FLAME - EPISODE 8

JUNG AERA

“You should be ashamed……”

I didn’t let her complete her sentence before I slapped are with all the brewing anger in me and she landed hard on the floor.

Does she know what this drug means to me?

Does she know how it feels to wear long sleeved clothing in a sunny weather and to bear all the heat just because you don’t want people to see all the bruises on your body. I don’t remember the last time I wore a sleeveless dress and when the cool wind caressed my skin. Now when I have the opportunity to experience that,she destroys my drug?

The door to our home opened and my mom walked in.

“Aera!”,she yelled my name in shock and rushed to where Ara sat and knelt beside her.

“What happened in here?”,she asked.

“Mother,see what Ara did to my drug. The drug means a lot to me but she smashes it on the floor”,I explained to her.

“No mother!”,Ara countered with a sob.

“She came home with a guy and a parcel in her hand and I wanted to have a sisterly gist time with her to talk but then my hand mistakenly hit the nylon and it fell to the floor and crashed. Mother,it was not intentional”,she cried profusely.

“I even apologized but she…she…she…”,she stuttered.

I just stared on,not a bit surprised by what is going on.

“She did what?”,mother asked with a gritted teeth.

“She slapped me”,Ara burst into another fresh tears.

Mother jumped from where she sat and and rushed to me and hit me with her back hand.

“How dare you slap my daughter?”,she raved and began raining beatings on me.

“Am I not also your child”,I sobbed.

“Don’t I deserve a fair hearing?”

“No! You are a bastard! You should not be existing in this world! Your existence is a shame to this world!”,her words hit me painfully in the chest and my heartache as the tears flowed freely as I sat still and received her beatings.

I have tried my best to gain my mother love but since my childhood she has only treated me with disgust. Even during festive season,she gets Ara fashionable dress and takes her out while I am always locked in. I didn’t complain Because I wanted her love,I wanted to pass a message to her that all those fancy things doesn’t move me…I only want her LOVE.

“You are staying in the dog house”,she threatened me.

The dog house as my mom do call it means that she will lock me outside and I dare not draw attention to myself.

“On your first day in college you actually threw your disgusting self on a guy and he bought you these”,she raved and picked up the capsules,creams and pain killers.

About 10 capsules in all,a pack of pain killer and 3 soothing creams,my mom destroyed it all in my presence and threw them outside.

“Mother. Why don’t you love me?”,I cried bitterly.

She hissed and pushed me outside….

“Dog house”

“I am so happy I didn’t waste my money on sending you to college”.

Unfortunately for Aera, a heavy downpour occurred that night.

NEXT DAY…

LEE JIM IN

I am in college today…I have only one lecture today and then I am free for the day.

I sat in my private room and I am telling my friends all that went on during the meeting.

“Isn’t your dad satisfied?”,Ji hoo scoffed.

“You’ve been doing all he wants and now he wants to tell you who to marry”,Ji hoo added.

“Aren’t you to far way from the marriage discussion”,Taeyhung frowned and kept looking at his phone.

“Exactly”,Ji hoo said.

“Jim in and marriage are world apart right now”.

I chuckled,”my mom interfered though and went against his idea”.

I remembered something and called Taeyhung attention.

“I didn’t see your car yesterday when I left. I know your schedule is free yesterday and you don’t have any exhibition”,I told him.

Taeyhung is a famous artist(he paints) and his works is been hanged in famous people home. No one knows his identity,just his signature P~T. He holds exhibition and auctions where people from all works of life do attend but yet his identity will not be revealed. His dad told him to attend Jin college so that he can socialize. He doesn’t like it the way his only son is so quiet and reserved.

“Thanks for keeping tabs on my life”,he sneered without looking up from his phone.

“So…where were you?”,Ji hoo pestered him.

“To take care of something”,he said.

“Why are you stingy with your words”,Ji hoo whined and it made me laugh.

“I have a feeling that the ‘something’ is Aera……are you sure you don’t like her?”,I asked him,needing assurance because Tae has never been like this for other ladies. He will never bat his eyelid whenever they come close to him.

He didn’t answer me for a while and then he spoke up,”be rest assured that I don’t like her! If I have confirmed my suspicion,I’ll tell you what is going on”,he smiled and looked down at his phone.

I didn’t pester him but chose to believe him since Tae is someone you can hold by his word.

Tae hastily stood up and said just three authoritatve words”come with me”.

We rushed out with him as his word also held urgency.

Authoress POV

Aera arrived in school today with shaky legs and she wrapped her body tightly with two long sleeved sweater. Everyone was staring at her and the weird way she dressed today but she didn’t care. Yesterday,she was soaked in the rain even after the continuous pleading to let her in. Her teeth clattered,her body shivered as she was soaked in the rain and cold slowly seeped into her body. She was already feeling numb when her friend Cho hee came to check up on her.

Cho hee helped Aera to her (cho hee) home and soaked Area in a hot water.

Now she is feeling slightly better as she dragged her body to her faculty. As a new student who is based on scholarship,she can’t afford to miss out on lecture.

JUNG AERA

I looked up and saw the school huge announcement projector. I saw my picture and a message written boldly on it…..JUNG AERA HAS BEEN BALCKLISTED AMONGST THE SOCIALITE OF JIN COLLEGE.

I sighed in defeat but I still had my resolve that no matter the consequence…I’ll graduate from Jin college,my suffering won’t last anyway. I am okay with been blacklisted..at least I am not expelled.

“There she is”

Someone bumped into me and I stumbled.

“Sorry”,I apologized and made to go but my hand was held.

“How dare you stumble into me? Do you know how much this dress cost”,its a male.

“I’m sorry”,I said weakly.

What do this rich kids want from me…at least today I passed the entrance meant for the average kids. Why did they have to come here and cause trouble.

He yanked my hair “I’ll take you to the bully queens and they’d pass their final judgment”.

“I already apologized”,my head screamed in pain.

Infact,all my being is screaming in pain.

“Don’t you get it! You are already blacklisted in Jin college. Meaning that,just a little offense you make,immediate action is meted out to you”,he sneered and continued to yank my hair giving me no option than to follow him.

Why does everyone hate me!

“Aera!”,I heard someone shout my name with a panic stricken tone

Why will anyone care…except?

I looked and saw Taeyhung and his friend rushing towards me.

Before I knew it,the guy holding me was already on the floor with Taeyhung on him.,landing several hard punches on his face.

I was shocked because this is the first time I am seeing him loose his cool and at the same time I was touched that someone stood up for me.

I stumbled backward,I feel so weak that I can’t even stand for too long. I stumbled into Jim in and my back hit his chest.

“Hey…are you okay?”,his voice came out soft and filled with concern.

I didn’t answer as I watched the scene before me. Ji hoo has already dragged Taeyhung away from the boy whose face can be barely known now.

He turned and faced Jim in.

“The A.S.H bully queens sent him….you know what to do”.

Jim in kept mute.

I turned and faced Jim in. “Where is he going to?”

“To get himself back. Once he snaps,he can be brutal and so calming down takes a while”.

I nod.

I tried to move but his hand was holding mine firmly.

“You are running temperature”,he frowned.

Slowly,exhaustion and tiredness started slipping in. My eyes got hot and the splitting headache crashed in,making me stagger.

“Hey”,he called and held me tightly.

“Doctor”,that was the last thing I said and then I blacked out in Jim in arm……