…TRY
TO REMEMBER...
privetdriveno4_hyejung0316_choihyejung_niakurniati
CHAPTER 1
“W-what???……….this……….I……...YAAAH!!!!!!”
The man shouted on the top of his lungs didn’t forget to give that death glare
to the girl, who just threw an empty bucket down to the floor, standing right
in front of him. He had noticed that his half upper body was wet. He was
shocked at first, but when realized what was happening he felt nothing but
anger. He looked down to his soaked fancy suit then his eyes back to the girl,
this time tried to open his both already huge eyes even wider, as much as he
can, maximum size. Hoped it could make him looked so scary to the girl then
earned a pity look on her face asking for his forgiveness. But what he got just
made his anger even bigger. The girl didn’t seem to be guilty at all, she sent
a killing glare back at him instead. Her chest moved up and down tried to
manage her heavy breath, her mouth shut tight, and her fists clenched – fists
of fury, clear enough to describe that she was infuriated at him. “Hell, I should be the one who is angry
here!!!” He told himself.
“What do you think you are doing, crazy
girl?” He hissed, gritted his teeth
tried to pressure his anger which he knew he really didn’t need to. “Out of
your mind, huh?” He added.
“Shut up, you jerk!” She yelled, put her
hands on her hips. “I am the angry person here!”
“What?? Jerk? Use that word for yourself!
After soaking me all over yet you still proudly insult me. That already made
you become one! I even can’t capture any sign of guilty on your face!” He
really couldn’t hold his fury anymore.
However, the girl didn’t seem to be
affected by his words. Out of his prediction, she got more courage to attack
him back, “You deserve that! Bumping into my father and caused that damaged,
but you still easily walked away. What else you could expect from me, huh? That
I will happily let you go? No way! Who you think you are?” She blurted out then
stopped for a while to catch her breath. “And guilty? Tch.., I’d be guilty when
I made mistake!”
He narrowed his eyes, confused. “Damage?
What damage? Look, I don’t know what you are talking about, but no matter what
it is, it’s a stupid move when you decide to get messy with me, stupid head!
Don’t you know who am I?” He smirked, raised his head a little, arrogantly.
She hated that smirk on his face. In
fact, she was mad!
“I don’t fucking care who you are,
asshole!”
“SOOJUNG!!! WATCH YOUR MOUTH!!!”
They turned their heads to where the
voice came from. A while before, he thought there were just the two of them,
but later on he realized that they were surrounded by a crowd which looked
amused with what they just saw. An old man stood next to the girl, just like him,
he was partly wet too. Ramyeon scattered right on the floor next to the old
man, he saw some fraction of glasses laid there, too. He knew that man, he was
the owner of the stall in fact. Suddenly he grew aware of what just happened
moments before. He unconsciously bumped into someone and caused the unlucky
person lost his balance and then he just heard a noise from broken glasses.
“I’m really sorry, Minho-ssi. Please
don’t be mad, she doesn’t have any idea about what really happened” The old man
said, nodded his head a little to Minho.
The girl who had been called Soojung by
the old man puckered her forehead, couldn’t believe with what she had just
heard. “Dad! You’re NOT sorry for him. It should be him!” Now pointed her
finger to the man front of her with that widen eyes of hers. “Yah! Don’t you
hear what my father said? Be ashamed of yourself, you are the one who have to
ask for apologize!!!”
There was a part on him admitted that he
needed to say sorry to the man. However, his pride took the control. He was
already too irritated with this annoying girl who kept shouting and yelling at
him. If he did as she wished, it would only give her that sense of victory and
made him ended like a loser –he hated to lose! Therefore, he defended.
“Listen, little missy. I just figure it
out that everything shouldn’t be this hard if only you could hold yourself on
and didn’t rage violently like crazy! But thanks to your overreacted respond
that now things just turned out completely complicated!” He pressed at the very
last two words, hoped it could make her felt bad. Revenge!
“What?” She moved closer to the man,
hands on her hips. “Are you telling me that I cau…”
“OK, enough Soojung-ah. Stop it! Let it
go now! It won’t solve the problem, you only will make it even worse!” Her
father grabbed her wrist and pulled her back, tried to break up their fight.
Soojung turned to face her father, she
pulled back her hand untangled it from her father’s grip. “Dad…..”
“Soojung, huh? I’ll remember that name.
And you’ll pay for this!”
“What pay? No! YOU pay! Pay for all loss
you made here!”
“I think it’s better for you to get going
now, Minho-ssi. Sorry, not that I chase you away. But, this young lady here
won’t stop nagging if you are still here.” The old man told him, knowing his
pretty daughter could turn out crazy when she’s mad and she would be extremely unstoppable.
“No way! He’s not going anywhere, dad!
Not before he pays the loss and apologizes.” She shouted.
“I think I’d better go now. It’s driving
me crazy to have this silly argumentation with this child like girl in front of
me. I’m leaving.” And he went away as he thought he couldn’t stand being around
that girl whose scream could break his ear if he stayed longer.
“W-what?...............you……….YAAAAAAHH!!!”
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Soojung stood in front of her father who
was standing behind the counter and paying his all attention to a small
notebook he hold in his left hand while having a pen in his other hand. He
would sometimes murmur after tilted his head and narrowed his eyes which he
always did when he got confused, or mouthed some inaudible words when he looked
up to the air tried remembering something. He looked fully absorbed in his own
world ignoring annoyed Soojung who then escaped a very hard sigh.
“Dad, how could you do that to me?” She
started talking to get her father attention. “All that I did was because I
cared for you. But you took his side instead. What that made me? I felt so
bad.”She pouted. Her father still focused with his notebook didn’t bother
himself to answer her question which led her become angrier, “Dad! I’m talking
to you.”
Her father gave out a sigh before looking
at her and simply answer her question, “It was because you were irrational,
Soojung-ah. What that fight actually for?”
She was taken aback, hardly believed that
her father would say those words. She thought he would be touched with what she
said to him, then gave her those reassuring words like “I’m sorry, Soojung-ah, daddy really didn’t mean that way.” Or “Please don’t get mad.” As he always
did. Even though she didn’t like her father’s respond, she still managed to
answer what her father just asked her. “I can’t stand him who just left that
easy after causing that chaos. I just wanted him to say sorry to you, dad”
“Well, if that’s the matter, you really
didn’t need to do that. I knew he didn’t do it on purpose, and……maybe you
didn’t notice, but he did make an apology beforehand.” He told her softly hoped
she could understand and stopped that silly conversation.
“You can’t even say that apology, dad. No
sincerity at all. Couldn’t he at least check whether everything was fine or not
before deciding to go away?” She blurted out.
“He seemed in hurry, dear. Maybe that’s
why…….” He still tried to explain, but when he felt that he couldn’t convince
her, he just came: “Right, to make it simple now, if you think that he is a bad
guy, I tell you; no, he is not. I know him.”
“But, dad…..”
“Isn’t that clear enough, Soojung?” He
cut her, tried to end that little dispute soon. Cause if he didn’t, it would be
a very tiring conversation. “Now, let’s stop this. It’s getting crowded over
there. Don’t make them wait too long.” Her father motioned his eyes to the
customers inside the stall that seemed more and more crowded.
“Are we arguing because of that guy now,
dad? Gee, he’s really something! It’s me your daughter, but you choose him over
me. You don’t love me.”
Here
it is! He thought. She
would always say that kind of words to win over the quarrel, and somehow made
him felt so bad. “It’s not about whom I love, Jungie but about what you should
do and don’t. Of course daddy loves you, you are my only daughter. Don’t ever
think that way anymore, that’s ridiculous!”
“Yeaah, sure you love me, dad. But you
love him more.”
“Aigoo…, Over any other people on the
earth, surely daddy loves you best, Soojung-ah.” Soojung quickly turned her
head to the side when she heard that familiar voice. She found a tall, good looking
man smiling widely at her. The smilling man then wrapped his long arm around
her shoulder. “Nobody could beat you up if it comes to daddy’s great affection
for you. Even compared to me myself, dad loves you more.” He patted her head as
he said the last words.
She was surprised at first, but then it
changed into a big amusement knowing her brother was there. “Jungshin oppa! You
came already?” She asked excitedly.
Jungshin, her brother, chuckled because
of her excessive reaction. He was just back from an orphanage to dispense
ramyeon for free – their weekly program, allotted free ramyeon to some
orphanages or child hospitals. He even hasn’t been out for 6 hours, but she
greeted him like he just came from a long, days-worthy journey. He knew that
was too much. But he didn’t mind that, he
liked it in fact. “mmm, yeah…. not much to do there and the kids there were
helpful too. So, I decided to come here soon knowing that you both must be
extremely busy here.” He explained, looked at her and his father. Then his eyes
back to his sister beside him. “So, what happened? If I’m not mistaken, I think
I heard two people were bickering here.” He asked her, raised one eyebrow.
“What made you look so annoyed some time ago, huh?” He added, tightened his arm
on her shoulder, shook it a little.
Soojung’s expression fastly changed. She
reached her brother’s arm on her shoulder then put it down. “Don’t ask me that,
oppa. I’m peevish just to think about it.” She pouted, gave a slight glance over
her father.
Jungshin widened his eyes, confused. He
stared at his father with that questioned look stuck on his face, wanting for a
clarification. He kept locking his eyes to the man, who seemed busy with his
note on his hand, until finally the older one gave up. He looked at him back,
sighed, then shrugged his shoulder. “It was nothing, Jungshin-ah.”
“Aisshh…, daddy!” Soojung yelled, “Here,
oppa. There was this man who….”
“We’ve discussed bout that before,
Soojung-ah.” Her father interrupted, again.
She ignored it then continued telling the
incident to her brother beside her, “Ok, to make it short, I had a little
quarrel with him but daddy chose to nurture him. Whereas all I did because he
was so mean to dad, all that because I cared to daddy. However, dad seemed
didn’t like it he blamed me instead.” She stopped for seconds, then circled her
both hands around one arm of her brother and looked up to his face curiously,
“Oppa, tell me.., you’re on my side, right? You don’t blame me like father, do
you?” She asked him, showed her puppy eyes which she knew he couldn’t resist. Nobody can!
Jungshin proof his laugh seeing her act,
and ruffled her hair, “Do you really have to ask me that, Jungie? You know my
answer already. No matter what it is, I’ll be on your side. Always.”
She straightened her body, completely
contented with her brother’s answer. Excitement was clearly written on her
face, “Really? Yaaay! As always oppa, you are the best brother ever!” She flew
a thumb in the air and rested her head on his shoulder, “What a relief! Well,
since I have Jungshin oppa with me, I don’t mind daddy then.” Soojung eyed her
father then looked away, arrogantly.
“Good. Your problem is fixed, right? Now,
go help other workers serve the customers! They’re starving over there.” Her
father moved his head to the crowd where many people seemed sitting impatiently
waiting for their ordered dishes while some waitresses busily going here and
there served the ramyeon to them. Soojung didn’t respond her father’s command.
She released her arms from Jungshin’s arm then smiled at him before finally she
joined the crowd.
“See that? That’s what we get if you keep
spoiling her, she won’t grow up.” The old man told the young one, his eyes were
on his daughter.
Jungshin followed his father’s gaze,
caught his sister who were having a chat with one customer. He faced his father
back and gave a small smile, “Just let her be, dad. And don’t worry, she might
seem so fussy outside but I know she’s a good girl.”
“Hey, don’t talk to me like I don’t know her!
She maybe your sister, but she’s my daughter too, after all.”
He covered his mouth, giggled to his
father’s respond, “Sorry, dad. It’s because you look worry too much. We’ve seen
that side of her hundreds of time, right? I thought you’ve got use to it now.”
“Right, I will never win over you if it’s
about her, son.” The old man rolled his eyes, shook his head, then concentrated
his mind back to the notebook lied on the counter, finishing his interrupted
counting.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
“Good afternoon, Mr. Lee”
“Oh, Minho-ssi! You’re here!” The old man
looked up and smiled at him, “How’s life doing? Seem that you’ve been busy
lately, I haven’t seen you for days, or a week?”
Minho hold his nape, he didn’t know what
to answer. The way the old man greeted him made him felt uneasy, “hmmm…., yeah.
No, I mean…., not really.” He stuttered, lost idea about what to say, “I
just…..” He stopped and looked down. When he looked up he spotted Soojung who
was taking a note to the customers’ order. He stared at her for a while then
back look at the man when he had courage to speak, “Mr. Lee, about that
previous day, I’m really sorry. Believe me, I didn’t know that it was you. I
really didn’t do that on purpose, I was in such a hurry, had something to do
immediately. That was why…..”
The old man firstly looked confused at
his act, then he grew amused when he finally got the point, “Ah, that’s not a
big matter for me, Minho-ssi. I even can’t recall it unless you talk about it
just now. Just relax” The old man tried comforting him, “But, I think I need to
say sorry too, for my daughter, I know she was too much.”
“She really is your daughter, then?” He
asked, “But I don’t think I ever saw her here before.” Again, he glanced at
her.
Mr. Lee nodded, “She used to stay at
home, but then she insisted to help me here. She couldn’t stand being alone and
doing nothing.” He stopped talking, just noticed that this young man front of
him would secretly glance at his daughter for several times. And it tickled him
when he looked at Soojung and knew that his daughter acted the same as he did.
He looked down and shook his head while having that big grin plastered on his
face “Kids”. A while later, he asked
him, “So, what brings you here actually? Do you come here to apologize only?”
“Surely not, Mr. Lee. I come for your
ramyeon of course. It’s been a while and I missed it. I’ve tried some other
ramyeon there in those stalls. But none of them could beat your ramen up. Yours
is the best! That’s why I’m here now. What else could I do?”
“Really?” His both eyes grew wide,
clearly excited upon Minho’s praise. But then he frowned, “Well, it’s weird to
know that you don’t like my daughter but still bother yourself to be here.”
Minho was definitely shocked, “What? What
are you thinking, Mr. Lee? Please don’t get me wrong. I don’t have any interest
on her. It purely has nothing to do with her. I think I’ve told you the reason
why I’m here, and it…..”
“I know it, young man. What I mean is
that you love the ramyeon yet you don’t like the one who made it.” He was taken aback, dumbfounded, and
disbelieved pictured on his face. As if
reading his mind, the old man repeated his statement to convince him that he
didn’t misheard him, “That’s right, she made all ramyeon here.”
Still in his confused look, Minho turned
his head to the direction where the girl who he frequently stole glances to
moments before stood, right when she did the same to him. Their eyes met!
They kept staring each other for seconds.
He didn’t know what that feeling called. All he knew was he didn’t want to
broke that little moment so soon. She didn’t give him that death glare she did
when they met for the first time. Instead, she had those soft, calm, beautiful
eyes. There was something in her eyes, something that comforted him, reassured
him, as if told him that he had found that what he had been looking and waiting
for on his lifetime. He found peace there.
Minho still busied his mind with his peaceful concept when suddenly the girl
smirked nastily at him, rolled her eyes, and then went away. He was definitely
sure that she uttered something since he saw her mouth moved a little right
before she turned her back to him. He might not hear it, but he was positive
that she was cursing. Somehow it called him back to earth, to the idea how
hateful she was. And he was ashamed of himself to the fact he was enchanted
with her just a while before. “Tch…..,
peaceful? I should meet a psychiatrist!!” He reprimanded.
“Sorry, Mr.Lee. I know you don’t want to
hear this,” He turned back to the man front of him. “but I think she and I
couldn’t get along that easy. I can say she hates me that much looking from the
way she looks at me just now. And I don’t think I have intention for that too.”
“Youth fight, huh? I know, you kids always
have that kind of stuff. Don’t mind me, I can understand that, Minho-ssi. Now,
better you take your seat if you really want to eat, look, the rush is getting
busier.” The man reminded him. Minho gave a look to the crowd which grew wider.
He still had something to be told left in his mind, actually. But in the end he
chose to follow the old man instruction. He gave out a smile before turning his
back and retreated to his table.
“Table 10, one portion, please!”
Soojung heard her father shouted clearly.
Sometimes, he would shout the order himself when some regular customers came. She
always took that as a command, and she would immediately run toward the
customer and served him/her. But the situation was different, the customer was
that certain person she really didn’t want to see, the one she got into a fight
with a week ago, a new foe of her – at least that was how she felt.
She
was surprised when she saw that man coming inside the stall and having a chat
with her father. She thought he would never come back there after that incident
last week. But there he was, in her ramyeon stall and chatted comfortably with
her father. She was busily serving the never-ending-looked customers but still
managed eyeing him several times. She was wondering “What kind of talk they
could possibly have?“ She could say that he looked uneasy at first, but her dad
seemed to reassure him and the next she knew is their awkward conversation
turned into a good companion discussion. She couldn’t help her curiosity,
that’s why she kept turning her head to his direction, stealing glances until
finally his eyes caught hers. She didn’t
know what pushed her or where she got the courage to look at him back in the
eyes, but at that very moment, she felt something playing inside her and it was
so strange. She didn’t know what kind of feeling was that and it made her head
dizzy as much as she tried to figure it out. Soon, she decided to break their
gaze and back to her work hoped it could help her forget that silly moment.
Soojung was still stuck on her place,
turned her head anywhere in the stall looking for any free waitress.
Unfortunately she didn’t find even one. “Well,
I have no choice.” She thought. She stepped forward toward the fancy suited
man half heartedly. She was thinking hard on how she would face him without
causing a fuss when suddenly a corner of her eyes caught someone coming near to
her. “Right! Jungshin Oppa!” Her
heart yelled in happiness. She quickly moved her head to the side to her
brother direction, grinning widely at him, “Oppa, you are free right? Can you
please handle that customer over there? I have something to do back in the
kitchen.”
Jungshin followed her hand direction,
turned his head a little to the side and looked at a man sat alone on that
chair who stared outside over the glass window. Jungshin knew who that man was
even though he couldn’t see his face clearly. He was one of regular customers
there, a rich, young, successful businessman who occasionally would come and
eat there every time he could. He always took the same spot and always looked
outside the window while waiting his ramyeon served. Jungshin just learned that
this man was the one whom Soojung had a quarrel with a week ago. He gradually
realized why Soojung wanted him to serve that customer instead of herself. “I have something to do back in the kitchen” She made up a reason! Just a moment before
she told him that she has done and had nothing to do in the kitchen. And he
himself had also checked that everything was OK there. He chuckled to the fact
how childish she could be and back facing her, “Try to find some other more
reasonable excuses, Soojung-ah.”
“What?”
“Never mind, I’ll have him.” He smiled,
pinched her cheek and approached that guy over there.
Minho sat on his usual spot, table 10.
The one next to a big window which gave him a free sight outside the stall,
where he could watch people running their lives rushing here and there like
there’s no tomorrow. He often come here,
he’s one of the regular customer in fact. He wasn’t coming every day, but he
would be there every time he got his free time, when work didn’t seem to kill
him. He was a businessman, running his family business which soon will be his
own. What a lucky guy, successful at a very young age. He could easily go into
fancy restaurants and ordered those expensive meals as much as he wanted
considering he was a wealth young man. However, he preferred to be here and met
different type of people. So what?
Having different taste is not a crime, right?
He inhaled deeply then let out a sigh
once he got his eyes locked to the view outside. It wasn’t a nice view to be
seen actually, what so special with
rushing people, anyway? It was just….., he liked it to be there, the only
place where he could be alone and have his own pleasure time. The only place
where he could freed his mind from work and other life matters which would
drive him insane if he kept thinking about it. The only place where he could
freely think about her. He would
easily fall into his own world not minding his surrounding once he had her in his mind. He would frequently
grinned and smiled sheepishly in his deep thought when recalled their moments,
try to remember all memories they had, as much as he could. Until a waitress
distracted his daydream and served him his ordered ramyeon. For those who
noticed, it would be weird seeing somebody smiling and grinning to the rushing
crowd of the city outside. Fortunately, no one seemed to pay attention.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
It was 2 PM in the afternoon, sunny day.
Minho sat on a bench under an oak tree. He looked straight to the wide grass
field in front of him. He slowly close his eyes, took the fresh air as much as
he can then threw his head back - eyes were still closed. He could feel the
heat of the sunlight beamed his face through the rift of the oak leaves above
him. He took a day off that day, job had been so stressful lately. So, he went
anywhere he thought could refresh his mind, that ramyeon stall surely also
typed on his lists. It had been a month after the incident in that stall
happened. However, he would always come there as he wished, just like he usually
did. They, Minho and Soojung, still acted like strangers to each other. Nope, it was more like enemy. He always
caught her eventually went away every time they met there, of course by leaving
him those irksome look on her face beforehand. He didn’t mind it, as long as
she didn’t invite him into a fight then he let her did what she wanted to. But,
that very one day was different. He came there earlier and didn’t see her
around. Well, no problem. It didn’t give any change to him whether he saw her
or not, right?
The sun’s heat increased. He could feel
his skin burnt. Minho then decided to leave that place. Furthermore, he needed
to leave soon unless he wanted to be at home when the day turned into night. He
got up from his seat lazily and started to walk away. It was just some steps
away from the bench when he suddenly looked up and stopped his step, stuck on
his spot, looked straight to the familiar figure in front of him.
“You?”
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
