Die as a Coward

Jinhyun's heart was racing. She was wearing an old red poncho which looked more like a garb. But despite her shabby clothes, she was regal and elegant. Her pearly skin shone brightly under the sunlight and her features were softer without the usual arrogance in her eyes.

"Ahjumma!" Ms. Song came running. Jinhyun frowned. The girl was much younger than Ms. Song. She was even younger than Jinhyun. Why was everyone calling her ahjumma? It was a term for older women. Why was everyone using this term for this girl?

"Siyoung," the girl greeted. "I hope the fair is going well."

"Yes, ahjumma," Ms. Song replied. "Thanks to the donation made by your daughter's company!"

Jinhyun's frown deepened. Daughter? This girl had a daughter who owned a company? Everything was very confusing for him. How did this person end up with a fully grown daughter when she was in her twenties? Was it another of her magic tricks?

The girl turned towards him. She was approaching his way. He was still in the costume, so she would not be able to tell who was behind the mask.

"Is our Joori enjoying the festivities?" she cooed at the little girl on Jinhyun's lap.

"Yea!" Joori exclaimed. The girl nodded and gave a small smile before Ms. Song whisked her away. Jinhyun stood there, stumped with so many questions. Did this mean everyone except him saw her as an old woman?

He tried to piece together the theory. He remembered the two times he had encountered her at the cafe. The first time, she was wearing similarly shabby clothes and everyone was looking down on her, calling her 'ahjumma'.

At that time, he thought they were bullying her due to the clothes she was wearing. But the second time, when he went to the cafe during the night, the staff were talking with her normally without calling her ahjumma. They were even intimidated by her beauty.

He also recalled the events of last night. After seeing how she turned a human being into a chameleon, there was no doubt in his mind that the girl possessed supernatural powers. If his theory was right, she can turn into an old woman and then into a young girl.

All he had to do was to verify it. But how?

"Yook!"

Joori's voice brought him out of his thoughts.

"Cweam!" she exclaimed, pointing at an ice cream truck. Jinhyun smiled and took her towards the ice cream truck.

"Let's sit down and eat the ice cream, okay Joori?" Jinhyun suggested.

"Okay!" she said happily as she slurped on her chocolate cone. Jinhyun led her towards a stone staircase right beside the main building. It was less crowded. He watched over her as she gobbled down her ice cream.

"She looks happy."

Startled, Jinhyun turned around. It was her!

Jinhyun stood up and slightly bowed his head. "Hello," he greeted.

"You must be the one who volunteered to be a mascot," she noted as she sat down next to Joori.

"Yes," he said, sitting down. Cherry frowned a little. The masked mascot was talking to her informally.

"Are you one of the staff members here?" she inquired.

"No, I used to live here," Jinhyun stated.

"Oh," Cherry frowned. There was something oddly familiar about this person but she could not pinpoint what exactly it is.

Suddenly Joori stood up. She saw some of her friends and sprinted off to play with them.

"Bye Yook!" she waved as she ran off.

"Bye Joori!" Jinhyun waved back.

"You know her?" Cherry frowned.

"No, I just met her at the fair," Jinhyun said.

"Why are you here?" she asked bluntly.

"I just came to visit my old home," he replied, feeling a little confused by her question.

"You're lying," she stated. "You're not here to visit your old home. Home is nothing but an abstract concept and there is no way would you consider this place your home. You may have lived here but if you had parents, you would not opt to live here. So no, Mr. Yogi. This isn't your home. "

Jinhyun was surprised and also uncomfortable with her logic.

"I… I," he stammered.

"You, you what?" she questioned. "Why are you really here?"

Her tone was not accusatory but rather straightforward. Even without seeing his face, she was able to easily discern his true feelings.

"I'm here because I wanted to escape," he admitted. "At this point, I don't know which path to take. I've left behind some very important things in life and promised myself that I'll succeed on my own. But now… The paths ahead are confusing. Should I give up what I want to do and conform to other people's advice? Or should I choose to trample upon everyone's expectations?"

He looked into the distance, lost in thought. He did not know why he was telling her all this. Maybe he just wanted to pour his heart out to someone.

Cherry sighed. "What's the point of having dreams if you're not selfish enough to work for them?" she questioned.

He turned to look at her. An arrogantly smug expression played on her face.

"If you think that you're going to make everyone happy by listening to them, then you're just being a coward who runs away from the slightest hurdle in your way," she went on. "Listening to everyone else may keep them happy but you…you'll die everyday with regrets. If you wanna die, then why not die while showing the middle finger to the world? It's not like people were kind to you. Why should you be kind to them?"

Her words were crass and blunt but they held the truth.

"Question is not what to do," Cherry said as she stood up to leave. "Question is whether you have the guts to do it. Either die a coward or die with your dreams. You'll end up dead someday anyway."

She turned around and began to ascend the stairs.

"What's your name?" he suddenly asked. It was his only chance to know her name. Probably even his last chance. All he wanted to know was her name.

She did not turn but answered, "Cherry. Wang Cherry."

With that, she went back to the fair. Jinhyun stood there, unmoving. Suddenly, he headed back to Ms. Song's office. Picking up a pen and paper, he began to work.

….

"Thank you ahjumma," Ms. Song thanked Cherry. "Please do stop by again."

Cherry nodded and was about to leave when Joori ran towards her.

"Ahjumma!" she called. Cherry turned around. The girl was holding a paper in her hands. She held it out.

"Is this for me?" Cherry asked. Joori nodded.

Cherry took the paper and unfolded it. Her heart skipped a beat.

It was her portrait. This time she was surrounded by the beauty of the fair. No doubt, it was drawn here. The artist had drawn her real face, that too during the daytime. She knew who the artist was. It was the mysterious Mr. J from the cafe.

Only this time, there was a signature on it.

"Love from Yogi."

Yogi…

"What a strange fate we have," she muttered as she put the picture in her bag. She could have asked the orphanage's officials for J's identity but decided against it. She had a feeling they would come face to face soon. Fate was already playing its cards.

With that, she exited the gates and disappeared out of sight.