" he asked.

"she was here earlier with Qri and.." Eunjung stopped.

"and.......?" Troy asked

"and they couldnt stay they had to go." She said quickly.

"ah, i see." Troy nodded.it looked like tonight wasnt the night for him to talk to her. the 5 of them sat together in Eunjungs living room. the girls did most of the talking, as troy mostly listened. Stories of old times, good, sad, bad and crazy the girls had shared. The longer he listened the more he felt like he shouldnt be there. he didnt intend to stay anyway. especially since soyeon wasnt there. he didnt want to be rude though and just sat quietly.
"and what about you troy?" Hwayoung said, snapping troy out of his thought.

"what? sorry." he said rejoining the conversation.

"do you remember how you 2 met." Jiyeon said pointing back and forth between Eunjung and himself.

"well i remember seeing her with Jang a lot. we sort of met that day in the agriculture class. but i dont think we actually really started talking until. well you know. after everything happened with Jang." Troy said getting choked up a bit.

"i did kind of brush you off in the beginning. i was skeptical because you were new. and i heard some rumors.." Eunjung snickered, and the others did as well.

"but now that i think about it, i was friends with you since the first day i came." he said pointing at Boram. "when these rumors about me came up why didnt you say otherwise?" troy tried to defend his reputation or whatever reputation he thought he had.

"Troy, i did. i said you werent a bad kid. i may have even put in a good word for you with Soyeon." Boram sank into the reclining chair she was on and folded her arms.

"actually thats true, but we thought she was just saying that because you 2 loved to eat together. Boram loves anyone if food is involved." Hwayoung added.

"but you guys knew me too!" Troy pleaded.

"yea and we thought you were a oogling stalker." Jiyeon and hwayoung laughed.

"it's okay Troy. we know the real you now." Eunjung said to cheer him up. Those words however did not help at all. Troy looked at the floor and nodded slowly.

"are you alright?" Boram asked him.

"i just. its nothing. forget it." Troy said trying to avoid it.

"maybe he doesnt like good byes." Hwayoung shrugged.

"its because hes in a sour mood because of getting accused of kidnapping. and now we're talking about Jang which isnt helping. we need to find this kid a girlfriend." Boram said slapping him on the back.

"i need some air." troy said excusing himself from the room.

"good job Boram, you made him upset." he heard Eunjung say as he walked out the door. Troy stood alone on Eunjungs front porch and took a deep breath.

"the real me." he sighed to himself. as he spoke eunjung followed him outside.

"you ok?" she asked him.

"yea just, thinking about things i dont like to think about." troy said forcing a smile.

"wanna just, run away with me?" Eunjung said nudging him with her eblow.

"you know. i probably should." Troy said laughing.

"troy you saw Jang the day he died." Eunjung said suddenly. "what do you think happened to him?"

"i told you. he was trying to stand up, and take action i guess." Troy shrugged. he honestly couldnt remember what he had told Eunjung in the past.

"no. the people who found his body .. they told his parents he had been shot." Eunjung said.

"well. that makes sense. we were invaded. by people with guns." Troy explained as cautiously as he could. "whats this all about all of a sudden?"

"im happy. happy that the fighting has stopped, for now. i dont want anyone else to be taken away like Jang was from me. but deep down. theres a part of me... it wishes the fighting would start again so we can hurt anyone who may have had to do with killing him." Eunjung said. Troy heard an anger in her voice he never heard before.

"its normal to feel that way." Troy tried to reassure her.

"i really wish i could meet the person or persons who would shoot a civilian boy. and ask them why before i .. i..do to them what they did to Jang" Eunjungs voice started shaking. her eyes began to water.

"relax. dont you get all emotional now too." Troy told her. her words struck a very sensitive nerve inside troy. Hwayoung popped her head out Eunjungs door.

"hey, you coming inside? we came here for you and youre out here."

"yea, im coming." Eunjung said collecting herself and heading inside.

"whats up with her?" Hwayoung asked as Eunjung hastily went back inside. Troy didnt answer. he too was upset.
"hey, you know im beginning to think i should have let you stay locked up!" Hwayoung said agitated at troy. Troys eyes squinted and his head turned slowly to hwayoung who was glaring right back at him.

"what did you say?"

"i said i shouldnt have helped you! youve been nothing but a giant jerk since youve been back." Hwayoung wanted to shout but kep ther voice low. Troy pulled Hwayoung by her arm outside the door, and pushed it closed.

"what are you saying exactly?" Troy had an idea what she was saying, but he wanted her to confirm it herself.

"guess you havent narrowed it down yet." she yanked her arm free from troys grasp. "i was the one who came forward for you. i told them you were with me at one point during the night Hyomin went missing. and now im regretting it!"

"youre right, you should have left me in there." troy said turning away. Hwayoung was surprised at troys comment.

 "why is that?" she asked but sounded a lot less angry. Troy just shook his head. he started to walk away from the porch. "hey dont you just walk away after all that!" hwayoung said stomping after him.

"leave me alone." troy said continuing to walk.

"maybe ill just take my statement back." hwayoung said grumpily behind him.

"then do it!" Troy turned to her and yelled. Hwayoung flinched from his sudden outburst. "just. just go inside, and be with your friend." Troy said calmly. "im sorry."

"fine. but you really disappoint me troy." Hwayoung said turning away.

"....wait." troy said stopping her as she got back to the porch. "why would you .. why would you say i was your alibi. why help me to begin with?"

"troy. if they threw you into prison, id never know the truth." Hwayoung said standing at eunjungs door. Troy looked into her determined, unblinking eyes, but had nothing he could say. She opened the door, and went back inside.