SAVING MR. PARK | PJM

二十六

↳ ❝I BOUGHT ICE CREAM, sexy!❞

it was the best form of greeting she could possibly think of. she figured if she walked into his class with a quirky "good morning" (or even a faint "hello"), it wouldn't have provoked a promising response.

therefore, jay forced her entrance with a witty reminder of her promise: ice cream. she was certain that the frozen snack would brighten up mr. park's mood. mochi ice cream, in general, was capable of curing anything—deadly illnesses, complex disorders, and even their wobbling relationship.

"miss parker," he simply typed away at his computer as he unkindly acknowledged her presence. "i'm not in the mood for ice cream. thank you, but i believe your group of friends will better appreciate the gift."

jay nearly rolled her eyes at that.

why was he being so difficult?

she really didn't know what else to do.

jay had already apologized about a million times and meant it each time; she'd gone out of her way to stay in contact with him despite not being answered to; she made sure to remind him of how much she longed for his touch and soothing company through lengthy text messages and pleading voicemails; she constantly told him how much she missed staying over at his apartment (because she felt it cozier and more like home than her own house); she even attempted to visit his classroom every single morning as usual, but she would always find the door locked when she'd try to barge in.

but she didn't, nor would she ever, give up in trying. she was exceptionally determined to fix everything she had stupidly caused.

jay was a natural-born fighter, and because she was highly aware that her relationship was in peril, she opted to do everything in her power to save it.

and it was probably that same persistence what led him to do something different today.

unlike the previous mornings, mr. park left the door unlocked.

jay nearly peed herself when she successfully twisted the loose handle of his classroom door.

she'd been expecting to be met with another batch of disappointment—with an unmoving doorknob. but discovering that the door was actually open made her feel much more giddy and hopeful about her plan.

but now ... there she was, still being religiously ignored.

"yeah, i know. hobi and emz are both professional fatasses," jay concurred with his point, but she remained standing in front of his desk with crossed arms and inviting eyes. "but the ice cream is yours. you don't have to eat it right now if you're 'not in the mood,' but don't refuse it altogether the way you did with me at homecoming."

he ceased his typing upon hearing that.

"i thought we moved past that, jay," he choked a bit, reaching out for his lukewarm coffee and taking a small sip of it to soothe his parched throat.

considering their whole homecoming conflict was the only fight they've ever truly had (prior to this one), it always pained him to think about it.

he didn't like remembering how awful it had felt to spend sixteen torturous days without her. he didn't like remembering the mistake he'd obliviously made—it being the reason that the argument occurred in the first place. the sole memory of their fight was too agonizing for him to bear, so he undoubtedly preferred to never bring it up.