Faded // Bang Chan

Chapter 19 - The Na Ri of the Past

"How the heck do you know In Ho?" Jungsoo questioned. Ji Yeon's eyes widened for a second at the mention of his name before she glanced at the grave behind her, a small sigh leaving her lips. She turned her focus back to Jungsoo who's eyes were fixated on the tombstone behind the blonde girl. 

"We were friends, I guess." She replied sadly, her head facing down towards the ground as though she was ashamed. "You guess?" He retorted, finding her response slightly offensive. Her head shot up at his harsh tone and her pale skin burned red. "I didn't mean it like that, I swear! I only met him once but he meant a great deal to me." Ji Yeon corrected herself. Na Ri looked between the pair trying to decode their facial expressions. Jungsoo looked deep in thought which was a strange contrast to his usual smarmy smile. Na Ri wasn't used to seeing this side of Jungsoo and she honestly wasn't liking it much. His troubled face brought uneasiness to her, as though something bad was about to happen. 

"Elaborate!" Jungsoo demanded, surprising both girls by his tone. Na Ri had never seen Jungsoo so intense. His hands were trembling by his sides, his nails digging into his palms. She wanted to reach out and unclench his balled fists but she chose against it. 

Ji Yeon internally battled against her thoughts on running away and hiding from the situation but she was tired of keeping what she knew hidden. She wanted it all to be over. All the secrets, everything, she wanted it out in the open and now was the time. 

"October 14th." Ji Yeon said so quietly it was barely a whisper. Na Ri and Jungsoo turned to look at one another in confusion, neither hearing what she said. Ji Yeon noticed and coughed before closing her eyes and repeating. "I met In Ho on October 14th at Mapo bridge." 

Na Ri and Jungsoo shot worried looks between each other, knowing exactly what she meant by that statement. "Why-why were you there?" Na Ri regretted the words as soon as they left her mouth but she couldn't help but find herself needing clarification. "You!" Ji Yeon fired at her in retaliation. "We moved to Seoul shortly after you left. What choice did I really have? You may have been gone but I was stuck in that past life." 

Na Ri stood in shock while Jungsoo stared at the grave. "So to answer what you were indirectly asking, yes, I was there to jump and so was he." She finished nonchalantly, as though the topic meant nothing to her. Ji Yeon was determined to seem strong, not that same girl that stood on the edge of the bridge two years ago. All that mattered to her now was showing Na Ri that she'd grown as a person and wasn't a pushover like before. 

"He-he jumped?" Jungsoo stammered, his eyes glossed over and his lip trembled. "Neither of us did. We just s-sat and talked all n-night long." Ji Yeon's voice began to break towards the end of her sentence and she mentally cursed herself for it. Ji Yeon had never been able to shake the image of the brown haired boy sitting on the bridge ledge, tear stains running down his cheeks but a sad smile spread across his face as he tightly held on to a piece of paper. She'd always been so thankful that they had met in their moment of need and yet, it seemed unfair that only she was here now. 

Na Ri remained silent as she tried to comprehend the events leading up to them meeting on the bridge. A small part of her was glad that In Ho had been there to stop Ji Yeon. Na Ri had known she was having a hard time because of the bullying but she never considered the fact that her actions caused someone to feel so helpless and lost. "I'm so fucking sorry." Na Ri let the tears spill freely. She deserved to be the one jumping from a bridge, not Ji Yeon. 

Ji Yeon stole a glance at the quiet boy who remained in a frozen stance, staring at the grave. "I'm sorry for your loss. You must've be a friend of his." She muttered to him with a small nod of courtesy. He suddenly broke from his trance, snapping his head up to look at her. "We were." He whispered, his throat feeling dry and scratchy. Jungsoo was tired of hiding his own secrets surrounding In Ho but he didn't have enough courage to ever admit his wrongdoings.