HEAVENLY CHILD

Finale (part one)

Haneul and I had been doing really well for the past month. I had been booked and busy as Haneul called it and my career seemed to have skyrocketed from day to night.

I trusted that Haneul had stuck to his word and stopped being mean to Chonghee and stopped treating her like trash because I really hated that.

This was one of the rare days I could be on campus with my extremely busy schedule. I was keeping on top of my classes but it was just barely and due to Haneul always helping with my school work.

I texted Haneul telling him I would be waiting for him in the common study area. He woke up late and decided to go and get food even though his class had started.

Sometimes I worried about how carefree he was.

"Can I talk to you?"

I almost jumped out of my skin turning around surprised hearing the girl's voice. Chonghee looked like a shell of herself and her eyes looked very tired. She looked like she was drowning in the oversized hoodie and her voice was small.

Did she... ever look like this?

"Chonghee, ar-are you ok-okay," I asked standing up from my seat looking at the girl with concern. Her face looked really thin too... like unnaturally so.

"Forget it," she rushed out trying to leave but I held onto her wrist.

"Is the cafe a-across from campus o-okay?"

She slowly nodded her head bitting her lip nervously. "Somewhere discrete," she softly agreed, "if people see me talking to you they'll get worse."
...

It's not true.

"They just keep bullying me," Chonghee cried softly trying to get her words out. "I don't know how much more I can take."

"Han-Haneul said h-he'd st-stop messing with you-"

"He won't tell them to stop... and all the girls sucking up to Jiho keep getting worse and worse to please her... I can't take it anymore."

I held Chonghee's hand feeling awful that Haneul hadn't nipped all this in the bud the way I wanted him to. I also felt extremely betrayed that he just thought... he could keep going despite my feelings.

She had done a lot of wrong but, I couldn't sit there and be quiet when someone was being bullied. Especially because I was at the centre of it.

"I-I'm sorry," I apologised tearing up with her. "T-that's horrible."

"I didn't know who else to talk to... I was wrong and- I was beyond crazy but- but I can't take it- Daeun filled my pencil case with spoiled milk and-"

I let Chonghee get her feelings out offering a listening ear. At this moment, I knew that something between Haneul and I had to change going forward.
...

"What's wrong," Haneul asked immediately when I turned my face when he tried to kiss me.

"You thought I w-wouldn't find out?"

At this point I didn't care that we were at the school parking lot or that people were staring. I was just so angry.

"About what," Haneul asked with a confused expression leaning back on his car.

"I told you to stop and you p-promised you would so, why w-would you not n-nip everything with Chonghee in the bud?! I told you I w-wanted that to be d-done and you p-promised Haneul!"

"It is done," he replied calmly keeping eye contact with me. "I haven't done anything to her since I told you I wouldn't."

"But you d-dint tell e-everyond e-else to stop," I argued feeling angrier that he was completely calm and collected.

"Everyone is an adult- wait I'm sorry," he panicked when he saw me start to walk away. I snatched my hand away from him just tired of him being defensive instead of understanding.

"Y-you lie-lied to me."

"I didn't."

"Y-you k-knew that I-I was asking everyone to l-leave her alone wh-when I told you to stop."

"Okay, I did," he admitted. "But why should I have to step up and save her? She didn't give a fuck when she was doing all that shit to you - why should I give a fuck when shit is happening to her-"

"B-because if you cared a-about me, y-you'd l-listen when I tell you to s-stop b-because its n-not about her, it's abo-about you l-listening to my feelings."

I faced away from him trying to stop myself from tearing up and wiping a few tears that escaped. Because I'm distracted and emotional...

"Sunghoo," Haneul tried gently to touch my arm but I snatched away from him again not wanting to turn towards him or melt into his touch. "I'm sorry, I should have listened to you but, she just makes me angry. I can't control myself when someone hurts you. I-"

"If you want a ch-chance a-at g-getting me-me to forgive you, you-you'll p-put an end to this."

I heard Haneul call out to me but I continued walking away not really feeling like talking to him right now.