Leaves of Remarks
As the bell rang after class, Hwan immediately prepared his backpack first before he runs to the hallway going to Mayu’s classroom. When he arrived outside the classroom he stood at the back door while searching for Mayu. He saw her sitting in the middle of the room.
“Mayu!” He called her out from the door.
Mayu stood up and put her backpack behind her and she stared at Hwan who was waving cheerfully to her. Mayu felt embarrassed as she saw him doing that. She felt like she had a protective older brother. Areum came towards her as she was looking at Hwan at the door.
“Are you two going somewhere?” Areum asked Mayu.
“Ani, my mom asked her mom to take me to their house after class,” Mayu said.
“Ye-sung’s mother seems to like you since you also love singing trot,” Areum said.
“Yeah, I guess because of that. Let’s go home together.”
“Mian, I can’t, I promised Mom that I’ll help her prepare our dinner tonight.”
“Araso, I’ll see you tomorrow then,” Mayu said.
“Okay, jalga*.” (Goodbye, informal)
Areum walked towards the door in front of the classroom to leave the area. While Mayu has no choice but to come to Hwan outside the door. Hwan smiled happily when Mayu approached him.
“Let’s go,” Hwan said. “Mom will be happy to see you. She loves singing with you in noraebang*.” (Karaoke)
“Yeah, I guess I’ll be singing with her until the night comes,” Mayu said.
As they walk in the hallway some students are standing outside the classroom while some are cleaning the floor. Mayu and Hwan are walking together carrying their backpack behind. They are both wearing their autumn coat outside their uniform. Now that Areum is not with them, Mayu finds it awkward to walk home with Hwan.
But she doesn’t feel uncomfortable as she is when Areum is with them. She just feels conscious of the situation. She feels uneasy like she has not talked to him before.
“Wanna watch a movie with me?” Hwan suddenly asked Mayu.
Mayu felt like her heart skipped a beat and that made her stop walking. “Bo?” She asked him as she looked at him.
Hwan also paused from walking and looked at her, “You like Cha Tae-hyun, right? He has a new movie coming next week.”
“Ah, y-yeah.” She continued walking while she could not stare at him. “I’ll tell Areum.”
Hwan started walking with her again, “Why would you tell her?”
“She would love to come with us.”
“She’s coming with us?”
“Yeah, why not?”
“No, I mean just the two of us,” Hwan said.
“Will it be boring if we watch it with just the two of us?”
“Ani, I do not get bored when I’m with you.”
Once again Mayu’s heart felt like it skipped another beat. She thought that Hwan has a manner of speaking that bothers her. Then she suddenly realized that maybe the reason why she felt awkward being alone with Hwan, was because he’s so casual and leaves unbelievable remarks to her.
“Liar,” Mayu said as she walked.
“No, I’m serious. I like being with you. Why? Am I boring to you?”
“Ani, I just felt like I’m bored to be with.”
Hwan chuckled, “You are not. My mom also likes to be with you. I guess that made me her son.”
Mayu secretly smiled on her side.
“I guess you don’t want to be with me.” Hwan suddenly said.
Mayu paused from walking. “Sometimes I would like to be with myself.”
Hwan slightly smiled then stared at her, “You don’t have to be alone. You’ve got me, didn’t you know that?”
Mayu was shocked by what Hwan had said. She doesn't know how to respond to that. She felt her heart skipping unusually on her chest and her face was burning.
Hwan also stopped walking as he stared at her with confusion.
“What’s wrong?” Hwan asked.
“N-n-nothing...” Mayu said as she continued walking fast down the stairway living Hwan alone.
“Wait for me, Mayu!” Hwan said as he followed Mayu walking fast down the stairway as well.
###
It’s been raining during the weekends. Hea was in the living room while watching the local weather news. The monsoon days of the summer season have started. The annual rainfall is heavy during the month of July and August. Although it has been raining the heat never decreases. The monsoon rain has made the other areas flooded and it created a fog on the mountains that surrounded the city of Seoul.
Mayu was sitting in front of her desk in her room with an open laptop. Her Bluetooth speaker was roaring with the loud volume of IU’s playlist. Her cellphone is also above the table while she repeatedly listens to the recording of the interview she had with Hwan. Through the answers of Hwan, she’s thinking of a title for the exhibit that will be happening. She’s writing the different kinds of titles on her laptop while listening when she suddenly stops typing.
“Do you have a favorite photo?”
“Hmm, I think I’ll have one today.”
“What do you mean?”
“I haven’t taken that photo yet.”
“Ah, okay,” Mayu said. “Is it important to take photos using a specific camera?”
She repeated this part one more time and made her Bluetooth speaker silent.
“Do you have a favorite photo?”
“Hmm, I think I’ll have one today.”
“What do you mean?”
“I haven’t taken that photo yet.”
She once again repeated this part while thinking.
“Do you have a favorite photo?”
“Hmm, I think I’ll have one today.”
“What do you mean?”
“I haven’t taken that photo yet.”
Then she paused the recording while she remembered that on the same day Hwan had taken a photo of her. Seconds after realizing this she shook her head.
“A-aniya*.” She told herself. (No way.)
She stopped listening to the recording to start writing on her laptop. Her phone above the table beside her laptop rang. When she saw the screen, it was Hwan. For
seconds she was thinking if she was going to answer it. She took a deep breath first before she answered the call.
“Wae?” She asked when she answered the call.
“I call to ask your permission,” Hwan said on another line.
“What is it?”
“Remember the photo I’ve taken of you?”
“Yeah, what about that?”
“I would like to display that on my exhibit?”
“Bo?! Why would you do that?!”
“It’s my favorite photo of you.”
Mayu paused for a second with a blank mind but with a fluttering heart. Seconds later she remembered what she thought a minute later before receiving the call. She does not know how to respond to this.
“W-w-wae?” The only thing she could say.
“You didn’t know that you have a fascinating smile?”
Mayu’s mouth had opened wide but that made her more speechless while she could feel the burning of her cheeks.
“I want everyone to see that part of you. That’s what I see when I’m with you.” Hwan continued talking over the phone.
She finally recalled that Hwan has his own way of words that captured her. She remembered the feeling when his remarks had impacted her thinking of him. But it was
also incomparable with his actions when Areum existed in the past. As of now, she’s thinking if she has not noticed his statements to her.
She touched the screen of her cellphone to see the photo of her which was taken by Hwan. She stared at her face for seconds. For her, it was just a brightly smiling eyes, with parallel chubby cheeks and cheerful lips.
“Mayu, are you there?” Hwan asked.
“Y-y-yeah, I’m still here.”
“What do you think?”
“It’s f-f-fine, you can.” Mayu finally said.
“Really? You’re not gonna ask me later to remove it, aren’t you?
“Y-yeah, it’s alright.”
“Araso, gomawo.”
“You’re not going to sell it, aren’t you?” Mayu asked.
She heard him smile, “No, it’s mine. That’s the replacement from my past sketch of you.”
“Y-yeah, you already said that.”
“You already have both copies so don’t ask me to give it to you, okay?”
“Araso, I will not.”
“Good, good night then, I’ll see you around.”
“Y-yeah, good night. See you.” Mayu said.
After she turned off the call she stared blankly into space. Her mind was vacant while summing up a dead end of her own feelings. She once again surveyed her photo on the screen of her phone. She wasn’t aware that she has that fascinating smile that Hwan said. Minutes later she found herself smiling in the midst of confusion. Her cheeks were still burning and her heartbeat was more unusual than before.
Then she typed on her laptop an option as a title for his exhibit, Hwan with His Fascinations.