FLAME - EPISODE 12

Author POV

In a huge mansion a woman can be seen weeping as she cuddled a picture frame of a little baby.

“Can you stop all this?”,her husband pleaded with her.

“Why should I? Is all your fault!”,she yelled at her husband and then broke down in tears

* * *
At Jin college student can be seen moving about making the environ quite busy with chattering.

The projector on each of the faculty building lit up with an info…..

“GOOD DAY STUDENTS OF JIN COLLEGE. AS YOU ALL KNOW A COMPULSORY FRESHERS PARTY IS ALWYAS HELD FOR OUR NEW COLLEGE STUDENTS. SO TOMORROW THE PARTY STARTS BY 7PM PROMPT.

OUR SPECIAL GUEST ARE;

THE list rolled out but the students were still antsy,expecting a particular name…

“AND LASTLY…..LEE JIM-IN”

Screams erupted from the students mouth as they were already chattering on what to wear and their visit to the spa.

FOR THOSE WHO AREN’T A FRESHMAN…TO ATTEND THE PARTY,YOU HAVE TO PAY ¥10,000 which will be donated for charity”.

JUNG AERA

EARLIER….

I walked out and heaved a sigh of relief.

‘Did I just talk back at Ara?’,I asked rhetorically.

‘That felt good’ I praised myself and left for my dorm.

“You are back?”,my roommate smiled and dragged me to her bed. I feel weird because all these feeling are not something I am familiar with. I am used to people been harsh and giving me snide remarks.

“We didn’t get a chance for proper introduction”,she smiled and introduced herself.

“My name is Huang Mei…I am bi-racial. My dad is Chinese and my mom is from UK”.

Her facial feature showed it…she has high cheekbone but it was well defined giving her a mixed facials. She is beautiful though.

“And she is”,she pointed at the other lady who is resting on her bed with a huge headphone on her head. “Kwon Seoyeon….she majors in music. She is from a wealthy home”.

I flinched at the mention of ‘wealthy’and glanced at the lady who is obviously immersed in her music as she keeps moving her head slowly.

“Don’t worry…she doesn’t behave like those spoilt brat. She keeps her identity low”,she assured me.

I sighed in relief.

I am not up for a scene.

“I’ll be going for class now. We will chat later”,I told her and left for my lecture.

PRESENTLY….

I sighed when the projector turned off.

“Girl…are you coming?”,my roomie,Huang Mei asked me.

Huang Mei is of a Chinese race but had the opportunity to attend the college.

“There I’d no option of turning it down”,I sighed and began rummaging through my clothes.

“Are you going?”,I asked my other roommate.

“Yes! I will be handling the music”, she said and brought out a huge box.

Seoyeon reminds me of Taeyhung,her quite demure and how she counts her word but overall she is nice to be with.

‘I don’t even have any cloth befitting to wear’,I grumbled and Immediately my phone alrn rang out.

“Got to go. I have to be at the sport court”,I told the two of them.

Seo hummed as a response while Mei told me'”to break a leg”.

I rushed of to the court and signed in for volleyball practice. I chose it because there are lesser crowd there.

In Jin college,its compulsory to add a sport activity to your course and also a vocation study.

I sat on the bench and watched how they played while having fun. After the first two teams time elapsed another two team went to play.

“Isn’t that the clout queen”,a lady sneered at me.

“She is the one”,another agreed.

I looked at them and instantly knew with their gaze that I am the one that are referring to.

“Why can’t you just go without looking for trouble”,I nurmurmed.

“What did you just say?”,the first lady squinted her eyes at me.

“I said,do you derive luck anytime you people pick on me”.

“Did she just talk back at me?”,another gasped.

I just smiled and stared back at my phone.

“You….

She clenched her fist and pushed me to the floor and with that action she got the others attention.

I sat on the floor scared of what the others will so to me. Before I knew it,I was surrounded. I bit my lips with nervousness seeping in.

“Its that despicable lady”

“How dare you talk back at me”,she lowered her face down to where I sat.

I tightened my eyes as I heard laughter.

“She is scared”!

‘You can do this Aera! Stand up for yourself like you did with Ara! If worse comes to worse…you’d know that at least you stood up for yourself’,I preached inwardly to myself.

With that been said…I opened my eyes and pushed the lady who is crouching close to me and she fell with her bottom hard on the floor.

“Stop picking on me! I don’t owe you anything”,I glared down at her.

“Its not my fault I came to the world poor”,I said as iblwt my eyes roam around.

That were all shocked with my outburst,that never expected me to talk back and it gave me a feeling of satisfaction.

“Bravo”,someone clapped and everyone turned and moved away immediately and Jim-in appeared in front of me.

I lowered my head.

‘What is he doing here? I thought he left for something urgent as I heard and will only come tomorrow for the party’,I mused under my breath.

“What? You scared now?”,he chuckled.

I didn’t look up but instead kept staring at the floor.

“How do you like your dorm?”,he asked and stepped closer to me.

“I umm..i..thanks!”,I stuttered.

“Why don’t you hug me instead”,he grinned.

I stared up at him and blink my eyes in shock.

‘What!’

I..? Aera? Hug him?’

“Just a simple hug…..I don’t bite”,his cocky grin made his face more handsome.

‘Geez…Area! What are you thinking of. Dont pollute your mind’,I chided myself and slapped myself a little.

That action didn’t go unnoticed by Jim-in as he burst into an amusing pearl of laughter.

‘She really knows how to pretend’

“Such a conniving b*tch”

“She is a sly human”

“I’ll show her”

“I just asked for a hug and you are all red in the face,what if I asked for a kiss”,he said as he stared at me registering my countenance (flushed),as he continuea laughing.

On impulse and not something I’d do with my right mind,I hit Jim-in on his chest and called him shameless.

He pulled my hand and I landed on his chest.

“Naive rabbit”,he chuckled

‘Oh I am so dead’,I mused knowing that everyone is watching.

I heard a voice;shrill and filled with fright and urgency.

“AERA….DUCK”.

I quickly squatted and I caught sight of a volleyball flying to where I stood. Without much thought I pulled Jim-in along with me and we both fell to the ground….side by side!