Jangmi eventually arrived at university, she was on her way to her next lecture when Taehyung crossed her path.
"Oh, hi Taehyung" she said, giving him a small tight lipped smile. It felt awkward to see him after leaving him behind like that the other night.
"Jangmi where were you? You just disappeared and I was really worried. I thought something happened to you" he began to scold her, not even greeting her first. Fair enough, Jangmi thought. Taehyung was a decent guy. Even now, he was dressed in a clean white sweatshirt and light brown cargo pants. He looked like a trustworthy, artsy straight A student and that was who he was. Too perfect to be true.
"I am very sorry. I don't go to parties often, you see. With the stuffy air and loud music, I felt all dizzy. So I headed out for some fresh air and as I saw a taxi pulling up, I decided to go home before I fainted or something. I didn't want to ruin your night. I passed out on the couch immediately once I got home since I wasn't feeling too well. It was really rude of me to not tell you that I was leaving and not even at least text you. I am truly very sorry" Jangmi took in a deep breath after her lengthy apology. Taehyung looked at her through his long eyelashes, trying to keep a straight face, but he couldn't help but give in. Jangmi was growing on him already somehow.
"I will forgive you this once" he sighed, making Jangmi smile gratefully. "But if something like this happens again, a simple apology won't do."
"Noted" Jangmi said, "I will make it up to you. I will treat you to lunch some time, sounds good?"
"Sounds heavenly actually" he grinned.
"Now can you help me find this lecture hall?" she innocently batted her eyelashes at him.
Taehyung rolled his eyes playfully, "Follow me."
Jangmi fell in step after Taehyung.
Making herself comfortable in the first row, Jangmi began to take out her stuff. Taehyung had immediately headed for his own lecture once he had dropped her off. She was now alone and though she tried to pretend it didn't bother her, she really felt like she could use to have a friend to talk to in that moment. Thinking back to her friends at her old university, she felt a hollowness in her heart. Little things like ranting to your friend about the things that nagged you were actually really precious she realized. If Sunmi was there with her she would have told her about her broken light bulb or how much she craved homemade kimchi jjigae or how annoyed she was with her neighbor. Maybe she would have gushed a little about her handsome new friend Taehyung too.
The hall started to slowly fill with students but nobody sat next to her. 5 seats away from her sat a boy with shaggy black hair, his head buried in a book and earbuds in his ears. Though she wasn't a very talkative person, she craved to spark a conversation with anyone to make herself feel better. She needed the comfort of just conversing with someone in order not to drown in her arising worries. That comfort wasn't granted. The lecture started and the seats beside her remained empty. Not thinking too much into it, she reasoned it must be because she was sitting in the often despised front row.
Jangmi began to take notes in her notebook, focusing on the professor. Midway through the lecture, the professor announced that a group project was to be assigned.
"Your groups have been predetermined already. You can find the list on our online platform" he informed and all students began to murmur as they logged into the platform to take a look at the said list. Jangmi also turned on her laptop and opened the website, logging in and opening the list. She found her name fairly quickly. She was grouped with two other females, whose names she was completely unfamiliar with. These news actually sparked some joy in Jangmi since she thought that this was a nice opportunity to easily make friends.
"Your task is to develop a research question based upon one of the topics that I will provide you with and do research on it, summing up your results in a report of at least 15 pages. Try to get along with your group members please, you are grownups and I really don't want you emailing me asking to switch groups and what not. Work hard and hand in the project in four weeks time from now."
Noting down the due date and downloading the list of topics, Jangmi already began to brainstorm ideas for the project as the professor briefly introduced the topics and elaborated on formalities that should be taken into account in the written reports. The lecture passed by in a breeze and it was already time to leave for the next course.
"Take a minute to find your group members and exchange numbers before you leave" the professor suggested. Most students ignored his request and left the lecture hall. They probably already knew their partners and didn't need to find them in the first place. Jangmi stood near the entrance waiting on her group members.
"Are you Jisoo?" a short guy asked, approaching her. Shaking her head no shyly, she told him that she wasn't. A few more people asked for her name but none of them were her group members. Assuming they must have left already or perhaps hadn't even attended the lecture today, she decided to email them later and arrange a meeting with them soon. A little bummed, Jangmi moved on to her next lecture. During the lecture she emailed both her partners, trying to ignore the fact that she was sitting all alone again.
At lunch Jangmi looked for Taehyung but sadly couldn't spot him anywhere. So she sat by the window and ate alone. Opening her to-do list in her notes on her phone, she tried to figure out when she could get to do all of these things. There was so much to keep in mind that she felt a headache forming in her forehead.
At the end of her last class, Jangmi felt exhausted. It was late in the afternoon, and she had to head to work right after her last lecture. She didn't have the time to grab a bite to eat before she started working since she couldn't take a bus to her work place and had to walk all the way there. Her mood was very gloomy and though she was trying really hard to keep it together, she felt herself growing frustrated. She was tired and hungry and all the things she needed to get done were piling up, giving her brain no rest.
When she arrived at work, she was warmly greeted by Mr. Lee.
"I hope your day went well" he said, watching her drop off her things in the backroom.
"It was alright" Jangmi told him, mustering up a smile. There was something very comforting about him asking her how her day was. She didn't realize how much meaning such a simple question could have for her.
"You can take it slow today" he told her, "It's a quiet day today and there's not too much to do around."
The old man had noticed the bags underneath Jangmi's eyes, and he felt sorry for her. There was quite a lot to get done around the store, but he didn't want to stress her out. Jangmi felt grateful for his attempts to be considerate and understanding, but she didn't want him to pity her. She could do it. So many students out there were working part-time, some of them even full-time, and still managing their studies. Jangmi felt the necessity to prove herself and show she was just as capable of doing so as the majority of students.
A fire inside her was ignited, a determination so strong that it filled her tired body with energy instantaneously.
"It's okay sir" she said, "I am sure I will find something to do. I don't want to earn my money by just sitting around, waiting for customers. I think our window display could use some redecorating and I also wanted to organize your papers in the backroom some time."
The old man got the message, and he nodded his head in understanding, smiling. He could tell she was a very ambitious and honest person. That was admirable, yes. But the old man could also see how naive she was. It appeared, her fate was going to be inevitable.
Jangmi worked hard and didn't stand still for a second. She moved from task to task, occupying herself with work. It was nice to block out all of her thoughts by keeping her hands busy. She was so focused on the pile of papers, which she was putting away in binders according to categories, that she didn't even hear the jiggling of the bell as a customer entered the store. It was only when the customer called out for an employee in a rather loud voice that she immediately hurried to the front. Mr. Lee's hearing wasn't the best which was why he had missed the sound of the bell too.
"Ah, sorry sir. How can I help you?" Jangmi politely apologized, greeting the customer with a warm smile as she stood behind the counter. A man in his late thirties, dressed in a neat navy suit and dark sunglasses stood in front of her his lips in a thin line.
"We will see if you will be able to help me out or not" he remarked in a cold tone. Jangmi's smile faltered, but she forced herself to keep a friendly expression.
"Please go ahead" she encouraged.
"I am looking for a very special edition of a vinyl" the man said. "But I am not sure if a 15-year-old like you will know about it. Isn't there someone else I can talk to?"
Jangmi's face fell.
"Well, if you were to name the artist, I might be able to give you more information" she said, feeling enraged. 15-year-old? She was freaking 22.
The man snickered arrogantly, leaning his arm against the counter.
"Okay if you insist Barbie" he said, making Jangmi frown. Barbie? She wasn't even blonde. The man said a very long French title name and listed all the artists from memory, exaggerating his articulation as he tried to sound superior and intellectual but actually only making Jangmi cringe big time. Yet she couldn't just laugh in his face because the man was right after all, she had no clue what he was talking about. She had never heard of the artists before, and she didn't even know how to use the search program to see whether they had the said vinyl somewhere in their storage room. She didn't want to admit to this arrogant asshole that his assumptions about her were right. It was hard to swallow her pride and give him a fake smile for the sake of keeping her job. Her bills were already piling up and the money she had left wasn't enough to cover her spendings for the month.
"You were right Sir" she admitted, feeling her fingers shake, "I sadly cannot help you."
The man smirked satisfied and Jangmi felt empty. It took a toll on her mind even though it wasn't that big of an issue. It shouldn't have mattered this much to her. It shouldn't have gotten underneath her skin like this. But it did.
"Your pretty face gave it away" he scoffed, "Now go get someone who I can actually have a conversation with" he raised his voice, slamming his hand on the counter.
Taken aback by the man's harsh reaction and hurtful words that he had spit at her, Jangmi blinked a couple times. Her cheeks were aflame, and she felt extremely embarrassed and small. The customer had made her feel incompetent and stupid. She wasn't used to this sort of behavior towards herself.
Walking into the backroom, she told Mr. Lee that a customer was asking for him. The old man was totally oblivious to what had happened, since he hadn't heard any of the commotion. He clumsily got up from his seat and hurried to the front of the store. Jangmi remained in the backroom, taking a seat in order to calm her nerves. It was so hard to keep it together.
After her shift, the only thing she could feel were her feet aching. Apart from that she was completely empty. Her steps were slow and heavy as she walked home in the late evening. The streets were busy, as most people were returning home from work, the usual after work commotion. Jangmi didn't take much notice of her surroundings though. All she could think about were the belittling looks the customer had given her or the fact that her light bulb was broken, and she had no energy to stop by a market to get a new one. She had no idea what to have for dinner, and she dreaded to take the stairs to her apartment. All these thoughts were swirling around in her brain like a tornado.
But then her eyes finally focused on something or rather someone. It was none other's but Min Yoongi's strawberry blonde head. Jangmi immediately snapped out of her daze. Yoongi was headed straight across the street. He seemed to be following someone, as his eyes looked for a person. He was completely unaware of his surroundings, absorbed in his running thoughts as he suddenly headed to cross the street at a red light. Jangmi's eyes widened as she noticed he wasn't in his right mind and actually was about to cross the street despite the heavy traffic flow.
"Yoongi!" Jangmi found herself screaming as she ran towards him, her heart beating in her throat. Grabbing his arm last second and pulling him back onto the porch, a car honking multiple times as it zoomed past them. Yoongi stumbled backwards at the sudden tug and harshly pushed the person responsible to the ground. Jangmi fell down, scraping the skin on her elbows and feeling a jolt of pain shoot through her hips as she landed on the concrete with a thud. Yoongi looked absolutely bewildered as his eyes fell on Jangmi. He frowned for a second in confusion, before his eyes darkened, and he felt rage rise inside of him.
"Stop crossing my way!" he suddenly yelled at her, the veins on his neck swelling. Jangmi's eyes watered not only because of the pain in her hip but because the cup finally overflowed.
*A/N it has been so long, but here we go. I finally finished my exams, meaning I will post more often! I have so many ideas for this story and truly love this storyline so much, I wish I could write for this 24/7, I am not even kidding.
